ISM  *  ) 


BS49I 

copy  I 


THE 


BIBLE- WORK 


THE    OLD    TESTAMENT. 


VOL.   YIL 

1  ^iitgs  xii-xxiL,  2  fvings,  2  C^rciikUs   x-xxxvi., 

(Bini,  gc^emta^,  Esther,  |saialj,  Jfoiir  Cljaptas, 

Icrnitialj,  drigbtccix  Cljapters. 

KINGDOM     OF    ISRAEL,    KINGDOM    OF    JUDAH,     CAPTIVITY     AND     RETURN. 
HISTORY   AND   LITERATURE   OF  THE   FOUR  SILENT   CENTURIES. 


THE   REVISED  TEXT,  .ARRANGED    IN   SECTIONS  ;    WITH   COMMENTS   SELECTED   FROM   THE   CHOICEST, 
MOST    II.I,UMIN.\TING    AND    HELPFUL    THOUGHT   OF   THE   CHRISTIAN   CENTURIBa. 


PREPARED   BT 

J.   GLENTWORTH  'T3UTLER,   D.D. 


NEW   YORK: 

THE  BUTLER  BIBLE-WORK  COMPANY, 

85  BIBLE   HOUSE. 

1894. 


CorTRioHT.  1894, 
By  J.  GLKNTWORTH  BUTLEB. 


OOTS'TENTS    OF    THR    VOLUME. 


CAsa 
INDEX   OF  THE  HISTORY. 8 

CHAPTERS   AND   VERSES   OF   THE    BOOKS 6 

POINTS   TO  BE   NOTED   RESPE(;TINQ   THIS   VOLUME,       ...  fl 

THE   HISTORY   IN   72  SECTIONS ft-634 

AUTHORS  CITED BS-VfiS? 


INDEX   OF   THE   HISTORY. 


SECTION  PAOS 

1  Preliminary:  Suggestive  Thoughts  Bearingupon  the  Character 

and  Relations  of  the  Old  Testament  History  ;  Witness  of  the 
Monuments  to  its  Truthfulness.  9 

3  Books  of  Kings  and  ('hronicles.  34 

3  Dated  Events  from  Jeroboam  to  the  Exile,  by  Willis  J.  Beecher, 

D.D.  41 

4:  Eevolt    of   the   Ten    Tribes,   and    Division  of   the   Kingdom. 

1  Kings  la  :  1-20;  3   Chronicles  10  :  1-19.  56 

History  of  thk  Kingdom  of  Israel. 

5  Eeign  of   Jerokoam,  the  First  King.      1    Kings    13  :  ar)-3.3  ; 

13  :  1-34  ;  14  :  l-i!0.  64 

6  Reigns   of   Nadab,    Baasha,    Elah,    and    Zimri.     1    Kings 

15  :  35-31  ;  IG  :  1-20.  79 

7  Reign  of  Omri.     1  Ki)ujs  16  :  21-28.  83 

8  Reign  of  Arab  (Begun).     1  A7?;ys  16  :  29-34.  88 

9  Elijah  Announces  Drought  to  Ahab.     At  the  Brook  Cherith 

and  with  the  Widow  of  Zarephath.     1  Kings  17  : 1-34.  93 

10  Eli.iah  at  Carmel  :  Meeting  with  Obadiah  and  Ahab  ;  Contest 

with  Baal's  Prophets  before  Assembled  Israel  ;    Immediate 

Results.     1  Kings  18  :  1-40.  103 

11  Elijah's  Flight  to  Iloreb  ;  Jehovah's  Treatment  of  his  Dis- 

couraged Spirit.     1  Kings  19  :  1-21.  118 

12  Arab's  Double  Victory  over  Benhadad.     1  Kings  20  :  1-43.  130 

13  Ahab  and  Naboth.     Sacrilegious  Murder  bv  Jezebel.     1  Kings 

21  :  1-39.  "  135 

14  Ahab  Defeated  by  Benhadad,  and  Slain.     1  Kinqs  22  :  1-40  ; 

3  67;roH/fte  18':  1-34.  '  143 

15  Reign  of  Ahaziah.     1  Kings  22  :  51-53  ;  2  Kings  1  : 1-18.  149 

16  Elijah's   Translation,   and    Elisha's    Succession.     2    Kings 

2  :  1-18.  155 
\7             Reign  of  Jehoram.     3  Kings  3  : 1-27.  164 

18  Six  Miracles  of  Elisha  :  Spring  at  Jericho  Healed;  Mockers 

at  Bethel  Punished  ;  Prophet's  Widow  Supplied  with  Oil  ; 
Shunamite's  Son  Restored  ;  Poisoned  Pottage  Purified  ; 
Loaves  and  Corn  Distributed  ;  Lost  Axe-head  Recovered. 
2  Kiwjs  2  :  10-35  ;  4  :  1-44  ;  G  :  1-7. 

19  Naaman's  Leprosy  Removed  ;  Infliction  upon  Gehazi. 

5  :  1-37. 
2©    ■         Elisha  Delivers  Jehokam  from  Syrian  Invasions. 
0  :  8-33. 

21  Siege    and    Deliverance    of    Samaria.       2    Kings    C 

7  :  1-30. 

22  Shunamite's  Land  Restored.     Elisha  and  Hazael. 

8  :  1-15. 

23  Eeign    of   Jehu  (Begun).       He    Slays    Jehoram,    A 

(of  Judah),  and  Jezebel.     3  Kings  9  :  1-37. 


169 

3  Kings 

185 

3  Kings 

199 

:  34-33  ; 

205 

3  Kings 

212 

lUAZIAH 

217 

STNOPSJs  OF  rim  justort. 


RKCTION 


584  Slavs  Ahab's  Sons,  Aiiaziaii's  Rretliren,  and  Baal's  Worship- 

jiers.      His  Dual li.     'Z  Kiiujs  \^) -A-m.  234 

25  Ki'if,nis  of   JiciioAiiAZ  and   JiiiiuAsn.      Elislia's  Sickness  and 

Deatli.     The  After  Miracle.     2  Kings  13  :  1-^5.  233 

26  Keign  of  Jekohoam  II.     3  Kinys  1-1 :  33-39.  242 

27  ileigns  of  Zkchahiah,  Shallu.m,  Menahem,  and  Pekaiiiah. 

3  Kinys  15  :  8-3tJ.  246 

28  Keigns  of  Pekaii  and  Hoshea.     2  Kings  15  :  27-31  ;  17  :  1-5.  249 

29  Israel  Carried   to    Assyria.     Eeasons  Assigned  for  their  Cap- 

tivity.    Samaria  Kepeopled   in  Part   bv  Assyrian  Colonists. 
Ten'Tribes  not  Lost.     3  Kings  17  :  6-41  ;  18  :  9-12.  252 

KlNODOit    OF   JuDAH. 

aO  Reign    of    Rehoboam.      2     Chronicles    11:1-23;     13:1-16; 

1  Kings  Vi  :  21-34  ;  14  :  21-31.  205 

31  Reign  of  Ahijah.     3  Chronicles  13  : 1-33  ;  1  Kings  15  :  1-8.  273 

32  Reign   of   Asa.     3    Chronicles,    chaps.   14,    15,   16 ;    1    Kings 

15  :  9-34.  276 

33  Reign  of  Jeho.shapjiat.      2  67r/o//»7fs,  chaps.  17-20  ;  1  Kinys 

32  :  41-50.  287 

34  Reigns  of  Jehoram,  Aiiaziah,  and  Atiialiah.     2  Chronicles, 

chaps.  31,  33,  and  33  :  1-15  ;  3  Kings  8  :  10-39  ;  11  : 1-10.  297 

35  Reign  of  Joash.     2  Chronicles  23  :  16-21  ;  24  : 1-27  ;  2  Kings 

11  :  17-31  ;  13  : 1-31.  305 

36  Reign  of  Amaziah.     2  Chronicles  25  :  1-38  ;  3  Kings  14  : 1-33.  313 

37  Reigns   of    Uzziah   and    Jotham.      3    Chronicles   20  : 1-23 ; 

27  :  1-9  :  3  Ki^igs  15  : 1-7  ;  33-38.  318 

38  Reign  of  Ahaz.     3  Chronicles  28  :  1-27  ;  3  Kings  10  : 1-20.  334 

39  Reign  of  Hezekiah.     His  Religious  Reformation.     3  Chrnni- 

cles,  chaps.  20-31  ;  3  Kings  IS  :  1-8.  333 

40  "      "  "  Sickness,  Recovery,  and  Psalm  of  (irati- 

tude.  Embassy  from  Babylon.  Sin 
and  Predicted  Punishment.  3  Kings 
30  :  1-19  ;  3  Chronicles  33  :  34-31  ; 
Isaiah,  chaps.  38,  39.  343 

41  "      "  "  Sennacherib's  Army  Destroyed.     Death 

of  Hezekiah.  2  Kings  18  :  13-37  ; 
19  : 1-37  ;  20  :  30.  31  ;  Isaiah,  chaps. 
30,  37  ;  2  Chronicles  32  :  1-33,  33,  33.  356 

42  Reigns  of   Manasseh   and    Amon.      3   Chronicles   33:1-35; 

2  Kings  21  :  1-26.  372 

43  Keign  of  Josiah.     2  Chronicles  34  :  1-33  ;  35  : 1-27  ;  3  Kings 

23  :  1-30  ;  33  :  1-30.  380 

44  Reigns  of  Jehoaiiaz  and  Jehoiakim.     Incidents  Reported  by 

Jeremiah.      3    Kim/s   23  :  31-37  ;    24  :  1-7  ;    3    Chronicles 

30  :  1-8  ;  Jeremiah,  cliaps.  26,  30,  45.  398 

45  Story  of  tlie  Recliabites,  and  its  Lesson.s.     Jeremiah  35  :  1-19.  411 

46  Reigns  of  Jehoiachi>j  and  Zedekiah.     2   Kings  24:8-20; 

25  :  1-7,    27-30  ;    Jeremiah   39  :  1-7  ;    53  :  1-11,    31-34  ; 

2  Chronicles  36  :  9-13.  418 

47  Main  Incidents  of  Jeremiah's  Connection  with   Zedekiah. 

Jeremiah,  chaps.  31,  27,  38,  32,  34,  37,  38.  427 


STNOPSIS  OF  THE  HISTORT. 


SECTJOR 


48  Jerusalem   Destroyed    and   Judah    Taken    Captive.     2   Kings 

35  :  8-21  ;   2    Chronicles   36  :  14-19  ;    Jeremiah   39  :  8-18  ; 

52  :  12-30.  447 

49  After  History  of  the  Remnant  of  Judah.     2  Ki7igs  25  :  22-20  ; 

Jeremiah,  chaps.  40-44.  456 

50  Period  of   Captivity  :    Condition  of   Exiled  Jews  ;    Effects  of 

Captivity.    2  Chronicles  36  :  20-23.    Daniel,  Isaiah,  Deuteron- 
omy and  the  Levitical  Code  as  Kelated  to  Post-Exilic  Period.  465 


SI  The   Books  of  Ezra   and   Nehemiah.      The   Law   iu   their 

Times.     Historical  Outline.  476 

Chronological  Outline  of  the  Persian  Period.  483 

5!4  Book  of  Ezra.     Introduction.  484 

SS  First  Eeturn  under  Jeshua  and  Zerubbabel.     JHzra,  chaps. 

1,  2  ;  2  Chronicles  36  :  22,  23.  488 

54  Altar  and  Sacrifice  Restored.      Temple  Foundation-Work  Sus- 

pended.    Ezra,  chaps.  3,  4.  496 

55  Temple   Finished   and    Dedicated.       Passover    Kept.      Ezra, 

chaps.  5,  6.  503 

56  Ezra  Leads  a  Second  Colony  to  Jerusalem.     Ezra,  chaps.  7,  8.  511 

57  Idolatrous  Marriages  Annulled.     Ezra,  chaps.  9,  10.  518 


58  Book  of  Nehemiah.  524 

59  Nehemiah's  Petition,  Commission,  and  Journey  to  Jerusalem. 

Nehemiah,  chaps.   1,  2  :  1-11.  539 

60  Conference   and    Decision    to    Build    the    Wall.     Confronting 

Adversaries.     Nehemiah,  chaps.  2  :  12-20  ;  3  :  4.  534 

61  Reform  of  Usury.     Neiiemiah's  Generosity.     Nehemiah  b  -A-IQ.  545 

62  Opposition.     Wall  Completed.     Second  Registry.     Nehemiah, 

chaps.  6,  7.  551 

618  Convocation   for   Worship  and   Covenant.     Nehemiah,  chaps. 

8-10.  55T 

64  Nehemiah's  Return.     Dedication  of  Wall.     Reform  of  Abuses. 

Nehemiah,  chajjs.  11-13.  569 


65  Book  of  Esther.  ■  580 

66  Estiier    Displaces    Vashti.      Mordecai's    Service    to    the   King. 

Esther,  chaps.  1,  2.  585 

67  Hainan's   Destructive   Device.      Mordecai's  Charge  to   Esther. 

Esther,  chaps.  3,  4.  591 

68  Esther's  First  Banquet.     The  King's  Sleepless  Night.     Morde- 

cai  Honored.      Esther,  chaiis.  5,  6.  598 

69  Esther  Accuses  Haman.     Mordecai  Elevated.     Decree  in  Favor 

of  the  Jews.     Esther,  chaps.  7,  8.  603 

70  Jews'  Self-Defence.     Feast  of   Purim.     Mordecai's   Advance- 

ment.    Esther,  chaps.  9,  10.  608 


71  Between  the  Testaments.     The  History.  615 

72  "         "  "  Tlie  Literature.  624 


TABLI^  TO  FIND  ANY  TERSE  IN  THIS  VOLUME. 


Cbapteks  and  Veuses  :  1  Kings  XII. -XXII.;  2  Kings;  3  Chronicles  X. -XXXVI. 


1 

KINGS. 

2 

KINGS. 

2 

KINGS. 

2  CHRONICKEiS. 

OHAP. 

VERSE9. 

PAOE. 

[•HAP. 

VKRSES. 

PAGE. 

CHAP. 

VERSES. 

PAOE. 

^HAP.             VERSES. 

PAOE. 

XII. 

1-20 

5(: 

I. 

1-18 

149 

XVI. 

1-20 

324 

X.  1-19 

56 

21-24 

205 

II. 

1-18 

15.5 

XVII. 

1-5 

249 

XI.  1-28 

265 

25-33 

CI 

19-25 

169 

6-41 

252 

XII.   1-16 

265 

XIII. 

1-34 

64 

III. 

1-27 

164 

XVIII. 

1-8 

333 

XIII.  1-22 

273 

XIV. 

1-2U 

(i4 

IV. 

1-44 

169 

9-12 

252 

XIV.  1-15 

276 

21-31 

2(i» 

V. 

1-37 

185 

13-37 

356 

XV.  1-19 

276 

XV. 

1-8 

273 

VI. 

1-7 

169 

XIX. 

1-37 

356 

XVI.  1-14 

276 

9-24 

27« 

8-23 

199 

XX. 

1-19 

343 

XVII.  1-19 

287 

25-31 

79 

24-33 

205 

20,  21 

356 

XVIII.  1-34 

287 

XVI. 

1-20 

79 

VII. 

1-20 

205 

XXI. 

1-26 

372 

XIX.  1-11 

287 

XVII. 

1-24 

93 

VIII. 

l-lo 

212 

XXII. 

1-30 

380 

XX.  1-37 

287 

XVIII. 

1-40 

103 

16-29 

297 

XXIII. 

1-30 

380 

XXI.   1-20 

297 

XIX. 

1-21 

118 

IX. 

1-37 

217 

31-37 

398 

XXII.   1-12 

297 

XX. 

1-43 

130 

X. 

1-3G 

224 

XXIV. 

1-7 

398 

XXIII.   1-15 

297 

XXI. 

1-29 

135 

XI. 

1-10 

297 

8-20 

418 

10-21 

305 

XXII. 

1-40 

U3 

17-21 

305 

XXV. 

1-7 

418 

XXIV.   1-27 

305 

41-50 

287 

XII. 

1-31 

305 

8-21 

447 

XXV.  l-2« 

313 

5l-:)3 

149 

XIII. 

1-35 

233 

22-26 

456 

XXVI.  1-23 

318 

XIV. 

1-22 
23-39 

313 
242 

27-30 

418 

XXVII.     1-9 
XXVIII.   1-2; 

318 
324 

XV. 

1-7 

8-20 

27-31 

33-38 

318 
246 
249 
318 

■ 

XXIX.   1-30 

XXX.   1-27 

XXXI.   1-21 

XXXII.  1-23 

24-31 

32,  33 

XXXIII.  1-25 

XXXIV.  1-33 
XXXV.  1-27 

XXXVI.     1-8 

9-13 

14  19 

20-23, 

333 
333 
333 
356 
343 
356 
372 
880 
380 
398 
418 
447 
406 

TABLE  TO  FIND  ANT  VERSE  IN  THIS   VOLUME. 


Chapters    Ezra,  Kbhgmiah,  Esther. 


EZRA. 

NEHEMTAH. 

ESTHER. 

CHAPTER. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER. 

PAOK. 

CHAPTER. 

■pktm. 

I. 

488 

I. 

529 

I. 

58a 

II. 

488 

II.                       1-11 

529 

II. 

585 

m. 

496 

12-20 

534 

III. 

591 

IV. 

496 

III. 

534 

IV. 

591 

V. 

503 

IV. 

534 

V. 

598 

VI. 

503 

V. 

545 

VI. 

59S 

VII. 

511 

VI. 

551 

vn. 

603 

VUI. 

511 

vn. 

551 

VIII. 

603 

IX. 

518 

VIII. 

557 

IX. 

608 

X. 

518 

IX. 
X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

557 
557 
569 
569 
569 

X. 

608 

Chapters  from  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah. 


ISAIAH. 

JEREMIAH. 

JEREMIAH. 

CHAPTER. 

FAQB. 

CHAPTER. 

PAOE. 

CHAPTER. 

PAGE. 

XXXVI. 

XXXVII. 

XXXVIII. 

XXXIX. 

356 
356 
343 
343 

XXI. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXXII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 

XXXVI. 

XXXVII. 

XXXVIII. 

XXXIX.         1-7 

436 
398 
4.30 
430 
442 
433 
411 
398 
436 
436 
418 

XXXIX.          8-18 
XL. 
XLI. 
XLII. 
XLIIL 
XLIV. 
XLV. 
LII.           1-11 
12-30 
31-34 

447 
466 
456 
456 
456 
456 
398 
418 
447 
41S 

POINTS  TO  BE  NOTED  RESPECTING  THIS  VOLUME. 


1.  As  the  closing  Historical  Volume  of  the  Old  Testament,  its  orderly  place 
is  in  connection  with  Volume  111.  Volumes  IV.,  V.  and  VI.  (including  the 
Psalms  and  the  Books  of  Job,  I'roverbs,  Ecelesiastes  and  the  Song  of  Solomon)  are 
interposed  at  the  end  of  Solomon's  reign  because  of  the  relation  of  David  and 
Solomon  to  four  of  these  Books,  while  the  subject-matter  of  the  fifth  (the  Book  of 
Job)  brings  it  into  close  affinity  with  the  three  Books  (mainly)  of  Solomonic 
origin. 

2.  Four  chapters  of  Isaiah  and  eighteen  chapters  of  Jeremiah  are  embodied  in 
this  volume  for  the  simple  reason  that  these  chapters  are  essentially  historical. 
Their  cojitents  are  necessary  to  the  completeness  of  the  Historical  Record,  since 
they  contain  details  either  equivalent  (and  so  confirmatory)  or  additional  to 
those  of  the  Books  of  Kings  and  Chronicles.  Jeremiah,  in  particular,  furnishes 
many  interesting  and  instructive  personal  incidents  which  disclose  with  gi-eater 
fulness  the  character  of  the  later  Kings  of  Judah,  and  the  causes  of  the  final 
destruction  of  the  Kingdom  ;  while  he  alone  records  the  immediate  after  history  of 
the  Remnant  of  Judali. 

3.  Tliis  volume  presents  a  measurably  full  account  of  the  contemporary  place 
and  work  of  all  of  the  Writing  Prophets,  whose  inspired  acts  and  disclosures  con- 
stitute an  integral  portion  of  the  History,  so  that  a  fair  knowledge  of  these 
Prophets  and  the  substance  of  their  prophecies  may  be  found  herein.  The  vol- 
ume is  thus  closely  linked  with  the  Prophetic  Books  which  follow,  wliile  in  those 
Books  will  be  found  a  corresponding  connection  at  every  point  with  the  History  as 
herein  recorded. 

4.  The  careful  attention  of  the  reader  is  earnestly  invited  to  the  full  and  mas- 
terly Chronological  Summary,  kindly  prepared  by  Professor  Willis  J.  Beecher,  con- 
tained in  the  Third  Section.  The  method  (generally  adopted)  of  attaching  isolated 
dates  to  specific  events  is  purposely  disregarded  in  this  volume,  for  the  sufficient 
reason  tliat  no  single  date  of  a  disconnected  event  can  convey  either  intelligible  or 
helpful  knowledge  to  a  thoughtful  reader.  But  this  accurate,  thoroughly  digested 
Table  of  "  Dated  Events."  if  only  its  clear  explanations  and  its  related  events  with 
their  dates  are  carefully  studied  at  the  outset,  and  afterward  continuously  referred 
to,  will  give  an  intelligent  idea  of  the  period  in  which  every  event  occurred,  since 
it  exhibits  such  event  in  its  relation  to  other  contemporary  events,  with  which  it 
is  more  or  less  directly  associated.  The  special  study  of  this  admirable  Summary 
(pages  41-55)  and  the  mastery  of  its  chief  points  of  historical  detail  is  therefore 
Btronsilv  urged  upon  the  reader  who  seeks  to  obtain  a  thorough  comprehension  of 
the  Inspired  History. 


CLOSING  IlISTOPJCAL  VOLUME. 


Section.  1. 

PRELIMINARY  :  SUGGESTIVE  THOUGHT  BEARING  UPON  THE  CHARACTER  OF 
THE  OLD  TESTAMENT  HISTORY,  AND  ITS  RELATIONS  TO  THE  NEW  TESTA- 
MENT ;  WITH  HELPFUL  EXPLANATIONS  TOUCHING  MINOR  POINTS  OF 
PRACTICAL  INTEREST  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  HISTORY.* 


TIw  Bible  from  Ood. 

The  existence  and  personality  of  God  is  the 
great  postulate  of  the  soul  ;  and  that  being 
granted,  it  is  at  once  seen  to  be  botli  a  possible 
and  a  probable  thing  that  He  should  communi- 
cate in  some  way  with  man  in  his  state  of  con- 
scious guilt  and  spiritual  helplessness.  The 
Bible  claims  to  be  such  a  communication  ;  and 
we  can  trace  it  up  through  th3  centuries  to  the 
dates  at  which  its  several  component  parts 
were  written  ;  we  can  establish  that  its  books 
were  written  by  the  men  whose  names  they 
bear  ;  and  that  in  their  Greek  and  Hebrew 
forms  they  have  come  down  to  us  with  won- 
derful accuracy,  so  that  we  have  more  certainty 
that  we  have  Paul's  epistles  as  he  wrote  them 
than  we  have  that  the  letters  of  Cicero  to  his 
friend  Attieus  are  preserved  in  their  original 
form.  All  these  things  are  settled  for  the  sacred 
books  precisely  as  we  settle  the  genuineness 
and  authenticity  of  other  ancient  writings. 
IF.  M.  Taylor. 

Whoever  will  impartially  consider  the  great 
length  and  variety  of  times  and  circumstances 
through  which  these  ho'ikti  have  passed,  the 
many  hands  through  which  the  copies  have 
gone  and  by  which  they  have  been  transcribed, 
and  then  observe  how  few  or  none  of  the  pas- 
sai/cs  containing  any  difficulty  or  inconsistency 
in  them  are  of  any  weight  or  moment  that  can 
affect  the  design  or  use  of  the  whole — whoever 
considers  this  will  be  so  far  from  being  dis- 
turbed at  the  difficulties  he  may  find  in  the  pres- 
ent copies  of  these  or  any  other  of  the  Il'di/ 
BookA,  that  he  must  conclude  it  a  wonderful 

♦  The  reader  is  referred  to  the  first  thirty-three  pages  of 
Volume  III.,  of  which  these  pages  are  designed  as  a  sup- 
plement and  completion.  Though  the  topics  are,  in  part, 
the  tiame,  the  treatment  will  not  be  found  redundant.     B. 


blessing  of  Providence  that  hath  preserved 
these  writings  so  uncorrupt  and  entire  as  they 
are.     Pyle. 

The  Bible  grew  by  degrees  to  its  present 
size  ;  and  as  in  a  house  stone  is  laid  on  stone 
and  story  built  upon  story,  so  book  was  added 
to  book,  history  to  history,  prophecy  to  proph- 
ecy, gospel  to  gospel,  and  one  epistle  to  an- 
other, till  the  hands  of  John  laid  on  the  cope- 
stone,  and,  standing  on  the  pinnacle  of  tliis 
sacred  edifice,  he  pronounced  God's  wide  and 
withering  curse  on  all  who  should  impair  its 
integrity.     Oathrie. 

The  Old  Testament  history,  throtighout  a 
period  of  some  thousand  years,  written  by  dif- 
ferent hands,  and  at  many  different  times,  not 
only  exhibits  a  series  of  events,  arranged  and 
exclusively  designed  to  pn.'pare  the  way  for 
the  luivent  of  the  Messiah,  and  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  plan  of  salvation,  but  has  woven 
into  its  very  texture  all  the  doctrines  and  duties 
of  Christianity — doctrines  and  duties  not  fully 
developed  nor  understood  till  the  coming  of 
Christ,  but  now  to  be  clearly  traced  in  the  an- 
cient records.  Can  there  be  a  doubt  about  the 
Author  of  the  history?  It  would  be  as  easy  to 
counterfeit  the  heavens  and  the  earth  as  to  forge 
such  a  series  of  documents.  The  Bible,  then, 
must  be  the  boo'.i  of  God.     ILiklnne. 

Who  but  God  could  make  the  Bible'?  What 
eye  but  that  which  surveys  the  world  at  a 
glance,  and  beholds  all  nations,  with  their  mul- 
tifarious ills  and  complicated  wants,  as  they 
are,  and  reads  with  intuitive  certainty  the  moral 
pulsation  of  every  heart,  could  see  far  enough 
and  wide  enough  and  deep  enough  for  such  a 
work?  What  but  the  all-comprehensive  mind 
could  devi.se  a  religious  system,  humble  in  its 
grandeur  and  majestic  in  its  simplicity,  which 


10 


PRELIMINARY. 


shoulil  bp  equiilly  applicable  to  men  in  every 
nation  and  eVL-iy  aj;e  ;  which  has  power  to  re- 
claim the  lieart  and  control  the  life  ;  to  disarm 
the  worlii  of  its  enmity  against  God  ;  to  restore 
the  wanderer  ;  raise  the  disconsolate,  and  light 
up  a  smile  on  tlie  ])ale  cheek  of  death?  Surely, 
this  is  no  common  luidcrtakiug.  There  is  but 
one  Heing  who  ever  tliouglit  of  doing  it ;  and 
the  volume  tliat  reveals  tliis  purpose  hiis,  writ- 
ten deeply  and  indelibly  upon  its  sacred  page, 
ike  niyiiiitiirc  nf  (li'd.     Jii'wan. 

The  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament  that 
have  been  so  faithfully  preserved  and  so  fully 
attested  contain  the  most  satisfactory  and  con- 
vincing internal  evidences  of  their  truth.  The 
character  of  God  which  they  exhibit,  nowhere 
delineated  in  the  writings  of  any  of  the  wisest 
of  this  world,  unenlightened  by  revelation,  is 
such  as  carries  with  it  its  own  confirmation. 
The  character  they  give  of  man  is  verified  in 
the  history  of  every  nation  and  of  each  indi- 
vidual. The  majesty,  purity,  and  suitableness 
to  the  condition  of  man,  of  the  doctrine  they 
contain — the  soundness  and  unrivalled  excel- 
lence of  the  moral  precepts  they  inculcate,  and 
the  glory  of  the  succeeding  dispensation  which 
toward  their  close  they  indicate  with  increas- 
ing clearness  ;  and  all  this  confirmed  and  veri- 
fied in  the  minutest  particulars  by  the  New 
Testament  Scriptures — form  a  body  of  internal 
evidence,  to  which  nothing  but  the  deep  cor- 
ruption of  the  human  heart  could  render  any 
one  insensible.     Ilaldane. 

We  take  these  Scriptures,  and  observe  their 
entire  coincidence  and  harmony,  through  all 
their  extent  and  amid  all  their  varieties,  in  the 
utterance  of  one  vast  spiritual  system.  We  go 
over  their  whole  range  and  find  them  all  agree- 
ing upon  this,  though  written  by  so  many  and 
such  dilTerent  persons  :  Revelation  answering 
to  Genesis  across  the  passage  of  centuries — Deep 
calling  vuito  Deep  ; — and  the  inference  seems 
inevitable  that  they  come  to  us  from  God  ;  that 
One  controlling  and  infinite  Mind  hiis  been 
moving  in  the  midst  of  these  changing  circum- 
stances. And  then  we  take  the  system  itself 
which  they  reveal  to  us  ;  we  observe  its  unity, 
its  viust  sublimity,  its  absolute  purity  ;  we  no- 
tice how  it  meets  all  man's  wants  and  satisfies 
his  powers,  how  it  interweaves  itself  at  the 
edges  with  the  a.scertained  truths  of  philo.sophy 
or  of  .science,  accepting  them  all  and  reconcil- 
ing their  dillcrenees  ;  we  see  how  it  ])<>iiits  to 
other  departments  and  realms  of  truth  harmoni- 
ous with  itself,  which  God  sees  constantly,  but 
wliich  eye  hath  not  seen  nor  ear  heard,  and  of 
which  no  angelic  messenger  has  brought  to  us 


a  report — and  everywhere  we  find  in  this  sys- 
tem the  signatures  of  Divinity.  We  accept  it 
as  from  God.  Then  we  look  to  its  results,  and 
they  are  all  beneficent.  So  we  knoio  it  to  be 
God's.  Storm.  -^ 

Tlie  Old  and  New   Testaments,   Tino  Phases  of 
Oiie  Reflation. 

In  his  chanicteristic  and  terse  way  the  church 
father  Augustine  defines  the  relation  existing 
between  the  two  Testaments  in  these  words  : 
In  Veteri  Testamsnto  Noinim  latet,  in  N<>m  Vetua 
patet  (in  the  Old  Testament,  the  New  lies  hid  ; 
in  the  New,  the  Old  lies  open).  The  full  ap- 
preciation of  the  fundamental  truth  contained 
in  these  words  is  becoming  more  and  more  a 
feature  of  the  evangelical  biblical  research  of 
our  day.  That  the  two  Testaments  represent 
the  two  pha.ses  of  the  one  revelation.  difTering 
from  each  other  not  in  kind,  but  only  in  de- 
gree, and  that  the  two  form  the  one  revelation 
and  history  of  revelation  from  God  to  fallen 
man,  to  restore  him  to  his  lost  estate,  is  the  ac- 
cepted position  of  all  but  negative  scholars. 
In  principle  the  two  Testaments  are  thus  one  ; 
the  New  is  rooted  in  the  Old,  and  can  find  its 
true  interpretation  only  from  this  standpoint. 
.  .  .  The  entire  New  Testament  consciously 
and  ex  prufexHu  stands  upon  the  basis  of  the  Old, 
of  which  it  is  the  continuation  and  completion. 
The  words  in  Luke  24  :  44  are  fundamental  on 
this  point.  And  when  the  New  thus  refers  to 
the  Old,  it  is  solely  and  alone  to  the  canonical 
writings  of  the  latter,  to  the  Palestinian  collec- 
tion of  Hebrew  sacred  books.  It  is  a  singular 
and  most  significant  fact  that  neither  directly 
nor  indirectly  have  any  other  writings  of  that 
day  and  generation  exerted  a  material  influence 
upon  the  contents  of  the  New  Testament. 
There  is  not  a  single  indication  of  a  non-canoni- 
cal book  having  been  quoted  or  having  in  the 
substance  of  the  New  Testament  books  influ- 
enced the  writers  or  the  speakers.  The  appeal, 
direct  and  indirect,  is  always  to  the  canonical 
books  of  the  Old  as  the  sole  authority  and 
source  of  knowledge.  The  New  Testament 
literature,  which  by  no  means  is  hermetically 
scaled  to  other  writings,  as  is  seen  from  its  use 
of  Septuagint,  its  citations  of  Greek  poets,  its 
moving  and  living  in  the  atmosphere  of  its  age, 
in  the  estalilishment  of  its  principles  and  doc- 
trines, builds  upon  and  appeals  solely  and 
alone  to  the  canonical  writings  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  to  these  alone,  because  they  and  they 
alone  are  the  inspired  Revelation  of  God  to 
num.  For  the  New  Testament  the  unity  of 
the  Old  is  a  fixed  and  fundamental  fact. 


RELATION  OF  OLD  AND  NEW  TESTAMENTS. 


11 


And  tliis  is  in  full  agreement  with  the  ohar- 
acter  of  the  biblical  books.  They  are  the  rec- 
ord of  a  gradual  unfolding  of  God's  plans  for 
the  redemption  of  man,  and,  in  fact,  this  is  the 
golden  chord  that  connects  them  all  and  makes 
them  one.  The  sacred  literature  of  no  other 
people  can  lay  claim  to  this  unique  feature. 
While  it  may  be  diflicult  at  present  to  assign  to 
each  and  every  book  its  peculiar  position  and 
necessary  role  in  the  development,  yet  it  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  some  of  the  books  are  as 
yet  imperfectly  understood.  But  this  is  known, 
that  these  books,  as  far  as  clearly  understood, 
represent  the  different  stages  in  one  process, 
the  development  of  principles  from  germ  to 
full  fruit.  In  this  process  these  books,  one  and 
all,  have  some  portion  or  part  to  record  ;  and 
it  would  be  difficult  to  show  that  even  the  small- 
est could  be  omitted  without  iu  one  or  the  other 
material  point  injuring  our  understanding  of 
the  unfolding  of  God's  kingdom  on  earth  ;  and. 
on  the  other  hand,  there  is  no  material  stage  in 
this  process  on  which  the  canonical  writings 
are  silent.  Internally  they  constitute  a  one- 
ness ;  their  unity  is  undeniable.  Comparative 
religious  science  can  claim  no  phenomenon  of 
this  kind  for  any  other  nation.  Even  when 
under  the  scalpel  of  modern  criticism,  the  truth 
that  the  Scriptures  practically  constitute  one 
volume,  consisting  of  parts  mutually  comple- 
mentary and  supplementary,  remains.    Sc/iodde. 

Christianity  recognizes  in  the  Old  Dispensa- 
tion its  divinely  ordained  preparatory  stage. 
Tliis  peculiar  connection  between  the  two  Testa- 
ments, their  different  stages  of  revelation  being 
fraught  with  one  and  the  same  spirit  and  con- 
stituting a  marvellous  whole,  is  a  witness  to 
the  Divine  origin  of  the  Jeirdnh,  as  well  as  the 
Christian  religion.  When  we  examine  into  the 
Books  of  the  two  Testaments  we  find,  both  in 
their  history  and  dof:trine,  a  connection  extend- 
ing through  centuries,  a  gradual  progress  which 
points  to  one  comprehensive  plau  which  could 
by  no  possibility  have  had  its  origin  in  the 
mind  of  short-lived  man,  but  can  only  be  rea- 
sonably explained  by  that  Divine  causation  to 
which  the  Bible  itself  refers  all  things  ;  and  if 
we  proceed  further  to  test  this  conclusion  by 
comparing  it  with  our  knowledge  of  other 
kinds,  we  shall  find  that  not  only  do  the  Di- 
vine revelations  intimately  agree  together,  but 
with  the  condition  and  needs  of  our  human 
nature,  with  the  fundamental  relations  of  the 
universe,  and  with  the  being  of  God.  Incom- 
parable wisdom,  holiness,  and  love  breathe  on 
us  from  the  Scripture  pages,  and  perfcc:tly  sat- 
isfy the  demands  of  conscience  and  the  search 


of  the  intellect  after  the  highest  truth.  Hess 
of  Zurich  says:  "Nothing  hiis  so  convinced 
me  of  the  truth  of  Christianity,  its  revelation, 
history,  and  doctrine,  as  the  having  found  in 
the  sacred  records,  on  the  one  hand,  what  per- 
fectly satisfies  the  needs  of  humanity  for  time 
and  eternity,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the 
Divine  provision  toward  this  end  such  a  con- 
nected progress  from  small  to  great,  from  the 
particular  to  the  universal,  as  would  have  been 
impossible  to  human  invention."     Aiibeiieii. 

The  full  sense  of  the  New  Testament  can 
only  be  reached  by  a  thorough  study  of  the 
Old  Testament  upon  which  it  was  founded. 
The  connection  between  them  is  a  living  or- 
ganic connection,  as  between  the  seed  and  the 
fruit.  It  was  the  same  Being,  the  same  Divine 
will,  the  same  fundamental  principles  of  sal- 
vation that  were  taught  in  the  one  as  in  the 
other.  These  facts  are  essential  to  the  right 
understanding  of  Scripture,  and  he  must  sorely 
miss  the  meaning  of  the  New  Testament  who 
lets  go  his  hold  upon  the  conviction  of  the  eter- 
nal truth  of  the  Old.     Oardiner. 

Ilistorij  tlie  Basis  of  Both  Testaments. 

Vfc  cannot  read  the  Old  Testament  without 
seeing  that  the  whole  of  it  rests  on  the  basis  of 
a  history — the  history  contained  in  what  we 
call  the  boolvs  of  Moses.  Now,  if  you  turn  to 
the  New  Testament,  you  will  find  that  it  be- 
gins, in  like  manner,  with  a  history  :  the  his- 
tory of  the  four  Gospels  ;  and  what  the  Penta- 
teuch is  to  the  Old  Testament,  the  Gospels  are 
to  the  New.  Here,  then,  is  a  symmetry  in  the 
two  parts  of  the  Bible.  Each  begins  with  a 
history  which  pervades  and  inspires  all  that 
follows.  Only,  the  two  histories  are  different, 
while  they  are  connected.  The  one  is  that  of  a 
divinely  chosen  people,  selected  for  a  special 
purpose.  The  other  is  that  of  a  Divine  Per- 
son. And  a  person  is  superior  to  a  people 
merely  as  a  people,  as  a  corporate  body,  for  a 
person  has  an  immortality  :  a  nation  has  not ; 
and  a  person  can  be  charged  with  far  higher 
lessons  than  a  nation.  The  two  histories  are 
on  two  planes,  a  lower  and  a  higher  ;  the  lower 
is  imperfect  without  the  higher,  and  the  higher 
assumes  and  completes  the  lower.     Kcr. 

Christianity,  including  therein  the  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Old  Testament,  is  in  nothing  more 
distinguished  from  the  other  religions  of  the 
world  than  in  its  objective  or  liistorical  char- 
acter. The  religions  of  Greece  and  Rome,  of 
Egypt,  India,  Persia,  and  the  East  generally, 
were  speculative  systems,  which  did  not  even 
seriously  postulate  a  historical  basis.     But  it  is 


13 


PnELIMINART. 


otlicrwisp  with  the  rpliffion  of  the  TJible.  There, 
whether  we  look  to  the  Old  or  the  New  Testa- 
ment, to  the  Jewish  dispensation  or  to  tlie 
Christian,  we  find  a  sclienic  of  doctrine  which 
is  bound  up  with  facts  ;  whicli  depends  abso- 
lutely upon  them  ;  which  is  null  and  void  with- 
out thcin  ;  and  wliich  may  be  regarded  as  for 
all  practical  purposes  established  if  they  are 
shown  to  deserve  acceptance.  As  a  religion  of 
fact,  and  not  merely  of  opinion— ;us  one  whose 
chief  scene  is  this  world,  and  whose  main  doc- 
trines are  events  exhibited  openly  before  the 
eyes  of  men — iis  one,  moreover,  which,  instciui 
of  affecting  a  dogmatic  form,  adopts  from  first 
to  last,  with  very  rare  exceptions,  the  histori- 
cal shape,  the  religion  of  the  Bible  comes  neces- 
sarily within  the  sphere  of  the  historical  in- 
quirer, and  challenges  him  to  investigate  it  ac- 
cording to  what  he  regards  as  the  principles  of 
his  science.  Moreover,  iis  Christianity  is  in 
point  of  fact  connected  intimately  with  certain 
records,  and  as  those  records  extend  over  a 
period  of  several  thousands  of  years,  and  "  pro- 
fess to  contain  a  kind  of  abridgment  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  world,"  its  points  of  contact  with  pro- 
fane history  are  (practically  speaking)  infinite  ; 
and  it  becomes  impossible  for  the  historical  in- 
quirer to  avoid  the  question,  in  what  light  he 
is  to  view  the  documents  which,  if  authentic, 
must  exercise  so  important  an  influence  over 
his  studies  and  conclusions.     G.  R. 

Thkee    Characteristics    of    the    Hebrew 
Scriptures. 

An  examination  of  the  chief  characteristics 
of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  indicates  ;  a  Vital 
Connection  between  Religion  and  Uistory ;  a 
unity  of  thought,  sentiment,  and  practical  aim 
uiukrlyini/  their  great  variety  of  form,  and  apro- 
gremire  derelopment  of  religious  doctrine,  not 
final,  but  iiointing  forward  to  a  fuller  unfold- 
ing. 

1.  In  these  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  religion 
in  shown  us  tlm  soul  of  history ;  the  supreme 
reality  and  central  power  in  human  affairs  ; 
the  deepest  foundation  of  human  life.  The 
Bible  account  of  the  origin  of  rei,ioios  is  that 
man  began  his  journey  on  this  globe  not  as  a 
deserted  orphan,  turned  adrift  to  seek  God  as 
best  he  could,  but  in  communion  with  the 
Father  of  spirits.  God  talked  with  him,  and 
he  could  talk  with  God.  God  marked  for  him 
the  path  of  duty,  and  it  lay  in  his  choice  to 
walk  in  it  or  to  wander  from  it.  Compared 
with  recent  hypotheses  of  the  slow  and  ))ainful 
u.scent  of  man  from  irrational,  speechless,  law- 
less, godless  apehood,  the  Bible  account  has  at 


.all  events  the  advantage  of  dignity,  beauty, 
intelligiblencss,  and  analogy  with  the  known 
facts  of  human  experience.  In  Genesis  G«i  is 
shown  as  the  ultimate  source  of  all  being,  pre- 
paring the  earth  from  the  beginning<>o  be  the 
home  of  man.  Man's  very  existence  is  traced 
to  God's  purpose  to  realize  His  own  likeness  in 
human  nature.  5Ian  is  shown  ius  conversant 
with  God,  its  soon  as  he  began  to  know  himself 
and  the  world  around  him.  The  foundations 
of  marriage,  property,  labor,  moral  duty  and 
responsibility,  are  all  laid  in  God's  revealed 
will,  and  man's  conscious  relation  to  his  Maker. 
Moral  evil,  or  sin,  is  represented  iis  wilful  dis- 
obedience to  the  known  will  of  God.  The  ten- 
dency to  evil  is  shown  to  be  hereditary  as  well 
as  personal,  and  teeming  with  seeds  of  in- 
crease. Human  life  is  reganled  as  a  whole  ; 
and  God  is  seen  as  the  Ruler  and  .ludge  of  Man- 
kind, as  well  as  the  personal  Friend  and  Saviour 
of  ever}'  one  who  fears  and  tnists  Him.  F.\ITH, 
as  the  mainspring  and  sheet  anchor  of  the  re- 
ligious life  ;  Prayer,  as  direct  personal  con- 
verse with  the  Unseen  Father  of  spirits,  and  as 
actually  heard  and  answered  by  Him  ;  and 
Divine  Providence  as  regulating  all  human 
affaira  from  the  greatest  to  the  least,  are  so  ex- 
emplified in  these  ancient  Hebrew  annals,  that 
the  story  of  Abraham,  of  .lacob,  of  Joseph,  pos- 
sesses an  uudecaying  charm  for  Christian  minds 
of  the  highest  spiritual  culture.  They  are  typi- 
cal for  all  time.  No  example  of  after  ages  has 
been  able  to  cast  them  into  the  shade.  In  the 
"  Pentateuch"  there  is  no  break  of  continuity. 
The  narrative  passes  briefly  over  the  centuries, 
at  first  of  peaceful  prosperity,  then  of  bitter 
adversity,  during  wliich  Israel's  descendants 
"  increased  abundantly,  and  multiplied,  and 
waxed  exceeding  mighty."  It  hsistens  to  tell 
the  story  of  the  deliverance  from  bondage,  and 
of  the  creation  of  an  organized  nation. 

AVith  the  narrative  of  the  Exodus,  the  forty 
years  in  the  wilderness,  and  the  conquest  of 
Cansiun,  is  interwoven  the  record  of  the  Na- 
tional Code  and  Constitution,  political,  relig- 
ious, moral,  and  social.  The  historic  reality  of 
the  Divine  manifestation  to  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Israel,  is  assumed  as  the  necessary  rtarting- 
point  of  God's  dealings  with  their  descendants. 
His  promise  to  Abraham  i.s  treated  iw  a  "  cove- 
nant," to  which  Divine  faithfulness  stan<Is  ir- 
revocably jili'dged.  But  a  new  starting-point 
is  given  inmuMliately  sifter  the  deliverance,  by 
a  fresh  "  covenant"  granted  by  Jehovah,  and 
freely  accepted  by  the  people  (Ex.  19:3-8). 
This  description  of  the  founding  of  a  nation, 
and  laying  the  basis  of  national  legislation,  by 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  HEBREW  SCRIPTURES. 


13 


a  solemn  contract  of  sovereignty  and  obedience 
between  the  Almighty  Creator  and  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  whole  nation,  is  absolutely 
unique  in  its  sober  majesty,  severe  literal  real- 
ity, and  moral  grandeur.  On  the  basis  thus 
laid,  the  whole  fabric  of  legislation  and  frame- 
work of  national  life,  according  to  the  books  of 
Moses,  rested.  All  the  subsequent  history  pro- 
ceeds from  this  starting-point.  The  religion  of 
personal  faith,  prayer,  and  obedience,  depicted 
in  Genesis,  is  never  lost  sight  of  ;  but  it  is  over- 
shadowed by  the  religion  of  national  faith, 
public  worship,  and  obedience  to  the  law  bind- 
ing on  the  nation.  The  Ten  Commandments 
and  the  subsequent  laws  given  by  Moses  are 
expressed  in  such  a  form  that  the  word  "  Thou" 
may  apply  equally  to  the  individual  Israelite 
or  to  the  nation.  Divine  providence  and  gov- 
ernment are  illustrated  on  a  corresponding  scale. 
The  wanderings  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob, 
and  the  sufferings  and  glory  of  Joseph,  illus- 
trate God's  care  and  control  of  personal  his- 
tory down  to  its  least  details.  Egypt,  the  Red 
Sea,  Sinai,  the  desert,  the  manna,  the  water 
from  the  rock,  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire, 
teach  a  like  lesson  in  regard  to  national  his- 
tory, on  a  scale  never  equalled,  never  to  be  re- 
peated. 

The  connection  between  Religion  and  His- 
tory, noticed  above  as  the  first  great  distinctive 
character  of  the  religion  of  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures,  is  strongly  marked  with  regard  to 
the  three  essential  elements  of  the  system  set 
up  by  Jloses  :  the  tabernacle,  the  Priesthood, 
the  Sacrificial  Ritual.  All  three,  in  the  records 
which  have  come  down  to  us,  are  inseparably 
interwoven  with  the  main  facts  of  Hebrew 
story — the  deliverance  from  Egypt,  the  encamp- 
ment at  Sinai,  the  covenant  between  Jehovah 
and  His  people,  the  giving  of  the  Law,  the 
stubborn  rebelliousness  of  Israel,  and  the  con- 
sequent delay  of  their  entrance  into  Canaan  un- 
til the  death  of  Moses  in  the  fortieth  year  from 
the  Exodus. 

As  the  recorded  history  of  ancient  Israel  fur- 
nishes the  only  key  to  the  religion  of  the  Old 
Testament,  otherwise  inexplicable,  so  the  re- 
ligion bears  witness  to  the  history.  Solomon's 
Temple  presupposes  the  Tiibernacle.  It  act- 
ually contained  the  Ark.  But  the  Ark  and  the 
Tabernacle  presuppose  the  wandering  in  the 
Wilderness  ;  which  in  its  turn  presupposes 
Sinai  and  the  Deliverance.  The  whole  history 
from  the  birth  of  Samuel  attests  the  importance 
of  both  the  Ark  and  the  Tabernacle.  David's 
institutions,  which  survived  the  Captivity  and 
lasted  into  the  Christian  era,  attest  the  national 


importance  and  numerical  strength  of  the  tribe 
of  Levi  ;  their  sacred  chariicter  ;  and  the  hered- 
itary priesthood  of  the  descendants  of  Aaron. 
How  can  these  (joined  with  the  fact  that  Levi 
Wiis  a  landless  tribe)  be  explained  apart  from  a 
legislation  coeval  with  the  existence  of  the  na- 
tion? In  a  word,  is  it  rationally  conceivable 
that  a  nation  so  numerous,  compact,  tenacious 
of  tradition,  yet  sturdily  independent,  prone  to 
strife,  and  obstinately  addicted  to  forbidden 
rites,  should  have  been  persuaded  (before,  dur- 
ing, or  after  the  reigns  of  David  and  Solomon) 
to  receive  a  body  of  new  institutions,  forged 
laws,  and  fictitious  public  annals,  and  that  this 
astonishing  fabrication,  unparalleled  in  all  lit- 
erature, should  have  gained  that  prodigious 
hold  on  national  belief  and  reverence  which 
the  writings  ascribed  to  Moses  undeniably  pos- 
sessed after  the  return  from  Babylon'?  The 
demands  made  on  our  faith  by  modern  scepti- 
cal criticism  far  exceed  in  fact  those  made  by 
all  the  minicles  of  the  Bible. 

Further,  as  matter  of  historic  fact,  an  un- 
broken living  chain  of  religious  faith,  teaching, 
sympathy,  prayer,  and  practice  connects  the 
tent  of  Abraham  and  the  legislation  of  Sinai, 
through  the  life  and  teaching  of  Jesus,  with 
the  religious  life  of  modern  Christendom,  and 
with  the  moral  power  (the  only  one  yet  discov- 
ered) which  has  shown  itself  capable  in  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  in  Polynesia,  in  New  Guinea, 
in  Madaga.sear,  in  South  and  Central  Africa,  of 
lifting  half-barbarous  or  wholly  savage  and 
brutal  tribes  into  civilization,  morality,  and 
liberty. 

3.  The  intimate  blending  of  history  and  re- 
ligion, which  we  have  noted  as  the  first  great 
characteristic  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  is  the 
condition  of  the  two  other  characteristics  also 
indicated:  Unity  ioxA  Development.  These  may 
be  best  considered  together.  For  development 
implies  unity.  And  the  unity  discoverable  in 
the  Bible  is  a  unity  of  growth  ;  not  formal  and 
mechanical,  but  vital,  internal,  spiritual. 

Clearly,  if  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament 
possess  any  real  unity,  it  must  be  of  this  na- 
ture. For  they  do  not  compose  a  Book  in  any 
ordinary  sense  of  the  word.  They  are  a  library, 
a  literature.  They  range  over  a  thousand  years. 
Their  writers  differ  widely  in  character,  genius, 
education,  position.  They  reflect  the  most  op- 
posite phases  of  national  life.  Diversity  of  con- 
tents and  variety  of  form  could  scarcely  be 
more  strongly  exemplified  than  in  this  collec- 
tion of  annals,  laws,  biography,  poems,  aphor- 
isms, prophetic  oracles.  If  the  unity  of  these 
sacred  writings  were  merely  artificial  and  con- 


14 


PRELIMINARY. 


ventional,  conferred  by  authority  and  custom, 
it  would  dissolve  at  the  to\ich  of  serious  exam- 
ination. If,  on  the  contrary,  deep  below  this 
divei-silied  and  broken  siirfaee  we  find  a  unity 
of  thonirht.  an  unbroken  vein  of  relijrinus 
teaehinc:,  jrrowini;;  richer  from  a{re  to  aire.  Ilien 
this  unity  is  a  fact  more  important  than  the 
diversity.  It  must  liave  an  adequate  cause. 
It  demands  an  intelligent  explanation.  If  nat- 
ural causes  cannot  explain  it,  we  miist  infer 
8\ipernatural.  If  human  authors  could  not  (or 
manifestly  did  not)  combine  to  produce  it,  the 
only  possible  explanation  is  Divine  Authorship. 
And  such  unity,  progressively  unfolding  itself, 
docs  actually  characterize  the  Hebrew  sacred 
writings.  The  central  conception  which  gives 
unity  to  their  religious  teaching  is  found  in  the 
vionil  clinrnrtrr  of  God,  tn  prrsiinal  rcUitinn  witli 
mankind II nd  with  rnrh  hnman  heinrj.  The  Book 
of  Gtenesis  opens  with  affirming  the  deepest  rela- 
tion we  and  all  other  beings  sustain  to  God  as  our 
Creator.  Creation  appcara  in  the  record  i,s  an  or- 
derly process,  crowned  with  the  birth  of  man. 
Man  is  reprcsenteil  as  from  the  first  placed  in  di- 
rect moral  relations  with  his  Maker.  A  specially 
prepared  home,  work,  the  Sabbath,  marriage, 
and  a  positive  command,  the  test  of  obedience, 
bless  and  fence  his  life.  Disobedience  is  repre- 
sented as  putting  him  in  a  sadly  altered  rela- 
tion to  God.  He  is  called  to  account,  found 
guilty,  sentenced  to  the  less  of  Eden,  made 
subject  to  death.  Nevertheless,  man  retains 
his  highest  privilege — direct  converse  with  his 
Maker. 

We  search  in  vain  the  sacred  books  and  the 
entire  literature  of  pagan  nations  for  any  ade- 
quate parallel  to  these  representations  of  the 
absolute  authority  and  just  severity  of  the 
Creator,  united  witli  fatherly  tenderness  to- 
ward the  sinner,  and  effort  to  win  to  repent- 
ance and  hold  him  back  from  sin.  As  exam- 
ples, we  may  refer  to  the  startling  description 
of  Divine  sorrow  over  man's  sin,  and  the  hun- 
dred and  twenty  years'  respite  granted  in 
Noah's  time  to  the  doomed  world  ;  the  place 
assigned  to  intercession,  as  of  Abraham  for 
Sodom,  of  Moses  and  Samuel  for  Israel,  of  Job 
for  his  friends  ;  the  pathetic  warnings  of  Moses 
to  Israel  ;  the  echo  of  those  warnings  by  his 
Bucces.sor,  Joshua;  Samuel's  faithful  and  sol- 
emn rebuke  to  the  National  Assembly,  joined 
with  the  a.ssvirance  that  the  Lord  would  "  not 
forsake  His  people,  for  His  great  name's  sake  ;" 
Isaiah's  call  to  come  and  reason  together  with 
God,  joined  with  a  gracious  promise  of  pardon 
to  the  penitent ;  Jeremiah's  thunderbolts  of 
terror,  flashing  and  pealing  through  a  tempest 


of  tears  ;  Ezekiel's  trumpet  blast  of  warning  ; 
the  homely  remonstrance  and  final  warning  of 
the  latest  of  the  prophets.  The  list  might  be 
indefinitely  extended.  The  preaching  of  John 
the  Baptist,  the  bust  prophet  of  the  ()ffl  Testa- 
ment, sounded  afresh  the  key  note  which  thus 
rings  thro\igh  the  Hebrew  Bible.  It.s  full  toned 
harmony  is  heard  in  the  preaching  of  Jesus  :  in 
His  invitation  to  the  "  laboring  and  heavy-la- 
den ;"  His  picture  of  the  prodigal  returning  to 
his  father  ;  His  lament  over  impenitent  Jerusa- 
lem. From  these  specimens  it  is  clear  that  a 
consistent  strain  of  teaching,  in  the  form  not 
of  dogma,  but  of  historic  narrative  and  ])racti- 
cal  appeal,  pervades  the  books  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. Human  life  is  everywhere  regarded  in 
direct  moral  relation  to  Divine  law.  authority, 
and  mercy.  The  aim  throughout  is  not  to  in- 
form and  convince  the  intellect,  but  to  affect 
and  control  the  affections,  conscience,  and  con- 
duct. 

Thus  we  arc  brought  back  to  the  central  con- 
ception which  gives  unity  to  the  religious  teach- 
ing of  the  whole  body  of  the  Hebrew  Scrip- 
tures, the  moral  character  of  God,  in  personal 
relation  irith  mankind  and  trith  each  human 
being.  This  great  central  doctrine  (which  in- 
cludes the  truths  of  man's  personality,  moral 
character,  and  accountableness)  U  developed  by 
means  of  human  history  and  experience — espe- 
cially the  experience  of  sin.  Four  main  lines 
of  illustration  combine  to  unfold  this  greatest 
of  lessons  :  1.  Public  history,  especially  iis  con- 
cerned with  those  calamities  which  the  Scrip- 
tures represent  as  Divine  judgments  on  sin  :  as 
the  Deluge,  the  destruction  of  Sodom,  the  over- 
throw of  Pharaoh,  the  punishment  of  the  rebel- 
lious Israelites,  the  extermination  of  the  de- 
praved idolaters  of  Canaan,  the  Babylrmish 
captivity,  the  overthrow  of  Babylon.  2.  Sym- 
bolic worship  and  priestly  mediation.  3.  Pro- 
phetic ministry,  interpreting  God's  law,  will, 
truth,  and  promises.  4.  Personal  experience  ; 
vividly  illustrating,  on  the  one  hand,  the  care 
and  guidance  of  God's  providence,  and  leading 
and  teaching  of  His  Spirit,  bestowed  on  those 
who  fear  Him  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  life  of 
faith,  penitence,  prayer,  and  loving  obedience 
to  God.  In  this  last  method  the  teaching  of 
the  three  other  methods  is  brought  to  a  practi- 
cal focus.  It  may  be  summed  up  in  the  words 
in  which  the  most  sorrowful  of  the  prophets, 
in  the  most  mournful  book  of  Scripture,  ut- 
ters his  peaceful  faith:  'The  Lord  is  good 
unto  them  that  wait  for  Him,  to  the  soul 
that  seeketh  Him"  (Lam.  3  :  25).  E.  R.  Con- 
der. 


STRUCTURAL  PECULIARITIES  OF  OLD   TESTAMENT. 


15 


Structural  Characteristics  of  tlie  Old  Testament. 

In  the  Old  Testament  we  have  a  national  lit- 
erature ;  not  one  book,  but  many,  a  whole  li- 
brary or  collection  of  books,  with  certainly  not 
less  than  twenty-five  writers,  extending  over  a 
period  of  at  lesist  a  thousand  years.  In  so  long 
a  space  of  time  we  should  naturally  expect  to 
find  a  great  difference  in  language.  Think  of 
the  difference  in  language  between  the  English 
of  modern  London,  and  that  tongue  that  was 
spoken  here — for  we  cannot  call  it  English — in 
the  time  of  Alfred  the  Great,  who  came  to  the 
throne  a  thousand  years  ago.  In  fact,  the  lan- 
guage of  Chaucer,  which  is  somewhere  mid- 
way between  these  two  extremes,  and  rather 
nearer  to  our  own  time  than  to  that  of  Alfred, 
is  not  commonly  intelligible  now.  But  it  is 
not  too  much  to  say  that  the  language  of  Moses 
and  the  language  of  Malaehi  are  identical.  The 
one  writer  would  have  had  no  dilflculty  in  un- 
derstanding the  other.  There  are  indeed  slight 
indications  of  change  in  the  language  of  the 
two  ;  but  it  is,  after  all,  the  .same  language. 
The  difference  between  Chaucer  and  Shake- 
speare i,j  far  greater  than  that  between  Moses 
and  JIalachi.  The  differences  that  do  exist 
correspond  to  dialectical  variations  rather  than 
differences  of  age  ;  and  it  is  a  fact  which  we 
may  endeavor  to  account  for  in  various  ways, 
that  the  language  of  the  Old  Testament  does 
not  present  those  marked  differences  of  age  that 
we  shoul.l  expect  to  find  in  compositions  sepa- 
rated by  long  periods  of  time,  and  which  are 
met  with  in  the  literature  of  other  languages. 
The  Hebrew  Bible  does  not  contain  probably  a 
tenth  part  of  the  vocabulary  of  the  language 
as  it  Wii3  spoken  at  any  one  period,  and  several 
books  are  so  short  and  so  various  in  their  sub- 
ject-matter, that  it  could  hardly  be  otherwise 
than  that  many  words  .should  be  used  by  one 
writer,  which  would  not  be  found  in  another. 
Almost  every  book  has  certain  words  peculiar 
to  itself,  and  in  some  ciises  (as  Job  and  Canti- 
cles) the  number  of  these  is  very  large.  The 
Old  Teistament  is  composed  in  two  cognate 
but  totally  distinct  languages.  By  far  the 
greater  portion  of  it  is  written  in  Hebrew  ;  but 
certain  parts  of  Ezra  (4:8-6:  18,  and  7  :  13-26), 
one  verse  of  Jeremiah  (10  :  11),  and  certain 
parts  of  Daniel  (3  :  4y-7)  are  in  Chaldee,  which 
is  presumed  to  have  been  the  language  acquired 
and  spoken  by  the  Jews  during  the  Captivity, 
and  which  after  their  return  gradually  super- 
seded the  ancient  biblical  Hebrew.  This  lan- 
guage approximates  more  nearly  to  that  used 
on  the  Assyrian  monuments,  which  are  Semitic, 


and  not  Persian  or  Scytliic  ;  to  the  language  of 
the  Targuras,  or  the  Chaldee  paraphrases  of 
certain  portions  of  the  Scriptures  ;  to  the  Syriac 
of  the  oldest  translation  of  the  New  Testament ; 
and  to  it  may  be  assigned  those  few  Semitic 
words  which  are  found  in  the  Greek  of  the  New 
Testament.  On  the  other  hand,  the  pure  bibli- 
cal Hebrew  is  more  nearly  represented  by  the 
language  of  the  Phoenician  inscriptions,  and, 
above  all,  by  that  of  the  famous  Moabite  Stone. 

The  difference  between  these  two  languages 
is  a  difference  of  grammar,  and  not  merely  of 
vocabulary.  There  are,  indeed,  in  several 
boolvs,  certain  peculiarities  of  form,  which  are 
termed  Chaldaisms,  but  these  are  for  the  most 
part  trilling  variations,  consisting  frequently 
of  nothing  more  than  a  change  of  letter,  and, 
however  they  are  to  be  accounted  for,  are  not 
sufficient  to  indicate  the  gradual  approximation 
of  the  one  dialect  to  the  other.  The  difference 
between  Hebrew  and  Chaldee  is  analogous  to 
that  between  French  and  Italian,  rather  than 
to  that  between  any  two  dialects  of  cither  lan- 
guage, or  of  our  own.  We  have  evidence  from 
Scripture  itself  that  a  person  speaking  in  Chal- 
dee would  not  have  been  understood  by  an  or- 
dinary Jew,  and  the  reverse  from  the  req-uest 
made  to  Rabshakeh  (Isa.  36 :  11  and  2  K. 
18  :  26).  Another  point  to  be  noted  is  the  fam- 
ily of  languages  to  which  the  dialects  of  the 
Old  Testament  belong.  This  is  what  is  called 
the  Semitic  family,  comprising,  for  the  most 
part,  the  languages  spoken  by  the  descendants 
of  Shem.  These  are  chiefly  the  Hebrew,  the 
Arabic,  the  Syriac,  the  Chaldee,  and  the  Ethi- 
opic.  Besides  the  Arabic  and  Ethiopic,  another 
modern  representative  of  this  family  exists  in 
the  Maltese.  The  Semitic  languages  are  totally 
distinct  in  structure  and  formation,  as  well  as 
vocabulary,  from  the  Aryan  or  Indo-Germanic 
family,  to  which  Greek,  the  language  of  the 
New  Testament,  and  Latin  and  Gothic,  the 
parents  of  our  own,  all  belong. 

From  the  existence  of  the  Septuagint,  from  the 
reference  in  the  preface  to  Ecclesiasticus,  and 
from  the  testimony  of  Josephus,  we  can  trace 
backward  the  pedigree  of  the  Old  Testament  for 
a  period  of  three  hundred  years  from  the  birth  of 
Christ.  It  is  equally  certain  that  at  that  time  it 
must  have  acquired  a  considerable  amount  of 
celebrity  to  have  been  translated  at  Alexandria, 
more  especially  as  the  strong  antipathy  of  the 
Greeks  to  the  Jews  would  have  prejudiced 
them  against  the  Jewish  literature,  while  for 
the  use  of  the  Jews  themselves,  who  were  liv- 
ing there,  such  a  translation  was  not  wanted. 
The  fact,  therefore,  of  this  Greek  version  ex- 


16 


PRELIMINARY. 


istinc;  when  it  did  ia  itarlf  an  evidence  of  a  cer- 
tain prior  nnli(niity  in  Die  book  ;  and  wlictlier 
the  version  was  that  of  a  jiart  only  or  the 
■whole,  for  the  Law  would  naturally  be  trans- 
lated first,  it  matters  little,  because  it  would 
have  been  an  absolute  impossibility  that  any 
books  that  were  translated  afterward  should 
have  originated  in  the  interval,  or,  supposing 
them  to  have  originated,  should  have  acquired 
sufficient  celebrity  to  be  translated.  For  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  though  the  Sep- 
tuagint  contains  books  which  are  not  in  the 
Hebrew,  there  are  no  books  in  the  Hebrew 
which  the  8eptuagint  does  not  contain. 

lu  an  analysis  of  its  structure  and  contents, 
the  first  thing  which  strikes  us  about  the  Old 
Testament,  regarding  it  for  the  moment  as  a 
single  book,  is  the  multiplicity  of  its  topics  and 
the  variety  of  its  contents.  This  is,  of  course, 
less  remarkable  when  we  remember  that  though 
conventionally  regarded  as  one  book,  it  is  really 
a  national  literature  ;  and  almost  every  species 
of  writing  finds  its  representative  in  the  Old 
Testament.  There  are  legal  documents,  sacri- 
ficial prescriptions,  and  ritual  ordinances  ;  there 
are  family  records  and  genealogical  tables  ; 
there  are  complete  historical  monuments  of  the 
nation  from  its  very  infancy  till  the  time  when 
it  ceased  to  have  the  distinct  individual  exist- 
ence of  the  past.  These  monuments,  though 
indeed  much  more  meagre  than  we  could  de- 
sire, are  none  the  less  complete,  inasmuch  as 
they  form,  as  it  were  by  accident,  a  connected 
whole.  The  gaps  which  exist  appear  to  be  left 
almost  by  design.  For  example,  we  have  few 
details  given  us  of  the  wanderings,  next  to 
none  of  the  captivity,  but  in  either  case  this 
was  not  so  much  because  an  historian  was  lack- 
ing, as  because,  apparently  from  his  point  of 
view,  the  materials  were  deficient  in  interest. 
To  lis  the  record  of  these  would  have  been  most 
precious  ;  nor  can  we  conceive'  any  period  of 
the  national  history  when  it  would  not  have 
been  so  to  the  nation  ;  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
those  who  were  directly  interested  in  it,  Moses, 
Daniel,  and  the  rest,  have  passed  it  by  in  silence. 
Then,  in  addition  to  the  history,  we  have  poetry 
of  every  kind,  elegiac,  pastoral,  warlike,  devo- 
tional ;  poetry  which,  in  the  range  of  its  sub- 
jects, and  in  the  scope  of  its  object,  need  fear 
comparison  with  none  in  any  language,  and, 
indeed,  in  this  last  respect  is  incomparably 
superior  to  all  other  imetry.  Then  there  are 
ethical  treatises,  collections  of  moral  maxims 
for  the  guidance  of  conduct,  and  speculations 
as  to  the  destiny  of  man,  and  attempts  at  the 
solution  of  the  mystery  of  his  being,  which 


have  even  now  lost  none  of  their  interest ; 
added  to  which  then'  is  in  the  Hebrew  litera- 
ture a  cosmogony  which  alone,  of  all  the  cos- 
mogonies of  the  ancient  world,  has  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  in  the  midst  of  U*e  light  and  discov- 
eries of  modern  science,  any  sort  of  claim  to 
come  into  competition  with  it.  There  is  no 
other  which  any  one  would  even  dream  of  at- 
tempting to  reconcile  with  or  oppose  to  the 
present  condition  of  scientific  knowledge,  no 
other  which  is  entitled  to  the  smallest  consider- 
ation !is  embodying  any  truth,  whether  i)hysi- 
cal  or  otherwise. 

A  similar  variety  is  to  be  perceived  also  in 
the  several  writers  whose  works  are  comprised 
in  the  Old  Testament.  They  are  of  all  cUisses 
and  occupations.  There  is  the  king,  the  priest, 
the  warrior,  the  sage,  the  chorister  in  the  tem- 
ple, the  cupbearer  in  the  palace,  the  chamber- 
lain in  the  court,  and  the  herdsman  in  the  field  ; 
and  if  we  cannot  add  to  the  list,  it  is  only  be- 
cause the  scanty  information  we  possess  about 
certain  individuals  does  not  enable  us  to  do  so. 
S.  Lcatlim. 

The   Traditional   Order  of  Hm   Old   Tegtament 
Bookn  the  True  Order. 

Two  considerations  deserve  to  be  borne  in 
mind.  First,  that  supposing  the  books  of  the 
Old  Testament  to  be  genuine,  any  dislocation 
of  their  real  historical  order  (such  as  the  con- 
jecture that  portions  of  the  Pentateuch  were 
written  by  Ezekiel  or  by  Ezra)  must  altogether 
confuse  and  disguise  their  religious  teaching. 
Secondly,  that  if  these  books,  taken  in  theT 
traditional  order,  exhibit  a  unity  and  progress 
which  disappear  on  any  other  arrangement,  a 
powerful  argument  will  be  supplied  that  the 
traditional  order  is  the  true  order.  If  the  pieces 
of  a  model  fitted  in  one  order  produce  a  sym- 
metrical building,  and  in  any  other  arrange- 
ment a  shapeless  heap,  no  sane  mind  doubts 
which  of  these  shows  the  design  with  which 
they  were  fashioned.     E.  R.  Conder. 

The  Credibility  of  the  History  as  Recorded. 

We  learn  to  appreciate  this  on  internal 
grounds,  and  mainly  for  two  reasons.  There 
is  no  evidence  of  individual  partiality  on  the 
part  of  the  writers.  The  greatest  characters 
are  drawn  without  regard  to  the  sympathies 
that  may  be  presumed  to  be  on  their  side.  Da- 
vid's vices  are  recorded  with  the  stern  severity 
of  truth.  If  the  writer  seems  almost  for  a  mo- 
ment to  be  carried  away  with  admiration  for 
the  greatness  of  Solomon,  be  is  not  slow  to  de- 
pict his  disgraceful  fall,  and  that  in  such  tcr  us 


CREDIBILITY  OF  OLD   TESTAMENT  HISTORY. 


17 


that  certain  critics  have  rejected  the  story  as 
altogether  incredible.  But  the  same  impar- 
tiality is  observable  as  regards  the  nation  and 
the  national  honor  that  we  see  as  regards  the 
principal  personages  of  it.  The  Impression  left 
on  the  reader's  mind,  after  closing  the  books  of 
Kings,  is  one  certainly  not  favorable  to  the  na- 
tion. Wonderful  victories  have  at  times  been 
won,  but  they  are  attributed  less  to  national 
prowess  than  to  the  Divine  protection,  and 
very  often  it  is  defeat,  and  not  victory,  that  is 
recorded  ;  while  from  a  moral  point  of  view, 
ingratitude,  unfaithfulness,  apostasy,  are  the 
very  serious  charges  continually  advanced 
against  the  nation.  On  both  these  grounds 
there  is  a  natural  presumjjtion  in  favor  of  the 
writer's  credibility.  In  fact,  this  would  prob- 
ably never  be  questioned  if  it  were  not  for  an- 
other feature  too  prominent  to  escape  observa- 
tion, and  this  is  the  strong  undercurrent  of 
Divine  interposition  which  everywhere  runs 
through  the  whole  narrative.  The  (luestion,  of 
course,  is  how  this  is  to  be  dealt  with.  The  or- 
dinary historian  and  philosopher  will  at  once 
set  it  aside.  But  it  seems  strange  to  do  so 
hastily,  when,  as  we  have  seen,  there  is  so  much 
on  other  grounds  to  dispose  us  to  trust  the  nar- 
rative— more  especially  as  this  undercurrent 
of  Divine  interposition  is  ever  associated  with 
a  claim  to  the  possession  of  Divine  knowledge. 
The  writer  professes  to  know  how  a  man's  con- 
duct was  estimated  in  the  Divine  judgment ; 
he  claims  to  know  something  of  the  Divine  pur- 
poses, as  well  as  to  record  instances  of  the  Di- 
vine interposition.  These  things,  however 
much  they  may  affect  his  credibility  in  onli- 
nary  matters,  must  evidently  stand  or  fall  to- 
gether. The  question  is  whether  his  acknowl- 
edged general  credibility  throws  more  credit  on 
his  statements  in  these  matters,  than  his  state- 
ments on  these  matters  tenJ  to  bring  discredit 
upon  him  in  the  others.  And  tliis  is  simply  a 
question  of  preponderating  evidence.  The 
only  thing  to  be  said  is  that  there  are  many 
features  in  the  history  as  we  accept  and  cannot 
but  accept  it,  merely  in  its  human  aspect,  that 
are  certainly  more  consistent  than  inconsistent 
with  the  tenor  of  these  remarkable  statements. 
The  history  in  its  merely  natural  features  is  a 
unique TSind  unparalleled  phenomenon  in  litera- 
ture. There  is  nothing  which  bears  any,  even 
a  remote,  analogy  to  it  in  the  whole  literature 
of  mankind.  The  obscurity,  the  cohesion,  the 
consistency  which  characterizes  its  composition 
finds  nowhere  anything  correspondent  to  it. 
And  then  the  complexion  and  the  form  of  the 
history  itself,  in  its  broadest  and  most  obvious 


features,  is  such  as  to  produce  in  us  the  con- 
viction that  it  is  marked  with  the  impress  of 
the  Divine  finger,  and  overshailowed  by  the 
Divine  hand,  as  the  incidents  of  no  other  his- 
tory can  pretend  to  be.     S.  Lcat/ies. 

We  may  specify  nine  elements  in  the  Sacred 
Boolis  of  the  Jews  as  they  stood  about  400  B.C. 
— viz.,  their  multiplicity  and  variety,  their  na- 
tional, tribal,  and  personal  interests,  their  gene- 
alogical, official,  chronological,  and  topographi- 
cal characteristics.  Now,  these  things  are  just 
the  class  of  phenomena  in  any  literature  which 
give  it  reality  and  stamp  it  as  trustworthy.  As 
we  look  down  the  long  vista  of  narrative, 
hedged  in  as  it  ever  is  with  prophecy  and  po- 
etry, and  reaching  back  from  the  comparatively 
modern  period  of  Nehemiah  to  the  patriarchal 
and  pre-patriarchal  ages,  we  feel  that  we  are 
dealing,  not  with  myths,  legends,  or  old  wives' 
fables,  but  with  solid  historical  realities.  Crir- 
dlesto/ie. 

It  may  safely  be  averred,  putting  the  ques- 
tion of  inspiration  altogether  out  of  view,  that 
the  natural  character  of  the  sacred  historians 
ranks  them  with  the  firet  of  human  beings.  In 
point  of  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  conception, 
of  discrimination,  of  unaffected  simplicity,  of 
ingenuous  disinterestedness,  of  unbending  in- 
tegrity, of  successful  execution,  they  are  un- 
rivalled ;  and  it  is  only  necessary  to  compare 
their  productions  with  the  most  admired  com- 
positions of  antiquity,  to  assign  to  them,  un- 
hesitatingly, the  preference.     Eiic,  Met. 

Certainly  if  the  Old  Testament  histories  have 
the  same  origin  as  the  chronicles  of  other  na- 
tions, they  present  most  anomalous  features. 
Where  do  we  find  any  other  people  whose  an- 
nals contain  nothing  that  can  minister  to  na- 
tional vanity,  and  have  for  one  of  their  chief 
themes  the  sins  of  the  nation?  The  history  of 
Isratd,  as  told  in  Scripture,  is  one  long  indict- 
ment of  Israel.  The  peculiarity  is  explicable, 
if  we  believe  that,  whoever  or  how  numerous 
soever  its  authors,  God  was  its  true  author,  as 
He  is  its  true  theme,  and  that  the  object  of  its 
histories  is  not  to  tell  the  deeds  of  Israel,  but 
those  of  God  for  Israel.  These  continual  re- 
lapses have  an  important  bearing  on  the  ques- 
tion of  the  origin  of  the  "  Jewish  conception  of 
God."  They  are  intelligible  only  if  we  take 
the  old-fashioned  explanation,  that  its  origin 
was  a  Divine  revelation,  given  to  a  rude  peo- 
ple. They  are  unintelligible  if  we  take  the 
new-fashioned  explanation  that  the  monothe- 
ism of  Israel  was  the  product  of  natural  evolu- 
tion, or  was  anything  but  a  treasure  put  by 
God  into  their  hands,  which  they  did  not  ap- 


18 


PRELIMINARY. 


preointc,  and  would  willinsly  hnvc  tlirown 
away.  The  foul  Ciuiaaiiitish  wcirship  was  tlic^ 
kind  of  thing  wliich,  if  k-ft  to  themselves,  they 
wouUI  have  wallowed  in.  How  eanu^  siieh 
people  by  such  tliouijhts  ils  these?  The  his- 
tory of  Israel's  idolatry  is  not  th(^  least  conclu- 
sive proof  of  the  supernatural  revelation  wluch 
made  Israel's  religion.     A.  M. 

Under  the  government  of  God  idolatry  Is  the 
greatest  of  crimes,  a,  rebelliim,  a  treiison  against 
the  authority  and  the  throne  of  Jehovah,  and 
against  His  loyal  subjects  and  true  worehip- 
pers.  It  is  a  denial  of  His  suprenuicy.  Ilis  per- 
fections, and  His  prerogatives  ;  a  scheme  of 
degradation,  misery,  and  destruction  to  men  ; 
a  system  of  wickedness  involving  every  species 
of  immorality  and  corruption  (as  described  in 
Uom.  1)  and  every  element  of  Satanic  malice  and 
cruelty.  Historically,  this  great  system  of 
tyranny  and  blood  Ls  the  groundwork  of  the 
civil  and  social  annals  of  a  large  portion  of  the 
race.  It  stands  forth  as  the  comprehensive  or- 
ganized emlxidiment  of  antagonism  to  the  true 
religion  ;  to  virtue,  truth,  and  righteousness. 
To  counteract  and  prevent  its  universal  success 
under  the  ancient  dispensation,  it  was  neccs- 
sai'y  to  institute  a  theocratic  administration 
over  a  paiticidar  community  of  true  woi'ship- 
pcrs  to  preserve  and  protect  them,  and  for  their 
defence  and  the  vindication  of  the  Divine  au- 
thority to  inflict  retributive  and  avenging  judg- 
ments on  the  surrounding  idolaters.  Thus  the 
destruction  of  Sodom,  the  plagues  of  Egypt, 
the  extirpation  of  the  Canaanites,  the  over- 
throw of  other  pagan  nations  from  time  to  time, 
and  the  various  subjections  and  captivities  of 
the  Israelites  when  they  apostatized  to  idol 
worship,  were  successive  vindications  of  the 
true  God  and  the  true  religion  against  the  ar- 
rogance and  treason  of  idolatry.     E.  L. 


Israel's  history,  from  beginning  to  end,  is 
one  continuous  miracle  ;  and  its  once  glorious 
exaltation,  with  its  disnuil  fall  and  jiresent  con- 
dition, one  of  the  most  overwhelming  proofs 
conceivable  of  the  divinity  of  t'hristianity  and 
tlu^  truth  of  the  Bibh;.  Its  historical  eminence, 
its  pure  knowledge  of  God,  its  manifold  cove- 
nant privileges,  Israel  owed  not  to  its  own 
merit,  but  solely  to  the  sovereign  mercy  of 
God.  For  the  Jews  were  by  nature,  us  Moses 
and  the  prophets  often  lament,  the  most  stifT- 
neeked,  rebellious,  and  unthankful  nation  on 
earth.      Srhdff. 

The  continued  existence  of  the  Jewish  people 
is  the  great  wonder  of  history.     No  other  na- 


tion has  so  tenaciously  clung  to  its  religion  and 
nationality,  and  that,  too,  almost  without  a 
community  of  language.  The  great  nations  of 
anti<iuity  that  dwelt  rouiid  about  Palistine 
have  all  perished,  though  scarcely  ev(  r  driven 
from  theirown  countries.  Israel  has  continued, 
though  dispei-sed  into  the  whole  world.  It 
stands  before  us  still  as  the  historical  nation  in 
a  pre-eminent  sense,  an  indestructible  witness 
to  the  oldest  and  most  sacred  history — ^amid  the 
changes  in  the  other  nations  of  the  world,  the 
giiiirantce  of  a  great  tUcine  past  and  a  great  di- 
vine future.     Auberlen. 

For  nearly  two  thousand  yeare  the  revelation 
of  God's  will  was  deposited  with  a  single  na- 
tion— the  seed  of  Abraham.  This  is  the  sole 
reason  why  the  history  of  the  Jews  is  given  so 
m\ich  more  fully  in  the  Bible  than  that  of  any 
other  nation.  It  is  remarkable,  however,  that 
Bible  liistory  brings  us  into  contact,  more  or 
less  close,  with  almost  every  great  nation  of 
the  ancient  world.  Any  one  called  on  to  name 
the  greatest  nations  of  antiquity  would  at  once 
mention,  in  Africa — Egypt,  Ethioi)ia,  and  Car- 
thage, the  daughter  of  Tyre  ;  in  jVsia — Phoeni- 
cia, Syria,  Assyria.  Babylon,  Arabia,  and  Jledo- 
Persia ;  and  in  Europe — Greece,  Macedonia, 
and  Rome  :  it  is  remarkable  that  there  is  haixily 
one  of  these  countries  on  which  Bible  history 
does  not  touch.     W.  G.  B. 

The  Old  Testament  is,  in  fact,  the  most  reli- 
able source  of  extra-Israelitic  history  in  so  far  as 
it  touches  upon  it.  Niebuhr,  in  characteriz- 
ing the  sources  of  the  Assyrio-Babj'lonian  his- 
tory he  had  written,  says  :  "  The  Old  Testa- 
ment alone  is  an  exception  to  patriotic  untruth  ; 
it  never  conceals  or  psisses  over  a  national  error 
or  reverse.  Its  trut/ifulness  is  the  highest  thing 
in  history,  even  for  him  who  does  not  believe 
in  Divine  Inspiration.  At  the  same  time,  I 
must  claim  for  the  Old  Testament  the  minutest 
accuracy  as  well  sis  the  utmost  truthfulness  of 
all  our  sources  of  history."     Anherlen. 

I  can  bear  testimony  to  the  minute  truth  of 
innumerable  incidental  allusions  in  Holy  Writ 
to  the  facts  of  nature,  of  climate,  of  geographi- 
cal position,  corroborations  of  Scri|)ture,  which, 
though  trifling  in  themselves,  reai-h  to  minute 
details  that  prove  the  writers  to  have  lived 
when  and  where  they  are  asserted  to  have  lived  ; 
which  attest  their  scrupvdous  accuracy  in  re- 
cording what  they  saw  and  observed  around 
them  ;  and  which,  therefore,  must  inerea-se  our 
contidenee  in  their  veracity  where  we  cannot 
have  the  like  means  of  testing  it.  I  (-an  lind 
no  discrepancies  between  their  geographical  or 
physical  statements  and  the  evidence  of  present 


GOD  IN  HISTORY. 


19 


facts.  I  can  find  no  standpoint  here  for  the 
keenest  advocate  against  tlie  full  inspiration  of 
the  scriptural  record.  The  Holy  L.vnd  not 
only  elucidates,  but  bears  emphatic  witness  to 
the  truth  of  the  Holy  Book.    Tristram. 

God  in  History. 

The  Old  Testament  puts  its  loud  and  extended 
emphasis  upon  the  direct  control  of  God  in  the 
life  of  men  and  nations.  It  affirms  this  so  dis- 
tinctly and  so  constantly  as  to  leave  the  latL'r 
Testament  nothing  to  add  in  confirmation.  Its 
histories  and  biographies  are  not  presented  as 
more  divinely  overruled,  but  only  as  being 
directed  to  a  special  purpose,  indicating  the 
particular  tide,  in  the  current  of  world-history, 
which  bore  the  ark  of  salvation  down  the  ages. 
God  may  have  specially  interposed  at  times  for 
this  end,  and  wrought  signs  and  wondere  which 
are  beyond  the  ordinary  course  of  Ilis  provi- 
dence. But  the  same  essential  presence,  knowl- 
edge, and  power  have  mingled  themselves  in 
every  drop  of  that  current,  so  that  no  sparrow 
has  fallen  to  the  ground  in  the  most  remote 
wilderness,  and  no  hair  has  fallen  from  the 
humbled  head,  without  Him.  No  purpose  of 
His  hits  failed,  and  no  weapon  raised  to  arrest 
that  purpose  has  prospered.  Of  course  we  do 
not  understand  this  at  all,  and  there  is  no  use 
in  our  trying,  and  o\\\j  impiety  in  our  demand- 
ing, to  understand  it  now.  But  the  Word 
makes  it  as  indisputable  as  the  existence  of 
God  Himself.     Ziibriskie. 

In  reading  the  Old  Testament  history,  the 
thoughtful  reader  will  be  able  to  perceive  more 
clearly  the  development  of  the  plans  of  Provi- 
dence. He  will  there  discover  in  what  manner 
events  apparently  unconnected  all  tend  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree  to  the  fulfilment  of  some 
wonderful  events  which  were  previously  fore- 
told, but  which  at  the  time  when  these  re- 
sults were  delivered  appeared  impossible  to  b(^ 
brought  about ;  he  will  perceive  that  all  the 
circumstances  recorded  in  the  Scripture  tend  to 
one  end,  with  as  much  regularity  as  the  inci- 
dents in  a  regular  drama  bring  about  the  catas- 
trophe. He  will  see  them  combine  in  one  pur- 
pose, prove  one  point,  develop  one  mighty 
scheme,  which  w:is  planned  in  the  councils 
of  Omnipotence,  gradually  revealed  to  man- 
kind, and  u  still  in  progress  among  mankind. 
G.  Toitnseiid. 

God  in  history  is  God  not  in  clouds  and  dark- 
ness, not  in  repelling  and  reserved  majesty,  not 
in  distant,  silent  immensity,  but  God  descended 
upon  the  earth  ;  moving  among  the  nations  ; 
employing  visibly  and  effectively  every  one  of 


His  mighty  attributes  ;  setting  up  and  pull- 
ing down  ;  turning  and  overturning  ;  pciuriug 
abroad  prosperity  ;  executing  judgment  ;  de- 
claring His  righteousness  ;  walking  in  His  om- 
nipotence ;  intimating  His  counsels  of  wisdom  ; 
unveiling  the  heart  of  everlasting  love  ;  carry- 
ing forward  in  a  grand,  resistless  course,  indi- 
viduals, families,  nations,  to  the  consummation 
of  His  own  exalted  purposes.     C.   Wliitc. 

There  is  a  living  spirit  in  history,  which  Is 
as  the  creature  in  the  wheels  of  Ezekicl's  vis- 
ion. He  who  does  not  discern  this  will  per- 
ceive in  the  records  of  the  Church  or  the  chron- 
icles of  time  only  a  lifeless  succession  of  iso- 
lated and  meaningless  events — the  disjecta  mem- 
bra of  the  ages,  or  the  anarchy  of  atoms  in  the 
confusion  of  a  complicated  chance  work.  And 
what  can  this  life-spirit  be  but  He  whose  pres- 
ence fills  all  time  and  space,  giving  motion  and 
order  and  beauty  to  the  material  world,  and 
whose  evolving  purpose  in  the  final  historic 
development  will  bring  a  higher  beauty  and 
harmony  to  the  moral  world. 

God  is  the  life  of  the  world's  history  as  really 
as  He  is  of  the  history  of  the  Church,  although 
by  a  different  manifestation.  Herder  under- 
took a  univereal  history  on  the  plan  of  exclud- 
ing Christ ;  a  work  as  impracticable  and  absurd 
as  the  reconstruction  of  the  solar  system  on  a 
principle  that  leaves  out  the  siui.  The  elegant 
historian  of  "  The  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Ro- 
man Empire"  fell  into  a  similar  error.  Corate 
finds  the  end  of  the  historic  course  in  a  social 
or  scientific  regeneration  of  the  r,ace.  The 
acme  of  Hegel's  scheme  is  a  political  freedom, 
the  idea  of  the  old  Roman  commonwealth,  of 
wliich  Prussia  has  well-nigh  attained  the  reali- 
zation. But  with  the  excellences  peculiar  to 
each  of  these  distinguished  writers,  tlieir  worlcs 
are  essentially  defective  in  the  main  element  of 
a  truly  iihilosophical  history.  Their  errors  as 
philosophers  made  them  partial  and  false  as 
historians.  "  What  is  the  history  of  the  world 
without  Christ?"  exclaims  MUllcr.  What 
would  the  world  be  without  the  purpose  of  re- 
demption, the  pivot  on  which  its  whole  gov- 
ernment turns?  Every  event  in  its  history  is 
modified  by  the  remedial  element,  of  which  the 
Church  is  the  organized  exponent.      Lawrence. 

Redemption  tlie  Central  Tlieme  of  Old  ami  New 
Testaments. 

However  much  critics  may  differ  in  regard 
to  the  order  of  the  successive  stages  in  the  de- 
velopment of  Bible  history  and  religion,  they 
agree  in  recognizing  in  these  books  the  oflicial 
records  of  one  process.     They  thus  accept  in 


20 


PRELIMINARY. 


reference  to  the  biblical  books  an  inner  unity 
and  connection  not  found  in  the  Vediis,  tlie 
Avcsta,  tile  EddiLs.  or  similar  collections  of  sa- 
cred literatures.  However  deep  the  "  chiusm" 
may  be,  to  use  a  wonl  of  the  lamented  De- 
litzsch,  between  the  naturalistic  and  naturaliz- 
ing schools  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  .sviperiuit- 
ural  on  the  other,  there  is  i)ra<tically  an  a,u;ree- 
mcnt  on  this  i)oint.  Even  for  the  most  advanced 
critics  the  Bible  books  are  more  than  an  acciden- 
tal collection  of  interesting  literary  remains  of 
one  of  the  Oriental  peoples.  All  this  is  deeply 
significant.  It  demonstrates  anew  that  there  is 
one  grand  central  thought  and  i)rocess  going 
through  the  entire  Scriptvires,  notwithstanding 
thcgreat  diversity  of  authors,  objects,  contents, 
time  and  character  of  the  different  books  ;  and 
that  this  unity  of  thought  and  purpose  im- 
presses itself  most  emphatically  upon  the  Bible 
student.  This  central  thought  is  tlui  restora- 
tion of  fallen  man  to  Vie  original  relations  estab- 
iislied  at  creation  between  him  and  his  Ood,  which 
re-esta/tlish)iu:nt  is  the  work  of  God's  mercy  and 
grace,  and  is  appropriated  by  confiding  faith. 
That  this  is  the  kernel  of  New  Testament  teach- 
ing is  the  common  confession  of  all  evangeli- 
cal Christians.  That  it  is  equally  the  central 
thought  of  the  Old  Testament  economy,  in 
which  at  first  glance  the  nomistic  principle 
seems  to  be  the  sum  and  substance  of  the  re- 
ligious scheme,  becomes  clearer  on  closer  ex- 
amination. 

That  there  exists  between  the  two  Testaments 
only  a  difference  of  degree  and  not  of  kind  ; 
that  they  are  two  stages  or  steps  in  one  and  the 
same  historical  development  with  a  complete 
agreement  of  cardinal  principles,  is  evident 
from  the  attitude  of  Christ  and  His  apostles 
over  against  the  ollicial  the<ilogj'  of  their  day. 
They  appealed  to  the  oracles  of  old,  to  the  Law 
and  the  Prophets.  The  antagonism  of  the 
scribes  and  the  Pharisees  and  other  accepted 
teachers  of  the  New  Testament  era  to  Christ 
and  the  Gospel,  was  caiLsed  by  the  departure 
of  the  former  from  the  landmarks  of  revelation. 
For  them  the  Law  luid  become  an  end  in  itself, 
and  WiLs  no  longer  the  mean.s  to  an  end — namely, 
to  be  a  "  schoolmaster  unto  Christ,"  as  Pa\d 
says.  Nondsm  hiul  usurped  the  prerogatives 
of  the  <^vangeli(ral  principle  of  tlie  Old  Testa- 
ment Covenant,  and  Christ's  new  departure 
consisU'd  in  a  return  to  the  doctrines  of  an 
Isaiah,  a  David,  and  other  representative  types 
of  the  Old  Testament  economy.  This  one  fact 
alone  shows  that  tlie  New  (\)vcnant  in  the  I'Vi'S 
and  purpose  of  its  Founder  was  only  relatively 
and  not  absolutely  new  ;  it  was  intended  to  be 


only  the  fully  unfolded  and  ripened  fruits  from 
th('  gc^rms  in  the  proclamations  of  the  seers  and 
sages  of  old.  The  central  thought  of  both  must 
be  the  same.  This,  t<to,  is  plainly  inculcated 
in  the  New  Testament,  and  from  this  stand- 
point alone  the  Old  Testament  economy  can  be 
understood  and  appreciated  in  its  whole  length, 
breailth,  and  depth.     Schmlde. 

The  prophecy  of  the  Seed  of  the  woman, 
which  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head,  is  mani- 
festly th(^  nucleus,  the  single  cell  (to  take  an 
image  from  the  formation  of  a  flower)  round 
which  the  whole  Bible  hits  formed  itself,  of 
which  the  whole  is  a  develojinient,  on  which 
the  whole  is  a  commentary.  The  great  steps 
of  the  plan  which  runs  through  the  Bible  are 
very  easy  to  trace.  A  nation  of  teachers  is  first 
reared  amid  varioiLS  fortunes,  knit  together  by 
the  endurance  of  a  common  bondage,  and  im- 
pressed with  marked  national  characteristics,  in 
order  that  they  may  present  a  strong  front  to 
the  prevailing  idolatries  and  wickedness  of  the 
world  ;  and  in  order  that  they  maj'  disseminate; 
among  other  people  of  the  earth  the  elementary 
religious  notions  which  they  had  themselves 
imbibed  from  the  Divine  teaching.  ^Ls  soon  !is, 
through  God's  wonderful  dealings  with  them, 
they  had  been  thoroughly  imbued  with  these 
notions,  they  were  dispersed  among  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  and  made  to  sojourn  there.  By 
their  instrumentality  a  class  of  men  called  pros- 
elytes are  raised  up  in  Gentile  countries,  who, 
attracted  by  the  elements  of  truth  which  there 
were  in  the  Mosaic  religion,  julopt  it.  and  be- 
come eventually  the  bridge  by  which  the  Gos- 
pel passes  from  the  Jewish  to  the  Gentile  mind. 
The  way  having  been  thus  prepared  for  Jles- 
siah  in  the  hearts  of  men,  the  long-promised 
Deliverer  appears  at  a  time  of  univei-sal  peace, 
and  when  the  union  of  tiie  civilized  world  un- 
der one  empire  was  favorable  to  the  spread  of 
the  tidings  of  salvation.  What  remains  of  the 
iSacred  ^"olume  briefly  records  the  rapid  spread 
of  these  tidings,  gives  certain  comments  upon 
them,  and  predicts  the  complete  triumph  of  the 
Jlcssiah's  cause.  Thus  there  is  an  unifonn 
jilan  running  through  the  whole  of  Scripture, 
and  cementing  together  its  various  books,  in- 
asmuch as  the  entire  Old  TestiUiieiit  looks  for- 
ward to  Messiah  historically — rejiresents  the 
stages  of  discipline  by  which  the  Jews,  and 
through  the  Jews  the  human  race,  were  pre- 
pared for  His  appearance.  And  we  well  know 
that  it  looks  forward  to  Messiah  in  another 
way,  typically  and  iirophetieally,  anil  that  not 
only  all  the  ritual  of  the  Ji'ws,  and  all  the  pre- 
dictions of  their  prophets,  but  also  most  narra- 


rei)e:stption  tee  theme  of  both  testaments. 


21 


tives  of  the  Old  Testament,  foreshow  His  ap- 
pearance in  a  glass  darkly.  Thus  in  the  Bible, 
though  its  elements  are  so  various,  there  is  a 
glorious  harmony  of  design,  and,  as  the  whole 
of  it  emanates  from  one  Spirit,  a  harmony  of 
agency  also.     E.  M.  G. 

The  history  of  the  Old  Testament  is  large 
and  particular  where  the  great  affair  of  redemp- 
tion required  it,  as  where  there  waa  most  done 
toward  tliis  work,  and  most  to  typify  Christ, 
and  to  prepare  the  way  for  Him.  Thus  it  is 
very  large  and  particular  in  the  history  of  Abra- 
ham and  the  other  patriarchs  ;  but  very  short 
in  the  account  we  have  of  the  time  which  the 
children  of  Israel  spent  in  Egypt.  So,  again, 
it  is  large  in  the  account  of  tlie  redemption  out 
of  Egypt,  and  the  first  settling  of  the  affairs  of 
the  Jewish  Church  and  nation  in  Jloses'  and 
Joshua's  times  ;  but  much  shorter  in  the  ac- 
count of  the  times  of  the  Judges.  So,  again, 
it  is  large  and  particular  in  the  account  of  Da- 
vid's and  Solomon's  times,  and  then  very  short 
in  the  history  of  the  ensuing  reigns.  Thus  the 
accounts  are  large  or  short,  just  as  there  is  more 
or  less  of  the  affair  of  redemption  to  be  seen  in 
them.  Christ  and  His  redemption  is  the  great 
subject  of  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament. 
He  is  the  great  subjeet  of  the  songs  of  the  Old 
Testament,  and  the  moral  rules  and  precepts 
are  all  given  in  subordination  to  Him.  And 
Christ  and  His  redemption  are  also  the  great 
subject  of  the  history  of  the  Old  Testament 
from  the  beginning  all  along  ;  and  even  the 
history  of  the  creation  is  brought  in  as  an  in- 
troduction to  the  history  of  redemption  that 
immediately  follows  it.  The  whole  Book,  both 
Old  Testament  and  New,  is  filled  up  with  the 
Gospel  ;  only  with  this  difference,  that  the  Old 
Testament  contains  the  Gospel  under  a  veil, 
but  the  New  contains  it  unveiled,  so  that  we 
may  see  the  glory  of  the  Lord  with  open  face. 
Edwards. 

The  traces  of  God's  mercy  and  wisdom  in 
the  history  of  salvation  come  first  and  most 
clearlj'  to  light,  they  appear  in  their  most  won- 
derful and  attractive  form,  when  we  see  how 
Divine  prophecy  was  introduced  as  a  living 
and  organic  part  of  history,  and  how  the  course 
of  history  was  so  directed  by  God,  and  His 
operations  therein  were  of  such  a  kind,  as  to  be 
constantly  opening  the  way  and  preparing  a 
place  for  new  and  more  glorious  forms  of  proph- 
ecy. I  fall  in  the  dust  and  worship  when  I 
thus  discover  how  the  living  God  was  ever 
moving  in  history  and  prophecy,  how  the 
mercy  and  wisdom  of  God,  through  His  ador- 
able condescension,  adapted  themselves  in  both 


of  these  to  existing  wants  and  circumstances. 
To  my  mind,  prophecy  first  acquires  its  full 
value  when  I  can  see  what  God  has  done  in 
history  to  prepare  a  fitting  place  for  prophecy. 
The  incarnation  of  God  in  the  fulness  of  time 
loses  nothing  of  its  adorable  worth,  but  rather 
gains  the  more,  from  the  fact  that  it  required  a 
historical  preparation  of  four  thousand  years, 
Kurtz.  , 

Miracles  of  the  Old  TeMament. 

.  Just  as  in  other  history  of  life  in  general,  the 
beginning  of  that  life  is  due  solely  to  the  direct 
creative  act  of  God,  without  the  use  of  any 
means  whatever,  so  in  the  beginning  and  found- 
ing of  Christianity  we  have  the  manifestation 
of  tht'  direct,  immediate  power  of  God,  acting 
in  a  manner  independent  of  the  ordinary  laws 
and  forces  of  nature.  And  what  is  true  of  the 
miracles  of  Christ  is  no  less  true  of  the  miracles 
of  the  other  gi'cat  epochs  of  God's  kingdom 
upon  earth — viz.,  the  epochs  of  Moses  and  of 
Elijah.  The  limitation  of  miracles  to  these 
several  distinct  epochs  indicates  that  such  lim- 
itation of  this  peculiar  manifestation  of  Divine 
power  is  analogous  to  the  same  limitation  ob- 
served in  other  spheres  of  the  Divine  activity. 
According  to  this  view  the  miracle  simply 
marks  a  renewed  impartation  of  Divine  creative 
energy,  and  the  beginning  of  a  new,  distinct 
era  in  the  liistory  of  God's  kingdom  on  earth. 

Those  miracles  which  unquestionably  stand 
at  the  head  of  all  miracles — viz.,  the  Incarna- 
tion, Resurrection,  and  Asc?nsion  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  Mission  of  the  Holy  Spirit — sus- 
tain the  closest  possible  relation  to  the  found- 
ing of  Christianity.  Without  these  miracles 
no  conception  of  Christianity  is  possible.  The 
other  miracles  of  the  Bible,  the  miracles  of  the 
Old  Testament,  are  mainly  clustered  together 
in  two  groups,  occurring  respectively  at  the 
two  most  important  points  in  the  history  of  the 
covenant  people — the  time  of  Moses  and  the 
time  of  Elijah.  Thus  the  miracles  of  Scripture 
are  found  mainly  in  these  three  groups,  and 
occur  at  the  time  of  Moses,  the  time  of  Elijah, 
and  the  time  of  Christ.     Huizinga. 

The  New  Testament  rests  upon  the  broad 
foundation  of  the  patriarchal  promises,  of  the 
Mosaic  institutions,  of  the  prophetic  instruc- 
tions, and  of  the  providential  history  recorded 
in  the  Old  Testament.  Independently  of  the 
light  thrown  back  upon  it  from  the  New  Testa- 
ment, the  miraculous  history  of  the  Old  would 
be  difiicult  of  belief.  But  to  him  who  has  ac- 
cepted Christ  as  He  is  revealed  in  the  New 
Testament,  there  is  no  more  reason  for  reject- 


22 


PRELnriNARY. 


ing  the  miracles  of  the  Old  Testament  than 
tnen^  is  for  (iisoreiiiting  the  mass  of  supornut- 
ural  facts  connected  witli  Christ's  ministry. 
We  are  not  coini)elled  to  I'Stablish  the  truth  of 
each  specific  niiriu-ulous  account  by  itself,  but 
the  unity  of  the  revelation  ami  the  conjjruily 
of  the  whole  system  are  such  that  the  burden 
of  proof  is  thrown  upon  hira  who  would  dis- 
card any  Old  Testament  miracle.     G.  F.  Wright. 

The  general  character  of  the  miracles  of  the 
Old  Testament  is  that  of  facts,  plain,  palpable, 
in  their  nature,  at  the  same  time  inseparably 
connected  with  otiier  facts  and  histories,  and 
always  immediately  necessary  to  the  occasion 
on  which  tliey  were  exhibited.  The  end  to  be 
obtained  by  them  wils  obvious,  and  was  also 
generally,  jirevious  to  their  perforraam'c,  dis- 
tinctly anno\ince<l,  so  that  the  attention  of  the 
beholders  was  often  ]iartieularly  directed  to 
their  progressive  and  frequently  long-protract- 
ed comi>letion.  The  univereal  deluge,  the  con- 
fusion of  the  tongues  at  Babel,  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  cities  of  the  plain  by  fire  from  heav- 
en, were  visible  and  immediate  interpositions 
of  God  for  the  punishment  of  wicked  men,  dif- 
f;'rent  from  Ilis  usual  mode  of  procedure  in  the 
government  of  the  world.  On  the  separation 
of  Israel,  as  a  nation,  from  the  rest  of  mankind, 
and  onward  for  many  centuries,  a  remarkable 
train  of  miracidous  interpositions  was  inter- 
woven with  their  history  and  laws.  Both  their 
character  and  the  relation  in  which  they  stand 
to  that  history,  of  which  they  form  so  essential 
8  pait,  mark  the  total  contrariety  between  them 
and  all  itretended  miracles,  the  falsity  of  which 
never  disturbs  the  train  of  those  histories  in 
whicli  they  are  narrated.  But  eitlier  the  whole 
of  the  liistory  of  the  Israelites  is  false,  or  the 
accounts  of  the  miracles  which  it  records  must 
be  true.  If  that  people  p;isscd  through  the  sea, 
'  as  the  liistory  testilies,  it  must  have  been  by 
mirsiele.  If  they  remained  forty  years  in  the 
wilderness,  they  must  have  been  miraculously 
fed  while  there.  All  the  eveuts  related  in  the 
history  depend  upon  the  truth  of  that  public 
and  long-continued  minu'idous  agency,  with- 
out which  they  could  not  have  had  i)laec.  These 
miracles  were  recorded  at  tli<^  time  wlien  they 
occurred,  and  are  not  only  minutely  detailed  in 
a  wa)'  that  stamps  their  authenticity,  but  are 
constantly  appealed  to  both  in  the  acts  of  pub- 
lic government,  in  the  legislation,  and  in  the 
execution  of  the  laws.  Unless  the  people  of 
Israel  had  seen  and  known  them  to  bo  facts, 
they  never  could  have  been  inllueneed  by  such 
appeals. 

The  whole  train  uf  miraculous  interposition 


from  the  beginning,  before  there  wius  any  writ- 
ten rev<'lation,  materially  contributed  to  main- 
tain tile  knowledge  and  worship  of  God  in  the 
world.  To  Israel,  its  separated  from  the  other 
nations,  it  was  essential  to  the  circumstances 
in  which  they  were  placed.  Nothing  Imt  that 
miraculous  Providence  under  which  tlie^-  were 
pl;u-ed  could  have  retainc'd  tliem  in  ol)edien(!C, 
subdued  tlieir  incredulity,  or  impressed  on  their 
minds  a  conviction  of  the  Divine  origin  and  na- 
ture of  that  dispensation  under  which  they 
were  placed.  But  such  has  been  the  force  of 
this  impression,  that  all  their  subse([uent  trials 
and  dispersions,  and  all  their  disai)i)oiiitments, 
occasioned  by  the  errors  they  have  eml)raced, 
have  not  effaced  it  to  this  day.  At  length, 
when  the  purposes  intended  l)y  miraculous  in- 
terpositions were  accomplislied,  they  became 
gratlually  less  frequent,  till  tlie  .spirit  of  i)roph- 
eey  was  withdrawn,  when  they  seem  to  have 
ceased  altogether,  not  to  appear  again  in  Israel 
till  they  were  renewed  by  the  JMessiah  Himself, 
in  a  way  better  adapted  to  the  genius  of  that 
more  spiritual  dispensation  which  He  intro- 
duced, as  well  as  more  illustrative  of  the  benefi- 
cent nature  of  the  Divine  mission  of  Him  who 
came  not  to  condemn  the  world,  but  to  save  it, 
l)ut  in  a  way  equally  beyond  the  utmost  stretch 
of  human  power.     Ilnldaiic. 

The  Bible  is  the  Book  of  Jliracles.  Men 
sometimes  sadly  turn  away  from  the  great 
Book  because  inspiration  is  upon  every  page, 
and  miracle  pervades  the  activity  which  (ills  it 
from  end  to  end.  But  believing  souls  rejoice 
in  the  great  Bible  because  it  deals  with  the 
eternal  as  well  as  with  the  present,  with  the 
infinite  as  well  as  with  the  fiuite,  because  it 
deals  with  man,  who  is  the  child  of  God.  Only 
then  shall  the  soul  of  man  rest  content  in  the 
great  Bible,  when  in  the  new  nature  that  has 
come  to  liim  the  supernatural  becomes  his  home. 
P.  Bniofci. 

TuE  Law  and  the  Historic.vl  Books. 

The  historical  books  of  the  Old  Testament 
contain  such  references,  direct  and  indirect,  to 
the  J\nt(itcnch  hi-iUinj  and  codes  in  tluir  united 
form  lis  tfie  Torah  {Law)  mediated  by  Mists,  that 
we  are  fully  justified  in  the  circumstances  in 
inferring,  what  these  histories  wouUl  plainly 
have  us  infer,  that  they  all  and  severally  be- 
long to  the  Mosaic  period.  la  the  Books  of 
icings,  the  law  of  the  land,  precedent,  what  is 
sanctioned  in  distinction  from  what  is  often  in 
vogue  is  everywhere  represented  as  something 
that  has  come  down  from  the  father.,.  In  a 
surprising  number  of  instances  it  Li  definitely 


THE  LAW  AND  THE  HISTORICAL  BOOKS. 


23 


connected  by  name  with  Moses  iintl  with  the 
institutions  of  Moses  (1  K.  3  :  3  :  8  :  9,  53,  56  ; 
2  K.  14  :  G  ;  28  :  4,  6  ;  21  :  8  ;  23  :  25).  Of  Jero- 
boam it  is  said  that  he  purposely  transgressed 
the  law  respecting  the  feast  of  the  seventh 
month,  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (1  K.  13  :  33). 
And  of  Jehu  that  he  took  "  no  heed  to  walk  in 
the  law  of  the  Lord  God  of  Israel"  (3  K.  10  : 
31).  In  3  K.  8  :  3,  during  the  famine  in  Sa- 
maria, we  find  a  company  of  lepers  treated  just 
as  the  Levitical  statutes  enjoin,  in  their  exclu- 
sion from  the  camp  (Lev.  13  :  46  ;  Num.  5  :  3). 

Other  passages  represent  as  something  known 
to  every  one  the  hour  of  morning  and  evening 
sacrifice  (1  K.  18  :  29  ;  3  K.  3  :  20)  ;  tlie  law  oi 
the  trespass-offering  and  sin-offering  (2  K.  13  : 
17),  and  that  of  the  Sal)bath  (3  K.  4  :  23  ;  cf. 
11  :  5  f.).  In  2  K.  14  :  6,  Amaziali  is  declared 
to  have  acted  in  a  certain  matter  according  to 
that  which  was  "  written  in  the  book  of  the  law 
of  Moses,"  the  code  of  Deuteronomy  being  ob- 
viously referred  to  (Deut.  24  :  16).  A  few  chap- 
ters later  we  are  informed  concerning  the  mi.xcd 
peoples  whom  the  king  of  Assyria  transplanted 
to  the  northern  kingdom,  that  they  did  not 
"  after  the  law  and  commandment  which  the 
Lord  commanded  the  children  of  Jacob,  whom 
He  named  Israel  ;  with  wliom  the  Lord  hiul 
nuule  a  covenant  and  charged  them,  saying.  Ye 
shall  not  fear  other  gods  .  .  .  but  the  Lord 
who  bro\ight  you  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 
.  .  .  And  the  statutes,  and  the  ordinances, 
and  the  law,  and  the  commandment  which  He 
wrote  for  you,  ye  shall  observe  to  do  for  ever- 
more ;  and  ye  shall  not  fear  other  gods"  (3  K. 
17  :  34r-37  ;  cf.  Deut.   13  :  4,  36). 

Whence  came  Elijah  the  Tishbite?  and  Oba- 
diah  and  Joel,  Amos  and  Hosea,  Isaiah  and 
MicahV  Unlike  in  natural  gifts  and  training, 
they  were  yet  impelled  by  one  spirit ;  uttered 
really  but  one  message.  Prophets  of  two 
fiercely  rival  kingdoms,  they  never  waver  in 
their  loyalty  to  one  invariable  standard  and  to 
one  King.  It  was  Amos  of  Judah  who,  while 
tending  his  flocks  in  Tekoa,  heard  the  call  of 
God,  and  hurried  to  confront  the  liaughty  king 
of  Isra(_l  an  J  bis  false  priests  at  Bethel.  It  was 
Elijah  of  Israel  who  won  from  the  people  of 
Judah  such  love  and  reverence  that,  to  this 
day,  in- certain  ceremonies,  their  descendants 
still  set  for  him  a  chair  as  an  invisible  guest. 
What  gave  to  these  men  this  unity  of  spirit, 
this  fiery  zeal,  this  mysterious  power  over  kings 
and  people?  What  was  it  that  took  away  all 
sense  of  fear  in  the  discharge  of  duty  ?  Whence 
that  idea  of  solemn,  imperative  duty?  It  was 
the  Mosaic  law  given  amid  the  awful  sanctions 


of  Mount  Sinai,  that  was  at  once  their  bond 
and  inspiration  ;  that  ruled  them  and  heartened 
them.  They  severally  make  direct  and  unmis- 
takable allusions  to  it,  or  its  essential  liistoric 
setting.  All  their  utterances  are  based  on  such 
a  presupposition.  They  recognize  a  covenant 
made  with  God  through  Mosaic  mediation. 
That  covenant  had  not  been  kept.  Their  whole 
activity  proclaims  a  perverse  trend  of  thought 
and  conduct  against  wliich  they  relentlessly 
fight,  one  and  all.  Founders  of  a  religion  they 
were  not,  and  could  not  be,  men  like  these, 
without  a  sign  of  collusion  ;  but  mighty  re- 
formers they  were,  who  set  their  faces  like  a 
flint  against  a  prevailing  degeneracy  and  lapse 
of  the  people  whom  God  had  chosen  for  His 
own.     E.  G.  Bissell. 

We  have  no  record  of  any  period  in  the  his- 
tory of  Israel  subsequent  to  the  occupation  of 
Canaan,  at  which  the  Law  was  not  known'; 
and  as  far  as  the  evidence  of  the  records  that 
we  have  is  available,  it  clearly  witnesses  to  the 
authority  and  influence  of  the  Law  from  the 
very  first.  Whether  or  not  this  evidence  is  ac- 
cepted historically,  it  is  certain  that  there  is  no 
one  section  or  era  of  Hebrew  literat\ire,  whether 
it  be  the  Prophets,  Psalms,  or  history,  which 
is  free  from  the  traces  of  an  influence  which 
can  only  be  referred  to  the  Law  recognized  as 
an  authoritative  code  cf  Divine  obligation  and 
origin.  The  entire  literature  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, unless  it  is  necessary  to  except  such  books 
as  Job  and  Canticles,  is  penetrated  and  per- 
meated with  the  Influence  of  the  Law.  It  is 
the  one  foundation  underlying  the  whole.  We 
come  upon  traces  of  it  wherever  we  search. 
And  it  is  this  fact  which  gives  to  the  several 
and  widely  different  component  elements  of 
the  literatiu'c  a  bond  of  cohesion  and  a  substan- 
tive and  substantial  unity  such  as  we  can  dis- 
cover in  no  other  literature  whatever.  It  is, 
moreover,  a  unity  which  is  entirely  independent 
of  the  individual  will  of  the  various  writers. 
It  is  a  phenomenon  which  arises  out  of  the  fact 
that  each  separate  writer  was  a  member  of  a 
nation  of  whose  existence  one  of  the  most 
marked  features  was  the  possession  of  the  Law, 
and  which  was  created  and  bound  together  by 
nothing  so  much  as  by  it,  and  by  the  traditions 
enshrined  in  it. 

From  these  books  of  Kings  there  is  not  only 
evidence  of  the  existence  of  the  Tabernacle, 
which  was  superseded  by  the  Temple,  but  there 
is  continual  implication  of  a  positive  and  ex- 
ternal Law,  which  the  nation  and  its  kings  were 
ever  violating.  This  Law  is  mentioned  explic- 
itly in  3  K.  33  ;  34,  35,  and  is  called  the  Law  of 


24 


PliELTMIKAnr. 


Moses.  Some  critips  have  attempted  to  prove 
that  the  finding  of  tlie  book  of  the  Law  here 
mentioned  is  the  earUest  indication  of  its  cxist- 
enee,  and  that  this  incident  docs  actually  dis- 
guise its  oriirin.  Hut  the  theory  is  really  too 
monstrous  and  visionary  to  be  entertained.  It 
is  manifest  that  the  writ<'r  of  the  Kings  did  not 
himself  regard  the  discovery  of  Ililkiah  as  the 
origin  of  tlu^  Law,  because  in  2  K.  18  ;  4,  6,  13, 
he  tnices  the  captivity  of  the  ten  tribes  to  their 
forgetfulness  of  the  Law  of  Moses,  and  men- 
tions tlie  destruction  by  IIe7,ekiah  of  the  brazen 
serpent  that  Moses  had  made.  It  is  impossible 
to  suppose  he  invented  or  inserted  the  narra- 
tive of  this  incident  to  give  credit  to  the  newly 
discovered  law  of  Moses,  or  to  the  copy  of  it 
which  was  afterward  found  in  the  Temple. 
There  was  unquestionably  a  brazen  .serpent  de- 
stroyed by  Ilezekiah.  and,  rightly  or  wrongly, 
this  was  believed  to  be  identical  with  that  msvde 
by  Moses  in  tlie  wilderness.  I  say  rightly  or 
wrongly,  for  it  matters  not.  What  is  really 
important  is  the  fact  that  toward  the  end  of 
the  eighth  century  before  Christ  there  was  in 
the  national  memory  a  clear  recollection  of  the 
incident  recorded  only  at  Num.  21  :  6,  and  a 
supposed  relic  of  it  existing.  And  this  there 
is  no  reason  to  doubt.  But,  of  course,  if  the 
brazen  serpent  destroyed  by  Hezekiah  was  the 
one  made  by  Moses,  the  historic  truth  of  that 
part  of  the  Pentateuchal  liistory  is  established  ; 
but  even  if  it  was  not,  the  supposed  incident 
is  shown  to  have  been  so  old  in  the  national 
memory,  that  a  vicious  accretion  of  supersti- 
tious observances  hml  gathered  aro\md  it  ;  and 
yet,  as  far  as  we  know,  there  was  nothing  to 
keep  alive  this  memory  but  the  record  in  Num- 
bers, and  the  existence  of  this  particular  brazen 
serpent.  We  have,  then,  in  the  testimony  of 
the  books  of  Kings,  evidence  to  the  existence, 
at  k'Jist  in  part,  of  the  Mosaic  history  long  be- 
fore the  age  of  Hezekiah.  But  even  before  this 
time,  on  the  testimony  of  the  same  books,  wc 
find  Amaziah,  in  the  ninth  century  before 
Christ,  acting  in  acconlance  witli  the  written 
precept  of  Deut.  24  :  Ifi,  in  not  slaying  the  chil- 
dren of  those  who  liad  slain  his  father.  There 
are,  moreover,  several  indications  in  the  liooks 
of  Kings  of  verbal  ac(iuaintance  on  the  part  of 
the  writer  with  the  Law— c.j.,  2  K.  17  :  8-15  ;  cf. 
Lev,  5  :  15,  18  ;  7:  7  ;  Num.  18  :  9  ;  1  K.  21  :  10  ; 
ct.  Ex.  23  :  28,  ami  Lev.  24  :  15,  16  ;  1  K.  19  : 
10 ;  cf.  Num.  25  :  11,  13.  The  conduct  of  Eli- 
jah in  1  K.  18  :  40  is  in  literal  accordance  with 
Deut.  13  :  5  and  18  :  20.     S.  Leat/us. 

The  references  in  the  later  Scriptures  make 
us  feel  sure  that  the  writers  had  before  them 


some  such  records  as  we  possess  in  the  Penta- 
teuch. That  at  least  is  the  imitression  which 
they  are  calculated  to  i>roduce  on  the  mind  of 
any  plain  reader.  Nor  must  we  ever  forget 
that  the  Historical  Books  give  us  only  a  very 
brief  outline  of  Israel's  course,  and  do  not  re- 
fer to  feasts,  laws,  etc,  except  where  the  story 
makes  it  necessary.  It  is  indeed  only  too  true 
that  the  people  did  not  keep  the  law.  Their 
hearts  were  hard,  and  they  were  constantly  re- 
lapsing ;  but  they  were  severely  punished  for 
their  disobedience.  There  have  been  dark  ages 
in  Christendom  as  there  were  dark  ages  in  Is- 
rael, and  we  must  no  more  infer  the  non-exist- 
euce  of  the  Law  of  Jloses  through  the  one 
period  than  we  can  prove  the  non-existence  of 
the  Gospel  of  Christ  in  the  other.  The  tnith  is 
that  the  theory  of  a  late  origin  of  these  books 
creates  far  more  difliculties  than  it  .solves.  To 
most  minds  it  would  be  impossible  to  conceive 
that  the  Book  of  Exoilus  was  a  late  invention, 
when  they  reflect  on  the  shameful  episode  con- 
cerning the  golden  calf — imbedded  as  it  is  in 
the  heart  of  the  Mosaic  law.  Nor  can  one  un- 
derstand the  purpose  of  such  an  elaborate  de- 
scription of  the  ark  of  the  Tabernacle,  of  the 
ritual  and  ceremonial  connected  therewith,  and 
of  the  exact  arrangements  for  moving  from 
place  to  place,  with  full  details  and  names  of 
persons  and  localities,  if  these  descriptions  first 
saw  daylight  when  the  history  of  some  of  them 
(notably  the  Tabernacle)  was  already  a  story  of 
the  past.  We  ask  ourselves  whether  there  ever 
was  a  time,  except  during  the  wilderness  period, 
in  which  the  Mosaic  and  Leviticus  legislation 
could  possibly  have  been  imposed  on  Israel  ; 
and  we  ask  in  vain.  We  see  no  marks  of  a 
forger,  and  we  see  no  reason  for  a  forgery. 
On  the  contrary,  each  book  bears  testimony  to 
the  candor  of  the  writer,  and  to  his  horn-sty  of 
purpose  ;  and  the  real  reason  of  the  ritual  is  to 
be  found  in  the  New  Testament.  In  a  word, 
we  know  of  no  critical  or  linguistic  arguments 
which  can  justify  us  in  disintegrating  the  Pen- 
tateuch in  the  face  of  all  the  plain  facts  of  the 
case  as  they  stand  before  us  in  its  vivid  pages. 
GirdleMonr. 

According  to  the  modern  school  of  critics,  the 
work  of  preparing  the  sacred  books,  of  recast- 
ing the  alleged  history  of  Moses,  and  blending 
into  the  narrative  the  doctrines  and  prescrip- 
tions of  ritualism,  one  central  place  of  worship, 
and  the  distinctions  of  priests  and  Levites,  was 
begun  in  the  age  of  Josiah,  and  went  on  till  tlie 
compilation  of  the  historical  books,  some  time 
after  the  Exile.  According  to  this  school,  that 
period  of  renaissance  or  awakening  must  have 


THE  LAW  OF  MOSES  PROVEN  BY  THE  HISTORY. 


25 


been  a  creative  religioua  age,  an  age  of  discov- 
ery and  production,  of  literary  brilliancy  in  re- 
ligion, outside  of  the  writings  of  the  prophets. 
For  these  writers  iiscribe  to  that  age  a  most 
complicated  and  skilful  series  of  literary  crea- 
tions, so  adroitly  managed  and  woven  in  with 
authentic  facts,  that  they  carried  the  whole  na- 
tion over  to  the  practice  of  the  injunctions  of 
the  forgeries  without  questioning  their  genuine- 
ness. But  we  look  in  vain  for  the  evidence  of 
such  a  creative  age.  There  is  not  a  scintilla  of 
historical  proof  of  its  existence.  The  only 
freshness  that  appears  from  the  historical  evi- 
dence coming  down  to  us  was  in  the  prophets  ; 
and  their  whole  aim  and  influence  was  to  call 
the  people  up  to  something  liigher  and  more 
important  than  ritiudism,  to  revive  the  moral 
and  sjiiritual  ideas  of  worsliip  and  of  practical 
righttousness,  which  had  already  been  too  much 
covered  up  and  lost  sight  of  by  the  popular 
ceremonial.  The  only  creative  power  of  the 
age  of  which  there  is  any  trace  was  directed 
against  the  very  end  for  which  our  critics  sup- 
pose the  age  was  ripe. 

Moreover,  they  are  involved  in  another  diffi- 
culty. By  discarding  the  accounts  in  the  his- 
torical books  detailing  the  practice  of  the  cere- 
monial in  the  earlier  times  and  holding  that  it 
sprang  up  under  the  influence  of  the  prophets, 
they  have  tliis  sti-ange  phenomenon  on  their 
hands  :  the  introduction  among  a  historical 
people  of  a  revolutionary  ritualism,  not  only 
with  no  record  of  its  introduction,  and  in  an 
age  showing  no  signs  of  invention  or  creation 
apart  from  the  prophets  whose  influence  was 
antagonistic,  but  with  no  recorded  historical 
preparations  for  it.  Historically  uncaused  and 
unannounced,  it  sprang  into  such  instant  daz- 
zling and  bewildering  power  as  to  send  its 
glamour  back  over  the  past  and  cause  a  new 
history  of  the  preceding  times  to  be  written,  in 
which  it  should  have  a  seeming  of  the  gravity 
and  dignity  of  hoary  age,  and  this  is  done  in 
the  name  of  historical  criticism  by  those  who 
think  that  sacred  history  is  an  orderly  and  nat- 
ural flow  of  events,  and  is  to  be  explained  on 
rational  principles.     J.  E.  Diciiicll. 

In  Recapitulation  and  Conclusion. 

Wq  recognize  the  fact  that  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, as  we  now  have  it,  is  to  all  intents  and 
purposes  the  same  as  it  was  in  the  time  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  He  stamps  it  as  a 
whole  with  His  authority,  constantly  appeal- 
ing to  it  and  quoting  it  as  "the  Scriptures" 
and  "  the  Word  of  God."  "We  trace  these 
Scriptures  back  from  the  time  of  Christ  to  that 


of  Nehemiah  (b.c.  400),  in  whose  age  the  canon 
of  the  Old  Testament  seems  to  have  been  closed  ; 
and  we  see  sufficient  reason  for  believing  that 
the  "  Library"  of  Jewish  religious  books  was 
the  same  then  as  now,  though  doubtless  the 
sacred  text  suffered  much  in  the  course  of 
transcription  between  the  age  of  Nehemiah  and 
the  period  when  it  was  issued  in  its  present 
condition  by  the  Jewish  scribes  of  Tiberias, 
circ.  500  .K.x>.  We  recognize  nine  literary  char- 
acteristics of  the  Old  Testament  which  would 
equally  justify  a  Jew  of  u.c.  400  or  a  Christian 
of  A.D.  1900  in  believing  that  the  books  which 
make  up  this  Sacred  Library  are  genuine  and 
trustworthy.  We  see  that  the  numerous  casual 
references  to  external  history  contained  in  these 
books  may  be  illustrated  and  confirmed  from 
other  sources,  and  this  fact  coupled  with  the 
plain  proofs  of  the  writers'  honestj-  inclines  us 
to  accept  the  whole  of  their  historical  records 
as  veracious,  unless  very  strong  proofs  are 
forthcoming  to  the  contrary.  We  observe  that 
the  prophetic  writings  were  not  only  predic- 
tive, but  also  historic  and  hortative,  bearing 
the  same  relation  to  the  history  that  the  Epis- 
tles in  the  New  Testament  do  to  the  Acts — con- 
firming and  being  confirmed — and  that  the  his 
torical  element  in  these  writings  gives  great 
literary  weight  to  the  predictive  element.  We 
'  then  pass  to  the  question  of  the  age  and  com- 
pilation of  certain  books.  After  considering 
the  general  characteristics  of  the  Hebrew  lan- 
guage and  the  unity  of  theological  diction  which 
exists  beneath  the  diversity  of  style  in  the  sa- 
cred writers,  noting  also  the  fact  that  we  have 
no  contemporary  Hebrew  literature  by  which 
to  test  the  age  of  each  book,  we  are  led  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  were  not  sufficient  grounds 
for  bringing  any  of  the  books  down  from  their 
professed  dates,  or  for  dividing  up  among  sev- 
eral authors  books  which  were  professedly  is- 
sued or  authorized  by  one  person.  This  con- 
clusion justifies  us  in  adhering  to  the  Mosaic 
origin  of  the  four  last  books  of  the  Pentateuch 
— Genesis  being  in  substance  pre-Mosaic — and 
it  encourages  us  to  uphold  the  literary  integ- 
rity of  such  books  as  Isaiah,  Daniel  and  Zecha- 
riah,  unless  the  evidence  of  their  being  compila- 
tions is  demonstrative. 

What  shall  we  say  ts  these  things?  We  in- 
vite every  reader  to  ponder  over  them,  and  we 
urge  every  critic  to  give  them  full  and  fair 
weight.  There  are  many  things  we  do  not 
know  about  the  compilation  and  dates  and  con- 
tents of  the  Old  Testament,  but  there  is  much 
that  we  do  know.  Mistakes  have  been  made 
by  ancient  copyists  ;  notes  and  interpolations 


26 


PRELIMINARY. 


may  have  foiind  their  way  into  the  text  in 
early  times  ;  doulits  may  exist  as  to  tlie  age 
and  aiitlioi'shii)  of  some  books  ;  we  may  be  un- 
certain as  to  tlie  liistorie  foreground  oroeeasion 
of  many  a  psalm  and  proplieey  ;  and  numerous 
linguistic  questions  will  be  battled  over  till  the 
end  of  time  ;  but,  in  spite  of  all  these  things, 
we  are  manifestly  on  safe  literary  ground  in 
taking  the  Old  Testament  as  it  stamls,  and  in 
using  it  as  Christ  and  Ilis  apostles  used  it. 

These  venerable  Iiooks  have  been  dragged 
before  the  court  of  modern  criticism,  but  they 
need  not  be  ashamed  ;  they  can  stand  the  full 
glare  of  linguistic  and  literary  daylight.  They 
share  the  fate  of  the  Christian  confessors  of  old 
time  ;  and  they  share  their  trivuiiph.  They 
testify  to  Christ,  and  Christ  testifies  to  them. 
They  bear  the  mark  of  God  in  their  histories, 
their  hymns,  their  predictions.  Man  is  the 
writer,  using  human  language,  human  modes 
of  tliought,  and  often  even  secular  materials  ; 
but  God  is  the  Inspirer,  and  these  blessed  writ- 
ings are  Ilis  lesson  books,  leading  men  to  feel 
their  need  of  salvation,  keeping  up  in  their 
hearts  from  generation  to  generation  a  spirit  of 
expectancy,  and  enabling  them  to  recognize  the 
crucified  and  risen  ,Tesus  as  the  Son  of  God,  the 
Saviour  of  the  world.  R.  B.  GirdUstonc.  (Age 
and  Trueticortluiicss  of  tfte  Old  l^estameiU  Scrip- 
tuns.) 

Let  any  set  of  men  combine  to  write  such  a 
book  as  the  Uible.  Let  their  plan  be  laid  so  as 
to  extend  through  a  period  of  fifteen  hundred 
years.  Let  those  who  shall  first  enter  upon  the 
work  obtain  others  to  succeed  them  during  that 
space  of  time.  Let  them  write  history,  poetry, 
theology,  and  prophecies  concerning  the  state 
of  the  world.  Let  them  at  length  procure  some 
one  to  come  forward  in  whom  all  that  they 
have  written  shall  find  its  acconiplislunent. 
Let  him  be  born  in  the  place  they  had  foretold, 
of  the  family  they  had  singled  out,  at  the  ex- 
act period  they  had  predicted.  Let  him  be  ex- 
hibited in  the  most  critical  situations,  in  the 
midst  of  enlightened,  powerful,  and  determined 
adversaries,  while  they  still  uphold  him  as  per- 
fect, and  defy  his  enemies  to  prove  the  con- 
trary. Let  his  own  death  be  a  part  of  their 
plan,  vi'hich  he  himself  shall  foretell.  Let  a 
number  of  persons  ari.se  immediately  afterward 
to  carry  forward  the  design,  charge  the  gov- 
ernment under  which  he  suffered  lUi  his  mur- 
derers, aflirm  that  he  is  alive,  and  has  given 
them  convincing  evidence  that  he  will  reward 
them  in  a  futures  world.  Let  these  men  sup- 
port their  doctrines  by  an  appeal  to  miracles 


openly  performed  before  enemies  armed  with 
civil  ])ower  ;  and  l.'t  them  adhere  to  their  testi- 
mony at  the  expense  of  life,  and  all  things  dear 
in  this  world.  Let  tli^m  promulgate  a  new  re- 
ligion and  code  of  laws,  completely  subversive 
of  every  existing  religion  on  earth,  and  directly 
opposed  to  the  indulgence  of  the  strongest  pro- 
pensities of  the  human  heart.  Let  this  religion, 
by  the  force  of  its  own  evidence,  win  its  way 
through  the  world,  overthrow  every  opposing 
system,  extend  its  triumiihs,  and  finally  estab- 
lish itself  in  the  most  civilized  nations,  in  spite 
of  the  most  learned,  the  most  determined,  and 
the  most  powerful  adversaries ;  and  let  the 
character  of  the  leader,  as  set  forward  by  his 
associates,  be  thus  vindicated  as  "  the  light  of 
the  nations."  Who  does  not  sec  the  total  im- 
practicabilitj',  the  absolute  absurdity  of  such 
an  attempt?  As  soon  might  men  of  under- 
standing be  induced  to  undertake  to  climb 
up  to  the  stars,  as  to  propose  to  themselves 
such  a  scheme  ;  yet  all  that  has  been  thus  sup- 
posed has  been  accomplished  in  .Jesus  Christ. 
Ilahlune. 

Witness  op    Anciext    JIonumexts   to  Old 
Testament  History. 

As  the  countries  with  which  Israel  had  mainly 
to  do  were  Chaldea,  Egypt,  Syria,  Assyria,  the 
later  Chaldean  Empire,  and  finally  Persia,  it 
becomes  possible  to  compare  the  numerous 
though  somewhat  C!i.sual  statements  concern- 
ing these  nations,  which  the  Old  Testament 
contains,  with  the  inscriptions  on  rock  and 
clay,  in  palace  and  temple,  which  have  been 
brought  to  light  in  the  course  of  this  century. 
If  these  secular  references  are  in  the  main 
proved  to  be  accurate  and  historical,  and  not 
mythical,  then  the  triLstworthiness  of  the  writ- 
ers is  so  far  established  thereby  ;  and  if  they 
are  trustworthy  when  dealing  with  things  ex- 
ternal, there  is  equal  ri'ason  to  trust  them  when 
they  relate  the  internal  historj-of  their  own  na- 
tion. What,  then,  is  the  verdict  of  historical 
students  on  this  point?  It  is  unanimous  that 
the  references  to  external  history  in  the  Old 
Testament  are  trustworthy. 

Perhaps  the  most  striking  testimony  is  to  be 
obtained  from  the  writings  of  Dr.  Schrader, 
the  Professor  of  Oriental  Languages  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Berlin.  Dr.  Schrader  is  wh.at  the  or- 
dinary English  student  would  call  "  free"  in 
his  ideas  about  the  inspiration  and  compilation 
of  the  sacred  books,  but  this  makes  his  testi- 
mony all  the  more  valuable.  Ilis  method  is  to 
follow  straight  through  the  Old  Testament, 
noting  every  verse  and  sometimes  every  word 


WITNESS  OF  THE  MONUMENTS 


which  can  be  illustrated  by  a  wide  and  careful 
study  of  the  cuneiform  inscriptions.  The  re- 
sult is  that  whether  our  attention  is  directed  to 
the  pre-Mosaic  period,  which  includes  the  nar- 
rative of  the  Creation,  the  Deluge,  Babel,  the 
dispersion,  and  the  invasion  of  the  cities  of  the 
plain,  or  whether  we  are  studying  the  later  his- 
tories, wc  find  illustrations  of  the  historical 
value  of  the  sacred  narratives  at  every  turn. 
Oii\Uciit:inc. 

The  coint'idences  between  the  sacred  record 
and  the  profane  during  the  period  from  the  re- 
volt to  the  Captivity  include  notices  of  almost 
every  foreign  monarch  mentioned  in  the  course 
of  the  (sacred)  narrative — of  Shishak,  Zerali, 
Bon-hadad,  Ilazacl,  Mesha,  Rezin,  Pul,  Tig- 
lath-pileser,  Shalmanezer,  So,  Sargon,  Senna- 
cheril),  Tirhakah,  Merodach  Baladan,  Esarhad- 
don,  Necho,  Nebuchadnezzar,  Evil-llcrodach, 
and  Apries — and  of  the  .Jewish  or  Israelite 
kings,  Omri,  Ahab,  Jehu,  Ahaziah,  Jlenahcm, 
Pekah,  Ahaz,  Iloshea,  Hezekiah,  and  Manasseh. 
All  these  monarclis  occur  in  profane  history  in 
the  order  and  at  or  near  the  time  which  the 
sacred  narrative  assigns  to  them.  The  syn- 
chronisms which  that  narrative  supplies  are 
borne  out  wherever  there  is  any  further  evi- 
dence on  th:>  subject.  The  general  condition 
of  the  powers  wliich  came  into  contact  with 
the  Jews  is  rightly  described  ;  and  tlK^  fluctu- 
ations which  they  experience,  their  alternations 
of  glory  and  depression,  are  correctly  given. 
No  discrepancy  occurs  between  the  sacred  and 
the  profane  throughout  the  entire  period,  ex- 
cepting hero  and  there  a  chronological  one. 
And  these  chronological  discrepancies  are  in 
no  case  serious.     G.  R. 

For  more  than  fifty  years  the  historical  credi- 
bility of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  has  been 
assailed  on  the  ground  that  the  narratives  con- 
tained in  it  are  not  contemporaneous  with  the 
events  they  profess  to  record,  because  they  rep 
resent  an  incredible  amount  of  civilization  as 
existing  in  the  ancient  Eastern  world,  and  are 
inconsistent  with  the  accounts  of  classical  writ- 
ers, and  because  writing  was  little  known  or 
practised  by  th'e  Jews  at  so  early  a  period.  The 
sam^  half  century,  however,  which  has  wit- 
nessed these  assaults  on  the  Old  Testament  has 
also  witnessed  the  discovery  and  decipherment 
of  monuments  which  belong  to  Old  Testament 
times.  At  the  very  moment  when  the  assail- 
ants of  Scripture  had  adopted  new  methods  of 
attack  which  could  no  longer  be  met  by  the  old 
modes  of  defence,  God  was  raising  up  unex- 
pected testimonies  to  the  truth  of  biblical  his- 
tory.    The  ancient  civilizations  of  Egypt,  of 


Babylonia,  and  of  Assyria  now  lie  outspread  be- 
fore us  as  fully  and  clearly  as  the  civilization 
of  Imperial  Rome.  Sennacherib  and  Tiglath- 
pileser,  Nebuchatlnezzar  and  Cyrus,  tell  us  in 
their  own  words  the  story  of  the  deeds  in  which 
they  themselves  took  part  ;  and  we  can  trace 
the  very  forms  of  the  letters  in  which  Isaiah 
and  Jeremiah  recorded  their  prophecies.  The 
discoveries  of  the  Jloabite  Stone  and  the  Silnara 
Inscription  have  shown  that  writing  was  known 
and  practised  in  Judah  at  the  time  to  which  the 
larger  part  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures 
professes  to  belong.  The  Moabite  Stone  was  a 
monument  erected  by  Mesha,  the  contemporary 
of  Ahab,  who  is  called  "a  sheepmaster"  in 
3  K.  3  :  4.  (See  Sec.  7.)  The  chief  interest 
attaching  to  the  inscription  in  our  eyes  lies, 
perhaps,  in  the  language  and  characters  in 
which  it  is  written.  The  language  is  almost 
exactly  the  same  as  that  of  the  i)\A  Testament, 
and  shows  that  the  dialect  of  Jloab  differed 
much  less  from  Hebrew  than  does  one  English 
dialect  from  another.  The  very  phrases  recur 
which  the  Old  Testament  has  made  familiar  to 
us,  and  at  times  we  might  fancy  that  we  were 
listening  to  a  chapter  of  the  Bible.  The  char- 
acters, too,  in  which  the  text  is  written  belong 
to  a  form  of  the  Phcenieian  alphabet  which 
must  have  resembled  very  closely  that  used  by 
the  Jews.  We  may  thus  see  in  them  the  mode 
of  writing  employed  by  the  earlier  prophets, 
and  correct  by  their  means  the  corrupt  reiidings 
which  the  carelessness  of  copyists  has  allowed 
to  creep  into  the  sacred  text. 

Since  the  discovery  of  the  Moabite  Stone,  an- 
other early  inscription  has  been  found  in  Jeru- 
salem itself,  which  shows  us  precisely  how  the 
books  of  the  Old  Testament,  which  were  com- 
posed between  the  time  of  David  and  the  Baby- 
lonian Captivity,  must  have  been  originally 
written.  This  is  the  Siloam  Inscription,  en- 
graved in  the  rock-cut  tunnel  which  conveys 
the  water  of  the  Virgin's  Spring — the  only  nat- 
ural spring  in  or  about  Jerusalem — to  the  pool 
of  Siloara.  Its  strange  position  in  a  dark  un- 
derground conduit,  through  which  the  water 
was  perpetually  flowing,  caused  it  to  remain 
unnoticed  \mtil  a  few  years  ago.  The  exact 
date  at  which  the  tunnel  was  executed  is  dis- 
puted, since  while  there  are  several  reasons 
which  would  make  us  assign  it  to  the  age  of 
Solomon,  there  are  others  which  have  led  the 
majority  of  scholars  to  place  it  in  the  reign  of 
Hezekiah.  In  this  case  it  will  be  the  conduit 
made  by  Hezekiah  which  is  mentioned  in  2  K. 
20  :  20  and  2  Chron.  32  :  30.  Now  the  forms 
of  the  lettere  used  in  the  inscription  make  it 


28 


PRELIMINAIiT. 


quite  dear  llmt  the  oncravpr  was  amistomed 
to  write  on  parclimcnl  or  iiajiyrua,  and  not  on 
stone.  Tlicy  are  rounded  luid  not  angular  like 
the  charaeters  on  the  Moabite  Stone.  It  is 
plain,  therefore,  that  the  alphabet  employed  in 
Judah  wa.s  that  of  a  people  who  were  in  the 
Iiabit  of  writing  and  reading  hodliit. 

What  we  now  know  about  the  history  of 
writing  in  the  Ka.st  not  only  makes  it  possible 
that  the  biblical  books  were  written  at  the  time 
to  which  tradition  a.ssigiis  them,  but  makes  it 
probable  that  they  were.  It  is  not  likely  that 
the  Israelites  would  have  abstained  from  com- 
posing books  when  they  were  acquainted  with 
the  art  of  writing,  and  when  the  nations  by 
whom  they  were  surrounded  had  long  been  in 
the  possession  of  libi'aries.  And  that  the  bibli- 
cal books  actually  belong  to  the  time  to  which 
tradition  a.ssigns  them  is  evidenced  by  the  con- 
firmation their  contents  have  received  from  the 
deciphennent  of  the  Egyptian  and  Assyrian 
monuments.  The  accuracy  they  display  in 
small  points  is  only  explicable  on  the  hypothe- 
sis that  the  histories  contained  in  them  were 
related  by  contemporaries.  While,  on  the  one 
side,  the  progress  of  modern  discovery  has 
tended  to  destroy  the  credit  once  attaclicd  to 
the  works  of  Alexandrine  Jews  or  Greek  com- 
pilers, it  has,  on  the  other  side,  confirmed  and 
verified,  illustrated  and  explained,  the  state- 
ments and  allusions  in  the  historical  and  pro- 
phetical books  of  Holy  Writ.  The  one  are 
shown  to  belong  to  a  later  age  than  that  of 
which  they  profess  to  give  an  account,  the 
other  to  be  contemporaneous  with  the  events 
which  they  record.  We  may  turn  to  them 
with  increased  confidence  and  faith  ;  confidence 
in  the  historical  picture  they  set  before  our 
eyes,  and  faith  in  the  Divine  message  which 
they  were  commissioned  to  deliver. 

To  sum  up.  The  witness  of  ancient  monu- 
ments to  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  is  of  a 
twofold  nature.  It  is  positive,  inasmuch  as  it 
proves  that  they  are  in  agreement  with  actual 
facts  ;  and  negative,  inasmuch  as  it  shows  how 
far  this  is  from  being  the  ca.se  with  documents 
which  lay  claim  to  the  same  amount  of  cridibil- 
ity,  and  deal  with  tlie  same  subject-matter,  but 
which  really  behmg  to  a  later  age.  The  wit- 
ness is  therefore  complete.  Dillieulties  may 
still  exist  here  and  there,  since  as  long  as  our 
knowledge  is  imperfect,  there  are  things  which 
cannot  be  satisfactorily  explained  ;  but  difll- 
culties  enough  have  been  already  cleared  away, 
confirmations  sufficient  of  the  truth  of  the  bib- 
lical record  have  been  produced,  to  banish  such 
doubts  as  may  have  found  place  in  our  minds, 


and  to  inspire  us  with  a  calm  confidence  that 
with  the  increase  of  knowledge  and  the  discov- 
ery of  fresh  monuments  the  difiieulties  which 
still  remain  will  be  diminished,  and  the  great 
body  of  verifying  facts  continually  enlarged. 
The  critical  objections  to  the  truth  of  the  Old 
Testament  once  drawn  from  the  armory  of 
Greek  anil  Latin  writers  can  never  be  urged 
again  ;  they  have  been  met  and  overthrown 
once  for  all.  The  answers  to  them  have  come 
from  papyrus  and  clay  and  stone,  from  the 
tombs  of  ancient  Egypt,  from  the  mounds  of 
Babylonia,  and  from  the  ruined  palaces  of  the 
Assyrian  kings.  These  long-buried  witnesses 
have  been  disinterred  to  cry  out  against  the  as- 
sailants of  our  faith,  the  long-forgotten  empires 
of  the  ancient  East  have  arisen  out  of  the  grave 
of  centuries  to  testify  to  the  truth  of  "  the  ora- 
ch's of  God."     S/tyce. 

Looking  ba<'k  for  less  than  forty  years,  it  re- 
quires no  small  effort  to  griisp  the  vast  advance 
which  has  been  made  in  a  single  generation  in 
the  confirmation  and  illustration  of  Old  Testa- 
ment history  from  external  sources.  The  sep- 
ulchres of  Egypt  have  been  ransacked,  the 
mounds  of  Assyria  and  Babylonia  have  been 
excavated,  the  hills  and  rivers  of  Palestine  have 
been  searched,  and  the  result  is  that  there  is 
scarcely  a  single  incident,  wherever  the  sacred 
narrative  impinges  on  the  history  or  transactions 
of  neighboring  nations,  in  which  the  minute 
accuracy  of  the  biblical  record  is  not  established. 
.  .  .  The  historic  accuracy  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment from  Abraham  downward  is  now  all  but 
established  in  every  minute  detail  from  con- 
temporary records  and  evidence  ;  and  it  is 
harder  than  ever  to  untwine  the  woof  of  its 
miracles  from  the  warp  of  its  history.  One 
theory,  research — whether  in  Jlesopotamia,  Sy- 
ria, Arabia  or  Egypt — renders  more  untenable 
every  day — viz.,  that  which  would  resolve  the 
individual  man  and  events  of  early  sacred  his- 
tory into  myths  and  legends.  Everywhere  the 
stones  cry  out.  Each  fresh  explanation  attests 
or  illustrates  an  incident  the  more  confirnuitory, 
often,  from  its  very  triviality,  like  that  of  the 
platform  before  the  Palace  of  Tahpanhes.  The 
Divine  reproach  on  the  rcjectei-s  of  Christ  be- 
comes year  by  year  more  scathing  :  ''  If  ye  be- 
lieve not  Moses'  writings,  how  shall  ye  believe 
Jly  words  1"     Tiistmm. 

In  confirmation  of  the  scriptural  account  of 
the  origin  and  growth  of  early  civilization,  we 
may  refer  to  the  daily  increasing  msuss  of  trans- 
lated Assyrian  and  Chaldean  documents,  in 
which  the  long  list  of  names,  once  peculiar  to 
the  Scripture,  recur  as  familiarly  as  household 


WITNESS  OF  THE  MONUMENTS. 


39 


words  ;  or  to  the  Moabite  Stone  recovered  in 
80  romantic  a  way,  wliich  tells  so  freely  the 
story  of  "  Mesha,  king  of  Moab,"  and  interprets 
together  the  Hebrew  and  Phoenician,  as  the 
Rosetta  Stone  luid  done  the  Greek  and  Egyptian, 
and  the  Behistun  Inscription,  the  Pereian.  Assy- 
rian and  Babylonian  ;  or  to  the  testimony  from 
the  comparative  study  of  language,  ethnology, 
ethnography,  etc.     In  this  connection  we  note  : 

(1)  The  preservation  of  these  unique  and  per- 
ishable memorials  from  so  great  antiquity  and 
in  so  improbable  ways,  wliile  the  nearer,  more 
abundant  and  multiplied  copies  of  the  Greek 
and  Latin  classics  have  almost  wholly  perished  ; 

(2)  their  hiding  through  so  many  centuries, 
entombed  in  rubbish  or  sealed  up  in  occult  lan- 
guages, making  their  authority,  when  revealed, 
indisputable  ;  (3)  their  almost  simultaneous  is- 
suance, and  the  strangely  coincident  appearance 
of  the  several  undreamed-of  keys  for  their  in- 
terpretation ;  (4)  the  exact  response  of  the  testi- 
mony so  evoked  to  the  antiquity  and  genuine- 
ness of  the  Scripture  documents  ;  (5)  the  abun- 
dant points  of  cont;ict  and  consequently  of  test 
between  the  new  data  and  the  Scripture,  be- 
cause of  the  circumstantiality  of  each  ;  (6)  and 
the  prescient  minuteness  of  the  Scripture  in 
name,  date  and  circumstance  avowedly  for  this 
end.  Surely  "  this  also  cometh  forth  from  the 
Lord  of  Hosts,  who  is  wonderful  in  counsel  and 
excellent  in  working,"     J.  B.  Thomas. 

For  twenty-five  years  the  peculiar  phase  of 
anti-supernatural  criticism  which  in  tliis  coun- 
try is  called  "  Higher  Criticism"  has  busied 
itself  with  discovering  in  the  Old  Testament 
contradictory  narratives,  statements,  dates  and, 
above  all  and  in  all,  a  wretched,  incomprehen- 
sible editing  of  the  whole.  Having  for  twenty- 
five  j'cai's  followed  this  criticism  in  all  its  works, 
I  can  speak  for  myself  and  say  that  I  do  not 
see  one  discrepancy  where  Kuenen,  Well- 
hausen,  Budde,  Cornill,  and  their  followers  see 
a  hundred  contradictions,  and  I  turn  from  their 
works  to  the  Bible  as  one  turns  from  a  dark 
Indian  temple,  with  its  hideous  forms  of  man- 
made  gods,  to  the  fair  light  of  the  Sun  in  God's 
temple  of  the  sky.  These  writers  declare  that 
they  have  proved  the  historical  parts  of  the 
Bible  to  be  no  history  at  all.  But  they  have 
proved  it  only  to  those  who  would  exclude  the 
supernatural.  They  assert  that  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  Bible  is  fable  and  legend,  because 
man  is  there  represented  as  having  a  high  ideal 
of  God  and  a  religious  sense  that  belongs  only 
to  later  ages.  But  their  fellow-professors  tell  us 
that  early  man,  ius  he  is  shown  by  his  monuments 
In  Egypt  and  Asia,  had  a  high  ideal  of  God,  of 


morals,  and  an  elaborate  scheme  of  religion. 
This  criticism  dogmatically  states  that  the 
Israelites,  before  David's  time,  could  not  write, 
and,  therefore,  composed  no  books,  kept  no 
recorfs  before  that  time,  B.C.  1000.  Egypt- 
ology and  Assyriology  give  us  myriad  proofs 
that  as  soon  as  man  appears  on  monuments, 
earlier  than  B.C.  3000,  it  is  with  the  hand  of  a 
master  in  all  written  characters,  and  that  the 
Semites,  of  whom  the  Hebrews  were  a  part, 
from  the  earliest  times  held  in  their  trained 
hands  all  the  great  roads  of  the  world's  com- 
merce. The  Jew  hits  never,  except  in  this  criti- 
cism, been  accounted  the  dunce  of  the  nations. 
The  history  of  this  school  of  criticism  brings 
before  us  many  facts  which  would  never  be 
supposed  unless  proved  by  so  many  wit- 
nesses. But  among  all  these  facts  there  is  none 
more  astounding  than  that,  while  professing  to 
be  above  all  things  liistorical  and  to  utter  the 
voice  of  history,  it  has  persistently  shut  its 
eyes  from  seeing,  its  ears  from  hearing,  and  its 
pages  from  telling,  the  history  with  which  it  is 
most  concerned.  By  the  side  of  these  Old 
Testament  professors  in  their  own  universities, 
there  have  been  for  decades  professors  of 
Egyptology  and  Assyriology.  These  sciences 
are  represented  by  men  as  learned  and  as  nu- 
merous as  the  Protestant  professors  of  Old 
Testament  literature  in  Germany  and  England, 
who  do  not  number  sixty,  all  told.  They  have 
established  stately  reviews  in  French,  German, 
and  English.  The  literature  of  these  sciences 
is  greater  than  that  of  tliis  Old  Testament  crit- 
icism, as  the  texts  on  which  they  work  are  far 
greater  than  all  the  Old  Testament  and  the 
Greek  and  Latin  classics  combined.  The  press 
during  most  of  this  century  has  poured  forth 
works  of  the  highest  class  of  scholarahip  in 
these  sciences.  These  works  treat  of  extra- 
biblical  liistory  parallel  with  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. They  treat  of  the  history  of  these  lan- 
guages, of  religion,  education,  civilization, 
ethics,  law,  poetry,  architecture,  arclucology. 
Now  we  should  suppose  that  this  criticism 
which  professes  to  be  historical  would  take  all 
this  as,  at  least,  one  of  the  factors  of  its  prob- 
lem. But  its  volumes  will  be  searched  in  vain 
for  the  first  evidence  of  any  acquaintance  with 
this  most  learned  and  scientific  help  to  the  un- 
derstanding of  the  Old  Testament.  From  these 
volumes  one  woidd  never  imagine  the  existence 
of  this  vast  sphere  of  knowledge,  which  has 
revolutionized  the  whole  idea  of  ancient  history, 
and  gives  us  the  environment  of  Palestine  from 
at  least  a  thousand  years  before  Moses  to  the 
time  of  Christ. 


30 


PRELIMINARY. 


For  seventy  years  the  monuments  of  Egypt, 
and  for  fifty  years  the  nionunients  of  Baby- 
lonia and  Assyria,  liave  been  stiidi -d  l)y 
a  host  of  scliolnrs.  tile  iieers  of  any  others 
the  world  has  known.  M.  Menant,  of  Franee, 
says  that  the  texts  already  discovered  would 
fill  five  hundred  octavo  volumes — a  larger 
amount  than  all  the  Greek  and  Latin  clas- 
sics. In  Paris,  Berlin,  Vienna,  Leydcn,  Up- 
salii,  and  elsewhere,  professorships  of  Egyp- 
tology and  Assyriolosy  have  been  long  es- 
tablished. The  permanent  literature  of  these 
subjects,  the  sober,  scientific  works  of  these 
scholars  i.ssui'd  in  the  past  fifty  years,  would 
make  a  library  by  tluinselves.  Wherever 
sound  pliilologieal  and  historical  study  is  hon- 
ored, there  the  names  of  the  great  Egyptian 
and  Assyrian. scholars  will  be  placed  high  in 
the  list  of  those  who  have  benefited  their  fel- 
lows. The  immease  valuer  of  this  work  arises 
from  the  well-nigli  numberless  monuments  dis- 
covered. These  scliolars  give  us  tlie  monu- 
ments and  their  story,  so  that  the  learner  can 
compare  the  story  with  its  source.  If  now  we 
can  ascertain  tlie  points  on  which  tlicse  Egyp- 
tian and  A.ssyrian  scholars — Frencli,  English, 
Grerman,  Dutch,  Italian,  Swedish,  Russian — arc 
unanimously  agreed,  we  may  be  sure  there  is 
good  foundation  for  those  points  ;  and  it  is  also 
certain  that  those  points  will  represent  the  most 
scientific  historical  teaching  of  the  present  day 
concerning  early  man.  Beyond  the  monu- 
ments all  is,  must  be,  mere  speculation.  The 
monuments  form  the  horizon  of  all  e.\tni-bibli- 
cal  knowledge  of  early  man.  On  the  following 
four  points  there  is  unanimous  agreement  : 

1.  That  witli  the  earliest  monuments  man 
appears  before  us  with  language  fully  formed, 
and  elaborate  written  clianuiters  responding  to 
all  his  needs.  Never  afterward  in  Babylonia 
or  Kgypt  are  the  signs  of  language  more 
beautifully  shaixd  and  ehisell'.  d  than  on  the 
luim.'rous  dionte  statues  of  Tello,  or  on  the 
granite  and  limestone  of  the  tablet  of  Senoferu, 
of  the  pyramids  of  Unas,  Pepi,  Mirinri,  of  the 
tomb  of  Ti.  The  long  and  many  inscriptions 
of  Tello  and  of  the  pyrixmids  show  us  the  lan- 
guage capable  of  expressing  all  religious 
thought,  rich  in  the  t:'rms  of  settled,  civilized, 
refined  life,  abundant  in  geographical  names, 
and  speaking  of  gold,  iron,  bronze,  and  pre- 
cious woods  and  minerals,  as  of  common  posses- 
sions. 3.  Th<>  earliest  monuments  show  us  the 
religions  of  Babylonia  and  Egypt  already  fully 
formed  ;  their  main  fiuulamental  doctrines  re- 
maining the  same  throughout  the  existence  of 
their  iieojiles,  though  with  the  centuries  there 


were  many  changes  in  non-fundamental  points. 

Up  to  l.SHO  there  w  ere  many  attempts  to  trace 
the  evolution  of  thrf  religion  of  Egypt  ;  but  by 
the  opening  of  llu'  inscribed  pyramids  in  1881 
all  historical  ground  wjis  taken  from  these 
speculations — for  these  inscriptions  display  all 
the  main  doctrines  of  the  Egyptian  religion 
fully  elaborated.  So  that  it  is  now  agreed  on  all 
hands  bj'  the  masters  of  these  sciences  that  one 
must  go  behind  all  monuments,  all  historic 
proof,  if  he  would  attempt  to  trace  the  begin- 
nings of  Egy])tian  or  Babylonian  religion, 
a.  The  art  of  Tello  in  Babylonia  and  of  the 
pyramid  times  in  Egypt  was  the  highest  art 
ever  reached  in  these  lands  ;  their  earliest  art 
was  their  best.  At  this  earliest  period  the 
numerovis  extant  remains  of  their  art  show  a 
iiuLstery  of  all  details,  an  ease  and  .grace  of 
handling,  a  simplicity  and  truth  to  nature,  a 
refinement  of  conception,  and  a  deftness  in 
execution  never  attained  again  in  the  later  cen- 
turies of  these  peoples.  The  statues  of  Tello, 
the  intaglios  of  earl}'  Chaldea,  the  statues  and 
bas-reliefs  of  early  Egypt,  the  pyramids,  enor- 
mous in  mass,  yet  with  exqui.sitely  finished,  in- 
scribed, painted  inner  pa.ssages  and  chambers  ; 
the  tomb  of  Ti  at  Sakkarah,  with  its  wealth  of 
sharp-cut  letters,  and  more  abundant  bas-reliefs 
of  all  th(!  forms  of  most  ancient  home  life,  and 
many  other  tombs — all  tell  the  SiUiie  story,  that 
man  at  this  ira  had  reached  the  acme  of  the  art 
of  his  people.  4.  Language  and  religion  fully 
fonued.  and  art  at  its  best,  prove  the  fourth 
point — that  at  the  earliest  age  of  man,  shown 
by  the  monuments,  a  very  high  degree  of  civil- 
ization reigned  in  Babylonia  and  Egypt,  and 
both  these  lands  were  intimately  acqviainted 
and  in  commercial  exchange  with  the  Sinaitic 
Peninsula  and  the  Syrian-Phenician  cosist. 

If  these  results  of  Egyptology  and  Assyriol- 
ogy  are  true,  as  these  scholars  believe,  then 
there  is  far  greater  reason  for  placing  the  com- 
position of  the  Pentateuch  in  the  classic  age 
than  in  the  age  of  the  decline  and  abasement  of 
Western  Asiatic  and  Egyptian  literature.  Both 
Driver  and  Cornill  imagine  a  state  of  societj' 
and  religion  before  the  age  of  David  that  is  in 
blank  contradiction  to  the  facts  shown  by  the 
monuments.  Without  this  purely  imaginary 
society  and  religion  their  theory  coidd  have  no 
basis.  If  the  Pentateuch  written  in  the  most 
cla.ssic  Hebrew,  if  the  Psalms  and  Prophets,  the 
Old  Testament  as  we  have  it,  was  to  a  large  ex- 
tent written,  edited,  and  issued  only  from  650 
to  IGO  U.C.,  then  the  miracle  of  its  appearance 
is  still  greater  than  at  earlier  <lates.  for  the  de- 
cadence of  all  Western  Asiatic  and  Egyptian 


WITNESS  OF  THE  MONUMENTS. 


31 


literature  was  in  full  course.  The  literary 
scepti'o  had  long  passed  from  i\^iatic  to  Greek 
hands.  And  if  by  all  the  analogies  of  environ- 
ment there  is  no  reason  why  the  Pentateuch 
should  not  liave  been  compo-sed  1400  li.c,  there 
is  also  no  reason  why  the  principal  aetor  in  the 
history  should  not  have  been  its  historian. 
When  we  have  a  document  claiming  to  narrate 
contemporary  liistory  by  an  apparent  or  assert- 
ed author,  we  are  told  by  those  who  write  on 
historical  method  that  it  mvist  be  tested  by  the 
following  (juestions  :  1.  Was  the  apparent  au- 
thor a  contemporary?  3.  Wtm  he  a  participant 
or  eye-witness  of  the  events?  3.  What  was  the 
author's  ability  to  observe  and  conceive,  his 
education,  his  underetanding  of  the  matters  re- 
lated, his  position  in  life,  the  theme  and  forni 
of  his  narratives,  his  tendency  and  party? 
4.  Does  the  author  show  in  liis  writings  and 
in  his  acts  that  he  prefers  truth  above  all 
things?  5.  Are  there  any  reasons  whj'  he  should 
■deceive?  Now  no  "concision"  of  the  Penta- 
teuch can  efface  from  it  the  noble  character  of 
Moses.  If,  then,  the  Pentateuch  is  in  a  fitting 
literary  environment  only  in  the  age  of  Jloses, 
are  not  all  these  questions  best  answered  by  the 
character  of  Moses,  by  his  education,  under- 
standing, position  in  life,  and  relation  to  the 
events?  Are  there  any  reasons  conceivable 
why  he  should  deceive?     //.  Osgood. 

The  recent  wonderful  discover)'  at  Tell-el- 
Amarna  of  scores  and  scores  of  tablets  covered 
with  cuneiform  inscriptions,  shows  that  fifteen 
hundred  years  before  Christ  there  was  an  ac- 
tive literary  movement  in  Western  Asia  and 
Egypt,  and  that  extensive  correspondence  was 
carried  on  throughout  the  whole  region.  Pro- 
fessor Sayce  has  made  a  special  study  of  these 
tablets,  and  of  their  wonderful  talc  he  makes 
detailed  mention  in  his  now  famous  address  on 
the  subject  before  the  Victoria  Institute  of 
London.  Acconling  to  his  statements  we  learn 
that  in  the  fifteenth  century  before  Christ — 
a  century  before  the  E.xodus — active  literary 
interi'ourse  was  carried  on  throughout  the  civ- 
ilized world  of  Western  Asia,  between  Babylo- 
nia and  Egypt,  and  the  smaller  states  of  Pales- 
tine, of  Syria,  of  Mesopotamia,  and  even  of 
Eastern  Cappadoeia.  And  this  intercourse  was 
carried  on  by  means  of  the  Babylonian  lan- 
guage and  in  the  complicated  Babylonian 
script.  It  implies  that  all  over  the  civilized 
East  there  were  libraries  and  schools  where  the 
Babylonian  language  and  literature  were  taught 
and  learned.  Babylonian  was  in  fact  as  much 
the  language  of  diplomacy  and  cultivated  soci- 
ety as  French  has  been  in  modern  times,  with 


the  difference  that  the  cuneiform  syllabary  re- 
ijuired  years  of  hard  labor  to  aciiuire.  The 
existence  of  a  literature  at  such  an  extremely 
early  period  luis  received  a  womlerful  confirma- 
tion in  the  inscriptions  found  by  Dr.  Edward 
Glazer  last  year  in  Southern  Arabia.  He  gath- 
ered 1031  of  these  tablets,  and  they  are  reveaU 
ing  a  new  world  of  biblical  history.  It  ap- 
pears that  as  early  as  almost  two  thousand 
j-ears  before  Christ  there  was  a  kingdom  estab- 
lished under  Jewish  influence  in  Southern 
Arabia,  and  that  this  and  its  Christian  suc- 
cessors flourished  there  until  the  Mohammedan 
crusaile.  The  Min;BO-Saba;an  kingdoms  have 
now  stepped  upon  the  stage  of  history.  The 
visit  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba  need  now  no  longer 
cau.se  any  a.stonishment,  as  one  of  the  inscrip- 
tions mentions  the  city  of  Gaza.  Throughout 
this  vast  region  from  Southern  Arabia  to  the 
Jlediterranean  there  flourished  at  this  early 
period  an  alphabetic  method  of  writing,  being 
derived  from  the  Plurnician  alphabet.  The 
belief  that  in  the  pre-3Iohammedan  times  this 
was  a  country  of  illiterate  nomads  must  now 
be  abandoned.  Dr.  Hommel,  of  Munich,  has 
discovered  that  some  of  these  inscriptions  bear 
■the  date  of  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  cen- 
turies before  our  era. 

The  bearing  of  these  discoveries  on  biblical 
discussions  are  apparent.  For  decades  it  has 
been  the  favorite  view  of  neological  critics  that 
the  traditional  views  of  an  early  literature  in 
Israel,  dating  back  to  the  days  of  Moses,  must 
be  given  up  for  want  of  evidence.  It  was 
confidently  maintained  that  no  records  of  the 
Old  Testament  before  the  times  of  David  were 
liistorically  reliable  because  there  were  no  writ- 
ten records  before  that  date.  Now  within  al- 
most the  immediate  present  is  discovered  a 
wealth  of  evidence  going  to  prove  beyond  the 
shadow  of  any  and  every  doubt  that  alreaily 
lietween  the  fifteenth  and  twentieth  centuries 
before  Christ,  in  the  very  days  of  the  patriarclis, 
and  even  before,  there  existed  an  active  literary 
movement  throughout  the  whole  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land  in  which  Israel  moved  and 
lived.  If  all  the  nations  of  Western  ^Vsia  and 
Northesistern  Africa,  and  even  all  the  tribes 
with  whom  Israel  was  ethnologically  related, 
were  at  that  time  in  possession  of  an  alphabet 
and  of  a  literature,  then  surely  the  beginnings 
of  literature  in  Israel  too  must  be  set  down  to 
tliis  date.  The  gain  thus  made  for  conservative 
biblical  research  is  immense,  and  the  chagrin 
of  destructive  criticism  in  seeing  its  fantiustic 
structure  of  what  the  early  history  of  God's 
people  ought  to  have  been  according  to  their 


32 


PRELIMINARY. 


hypotheses  undermined  and  overthrown,  is  not 
haixl  to  understand.  The  data  tlms  furnislied 
by  the  tilis  of  K.iiypt  and  the  rocks  of  Araliia 
are  cold  facts  before  which  subjective  rational- 
izing must  husli. 

Anollier  of  the  most  jTratifyintr  and  remark- 
able finds  in  this  line  within  the  last  half  dozen 
years  lias  been  tlie  iietual  re-discovery  of  a  once 
powerful  Oriental  and  biblical  people,  of  wliora 
nearly  all  traces  had  been  lost  in  secular  litera- 
ture, and  the  reference  to  whom  by  the  I5ible  was 
often  made  the  btuse  of  a  charge  of  unliistorical 
charact^T.  The  nation  in  question  are  the  Hit- 
tites.  Abraham  bought  liis  family  burial-place 
from  Ei)lir()n  the  Ilittitc  ;  Esau  married  two 
wives  that  were  Ilittites.  They  are  constantly 
mentioned  ius  among  the  powerful  tribes  that  in- 
habited Can;ian  before  the  conquest  by  Joshua. 
Even  as  late  as  the  date  of  1  K.  10  :  29  and  3 
Chron.  1  :  17,  they  are  a  mighty  nation.  Re- 
cent discoveries  in  Asia  Minor,  Egypt  and 
Babylonia  have  brought  to  light  evidences  in 
abundance  that  this  people  not  only  existed  as 
described  in  the  Scriptures,  but  that  they  were 
a  most  important  factor  in  the  ups  and  downs 
of  the  polities  of  Asia  Jlinor.  As  early  as  ten 
years  ago,  Dr.  Schliemann  found  on  the  site  of 
ancient  Troy  curious  monuments  and  vases 
■whicli  were  neither  Greek  nor  Egyptian.  These 
are  now  seen  to  be  the  Hittites.  Lately  some 
hieroglyphics  have  been  deciphered  which  state 
that  after  the  expulsion  of  the  mysterious  shep- 
herd kings.  King  Thotmes  III.,  the  greatest  war- 
rior of  the  Phar;iohs,  made  fourteen  campaigns 
to  the  northwest,  and  that  his  chief  opponents 
were  the  Ilittites,  whose  southern  capital  was 
Kadesh,  near  Damascus.  Similar  accounts  of 
later  contests  with  the  Ilittites  have  also  been 
discovered.  Some  recently  found  cuneiform 
inscriptions  in  the  valley  of  the  Euphrates 
show  that  the  northern  capital  of  the  Hittites 
was  Charcemish,  the  famous  city  on  the  west- 
ern bank  of  the  river  not  far  from  IJabj'lon.  It 
is  now  known  that  the  Ilittites  were  a  strong 
nation  a.s  far  biu-k  as  the  days  of  Sargon  I.,  the 
great  em])eror  of  Western  Asia,  twenty-four 
hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era. 

But  ancient  Babylon  and  Nineveh  have 
proved  veritjihle  storehouses  for  the  Bible  stu- 
dent. Literally  tens  of  thousands  of  cuneiform 
inscriptions  on  brick  and  tile  have  been  un- 
earthed. A  whole  library  has  been  discovered 
in  the  palace  of  Assurbanipal,  covering  all 
the  departments  of  knowledge  current  among 
the  I'haldeans.  The  literature  of  these  inscrip- 
tions embrace  poetry  and  |)rose,  the  former  of 
epics — of    which    there    are    two — lyrics   and 


other  kinds  ;  the  latter  chiefly  history,  espe- 
cially the  records  of  military  iwhievenu  nts. 
Of  special  interesjt,  beside  the  historical  doeu- 
nients  running  parallel  with  the  reconis  of  the 
Bible,  is  the  religious  literature  of  this  people. 
In  one  of  the  great  epics,  of  which  the  biblical 
Nimrod  is  the  hero,  there  are  also  found  ac- 
counts of  the  creation  and  the  flood  which  have 
a  remarkable  similarity  to  those  of  the  Bible. 
l)Oth  of  which  go  further  into  details  than  do 
the  scriptural  descriptions  ;  angelology  and 
dtmonology  are  extensively  developed  ;  relig- 
ious psalmody  exists  in  great  aljundance,  etc. 

Although  scholars  have  been  laboring  for 
twenty  and  more  years  on  the  decipherment  of 
these  inscriptions,  the  materials  liave  accumu- 
lated on  their  hands  more  rapidly  than  they 
could  be  utilized,  while  much  yet  remains 
buried  in  the  ruins  of  the  East.  In  the  British 
JIuseum  there  are  yet  thousands  of  tablets  and 
cylinders  awaiting  the  investigators.  The  gain 
from  this  study  has  been  exceedingly  great. 
The  Book  of  Daniel  is  a  notable  example  of  this. 
Subjective  criticism  for  a  century  had  claimed 
that  this  book  could  not  be  authentic,  but  must 
be  a  product  of  the  JIaccabean  struggle.  Re- 
cent discoveries  have  sliown  that  this  historical 
background  of  Daniel  demands  just  such  a 
period  iis  it  claims  for  itself.  Tlie  teniieney  of 
this  whole  field  of  research  has  been  to  confirm 
and  strengthen  the  biblical  records.  Indeed, 
this  is  true  of  all  moilcrn  Oriental  research. 
Experience  has  shown  that  tiie  more  light  sci- 
ence and  investigation  throw  upon  the  Scrip- 
tures all  the  more  these  appear  to  be  the  truth 
and  nothing   but  the  truth.     SchockU. 

Tlie  historic  East  is  giving  up  its  dead,  and 
the  story  of  tlie  ruias  and  remains  of  its  most 
ancient  civilization  is  even  more  deeply  inter- 
esting and  instructive  for  the  biblical  student 
than  for  the  secular  liistorian.  In  an  altogether 
new  sense  the  classical  E.r  Oncnte  lux  is  proving 
itself  true.  The  recent  finds  and  discoveries  in 
I5ible  lands  have  put  an  altogether  new  face  on 
many  of  the  oldest  phases  of  history,  anil  pick 
and  spade  have  been  making  valuable  contri- 
butions to  biblical  arclueology.  In  the  face  of 
the  facts  unearthed  in  the  last  decade  or  two, 
the  idea,  current  in  many  critical  circles,  that 
Abraham  and  his  children  and  descendants, 
down  to  the  ExikIus,  were  a  wholly  rude  and 
uncultured  nu-e,  is  demonstrably  incorrect.  It 
is  now  certain  that  in  Babylonia,  where  the 
forefathers  of  the  Hebrews  lived  for  many 
years,  the  Semites  who  Inui  emigrateil  into 
those  districts  h;ul,  at  a  very  early  age,  appro- 
priated and  developed  further  the  civilization 


WITNESS  OF  THE  MONUMENTS. 


33 


•which  the  earliest  inhabitants  of  Babylonia,  the 
Summarians  and  Acoadians,  then  already  pos- 
sessed. This  immigration  of  Semites,  the  stock 
and  family  to  which  also  the  Hebrews  be- 
longed, began  centuries  before  Terah,  the 
father  of  Abraham,  settled  there,  and  Abraham 
himself  lived  there  for  seventy-flve  years.  In 
fact,  such  was  the  state  of  civilization  of  these 
people  that,  as  early  as  the  twentieth  century 
B.C.  the  Semitic  crowded  out  of  Babylonia 
the  old  Turanian  Summeric  tongue,  and  in  turn 
became  the  language  of  the  people,  the  court, 
and  of  literature,  the  old  language  being  re- 
tained only  as  a  dead  tongue,  by  priests  and 
savants.  Such  is  the  story  now  told  us  by  the 
cuneiform  inscriptions  found  in  late  years  in 
the  Euphrates  and  Tigris  lands. 

Just  within  recent  montljs  a  new  and  unex- 
pected turn  has  been  given  to  this  problem  by 
the  researches  of  the  Assyriologist  of  ^Munich, 
Professor  Pr.  Horamel,  who  in  an  autograph 
volume  has  furnished  data  to  show  that  even 
the  oldest  civilization  of  Egypt,  which  all 
along  has  been  tacitly  accepted  as  having  been 
indigenous  and  self-developed,  drew  largely  on 
Babylonia  for  its  culture  and  religion.  In  this 
way  the  earliest  homes  of  the  ancestore  of  the 
Israelites  are  shown  to  have  been  the  very 
original  seats  of  the  highest  culture  developed 
at  that  early  age.  In  view  of  these  data  the  nat- 
uralistic idea  at  the  bottom  of  so  much  negative 
biblical  criticism  of  the  day,  according  to  which 
the  Hebrews  were  originally  an  exceedingly 
crude  nomadic  tribe,  without  law  or  letters, 
and  only  gradually  acquiring  the  first  elements 
of  civilization,  is  inconsistent  with  the  results 
of  scholarly  research.  Hommel  argues  his 
proposition  along  four  lines — viz.,  by  a  com- 
parison of  sacred  places  in  Babylon  and  Egypt, 
then  by  placing  side  by  side  the  mythologies  of 
the  two  countries,  and  next  their  languages  and 
■writing,  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  many  schol- 
ars has  proved  that  the  dependence  of  Egyp- 
tian culture  on  the  Babylonian  prehistoric 
times  is  a  fact  that  can  no  longer  be  denied. 
V.  von  Strauss  und  Torney. 

According  to  the  researches  of  Dr.  Schlie- 
mann  there  was  neither  a  Stone  Age  nor  a 
Metal  Age  in  Greece  and  Asia  Elinor.  In  the 
finds  at  Troy,  especially,  there  is  the  most  strik- 
ing evidence  of  devolution.  Here,  as  well  as 
at  Mycena;,  the  ornaments  and  implements  dis- 
covered, even  in  the  lowest  strata,  far  from  in- 
dicating a  state  of  savagery  and  degradation, 
betoken  one  of  high  civilization.  In  the  light 
of  Schliemann's  discoveries,  not  to  speak  of 
others  pointing  in  the  same  direction,  made  in 


Egypt,  and  among  the  ruins  of  Assyria  and 
Babylonia,  bearing  on  the  condition  of  primi- 
tive man  in  the  Orient,  the  conclusion  seems  to 
be  inevitable  that  the  modern  evolution  school 
is  wrong — that  the  history  of  our  race  is  not 
one  of  development,  but  one  of  degeneration. 
Thus,  the  story  of  the  Fall,  as  recorded  in  Holy 
Writ,  is  corroborated  by  the  declarations  of  the 
newest  of  sciences — prehistoric  archa'ology. 
When  examining  some  of  the  evidence  present- 
ed by  geologists  in  favor  of  the  antiquity  of 
man,  one  cannot  help  saying  with  Goethe, 
"  The  thing  the  most  terrible  to  hear  is  the 
constantly  reiterated  assurance  that  geologists 
agree  on  a  given  point."  In  1857,  the  famous 
Neanderthal  skull  was  discovered  near  Diissel- 
dorf.  Professor  Schaaffhausen  adjudged  it  to 
be  "  the  most  ancient  memorial  of  the  early  in- 
habitants of  Europe."  Professor  Fuhbrott 
wrote  a  book  on  it,  in  which  he  declared  the 
age  of  the  relic  to  be  from  300,000  to  300,000 
years,  but  Dr.  Mayer,  of  Bonn,  after  a  critical 
examination  of  the  "  fossil,"  and  the  locality 
in  which  it  was  found,  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  was  the  skull  of  a  Cossack  killed  in  1814  ! 
J.  A.  Zaliin. 

The  fierce  criticism  to  which  the  books  of 
the  Bible  have  been  subjected  since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  present  century  is  but  a  reflection 
of  a  general  spirit  of  scepticism  wlvieh  has  re- 
jected traditional  beliefs  in  regard  to  ancient 
history  and  writings,  and  insisted  on  bringing 
them  before  the  bar  of  the  modern  inductive 
method.  It  is  not  only  the  ancient  history  of 
Israel  which  has  been  relegated  to  the  region 
of  myth  ;  the  ancient  histories  of  Greece  and 
Rome  have  fared  no  better,  and  it  has  been 
obstinatcl}'  maintained  that  the  history  of  civil- 
ization begins  with  the  age  of  Cyrus,  and  that 
literary  documents  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word 
were  unkno'wn  before  the  closing  days  of  the 
Jewish  monarchy.  There  has  been  a  tacit  as- 
sumption that  the  nations  of  antiquity  were 
practically  illiterate,  and  that  it  is  useless  to 
search  for  grains  of  truth  in  the  traditions  of 
their  earlier  Mstory  which  have  come  down  to 
us. 

The  high  water-mark  of  historical  scepticism 
is  represented  in  Greek  liistory  bj'  Sir  George 
Cox,  in  Roman  history  by  Sir  George  Corne- 
wall  Lewis,  In  sacred  history  by  Havet  and 
Vernes.  The  reaction  naturally  came  first  in 
the  case  of  Greek  history.  The  excavations  of 
Dr.  Scliliemann  proved  that  the  early  history 
of  Greece  was  not  that  mass  of  myths  and 
fables  which  it  has  been  the  fashion  to  sup]iose 
it  to  be  ;    that,  on  the  contrary,  the  story  of 


34 


THE  BOOKS  OF  KIXOS  AXD  CTmOXWLES. 


Achiiian  power  and  culture  was  founded  on 
fait,  and  tliat  a  race  of  kings  once  held  sway  in 
Myeena'  who  were  in  contact  with  the  civiliza- 
tions of  Egypt  and  Pluenicia.  At  first  the 
seholai-s  scoffed  ;  but  facts  are  stubborn  things, 
and  before  liis  death  Dr.  Schliemann  had  the 
satisfa<'tion  of  knowing  that  he  liad  by  means 
of  the  spade  re-established  the  credit  of  a  his- 
tory which  the  higher  criticism  seemed  to  have 
demolished  forever. 

As  the  destructive  criticism  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment had  but  followed  in  the  wake  of  that  of 
early  Greek  history,  it  was  natural  that  it 
should  share  the  fortunes  of  the  latter.  The 
di.scovery  and  decipherment  of  the  monuments 
of  Egypt,  of  Assyria,  and  of  other  Oriental 
lands,  have  done  for  the  older  records  of  the 
Bible  what  the  discoveries  of  Dr.  Schliemann 
have  done  for  the  early  traditions  of  Greece. 
The  historical  fabric  which  the  higher  criticism 
had  claimed  to  have  destroyed  is  being  recon- 
structed by  the  arelneologist  and  decipherer. 
We  have  come  to  know  that  much  which  had 
been  pronounced  impossible  was  not  only  pos- 
sible, but  true,  and  that  the  difficulties  raised 
by  the  critic  were  really  due  to  his  own  igno- 
rance. 

Of  course  we  must   not   conclude   that  the 


work  of  the  "  higher  criticism"  has  been  alto- 
gether barren  of  results.  On  the  contrary,  it 
has  elucidated  points  which  had  previously 
been  neglected,  and  luis  caused  the  text  of  the 
Old  Testament  to  be  minutely  e.xanuned  in  a 
way  which  cannot  but  be  helpful  to  the  cause 
of  truth.  Doubtless  there  is  a  portion  of  its 
work  which  will  prove  to  be  a  permanent  ac- 
qiiisition  of  science.  But  it  has  been  disfigured 
by  a  spirit  of  arrogance  and  sceiiticism,  and  a 
disposition  to  prefer  the  conclusions  of  the 
student  in  his  library  to  the  solid  facts  of  archa;- 
ological  research.  The  critic  forgot  that  as 
long  as  the  Old  Testament  and  the  history  it 
embodied  remained  isolated  and  solitary,  the 
last  relic  of  a  literature  which  seemed  elsewhere 
to  have  perished,  it  was  what  the  logicians 
would  call  a  "  single  instance,"  and  that  from 
a  "single  instance"  no  generalizations  of  any 
scientific  value  can  be  drawn.  To-day  the  case 
is  different ;  the  past  has  yielded  up  its  dead, 
and  the  contemi)c)raries  of  the  writers  and 
heroes  of  the  Old  Testament  are  speaking  to  us 
onco  more  in  living  tones.  And  the  witness 
they  bear  is  clear  and  unmistakable  to  the  an- 
tiquity of  writing  in  the  ancient  world  and  the 
substantial  accuracy  of  the  historical  statements 
of  Holy  Scripture.     Sayce. 


Section  2. 


THE   BOOKS   OF   KINGS  AXD   CimONICLES. 


The  Books  (iv  Kings. 
TiTE  Book  of  Kings  is  probably  the  work 
of  tlie  i)rophet  Jeremiah.  This  is  the  tradi- 
tion of  the  .Jews  ;  and  so  many  little  coinci- 
dences are  found  between  the  acknowledged 
works  of  .Jeremiah  and  this  composition,  that 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  doubt  that  they  pro- 
ceeded from  the  same  author.  Jeremiah's  au- 
thorship is  indeed  especially  apparent  in  the 
later  chapters,  but  as  those  chapters  are  the 
natural  sequence  of  the  earlier  ones,  and  har- 
moni'/,e  with  them  very  rcmarkal)Iy  in  style 
and  general  character,  the  entire  work  must  be 
ascribed  to  the  same  hand  that  wrote  its  last 
section.  This  unity  of  authorehip  must,  how- 
ever, be  understood  with  a  diffcrfiirc.  The 
Book  of  Kings,  like  most  histories  which  cover 
a  considerable  space  of  time,  is  in  the  main  a 
compilation.  Divine  inspiration  did  not.  in 
the  case  of  the  writers  of  Holy  Scripture,  su- 


pereede  the  use  of  the  ordinary  methods  of  ob- 
taining knowledge.  The  author  of  Ivings  con- 
stantly refers  his  readers  to  authorities  from 
whom  they  may  obtain  fuller  particulars  con- 
cerning the  pci-sonages  mentioned  in  his  narra- 
tive than  he  himself  places  before  them  ;  and 
it  can  scarcely  be  doubted  that  he  drew  his 
knowledge  of  the  past  principally,  if  not 
wholly,  from  these  authorities.  He  cites  a 
"  Book  of  the  Acts  of  Solomon"  (1  K.  11  :  41), 
a  "  I5ook  of  the  Chronicles  of  the  Ivings  of  Ju- 
dah, "  and  a  "  Book  of  the  Chronicles  of  t  he  Kings 
of  Israel"  (1  K.  14  :  19,  20)— works  which  must 
clearly  have  covered  exactly  the  ground  that  he 
traverses  ;  works  which  he  evidently  n'ganls  as 
authentic.  It  appeai-s  from  the  Books  of  Chifini- 
cles  that  it  was  among  the  regular  duties  of  the 
prophets  and  seers,  who  succee<led  one  another 
without  interruption  from  the  commencement 
of  the  Jewish  kingdom  under  Saul  to  the  Cap- 


THE  BOOKS  OF  KINGS. 


35 


tivity  of  Zedckiah.  to  compose  histories  of  the 
kings  with  whom  they  were  contemporary  on  a 
scale  much  larger  than  that  in  which  their  his- 
tories arc  delivered  to  us  in  the  Old  Testament. 
Samuel  began,  Nathan  continued,  and  Gad 
finished  a  "Book  of  the  Chronicles  of  King 
David"  (1  Chron.  37  :  24  ;  29  :  29)  ;  Nathan, 
Abijah,  and  Iddo  wrote  accounts  of  the  reign 
of  Solomon  (3  Chron.  9  :  29)  ;  Shemaiah  and 
Iddo  related  the  history  of  the  reign  of  Rcho- 
boam  (13  :  15)  ;  Iddo  recorded  the  history  of 
Abijah,  Rehoboam's  son  (13:33);  Jehu,  the 
son  of  Hanani,  that  of  Jehoshaphat  (20  :  34) ; 
Isaiah,  that  of  Uzziah  (36  :  32)  and  Hezckiah 
(33  ;  33)  ;  Hosai,  that  of  Manasseh  (33  :  19). 

The  object  proposed  to  himself  by  the  author 
of  Kings  was  the  earrj'ing  on  of  the  Israelitish 
history  from  the  point  to  which  lie  found  it 
brought  at  the  close  of  the  Second  Book  of 
Samuel  to  liis  own  time,  in  a  compendio\is 
form,  and  in  the  spirit  of  the  earlier  sacred 
writers.  He  commences  his  work  with  the 
conjunction  "  and,"  thereb}'  indicating  that  it 
has  the  character  of  a  continuation.  He  then 
devotes  his  first  section  (1  K.  1  :  2  :  1-11)  to  the 
closing  years  of  David,  less,  however,  with  the 
object  of  completing  David's  history,  which  he 
perhaps  found  completed  in  Samuel,  than  with 
that  of  introducing  to  us  the  person  and  history 
of  Solomon,  wliich  was  what  he  especially  pro- 
posed to  set  before  his  readers  in  the  first  great 
division  of  his  narrative.  That  narrative  really 
consists  of  three  main  portions — 1.  A  history 
of  Solomon  from  his  association  by  David  to 
his  death  (1  K.  1-11).  3.  A  history  of  the 
parallel  kingdoms  of  Israel  and  Judah,  down 
to  the  extinction  of  the  former  (1  K.  12  ;  2  K. 
17)  ;  and,  3.  A  history  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah 
from  the  time  of  the  downfall  of  the  sister  state 
to  the  final  destruction  of  the  Davidic  mon- 
archy by  Nebuchadnezzar,  King  of  Babylon 
(2  K.  18-25).  The  authenticity  of  the  general 
narrative  of  Kings  is  scarcely  questioned  by 
any  writer,  ancient  or  modern.  No  one  doubts 
that  from  tlie  time  of  David  the  Jews  were 
familiar  with  writing,  and  adopted  the  practice 
of  keeping  state  records  ;  nor  is  it  questioned 
that,  in.the  main,  the  writer  of  Kings  honestly 
drew  from  this  source      G.  R. 

The  Jewish  tradition  which  ascribes  them  to 
Jeremiah  is  borne  out  by  the  strongest  internal 
evidence,  in  addition  to  that  of  the  language. 
The  last  chapter,  especially  as  compared  with 
the  last  chapter  of  the  Chronicles,  bears  distinct 
traces  of  having  been  written  by  one  who  did 
not  go  into  captivity,  but  remained  in  Juda?a 
after  the  destruction  of  the  Temple.    This  suits 


Jeremiah.  The  events  singled  out  for  men- 
tion in  the  concise  narrative  are  precisely  those 
of  which  he  had  personal  knowledge,  and  in 
which  he  took  special  interest.  The  writer  in 
Kings  has  notliing  more  to  tell  us  concerning 
the  Jews  or  Chaldecs  in  the  land  of  Judah, 
which  exactly  agrees  with  the  hypothesis  that 
he  is  Jeremiah,  who  we  know  was  carried 
down  to  Egypt  with  the  fugitives.  In  fact, 
the  date  of  the  writing  and  the  position  of  the 
writer  seem  as  clearly  marked  by  the  termina- 
tion of  the  narrative  at  verse  26,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  But  though  the 
general  unity  and  continuity  of  plan  lead  us  to 
assign  the  whole  liistorj'  in  a  certain  sense  to 
one  author,  yet  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  authorship  of  those  parts  of  the  history  of 
which  Jeremiah  was  not  an  eye-witness — that 
is,  of  all  before  the  reign  of  Josiah — would  have 
consisted  merely  in  selecting,  arranging,  insert- 
ing the  connecting  phrases,  and,  when  neces- 
sary, slightly  modernizing  the  old  historiea 
which  had  been  drawn  up  by  contemporary 
prophets  through  the  whole  period  of  time. 
See,  e.  g.,  1  K.  13:32.  For,  as  regards  the 
sources  of  information,  it  may  truly  be  said 
that  we  have  the  narrative  of  contemporary 
writers  throughout.  There  was  a  regular 
series  of  state  annals  both  for  the  kingdom  of 
Judah  and  for  that  of  Israel,  which  embraced 
the  whole  time  comprehended  in  the  Books  of 
Kings,  or  at  least  to  the  end  of  the  reign  of 
Jehoiakim  (3  K.  24  :  5).  These  annals  are  con- 
stantly cited  by  name  as  "  the  Book  of  the  Acts 
of  Solomon"  (1  K.  11  :  41) ;  and,  after  Solomon, 
"  the  Book  of  the  Chronicles  of  the  Kings  of 
Judah,  or  Israel" — e.g.,  1  K.  14:29,  etc.  ;  and 
it  is  manifest  that  the  author  of  Kings  had 
them  both  before  him  while  he  drew  up  his  his- 
tory, in  which  the  reigns  of  the  two  kingdoms 
are  harmonized,  and  these  annals  constantly 
appealed  to.  But  in  addition  to  these  national 
annals,  there  were  also  extant,  at  the  time  that 
the  Books  of  Kings  were  compiled,  separate 
works  of  the  several  prophets  who  had  lived  in 
Judah  and  Israel.     P.  S. 

A  very  simple  theory  of  the  origin  of  the 
Books  of  Kings  which  will  account  for  all  the 
existing  phenomena,  and  which  has  some  posi- 
tive evidence  in  its  favor,  may  be  stated  as  fol- 
lows :  From  the  days  of  Solomon  to  the  Exile 
there  was  produced  in  Israel  and  Judah  a  suc- 
cession of  writings  by  prophets,  more  or  less 
historical  in  character.  Public  records  were 
also  kept.  The  Books  of  Kings  were  produced 
from  these  two  sources,  mainly  by  the  simple 
process  of  copying  such  passages  as  the  com- 


36 


THE  BOOKS  OF  KINGS. 


pikr  found  himself  inspired  to  copy  for  the 
purpose,  doubtless  with  just  such  changes  and 
oociisional  comments  as  appear  in  the  Book  of 
Chronicles,  in  the  passages  there  taken  from 
Samuel  and  Kings.  This  hypothesis  is  consis- 
tent with  the  integrity  of  the  book,  and  ex- 
plains its  diversities  of  style,  its  abrupt  transi- 
tions, its  occa-sional  rough  joinings  of  parts, 
and  all  the  other  like  phenonuiia  which  occur. 
There  is  no  need  to  suiipose  that  the  original 
documents  had  been  previously  edited  into 
continuous  histories  before  the  compiler  of 
Kings  u-sed  them.  There  is  no  need  to  sup- 
pose that  any  part  of  the  book  has  passed 
through  the  hands  of  successive  editors  or  re- 
dactors since  it  was  first  compiled.  It  is  possi- 
ble that  the  work  of  compiling  was  done  at 
two  or  three  different  periods.  The  post-clas- 
sical character  of  the  Hebrew  of  the  hist  chap- 
ter suggests  the  probability  that  it,  at  least,  is 
later  than  the  rest,  and  therefore  that  the  rest 
was  completed  before  the  burning  of  the  Tem 
pie.  Most  of  the  difficulties  in  regard  to  the 
text  in  Kings  may  be  naturally  accounted  for 
by  the  way  in  which  the  book  was  produced. 
A  writer  working  in  this  way  would  use  works 
of  unequal  literary  merit,  and  might  sometimes 
transcribe  without  change  statements  of  fact 
that  were  ill  written.  Other  passages,  both  in 
what  he  transcribed  and  in  what  he  himself 
added,  need  the  light  of  the  omitted  parts  of 
the  context,  and  are  obscure  for  lack  of  it.  In 
such  circumstances  one  should  not  be  hasty  in 
asserting,  from  internal  evidence  merely,  that 
an  ancient  text  is  corrupt  and  needs  emenda- 
tion. 

At  first  thought  the  parallel  pa.';sages  in 
Chronicles  seem  to  be  of  the  nature  of  variant 
copies  of  those  portions  of  the  text,  and  to  have 
weight  against  the  opinion  that  the  text  has 
been  handed  down  with  verbal  accuracy.  But 
a  close  examination  shows  that  luost  of  these 
variations  are  either  short  abridgments,  or 
modernizations,  or  insertions  of  particles,  evi- 
dently made  by  the  author  of  Chronicles  for 
the  sake  of  a  more  flowing  narrative,  or  else 
are  longer  insertions  of  new  mutter,  generally 
in  Hebrew,  that  is  decidedly  of  the  later  age  : 
that  is,  that  most  of  the  dilTerences  are  to  be 
attributed  to  the  author  of  Chronicles,  and  not 
to  the  copyists  of  cither  book. 

The  peculiarities  of  the  construction  of  the 
book  should  not  be  forgotten  in  our  inquiries 
as  to  it3  chronology.  Nothing  is  more  likely 
than  that  different  writers  should  use  numerals 
in  different  ways,  or  that  these  peculiarities 
should  be  conveyed  by  transcription  into  the 


compiled  work,  thus  giving  it  the  appearance  of 
being  contradictory  in  its  numerical  state- 
ments. All  the  phenomena  of  the  numbers 
given  in  the  Books  of  Kings  are  readily  ex- 
plained in  this  way,  without  admitting  even  a 
single  numeral  to  be  mistaken.  Those  who  ac- 
count for  them  by  supposing  that  the  numbers 
arc  a  later  interiiolation  are  obliged  also  to  re- 
gard a  large  proportion  of  them  as  mistakes. 
W.  J.  Beechei: 

The  purpoHe  of  the  writer  in  composing  the 
Book  of  Kings  evidently  was  to  exhibit  the 
bloom  and  decay  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  and 
to  trace  the  influences  which  moulded  its  vary- 
ing destiny.  He  represents  the  whole  history, 
from  first  to  last,  as  under  the  direct  control  of 
the  religious  government  of  Jehovah,  the  na- 
tional God,  and  he  proceeds  on  the  fixed  idea 
that  the  promise  given  to  Uavid  of  a  sure 
house  remained  in  force  during  all  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  the  divided  kingdom,  and  was  not 
even  frustrated  by  the  fall  of  the  kingdom  of 
Judah,  His  whole  aim  is  to  exhibit  the  course 
of  events  as  so  controlled  by  the  Divine  Hand 
that  faithfulness  to  God  ensured  blessing,  and 
unfaithfulness  brought  down  His  displeasure 
and  led  to  national  decline.  Writing  at  a  period 
when  the  influences,  human  and  divine,  which 
had  moulded  the  history,  had  had  time  to  show 
their  developments,  he  holds  these  up  to  light 
in  his  pages,  exhibiting  at  once  what  God 
had  done  for  His  people,  and  the  manner  in 
which  they  had  requited  His  goodness.  In  the 
true  spirit  of  prophecy  he  does  not  reprove  tlie 
people  for  their  neglect  of  outward  ordinances 
nor  insist  on  the  ceremonial  part  of  the  law, 
but  reproves  them  for  forgetting  the  God  that 
brought  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  for 
turning  a  deaf  ear  to  the  prophet.s,  and  for  re- 
jecting "His  statutes  and  His  covenant  that 
He  made  with  their  fathers,  and  His  testimo- 
nies which  He  testilied  against  them"  (3  K. 
17  :  15).  In  liis  brief,  dry  records  of  the  doings 
and  failings  of  the  rulers  of  Israel  and  Judah, 
he  has  pointed  out  where  the  strength  or  weak- 
ness of  a  kingdom  lies,  and  given  us  the  most 
valuable  lessons  on  political  freedom.  How 
many  patriots  and  reformers,  since  his  dav, 
have  been  nerved  to  brave  the  fviry  of  jirinces 
and  do  valiantly  for  the  truth  by  the  example 
of  Old  Testament  prophets  as  set  before  them 
in  these  pages  1  And  had  the  author  of  tlie 
Books  of  Kings  done  nothing  more  than  this  he 
had  rendered  incalculable  service  to  the  world. 
His  views  may  not  be  wide,  but  he  does  not 
deviate  from  his  main  position  that  a  state 
stands  secure  onlv  when  it  is  founded  on  God's 


THE  BOOKS  OF  KINGS  IN  MODERN  CRITICISM. 


3? 


truth,  and  that  it  is  preserved  from  danger 
only  by  His  constant  defence.  He  sees  also,  and 
the  whole  world  has  seen,  that  God  had  a  spe- 
cial purpose  in  setting  up  the  house  of  David 
at  Jerusalem,  and  that  His  promise  to  that 
house  did  not  fail  of  effect.  The  great  empires 
of  the  East,  with  all  their  magnificence,  have 
passed  away  and  contributed  but  little  to  the 
world's  good.  The  house  of  Omri  perished 
and  nearly  involved  the  house  of  David  in  its 
fall  ;  but  the  little  kingdom  of  Judah,  amid 
backslidings  and  shortcomings,  was  preserved 
till  it  was  enabled  to  hand  down  to  the  world 
an  enduring  spiritual  blessing.  The  fabric  of 
an  orgtuiized  state  held  together  till  the  seed  of 
Divine  truth  had  time  to  germinate  and  take 
deep  root  in  the  minds  of  those  to  whom  it  was 
revealed,  and  the  decaj'  of  the  outward  state, 
and  the  failures  of  the  best  of  human  rulers, 
were  the  means  by  which  these  chosen  ones 
were  led  to  look  for  a  kingdom  which  is  not  of 
this  world.     /.  Robertson. 

Tn:;  Books  of  Kings  in  Modern  Criticism. 

At  the  present  stage  of  discussion  an  Old 
Testament  book  is  put  under  the  critical  micro- 
scope, not  so  much  for  its  own  sake  as  for  the 
purpose  of  learning  what  it  can  contribute 
toward  the  solution  of  the  central  problem  of 
the  debate.  The  newer  criticism  of  Moses  and 
the  prophets  aims  at  an  entirely  new  recon- 
struction of  the  traditional  views  of  the  Old 
Testament  religion  and  its  literary  records. 
For  centuries,  in  fact  at  all  times,  it  has  been 
considered  virtually  an  axiom  in  the  Christian 
church  and  among  Christian  scholars  that  the 
Old  Testament  is  the  record  of  the  unfolding 
of  God's  plans  for  the  restoration  of  sinful 
man  ;  that  Moses  and  the  law  stand  at  the  head 
of  the  old  dispensation,  both  chronologically 
and  theologically — i.e.,  that  the  law  was  the 
basis  of  the  educational  process  by  which 
Jehovah  was  training  his  own  peculiar  and 
chosen  people  ;  that  prophecy,  in  so  far  as  it 
found  expression  in  literature,  appeared  later, 
and  that  its  purpose  was  to  assist  in  the  work 
of  the  theocratic  government  of  God  in  Israel  ; 
in  other  words,  the  Old  Testament  has  been 
regarded  as  a  revelation  from  God  and  as  a  his- 
torj'  of  God's  revelation  of  Himself  to  Israel 
and  to  mankind,  and  as  the  narrative  of  the 
gradual  growth  and  increase  of  revealed  truth 
quantitatively  and  qualitatively  through  God's 
chosen  messengers.  The  suiniiiii  Ktim/nanim  of 
the  Church's  faith  has  been  that  the  Old  Testa- 
ment was  a  reveaL'd  book,  and  the  Old  Testa- 
ment religion  was  a  revealed  religion.     Tliis, 


we  are  now  told  by  the  adherents  of  the  Kuenen- 
Wellhausen  school,  is  ail  a  mistake.  The  relig- 
ion of  Israel  differs  in  kind  and  essentially  in 
no  manner  from  the  religions  of  the  surround- 
ing nations.  It  is  simply  one  of  many  relig- 
ions ;  only  one  of  many  ways  in  which  the 
heart  and  thought  of  man  have  given  expres- 
sion to  his  religious  needs  and  feelings.  Is- 
rael's religion  is  not  one  resulting  from  a  spe- 
cial revelation  from  a  higiier  being,  but  a 
purely  natural  product.  According  to  these 
views  there  is  no  need  of  a  God,  neither  in  ex- 
plaining the  conduct  of  Israel's  history  nor  in 
order  to  understand  the  records  of  this  history. 
Everything  is  purely  the  result  of  natural  fac- 
tors, and  the  result  is  a  natural  and  human 
product. 

The  conservative  criticism  of  the  day  main- 
tains, and  we  are  convinced  with  reason  and 
right,  that  this  book  in  all  of  its  statements  is 
historically  reliable,  based,  as  it  itself  claims  to 
be,  upon  ofiicial  aud  contemporary  documents  ; 
while  the  defcndere  of  the  new  views  maintain 
that  the  bulk  of  the  book  may  indeed  be  his- 
torically correct,  that  it  has  neveitheless  been 
changed  to  suit  a  later  condition  of  affairs,  and 
things  had  been  introduced  that  it  did  not  orig- 
inally contain  ;  so  that,  if  a  fair  criticism  is  to 
be  practised,  all  these  later  changes,  additions, 
etc.,  must  be  cut  out,  the  book  restored  to  its 
original  character,  and  then  be  heard  on  the 
question  under  discussion.  That  in  this  criti- 
cal amputation  those  members  are  cut  off 
which  militate  against  the  favorite  views  of 
these  scholars  needs  scarcely  to  be  mentioned, 
and  that  this  is  done  with  a  cruelty  and  lack  of 
fairness  not  in  harmony  with  a  trvie  exegesis  of 
Holy  Writ  needs  scarcely  to  be  mentioned  to 
those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  productions 
of  this  school.     Schodde. 

To  conclude  that  there  was  no  ceremonial 
prescribed  before  the  time  of  Solomon,  and  no 
recognized  code  of  law  beyond  the  Book  of  the 
Covenant  up  to  the  time  of  Josiah,  is  not  war- 
ranted liy  anything  stated  in  the  Books  of 
Kings,  nor,  it  may  be  added,  by  the  omission 
of  anything  which  is  not  stated.  It  is  self- 
evident  that  an  orderly  Temple  service  is  nec- 
essary in  a  recognized  Temple,  and  the  very 
condemnation  of  the  sacrifices  of  the  heathen 
implies  legalized  and  authoritative  sacrifices. 
It  is  incredible  that  a  writer  should  continually 
uphold  the  honor  and  dignity  of  a  priesthood 
that  had  no  prescribed  functions,  and  blame 
the  people  for  worship  on  the  high-places  if 
they  knew  no  other  worehip  to  ])ractis('. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  law-book  that 


38 


THE  BOOKS  OF  CHRONICLES. 


was  founfi  in  the  rcijin  of  Josiiili  (and,  after  all  I 
has  been  said,  it  is  not  proved  tliat  it  wsis  noth-  i 
ing  l)ul  tlie  Code  of  Deuteronomy),  the  writer 
of  our  liooks  proceeds  on  tlie  supposition  that 
there  was  one  central  sanctuary  from  tlie  time 
of  Solomon  at  least,  and  implies  that  Israel  was  i 
in  possession  of  laws  and  ceremonies  distinctly 
opposed  to  those  of  the  nations  around  them. 
If  he  does  not  furnish  us  with  details  of  the 
histoi-y  of  ritual  worship,  it  is  simply  because 
this  lay  beyond  the  purpose  he  had  before  him, 
and  was  only   remotely    connected    with  his 
guiding  principle.     J.  liohcrlann. 

TuE  Books  of  Cukonicles. 

The  consentient  voice  of  the  Jewish  com- 
mentators on  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  declares 
both  Chronicles  and  Ezra  to  have  been  written 
by  Ezra.  When  both  are  critically  examined 
and  analyzed,  the  Hebrew  tradition  as  to  their 
authorship  is  very  greatly  strengthened  and 
confirmed.  The  parts  of  Ezra  where  the  writer 
uses  the  first  person  are  admitted  on  all  hands 
to  have  been  the  work  of  the  "  ready  scribe" 
(Ezra  7  :  (i).  But  the  rest  of  Ezra  is  completelj' 
homo.cenecnis  in  style  with  these  parts,  and 
must  almost  certainly  have  proceeded  from 
the  same  writer.  And  between  Ezra  and 
Chronicles  there  is  so  very  great  a  resemblance 
that  the  critics  who  care  least  for  tradition  pro- 
nounce them  the  composition  of  the  same  mind. 
The  internal  evidence  thus  entirely  confirms 
the  external  testimony  ;  and  Ezra's  authorship 
of  Chronicles  may  be  regarded  as  not  far  short 
of  being'  an  "established  fact."  The  fact  of 
Ezra's  authorship  of  Chronicles,  which  seems 
to  us  almost  certain,  throws  much  light  on  the 
scope  and  intention  of  the  work,  and  on  the 
([ucstion  of  how  it  came  to  be  written.  There 
is  this  peculiarity  in  Chronicles,  markedly  dis- 
tinguishing it  from  all  the  other  historical 
books  of  the  Old  Testament,  that  it  is  not  a 
continuation  of  the  previous  history,  but  a 
repetition.  The  writer  does  not  occupy  new 
groiuid,  but  traverses  ground  which  he  knows 
well  to  have  been  previously  trodden  by  othei-s. 
He  rewrites  the  events  of  .Jewish  history  from 
the  death  of  Saul  to  the  destruction  of  .Jerusa- 
lem by  Nebueliadnczzar.  notwithstanding  that 
tbey  ha\e  been  already  put  upon  record  by  the 
authors  of  Samuel  and  Kings,  We  must  then 
look  for  some  motive  which  animated  the 
writer  of  Chronicles,  and  induced  him  to  com- 
mence and  carry  through  an  elaborate  work, 
which  at  first  sight  has  tlie  ajipearance  of  being 
almost  supererogatory.  This  motive  is  to  be 
found  ill  the  cinumstanccs  of  the  .Jewish  na- 


tion at  the  time  when  Chronicles  was  written. 
The  people  in  their  long  and  toilsome  captivity, 
scattered  among  their  con((uerors,  and  ground 
down  by  taskwork,  had  forgotten  tlwir  pitst, 
had  become  ignorant  of  their  .sacred  books,  and 
had  even  lost  the  capacity  of  grasping  and  re- 
taining the  long  and  complicated  account  of 
their  former  history  which  had  been  familiar 
to  their  ancestoi's.  On  their  return  to  Palestine 
they  were  a  band  of  emancipated  slaves,  igno- 
rant, illiterate,  and  requiring  very  simjjle  ele- 
mentary teaching.  Again,  they  were  a  multi- 
tude rather  than  a  people  ;  in  their  long-con- 
tinued oppression  and  isolation  they  had  lost 
the  sentiment  of  nationality,  the  very  idea  of 
patriotism  ;  they  had  forgotten  their  tribal  dis- 
tinctions and  relationships  ;  and  though  they 
had  not  fallen  away  from  the  worship  of  .Jeho- 
vah, they  had  come  to  have  a  very  dim  and 
faint  notion  of  what  that  worship  in  reality 
was,  as  established  by  the  greatest  of  their 
monarchs,  David  and  Solomon.  To  restore 
the  national  life,  to  reunite  the  present  with 
the  pa.st,  to  reawaken  the  slumbering  spirit  of 
patriotism,  to  recall  the  glories  of  old  times, 
and  set  them  before  the  nation  as  the  standard 
which  the3'  should  aim  at  reaching  in  the  fu- 
ture, was  the  hard  but  grand  task  which  the 
leaders  of  the  Jewisli  people  set  themselves  at 
tliis  time,  and  which  none  did  more  to  accom- 
plish than  the  writer  of  Chronicles.  Instead 
of  throwing  the  people  back  upon  their  old 
histories,  written  on  too  large  a  scale  for  their 
present  needs,  and  in  language  of  a  more  or 
less  archaic  type,  he  composed  for  their  use  a 
condensed  narrative,  written  in  the  idiom  of 
the  day,  with  frequent  allusions  to  recent 
events,  and  brought  down  to  his  own  times, 
which  was  far  more  cah'ulated  to  affect  them 
stron.gly  and  deeply  than  the  ancient  larger 
compositions.  At  the  same  time,  having  to 
deal  with  pei-sons  in  a  childish  and  undeveloped 
state,  he  adopted  a  tone  not  elsewhere  found  in 
the  historical  Scriptures — a  didactic  tone  of 
extreme  directness  and  simplicity — a  plan  of 
pointing  the  moral  in  every  case,  of  openly 
a,scribiiig  all  the  events  of  the  history  to  the 
Divine  agency,  and  referring  in  the  plainest 
language  every  great  calamity  or  deliverance 
to  the  good  or  evil  deeds  of  the  monarch  or  the 
nation  to  whom  they  were  sent  as  rewanls  or 
judgments. 

The  moral  object  of  the  writer  of  Chronicles, 
in  the  concluding  as  in  the  earlier  sections,  is 
his  main  one.  and  is  throughout  most  distinct- 
ly— almost  nakedly — indicated.  He  will  show 
his  nation,  by  the  records  of  their  p;ist,  that  in 


BOOKS  OF  CHRONICLES. 


39 


almost  every  instance  temporal  rewards  and 
punislmicnts  were  dispensed  in  exact  accord- 
ance witli  thie  attitude  of  the  king  and  people 
toward  the  national  religion,  signal  vengeance 
following  every  neglect  of  the  authorized  rites, 
every  insult  offered  to  the  priests,  every  profa- 
nation of  the  Temple,  every  introduction  of  an 
alien  worahip  ;  while  wealth,  and  glory,  and 
military  success,  and  prosperity  of  every  kind 
accompanied  the  manifestations  of  a  religious 
spirit.  And  here,  as  Chronicles  now  stands,  he 
may  be  said  to  end.  As  the  work,  however, 
was  originally  written,  he  followed  down  the 
past  into  the  present — he  related  the  recovery 
as  he  had  related  the  downfall  of  his  nation  ; 
he  placed  on  record  the  return  from  the  Cap- 
tivity, the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple,  the  sec- 
ond colonization  under  Artaxerxes  Longima- 
nus,  and  the  religious  reforms  of  Ezra.  This 
portion  of  his  work  is,  in  our  present  arrange- 
ment of  the  Jewish  Scriptures,  sepaiated  off 
from  the  rest,  and  made  into  a  distinct  work, 
the  Book  of  Ezra.  We  would  impress  upon 
the  biblical  student  the  incompleteness  of 
Chronicles  as  it  stands,  and  the  propriety  of 
reading  it  in  connection  with  Ezra,  and  of 
viewing  it  as  that  history  of  their  past  which 
the  "ready  scribe,"  writing  under  Longima- 
uus,  about  B.C.  456,  thought  best  fitted  to  im- 
press and  improve  the  Jews  of  his  day.     G.  R. 

"We  must  have  regard  to  the  period  at  which 
the  writer  of  these  books  lived,  and  the  circum- 
stances of  the  people  for  whom  he  wrote,  if  we 
would  understand  the  form  in  which  they  ap- 
pear and  the  object  for  which  they  were  com- 
posed. The  national  independence  of  Israel 
was  a  thing  of  the  past,  but  the  descendants  of 
David,  to  whom  hittl  been  given  the  promise  of 
a  sure  house,  survived.  The  Captivity  had 
done  its  work  ;  the  exiles,  thoroughly  cured  of 
the  old  tendency  to  idolatry,  had  been  allowed 
to  gather  on  their  ancestral  soil,  to  erect  a  tem- 
ple on  the  ruins  of  that  of  Solomon,  and  to  ob- 
serve the  rites  of  their  national  religion.  The 
voice  of  prophecy  had  become  silent  ;  the  two 
precious  possessions  that  survived  the  Exile 
and  bound  the  present  to  the  past  were  tlie  ex- 
ercise of  their  religion  and  the  offspring  of 
David  ;  round  these  clustered  the  hopes  of  the 
future,  at  a  time  when  restored  Israel  was  at  the 
mercy  of  a  heathen  power  for  corporate  exist- 
ence and  the  semblance  of  national  life.  At 
such  a  time  and  in  such  circumstances  an  au- 
thor, taking  a  review  of  the  past  history  of  liis 
nation,  saw  everything  in  a  peculiar  light,  and 
would  approach  his  work  with  a  peculiar  pur- 
pose.    It  h;id  become  a  settled  conviction  that 


Israel  had  suffered  for  unfaithfulness  in  the 
matter  of  religion  ;  and,  as  the  forms  of  relig- 
ion were  more  punctiliously  observed  after  the 
Captivity,  our  author  would  look  for  the 
reigns  in  which  these  received  due  attention 
and  dwell  upon  them  as  "  the  good  old  times" 
of  the  nation's  life,  while  he  would  perceive 
and  emphasize  the  fact  that  it  was  when  these 
were  neglected  that  the  unfaithful  kings  had 
suffered.  From  this  point  of  view  he  set  him- 
self the  task  of  writing  the  whole  history  of  his 
nation,  so  as  to  sustain  the  courage  of  his  peo- 
ple in  their  depressed  condition,  and  give  them 
guidance  and  hope  for  the  future.  The  encour- 
agement was,  that  so  long  as  the  community, 
deprived  though  they  were  of  their  old  politi- 
cal independence,  adhered  to  the  observances 
of  their  national  religion,  they  would  be  pre- 
served from  mingling  among  the  nations  and 
being  lo.st ;  and  the  hope  was,  that  if  they  so 
remained  steadfast  to  the  covenant,  the  God  of 
their  fathers  would  remember  ' '  the  sure  mer- 
cies of  David,"  and  would,  in  His  good  time, 
"  restore  the  kingdom  to  Israel."  Such  a 
book,  in  short,  would  contribute  not  a  little  to 
keep  alive  the  persistent  separate  existence  of 
the  Jewish  race,  which  is  one  of  the  most  strik- 
ing features  of  history,  and  to  stamp  upon 
their  later  religious  life  the  character  which  it 
retained  for  the  succeeding  centuries.  The 
book  was  at  once  the  result  of  the  new  impulse 
that  had  been  given  to  the  observance  of  the 
law  at  the  time  of  Ezra,  and  at  the  same  time 
would  tend  to  foster  the  same  adherence  to  the 
forms  of  worship  as  the  sole  remaining  bond  of 
Israel's  union  and  the  mark  of  their  separation 
from  the  heathen  nations.     J.  RohcHson. 

Pi-obiiUe  7>«rf .— That  the  Book  of  Chronicles 
was  composed  after  the  return  from  the  Cap- 
tivity is  evident,  not  only  from  its  closing  pas- 
sage, but  from  other  portions  of  it.  A  compari- 
son of  1  Chron.  9  :  10-16  with  Neh.  11  :  10-17 
will  show  that  almost  the  whole  of  1  Chron.  9 
belongs  to  the  period  after  the  Captivity.  1 
Chron.  3  of  the  same  jjart  of  the  work  contains 
a  genealogy  of  the  descendants  of  Zerubbabel 
(verses  19-34),  which  is  continued  down  to,  at 
least,  the  third  generation.  The  evidence  of 
style  accords  with  the  evidence  furnished  by 
the  contents.  The  phraseology  is  similar  to 
that  of  Ezra,  Nehemiah,  and  Esther,  all  books 
written  after  the  Exile.  It  has  numerous  Ai-a- 
maean  forms,  and  at  least  one  word  derived 
from  the  Persian.  The  date  cannot  therefore 
well  be  earlier  than  B.C.  538,  but  may  be  later, 
and  is  indeed  thought  by  some  to  be  verj-  con- 
siderably later.     If  Ezra  was  the  author,  the 


40 


THE  nOOKf^  OF  CIIROyiCLES. 


(late  could  not  well  bo  much  later  than  is.c. 
433,  for  E/.ra  probably  died  about  that  time. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  contents  or  style  of  the 
work  to  make  the  date  B.C.  430-435  imi)roba- 
ble.     B.  C. 

Sources  Used  hi/  the  Author.  For  the  period 
from  Saul  to  Zedekiah,  which  forms  the  chief 
subject  of  his  work,  the  author  of  Chronicles 
seems  to  have  possessed  and  used  :  (1)  A  jren- 
eral  history,  called  the  Book  of  the  Kin.is  of 
Israel  and  Judah  (or  Judah  and  Israel),  which 
hail  probably  been  comi)iled  before  his  day 
from  the  two  earlier  separate  works  used  by 
the  author  of  Kings — the  Book  of  the  Chroni- 
cles of  the  Kings  of  Judah,  and  the  Book  of 
the  Chronicles  of  the  Kings  of  Israel  ;  (2)  our 
present  books  of  Samuel  and  Kings  ;  and  (3)  a 
numlier  of  works,  more  full  and  ample  in  their 
details  than  any  of  these  three,  treatin.g  of  cer- 
tain periods,  usually  of  the  reigns  of  particu- 
lar monarchs,  the  composition  of  a  succession 
of  prophets,  and  the  real  ultimate  sources  from 
which  the  general  histories  had  been  compiled 
by  their  writers.  Of  these,  some  twelve  or 
thirteen  are  mentioned  by  the  author  of  Chroni- 
cles in  the  course  of  his  work  (1  Chron.  27  :  24  ; 
29  :  29  ;  2  Clu-on.  9  :  29  ;  12  :  15  ;  13  :  22  ;  20  :  34  ; 
24  :  27  ;  26  ■  22  ;  33  :  32) ;  but  it  is  quite  possible, 
or  rather  very  pnibable,  that  he  possessed  others 
besides  those  which  he  has  named. 

For  the  period  from  the  Creation  to  the  death 
of  Saul,  which  forms  the  subject  of  1  Chron. 
1-8,  the  writer  of  Chronicles  possessed  and 
used':  (1)  The  historical  Books  of  our  present 
Scriptures,  from  Genesis  down  to  Ruth  ;  and 
(2)  various  other  documents,  genealogical  and 
historical,  of  which  the  exact  nature  cannot  be 
stated,  but  which  appear  to  have  been  in  many 
cases  exceedingly  ancient  and  curious.  There 
is  reason  to  believe  that  the  genealogies  of  fam- 
ilies, and  numerous  important  points  of  family 
history,  were  c'aref  ully  preserved  by  tlu'  "  chiefs 
of  the  fathers"  in  almost  all  the  Israelite  tribes, 
and  were  even  carried  through  the  trying  time 
of  the  Captivity,  so  that  the  writer  of  Chroni- 
cles could  make  use  of  them.  A  large  portion 
of  his  introductory  section  (1  Chron.  1-8)  con- 
sists of  statements  unsupported  by  the  earlier 
Scriptures  ;  and  these  the  aiithor  must  have 
drawn  from  such  (comparatively  speaking)  pri- 
fiitc  sources  as  have  been  indicated.     B.  C. 

Jit'ldtiitn  of  the  Bonkn  of  Kiiiijs  to  those  of 
Chroiiieles.  It  is  manifest,  and  is  universally 
atlmitted,  that  the  former  is  by  far  the  older 
work.  While  the  Books  of  Chronicles  were 
written  especially  for  the  Jews  after  their  re- 
turn from  Babylon,   the   Hook  of   Kings  was 


written  for  the  whole  of  Israel  before  their 
common  national  existence  was  hopelessly 
quenched.  Another  comparison  of  considera- 
ble interest  between  the  two  histories  may  be 
drawn  in  respect  to  the  main  design,  that  de- 
sign having  a  marked  relation  both  to  the  indi- 
vidual station  of  the  supposed  writers  and  the 
peculiar  circumstances  of  their  country  at  the 
times  of  their  writing.  Jeremiah  was  himself 
a  prophet.  He  lived  while  the  prophetic  ofiice 
was  in  full  vigor,  in  his  own  person,  in  Eze- 
kiel  and  Daniel,  and  many  othcre  both  true 
and  false.  In  his  eyes,  as  in  truth,  the  main 
cause  of  the  fearful  calamities  of  his  country- 
men was  their  rejection  and  contempt  of  the 
Word  of  God  in  his  mouth  and  that  of  the 
other  prophets  ;  and  the  one  hope  of  deliver- 
ance lay  in  their  hearkening  to  the  proph- 
ets who  still  continued  to  sjieak  to  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  Accordingly  we 
find  in  the  Books  of  Kings  great  i)rominence 
given  to  the  prophetic  office.  Ezra  was  only  a 
priest.  In  his  days  the  prophetic  office  had 
wholly  fallen  into  abeyance.  That  evidence 
of  the  Jews  being  the  people  of  God,  which 
consisted  in  the  presence  of  prophets  among 
them,  was  no  more.  But  to  the  men  of  his 
generation,  the  distinctive  mark  of  the  contin- 
uance of  God's  favor  to  their  race  was  the  re- 
Iniilding  of  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  the  res- 
toration of  the  daily  sacrifice  and  the  Levitical 
worship,  and  the  wonderful  and  providential 
renewal  of  the  Mosaic  institutions.  The  chief 
instrument,  too,  for  preserving  the  Jewish  rem- 
nant from  absorption  into  the  mass  of  heathen- 
ism, and  for  maintaining  their  national  life  till 
the  coming  of  Messiah,  was  the  maintenance  of 
the  Temple,  its  ministers,  and  its  services. 
Hence  we  see  at  once  that  the  chief  care  of  a 
good  and  enlightened  Jew  of  the  age  of  Ezra, 
and  all  the  more  if  he  were  himself  a  priest, 
would  naturally  be  to  enhance  the  value  of  the 
Levitical  ritual  and  the  dignity  of  the  Leviti- 
cal caste.  And  in  compiling  a  history  of  the 
past  glories  of  his  race,  he  would  as  naturally 
select  such  passages  as  especially  bore  ui)on 
the  sanctity  of  the  priestly  office,  and  show  the 
dee])  concern  taken  by  their  ancestors  in  all 
that  related  to  the  honor  of  God's  lioase,  and 
the  sujiport  of  His  ministering  servants. 
Hence  the  Levitical  character  of  the  Books  of 
Chronicles,  and  the  pre.'^ence  of  several  detailed 
narratives  not  found  in  the  Books  of  Kings, 
and  the  more  frecpicnt  reference  to  the  Mosaic 
institutions,  may  most  naturally  an<l  simply  be 
accounted  for,  without  resorting  to  the  absurd 
hypothesis  that  the  ceremonial  law  wiis  an  in- 


SECTION  S. 


41 


vcntion  subsequent  to  the  Captivity.  Jlore 
over,  upon  the  principle  that  the  sacred  writers  , 
were  intiuenced  by  natural  feelings  in  their  se- 
lection of  their  materials,  it  seems  most  appro- 
priate that  while  the  prophetical  writer  in 
Kings  deals  very  fully  with  the  kingdom  of 
Israel,  in  which  the  prophets  were  much  more 
illustrious  than  iu  Judali,  the  Levitical  writer, 
on  the  contrary,  should  concentrate  all  his 
thoughts  round  Jerusalem,  where  alone  the 
Levitical  caste  had  all  its  power  and  functions, 
and  should  dwell  upon  all  the  instances  pre- 
served in  existing  muniments  of  the  deeds  and 
even  the  minutest  ministrations  of  the  priests 
and  Levites,  as  well  as  of  their  faithfulness  and 
sufferings  in  the  cause  of  truth. 

From  the  comparison  of  parallel  narratives 
in  the  two  books,  it  appears  that  the  results  are 
precisely  what  would  naturally  arise  from  the 
circumstances  of  the  case.  The  writer  of 
Chronicles,  having  the  Books  of  Kings  before 


him,  and  to  a  great  extent  making  those  books 
the  basis  of  liis  own,  but  also  having  his  own 
personal  views,  predilections,  and  motives  in 
writing,  composing  for  a  different  age,  and  for 
people  under  very  different  circumstances,  and, 
moreover,  having  before  him  the  original  au- 
thorities from  which  the  Books  of  Kings  were 
compiled,  as  well  as  some  others,  naturally  re- 
arranged the  older  narrative  as  suited  his  pur- 
pose and  his  tastes,  gave  in  full  passages  which 
the  other  had  abridged,  inserted  what  had  been 
wholly  omitted,  omitted  some  things  which 
the  other  had  inserted,  including  nearly  every- 
thing relating  to  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  and 
showed  the  color  of  his  own  mind,  not  only  in 
the  nature  of  the  passages  which  he  selected 
from  the  ancient  documents,  but  in  the  reflec- 
tions which  he  frequently  adds  upon  the  events 
which  he  relates,  and  possitil.v  also  in  the  turn 
given  to  some  of  the  speeches  which  he  re- 
cords.    P.  S. 


Section  3. 

DATED   EVENTS   FROM  JEROBOAM  TO   THE   EXILE. 
Bt  Professor  Willis  J.  Beecher,  D.D. 


PREF.^TORY   STATEJrENTS. 

Ant  one  who  wishes  to  undei'stand  the  chron- 
ological data  of  the  Bible  should,  first  of  all, 
fix  in  his  mind  certain  fiicts  in  regard  to  the 
mode  in  which  dates  are  given  in  the  Bible, 
and  certidn  other  facts  in  regard  to  the  connec- 
tion of  biblical  chronology  with  other  chronol- 
ogy. Without  this  he  is  sure  to  misapprehend 
the  questions  involved.  With  a  few  simple 
facts  in  mind,  it  is  actually  less  work  for  the 
average  reader  to  perform  the  arithmetical  oper- 
ations required,  and  so  reach  conclusions  for 
himself  as  to  the  dates,  than  it  is  to  read  what 
scholars  have  written,  ami  thus  form  an  opinion 
based  upon  tlie  opinions  of  others. 

1.  The.,  ordinary  regnal  years,  in  the  Bible, 
are  natural  years  determined  by  observation, 
beginning  with  a  new  moon  near  the  spring- 
equinox.  There  are  several  clear  instances  in 
which  the  months  of  the  year  are  counted  from 
this  terminus  (Ex.  xii.  3,  3,  6,  18,  cf.  xiii.  4, 
xvi.  1,  xl.  2,  17,  etc.,  3  Chron.  xxix.  17,  xxxv. 
1,  1  Ki.  vi.  1,  3  Chron.  iii.  3,  xxx.  2,  13,  Esth. 
viii.  9,  13,  1  Ki.  viii.  2,  etc.),  and  no  perfectly 
clear  instances  of  their  being  counted  from  any 


other  terminus.  Whether  the  Israelites,  for  the 
period  between  Solomon  and  the  exile,  knew 
of  any  other  way  of  counting  the  years  is  a 
thing  which  I  neither  atfirra  nor  deny  ;  but  at 
least,  for  this  period,  there  is  no  instance  in 
which  the  hypothesis  of  different  sorts  of  years 
has  any  real  utility. 

3.  The  Bible  method  is  to  count  by  units  only, 
disregarding  fractions.  The  best  instance  by 
which  to  fix  this  in  mind  is  that  of  the  three  days 
during  which  our  Saviour  lay  in  the  grave.  Ac- 
cording to  the  conuiionly  received  understand- 
ing of  the  matter,  the  three  days  were  Friday, 
Saturday,  and  Sunday  ;  though,  counting  from 
sunset  to  sunset.  He  lay  there  only  an  hour  or 
two  or  less  of  Friday,  and  less  than  twelve 
hours  of  Sunday.  When  the  New  Testament 
writers  say  that  He  was  in  the  grave  three  days 
(in  Matt.  xii.  40,  "  three  days  and  nights")  they 
do  not  intend  to  be  understood  that  He  was 
there  seventy-two  hours,  but  only  that  He  was 
there  during  some  part  of  the  time  covered  by 
three  successive  periods  of  twenty-four  hours 
each.  Exactly  the  same  method  is  adopted  in 
counting  the  years  that  the  kings  reigned. 


42 


SECTIONS.    DATED  EVENTS  FROM  JEROBOAM 


3.  This  way  of  counting  is  iiiiiinibigiious  cx- 
repting  in  tlie  case  of  tlie  brolicn  year  in  wliicli 
one  reign  ends  and  the  next  begins.  The  broken 
year  is  altruys  counted,  in  full,  to  the  elodng 
reign.  Usually  tlie  "  first  year"  of  the  new 
reign  is  tlie  one  that  begins  with  the  following 
new  year.  Thus  the  year  ISSit  is  the  last  year 
of  Cles'eland,  and  the  year  lHS)a  the  last  year  of 
Harrison.  Hy  the  usual  way  of  counting,  the 
first  year  of  Harrison  is  WM),  and  the  first  year 
of  Cleveland's  second  administration  is  iy94, 
and  eacli  reign  is  four  years.  By  the  method 
adopted  in  the  Assyrian  records,  which  are  in 
this  respect  strictly  parallel  to  the  biblical  rec- 
ords, an  official  act  perfomicd  by  Ilanison  in 
1H89,  or  by  Cleveland  in  IHDS,  would  be  as- 
signed, not  to  his  "  fli'st  year,"  but  to  his  "  ac- 
cession year  ;"  or  some  other  like  way  of  des- 
ignating the  year  would  be  used.  According 
to  tliis  mode  of  speaking,  a  king  may  actually 
be  on  the  throne  nearly  a  year  before  his  "  first 
year"  begins. 

But  there  is  sometimes  a  variation  from  this 
way  of  speaking,  and  one  which  leads  to  am- 
biguities. Sonutiiiiex  the  broken  yenr  is  also 
e<iiinte(1  to  thf  foUoiriny  reir/n.  The  year  1889, 
for  example,  already  counted  as  the  fourth  j'car 
of  Cleveland,  may  also  be  counted  as  the  first 
year  of  Harrison.  In  this  case  Ilarri.son's  reign 
will  be  five  years,  and  not  four,  and  the  year 
1893  will  be  his  fifth  year.  This  way  of  count- 
ing appears  occasionally  in  the  Assyrian  rec- 
ords. In  the  Bible  it  is  commonly  used  in 
counting  the  reigns  of  the  first  four  dynasties 
of  the  northern  kingdom,  and  exccplioually 
elsewlicre. 

This  peculiarity  is  important.  For  example, 
in  1  l\i.  XV.  1,  we  are  told  that  Abijani  reigned 
in  the  eighteenth  year  of  Jeroboam.  Presump- 
tively this  means  that  the  first  year  of  his  reign 
was  the  year  corresponding  to  I  he  eighteenth 
of  .leroboam  ;  but  instead,  it  may  possibly 
mean  that  his  first  year  is  the  one  that  began 
at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  of  Jeroboam,  or, 
in  other  words,  that  his  actual  accession  oc- 
curred  at  some  time  during  the  eighteenth  year 
of  Jeroboam.  It  is  vital  to  the  understanding 
of  the  statement  that  we  determine  in  which  of 
these  two  senses  it  is  u.scd.  This  can  be  done 
beyond  a  doubt,  in  nearly  every  case,  by  com- 
paring the  succession  of  canlinal  numbers,  as 
given  in  the  Bible,  with  the  succession  of  ordi- 
nal numbere  ;  and  it  can  be  determined  in  no 
other  way.  All  other  methods  of  dealing  with 
the  difiicultics  in  the  ca.se  (by  making  averages, 
for  example,  f)r  by  cmeniling  the  text,  or  by 
supposing  art  iliiial  modes  of  counting,  or  years 


of  different  sorts)  are  entirely  fallacious,  except 
!Ls  they  are  based  on  the  previous  ('orrcct  per- 
forming of  this  work  of  comparison  between 
the  cardinal  and  ordinal  numbers. 

4.  The  most  convenient  point  of  contact  be- 
tween the  biblical  chronology  of  the  kings  and 
the  chronology  of  the  Grcelvs  and  Komans  and 
of  modern  times  is  given  in  the  fact  that  tlie 
first  year  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  kiny  of  nnhylon, 
was  004  B.C.  He  became  king  at  some  time 
during  B.C.  605,  the  year  before  his  "  first 
year."  His  first  year  was  the  fourth  j'ear  of 
Jehoiakim,  king  of  Judah  (Jer.  xxv.  1,  and 
other  passages).  It  is  important  to  note  here 
that  the  Ussher  chronology,  as  found  in  the 
margins  of  our  Bibles,  wrongly  gives  this  date 
as  606  B.C.,  and  thus  throws  all  synchronisms 
ba.sed  upon  it  about  two  years  out  of  their  true 
relations. 

0.  In  using  the  extra-biblical  sources  of  in- 
foi-mation,  we  need  to  emphasize  the  principle 
of  yoiny  as  near  to  the  original  sources  as  possible. 
Secondary  treatments  of  Assyrian  and  Baby- 
lonian history  are  numerous  and  conflicting  ; 
the  primary  statements  in  which  this  history 
comes  into  contact  with  that  recorded  in  the 
Bible  are  much  better  a.scertained  than  any  of 
the  theories  built  upon  them. 

These  primary  statements  exist  for  us  in  three 
different  forms  ;  First,  the  original  slabs,  tab- 
lets, and  other  inscriptions  tliemsclves  ;  second, 
photograplis  or  other  accurate  copies  in  the 
original  languages  ;  thii-d,  translations.  JIuch 
is  still  in  dispute  in  regard  to  the  translation  of 
these  records  ;  but.  fortunately,  a  large  part  of 
the  mateiial  that  bears  on  chronological  ques- 
tions is  undisjiuted.  and  is  of  the  kind  that  can 
be  studied  as  well  in  translations  as  in  the  orig- 
inal. Fortunately,  also,  much  of  it  is  accessible 
in  English  translations.  One  who  is  an  I'xpert 
in  the  originals  would  criticise  sharply  much 
of  the  translation  work  that  has  been  done,  and 
would  emphasize  the  fact  that  only  a  part  of 
the  records  is  available  in  translations.  But 
only  in  rare  instances  would  he  either  differ  with 
the  translations,  or  add  to  them,  in  the  facts 
that  bear  on  biblical  clrronology. 

The  following  easily  acccssitik'  books  in  Eng- 
lish constitute  a  fairly  good  working  library  for 
these  studies  ;  and  liy  the  aid  of  these  one  can 
find  his  way  to  the  entire  literature  of  the  suli- 
ject  : 

Ikcords  of  the  Pa.-il.  old  series.  Twelve  small 
volumes.     Samuel  Bagster  &  Sons,  London. 

Records  of  the  Past,  new  series.  Six  small 
volumes.     Same  ijublishers. 

George  Smith's  Assyrian  Canon. 


TO   TUE  EXILE. 


43 


George  Smith's  Astynan  Discoveries. 

8olir;i(ler's  Cuneiform  Insen'ptiviis  ii ml  the  Old 
Testament. 

A  set  of  the  Transactions  aud  a  set  of  the 
Proceedings  of  The  Society  of  Biblical  ArclM- 
ologtj. 

A  large  amount  of  additional  material  is  to 
be  found  in  volumes  and  in  journals  of  learned 
societies  and  other  periodicals. 

6.  The  most  important  sources  for  Oriental 
chronology,  for  the  period  now  under  consider- 
ation, are  the  following  : 

First.  The  biblical  numerals. 

Second.  The  history  contained  in  the  Bible, 
often  throwing  light  on  the  numerals. 

Third.  The  Assyrian  Eponym  Canon,  a  list 
of  offlcere,  one  officer  for  every  year,  contain- 
ing, in  the  imperfect  copies  now  known,  about 
265  names,  in  a  series  backward  from  B.C.  647. 
The  existing  copies  date,  perhaps,  from  a  time 
before  the  downfall  of  Assyria.  There  are 
some  slight  discrepancies,  but  the  Canon  is  in 
a  high  degree  trustworthy.  Some  copies  have 
historical  notes  appended,  and  these  are  not  al- 
ways c-onlirmed  by  the  other  Assyrian  records. 
Translations  may  be  found  in  Smith's  AxKi/rian 
Canon,  in  Records  of  the-  Past,  new  series,  vol. 
ii.,  in  Schriider,  vol.  ii.,  in  the  Assyrische  Lese- 
siilcke  of  Professor  Friedrich  Delitzsch,  and  in 
other  works. 

Fourth.  Assyrian  records,  variously  throw- 
ing light  on  the  Canon.  Among  these  are  an- 
nals of  Shalmaneser  II.,  Sargon,  Sennacherib, 
Esar-haddon,  Assur-bani-pal.  and  other  kings, 
giving  d;ited  accounts  of  their  exploits,  year 
by  year  ;  and  other  accounts,  less  well  dated, 
of  Tiglath-pilcser  III.  and  others. 

Fifth.  Ancient  Babylonian  documents,  espe- 
cially what  may  be  called,  in  a  general  way, 
the  Ilabyloniaii  Chronicles,  written  in  the  Per- 
sian period  or  earlier,  including  lists  of  kings, 
with  the  years  they  reigned,  other  lists  with 
dated  records  of  exploits  in  the  reign  of  each 
king,  and  the  so-called  "  synchronous  history" 
of  Babylonia  and  Assyria.  These  documents 
carr}'  the  chronology  back  to  a  very  carlj'  date, 
but  they  arc  so  marred  at  various  places  as  to 
break  up  the  continuity  of  it.  Translations 
may  be  found  in  the  new  series  of  the  Records 
of  the  Past,  vols,  i.,  iv.,  v. 

Sixth.  The  Canon  of  Ptolemy,  a  list  of  Gre- 
cian, Persian,  and  Babylonian  kings,  with  the 
years  of  their  reigns,  back  to  747  B.C.  Made 
after  Christ  by  an  Alexandrian  astronomer,  and 
undervalued  in  the  Ussher  chronology,  but  now 
certainl}'  known  to  be  correct.  The  part  of  it 
that  belongs  to  the  Assyrian  and  Babylonian 


periods  may  be  found  in  Smith's  Canon  and  in 
Records  of  the  Past,  new  series,  vol.  i. 

Seventh.  Calculated  eclipses,  especially  an 
eclipse  of  the  sun,  B.C.  763,  the  tenth  year  of 
Assur-daan,  king  of  Assyria. 

Eighth.  Certain  "  long  numbers."  See  notes 
on  A.Di.  341,  365,  361,  390,  396. 

7.  All  continuous  chronoloyy  earlier  than  the 
accession  of  Assur-daan  of  Assyria,  773  B.C., 
and  all  continuous  biblical  chronology  earlier  tlum 
the  accession  of  Hezekiah,  733  B.  C,  is  conjectural, 
and  is  in  dispute,  Back  to  these  dates  the 
sources  jiLst  mentioned  substantially  agree,  and 
we  have  independent  lines  of  evidence,  one 
confirming  the  other.  The  possible  differences 
of  opinion  are  differences  as  to  details.  But  for 
the  time  inmiediately  before  773  B.C.  we  have 
only  the  Bible,  vaguely  conflnned  by  the  long 
numbers  of  Josephus  and  the  Assyrian  eponym 
list,  and  these,  as  commonly  interpreted,  are  in 
contradiction.  Assyriologists  insist  that  the 
list  of  eponyms  is  continuous  ;  and  if  it  is,  it 
makes  the  interval  between  Jehu  and  Hezekiah 
about  fifty  years  less  than  the  nimibei's  in  the 
Bible  apparently  make  it.  It  is  supposable 
that  either  the  one  chronology  or  the  other  is 
false.  Again,  it  is  supposable  that  there  is  a 
break  in  the  continuity  of  the  Assyrian  list, 
which  is,  at  a  point  just  earlier  than  773  B.C., 
unsupported  by  any  strong  evidence.  Still, 
again,  it  is  supposable  that  the  Bible  numbers 
overlap  each  other,  and  can  be  so  understood 
as  to  lit  the  shorter  period.  The  problem  may 
some  time  be  solved,  but  at  present  it  is  un- 
solved— that  is,  there  is  no  one  solution  that 
can  positively  be  proved  to  be  true,  and  none 
in  which  men  generally  agree.  And  most  of 
the  dates  for  the  kings  between  Jehu  and  Heze- 
kiah are  involved  in  these  unsettled  interpreta- 
tions. 

8.  For  the  period  before  Hezekiah,  therefore, 
it  is  not  claimed  that  the  dates  in  the  following 
list  are  known  to  be  correct  ;  it  is  only  claimed 
that  they  are  the  dates  that  seem  to  be  given  in 
the  Bible.  Taking  the  Bible  statements  at  their 
apparent  value,  these  dates  are  exact,  within 
very  narrow  limits  of  variation.  Any  person 
can  verify  them,  with  arithmetical  certainty, 
by  beginning  at  604  B.C.  and  working  forward 
or  backward.  So  far  there  is  really  no  room 
for  doubt.  Whether  this  apparent  meaning  of 
the  Bible  numbers  is  the  true  meaning  is  an- 
other question.  Most  of  the  published  schemes 
assume  that  it  is  not  the  true  meaning.  They 
do  not  profess  to  give  the  Bible  numerals  sini- 
plj^  but  these  numerals  so  corrected  or  inter- 
preted  as  to  make  them  consistent  with  the 


44: 


SECTIONS.     DATKI)  EVENTS  FliOir  JEROBOAM 


faots  :  but  none  of  these  schcmps  succeeds  in 
winning  nceeptance  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
others.  It  seems  to  me  better,  therefore,  not 
to  attempt  a  final  statement  of  the  chronology, 
but  simjily  to  give  the  Bible  numbers  at  their 
apparent  value. 

9.  The  (late  98'2  B.C.  for  the  first  yi'iir  of 
Jeroboam  anil  Hehoboam  (the  date  with  which 
our  list  be.a'ins)  may  lie  verified  by  beginning 
at  604  B.C.  and  working  back  to  it ;  but  it 
seems  well  to  give,  at  the  outset,  a  more  com- 
pact verification  of  it.  The  fourth  year  of 
Jehoiakim  of  Judah  was  604  B.C;.  To  604  add 
the  previous  3  yeare  of  Jehoiakim,  the  31  years 
of  Josiah  {2  Ki.  xxii.  1),  the  2  years  of  Amon 
(2  Ki.  xxi.  19),  the  55  years  of  Manasseh  (2  Ki. 
xxi.  1),  the  29  years  of  Hozckiah  (2  Ki.  xviii.  2), 
the  16  years  of  Ahaz  (2  Ki.  xvi.  2).  the  16  years 
of  Jotham  (2  Ki.  xv.  33),  and  the  52  years  of 
U//.iah  (2  Ki.  xv.  2),  and  we  have  808  B.C.  for 
the  first  year  of  Uzziah.  But  a  comparison  of 
the  cardinal  and  ordinal  numbers  shows  that 
the  16th  year  of  Ahaz  was  the  first  year  of 
Ilezekiah,  so  that  there  is  here  the  overlapping 
of  one  year,  and  there  is  probably  another  over- 
lapjiing  of  a  year  in  the  case  of  Amon  (see  notes 
on  the  list  at  these  places).  Deducting  these 
two  yeare,  we  have  806  B.C.  as  the  true  first 
year  of  U/.ziah,  according  to  the  Bible.  The 
first  year  of  Uzziah  was  the  2~th  of  Jeroboam 
II.  (2  Ki.  XV.  1),  and  Jeroboam's  first  year  was 
the  15th  of  Amaziah  (3  Ki.  xiv.  23).  To  806 
add  26  years  of  Jeroboam  II.,  14  years  of  Ama 
ziah,  40  years  of  Joash  (2  Ki.  xii.  1),  6  years  of 
Athaliah  (2  Ki.  xi.  3),  and  90  years  (see  the  list) 
for  the  times  before  Athaliah.  and  we  have  982 
B.C.  for  the  first  year  of  the  two  kingdoms. 

If  we  a.ssume  that  the  A.ssyrian  ejionym  list 
is  eontiiUKMis  throughout,  but  otherwise  retain 
this  cdiniiutiition  \unnodified.  the  date  for  the 
beginning  of  the  two  kingdoms  will  be  reduced 
to  931  B.C.  This  is  about  the  date  assigned  by 
most  iVssyrian  scholars.  By  variant  counting, 
either  of  these  dates  might  be  made  a  year  or 
two  more  or  a  year  or  two  less.  As  the  evi- 
dence now  stands,  these  two  dates  for  the  be- 


ginning of  the  two  kingdom",  arc  the  only  ones 
that  have  any  claim  to  be  regarded  as  ba.sed  on 
primary  evidence.  The  different  dates  for  this 
event  given  in  recent  chronological  schemes 
are  mainly  either  compromises  between  these 
two  or  attempts  to  reconcile  them. 

This  date,  as  given  in  the  margins  of  our 
Bibles,  is  975  B.C.,  7  yeare  less  than  that  given 
in  our  list.  This  difference  is  accoimted  for  as 
follows  :  First,  the  marginal  chronology  short- 
ens the  period  by  11  years  by  assuming  a  co- 
reign  (of  which  there  is  neither  proof  nor  dis- 
proof) of  Jeroboam  II.  with  his  father  (2  Ki. 
XV.  1).  On  the  other  hand,  it  incorrectly  length- 
ens the  period  two  years  by  taking  C03  B.C.  as 
the  fii-st  year  of  Nebuchadnezzar.  Further,  it 
does  not  count  one  of  thi'  years  of  Amon  as 
overlapping,  and  thus  gains  a  year.  Thus  the 
11  years  of  diilerence  are  reduced  to  8  years, 
leaving  one  year  to  be  accounted  for  by  varia- 
tion of  method.  Except  for  these  differences 
and  others  depending  upon  them,  the  variations 
between  our  list  and  the  marginal  chronology 
are  slight. 

9.  In  the  list  the  events  are  dated  in  years 
A.Di.  (Anno  Discidii,  the  year  of  the  disrup- 
tion of  the  kingdom),  as  well  as  in  yeai-s  B.C. 
This  has  two  important  advantages  :  Fii"st,  it 
is  easier  to  work  with  an  increasing  series  of 
nimierals  than  with  a  decreasing  series,  as  years 
B.C.  must  necessarily  be.  Second,  it  enables 
us  to  block  together  in  their  proper  relations 
the  earlier  events,  in  regard  to  which  we  can 
only  conjecture  the  proper  date  in  years  B.C. 
It  gives  us  a  method,  for  example,  by  which 
we  can  make  an  accurate  and  intelligible  state- 
ment of  the  synchronisms  between  Shalmaneser 
II.  and  Ahab  and  Jehu,  even  if  there  be  an  un- 
certainty of  half  a  century  as  to  the  date  B.C. 
when  these  events  occurred  ;  and  this  is  an  im- 
portant advantage. 

The  list  does  not  contain  all  the  dated  events  ; 
and  conjectural  dates  and  dates  of  particular 
prophecies  arc  in-serted  only  when  they  serve 
to  throw  light  on  the  continuity  of  the  his- 
torv. 


B.C. 
982 


978 
966 


A.m. 
1 


1st  y.  of  Jeroboam  ;  1st  y.  of  Uclioboam  (1  Ki.  xii.,  2  Chron.  x.)  ;  SnKM.\nii  ; 
Jkdo  (wrongly  transliterated  Iddo,  2  Chron.  ix.  29  cf,  Jos.  Ant.  VIII.  ix.,  1  Ki. 
xiii.);  A111.JA11. 

Rehoboam  forsakes  the  way  of  David  (2  Chron.  xi.  17,  xii.  1). 

Invasion  of  Shishak  (1  Ki.  xiv.  25.  2  Cliron.  xii.  2). 

17lh  y.  of  Hehoboam  ;  his  deatli,  and  accession  of  Abijam  (1  Ki.  xiv.  21,  31, 
2  Chron.  xii.  13). 


TO   THE  EXILE.  45 

B.C.        A.Di. 

965  18        ISth  y.  of  Jeroboam  ;  1st  y.  of  Abijam  (1  Ki.  xv.  1,  3  Chron.  xiii.  1). 

963  20        20tli  y.  of  Jeroboam  ;  3nl  y.  of  Abijam  ;  his  death,  and  accession  of  Asa  (1  Ki. 

X7.  3,  8,  3  Chron.  xiii.  2). 

963  21         1st  y.  of  Asa,  following  20th  y.  of  Jeroboam  (1  Ki.  xv.  9)  ;  3nd  y.  of  Kimman- 

uirari  II.,  liing  of  Assyria,  tlie  first  liiug  within  the  limits  of  the  existing  copies 
of  the  Assyrian  Eponym  list.* 

961  23        32nd  y.  of  .leroboam  ;  his  death  (1  Ki.  xiv.  20)  ;  1st  y.  of  Nadab,  and  3nd  of  Asa 

(1  Ki.  XV.  25). 

960  33        3nd  y.  of  Nadab  ;  his  death  (1  Ki.  xv.  25) ;  1st  y.  of  Baasha  and  3rd  y.  of  Asa 

(1  Ki.  XV.  28,  33). 

956  37        Jehoshaphat  born  (1  Ki.  xxii.  41,  43). 

Ten  years  of  quiet  (3  Chron.  xiv.  1). 
Invasion  of  Zerah  (3  Chron.  xiv.  9). 

948  35        15th  y.  of  Asa,  and  great  religious  gathering  (3  Chron,  xv.  10) ;  Oded  (3  Cbron. 

XV.  8)  ;  AzARiAU,  son  of  Oded  (3  Cliron.  xv.  1). 

947  36        "  36th  y.  of  the  Idngdom  of  Asa"  (3  Chron.  xvi.  1)  ;  f  war  with  Baasha  (2  Chron. 

xvi.   1  sq.,  1  Ki.  xv.  16  sq.)  ;  Hanani  (3  Chron.   xvl.  7);  Asa's  league  with 
Beuhadad  against  Baasha. 

941  42        1st  y.  of  Tiglath-uras  II.  of  Assyria. 

937  46        24th  y.  of  Baasha  and  26th  of  Asa  ;  dealh  of  Baasha  (1  Ki.  xv.  33)  ;  1st  y.  of 

Elah  (1  Ki.  xvi.  8-10) ;  Jehu,  son  of  llanani  (perhaps  earlier,  1  Ki.  xvi.  1). 

936  47        2nd  y.  of  Elah  and  27th  of  Asa  ;  Zimri  (1  Ki.  xvi.  10,  15) ;  1st  y.  of  Omri  over 

part  of  northern  Israel  (1  Ki.  xvi.  16,  23,  39). 
Tibni  (1  Ki.  xvi.  31). 
935  48        1st  y.  of  Assur-nazir-pal  of  Assyria. 

Marriage  of  Ahab  and  Jezebel  (1  Ki.  xvi.  31)  ;  %  Omri  reconquers  Moab  (3  Ki.  i.  1, 
and  the  Moabite  Slone).§ 

932  51        Omri  is  king— probably  sole  king,  on  the  death  of  Tibni— 3l6t  of  Asa  (1  Ki.  xvi. 

23),   probably  just  at  the  close  of  the  30th  of  Asa  (Jos.  Ant.  VIII.   xii.  5)  ; 
Jehoram  of  Judah  burn  (2  Ki.  viii.  16,  17). 

Omri  moves  the  capital  to  Samaria,  six  years  after  one  or  the  other  of  the  two 
dates  given  for  his  accession— either  A.Di.  53  or  56  (1  Ki.  xvi.  23,  21). 
926         57        11th  y.  of  Omri  ;  .Jehoshaphat  becomes  co-regnant  with  Asa  (Sept.  of  1  Ki.  xvi. 
28,  perhaps). 


*  This  is  computed,  of  course,  according  to  the  apparent  value  of  the  Bible  numerals.  There 
is  a  definite  and  exact  synchrnnisni.  in  the  time  of  Aliab  and  Jeliu,  between  the  biblical  and  the 
Assj^rian  dates  (see  note  at  B  C.  905)  ;  and  by  comparing  the  numerals  hacls  from  that  date,  we 
obtain  the  dates  for  Riinnian-nirari  II.  On  the  supposition  that  tlie  Assyrian  list  is  continuous, 
the  second  year  of  Rimman-nirari  is  911  B.C.,  and  this  is  the  date  actually  accepted  by  most  Assy- 
rian scholars. 

In  diflferent  Assyriological  works  this  name,  like  many  other  Assyrian  names,  appears  in  sev- 
eral different  forms,  some  of  them  bearing  no  resemblance  one  to  anotlicr.  Those  who  deal  with 
these  matters  have  to  learn  to  identify  particular  men,  no  matter  for  the  different  forms  their 
names  may  take. 

t  Here  and  in  the  previous  verse  the  numerals  cannot  refer  to  the  personal  reisn  of  Asa,  for 
the  35th  and  36lli  years  of  his  personal  reign  came  after  the  death  of  Baasha.  The  hypothesis 
that  here  is  a  genuine  case  of  reckoning  in  years  A.Di.  fits  well  all  the  facts  in  the  case. 

X  This  marriage  cannot  have  been  much  earlier  tlian  tliis  date,  for  it  certainly  (lid  not  take 
place  till  after  Omri  came  to  the  tlirone  ;  and  it  cannot  have  been  much  later,  for  the  grandson 
of  Ahab  and  Jezebel  was  32  years  old  at  the  beginnimr  of  A.Di.  90  (3  Ki.  viii.  25,  26). 

§  Tlie  Moabite  Stone  says,  according  to  the  reading  that  now  seems  to  be  preferred,  that  the 
oppression  of  Moab,  in  tlie  days  of  Omri  and  part  of  the  days  of  his  "  sou,"  lasted  40  years. 
This  seems  to  imply  tliat  the  40  years  closed  before  tlie  overthrow  of  Omri's  dj'nasty,  which 
occurred  A.Di.  90,  hence  Omri's  conquest  of  Moab  was  earlier  than  A.Di.  50. 


B.C. 

A.Di. 

925 

58 

934 

59 

932 

61 

46  SECTIONS.    DATED  EVENTS  FROM  JEROBOAM 

12th  y.  of  Omri  ;    38th  y.  of  Asa  ;  1st  y.  of  Ahab  (1  Ki.  xvi.  29) :  2nd  y.  of 
Jehoshaphat  (Sept.  of  1  Ki.  xvi.  28).* 

Asa's  disease,  his  39lh  y.  (1  Ki.  xv.  23,  2  Chron.  xvi.  12). 

41st  y.  of  Asa  ;  his  death  and  accession  of  Jehoshaphat  (1  Ki.  xv.  10,  2  Chron. 
xvi.  13,  xvii.  1). 

921  62        1st  y.  of  Jehoshaphat,  following  4th  y.  of  Ahab  (1  Ki.  xxii.  41). 

"  Strengthened  himself  against  Israel"  (2  Chron.  xvii.  1). 
919  64        3rd  y.  of  Jehoshaphat  ;  teaching  (2  Chron.  xvii.  7-9). 

916  67        Marriage  of  .lehorara  and  Athaliah  (3  Chron.  xviii.  1,  of.  1  Ki.  xxii.,  2  Chron. 

xxii.  2,  xxi.  G,  2  Ki.  viii.  18,  25,  26,  etc.).f 

915  68        Aliaziah  of  Jiidah  born,  22  years  before  the  close  of  tlie  11th  y.  of  Jehoram  of 

Israel  (2  Ki.  viii.  25,  26,  ix.  29,  see  A.Di.  90). 
Shunamiuile's  son  promised,  etc.  (2  Ki.  iv.  16)  ;  ELiSHA-t 
Ahab  persecutes  the  prophets  (1  Ki.  xviii.  4,  etc.). 

25th  y.  of  Assurnazir-pal  of  Assyria,  his  death,  and  accession  of  Shalmaneser  II. 
1st  y.  of  Shalmaneser  II. 

Close  of  the  3i  years  of  drought,  etc.  (1  Ki.  xvii.-xix.)  ;  Emjah. 
Shalmaneser  on  the  Orontes,  the  Mediterranean,  and  Lebanon  ;  his  2nd  y. 
1st  defeat  of  Benhadad  by  Ahab  (1  Ki.  xx.  1-22). 

2nd  defeat  of  Benhadad  (1  Ki.  xx.  22-43,  xxii.  1,  2)  ;  followed  by  3  years  of  peace 

with  Syria,  the  "  third  year"  being  the  last  y.  of  Ahab. 
Nabolhd  Ki.  xxi.). 

905  78        17th  y.  of  Jehoshaphat,  and  1st  y.  of  Ahaziah  of  Israel  (1  Ki.  xxii.  51) ;    it  is  a 

coreign,  as  the  y.  is  the  21st  of  Aliab  ;  6th  y.  of  Shalmaneser,  when  he  defeated 
a  coalition  of  wbich  Benhadad  was  chief  and  Ahab  one  of  the  allies.§ 

904  79        22nd  y.  of  Ahab  (1  Ki.  xvi.  29)  ;  his  death  ;  Mic.\i.\h,  son  of  Imlah  (1  Ki.  xxii.)  ; 

3nd  y.  of  Ahaziah  ;  his  death  (1  Ki.  xxii.  51,  2  Ki.  i.) ;  revolt  of  Mesha  (2  Ki.  i. 
1,  and  Moabite  Stone)  ;  Jehoshaphat's  shipping  alliance  with  Ahaziah  (1  Ki. 
xxii.  48,  49)  ;  Ei.iezer,  son  of  Dodavah  (2  Chron.  xx.  37) ;  lire  from  heaven 


911 

72 

910 

73 

909 

74 

907 

76 

906 

77 

*  The  Sopluagint  may  be  correct  in  assigning  lliis  co  reign  to  Jehoshaphat  ;  but  it  contradicts 
the  Hebrew  when  it  counts  the  co-ieign  as  a  part  of  his  25  years. 

t  Jehoram  was  now  16  or  17  years  old.  and  Athaliah  about  the  same  age  (see  A.Di.  51  and 
before).  Tlicir  age  proves  that  tlie  marriage  cannot  have  occurred  much  earlier,  and  the  age  of 
Ahaziah,  their  son  (see  .\.Di.  68),  proves  that  it  cannot  have  been  later. 

t  The  king  spoken  of  in  3  Ki.  viii,  1-8  is  Jehoram  ;  for  Benhadad  of  Syria  has  not  yet  been 
succeeded  by  Hazael  ;  hence  the  raising  of  llie-Sluinammile's  son  from  the  dead,  after  he  was 
"  grown"  (2"Ki.  iv  18),  occurred  more  "than  7  years  (2  Ki.  viii.  1-3)  before  the  death  of  Joram  ; 
licnce  his  birth  must  liave  occurred  some  years  before  the  close  of  the  reign  of  Ahab.  As  the 
prophets  of  Jeliovali  seem  at  the  time  to  have  lieen  safe  and  inHiu-nlial  (2  Ki.  iv.  13,  for  instance), 
we  are  safe  in  placing  it  before  Allah's  persecution  of  the  prophets  began.  It  does  not  follow 
that  Elisha  was  senior  to  Elijah,  but  only  that  tliis  incident  is  earlier  than  any  incident  that  is 
related  of  Elijidi.  ,  .,    ,    . 

t;  This  synchronism  is  perfectlv  definite.  Shalmaneser  savs  that  he  defeated  Ahab,  m  coalition 
with  Benhadad,  the  6lh  v.  of  his'own  reign,  and  received  tribute  from  Jehu  the  18th  year  ;  hence 
the  0th  y.  of  Shalmaneser  cannnt  be  later  lliiin  the  21st  of  Ahab  ;  for  Ahnb  died  the  following 
year,  anil  was  liien  not  in  alliance  with  Bcnliadad.  And  the  6th  of  Shalmaneser  cannot  have 
been  earlier  than  the  21st  of  Ahab  ;  for.  if  it  wire,  the  18th  of  Shalmaneser  would  fall  earlier 
than  the  12th  of  Joram,  A.Di.  00.  the  accession  year  of  Jehu. 

The  taking  of  Ahaziah  into  co-regnancy  was  an  arrangement  made  in  connection  with  the 
coalition  against  .\ssyria.  If  2  Ivi.  i.  17  iscorrect,  a  similar  arrancement  was  made  at  tlie  same 
time  in  Jiidah.  Jeliuram  becoming  co-king  with  Jehoshaphat.  It  is  likely  enough  that  this  was 
done,  thoiiL'h.  if  it  was.  the  arramiement  was  .^onn  changed.  If  liere  was  a  co. reign  it  wps 
temporary,  and  was  a  different  thing  from  the  co-reign  of"a-few  years  later,  mentioned  in  2  Ki. 
viii.  16,  2  Chron.  xxi.  4,  5. 


TO   THE  EXILE.  47 

B.C.        A.Di. 

(2  Ki.  i.)  ;  Jehoshnpiiat's  reform,  and  judging  mission  (3  Chron.  xix.)  ;  inva- 
sion (led  by  Mesha  ?  helped  by  Assj'ria  '?)  by  Moab,  Ammon,  and  others  (3  Chron. 
XX.,  and  perhaps  Ps.  Ixxxiii.). 

901  83        10th  y.  of  Shalmaneser  ;  Benhadad  and  allies  defeated  by  him.* 

Somewhere  about  this  time  belong  Elijah's  translation,  most  of  Elisha's  miracles 
(3  Ki.  ii.-viii.),  and  the  beginning  of  the  7  years  of  famine  (3  Ki.  viii.  1-3). 

900  83        11th  of  Shalmaneser  ;  Benhadad  and   allies  defeated  again  ;  5th  of  Jehoram  of 

Israel  ;  Jehoram  of  .ludah  becomes  co-regnant  with  Jehoshaphat  (3  Ki.  viii.  16, 
2  Chron.  xxi.  4,  5)  ;  Mesha  defeated  (2  Ki.  iii.).  the  successes  recorded  on  the 
Moabite  Stone  coming  later  ;  posthumous  message  from  Elijah  (2  Chron.  xxi.  13;. 

897  86        14th  y.  of  Shalmaneser  ;  Benhadad  and  allies  defeated  again  ;  3oth  y.  of  Jehosha- 

phat ;  his  death  (1  Ki.  xxii.  42),  Jehoram  becoming  sole  king. 
Edom  and  Libnah  revolt  ;  Arabian  and  Philistine  invasion  ;  Syrian  guerillas  and 
invasion  in  the  northern  kingdom  (3  Ki.  viii.  30-22,  2  Chron.  xxi.  8-xxii.  1, 
2  Ki.  vi. ,  vii  )  ;  Moab,  under  Mesha,  becomes  independent  (Moabite  Stone). 

893  90        8th  y.  of  Jehoram  of  Judah  (3  Ki.  viii.  17) ;  13th  y.  of  Jehoram  of  Israel,  and 

1st  y.  of  Ahaziah  of  Jadali  (3  Ki.  viii.  25)  ;f  death  of  these  two,  and  accession 
of  Jehu  (2  Ki.  ix.,  x.)  ;  Hazael  king  in  Damascus  (3  Ki.  viii.  7-15,  28)  ;  18th  y. 
of  Shahuaneser,  in  which  he  overthrows  Ilazael,  and  takes  tribute  from  Jehu. 

1st  y.  of  Jehu  ;  1st  y.  of  Athaliah  ;  Shalmaneser  cuts  cedars  in  Lebanon. 

Shalmaneser,  in  his  21st  y.,  conquers  Hazael  again. 

6th  y.  of  Athaliah  (3  Ki.  xi.  3,  4). 

1st  y.  of  Joash  (3  Ki.  xi.  4  aq.). 

In  the  last  years  of  Shalmaneser  a  great  revolt  in  Assyria,  under  Assur-dayin. 

35th  3'.  of  Shalmaneser  ;  accession  of  Samas  rimman. 

1st  y.  of  Samas-rimman  ;  he  conquers  Assur-dayin. 

Assyrian  operations  on  the  Mediterranean  coast. 

Assyrians  at  the  Mediterranean  again. 

Amaziah  born  (3  Ki.  xiv.  2). 

During  the  reign  of  Jehu  and  his  successors  Israel  suffered  both  from  Hazael  and 

from  the  Moabites  (2  Ki.  x.  32  sq.,  xiii.  20,  etc.).     Here  belong  the  triumphs  of 

Mesha,  as  recorded  on  the  Moabite  Stone. 

28th  y.  of  Jehu  (2  Ki.  x.  36)  ;  his  death  ;  accession  of  Jehoahaz.|: 

1st  y.  of  Jehoahaz  ;  23rd  y.  of  Joash  ;  he  pushes  the  work  of  repairing  the  temple 
(2  Ki.  xii.  6). 

13th  y.  of  Samas-rimman  ;  accession  of  Rimman-nirari  III. 

1st  y.  of  Rimman-nirari. 

37th  y.  of  Joash  ;  co-reign  of  Jehoash  of  Israel  with  Jehoahaz  begins  (3  Ki.  xiii. 
10). 

848        135        17th  of  Jehoahaz  (3  Ki.  xiii.  1)  ;  Hazael  reduces  Israel  low,  takes  Gath,  and  at- 


o»a 

ai 

890 

93 

887 

96 

886 

97 

876 

107 

875 

108 

874 

109 

873 

110 

871 

112 

865 

118 

864 

119 

863 

130 

862 

121 

850 

133 

*  It  is  suspicious  that  Shalmaneser  has  to  defeat  Benhadad  and  his  allies  so  often.  If  we  had 
the  Syrian  accounts  we  should  perhaps  find  these  battles  claim(Kl  as  victories,  and  credit  given 
to  a  certiun  great  man  of  Damascus  named  Naaman  (3  Ki.  v.). 

f  Jehoram  died  just  at  the  beginning  of  a  new  year  (2  Chron.  xxL  18,  19),  so  that  the  narrator 
in  3  Ki.  ix.  29  counts  his  successor  as  from  the  lltli  of  Jehoram  of  Israel,  instead  of  from  the 
12th. 

X  Josephus  here  gives  different  numerals,  which  are  workable,  and,  if  accepted,  shorten  the 
time  by  two  years. 


48  SECTWX  S.     DATED  E  VESTS  FKOM  JEROBOAM 

B.C.      A.Dl. 

tacks  Jtrusalem  (3  Ki.  xiii.  2-9,  xii.  17,  18,  2  CliroD.  xxiy.  23-25)  ;  death  of 
Ji'lioaliaz,  and  accession  of  Jeliousli  of  Israel  ;  encouraging  jiromises  of  Elislja 
before  his  death  ;  the  prophecy  of  Joei..* 

Kimman-nirari  III.  represents  himself  ns  taking  tribute  from  all  this  region,  and 
reducing  Jlarilui,  king  of  Daniascus.f 

847         136        40th  y.  of  Joash  (2  Ki.  xii.  11  ;  liis  death,  and  accession  of  Aniaziali. 
846        137        2nd  y.  of  Jchoash  of  Israel,  and  1st  y.  of  Amaziah  (2  Ki.  xiv.  1). 

Successes  of  .lehoash  over  the  Syrians  under  Benluidad,  the  successor  of  Ilazacl 

(2  Ki.  xiii.  24,  25). 
Amaziah 's  victory  over  Edom  (2  Ki.  xiv.  7,  2  Cliron.  xxv.  ,5-16)  ;  OBADiAn.  (?) 
Jehuash  of  Israel  captures  Jerusalem  (2  Ki.  xiv.  8-14,  2  Chron.  xxv.  17-24). 
834        149        29th  y.  of  Rimman-nirari,  and  his  death. 

Not  far  from  this  time,  the  events  of  the  Dook  of  Jonah  ;  also  Jonah's  prophecies 
of  the  successes  of  Jeroboam  II.  (2  Ki.  xiv.  25). | 

•  Some  place  Joel  earlier  than  this,  -while  many  regard  Joel  as  posl-exilian. 

f  Tlic  date  of  this  inscription  is  lost.  In  the  eponvm  canon  Riniman  nirari  is  said  to  have 
made  an  expedition  to  Arpad  in  his  sixth  year,  and  another  to  "  over  the  sea"  in  liis  ninth  year. 
Schrader  holds  that  the  latter  is  the  expedition  referred  to  in  the  inscription,  but  this  iileutitica- 
tion  rests  on  slender  evidence.  More  probably  the  expedition  was  laler,  just  before  Jehoasli  of 
Israel  began  to  gain  vielories  over  the  younger  Benhadad.  Riminanniiaii  calls  the  king  whom 
he  reduced  iMariha— that  is,  the  Lord.  Perhaps  this  is  a  title  rather  than  a  name,  the  king  l)Piiig 
either  Hazael  or  his  successor  Benhadad.  Schrader  makes  him  to  be  the  successor  of  tliis  Ben- 
hadad, but  this  biings  the  Assyrian  records  into  contradiction  wilh  the  biblical  records. 

\  The  Bible  numerals  apparently  give  us  61  years  as  llie  duration  of  the  interval  between  the 
death  of  Rimniau-nirari  III.  and  the  accession  of  Assnr-daan  III.  For  this  interval  the  As.syiiau 
eponvm  list  gives  but  one  king,  Shabnanescr  III.,  who  reigned  10  3eavs.  There  is  some  slight 
evidence  to  the  effect  lliat  his  reign  immediately  preceded  that  of  Assnr-daan,  and,  provisionally, 
we  place  him  in  that  position,  leaving  a  clean  iuteival  of  51  years  not  accounted  for  in  the 
Assyrian  canon. 

Is  it  true  that  there  was  such  an  interval  V  Or  must  the  biblical  dates  be  so  corrected,  and 
made  to  overlap  one  another,  that  the  seeming  interval  will  be  extinguished  ?  I  shall  not  attempt 
to  answer  this  question.  But  it  is  worth  while  to  notice  thai  it  can  only  be  answered  by  study- 
ing th(;  history  of  the  period,  and  tliat,  at  present,  we  have  no  materials  for  this  study,  except 
those  found  in  the  Bible.     The  Assyrian  records  are  silent. 

But  their  silence  is  not  quite  without  siginticance.  Whether  this  interval  was  10  years  or  61 
vears,  it  was  an  iuterval  of  revolution.  Just  before  tlic  interval  of  silence  begins  Rimman-nirari 
is  collecting  tribute  over  all  the  region,  to  the  Jlcditerranean,  having  inherited  this  domain  from 
his  fathers.  Just  after  its  close  the  Assyrian  kings  have  to  reconquer  the  region  (see  note  at  765 
B.C.).     This  shows  that  they  had  lost  their  hold  upon  it. 

The  interval,  therefore,  whether  long  or  short,  was  a  time  of  Assyrian  weakness.  Jonah's 
visit  to  jSineveh  is  somehow  connected  with  this  time  of  weakness.  Jeroboam's  successes  are 
also  connected  witli  it.  After  humbling  Damascus,  Assyria  herself  Inst  her  hold  of  power.  This 
combination  of  circutustances  enabled  Jeroboam  to  seize  and  hold  the  leuJership  of  the  confeder- 
ated nations  between  the  upper  Euphrates  and  the  Meditenanean.  It  was  substantially  the  same 
body  of  nations  in  which  Benhadad  exercised  the  hegemony  in  the  times  of  Ahab  ;  but  Jero- 
boani's  domiaioa  was  probably  something  more  permanent  than  a  mere  hegemony  for  purposes 
of  war. 

The  Assyrian  records  represent  (see  note  at  765  B.C.)  that,  when  they  reconquered  the  region, 
Azariah  of  Jndah  was  at  the  head  of  these  confederated  peoples  ;  and  this  agrees  wilh  the  large 
mililary  establishment  allributed  to  Azariah  in  the  Bible,  and  with  such  hints  as  the  one  in  Zeeh. 
xi.  1(J.  Many  assiune  that  Ihe  reigns  of  Jerol)oam  and  Uzziali  were  a  period  of  bitler  hoslility 
between  the  "northern  and  sovithern  kingdoms,  but  all  the  evidence  indicates  the  conlraiy.  It 
was  a  period  of  growing  prosperity  for  both  kingdoms,  and  therefore  a  jieriod  when  they  were 
closely  united  l)y  common  interests.  Uzziah  conlil  hardlv  have  succeeded  Jeroboam  in  Ihe  liead- 
ship  of  th(!  confederacy,  uidess  his  relations  with  the  northern  kingdom  had  l)een  cordial.  If 
there  was  an  ex))ectation  that  Ihe  two  kingdoms  would  now  be  reunited,  under  the  dvna^ty  of 
David,  that  accounis  for  the  interregnum  in  Israel  tliat  followed  the  death  of  Jeroboam.  In  the 
same  way  we  may  account  for  the  fact  that  Amos  and  llosca,  just  at  this  liirie.  urge  upon  the 
northern  Israelites  the  claims  of  David  their  king,  ns  well  as  of  Jehovah  their  God  (Am.  ix.  11, 
IIos  iii.  5). 

Possibly  the  fact  of  this  time  of  Assyrian  adversity  may  have  a  bearing  on  other  questions. 
When  Iht"  scribes  came  to  write  tip  tlie  history,  did  tliey  deliberately  throw  out  this  half  century 
of  disgrace  to  Assyria  ?     la  there  this  much  of  truth  in"  the  tradition  that  Xabonassar  suppressed 


TO   THE  EXILE.  49 

B.C.        A.Di. 

833  151  15th  y.  of  Amaziah  ;  16Ui  y.  of  Joash  of  Israel  ;  1st  y.  of  Jeroboam  II.  (2  Ki. 
xiv.  33). 

833  161  Uzziah  born  (2  Ki.  .xv.  1,  2). 

818  165  29th  y.  of  Amaziah  ;  his  death  (2  Ki.  xiv.  2,  17). 

806  177  27th  y.  of  Jeroboam  ;  1st  y.  of  Uzziah  (2  Ki.  xy.  1,  3).* 

793  190  Prophecies  of  Amos(?)  ;  first  prophecy  of  Hosba  (chaps,  i.,  ii.).  ? 

793  191  41st  y.  of  Jeroboam  II.;  his  death  (2  Ki.  xiv.  23),  followed  by  interregnum  in 
Israel. 

791        193        The  great  earthquake  (Am.  i.  1).  V    Second  prophecy  of  Hosea  (chap.  iii.).  ? 
783        301        1st  y.  of  Shalmaneser  III.  of  Assyria. 
779        304        Jotham  born  (3  Ki.  xv.  33,  33). 

Slialman  storms  Beth-arbel  (Hqs.  x.  14).     Perhaps  Arbela  in  the  Ararat  region, 
in  which  region  the  Assyrian  canon  says  that  Shalmaneser  III.  operated. 

773  310  10th  y.  of  Shalmaneser  ;  expedition  to  Damascus  ;  his  death,  and  accession  of 
Assur-daan  III. 

773        211        1st  y.  of  Assur-daan  ;  expedition  to  Hadrach. 
Later  prophecies  of  Hosea  (chaps,  iv.-x.).  ?  f 

769  214  38th  y.  of  Uzziah  ;  Zechariah  king  the  last  six  months  of  the  year  (3  Ki. 
XV.  8). 

768  215  39th  y.  of  Uzziah  ;  Shallum  30  days  (2  Ki.  sv.  13) ;  accession  of  Menahem  (2  Ki. 
XV.  17). 

767        216        1st  y.  of  Menahem. 

Retirement  of  Uzziah  (3  Ki.  xv.  5,  3  Chron.  xxvi.   16-33)  ?  ;  Jotham  regent,  12 
years  of  age  ;  earliest  prophecy  of  Isaiah  (ii.-iv.).  ? 

765  318  8th  y.  of  Assur-daan  (3rd  y.  of  Menahem  and  42nd  y.  of  Uzziah) ;  the  Assyrians 
break  up  a  confederacy  extending  fromHamalh  southward,  headed  by  Uzziah  ■,% 
Menahem  pays  tribute  to  Pul  of  Assyria  (3  Ki.  xv.  17-21). 

tlip  records  of  the  kings  ■who  preceded  him  ?  Does  this  afford  an  explanation  at  once  of  the 
differences  between  the  biblical  and  Assyrian  chronologies,  and  of  the  silence  of  the  Assyrian 
auuids  at  this  point? 

*  Tliis  makes  an  interregnum  of  11  years  in  Judah  between  the  death  of  Amaziah  and  the 
accession  of  Uzziah.  To  avoid  this,  the  chronology  of  the  marginal  Bibles  assumes  that  the 
27th  year  of  Jerohoam  is  here  not  counted  from  his  1st  year  in  the  loth  of  Amaziah,  but  from  a 
time  11  years  earlier,  when  he  is  assumed  to  have  become  co-regnant  wilh  his  father.  Of  this 
we  cnulil  judge  better  if  we  knew  more  of  the  history  of  those  times.  Against  ihis  assumed 
co-reign  it  is  to  be  said  that  the  usual  evidence  is  lacking,  there  being  here  no  sufflcicnt  numeri- 
cal data.  Further,  tlie  assumption  of  a  co-reign  here  breaks  up  the  agreement  with  the  "  long 
iiuml)ers"  (see  A.Di.  241,  365.  363.  390.  396). 

f  These  pMphecies  are  largely  an  indignant  protest  against  intrigues  with  Assyria  and  Egypt, 
and  especially  with  an  Assyrian  king  whom  Hnsea  calls  Jarel)  (v.  13,  x.  6).  Jareb  signifies  one 
wlio  takes  part  in  contested  causes,  as  a  champion,  or  jnilge,  or  umpire.  It  reads  like  a  trans- 
formation of  the  Assvrian  name  Daan,  wliicli  lias  tlie  same  meaning.  So  long  as  the  interreg- 
num in  Israel  continued,  a  process  of  assimilation  was  going  on  between  the  two  kingdoms, 
wliieli  would  ultimately  lead  to  union  ;  hut  now  that  the  Assyrians  are  again  in  tlie  region,  they 
are  intriguing  to  break  up  this  process  and  get  a  king  tmce  more  on  the  northern  throne,  to  the 
end  that,  by  causing  divisions,  tiiey  mav  the  more  easilv  conquer  these  peoples.  Ilosea  is  indig- 
nant at  tlie  success  of  their  intrigues,  and  speaks  accordingly. 

%  The  account  is  found  on  two  mutilated  fragments,  Hawlinson's  Cuneiform  Inscriptions,  vol. 
iii.,  page  9,  Nos.  3,  3  ;  Smith's  AsDi/rinn  Gaiinn,  page  117  sq  ;  Smith's  Assi/rian  Diseorerien,  page 
375  .si|.;  .Scliradcr  on  3  Ki.  xv.,  etc.  The  inscriptions  speak  of  fighting,  and  we  may  therefore 
infer  tliat  they  claim  a  great  Assyrian  victory.  Assyriolosists  seem  to  be  agreed  in  assigning 
these  inseii|)tions  to  TiglaUi-pileser  III.,  though  they  do  not  contain  his  name,  and  present  a 
histoiieal  situation  different  from  that  presented  by  any  tliat  contain  his  name.  They  say  that 
the  Assyrian  king  not  only  defeated  Azariah,  but  look  tribute  from  Rezin  of  Damascus  and 


50  HECTIoy  3.     DATKD  EVEyrS  FROM  JEROBOAM 

B.C.        A.Di. 

Second  prophecy  of  Is.\i.\n  (chap.  v.).  1 

The  Hadrach  burden  in  Zecuari.\u  (ix.-xi.).  ? 

lOlh  y.  of  Assur-daan  ;  great  eclipse,  June  15  ;  Ahaz  born  (according  to  Sept.  of 
2  Chrou.  xxviii.  1). 

lOlh  y.  of  Menahem  ;   his  dcalh  and  accession  of  Pekabiah  (2  Ki.  xv.  17,  22)  ; 
Ahaz  born  (Hebrew  of  2  Chron.  xxviii.  1). 

50th  y.  of  t'zziah  ;  1st  y.  of  Pekahiah  (2  Ki.  xv.  23). 

2nd  y.  of  Pekahiah  ;  his  death  ;  accession  of  Pekah. 

52nd  y.  of  Uzziah  ;  his  death  ;  accession  of  Jotham  ;  1st  y.  of  Pekah  (2  Ki.  xv. 

27,  32,  3;i)  ;  18lh  y.  of  Assur-daan  III.:  his  death  ;  accession  of  Assur-niiaii 

II.;  third  prophecy  of  Isaiah  (chap.  vi.). 
2ud  y.  of  Pekah  ;  1st  y.  of  Jotliam  ;  1st  y.  of  Assur-nirari. 
1st  y.  of  Nabonassar  of  Babylon  ;  1st  y.  of  the  celebrated  Canon  of  Ptolemy  : 

Ilezekiah  boru  (2  Ki.  xviii.  1,  2).* 
10th  y.  of  Assur-nirari  ;  his  death  ;  accession  of  Tiglathpile.ser  III.  (11th  y.  of 

Pekah  ;  10th  y.  of  Jotham)  ;  Tiglalh-pileser  seizes  Babylonia, 
1st  J',  of  Tiglath-pileser  ;  conquests  in  the  cast. 
Deportations  from  east  of  the  Jordan  (1  Chron.  v.  6,  26).  f 
MiCAn  begins  to  prophesy  (i.  1).  continuing  to  the  earlier  years  of  Hezekiah. 
The  historical  situation  fits  that  of  the  "  burden,"  Zechariau  xii.-xiv. 
To  this  period  Josephus  assigns  Naiium.J 
Rezin  and  Pekah  invade  Judah  (2  Ki.  xv.  37). 


763 

220 

758 

225 

757 

220 

7r>« 

227 

755 

228 

754 

229 

747 

236 

745 

238 

744 

239 

Menahem  of  Samaria.  But  unless  we  reject  the  Bible  statements  by  the  wholesale,  we  must  hold 
that  both  Azariiih  and  Jlenahera  were  dead  some  years  before  Tiglath  pilescr  came  to  the  throne, 
B  C.  7-15.  Further,  each  of  the  two  inscriptions  gives  an  account  of  an  expedition  to  Hadrach. 
and  the  Eponym  list  assigns  to  Assur-daan  three  expeditions  to  Iladraeh.  and  none  to  any  other 
monarch  ;  though  Hadrach  is  mentioned  in  some  undoubted  Tiglalh-pileser  inscriptions.  Further, 
one  of  the  two  inscriptions  proceeds  to  tell  what  happened  in  the  9lh  year  of  tlie  king  in  ques- 
tion, tlius  apparently  assigning  the  previous  events  to  his  8th  year  ;  but  the  Eponym  list  says 
that  Tiglath  pilpser  was  in  Media  his  8lh  year,  while  it  ascribes  to  Assur  daan's  8th  year  one  of 
his  three  expeditions  to  Hadrach. 

The  Bible  says  that  the  Assyrian  king  to  whom  Menahem  paid  tribute  was  Pul  ;  and  there 
are  strong  reasons  for  identifying  the  name  Pul  with  the  name  Tiglath  pileser.  But  there  may 
have  been  two  men  of  the  same  name,  or  Tiglath-pileser  III.  may  have  l)een,  at  this  time, 
20  years  before  he  became  king,  the  commander  of  the  Assyrian  foices  in  Pule.'tinc.  Either  of 
these  suppositions  is  more  credible  than  that  tlie  whole  biblical  account  i.s  to  be  discarded. 

Tlie  views  thus  indicated  seem  to  me  tenable.  The  view,  however,  more  commoidy  held  by 
recent  scliolars  is  that  the  events  mentioned  in  this  inscription,  instead  of  being  the  events  of  a 
single  expedition,  extended  over  several  years  previous  to  B.C.  737.  the  8th  year  of  Tiglath- 
pileser,  and  that  they  were  practically  continuous  with  Tiglath-pileser's  interference  in  the  times 
of  Pekah  and  Ahaz. 

*  As  this  makes  Ahaz  b\it  11  years  old  at  his  son's  birth,  there  is  probably  a  numerical  error 
somewhere. 

■f  In  its  details  this  deportation  is  different  from  any  other  mentioned  in  the  Bible.  The 
Assyrian  king  is  called  Pul  "  and"  Tighilh-pile.ser.  whether  the  distinction  intended  l)e  lietween 
two  persons  or  between  two  names  of  the  same  person.  According  to  the  Epjiiym  list.  Tiglalh- 
pileser  was  at  Arpad  four  successive  years,  B.C.  743-740,  and  he  may  have  ravaged  this  region 
diirinu  any  part  of  that  time. 

Possiblv  Josephus  (Ant.  IX.  xiv.  1)  gives  a  specific  date  for  this  deportation.  He  says  that 
the  deportation  at  the  downfall  of  Samaria  occurred  240  years  and  7  months  after  the  revolt 
iiiulcr  Kehoboum.  His  numerals  are  certainly  not  correct  for  that  final  deporlalion,  but  they  are 
80  explicit  as  to  suggest  that  they  may  be  historical  :  ami  so  the  question  suirgesls  itself  whether 
they  may  refer  to  some  earlier  deportation.  The  events  of  the  time  of  .Menahem  are  loo  early. 
If  we  fcillow  the  chionology  of  I'ssher,  the  date  of  Josephus  might  coincide  with  the  later  de- 
portation of  the  time  of  Aha/.  ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  the  best  supported  conjecture  is  that, 
while  Tiglath  pileser  was  operating  at  Arpad,  an  expedition  was  made,  in  his  Brd  year,  to  the 
ea^t  of  the  Jonlan. 

X  See  Ant.  IX.  xi.  3  He  savs  further  that  this  was  115  years  before  the  downfall  of  Nineveh. 
This  would  date  the  final  o.erihrow  of  Xiueveh,  G29-624  B.C.     The  date  of  this  event  must  still 


734 

249 

733 

350 

733 

351 

TO   THE  EXILE.  51 

B.C.       A.Di. 

739        344        17th  y.  of  Pekah  ;  16lh  y.  of  Jotham  ;  his  death  ;  accessioo  of  Abaz  (3  Ki.  xvi. 

1,3). 

738        345        1st  y.  of  Ahaz. 

Rezin  and  Pekah  again  operate  against  Jiidah  (3  Chron.  xxviii.  1-15,  3  Ki.  xvi. 

5  sq.,  Isa.  vii.  sq.)  ;  Philistine  and  Edomite  invasion  (3  Chron.  xxviii.  17,  18)  ; 

Ahaz  seeks  help  from  Tiglathpileser. 
Oded(3  Chron.  xxviii.  9). 
Tiglatli  pileser  captures  towns  in  northern  Palestine,  deporting  many  people  (3  Ki. 

XV.  39) ;  Ahaz  becomes  tributary.* 

736  347  30th  y.  of  Pekah  ;  30th  y.  of  .Jotham,  counting  from  his  accession  ;  Pekah  smitten 
by  Hoshea,  who  succeeds  him  (3  Ki.  xv.  30). 

Tiglath-pileser  in  Palestine  (Eponym  canon). 

Tiglath-pileser  in  Damascus  (Ep.  can.). 

Tiglath-pileser  in  Damascus  (Ep.  can.). 

Within  these  years  the  visit  of  Ahaz  to  Damascus  (3  Ki.  xvi.  10  sq.,  3  Chron. 
xxviii.  23)  ;  the  march  upon  .Jerusalem  (Isa.  x.  28  sq.)  ;  the  uttering  of  the 
fourth  prophecy  of  Isaiah  (vii.-xii.).  though  this  incorporates  earlier  proph- 
ecies ;  also,  conquest  of  Philistia  by  Tiglath-pileser. 

Tiglathpileser — Porus— reigns  with  Khinziros  in  Babylonia  (Ptolemy's  canon).f 

1st  y.  of  Tiglath-pileser  in  Babylon  (Bab.  Chron,). 

18th  y.  of  Tiglath-pileser  ;  his  death  ;  accession  of  Shalraaneser  IV.;  12th  y.  of 

Ahaz  ;  accession  of  Hoshea  (2  Ki.  xvii.  1).| 
1st  y.  of  Shalmaneser  ;  §  1st  y.  of  Hoshea. 

Close  of  3rd  y.  of  Hoshea  ;  16th  y.  of  Ahaz  ;  his  death  ;  1st  y.  of  Hezekiah  (3  Ki. 
xvi.  1,  2,  xviii.  1,  2)  :  the  "  burden"  of  Isa.  xiv.  28. 

723        261        1st  y.  of  Hezekiah,  as  difTcrently  counted  ;  he  begins  to  repair  the  temple  (2  Chron 
xxix.   3)  :   5th   y.   of   Shalmaneser,   and   accession   of  Sargon,   as  commonly 
counted  ;  Sargon  captures  Samaria,  and  reimposes  the  tribute. 
Latest  prophecies  of  Hosea  (xi.-xiv. ). 

731        363        1st  y.  of  Sargon  ;  1st  y.  of  Merodach-baladan  in  Babylonia. 

720  263  2nd  y.  of  Sargon  ;  4th  y.  of  Hezekiah  ;  7th  y.  of  Hoshea  :  Samaria,  Damascus, 
Hamath,  and  others  in  alliance  with  Sebek  of  Egypt  (So)  against  Assyria  ; 
Sargon's  victory  at  Raphia  ;  Samaria  besieged  (2  Ki.  xvii.  1  sq.,  xviii.  9sq., 
and  records  of  Sargon). || 

be  regarded  as  uncertain,  though  there  is  a  strong  trend  of  opinion  in  favor  of  the  idea  that 
Nineveh  perished  about  608  B.C.  (q.v.).  p\irther.  Nahum  iii.  8-10  is  regarded  as  an  allusion  to 
the  sack  of  Thebes  by  Assurbani-pal,  664  B.C.,  showing  that  Nahum  prophesied  later  than  that 
event. 

*  This  seems  to  be  the  campaign  described  in  the  two  mutilated  inscriptions  given  in  Smith's 
Assi/riiiii  Discoveriex,  pages  284-86,  cited  from  Layard,  pace  66,  and  Rawlinson  iii.  10.  2. 
Tiglath  pileser  captured  Gaza  and  made  conquests  toward  Egypt  and  in  Arabia,  as  well  as  to 
the  north.  In  both  inscriptions  lie  mentions  Pekah,  but  what  he  says  of  him  has  been  obliter- 
ated.    He  says  that  he  appointed  Hoshea  to  succeed  Pekah. 

f  He  liad  virtually  been  sovereign  in  Babylonia  from  the  very  beginning  of  his  reisjn  in  Assyria. 

i  Possibly  lie  had  reigned  as  Assyrian  governor  from  the  time  of  his  appointment  ai  the  death 
of  Pekah,  but  now  assumed  the  style  of  king,  on  learning  of  the  death  of  'Tiglathpileser. 

§  Shalmaneser  was  also  kinsr  of  B.abylon,  under  the  name  of  Iluloeus. 

li  One  Assyrian  inscription  (Smitli'.s  Asu/irinn  Biscoverii's.  chap,  xv.,  and  Schrader)  counts  B.C. 
719  as  the  first  year  of  Sargon,  instead  of  B.C.  721.  On  the  face  of  it  this  appears  to  sive  the 
years  721  and  720  to  Shalmaneser.  Perhaps  the  same  way  of  counting  is  followed  in  2  Ki.  xviii. 
9,  where  Ihe  siege  of  Samaria  is  said  to  have  begun  in  the  reign  of  Shiilmaneser.  Against  this 
is  the  statement  of  Ihe  Babylonian  chronicle  that  Shalmaneser  died  in  his  olh  year  ;  but  if  the 
chronicler  made  a  mistake  here,  it  is  a  mistake  easily  accounted  for. 


731 

353 

728 

355 

727 

256 

726 

257 

723 

260 

709 

274 

705 

278 

704 

279 

701 

283 

52  SECTIONS.     DATED  EVENTS  FROM  JEROBOAM 

B.C.        A.Di. 

718        2«5        9lh  y.  of  Hoshea  ;  Glli  y.  of  Ilczekiah  ;  Samaria  taken  after  3  years'  siege.* 

At  various  times  from  his  3r<l  to  Ills  10th  y.  Sargon  speaks  of  the  deportation  aud 
importation  of  inhabitants  for  these  regions,  in  some  cases  mentioning  Samaria. 

Hezckiah  rebels  ;  smites  the  Philistines  (2  Ki.  xviii.  7,  8). 

711        272        llth  y.  of  Sargon  ;  his  expedition  to  Ashdod  (Afsyr.  records  and  Isa.  xx.). 

710  273  14th  y.  of  Hezekinh  ;  Sennacherib's  tjrst  invasion  of  .Iiidah  (2  Ki.  xviii.  13-16, 
Isa.  xxxvi.  1) ;  Hezckiah's  illness  (2  Ki.  xx.  G) ;  ambassadors  of  Merodach- 
balaiian  (2  Ki.  xx.  12  sq.)  ;  Sargon  subdues  Jlerodach-ljaladan. 

1st  y.  of  Sargon  as  king  of  Babylon,  l)cing  his  13lh  as  king  of  Assyria. 

ITlli  y.  of  Sargon  ;  liis  death  ;  accession  of- Sennacherib  ;  Manasseh  born  (2  Ki. 
xxi.  1). 

1st  y.  of  Sennacherib. 

Sennacherib's  second  invasion  of  Judah  ;  4th  y.  of  Sennacherib  ;  battle  of  Ellekeh 
(Assyr.  records,  2  Ki.  xviii.  17  sq.,  Isa.  xxxvi.  2  sq.) ;  23rd  y.  of  Hczekiah. 

700  283  5lh  y.  of  Sennacherib  ;  3rd  y.  of  Bel-ibnl  of  Babylon  ;  Sennacherib  devastates 
Accad,  and  jilaces  his  sou  Assur-nadin-suma  on  the  throne  at  Babylon. 

699  284  6th  j-.  of  Sennaclicrib  ;  1st  y.  of  Assur-nadinsuma  ;  Sennacherib  operating  in  the 
Nipur  mountains  ;  the  Assyrian  forces  withdrawn  from  Palestine,  so  as  to  make 
the  resumption  of  asriculture  possible  (2  Ki.  xix.  29). 

698  285  7th  y.  of  Sennacherib  ;  he  operates  against  Elam,  and  subdues  a  revolt  in  Baby- 
lonia. 

697  286  8th  y.  of  Sennacherib  ;  3rd  y.  of  Assur-nadin-suma  ;  Sennacherib  operates  against 
Elam  ;  is  compelled  by  a  terrible  storm  to  return  to  Nineveh. 

696  287  9th  y.  of  Sennacherib  ;  he  puts  down  a  formidable  revolt  in  Babylonia,  Elam 
assisting  the  rebels,  f 

Isaiah.     The  bulk  of  his  prophecies  belong  to  ITezekiah's  time. 


*  .losephus  says  (Ant.  IX.  xiv.  1)  that  the  capture  was  the  7th  y.  of  Hezekiah.  Perhaps  this 
indicates  that  it  occurred  just  at  the  close  of  the  6th  and  the  beginning  of  the  7th — that  is,  as  we 
now  cnuiit,  March,  717  B.C. 

Tlic  date  in  Ihe  marginal  Bibles  is  721  B.C.  Tliis  has  misled  scholars  very  generally  into 
identifying  this  tinal  capture  with  tlie  capture  by  Sargon,  B.C.  722.  But  this  is  uuteual)le.  As 
Sargon  expressly  tolls  us.  that  capture  of  Samaria  was  not  final.  It  was  before  the  entanglement 
with  the  Egyptian  king,  and  not  after. 

It  is  pnssilile  to  understand  Isa.  vii.  8  as  affirming  that  when  the  year  65  arrives  (for  the  con- 
struction of  tlie  numeral  cf.  Gen.  xiv.  4.  5)  Epliiaim  will  be  broken.  Is  it  possilile  that  ihe 
propliet  means  the  year  2(55  of  the  disruption  '!  His  counting  from  that  era  is  perhaps  paralleled 
in  2  Cliion.  xv.  19,  xvi.  1.  and  Ezck.  iv.  5.  Ilis  saying  "sixty-live"  for  "  two  hundred  sixty- 
five"  is  analogous  to  our  own  current  u.sages,  and  to  the  .lewish  distinction  between  Ilieir  "  great 
chronology"  and  "small  chronology"  (Milcbell's  Ges.  Grammar,  sec.  5,  note).  The  current 
explanation  of  this  numeral  is  by  noticing  the  fact  that  the  (ioth  year  from  the  time  when  the 
prophet  spoke  would  fall  within  the  reign  of  E.sar-haddon,  and  then  assuming  that  the  political 
power  of  Samaria  was  not  broken  till  then  ;  but  this  is  hardly  consi>tent  with  either  the  biblical 
or  the  Assyrian  accounts. 

.losephus  savs  (A'lt.  X.  ix.  7)  that  the  carrying  away  of  .Indah.  which  he  dates  the  ISth  year 
of  Nebuchadnezzar,  A.Di.  396,  was  130^  j'ears  after  that  of  the  ten  tril'es.  This  contradicts  his 
own  date,  A.Di.  241,  for  the  deportation  of  the  ten  tribes,  and  exactly  fits  the  date  2(i.")  A.Di. 

f  These  are  the  dales  as  given  by  Sennacherib.  They  are  conirailictcd  in  .snme  details,  but  in 
the  main  confirmed  bv  other  recorils  of  Sciuiacherib.  anil  by  Ihe  Babylonian  Chionicle. 

.lehovah's  <leliverau(e  of  .ludah  was  not  accdinplisheil.  as  manv  have  inlened  from  2  Ki.  xix. 
35,  by  a  sudden  lart;(,'  deslruetion  of  .\ssyrians  in  Pahsliiu',  tlie  iiiiilit  after  the  pro|)het  gave  his 
message.  "  That  night"  is  the  night  when  .Ii hoviih  exeiuted  judgment  on  Sennacherib,  whether 
just  after  the  prophet  spoke  or  years  later.  Tiie  jiliiee  of  the  juclument  may  have  been  Palestine, 
or  may  ha.e  been  any  other  region  of  the  earth.  The  blow  of  .lehovah's  angel  may  have  fallen 
in  the  fi'rm  of  a  pestilence,  or  in  that  of  a  desert  wiiiil,  or  a  mountain  storm,  or  in  some  other 
form.     That  the  actual  rescue  was  to  take  two  years  appears  from  2  Ki.  xix.  29. 


676 

307 

675 

308 

674 

309 

671 

312 

668 

315 

TO   THE  EXILE.  53 

B.C.        A  Di. 

6y5  388  29th  y.  of  IlezeUiah  ;  his  death  ;  accession  of  Manasseh  (3  Ki.  xviii.  1,  3,  xx.  31) ; 
10th  y.  of  Sennacherib. 

694  289  1st  y.  of  Manasseh  ;  11th  y.  of  Sennacherib  ;  6th  y.  of  Assur-nadin-suma  ;  tlie 
Elamiles  carried  him  caplipe  and  made  Nergalyuezib  king  at  Babylon. 

693        390        12th  y.  of  Sennacherib  ;  he  again  conquers  Babylon,  and  devastates  Elam. 

681  303  24th  y.  of  Sennacherib  ;  slain  by  his  son,  the  24th  day  of  the  10th  month  ;  insur- 
rection in  Assjria  till  the  2nd  day  of  the  13th  month  (Bab.  Chron.,  cf.  2  Ki.  xix. 
37)  ;  nominal  accession  of  Ksar-haddon. 

680  303  Actual  accession  of  Bsar-haddon,  8lh  day  of  3rd  month  (Bab.  Chron.) ;  his  1st  y. ; 
expedition  to  Chaldsea  ;  1st  y.  of  £sar-haddon  as  king  of  Babylon  (loth  y.  of 
Manasseh). 

Early  in  his  rei2;u  Esar-haddon  operated  against  Sidon  ;  in  undated  inscriptions 

he  claims  Manasseh  of  Judah  and  all  the  neighboring  kings  as  tributary. 
Isaiah  still  living  (Isa.  xxxvii.  38,  cf.  2  Chron.  xxxii.  33)  ;  ?  his  martyrdom.  (?) 
5th  y.  of  Esar-haddon  ;  Sidon  finally  subdued  (Bab.  Chron.). 

6th  y.  of  Esar-haddon  ;  campaign  in  Egypt  (Bab.   Chron.) ;  As.sur-banipal  asso- 
ciated with  him  as  king.  (?) 

7th  y.  of  Esar-haddon  ;  campaign  in  Egypt  ;  the  gods  of  Accad  move  from  Elam 
to  the  city  of  Accad. 

10th  y.  of  Esar-haddon  ;    severe  and  decisive  fighting  in  Egypt  ;  captivitj'  of 
Manasseh  (see  B.C.  648).  ? 

13th  y.  of  Esar  haddon  ;  his  death  ;  accession  of  his  two  sons  :  Saulsuma-yukina 
in  Babylon,  and  Assurbani-pal  in  Assyria  (Bab.  Chron.,  -which,  however,  gives 
but  12  years  to  Esar-haddon)  ;  the  gods  of  Accad  move  from  the  city  of  Assur 
to  Babylon  ;  expedition  of  Assurbani-pal  to  Egypt  ;  tribute  from  Judah  and 
21  other  kingdoms  on  the  way  ;  he  captures  Thebes. 
Revolt  in  Egypt,  headed  by  Tirhakah. 
664        319        Tirhakah 's  death  (Apis-stelse,  Sohrader  on  Nah.  iii.  8). 

Assur-bani-pal's  second  expedition  ;  submission  of  Egypt  and  Ethiopia  ;  sack  of 
Thebes  (Nah.  iii.  8).  ? 

His  fifth  expedition — sixth,  according  to  some  documents — campaign  in  Elam  ; 

general  rebellion,  fomented  by  Saul-suma-yukina,  and  including  the  peoples  of 

Syria  and  the  seacoast. 
648        335        30th  y.  of  Saul-suma-yukina  ;    Assur-bani-pal's  sixth— or  seventh— expedition  ; 

terrible  siege  of  Babylon  by  him  ;  Saul-suma-yukina  dies  by  tire  :  Manasseh  of 

Judah  carried  to  Babylon  by  the  captains  of  the  king  of  Assyria  (2  Chrou. 

xxxiii.  11).  ?  * 
In  his  seventh  and  eighth  expeditions  Assur-bani-pal  took  vengeance  on  the  allies 

of  his  brother,  especially  on  Elam  ;  and  in  his  ninth,  his  vengeance  reached 

Arabia  and  the  peoples  of  the  seacoast. 
Manasseh's  return  and  reformation  (3  Chron.  xxxiii.  13  sq.). 
645        338        Josiah  born(3  Ki.  xxii.  1). 

Nahum.  (?)    But  see  foot-note  before  B.C.  739. 

The  facts  seem  to  be  these.  What  Sennacherib  proposed  was  the  deportation  of  Judah  (3  Ki. 
xviii.  31,  32).  He  was  diverted  from  the  altack  on  Jerusalem  by  the  approach  of  Tirhakah  (xix. 
9).  Then  tlie  news  reached  him  of  the  uprisings  in  the  east,  and  he  was  ol)llged  to  return  to 
Nineveh,  and  was  never  able  to  lenew  his  attempt  to  deport  Judab,  though  when  he  returned  to 
Nineveh  he  received  a  heavy  fine  from  Hezekiah. 

*  Or,  Manasseh  may  have  been  carried  to  Babylon  at  any  time  during  Esarhaddon's  reign  ; 
or  in  the  time  of  Assur  bnni-pal's  ninth  expedition,  when  lie  look  vengeance  on  the  iieoples  of 
the  seacoast.  But,  probably,  the  larger  part  of  Manasseh's  reign— the  bad  part  of  it— was  before 
he  was  carried  away  ;  and,  probably,  he  was  not  kept  captive  many  years. 


B.C. 

A.Dl. 

640 

343 

689 

344 

688 

345 

683 

351 

631 

352 

630 

853 

627 

856 

626 

357 

625 

358 

621 

862 

617 

366 

616 

368 

608 

875 

607 

376 

605 

378 

54  SECTION  S.     DATED  EVENTS  FROM  JEROBOAM 

55th  y.  of  Manasscli  ;  his  death  ;  accession  of  Amon  (2  Ki.  xxi.  ],  18). 

Ist  y.  of  Amon. 

2nd  y.  of  Amon  ;  liis  death  ;  accession  and  1st  y.  of  Josiah  (2  Ki.  xxi.  19,  26).* 

ZEPn.\NI.\H.  (?) 

Jehoialiim  born  (2  Ki.  xxiii.  36). 

8th  y.  of  .losiah  (2  Chron.  xxxiv.  8). 

Jehoahaz  born  (2  Ki.  xxiii.  31). 

12th  y.  of  Josiah  (2  Chron.  xxxiv.  3)  ;  reform  begun. 

13th  y.  of  Josiah  ;  Jeremiah  begins  propliesying  (Jer.  i.  2,  xxv.  3,  1) ;  accession 
of  Nabopolassar  in  Babylon. 

1st  y.  of  Nabopolassar. 

18th  y.  of  Josiah  ;  his  great  passover  and  reformation  ;  finding  of  tlic  book  of  llie 
law  ;  overthrow  of  the  altar  at  Bethel  (2  Ki.  xxii.  3  sq.,  2  Chron.  xxxiv.  8  sq.).f 

Zedekiah  born  (2  Ki.  xxiv.  18). 

Jchoiachin  born  (2  Ki.  xxiv.  8).| 

31st  y.  of  Josiah  (2  Ki.  xxii.  1) ;  his  death  4  Jehoahaz  3  months  ;  accession  of 

Jehoiakim. 
1st  y.  of  Jehoiakim. 

21st  y.  of  Nabopolassar  ;  his  death  ;  accession  of  Nebuchadnezzar  ;  .Tehoiakim 
becomes  his  servant  (2  Ki.  xxiv.  1)  ;  Daniel  and  others  carried  into  exile  (Dan. 
1.  1)  ;  beginning  of  the  70  years  of  exile. 

604  379  1st  y.  of  Nebuchadnezzar  ;  4th  y.  of  Jehoiakim  ;  23rd  y.  of  the  prophesying  of 
Jeremiah  (Jer.  xxv.  1,  3,  xlvi.  1,  2,  Jos.  Anl.  X.  vi.  1)  ;  Nebuchadnezzar  wins 
the  decisive  battle  of  Carchemish  ;  B.^Riicn  writes  a  book  of  Jeremi.\ii'8 
prophecies,  and  reads  it  publicly  (Jer.  xxxvi.  1  sq.,  xlv.  1  sq.). 

603  380  5th  y.  of  Jehoiakim  ;  Baruch  again  reads  his  book,  which  is  destroyed  by  the 
king,  and  afterward  rewritten  (Jer.  xxxvi.)  ;  Jehoiakim,  having  served  Nebu- 
chadnezzar 3  years,  rebels  (2  Ki.  xxiv.  1,  Jos.  Ant.  X.  vi.  2)  ;  Daniel  expounds 
Nebuchadnezzar's  dream  (Dan.  ii.  1,  i.  5,  18). 

600  383  8th  y.  of  Jehoiakim,  following  4th  y.  of  Nebuchadnezzar  ;  Jehoiakim,  frightened 
back  to  allegiance,  pays  tribute  two  years,  but  revolts  tlie  third  (Jos.  Ant.  X. 
vi.  1,  and  1st  sentence  of  2). 

598        385        7th  y.  of  Nebuchadnezzar  ;  3023  persons  deported  (.Jer.  Hi.  28). 

597        386        11th  y.  of  Jehoiakim  ;  8th  y.  of  Nebuchadnezzar  :  Jehoiakim  slain  ;  short  reign 
of  Jchoiachin  ;  accession  of  Zedekiali  ;  the  great  deportation  to  Babylon  (2  Ki. 
xxiv.  6-16,  etc.). 
Jeremiah's  letter  (Jer.  xxix.). 
His  prophecy  concerning  Elam  (xlix.  34-39). 

593        390        4th  y.  of  Zedeldah  ;  Hananiah's  case  (Jer.  xxvii.-xxviii.) ;  Zedekiah's  special  act 

*  At  this  point  there  are  no  checking  numbers,  and  so  it  would  be  pos.sible  to  assign  cither  a 
year  more  or  a  year  less  of  actual  time  to  the  reign  of  Amon.  I  liavc,  on  the  whole,  preferred 
the  mean,  especially  as  it  fits  well  with  the  long  number  at  A.Di.  302. 

f  Jo«ephus  .«ays  that  this  was  361  years  after  Jadon's  prophecy  of  the  overthrow  of  this  altar 
{Ant.  X.  iv.  4).  This  exactly  fits  the  present  scheme  of  the  chronology,  and  tits  none  of  the 
others. 

X  Ten  years  later,  according  to  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  9. 

X  Josiah  died  liy  a  wound  received  in  battle  with  Necho  of  Kgypt.  Josephus  says  {Ant.  X. 
V.  1)  that  Necho  was  on  his  way  to  fight  the  Medes  and  Balivloiiians,  who  had  overthrown 
Assyria  ;  but  according  to  2  Ki.  xxiii.  29,  he  was  going  against  the  king  of  Assyria 


590 

393 

588 

395 

587 

396 

582 

401 

573 

410 

570 

413 

568 

415 

562 

421 

561 

433 

539 

444 

533 

445 

TO   THE  EXILE.  55 

B.C.        A.Di. 

of  homage  (Jer.  li.  59) ;  Jeremiah  prophesying  against  Babylon  (Jer.  1.  aud  li., 
especially  li.  60)  ;  5lh  y.  of  Jehoiachin's  e.xile  ;  Ezekiel  i.-cii.  (i.  2.)* 

591         392        6th  y.  of  Zedekiah,  last  lialf ;  Ezekiel  viii.-xix.  (viii.  1)  ;  Zedekiah's  perjury  and 
rebellion  (Ezek.  xvii.  12-21,  cf.  2  Ki.  and  2  Chrun.). 

7th  y.  of  Zedekiah  (Ezek.  xx.  1). 

9th  y.  of  Zedekiah  ;  Jerusalem  invested  ;  Ezekiel  xxiv.,  xxv. 

10th  y.  of  Zedekiah  ;  18th  y.  of  Nebuchadnezzar  ;f  833  persons  deported  (Jer.  lii. 

39) ;  ineffectual  Egyptian  interference  (Jer.  xxxvii.)  ;  Egypt  denounced  (Ezek. 

xxix.)  ;  fiery  furnace  (Sept.  of  Dan.  iii.  1). 
586        397        11th  y.  of  Zedekiah  ;  19th  y.  of  Nebuchadnezzar  ;  Jerusalem  taken  and  burned 

(2   Ki.   XXV.,   etc.) ;   Gedaliah  governor ;    flight  into  Egypt  (Jer.    xl.-xliv.) ; 

Ezekiel  xxvi.-xxviii.,  xxx.,  xxxi.,  xxxiii.  21-xxxvii. 
23rd  y.  of  Nebuchadnezzar  ;  745  persons  deported  (Jer.  lii.  30)  ;  Josephus  says 

{Ant.  X.  ix.  7)  that  Nebuchadnezzar  invaded  Egypt. 
25th  y.  of  "  our  exile"  ;  14th  y.  after  destruction  of  Jerusalem  ;  Ezekiel's  visions 

of  the  restored  Israel  (xl.  1). 
27th  of  Zedekiah  (Ezek.  xxix.  17) ;  Egypt  promised  to  Nebuchadnezzar. 
37th  y.  of  Nebuchadnezzar  ;  ho  invades  Egypt. 
43rd  y.  of  Nebuchadnezzar  ;  his  death  ;  accession  of  Evil-merodach. 
1st  y.  of  Evil-merodach  ;  37th  y.  of  the  exile  of  Jehoiaohin  ;  just  at  the  close  of 

the  year,  Jehoiachin  released  and  honored  (2  Ki.  xxv.  37-30,  Jer.  lii.  31-34).} 
Accession  year  of  Cyrus  in  Babylon. 
1st  y.  of  C3'rus  ;  proclamation  of  return. 


*  The  year  of  "  our  captivity"  or  the  year  of  Jehoiachin's  captivity  is  five  times  mentioned  : 
2  Ki.  xxv.  27,  Jer.  lii.  31,  and  Ezek.  i.  3,  xxxiii.  31,  xl.  1.  In  four  of  these  instances,  and  tliere- 
fore  in  the  fifth  also,  the  count  is  made  from  the  11th  year  of  Jehoiakim,  the  year  iu  which  the 
exile  of  Jehoiachin  began.  But  I  assume  that  all  ihe  other  numerals  in  Ezekiel  count  from  the 
first  year  of  Zedekiah.  For  instance,  compare  Ezek.  xxiv.  1  with  3  Ki.  xxv.  1,  or  Ezek.  xxvl.  1 
with  3  Ki.  xxv.  3. 

The  "  thirtieth  year"  of  Ezek.  i  1  coincides  with  the  thirtieth  from  Josiah's  great  reforma- 
tion. The  390  of  Ezek.  iv.  5  coincides  with  the  number  of  years  from  the  disruption.  Whether 
these  coincidences  are  significant  or  not,  it  is  not  so  easy  to  match  them  with  a  coincidence  for 
the  40  of  Ezek.  iv.  6. 

t  Josephus  not  very  consistently  says  that  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  occurred  the  18th  year 
of  Nebuchadnezzar.  But  he  makes  this  the  basis  of  certain  long  numbers  that  have  no  small 
importance.  The  destruction,  let  us  remember,  occurred  in  the  middle  of  the  year.  Josephus 
says  (Ant.  X.  ix.  7)  it  was  130J  years  after  the  destruction  of  Samaria.  Subtract  130^  from 
3951,  and  we  have  265  A.Di.  for  the  destruction  of  Samaria.  This  is  the  date  I  have  found  for 
it  above. 

He  says  {Ant.  X.  viii.  5)  that  the  temple  was  destroyed  470^^  years  after  it  was  built.  But  he 
says  that  Solomon  reigned  80  years  (Ant.  VIII.  vii.  8),  whence  it  follows  that  he  reigned  76 
years  after  founding  the  temple  in  his  fourth  year.  Add  76  to  395J,  and  we  have  471+,  which 
fits  the  470^  within  one  year. 

Again  he  say.s  that  the  monarchy  of  David's  dynasty  lasted  514^  years  (Ant,  X.  viii.  4).  Add 
the  40  years  oJE  David  and  the  first  4  years  of  Solomon  to  the  470^,  and  we  have  the  514^. 

To  the  514i  add  18  years  for  the  reign  of  Saul  during  tlie  lifetime  of  Samuel  (Ant.  VI.  xiv.  9), 
and  we  have  the  533i  years  (Ant.  XI.  iv.  8.  some  copies)  spoken  of  by  Josephus  as  the  entire 
duration  of  the  kingdom. 

With  this  compare  the  notes  at  A.Di.  241,  365,  363,  390.  In  arguing  from  these  "  long  ntmi- 
hers"  to  confirm  my  conclusions  as  to  the  chronology,  I  build  nothing  on  any  assumption  that 
Josephus  is  trustworthy  in  these  matters  ;  for  the  contexis  of  the  passages  cited  abundantly 
prove  that  our  present  copies  of  Josephus  are  not  trustworthy  in  their  chronological  data.  Ap- 
parently he  had  access  to  some  trustworthy  numerals,  and  to  some  that  were  not  trustworthy, 
and  used  them  without  discrimination.  In  these  circumstances  I  allege  nothing  more  than  that 
the  coincidences  of  these  data  among  themselves,  and  their  coincidences  with  data  obtained  from 
other  sources,  constitute  evidence  of  no  inconsiderable  value  iu  favor  of  the  coiuciiiing  data. 

X  But  both  in  Jeremiah  and  in  Kings  this  is  said  to  have  occurred,  apparently,  in  the  accession 
year  of  Evil-merodach.  Perhaps,  therefore,  we  ouL'ht  lo  date  it  a  year  earlier,  so  near  the  close 
of  the  36lh  year  of  his  exile  that  it  is  counted  from  the  beginning  of  the  37th  year.  By  our  cur- 
rent style  of  counting,  that  would  be  just  before  Easter,  B.C.  561. 


5(i 


HE  VOLT  OF  THE  TEN  TRIBES. 


Section  4. 

REVOLT   OF   TIIK  TEN  TKIBKS,   ANU   DIVISION  OF  THE  KINGDOM. 


1  KrKGS  12  :  1-20. 

1  And  Rehoboam  went  to  Shechem  :  for  all 
Israel  were  come  to  Sheeliem  to  make  him 

2  king.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  .Jeroboam 
the  son  of  Nebat  heard  of  it,  (for  lie  was  yet  in 
Egypt,  whitlier  he  had  fled  from  the  pres- 
ence of  king  Solomon,  and  Jeroboam  dwelt 
in  Egypt,  and  they  sent  and  called  him  -,) 

3  that  Jerot)oam  .and  all  the  congregation  of 
Israel  came,   and   spake    unto    Kehoboam, 

4  saying,  Thy  father  made  our  yoke  griev- 
ous :  now  therefore  make  thou  the  grievous 
service  of  thy  father,  and  his  heavy  yoke 
which  he  put  upon  us.  lighter,  and  we  will 

5  serve  thee.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Dejiart 
yet  for  three  days,  then  come  again  to  me. 

6  And  the  people  departed.  And  king  Keho- 
boam took  counsel  with  th(;  old  men,  that 
had  stood  before  Solomon  his  father  wliile 
he  yet  lived,  saying.  What  counsel  give  ye 

7  me  to  return  answc'r  to  this  people  ?  And 
they  spake  unto  him,  saying.  If  thou  wilt 
be  a  servant  unto  this  people  this  day,  and 
wilt  serve  them,  and  answer  them,  and 
speak  good  words  to  them,  then  they  will 

8  be  thy  servants  for  ever.  But  he  forsook 
the  counsel  of  the  old  men  which  they  had 
given  him,  and  took  counsel  with  the  young 
men  that  were  grown  up  with  him.  that 

9  stood  before  him.  And  he  said  unto  them. 
What  counsel  give  ye,  that  we  may  return 
answer  to  this  people,  who  have  spoken  to 
me,  saying.  Make  the  yoke  that  thy  father 

10  did  ])ut  upon  us  lighter  ?  And  the  young 
men  that  were  grown  up  with  him  sjiake 
unto  him,  saying.  Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto 
this  people  that  spake  unto  thee,  saying. 
Thy  father  made  our  j'oke  heavy,  bvit  make 
thou  it  lighter  unto  us  ;  thus  shalt  thou 
speak  unto  them,  Jly  little  finger  is  thicker 

11  than  my  father's  loins.  And  now  wheresis 
my  father  did  lade  you  with  a  heavy  yoke, 
1  will  adil  to  your  yoke  :  my  father  chas- 
tised you  with  whips,  but  I  will  chastise 

12  you  with  scorpions.  So  .leroboam  and  all 
the  people  came  to  Reholioam  the  thini 
day,  as  the  king  bade,  saying.  Come  to  me 

13  again  the  thini  day.  And  the  king  an- 
swered the  peoi)le  roughly,  and  forsoolc  the 
counsel   of    the    old    men    wliicli    they    had 

14  given  him  ;    and  spake  to  them  after  the 


3  Chronici.kr  10  :  1-19. 

1  And  Rehoboam  went  to  Shechem  :  for 
all  Israel  were  come  to  Shechem  to  make 

2  him  king.  And  it  came  to  pa.ss,  when  Je- 
roboam the  son  of  Nebat  heard  of  it.  (for  he 
was  in  Egypt,  whither  he  had  fled  from  the 
presence  of  king  Solomon,)  that  Jerolioam 

3  returne<l  out  of  Egypt.  And  they  sent  and 
called  him  ;  and  Jeroboam  and  all  Israel 
came,  and  they  spake  to  Rehoboam,  saying, 

4  Thy  father  made  our  yoke  grievous  ;  now 
therefore  make  thou  the  grievous  service  of 
thy  father,  and  his  heavy  yoke  which  he 
put  upon   us,   lighter,   and  we  will   serve 

5  thee.  And  he  said  unto  them.  Come  again 
unto  me  after  three  days.     And  the  people 

6  deiiarted.  And  king  Rehoboam  took  coun- 
sel with  the  old  men.  that  had  stood  before 
Solomon  his  father  wtiile  he  yet  lived,  say- 
ing. What  counsel  give  ye  me  to  return  an- 

7  swer  to  this  people  ?  And  they  spake  unto 
him,  saying.  If  thou  be  kind  to  this  people, 
and  please  them,  and  speak  gooti  words  to 
them,  then  they  will  be  thy  servants  for 

8  ever.  Rut  he  foreook  the  counsel  of  tlie  old 
men  which  they  had  given  him,  and  took 
counsel  witli  the  young  men  that  were 
grown  up  with  him,  that  stood  before  him. 

9  And  he  said  unto  them.  What  counsel  give 
3'e,  that  we  may  return  answer  to  this  peo- 
ple, who  have  spoken  to  me,  saying.  Make 
the  yoke  that  thj'  father  did  put  upon  us 

10  ligliter  ?  And  the  young  men  that  were 
grown  up  with  him  spake  unto  him,  saying. 
Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the  people  that 
spake  unto  thee,  saying.  Thy  fatlicr  made 
our  yoke  heavy,  but  make  thou  it  lighter 
unto  us  ;  thus  shalt  thou  saj"  unto  them. 
My  little  finger  is  Ihiiker  tlian  my  father's 

11  loins.  And  now  whereas  my  father  did  lade 
yon  with  a  heavy  yoke,  I  will  add  to  your 
yoke:  my  father  chastised  you  with  whips, 

12  but  I  irill  chdntim  you  with  scorjiions.  So 
Jeroboam  and  all  the  people  came  to  Reho- 
boam the  third  day,  as  the  king  bade,  say- 

13  ing.  Come  to  me  again  the  third  day.  And 
the  king  answered  them  roughly  ;  and  king 
R<'lioboam  foi-sook  the  counsel  of  the  old 

14  men,  and  spake  to  them  after  the  coiin.sel  of 
the  young  men,  saying.  My  father  made 
vour  voke   heavy,  tnU   I  will   add   thereto  : 


SEcriox 


DlVISIOy  OF  THE  KIXODOM. 


57 


counsel  of  the  young  men,  saying,  Mj  fa- 
ther made  your  yoke  heavy,  but.  I  will  add 
to  your  yoke  :  my  father  chastised  you  with 
whips,  but  I  will  chastise  you  with  scorpi- 

15  ons.  So  the  king  hearkened  not  unto  the 
people  ;  for  it  was  a  thing  brought  about  of 
the  Lord,  that  he  might  establish  his  word, 
which  the  Lord  spake  by  the  hand  of 
Ahijah  the  Shilonite  to  Jeroboam  the  son  of 

16  Nebat.  And  when  all  Israel  saw  that  the 
king  hearkened  not  unto  them,  the  people 
answered  the  king,  saying.  What  portion 
have  we  in  David  ?  neither  have  we  inher- 
itance in  the  son  of  Jesse  :  to  your  tents,  O  1 
Israel  ;  now  see  to  thine  own  house,  David. 

17  So  Israel  departed  unto  their  tents.  But  as 
for  the  children  of  Israel  which  dwelt  in  the 
cities  of  Judah,    Rehoboam    reigned   over 

18  them.  Then  king  Rehoboam  sent  Adoram, 
who  was  over  the  levy  ;  and  all  Israel 
stoned  him  with  stones,  that  he  died.  And 
king  Rehoboam  made  speed  to  get  him  up 

19  to   his   chariot,    to    flee   to  Jerusalem.     So 


my  father  chastised  you  with  whips,  but  I 

15  mil  chnxtise  ;/oii  with  scorpions.  So  the 
king  hearkened  not  unto  the  people  ;  for  it 
was  brought  about  of  God,  that  the  Lord 
might  establish  his  word,  which  he  spake 
by  the  hand  of  Ahijah  the  Shilonite  to  Jero- 

16  beam  the  son  of  Nebat.  And  when  all 
Israel  saw  that  the  king  hearkened  not  unto 
them,  the  people  answered  the  king,  say- 
ing. What  portion  have  we  in  David  ? 
neither  have  we  inheritance  in  the  son  of 
Jesse  :  every  man  to  your  tents,  O  Israel  : 
now  see  to  thine  own  house,  David.  So  all 
Israel  departed  unto  their  tents.  But  as  for 
the  children  of  Israel  that  dwelt  in  the  cities 
of  Judah,   Rehoboam   reigned   over  them. 

18  Then  king  Rehoboam  sent  Hadoram,  who 
was  over  the  levy  ;  and  the  children  of  Is- 
rael stoned  him  with  stones,  that  he  died. 
And  king  Rehoboam  made  speed  to  get  him 

19  up  to  his  chariot,  to  tlee  to  Jerusalem.  So 
Israel  rebelled  against  the  house  of  David, 
unto  this  day. 


Israel  rebelled  against  the  house  of  David, 
20  unto  this  day.     And  it  came  to  pass,  when  all  Israel  heard  that  Jeroboam  was  returned,  that 
they  sent  and  called  him  unto  the  congregation,  and  made  him  king  over  all  Israel  :  there 
was  none  that  followed  the  house  of  David,  btit  the  tribe  of  Judah  only. 


Hutoric  Outline.  After  Moses  and  Joshua, 
for  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  God  had 
maintained  a  special  personal  rule  over  the 
tribes  that  He  had  chosen  as  His  people.  Dur- 
ing this  period,  as  occasion  demanded,  from 
time  to  time  He  had  raised  up  special  deliver- 
era,  called  Judges.  Of  these  the  number  of 
recorded  names  is  fifteen.  Then,  at  the  peo- 
ple's solicitation,  God  had  given  them,  in  Saul, 
the  style  of  king  they  desired  ;  a  man  of 
kingly  presence  and  strong  character,  a  brave, 
sagacious  leader,  but  ruled  as  were  the  people 
by  a  selfish  worldly  spirit.  To  him  succeeded 
David,  who  was  God's  own  appointee  ;  a  com- 
plete warrior  and  organizer,  always  true  to 
God's  interests  in  his  kingly  administration, 
though  sometimes  false  to  his  own  through 
frailty  of  his  passionate  nature.  Upon  the 
death  of  Saul  a  spirit  of  hostility  had  arisen, 
between  Judah  and  Benjamin  on  the  south, 
and  the.other  ten  tribes  of  the  north.  Under 
the  judicious,  impartial  and  beneficent  rule  of 
David  this  hostile  spirit  wholly  disappeared  in 
a  new  feeling  of  national  unity.  But  to  sus- 
tain Solomon's  more  splendid  and  prosperous 
but  self-seeking  reign,  many  burdens  had  been 
laid  upon  the  northern  tribes.  The  old  dis- 
affection had  sprung  up  again,  and  secretly  ex- 
tended among  them  all. 


Now,  at  the  critical  moment  of  Solomon's 
death,  and  partly  as  a  consequence  of  Reho- 
boam's  infatuated  folly,  this  disaffection  breaks 
forth  into  successful  revolt.  And  the  kingdom 
of  Saul,  David,  and  Solomon,  that  had  lasted 
one  hundred  and  twenty  years,  is  dismembered 
into  two  kingdoms,  Israel  and  Judah.  Of  these, 
the  kingdom  of  Israel,  or  the  ten  tribes,  con- 
tinues two  hundred  and  fifty-four  years  under 
nineteen  or  twenty  kings  of  ten  different  fami- 
lies. Assyrian  conquerors  then  (731  B.C.)  car- 
ried away  the  ten  tribes  ;  and,  as  a  distinct 
people,  they  disappeared  from  history.  The 
kingdom  of  Judah  lasted  three  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  years  under  nineteen  or  twenty 
kings  of  the  family  of  David.  Removed  (587 
B.C.)  to  Babylon,  after  a  captivity  of  seventy 
years  they  were  restored  in  considerable  num- 
bers to  their  own  land.  This  historic  outline 
should  be  carefully  fixed  in  mind  as  a  prepara- 
tion for  the  intelligent  studj-  of  these  pages.    B. 

The  space  of  time  from  the  separation  of  the 
two  kingdoms  to  the  completion  of  the  captiv- 
ity of  Judah  is  about  four  centuries.  These 
centuries  constitute  a  period  second  in  impor- 
tance to  none  of  equal  length.  They  comprise 
the  great  development,  the  decadence  and  the 
fall  of  Assyria,  the  sudden  growth  of  Jledia 
and  Babylon,  the  Egyptian  revival  under  the 


58 


REVOLT  OF  THE  TEX  TlilBES. 


Psammotichl.  the  most  glorious  time  of  the 
Phoenician  ritics.  the  rise  of  Sparta  and  Athens 
to  pre-eminence  in  Greece,  the  foundation  of 
Carthage  and  of  Rome,  and  the  spread  of  civi- 
lization by  means  of  the  Greek  and  Phienieian 
colonies,  from  the  Palus  Mitotis  to  the  Pillars  of 
Flercules.  Moreover,  they  contain  within  them 
the  transition  time  of  most  jirofane  history,  the 
space  within  which  it  passes  from  the  dreamy 
cloud-land  of  myth  and  fable  into  the  sober  re- 
gion of  reality  and  fact,  and  assumes  the  char- 
acter of  authenticity  and  trustworthiness. 
Egypt,  Assyria,  Babylon,  Phoenicia,  Greece  vie 
with  each  other  in  offering  to  us  proofs  that  the 
Hebrew  records,  for  this  time,  contain  a  tru? 
and  authentic  accoimt  of  the  fortunes  of  the 
race  ;  and  instead  of  finding  merely  a  few- 
points  here  and  there  to  illustrate  from  profane 
sources,  we  shall  now  be  able  to  produce  con- 
firmatory proof  of  almost  every  important 
event  in  the  history.     G.  R. 

In  the  later  years  of  David's  reign,  when  the 
consciousness  and  the  consequences  of  the 
great  sin  of  his  life  had,  so  to  speak,  paralyzed 
the  strong  hand  which  held  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment, we  are  led  to  sec  how,  in  the  Providence 
of  God,  the  possibility  of  a  great  military 
world  monarchy  in  Israel — such  as  those  of 
heathen  antiquity — was  forever  frustrated. 
Another  era  began  with  Solomon  :  that  of 
peaceful  development  of  the  internal  resources 
of  the  country  ;  of  rapid  increase  of  prosperity; 
of  spread  of  culture  ;  and,  through  friendly  in- 
tercourse with  other  nations,  of  introduction  of 
foreign  ideas  and  foreign  civilization.  When 
it  is  remembered  that  the  building  of  the  Tem- 
ple preceded  the  legislation  of  Lycurgus  in 
■  Sparta  by  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  years, 
that  of  Solon  in  Athens  by  more  than  four 
hundred  years,  and  the  building  of  Rome  by 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  it  will  be 
perceived  that  the  kingdom  of  Solomon  pre- 
sented the  dim  possibility  of  the  intellectual,  if 
not  the  political  empire  of  the  world.  But,  in 
the  Providence  of  God,  any  such  prospect 
passed  away,  when,  after  only  eighty  years' 
duration,  the  Davidic  kingdom  was  rent  into 
two  rival  and  hostile  states.     A.  E. 

The  origin  of  this  separation  is  declared  to 
have  been  a  Divine  judgment  on  the  liouse  of 
David,  in  consequence  of  the  idolatrous  wor- 
ship introduced  by  the  foreign  wives  of  Solo- 
mon, and  criminally  permitted  or  partaken  of 
by  that  prince.  Had  this  offence  remained  un- 
punished, so  contagious  an  example  would 
have  probably  infected  the  whole  mass  of  the 
people,    who   would    thvis    have   irretrievably 


sunk  into  idolatry  and  vice  :  and  does  it  not 
appear  probable,  that  so  long  a-s  the  whole  na- 
tion continued  united  under  one  sovereign  this 
danger  might  frequently  recur?  Does  not  this 
division  of  the  people  under  two  monarehs  ap- 
pear, even  to  our  short  sighted  views,  not  only 
a  just  punishment  for  the  crimes  of  Solomon, 
but  the  most  probable  method  of  preventing 
that  iniirenal  apostasy  caused  by  similar  mis- 
conduct in  future,  which  might  have  entirely 
defeated  the  design  of  the  Jewish  dispensa- 
tion? Thus  we  must  consider  this  revolution 
in  its  first  origin  as  a  providential  dispensa- 
tion. Yet  it  was  not  brought  about  by  any 
resistless  operation  of  Divine  power  ;  human 
passions  and  human  agency  were,  in  appear- 
ance, its  only  effective  cau.se.  The  imiirudent 
and  tyrannical  answer  of  Rchoboam  to  the  de- 
mands of  the  Jewish  people  for  a  redress  of 
grievances  was  its  immediate  occasion  ;  but 
when  the  king  of  Judah  made  preparations  to 
reduce  the  revolted  tribes  the  Deity  interposed 
to  prevent  the  miseries  of  civil  war,  and  com- 
manded by  His  prophet :  "Ye  shall  not  go  up, 
nor  fight  against  your  brethren,  for  this  thing 
is  from  me."  Nor  should  it  be  forgotten  that 
tliis  schism  and  idolatry  of  the  ten  tribes  gave 
occasion  for  the  most  signal  displays  of  Divine 
power  and  the  most  emphatic  denunciations  and 
manifestations  of  Divine  justice,  in  the  correc- 
tion and  government  of  this  perverse  race  and 
their  guilty  monarehs.  The  miraculous  re- 
proof and  punishment  of  Jeroboam  himself, 
the  death  of  his  favorite  son,  the  utter  destruc- 
tion of  the  three  royal  houses  of  Jeroboam,  of 
Baasha,  and  of  Ahab,  all  foretold  by  the  proph- 
ets, afforded  awful  examples  of  the  Divine 
vengeance.  Among  these  ten  tribes,  also,  were 
exhibited  the  miracles  of  Elijah  and  Elisha  ; 
concerning  them  too  and  their  kings  were  pro- 
nounced some  of  the  most  distinguished  proph- 
ecies of  Amos.  Hosea.  and  Isaiah  ;  and  finally, 
after  a  series  of  striking  and  instructive  chas- 
tisements, God  executed  His  final  judgment  on 
this  deluded  and  corrupted  race,  for  He  "  re- 
moved Israel  out  of  His  sight  "  (2  K.  17  :  18). 
Nor  were  corresponding  effects  wanting  from 
this  schism  on  the  remaining  two  tribes  ;  for  it 
proved  the  most  powerful  means  of  preserving 
in  them  whatever  degree  of  attention  to  the 
Divine  law  subsisted  among  them.  It  nuule  it 
the  obvious  political  interest  of  the  kings  of 
Judah  to  adhere  with  strictness  to  the  law  of 
Jloses,  and  to  promote  its  observance  among 
their  subjects  ;  a  line  of  conduct  which  be- 
came the  boasted  distinction  of  these  kings, 
and   the   popular  topic  by    which  they  main- 


SECTION  J,.     DIVISION  OF  THE  KINGDOM. 


59 


tained  their  superiority  over  the  kings  of  Is- 
rael.    Graves. 

The  Books  of  Kings  and  Chronicles  form  the 
main  source  for  the  history  of  the  kings  of  Is- 
rael and  Judah.  They  require,  however,  to  be 
supplemented,  especially  for  the  later  kings, 
by  a  careful  study  of  the  prophetical  Scrip- 
tures, particularly  of  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Eze- 
kiel,  Hosea,  Amos,  Micah,  Habakkuk,  and 
Zephaniah.  Local  coloring,  the  life  and  man- 
ners of  the  time,  and  the  feelings  of  those  con- 
temporary with  the  events  described,  are  deriva- 
ble almost  wholly  from  this  latter  source,  which 
furnishes  them  often  in  tolerable  abundance. 

G.  R. The  history  contained  in  the  Kings 

and  Chronicles  is  not,  by  any  means,  a  mere 
civil  history,  for  it  keeps  always  in  view  its 
position  and  purport  as  a  part  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, and  therefore  dismisses  with  brevity  long 
reigns,  and  important  wars  and  conquests,  in 
order  to  give  prominence  to  the  moral  lessons 
and  admonitions  of  the  time,  and  to  the  relig- 
ious characteristics  and  tendencies  of  kings, 
nobles,  priests  and  people.     D.  F. 

The  separate  existence  of  the  two  kingdoms 
of  Israel  and  Judah  is  abundantly  confirmed  by 
the  Assyrian  inscriptions.  Kings  of  each 
country  occur  in  the  accounts  which  the  great 
Assyrian  monarchs  have  left  us  of  their  con- 
quests— the  names  being  always  capable  of 
easy  identification  with  those  recorded  in  Scrip- 
ture, and  occurring  in  the  chronological  order 
which  is  there  given.  The  Jewish  monarch 
bears  the  title  of  "  King  of  Judah."  while  his 
Israelitish  brother  is  designated  after  his  capi- 
tal city  ;  which,  though  in  the  earlier  times  not 
called  Samaria,  is  yet  unmistakably  indicated 
under  the  term  Bcth-Khumri,  "  the  house  or 
city  of  Omri,"  that  monarch  having  been  the 
original  founder  of  Samaria,  according  to  Scrip- 
ture.    G.  R. 

Here,  at  the  outset  of  the  separate  history  of 
the  kingdoms  of  Judah  and  Israel,  it  may  be 
well  to  take  a  general  view  of  the  relation  of 
these  two  divisions  of  the  Jewish  people  to  Je- 
hovah, their  King.  That  the  sin  of  Israel  was 
much  deeper,  and  their  apostasy  from  God 
much  sooner  and  more  fully  developed  than  in 
the  case  of  Judah,  appears  from  the  circum- 
stance, that  the  Divine  judgment  in  the  ban- 
ishment of  the  people  from  their  land  overtook 
Israel  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  years 
earlier  than  Judah.  Yet  at  first  sight  it  seems 
almost  strange  that  such  should  have  been  the 
case.  Altogether,  the  period  of  the  separate 
existence  of  the  two  kingdoms  (to  the  deporta- 
tion of  the  ten  tribes  under  Shalmaneser,  about 


722  B.C.)  extended  over  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
three  j'ears.  During  that  time,  thirteen  mon- 
arclis  reigned  over  Judah,  and  twenty  over 
Israel,  besides  two  periods  of  anarchj'  in  Israel. 
The  religious  history  of  the  ten  tribes  during 
th('se  two  and  a  half  centuries  may  be  written 
in  very  brief  compass.  Of  all  the  kings  of  Is- 
rael it  is  uniformly  said,  that  they  "  walked  in 
the  ways  of  Jeroboam,  the  son  of  Nebat,"  ex- 
cept of  Ahab  and  his  two  sons(Ahaziah  and  Je- 
horam),  under  whose  reigns  the  worship  of  Baal 
became  the  established  religion  of  the  country. 
It  follows  that  there  was  not  a  single  king  in 
Israel  who  really  served  the  Lord  or  worshipped 
in  His  Temple.  On  the  other  hand,  there  were 
at  least  fire  kings  in  Judah  distinguished  for 
their  piety  (Asa,  Jehoshaphat,  Uzziah,  Jotham, 
and  Hezekiah),  while  of  the  other  eight,  tica 
(Joash  and  Amaziah)  continued  for  a  considera- 
ble, and  a  third  (Rehoboam)  for  a  short  period 
their  profession  of  the  religion  of  their  fathers. 
Four  of  the  oXhex  five  kings  acquired,  indeed,  a 
terrible  notoriety  for  daring  blasphemy.  Abi- 
jam,  the  son  and  successor  of  Rehoboam,  adopt- 
ed all  the  practices  of  his  father  during  the  last 
fourteen  years  of  that  monarch's  reign.  Dur- 
ing the  reign  of  Jehoram  the  worsliip  of  Baal 
was  introduced  into  Judah  ;  and  we  know  vpith 
what  terrible  consistency  it  was  continued  un- 
der Ahaziah  and  Athaliah,  the  measure  of  in- 
iquity being  filled  by  Ahaz,  who  ascended  the 
throne  twenty  years  before  the  deportation  of 
the  ten  tribes,  when  the  doors  of  the  Sanctuary 
were  actually  closed,  and  an  idol-altar  set  up  in 
the  Temple  court.  But,  despite  all  this,  idola- 
try never  struck  its  roots  deeply  among  the 
people,  and  this  for  three  reasons.  There  was, 
first,  the  continued  influence  for  good  of  the 
Temple  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  in  this  we  see  at 
least  one  providential  reason  for  the  existence 
of  a  central  Sanctuary,  and  for  the  stringency 
of  the  Law  which  confined  all  worship  to  its 
courts.  Secondly,  the  idolatrous  kings  of  Judah 
were  always  succeeded  by  monarchs  distin- 
ginshed  for  piety,  who  swept  away  the  rites  of 
their  predecessors  ;  while,  lastly,  and  remarka- 
bly, the  reign  of  the  idolatrous  kings  was  uni- 
formly brief  as  compared  with  that  of  the  God- 
fearing rulers.  Thus,  on  a  review  of  the  whole 
period,  we  find  that,  of  the  two  hundred  and 
fifty-three  years  between  the  accession  of  Re- 
hoboam and  the  deportation  of  the  ten  tribes, 
two  hundred  passed  under  the  rule  of  monarchs 
who  maintained  the  religion  of  Jehovah,  while 
only  during  fifty-three  years  His  worship  was 
more  or  less  discarded  by  the  kings  of  Judah. 
A.  E. 


CO 


REVOLT  OF  TUE  TEX  riilBES. 


The  kingdom  of  Judah  was  prescrvt'il  from 
the  (lefeetion  of  the  otlier  tribes,  expressly  for 
the  sake  of  God's  eovenimt  with  David,  and  to 
maintain  His  worship  at  its  cliosen  seat  :  and 
the  immediate  oonsequeuee  of  Jeroboam's  niiij- 
ioiis  revolt  w;is  to  drive  all  the  priests  and 
Levites  to  Jerusalem.  With  the  line  of  David 
remained  God's  promise  of  a  permanent  king- 
dom, made  doubly  sure  by  its  ultimate  refer- 
ence to  the  Slessiah  ;  in  that  family  the  crown 
was  handed  on,  generally  from  father  to  son, 
while  in  Israel  the  dynasty  of  Jeroboam  ended 
with  his  son  ;  and  there  followed  a  series  of 
murders  and  usurpations,  amid  which  the 
longest  dynasties,  those  of  Orari  and  Jehu,  only 
numbered  four  and  five  kin,gs  each.  From  the 
disruption  to  the  epoch  at  which  Ahaziah,  king 
of  Judah,  and  Jehoram,  king  of  Israel,  were 
killed  at  the  same  time  by  Jehu,  a  period  of 
ninety  years  (b.c.  975-884),  Judah  had  only  six 
kings  (though  Ahaziah  reigned  but  one  year), 
while  Israel  had  nine  ;  and  in  the  whole  period 
of  two  hundred  and  lifty-live  years,  from  the 
disruption  to  the  captivity  of  Israel,  twelve 
kings  of  Judah  occupy  the  same  space  as  nine- 
teen kings  of  Israel — a  striking  indication  of 
the  greater  stability  of  the  former  dynasty. 
The  moral  superiority  is  equally  striking,  not 
only  in  the  preservation  of  the  worship  of  Je- 
hovah at  Jerusalem,  while  Israel  was  sunk  in 
idolatry,  but  even  on  the  comparatively  weak 
ground  of  the  personal  character  of  the  kings. 
It  is  true  that  the  house  of  David  was  deeply 
corrupted,  chiefly  by  its  connection  with  the 
wicked  house  of  Ahab  ;  but  it  botists  the  names 
of  Asa,  Jehoshaphat,  Uzziah.  Jotham,  the 
godly  Hezekiah,  the  penitent  Manasseh,  the 
pure  Josiah  ;  while  not  one  of  the  kings  of  Is- 
rael is  free  from  the  blot  of  foul  wickedness, 
for  even  the  fierce  zeal  of  Jehu  had  no  purity 
of  motive.  The  two  kingdoms  were  equally 
distinguished  in  their  linal  fate.  The  sen- 
tence of  captivity  was  executed  upon  Israel 
about  one  hundred  and  thirty  years  sooner 
than  on  Judah  ;  and  while  only  a  remnant  of 
the  ten  tribes  shared  the  restoration  of  Judah, 
the  latter  became  once  more  a  small  but  power- 
ful nation,  not  free  from  the  faults  of  their  fa- 
thers, but  worshipping  God  with  a  purity  and 
serving  Him  with  a  heroic  zeal  unequalled 
since  the  days  of  Joshua,  and  preparing  for  the 
restoration  of  the  true  spiritual  kingdom  under 
the  last  great  son  of  David.     P.  S. 

In  the  kingdom  of  I.^racl  we  see  a  long  suc- 
cession of  wicked  kings  ;  in  that  of  Judah  we 
tind  a  few  who  were  eminent  for  piety.  In 
every  page  we  behold  the  genuine  character  of 


man  ;  and  through  the  whole  history  we  see 
the  faithfulness  and  unchangeabkness  of  God, 
His  holiness  and  justice.  His  mercy  and  for- 
bearance. Jos.  JutiiK. — —The  Bible  history  de- 
scribes, in  action  and  exhibition,  the  jierfections 
of  Jehovah,  as  fully  as  the  proclamation  in 
which  Hi'  declares  Himself  to  be  long-suffering, 
and  of  great  mercy,  forgiving  iniquity,  and 
transgression,  and  sin,  and  by  no  means  clear- 
ing the  guilty.  It  delineaU's  the  deceitfulness 
and  desperate  wickedness  of  the  himian  heart 
as  forcibly  and  distinctly  as  the  annunciations 
of  the  prophets,  when  they  "  cry  aloud  and 
spare  not."  In  the  narratives  of  Scripture  the 
dependent  state,  the  pervei-seness,  and  the  folly 
of  man,  and  the  secret  motives  by  which  he  is 
actuated,  as  weU  as  the  power,  the  wLsdom,  the 
justice,  and  the  goodness  of  God  in  His  provi- 
dential government,  and  above  all  in  redemp- 
tion, are  vividly  depicted.  There  is  not  a  bat- 
tle fought  by  the  Israelites,  nor  a  change  in 
the  administration  of  their  government,  the  ac- 
count of  which  is  not  designed  for  our  instruc- 
tion. There  is  not  an  incident  reconled  as  tak- 
ing place  in  a  private  family  that  has  not  a 
significant  meaning  ....  And  the  history 
invariably  keeps  in  view  the  agency  of  God 
in  every  occurrence,  in  events  the  most  minute 
as  well  as  the  most  considerable  ;  and  thus  it 
furnishes  a  perpetual  comment  on  the  sublime 
description  of  the  apostle,  when,  penetrated 
with  admiration  of  the  riches,  both  of  the  wis- 
dom and  knowledge  of  God.  he  exclaims.  "  Of 
Him,  and  through  Him.  and  to  Him.  are  all 
thigns  ;  to  whom  be  glory  forever.  Amen." 
IliiUhine. 

1  K.  12  :  1-5.  In  the  conference  Jero- 
boam appeared  as  leader  of  the  ten  tribes. 
The  son  of  Nebat,  of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  Sol- 
omon long  before  had  appointed  him  as  ruler 
over  that  tribe.  An  able  and  ambitious  man. 
skilful  and  successful  in  the  construction  of 
various  works,  withal  popular  among  his  own 
and  the  other  already  disaffected  tribes,  he  soon 
aspired  to  royal  state.  His  aspirations  were 
contirraed  by  the  symbolic  act  and  declara- 
tion of  the  prophet  Ahijah.  recorded  in  chap. 
11:39-39.  Ills  designs  being  discovered  by 
Solomon,  he  fled  to  Egypt,  where  he  remained 
until  the  king's  death.  At  the  call  of  the  dis- 
affected tribes  upon  the  death  of  Solomon  he 
came  and  acted  as  tlieir  spokesman  in  the  con- 
ference with  Rehoboam.  And  soon  these  tribes 
will  elect  and  establish  him  jis  king  over  Israel. 

6-**.  The  irise  couhkH  irjected.  The  spirit 
of  true  worship  or  i)iety  had  almost  died  out  of 
the  laud  during  the  latter  half  of  Solomon's 


SECTIOX  If.     DIVISION  OF  THE  KINGDOM. 


61 


reign.  Doubtless  the  charge  which  the  ten 
tribes  brought  against  Solomon  (verse  4)  was 
true.  His  selfish,  lavish  expenditure  demand- 
ed the  imposition  of  increasingly  heavy  taxes. 
These  he  would  naturally  exact  in  larger  pro- 
portion from  the  more  distant  tribes.  They  re- 
ceived little  or  no  direct  benefit  from  the  costly 
structures,  cities  and  roads  for  commerce,  upon 
which  their  tribute  was  expended.  Naturally 
therefore,  and  not  unreasonably,  they  asked 
for  reduction  of  these  onerous  tuxes.  At  first 
Rehoboain  rightly  seeks  guidance  from  the  ex- 
perienced and  trusted  counsellors  of  Solomon 
his  father.  The  advise  him  to  comply  with  the 
people's  request  for  help,  and  to  turn  away 
their  wrath  by  gentle  words.  And  no  wiser, 
better  counsel  was  ever  given.  No  clearer, 
truer  statement  of  a  great  principle  bearing 
upon  practical  conduct  was  ever  spoken. 
"  &;•(•(■  thou  this  people,"  they  said,  "  by  timely 
helpfulness  in  their  needs,  and  speak  kindly 
to  them,  so  wilt  thou  make  them  willing  ser- 
vants and  faithful  subjects  !"  Helpfid  service 
and  kindly  dealing  were  essential  conditions  of 
a  safe  and  successful  rule,  the  real  basis  of  a 
happy  and  useful  kingship.  And  in  nothing  is 
the  kingly  and  the  Christ-like  mind  so  much 
evinced  as  in  costly  personal  service  and  kindly 
speech.  Therefore  He  who  came  not  to  be 
ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  declared  that 
whmoeivr  will  he  chiefest  shall  be  servant  of  all. 
But  Rehoboam  "  forsook  the  counsel  of  the  old 
men"  "  that  stood  before  Solomon  his  father." 
B. 

This  was  the  kernel  of  the  old  men's  advice  : 
"  You  are  the  father  of  your  people.  You  will 
command  them  best  by  serving  them,  for  thus 
you  will  command  their  hearts.  Consult  their 
interest  ;  bear  with  their  petulance  ;  entertain 
their  grievances  ;  deal  considerately  and  ten- 
derly with  their  burdens."  The  j-oung  king 
could  not  appreciate  this  lofty  ideal  of  sove- 
reignty. That  a  man  could  serve  and  be  a 
king,  that  he  could  be  most  absolutely  a  king 
thrniifjh  service,  was  incomprehensible  to  him. 
Vincent. 

8-11.  The  foolish  counsel  aecej]ted.  He  con- 
sults with  "  the  young  men  which  stood  before 
him,"  who  were  his  preferred  counsellors. 
They  urged  him  to  threaten  the  people  with 
yet  severer  exactions  and  harsher  treatment, 
and  to  use  only  scornful  and  contemptuous 
words  in  his  reply.  The  advice  they  gave  in- 
dicated their  character  as  selfish,  heartless,  and 
cruel.  And  that  such  men  were  his  chosen  and 
trusted  associates,  that  such  advice  commended 
itself  to  his  own  haughty  nature  and  accorded 


with  his  own  inclinations,  shows  that  the  young 
king   was   himself   alike   heartless   and   cruel. 

B. It  was  the  advice  of  youthful  selfishness, 

conceit,  inexperience  and  presumption.  Its 
kernel  was:  "You  have  the  power;  use  the 
power.  Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  them,  My 
father  hath  chastised  you  with  whips,  but  I 
will  chastise  you  with  scorpions."  And  he 
took  this  advice.  Word  for  word,  he  spoke  to 
the  people  after  the  counsel  of  the  j'oung  men, 
abating  not  one  cruel  taunt,  one  brutal  threat. 
He  foreook  the  old  men's  couasel.  There  is 
nothing  uncommon  in  that.      Vincent. 

1:2-14.  In  the  final  decision  of  Rehoboam 
we  find  no  trace  of  counsel  sought  of  Jehovah. 
He  wilfully  turns  away  from  the  God  of  his 
fathers  and  utterly  disregards  all  j  ust  rights  of 
the  people.  Acting  upon  the  suggestions  of 
his  own  proud  and  foolish  heart,  and  of  com- 
panions alike  self-seeking  and  foolish,  he  rude- 
ly and  scornf  ullj-  denies  the  reasonable  petition 
of  the  people,  and  declares  his  purpose  to  sub- 
ject them  to  still  greater  tyranny  and  sulTcring. 
There  is  no  instance  in  history  wherein  so  vast 
and  permanent  issues  have  depended  upon  a 
single  decision,  as  in  this  election  of  foolish 
counsellors  and  adoption  of  unworthy  counsel 
by  Solomon's  most  unwise  son  and  successor. 
And  yet  what  else  could  be  expected  of  this 
son,  neglected  and  uncounselled  as  he  had  been 
by  Solomon,  left  to  a  natural  unrestrained 
haughtiness  and  an  unbalanced  pride  of  power. 

15.  God's  part  in  this  dismemberment  of  Da- 
vid's kinijdom.  That  "  the  cause  was  from  the 
Lord,"  obviously  does  not  mean  that  God  put 
the  fatal  folly  into  Rehoboam's  heart,  or  in- 
spired his  senseless  utterance.  It  does  not 
mean  that  God  authorized  or  approved  the  re- 
bellion of  the  ten  tribes  from  the  house  of  Da- 
vid. Nor  did  it  imply  any  direct  commission 
to  Jeroboam,  or  endorsement  of  his  new  king- 
ship over  Israel.  God  had  said  that  the  king- 
dom of  Solomon  should  be  rent,  and  that  Jero- 
boam should  be  king  over  the  ten  tribes.  But 
concerning  the  manner  in  which  His  Word 
should  be  fulfilled,  the  human  motives  and  ac- 
tions throwjh  which  Ilis  pur})oses  should  be  accom- 
plisluid,  nothing  is  here  asserted  or  implied  that 
qualifies  man's  sole  responsibility  in  the  mat- 
ter. As  the  fulfilment  of  God's  purposes  was 
not  the  motive,  was  not  even  in  the  thought, 
of  the  rebelling  tribes  and  their  leader,  so  it 
formed  no  possible  excuse  for  their  conduct. 
The  simple  key  to  any  and  every  difiiculty  lies 
in  the  fact  that  God  uses  all  human  plans  and 
acts,  wise  and  unwise,  good  and  evil,  in  the  car- 
rying out  of  His  own  only  wise  and  good  pur- 


62 


REVOLT  OF  THE  TEN  TRIBES. 


poses.  That  God  iloes  thus  interpose  even  the 
heathen  niiml  has  diseerned,  as  we  learn  from 
the  oft-quoted  proverb  ;  "  Whom  tfiegixU  would 
destroy  theij firnt  infiitnate."     B. 

I  see  Jeroboam's  plot,  the  people's  insolenee, 
the  young  men's  misadviee,  the  prinee's  un- 
reasonable austerity,  meeting  together,  through 
the  wise  providcnee  of  the  Almighty,  unwit- 
tingly to  accomplish  Ilis  most  just  decree.  All 
these  might  have  done  otherwise,  for  any  force 
that  was  ofTered  to  their  will  :  all  would  no 
more  do  otherwise,  than  if  there  had  been  no 
predetiTmination  in  heaven  ;  that  God  may  be 
magnilied  in  His  wisdom  and  justice,  while 
man  wittingly  perisheth  in  his  folly.     Bp.  II. 

A  stormy  scene  of  passion,  without  thought 

of  God,  rag(!S  below,  and  above  sits  the  Lord, 
working  His  great  purpose  by  men's  sin. 
That  Divine  control  does  not  in  the  least  affect 
the  freedom  or  the  guilt  of  the  actors.  Reho- 
boam's  disregard  of  the  people's  terms  was  "  a 
thing  brought  about  of  the  Lord,"  but  it  was 
Rehoboam's  sin  none  the  less.  That  which, 
looked  at  from  the  mere  human  side,  is  the  sin- 
ful result  of  the  free  play  of  wrong  motives,  is, 
when  regarded  from  the  Divine  side,  the  deter- 
minate counsel  of  God.  The  greatest  crime  in 
the  world's  history  was  at  the  same  time  the 
accomplishment  of  God's  most  merciful  pur- 
pose. Calvary  is  the  highest  example  of  the 
truth,  which  embraces  all  lesser  instances  of  the 
wrath  of  man,  which  He  makes  to  praise  Him 

and   eifect  His  deep  designs.     A.  M. Had 

Rehoboam  followed  the  old  men's  counsel  he 
could  at  least  have  said,  "  I  have  done  my  best 
in  the  fear  of  God."  But  by  his  folly  he 
brought  the  whole  responsibility  of  the  fatal 
crisis  upon  his  own  shoulders.  Jerobojun  and 
the  tent  tribes  wanted  an  excuse  indeed,  but 
Rehoboam  gave  them  one  gratuitously.  It 
needed  but  this  to  kindle  the  spark  of  rebellion 
into  a  llanie.      Vincoit. 

10,  17.  Separution  and  finnl  sen  ranee  of  Is- 
raii  from  Jiidoli.  The  proud  contemptuous 
tone  of  Rehoboam  prompts  the  same  spirit  in 
the  answer  of  the  people.  In  the  identical 
words  of  the  malcontents  who  followed  Sheba 
in  the  time  of  David,  they  say  in  substance, 
"  We  owe  notliing  to  David,  and  receive  noth- 
ing from  the  son  of  Jesse.  Henceforth  we  re- 
nounce all  allegiance  and  connection  with  him 
and  his  house!"  So  slightingly  they  refer  to 
David  ;  and  with  the  bold  challenge,  "  See  now 
to  thine  own  house,  David,  "  they  go  home- 
wanl. 

19,  20.  Then  Hehoboam  consummates  his 
impolitic  lolly  by  sending  a  messenger,  proba- 


bly with  some  offer  of  compromise,  to  the  cx- 

^Lsperated  tribes.     B. But  with  the  wrong- 

headedness  which  characterized  all  his  proceed- 
ings at  this  period  of  his  life,  he  selected  for 
envoy  one  of  the  persons  most  obnoxious  to  the 
malcontfnts^no  other  than  liis  father's  chief 
director  of  the  forced  labors  which  were  so  un- 
popular— Adoram  or  Adoniram.  The  rebels 
seem  to  have  considered  that  this  was  adding 
insult  to  injury  ;  and,  without  waiting  to  hear 
his  message,  they  stoned  him  to  death.     G.  R. 

This  would  seem  to  have  been  done  l)efore 

his  departure  from  Shechem.  For  the  stoning 
of  tliis  man,  Adoram,  by  the  whole  people  ter- 
rified the  king  and  led  him  to  flee  to  Jerusalem. 
This  act  of  Israel  was  their  final  severance  from 
the  house  of  David.     B. 

Judah  remained  firm  in  his  allegiance  to  the 
liouse  of  David  ;  Bi-njamin,  satisfied  with  the 
distinction  accortied  it  by  the  emplacement  of 
the  capital  within  its  borders,  threw  in  its  lot 
with  Judah  :  Levi,  thoroughly  content  with  its 
grand  position  at  the  head  of  the  religion  of 
the  kingdom,  gave  its  sympathies  to  the  Da- 
vidic  cause,  and  ultimately  gravitated  to  the 
southern  kingdom.  But  Reuben,  which  claimed 
the  right  of  the  first-born  ;  Ephraira,  which 
had  given  to  the  nation  Joshua,  the  conqueror, 
Deborah,  the  prophetess,  and  Samuel,  the  last 
and  the  greatest  of  the  judges  ;  >Iana.sseh, 
which  shared  largely  in  the  glories  of  its  brother 
tribe,  Ephraim  (Gen.  46,  49  ;  Deut.  33)  ;  Zebu- 
lun,  which  "  sucked  of  the  abundance  of  the 
seas;"  Gad,  which  "dwelt  as  a  lion  ;"  Dan, 
the  "  lion's  whelp  ;"  Issachar,  the  "  strong  ass 
coiiching  down  between  two  burdens  ;"  Naph- 
tali.  the  "  hind  let  loose  ;"  and  Asher,  the 
dweller  in  the  far  north,  threw  off  the  Davidic 
j'oke,  declared  themselves  independent  of  Ju- 
dah, and  proclaimed  their  intention  of  placing 
themselves  under  a  new  king.     G.  R. 

It  was  an  act  of  rebellion  against  God,  not  jus- 
tified by  the  alleged  i)rovocation  nor  l)y  the 
harsh  words  of  Rehoboam.  The  real  ground 
was  jealousy  against  the  tribe  of  Judah,  which 
God  had  chosen  to  distingui.sh  in  establishing 
the  throne  of  David,  and  in  selecting  .lerusalem 
as  the  seat  of  government  and  worshi])  for  the 
nation.  As  rebellion  against  Him,  their  seces- 
sion was  punished  bj'  their  whole  su))sequent 
history  and  final  extinction  as  a  separate  peo- 
ple. Yet,  let  it  be  remembered,  this  dismem- 
berment of  David's  kingdom  was  also  the  act 
of  God  in  fufllment  of  his  frequent  solemn 
warning  to  David  and  Solomon,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence of  Solomon's  ])ei-sistent  disregard  of  the 
Divine  commandments.     We  may  add,  that  in 


SECTION  4-    DIVISION  OF  THE  KINGDOM. 


63 


the  subsequent  history  of  the  two  kingdoms 
can  he  traced  God's  fulfilled  purpose  in  pre- 
serving true  religion  in  the  world,  and  prepar- 
ing the  way  for  the  introduction  of  Christian- 
ity. For  Israel  acted  as  a  bulwark  to  keep 
back  from  Judah  the  contagion  of  idolatry  dif- 
fused by  the  adjacent  nations.     B. To  the 

worshippers  at  Jerusalem  the  early  decline  and 
fall  of  Israel  was  a  solemn  and  impressive  spec- 
tacle of  judgment  against  idolatry.  This  pre- 
pared the  hearts  of  Judah  for  the  revivals  un- 
der Hezekiah  and  Josiah,  softened  them  into 
repentance  during  the  Captivity,  and  strength- 
ened them  for  their  absolute  renunciation  of 
idolatry,  when  after  seventy  years  they  re- 
turned to  Palestine  to  become  the  channel 
through  which  God's  greatest  gift  was  con- 
veyed to  mankind.     Bullock. 

Instkuctive  and  Hp:lpfui.  Suggestions. 

The  rending  of  the  kingdom  was  the  punish- 
ment of  sin,  especially  Solomon's  sin  of  idola- 
try, which  was  closely  connected  with  the  ex- 
travagant expenditure  which  occasioned  the 
separation.  So  the  so-called  natural  conse- 
quences of  transgression  constitute  its  temporal 
punishment  in  part,  and  behind  all  these  our 
eyes  should  be  clear-sighted  enough  to  behold 
the  operative  will  of  God.  This  one  piercing 
beam  of  light,  cast  on  that  scene  of  insolence 
and  rebellion,  lights  up  all  liistory,  and  gives 
the  principle  on  which  it  must  be  interpreted, 
if  it  is  not  to  'be  misread.  Again,  the  punish- 
ment of  sin,  whether  that  of  a  commimity  or  of 
a  single  person,  is  sin.  The  separation  was 
sin,  on  both  sides  ;  it  led  to  much  more.  It 
was  the  con.sequence  of  previous  departure. 
So  ever  the  worst  result  of  an}-  sin  is  that  it 
opens  the  door,  like  a  thief  who  has  crept  in 
through  a  window,  to  a  band  of  brethren. 
A.  M. 

While  the  sin  of  Solomon  is  visited  upon  his 
son  in  the  division  of  the  kingdom,  God's 
promised  mercy  to  David  is  manifested  in  the 
continuance  of  his  family  ujion  the  throne  of 
Judah.  Very  touching  and  instructive  is  the 
record  of  this  mercy  :  "  For  David  My  ser- 
vant's sake  will  I  give  unto  the  son  of  Solomon 
one  tribe,  that  David  My  servant  may  have  a 
light  alway  before  Me  in  Jerusalem."  Herein 
impressively  we  learn  the  power  with  God  that 
a  truly  consecrated  man  obtains,  and  the  bless- 
ings he  perpetuates  ;  and  the  constancy  of  God 
to  His  covenant  pledges  of  mercy. 

In  every  position  and  relation  of  life,  it  is  a 
kingly  npirit  that  habitually  heeds  and  practises 
the  double  counsel  of  these  ancient  sages  :  to 


serve  and  help,  and  to  (Ual  kindly  in  word,  as  in 
deed.  And  in  this  helpful,  gracious  dealing, 
we  find  the  secret  of  securing  and  retaining  a 
beneficent  power  over  others  in  every  sphere. 
Kindly  utterance  added  to  personal  ministry 
ever  impart  a  healthful  and  blessed  magnetism 
over  all  the  lives  with  which  they  come  into 
contact.  Together  they  win  and  hold  all  hearts, 
and  make  all  lives  the  more  fruitful  and  hap- 
py.    B. 

Rehoboam's  trouble  was  not  that  he  did  not 
see  the  right  ;  it  was  that  he  would  not  follow  it. 
The  counsel  of  the  young  men  pleased  him 
better  than  his  father's  counsellors.  His  own 
pleasure  was  sweeter  to  him  than  the  profit  of 
his  people,  and  they  must  be  trampled  down 
that  he  might  be  lifted  up.  And  has  it  not 
been  so  all  through'?  It  is  not  that  men  do  not 
see  the  right  ;  it  is  that  they  do  not  design  to 
follow  it,  and  so  dimness  of  perception  of  truth 
comes  over  them,  and  men  grow  blind  to  the 
truth  which  they  will  not  follow.  It  is  just  what 
the  Master  said  :  "  Light  is  come  into  the 
world,  and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than 
light,  because  their  deeds  were  evil."  W. 
Newton. 

Counsel  is  good  ;  any  man  that  tliinks  he 
does  not  need  it  is  a  fool  or  worse.  "  Seest 
thou  a  man  that  is  wise  in  liis  own  conceit? 
there  is  more  hope  of  a  fool  than  of  him." 
Counsel  in  order  to  be  good  must  come  from  a 
reliable  source,  a  source  entitled  to  respect  and 
confidence,  where  there  is  information,  integ- 
rity, and  honesty  of  purpose,  where  there  is 
unselfish  and  unbiassed  regard  to  truth  and  to 
our  real  good.  Such  counsel  may  not  always 
be  palatable,  not  such  as  we  like  or  hope  for, 
but  in  the  end  we  shall  either  be  thankful  that 
we  followed  it  or  wish  that  we  had. 

When  Rehoboam  preferred  the  advice  of  the 
young  men  he  took  a  step  which  he  could 
never  afterward  retrace,  whose  mischief  ad- 
mitted of  no  remedy.  Seventeen  years  he  lived 
and  reigned,  but  he  did  nothing  toward  re- 
trieving his  mistake.  He  could  not  get  back 
his  lost  dominions,  he  could  not  recover  his 
alienated  people.  He  could  never  be  king  of 
Israel.  Another  bore  that  title.  Jeroboam 
dwelt  in  Sheehem,  the  beautiful  home  of  his 
fathers,  and  from  Bethel,  almost  in  sight  of  his 
capital,  the  calf  challenged  its  rival  on  Mount 
Zion,  and  all  because  of  a  determination  formed 
perhaps  in  an  instant,  and  of  words  which  it 
took  but  a  moment  to  utter.     Ilallam.  , 

Rehoboam's  evil  career  is  a  comment  on  Sol- 
omon's word  ;  "  He  that  walketh  with  wise 
men  shall  be  wise,  but  a  companion  of  fools 


m 


KINGDOM  OF  IsliAKL. 


shall  be  destroyed."  The  statement  is  strong. 
It  assert.s  that  a.s.sopiation  determines  destiny. 
Other  Seripture  teaches  the  same.  See  Ps.  1  ; 
1  Cor.  l."(  :  33.  The  ])oi)iilar  proverb  is  pro- 
fovmdly  true  :  "  A  man  is  known  by  the  com- 
pany he  keeps."  Only  let  us  be  sure  and  em- 
phasize the  last  word,  "  the  company  hefccyw." 
We  keep  only  what  we  like.  The  social  in- 
stinct which  takes  shape  in  frieiuUhipii  and  iii- 
tinuieiis  furnishes  an  unerring  indi  x  of  charac- 
ter. Unerringly  it  draws  like  to  like.  The  man 
who  begins  by  walking  in  the  counsel  of  the 
ungo<lly  finds  himself  at  home  at  liist  in  the 
seat  of  tlie  scornful.  Uchoboani  was  unmade 
by  Ills  own  folly,  and  his  folly  showed  itself  in 
nothing  more  than  in  tli(^  choice  of  his  couasel- 

lors.      Vincent. God  serves  his  own  wise  and 

righteous  purposes  b}'  the  irapr\idences  and  in- 
iquities of  men.  and  snares  sinners  in  the  work 
of  their  own  hands.  They  that  lose  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  throw  it  away,  as  Rehoboam 
did  his,  by  their  own  wilfulness  and  folly.    H. 

The  wisest  man  had  a  fool  for  a  son.  Why  ? 
His  mother  was  an  idolatrous  ^Vmmouite  :  and 
the  mother  makes  or  mars  the  child.  To  her 
Wiis  built  th<'  Temple  t)f  Moloch,  and  there  the 


son  doubtless  was  instructed  in  bloody  and 
licentious  rites.  He  grew  effeminate  in  the 
softness  of  a  harem.  The  earnest  exhortations 
"  to  my  son."  written  in  the  Proverbs,  would 
have  no  intluenec  on  sueli  a  young  man,  under 
such  a  father's  example,  and  himself  leading 
such  a  life.     //.  W.  W'ltrren. 


Again,  we  remind  our  readers  that  thi«  entire 
hintory  is  a  veritjible  Gonpel  uf  Proviclenef.  For 
our  better  understanding  of  the  principles  of 
God's  dealings.  He  hath  given  us  this  recorti  of 
His  ways  as  made  known  unto  Moses,  and  His 
acts  as  revealed  unto  the  children  of  Israel. 
The  events  of  the  history  only  multiply  illus- 
trations of   this  great  fact.     B. The  Hihle 

record  of  human  history  is  as  if  a  clix-k  had  a 
transparent  face.  Human  historians  see  and 
write  what  the  hands  tell  ;  the  Bible  shows  the 
moving  wheels,  the  hidden  causes.  Grod  can 
see  the  hidden  causes  that  will  work  out  results 
a  hundred  years  hence.  He  forces  not  human 
wills,  but  uses  the  result  of  those  wills.  The 
nation  that  will  not  serve  Him  shall  perish. 
//.  ir,  Warren. 


JV".  B. —  To  avoid  confusion  and  to  obtain  a  dear  and  well-defined  conception  of 
the  history  of  holh  kingdoms,  we  propose  to  take  each  one  through  its  entire  career, 
noting  all  prominent  points  of  its  connection  with  the  other.  As  covering  (he 
shorter  period  we  begin  with  the  Kixgdom  of  Israel.     B. 


Section  5. 

KINGDOM   OF  ISRAEL. 

Reion  op  Jekobo.vm,  TiiT;  FiHST  KiN(i,  '2'2  Years. 

Rcliobnani  and  Abijali,  in  Judali. 

Capital  Cities;  KutahliKliment  i/f  hlnl-irornliip ;  Warning  af  n  Prnji/irt  from  Juila/i  Jintteeckd  ;  Din- 
ohedienec  and  Deatti  of  tlie  I'rnpliet ;  Sieknesi  and  Deatli  of  Jeroboam's  tini  ;  fiis  Defeat  by 
Abijati  ;  liis  Eril  Life,  its  Fmits  and  I.ixsons. 

1  Kix(is  12  :  2">-33  ;  13  :  1-34  ;  14  :  1-20. 

12  :  2.5  Then  Jeroboam  built  Shechem  in  the  liill  cotintry  of  Ephraim.  and  dwelt  therein  ; 

26  and  he  went  out  from  thence,  and  built  Pcnuel.     And  Jeroboam  said  in  his  heart,  Now  shall 

27  the  kingdom  return  to  the  house  of  David  :  if  this  people  go  up  to  offer  sacrifices  in  the  house 
of  the  Loud  at  Jerusalem,  then  shall  the  heart  of  this  people  turn  again  unto  their  lord,  even 
unto  Rehoboam  king  uf  Judah  ;  and   they  shall  kill  me,  and  return  to  Relioboam   king  of 

28  Judah.  Whereupon  the  king  took  counsel,  and  made  two  calves  of  gold;  and  he  s.iid  unto 
them.  It  is  too  much  for  you  to  go  >ip  to  Jeru.salcm  ;  behold  thy  gods,  O  Israel,  which  brought 

29  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt.     And  he  set  the  one  in  Beth-el,  and  Uie  other  put  he  in 


SECTION  5.     REION  OF  JEROBOAM.  65 

30  Dan.     And  this  thing  bccnme  a  sin  :  for  tlio  people  went  to  imivhip  before  tlie  one,  even  unto 

31  Dan.     And  lie  niiide  houses  of  high  places,  and  made  priests  from  among  all  the  people, 

32  which  were  not  of  the  sons  of  Levi.  And  Jeroboam  ordained  a  feast  in  the  eighth  month,  on 
the  fifteenth  day  of  the  month,  like  unto  the  feast  that  is  in  Judah,  and  he  went  up  unto  the 
altar  ;  so  did  lie  in  Beth-el,  sacrificing  unto  the  calves  that  he  had  made  ;  and  he  placed  in 

33  Beth-el  the  priests  of  the  high  plac<'S  which  he  had  made.  And  he  went  up  unto  the  altar 
which  he  had  made  in  Bcth-el  on  the  fifteenth  day  in  the  eighth  month,  even  in  the  month 
which  he  had  devised  of  his  own  heart  :  and  he  ordained  a  feast  for  the  children  of  Israel,  and 
went  up  unto  the  altar,  to  burn  incense. 

13:1  And.  behold,  there  came  a  man  of  God  out  of  Judah  by  the  word  of  the  Lord  unto 

3  Bethel  :  and  Jeroboam  was  standing  by  the  altar  to  burn  incense.     And  he  cried  against  the 

altar  by  tlie  word  of  the  Lord,  and  said,  O  altar,  altar,  thus  saitli  the  Loud  :  Behold,  a  child 

shall  he  boru  unto  the  house  of  David,  Josiali  by  name  ;  and  upon  thee  shall  he  sacrifice  the 

priests  of  the  high  places  that  burn  incense  upcui  thee,  and  men's  bones  shall  they  burn  upon 

3  thee.  And  he  gave  a  sign  the  same  da}',  saj'ing.  This  is  the  sign  which  the  Liikd  hath 
spoken  :  Behold,  the  altar  shall  be  rent,  and  the  ashes  that  are  upon  it  shall  be  poured  out. 

4  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  king  heard  the  saying  of  the  man  of  God.  which  he  cried 
a.gainst  the  altar  in  Beth-el,  that  Jeroboam  put  forth  his  hand  from  the  altar,  saying.  Lay 
hold  on  him.     Anil  his  hand,  which  he  put  forth  against  him,  dried  up,  so  that  he  could  not 

5  draw  it  back  again  to  him.     The  altar  also  was  rent,  and  the  ashes  poured  out  from  the  altar, 

6  according  to  the  sign  which  the  man  of  God  had  given  by  the  word  of  the  Lord.  And  the 
king  answered  and  said  unto  the  man  of  God,  Intreat  now  the  favour  of  the  Lord  thy  God, 
and  pra}'  for  me,  that  my  hand  may  be  restored  me  again.     And  the  man  of  God  intreated 

7  the  Lord,  and  the  king's  hand  was  restored  him  again,  and  became  as  it  was  before.  And 
the  king  said  unto  the  man  of  God,  Come  home  with  nie,  and  refresh  thyself,  and  I  will  give 

8  thee  a  reward.     And  the  man  of  God  said  unto  the  king,  If  thou  -n'ilt  give  me  half  thine 

9  house,  1  will  not  go  in  with  thee,  neither  will  I  eat  bread  nor  drink  water  in  this  place  :  for 
so  was  it  charged  me  hy  the  word  of  the  Lord,  saying.  Thou  shalt  eat  no  bread,  nor  drink 

10  water,  neither  return  by  the  way  that  thou  camest.  So  he  went  another  way,  and  returned 
not  by  the  way  that  he  came  to  Beth-el. 

11  Now  there  dwelt  an  old  prophet  in  Beth-el  ;  and  one  of  his  sons  came  and  told  him  all  the 
works  that  the  man  of  God  liad  done  that  day  in  Beth-el  :  the  words  which  lie  had  spoken 

12  unto  the  king,  them  also  they  told  unto  their  father.  And  their  father  said  unto  them,  'What 
wa.v  went  he?     Now  his  sons  had  seen  what  way  the  man  of  God  went,  which  came  from 

13  Judah.     And  he  said  unto  his  sons.  Saddle  me  the  ass.     So  they  saddled  him  the  ass  ;  and 

14  he  rode  thereon.  And  he  went  after  the  man  of  God,  and  found  him  sitting  under  an  oak  : 
and  he  said  unto  him.  Art  thou  the  man  of  God  that  earnest  from  Judah?     And  he  said, I  am. 

15  16  Then  he  said  unto  him.  Come  home  with  me,  and  eat  bread.  And  he  said,  I  may  not 
return  with  thee,  nor  go  in  with  thee  :  neither  will  I  eat  bread  nor  drink  water  with  thee  in 

17  this  place  :  for  it  was  said  to  me  by  the  word  of  the  Lord,  Thou  shalt  eat  no  bread  nor  drink 

18  water  there,  nor  turn  again  to  go  by  the  way  that  thou  camest.  And  he  said  unto  him,  I  also 
am  a  projihet  as  thou  art ;  and  an  angel  spake  unto  me  by  tlie  word  of  the  Lord,  saying. 
Bring  him  liack  with  thee  into  thine  house,  that  he  may  cat  bread  and  drink  water.     But  he 

19  lied  unto  him.     So  he  went  back  with  him,  and  did  eat  bread  in  his  house,  and  drank  water. 

20  And  it  i-aine  to  pass,  as  they  sat  at  the  table,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  the 
•21  prophet  that  brought  him  back  :  and  he  cried  unto  tlie  man  of  God  that  came  from  Judah, 

saying,  Thus  saitli  the  Lord,  Forasmuch  as  thou  hast  been  disobedient  unto  the  mouth  of  the 

22  Lord,  and  hast  not  kept  the  commandment  which  the  Lord  thy  God  commanded  thee,  but 
camest  back,  and  hast  eaten  bread  and  drunk  water  in  the  place  of  the  which  he  said  to  thee, 
Eat  no  bread,  and  drink  no  water  ;  thy  carcase  shall  not  come  imto  the  sepulchre  of  thy 

23  fathers.    And  it  came  to  pass,  after  he  had  eaten  bread,  and  after  he  had  drunk,  that  he  sad- 

24  died  for  him  the  a.ss,  to  irit,  for  the  prophet  whom  he  had  brought  back.  And  when  he  was 
gone,  a  lion  met  him  by  the  waj-,  and  slew  him  :  and  liis  carcase  was  cast  in  the  way,  and  the 

25  ass  stood  by  it  ;  the  lion  also  stood  by  the  carcase.  And,  behold,  men  passed  by,  and  saw 
the  carcase  cast  in  the  way,  ami  the  lion  standing  b}-  the  carcase  :  and  they  came  and  told  it  in 

26  the  city  where  the  old  prophet  dwelt.  And  when  the  prophet  that  brought  him  back  from  the 
way  heard  thereof,  he  said.  It  is  the  man  of  God,  who  was  disobedient  unto  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord  :  therefore  tlie  Lord  hath  delivered  him  unto  the  lion,  which  hath  torn  him,  and  slain 

27  him,  according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  he  spake  unto  him.     And  he  spake  to  his 

28  sons,  "saying.  Saddle  me  the  ass.  Ami  they  saddled  it.  And  he  went  and  found  his  carcase 
cast  in  the  way,  and  the  ass  and  the  lion  standing  by  the  carcase  :  the  lion  had  not  eaten  the 

29  carcase,  nor  torn  the  ass.  And  the  prophet  took  up  the  carcase  of  the  man  of  God,  and  laid 
it  upon  the  ass,  and  brought  it  back  :  and  he  came  to  the  city  of  the  old  prophet,  to  mourn, 

30  and  to  bury  liim.     And  he  laid  his  carcase  in  his  own  grave  ;  and  they  mourned  over  him, 

31  siiying,  Alas,  my  brother  !  And  it  came  to  pass,  after  he  had  Iniried  him,  that  he  spake  to 
his  sons,  saying,  'When  I  am  dead,  then  bury  me  in  the  sepulchre  wherein  the  man  of  God  is 

33  buried  ;  lay  my  bones  beside  his  bones,  Fo'r  the  saying  which  he  cried  by  the  word  of  the 
Lord  against  the  altar  in  Beth-el,  and  against  all  the  houses  of  the  high  places  which  are  in 
the  cities  of  Samaria,  shall  surely  come  to  pass. 


66 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


33  Aftor  this  t.hinff  .Torohoam  rctiinicd  not  from  his  evil  way.  but  made  asain  from  amonjr  all 
the  |)coplc  pricslsof  llic  hiirh  jilaccs  :   wiiosoi-vcr  woiiki.  he  consecrated  lam.  that  there  inijrht 

;U  he  Jiriests  ol'  the  hiu'li  plaeis.  And  this  thhiit'  hecarne  sin  inito  the  hoiLse  of  Jeroboam,  even 
to  cut  it  off.  and  to  destroy  it  from  olT  the  face  of  the  earth, 

14:1  2  .\t  that  time  Abijah  the  son  of  .lerohoiim  fell  sick.  And  Jeroboam  said  to  his  wife, 
Arise.  I  I'ray  tliee.  and  disiruise  thyself,  that  thou  be  not  known  to  be  the  wife  of  Jeroboam  : 
and  L'et  thee  to  .Shiloh  ;  behold,  there  is  Ahijah  the  l)ropliet.  wliich  spake  coneeniin.ir  me  tliat 

3  I  slioulil  be  kini;  over  this  people.     And  take  witii  thee  ten  loaves,  and  cracknels,  and  a  cnise 

4  (or  bottle)  of  honey,  and  go  to  him  :  be  shall  tell  thee  what  shall  become  of  the  child,  .\nd 
Jeroboam's  wife  did  .so,  and  arose,  and  went  to  Shiloh,  and  came  t«  the  liotLse  of  Ahijah. 

6  Now  .Vhijali  could  not  see  ;  for  his  eyes  were  set  by  reason  of  his  age.  And  the  Loiti)  said 
unto  Ahijah.  IJehold.  the  wife  of  Jeroboam  cometh  to  inquire  of  thee  concerning  her  .son  ;  for 
he  is  sick  :  thus  and  thus  sh;dt  thou  say  tinto  her  ;  for  it  shall  be,  when  she  cometh  in.  that 

6  she  shall  feign  lierself  to  be  another  woman.  And  it  was  so,  when  Ahijah  heard  the  sound 
of  her  feet,  as  she  came  in  at  the  door,  that  be  said,  Come  in,  thou  wife  of  Jeroboam  ;  why 

7  feignest  thou  thyself  to  be  another?  for  I  am  sent  to  thee  with  heavy  tidings.  Go,  t«^'ll  Jero- 
boam, Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel  :  Forasmuch  as  I  exalted  thee  from  among  the 

8  people,  anci  made  thee  piince  over  my  people  Israel,  and  rent  the  kingdom  away  from  the 
house  of  David,  and  gave  it  thee  :  aiKi  yet  thou  hast  not  been  as  my  servant  David,  who  kept 
my  comniandnieiits.  and  who  followed  me  with  all  his  heart,  to  do  that  only  which  was  right 

9  in'mine  eyes  ;  but  liast  done  evil  above  all  tliat  were  before  thee,  and  hast  gone  anil  made 
tlu'c  other  gods,  and  molten  images,  to  provoke  me  to  anger,  and  hast  cast  me  In-hind  thy 

10  back  :  therefore,  behold,  I  will  bring  evil  upon  the  house  of  Jeroboam,  and  will  cut  off  from 
Jeroboam  every  man  child,  him  that  is  shut  up  and  him  that  is  left  at  large  in  Israel.  ;md  will 
utt^'rly  sweep  away  the  hoiLse  of  Jeroboam,  as  a  man  sweepeth  away  dung,  till  it  be  all  gone. 

11  Him  that  diethof  .Jeroboam  in  the  city  shall  the  dogs  cat  ;  and  him  that  dieth  in  the  field  shall 

12  the  fowls  of  the  air  eat  :  for  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it.     Arise  thou  tlierefore.  get  thee  to  thine 

13  house  :  miff  when  thy  feet  enter  into  the  city,  the  child  shall  die.  Aud  all  Israel  shall  mourn 
for  him,  and  bury  him  ;  for  he  only  of  Jeroboam  shall  come  to  the  grave  :  because  in  him 
there  is  found  soiiie  good  thing  toward  the  Loud,  the  God  of  Israel,  in  the  house  of  Jeroboam. 

14  Moreover  the  Lord  shall  raise  him  up  a  king  over  Israel,  who  shall  cut  off  the  house  of  Jero- 

15  boam  that  day  :  but  what  ?  even  now.  For  the  Lord  shall  smite  Israel,  as  a  reed  is  shaken 
in  the  water  ;  and  he  shall  root  up  Israel  out  of  this  good  land,  which  he  gave  U)  their  fathers, 
and  shall  scatter  them  beyond  the  River  ;  becaase  they  have  made  their  Asherim.  provoking 

16  the  Lord  to  answer.     And"  he  shall  ,eive  Israel  up  because  of  the  sins  of  Jeroboam,  which  he 

17  hath  sinned,  and  wherewith  he  hath  made  Israel  to  sin.  And  Jeroboam's  wife  arose,  and 
dejiarted,  and  came  to  Tirzah  :  and  as  she  came  to  the  threshold  of  the  house,  the  eliikl  died. 

18  And  all  Israel  buried  him,  and  mourned  for  him  :  according  to  the  word  of  the  LiutD.  which 

19  he  spake  by  the  hand  of  his  servant  Ahijah  the  prophet.  And  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Jero- 
boam, how  he  wi^rred,  and  how  he  reigned,  behold,  they  are  written  in  the  book  of  the  chnm- 

20  ides  of  the  kings  of  Israel.  And  the  days  which  Jeroboam  reigned  were  two  and  twenty 
j-ears  :  and  he  slept  with  his  fathers,  and  'Nadab  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 


The  Kingdom  of  Israel. 
The  new  kingdom  was  called  "  Israel ;"  and, 
with  the  national  name,  it  seemed,  in  many  re- 
spects, the  true  representative  of  the  nation. 
It  included  an  overwhelming  majority  of  the 
tribes.  It  possessed  the  chief  portion  of  the 
territory.  Yet  Judah  possessed  Jerusalem, 
with  its  Temple,  its  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  and 
its  God-appointed  worship.  In  Judah,  too, 
was  the  throne  of  David,  and  the  line  of  succes- 
sion from  the  monarch  who  had  received  God's 
promises  in  behalf  of  his  posterity.  To  Ju- 
dah, moreover,  clung  the  true  priesthood  of 
Aaron  and  the  tribe  of  Levi.  And  thus,  when 
the  new  kingdom  of  Israel,  setting  up  for  itself, 
organized  an  independent  and  idoliitrous  wor- 
ship, and  then,  notwithstanding  the  remon- 
strances of.  God-ordained  propliets.  went  on 
from  bad  to  worse,  substituting  at  length  the 
unmitigated  idolatry  of  Baal  worship  for  the 
wi>rship  of  God  by  images,  it  established  its 
character  as  an  apostate  kingdom.  About  two 
liundred  and  fiftj'  years  this  kingdom  lasted  ; 


and  it  is  especially  worthy  of  note  that  very 
nearly  contemporaneous  with  it — rising  to  view 
shortly  after  it  rose  and  falling  just  before  it 
fell — was  the  kingdom  of  Syria,  having  the. 
city  of  Damascus  as  its  capital,  and  a  succes- 
sion of  Beuhadads  as  its  principal  kings.  Syria 
on  the  northeast  and  Judah  on  the  south  were 
the  rivals  of  Israel  ;  and,  amcmg  the  three,  alli- 
ances were  frequently  formed  by  some  two 
against  the  third.  Phanicia.  on  the  sea-coast 
to  the  northwest,  was  commonly  friendly  to  Is- 
rael ;  and  King  *Uiab  obtained  thence  his  de- 
testable wife  Jezebel,  who  brought  with  her 
the  worship  of  her  national  gods  Baal  and  As- 
tarte,  and  well-nigh  succeeded  in  corrupting 
the  whole  kingdom  with  her  idolatry.  The 
new  kingdom  of  Israel  was  charact<>rized  by 

frequent  changes  of  its  dynasty.     N.  C.  B. 

In  this  Idngdom  there  was  no  conservative 
principle,  A  love  of  novelty  and  change,  un- 
der the  specious  name  of  reform,  was  the  chief 
characteristic  of  the  powerful  house  of  Joseph. 
The   kingdom,   originating    in  rebellion,   waa 


SECTION  5.     REIGN  OF  JEROBOAM. 


67 


ruled  by  a  succession  of  adventurers,  who  built 
sumptuous  p;ilaces  and  selected  pleasant  resi- 
dences to  gratify  their  own  tastes  for  luxury 
and  show,  without  a  thought  of  the  public 
good.     /.  L.  Porter. 

The  history  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel  is  main- 
ly the  history  of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim  ;  and 
some  of  the  prophets  call  attention  to  this  fact 
by  calling  the  kingdom  not  "  Israel,"  or  "  Ja- 
cob," or  even  "  Joseph,"  but  simply  "  Ephra- 
im." The  kingdom  of  Israel  had  a  grand  op- 
portunity of  j  ustif ying  the  secession.  It  might 
resolutely  have  set  to  work  to  avoid  and  to 
remedy  the  grievous  errors  which  had  disfig- 
ured the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of  Solomon. 
The  fatal  mistake  consisted  in  supposing  that 
these  could  be  avoided  by  mere  severance  from 
the  house  of  David,  and  that  no  remedy  was 
needed.  Had  Jeroboam  and  his  successors  hon- 
estly labored  to  abolish  idolatry,  to  moderate 
taxation,  and  to  strengthen  the  frontier,  tiiey 
would  have  retained  the  alliance  of  the  proph- 
ets, the  most  powerful  moral  force  of  the  age, 
and  would  have  won  the  respect  and  lasting 
affection  of  the  tribes.  But  they  cared  for  their 
own  dynasty  much  more  than  for  the  true  re- 
ligion, and  to  surpass  Judah  much  more  than 
to  put  down  and  thrust  back  th(>  heathen. 
Thus  even  in  the  first  period  (from  Jeroboam 
to  Ahab,  B.C.  975-900),  which  is  one  of  hostility 
between  the  kingdoms,  although  Israel  gains 
considerable  advantages  over  Judah,  yet  what 
advance  is  made  is  wholly  in  the  southern  king- 
dom, while  the  northern  simply  goes  back. 
Jeroboam,  in  order  to  make  the  break  with  the 
capital  of  Judah  as  decided  as  possible,  made  a 
clean  sweep  of  all  that  could  remind  his  sub- 
jects of  the  glory  of  David  and  Solomon,  and 
with  it  of  a  large  portion  of  the  existing  civiliza- 
tion. Thus  his  kingdom  was  at  once  sent  back 
to  the  rudeness  of  the  age  of  Saul ;  and  before 
long  was  plunged  in  the  anarchy  and  conse- 
quent weakness  which  had  distinguished  the 
age  of  the  Judges.  Hence  in  the  kingdom  of 
Israel  there  seems  to  be  nothing  to  compensate 
for  the  evil  of  division.  For  the  evil  of  divis- 
ion in  an  empire  is  by  no  means  necessarily 
unmixed.  Sometimes  the  several  portions 
develop  all  the  more  healthily  for  being  inde- 
pendent, if  only  they  have  sufficient  internal 
force  and  sufficient  scope  for  action.  The  king- 
dom of  Israel  was  deficient  in  both  ;  and  the 
force  which  it  possessed  was  misdirected,  so 
that  what  scope  it  had  was  thrown  away.  P.  C. 
The  history  of  the  Northern  kingilom,  called, 
■as  the  basis  of  the  nation,  the  kingdom  of  Is- 
rael, or,  after  its  chief  tribe,  that  of  Ephraim, 


comes  chiefly  under  the  consideration  of  bibli- 
cal theology,  as  exhibiting  in  the  conflict  waged 
against  the  apostate  realm  by  ilw  j^rophetic  order 
the  powerful  agency  of  the  latter,  and  as  mani- 
festing in  the  whole  course  of  the  events  which 
befell  it  the  serious  nature  of  Divine  retribu- 
tion. Nine  dynasties,  including  nineteen  kings 
(not  reckoning  Tibni),  succeeded  each  other  in 
the  two  centuries  and  a  half  during  which  the 
kingdom  existed,  and  only  two,  those  of  Omri 
and  Jehu,  possessed  the  throne  for  any  length 
of  time.  The  history  is  full  of  conspiracies, 
regicides,  and  civil  wars  ;  it  is  a  continuous 
testimony  to  the  fact  that  when  once  the  di- 
vinely appointed  path  is  forsaken  sin  is  ever 
producing  fresh  sin,  and  that  the  punishment 
cjf  one  crime  is  inflicted  by  another.     O. 

The  kingdom  of  Israel  lasted  two  hundred 
and  fifty-four  years,  from  B.C.  975  to  B.C.  731, 
about  two-thirds  of  the  duration  of  its  more 
compact  neighbor,  Judah.  But  it  may  be 
doubted  whether  the  division  into  two  king- 
doms greatly  shortened  the  independent  exist- 
ence of  the  Hebrew  race,  or  interfered  with  the 
purposes  which,  it  is  thought,  may  be  traced 
in  the  establislmient  of  David's  monarchy. 
Tlie  detailed  history  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel 
will  be  found  under  the  names  of  its  nineteen 
kings.  A  summary  view  may  be  taken  in  four 
periods  :  1.  B.C.  975-939.  Jeroboam  had  not 
sufficient  force  of  character  in  himself  to  make 
a  lasting  impression  on  his  people.  A  king, 
but  not  a  founder  of  a  dynasty,  he  aimed  at 
nothing  beyond  securing  his  present  elevation. 
The  army  soon  learned  its  power  to  dictate  to 
the  isolated  monarch  and  disimited  people. 
Baasha,  in  the  midst  of  the  army  at  Gibbethon, 
slew  the  son  and  successor  of  Jeroboam  ;  Zimri, 
a  captain  of  chariots,  slew  the  son  and  suc- 
cessor of  Baasha  ;  Omri,  the  captain  of  the  host, 
was  chosen  to  punish  Zimri ;  and  after  a  civil 
war  of  four  years  he  prevailed  over  Tibni,  the 
choice  of  half  the  people.  3.  B.C.  939-884. 
For  forty-five  years  Israel  was  governed  by  the 
house  of  Omri.  That  sagacious  king  pitched 
on  the  strong  hill  of  Samaria  as  the  site  of  his 
capital.  The  princes  of  his  house  cultivated 
an  alliance  with  the  kings  of  Judah,  which  was 
cemented  by  the  marriage  of  Jehoram  and 
Athaliah.  The  adoption  of  Baal-worship  led 
to  a  reaction  in  the  nation,  to  the  moral  triumph 
of  the  prophets  in  the  person  of  Elijah,  and  to 
the  extinction  of  tlie  house  of  Ahab  iu  obedi- 
ence to  the  bidding  of  Eli.su.\.  3.  B.C.  88-l:-773. 
Unparalleled  triumphs,  but  deeper  humiliation, 
awaited  the  kingdom  of  Israel  under  the  dy- 
nasty of  Jehu.     Hazael,  the  ablest  king  of  Da- 


68 


KINGDOM  OP  ISRAEL. 


mascus,  reduced  Jehoahaz  to  the  condition  of  a 
vassal,  and  triumplicd  for  a  time  over  botli  tlio 
disunited  Ilihriw  kingdoms.  Almost  tli<>  first 
sign  of  the  restoration  of  their  strength  was  a 
war  between  them  ;  and  Jelioasli,  the  grandson 
of  Jehu,  entered  Jerusalem  as  tlie  eon((ueror 
of  Amaziah.  Jehojish  also  turned  the  tide 
of  war  against  the  Syrians  ;  and  Jeroboam 
II.,  tlie  most  powerful  of  all  the  kings  of  Is- 
rael, captured  Damascus,  and  recovered  the 
whole  ancient  frontier  from  Ilamath  to  the 
Dead  Sea.  Tliis  shortlived  greatness  expired 
with  tlie  last  king  of  Jehu's  line.  4.  n.c.  773- 
721.  Military  violence,  it  would  seem,  broke 
off  the  liereditary  succession  after  the  obscure 
and  probably  convulsed  reign  of  Zacliariah. 
An  unsuccessful  usiu'per,  Shallura,  is  followed 
by  the  cruel  Menahem,  who,  being  unable  to 
make  head  against  the  first  attack  of  Assyria 
under  Pul,  became  the  agent  of  that  monarch 
for  tlie  oppressive  taxation  of  his  subjects. 
Yet  his  power  at  home  was  sufficient  to  insure 
for  himself  a  ten  years'  reign,  his  son  and  suc- 
cessor, Pekahiali,  being  cut  off  after  two  years 


by  a  bold  usurper,  Pekah.  Abandoning  the 
northern  and  trans-Jordanic  regions  to  the  en- 
croaching power  of  .iVssyria  under  Tiglath- 
pileser,  he  was  very  near  subjugating  Judah. 
witli  tlie  lielp  of  Damascus,  now  the  coecpial 
ally  of  Israel.  But  .Vs.syria  interpi«ing  sum- 
marily p\it  an  end  to  l\w  iMdependince  of  Da- 
masciLS,  and  perhaps  was  the  indirect  cause  of 
the  assassination  of  the  baffled  Pekidi.  The 
irresolute  lloshea,  the  next  and  last  usurper, 
became  tributary  to  his  invader,  Slialmaneser, 
betrayed  the  jVssyrian  to  the  rival  monarchy  of 
Egypt,  and  was  punished  by  the  loss  of  his 
liberty,  and  by  the  capture.  aft<'r  a  tlin'e  years' 
siege,  of  his  strong  capital,  Samaria.  Some 
gleanings  of  the  ten  tribes  remained  in  the  land 
after  so  many  years  of  religious  decline,  moral 
debasement,  national  degradation,  anarchy, 
bloodshed,  and  deportation.  Even  these  were 
gathered  up  by  the  conqueror  and  carried  to 
Assyria,  never  again,  as  a  distinct  people,  to 
occupy  their  portion  of  that  goodly  and  pleas- 
ant land  which  their  forefathers  won  under 
Joshua  from  the  heathen.     Die.  B. 


There  Avere  four  leading  periods  in  the  history  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel  :  in  the  first,  the 
most  prominent  king  was  Jeroboam  ;  in  the  second,  Ahab  ;  in  the  thini,  Jehu  ;  and  in  the  fourth, 
Pekah.  During  the  first  period,  idolatry  took  root  ;  during  the  second,  it  was  in  full  blow  : 
during  the  third,  it  was  somewhat  cheeked  through  the  influeuce  of  the  prophets  ;  and  during 
the  fourth,  it  produced  its  natural  fruit,  in  the  utter  destruetiim  of  the  kingdom. 


Leauino  Feature 

Dynas- 

Kings, 

Lkngth  of 

liEIQNa. 

Propuets, 

EiNos  of  Judah. 

OF  Periods. 

ties. 

1    1  JEROBOAM  I. 

23  years. 

Ahijah. 

Rehoboam.  Abijah,  Asa. 

I.  Idolatry  taking  root—  { 

1    2  Xttdab. 
)    .■!  Banpliu. 

24     ... 

-Jehu. 

Asa. 
Asa. 

about  46  years \ 

2. 

(    ■)  Elali. 

■i     ... 

Asa. 

.  3, 

ij  Zimri. 

7  days. 

Asa. 

f  G  Omri. 

12  years. 

.\sa. 

II.  Idolatry       rnmpant—  ) 
ii\)oiU45  years \ 

4. 

I    7.\HAB. 

22     ... 

Elijah— Micaitb 

Asa  and  Jehoshaphat . 

I   HAlia/.iah. 

2     ... 

Elisha. 

-lebo^liuplial. 

^  9  Jehoraiu, 

12     ... 

Jelioshaphat.  Jehoram,  and 
.\liaziah. 

flO.IEHU. 

28    ... 

Joash. 

III.  Idolatry      elichtly  ) 

11  .Tt-hfialiaz. 

17 

Juash. 

chcclced— about   112- 

5. 

■  t'jrioasli. 

16    ... 

Jonah. 

Joash  and  Amaziah. 

4 

yean* ) 

13  -lerobojim  11, 
( 14  Z:icliariah. 

41     ... 
B  monllis. 

Hosea  and  Amos 

.^niaziah. 

I'zziah. 

IV.  Idolatry     trrrninatins" 
in  ruin,  including;  in- 

re. 

I.">  Sliallinn. 
1  It;  .Mi-tialK-tn. 

1     ... 

10  years. 

Uzziah. 
Uzziati. 

J  <• 

"I  17  l\'l<ahiali. 

ITzziah. 

terri'i^nuins  -    aiiout 

1   8. 

IS  PEKAH. 

20     '..'. 

Oded. 

I'z/.iah.  Jo'tham,  and  Ahaz. 

61  yeare J 

1  a. 

1«  lloshea. 

9     ... 

Aliaz  and  llezekiah. 

W.  G.  R. 

25.  Jeroboam.  He  was  the  son  of  Ne- 
bat.  of  the  tribe  of  Kpliraim.  Solomon,  long 
before,  had  appointed  him  as  overseer  of  that 
tribe.  An  able  and  ambitious  man,  skilful  and 
successful  in  the  construction  of  various  works, 
withal  popular  among  his  own  and  the  other 
already  disaffected  tribes,  he  soon  aspired  to 
royal  state.  His  aspirations  were  confirmed 
bv  the   svmbolic   act   and    declaration   of    the 


lu-ophet  Ahijah,  recorded  in  1  K.  11:  '.29-39. 
His  designs  being  discovered  by  Solomon,  he 
tied  to  Egypt,  where  he  remained  until  the 
king's  death.  At  the  call  of  the  disalTected 
tribes  upon  the  death  of  Solomon,  he  came,  and 
acted  as  their  spokesman  in  their  conference 
with  Rehoboam.  And  now.  these  tribes  elect 
and  establish  him  as  king  over  Israel.  B. 
Jeroboam,  the  son  of  Nebat  and  Zeruali,  was 


SECTION  5.    BEIGN  OF  JEROBOAM. 


69 


"  an  Ephrathite  (or  Ephraimitc)  of  Zercda"'  (1 
K.  11  ;  26),  and  was  born  a  subject  of  King 
Solomon.  Nc'bat,  Jeroboam's  father,  seems  to 
have  died  wliile  Jeroboam  was  still  a  child,  and 
he  was  brought  up  l)y  his  mother,  "  a  widow 
woman,"  of  wh<im  nothing  more  is  told  us. 
He  was  among  the  men  of  Epliraim  impressed 
by  Solomon  to  aid  in  constructing  the  fortifica- 
tions by  which  he  was  seeking  to  render  Jeru- 
salem an  impregnable  fortress.  On  one  occa- 
sion, when  Solomon  was  inspecting  the  prog- 
ress of  the  fortification  of  Millo,  which  was 
situated  between  the  Temple  hill  and  the  mod- 
ern Zion,  he  specially  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  monarch,  who,  noting  his  vigor  and  activ- 
ity, promoted  him  to  the  position  of  head- 
overseer  over  the  services  due  to  the  crown 
from  the  house  of  Joseph.  We  know  nothing 
of  Jeroboam's  life  between  his  promotion  by 
Solomon  and  his  flight  into  Egypt,  except  that, 
apparently  without  any  scheming  of  his  own,  he 
was  the  subject  of  a  prophetical  announcement, 
which  provoked  the  anger  of  Solomon,  and  led 
him  to  seek  the  life  of  his  too  distinguished  ser- 
vant and  subject  (1  K.  11  :  40).  Occupied  in 
observing  Egyptian  institutions,  and  in  ob- 
taining influence  over  the  Egyptian  monarch, 
Jeroboam  psissed  some  years.  The  time  for  a 
fresh  movement  came  only  when  news  reached 
Egypt  of  the  death  of  Solomon,  and  simul- 
taneously of  a  desire  on  the  part  of  his  friends 
in  Palestine  that  Jeroboam  should  return  to  his 
native  land,  and  be  ready  at  hand  in  case  the 
course  of  events  should  be  such  as  to  call  for 
his  intervention.  Jeroboam  responded  to  the 
call.  When  the  rebellion  broke  out  the  ten 
tribes  in  a  formal  assembly  (verse  20)  made 
Jeroboam  their  king.  The  sovereignty  over 
Israel,  as  distinct  from  Judah,  passed  once 
more  to  Ephraim,  and  the  blessing  of  Moses 
upon  Joseph  (De.  33  :  13-17)  seemed  to  obtain  a 
fresh  iiccomplishment.     6.  R. 

The  fact  may  be  noted  here,  in  passing,  that 
immediately  upon  the  revolt  of  the  ten  tribes, 
Rehoboam  made  great  preparations  to  enforce 
their  return  to  allegiance.  But  by  the  prophet 
Shemaiah,  God  forbade  the  gathered  host  of 
Judah  to  fight  against  their  brethren  of  Israel. 
Fur  this  thing  is  from  ine.  He  said.  And  the 
king  and  people  instantly  obeyed  "  the  word 
of  the  Lord."     B. 

Jeroboam  rebuilds  and  fortifies  a  capital  on 
citlmr  side,  of  Jordan.  This  was  his  first  scheme 
to  establish  his  power.  As  the  seat  and  centre 
of  his  influence  among  the  tribes  west  of  the 
Jordan,  he  builds  Shechem  in  the  territory  of 
Ephraim.     A  corresponding  centre   of   power 


among  the  Eastern  tribes  he  establishes  at  Pen- 
uel  in  the  tribe  of  Gad.  This  double  capital 
also  alTorded  a  place  of  retreat  and  rallying 
point  in  the  event  of  defeat  on  cither  side  of 
Jt)ixlan.  In  this  scheme  there  was  forethought 
and  shrewdness,  and  no  evil.  B. He  en- 
larged and  beautified  both  Shechem  and  Penuel 
for  his  own  residence,  either  out  of  love  for 
variety  and  grandeur,  the  very  fault  upon 
which  he  was  wont  to  raise  his  insinuations 
against  his  master  Solomon  ;  or  else  to  the  end 
that,  by  fortifying  these  two  places,  one  in  the 
Ciist  and  the  other  in  the  west  part  of  his  domin- 
ions, he  might  keep  his  subjects  in  better  con- 
trol.    Pflle. Shechem  was  the  first  capital  of 

the  new  kingdom,  venerable  for  its  traditions, 
and  beautiful  in  its  situation.  Subsequently 
Tirzah  became  the  royal  residence,  if  not  the 
capital,  of  Jeroboam  (14  :  17)  and  of  his  suc- 
cessors. Samaria,  uniting  in  itself  the  qualities 
of  beauty  and  fertility,  and  a  commanding 
position,  was  chosen  by  Omri  (10  :  24),  and  re- 
mained the  capital  of  the  kingdom,  until  it  had 
given  the  last  proof  of  its  strength  by  sustain- 
ing for  three  years  the  onset  of  the  hosts  of 
Assyria.  Jczrecl  was  probably  only  a  royal 
residence  of  some  of  the  Israelitish  kings. 
Die.  B. 

26.  nis  natural  but  sinful  distrust  respectinij 
the  continuance  of  his  kingdom.  The  thought 
and  fear  of  his  heart  was  that  a  revived  spirit 
of  worship,  in  connection  with  the  Temple  and 
its  sacrifices,  might  reverse  the  present  current 
of  hostile  feeling,  and  win  the  tribes  back  again 
to  the  family  of  David.  This  thought  and  fear 
were  both  natural.  But  his  actual  distrust  on 
this  account  was  wholly  sinful,  and  the  root  of 
all  his  subsequent  fearful  iniquity.  For  God 
had  first  singled  him  out,  placed  him  on  the 
throne,  prevented  Rehoboam's  intended  and 
probably  succes.sful  attack,  promised  him  a  se- 
cure reign  and  the  permanent  establishment  of 
his  dynasty  over  Israel,  upon  the  single  condi- 
tion of  an  obedient  and  upright  rule.  The 
same  promises,  conditioned  upon  the  same  re- 
gard to  God's  mandates,  that  had  been  made  to 
Saul,  to  David,  and  to  Solomon,  were  solemnly 
pledged  to  Jeroboam.  Therefore  his  distrust 
was  his  sin.  It  was  distrust,  not  of  Judah,  not 
direcllj'  of  Israel,  but  of  God.  He  disbelieves 
God's  promises,  counts  Him  false  and  impotent, 
and  with  an  utterly  self  dependent  spirit  un- 
dertakes to  secure  his  own  power,  as  if  there 

were  no  Jehovah  in  Israel.     B. He  had  been 

appointed  king  under  the  Divine  sanction.  He 
held  his  crown  under  the  condition  of  obedi- 
ence :  and  on  that  condition  the  continuance  of 


70 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


the  (Towii  to  liis  liousc  wiis  plc(i,i;ril  to  him. 
Nothing  WHS  wanted  on  liis  part  but  unreserved 
faith  in  tliat  promise.  If  Jeroboam  had  that 
faitli,  Ik'  would  have  been  free  from  any  an.\ie- 
ty  on  tlie  subject  ;  he  would  liave  felt  that  it 
was  s.ifer  to  ineur  an  apparent  danger  in  the 
career  of  duty  and  riglit-<ioiii!r.  than  to  seek 
exemption  from  it  by  mUawful  doings  and 
tortuous  policy.  The  Lord  had  given  Iiim 
every  reason  to  trust  in  the  sulticiency  of  His 
protection,  when  He  had  com;)elled  King  Reho- 
boam  to  dismiss  the  forces  with  which  he  was 
prepared  to  fall  upon  him  in  his  comparatively 
helpless  condition.  If  it  be  asked  Imw  he  was 
to  be  secured  from  the  danger  which  stood  so 
<Ustinetly  before  him,  we  can  only  answer, 
"  We  do  not  know."  Jeroboam  had  no  need 
to  know.  God  knew  ;  and  it  was  his  clear 
course  to  do  right,  trusting  all  the  rest  to  Gixl. 
Kitto. 

27.  Some  plan  had  to  be  devised  whereby 
the  tendency  to  resort  to  Jerusalem  for  pur- 
poses of  worship  should  be  checked,  and  the 
subjects  of  the  northern  kingdom  should  find 
their  religious  aspirations  met  and  satisfied 
within  their  own  borders.  It  was  with  these 
objects  in  view  that  Jeroboam  "  resolved  on 
creating  two  new  seats  of  the  national  woi-ship, 
which  should  rival  the  great  Temple  of  the 
rival  dynasty."  He  fixed  on  Dan  and  Bethel 
as  his  two  holy  sites — on  Bethel  as  possessing  the 
I)restige  of  an  ancient  patriarchal  sanctuary, 
revered  from  a  most  remote  antiquity,  and  as 
convenient  for  his  southern  subjects  ;  on  Dan, 
as  suitable  for  his  subjects  in  the  north.  At 
both  places  he  erected  sacred  buildings  of  some 
architectural  pretensions,  rivals  to  the  Temple 
on  ]Mount  Zioii,  and  at  both  he  established  a 
ritual  and  ceremonies,  designed  as  substitutes 
for  the  ritu;d  and  ceremonies  which  David  and 
Solomon  had  luider  Divine  guidance  instituted 
and  established  at  JeriLsalem.  He  placed  in  his 
sanctuaries  of  Dan  and  Bethel  two  golden  im- 
ages of  bull-calves,  iis  symbols  of  the  Divine 
Presence,  which  watched  over  the  land  from  one 
extremity  to  the  other.  These  images  very 
soon  became  the  objects  of  an  idolatrous  wor- 
ship ;  the  creature  s\il)erseded  the  ('reator  in 
men's  thoughts  ;  and,  while  bowing  down  to 
"  the  calves  of  Beth-aven"  (Hos.  10  :  5),  Israel 
"  forgot  his  Maker"  (8  :  14).     G.  H. 

Gods  prophet,  who  had  rent  Jerot)oam's 
garment  into  twelve  pieces,  and  had  given  ten 
of  them  to  him  in  token  of  his  sharing  the  ten 
tribes,  with  the  same  breath  also  told  him  that 
the  cau.se  of  this  distniction  was  their  idolatry  : 
j'ct  now  will  he  institute  an  idolatrous  service. 


for  the  holding  together  of  them  whom  their 
idolatry  had  rent  from  their  true  sovereign  to 
him.  He  says  not,  "  God  hath  promised  me 
this  kingdom  ;  God  hath  conferred  it  ;  God 
shall  find  means  to  maintain  His  own  act  :  I 
will  obey  Him  ;  let  Him  disixise  of  me  :  the 
God  of  Israel  is  wi.se  and  powerful  encmgh  to 
fetch  about  His  own  designs  ;"  but,  as  if  the 
devices  of  men  were  stronger  than  God's  provi- 
dence and  ordination,  he  will  be  working  out 
his  own  ends  by  profane  policies.     Bp.  II. 

5i!»-33.  Ilin  imjnous  scheme,  its  enl  aggrarnt- 
ed  and  broadened  by  etery  detail,  and  its  suceets- 
fill  execution.  He  shows  consummate  fore- 
thought and  skill  in  his  vast,  radical  and 
perpetuated  iniquity.  Like  himself  alone  in 
all  history,  sacred  and  secular,  in  its  plaiuiing 
and  perfection  he  manifests  a  Satanic  coolness 
of  deliberation,  an  utter  selfish  recklessness  of 
consequences,  and  a  daring  defiance  of  God. 
For,  be  it  noted,  the  heart  of  his  scheme,  the 
subject-matter  of  his  iniquity,  turns  upon  the 
vital  interest  and  supreme  concern  of  man's 
accountable  life,  the  worship  rtnd  service  of  God. 
He,  an  Israelite,  not  an  Egyptian  or  blinded 
heathen,  dares  to  be  the  first  knowingly  to  iii- 
triidiice  a  counterfeit  system,  of  worship  in  place 
of  the  true.  Directly  in  face  of  the  true,  estab- 
lished and  maintained  by  God  himself  with 
amazing  splendor  of  miracle,  he  dares  take  the 
very  details  prescribed  by  God,  and  pervert 
them  to  the  uses  of  a  blasphemous  worship. 
Two  centres  of  worship  he  establishes,  with 
many  altars  for  sacrifice.  His  purpose  is  part- 
ly to  divert  the  people  from  the  place  so  long 
associated  with  the  gathering  of  all  the  tribes 
thrice  a  year  for  Jehovah's  worship,  partly  to 
detach  them  from  the  old  memories  of  Jerusa- 
lem as  the  centre  of  historic  significance  during 
the  wondrous  period  of  the  nation's  imperial 
greatness,  and  jiartly  that  those  who  still  cher- 
ished the  instinct  or  habit  of  worship  might  be 
spared  the  toil  and  expense  of  a  long  journey. 
For  these  reasons,  to  break  up  the  force  of  past 
associations  and  to  make  it  easier  for  the  peo- 
ple to  gratify  their  religious  instincts,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  establish  new  foundations  and 
bonds  of  interest,  Jeroboam  shrewdly  places 
these  two  centres  of  woi'ship  at  either  limit  of 
the  land,  at  Bethel  and  Dan.  In  each  centre 
he  sets  up  a  golden  calf,  in  place  of  the  .shin- 
ing symbol  of  the  Divine  Presence.  By  the 
very  image  erected  in  the  wilderness,  and  in 
the  same  spirit  of  turning  away  frf)m  G<xl,  naj', 
of  supplanting  Ilim,  which  God  had  then  so 
fearfully  pxmished,  he  now  defies  God  and  pre- 
pares for  the  return  of  Divine  judgments.     A 


SECTION  5.     REIGN  OF  JEROBOAM. 


71 


priesthood,  too,  for  liis  temples  and  his  image 
gods,  //('  impiously  udects  out  of  every  tribe  and 
from  all  classes  of  the  people  ;  after  casting  out 
God's  ministers,  the  sons  of  Levi,  from  his  terri- 
tory. Further,  "  in  his  own  heart  he  devised" 
a  change  in  the  time  (which  God  had  solemnly 
designated)  of  the  autumn  festival  of  ingather- 
ing. And  as  the  crowning  act  of  his  bold  im- 
piety, he  introduced  this  blasphemous  worship 
by  himself  offering  saeriflce  and  burning  in- 
cense before  "  the  calves  that  he  had  made." 
All  this  was  deliberate,  daring  defiance  of  Je- 
hovah. This  complete  organization  of  idola- 
trous worship,  this  direct  subsUtidioii  nf  a  eaiin- 
terfeit  system  for  the  true,  Jeroboam  undertook 
in  the  face  of  his  own  yet  existing  lielief  in  the 
God  of  Israel,  in  bold  disregard  of  God's  ex- 
plicit commands,  in  impious  scorn  of  His  spe- 
cific warnings.  And  the  Divine  punishment 
upon  his  family  was  meted,  in  its  terribleness, 
to  the  enormity  of  his  crime. 

But  great  as  w.as  Ms  sin  in  itself,  and  griev- 
ous as  were  its  consequences  to  himself  and  his 
house,  it  was  vastly  greater  and  more  grievovis 
in  its  effects  upon  the  people  of  Israel,  and  its 
ultim;ite  bearing  upon  their  sad  history.  He 
Tnade  Isnwl  to  sin,  is  the  fearful  record  of  almost 
every  after  reference  to  Jeroboam.  The  point 
of  this  reference  is  twofold  :  the  breadth  of  the 
evil  he  wrought  in  leading  to  sin  and  destruc- 
tion a  great  people  ;  and  the  character  of  the 
people  so  deluded  and  destroyed,  the  chosen 
people  of  God.  Simply  with  the  small,  selfish 
aim  of  making  sure  his  own  kingly  power,  this 
bold,  bad  man  planned  and  persistently  exe- 
cuted the  utter  overthrow  and  destruction  of  a 
nation  signally  distinguished  by  God's  choice 
and  blessing.  For  this  end  he  perverted  the 
moral  life  of  the  people  by  giving  it  false  di- 
rection and  tone.  By  his  studied  imitation  of 
God's  appointed  worship  he  diverted  the  feeble 
current  of  their  religious  life  from  its  true 
source  and  its  only  vital  channels.  By  the 
pretence  of  worshipping  Jehovah  under  the 
form  of  an  image,  he  first  effectually  neutral- 
ized their  small  remnant  of  faith,  and  then 
easily  annihilated  it.  By  such  impious  mock- 
ery and  reversal  of  the  Divine  institutes  of  re- 
ligion and  law,  he  severed  Israel  from  Judah 
and  from  God.  He  introduced  idolatrous  prin- 
ciples and  practices  which  were  soon  developed 
into  every  form  and  measure  of  iniquity.  So 
Jeroboam  mmU  Israel  to  mn,  and  so  prepared 
he  the  way  for  the  utter  ruin  and  extinction  of 
the  ten  tribes. 

To  himself  the  result  was  :  the  loss  of  liis 
favorite  son,  defeat  by  Judah  and  loss  of  con- 


siderable territory,  a  foreknowledge  of  the 
slaughter  of  his  entire  family  soon  after  his 
own  death,  a  keen  sense  of  the  failure  of  his 
selfish  plans,  and  a  terrible  foreboding  of  cer- 
tain judgment  unto  doom.  And  concerning 
all  these  events  abundant  and  kindly  warning 
was  directly  given  him,  with  ample,  opportu- 
nities for  change  of  purpose,  if  he  would.  To 
realize  this  wondrous  patience  and  mercy  of 
God  in  the  case  of  Jeroboam,  and  of  every 
other  like  ingrate  against  Him,  we  have  but 
thoughtfully  to  read  the  record.  To  learn  how 
this  man  was  dealt  with  through  his  prolonged 
life  of  evil,  ponder  the  thrilling  incidents  of  the 
thirteenth  and  fourteenth  chapters  following. 
These  will  show  how  well  he  knew  that  he  had 
perverted  every  blessing,  used  every  endow- 
ment and  trust  for  evil,  and  so  forfeited  God's 
every  promise  and  incurred  His  every  threat- 
ening. And  the  history  declares  that  two 
years  after  his  remorseful  death,  his  reigning 
son  and  all  that  remained  of  his  house  were 
ruthlessly  slain,  their  bodies  dishonored  and  de- 
stroyed without  burial.     B. 

33.  The  worship  at  Bethel  was  inaugtirated 
by  a  great  festival,  in  which  Jeroboam  was  as 
much  the  central  and  conspicuous  figure  as  was 
Solomon  at  the  dedication  of  the  Temple  on 
Moriah.  The  prophet  Amos  (5  :  31-33)  describes 
the  worship  in  terms  which  suggest  an  impos- 
ing and  gorgeous  ritual  ;  mentioning  feast- 
days  and  solemn  assemblies  and  various  offer- 
ings, and  the  noise  of  songs  and  the  melody  of 
viols.  From  the  prevalence  of  idolatry  at 
Bethel, changing  its  former  hallowed  character, 
the  prophets  substituted  for  its  old  and  honored 
name  that  of  Beth-aven,  or  "  house  of  idols," 
which  before  had  been  borne  by  a  neighboring 
locality  (Hos.  10  :  5).  During  the  reign  in  Is- 
rael of  the  house  of  Ahab,  the  worship  of  Baal 
superseded  the  calf -worship  to  such  an  extent 
that  Bethel  became  a  residence  of  the  sons  of 
the  prophets,  and  the  great  Elijah  passed 
among  them,  on  his  way  to  Jericho  and  the 
.Jordan,  when  he  was  about  to  be  translated. 
On  the  restoration  of  the  calf-worship  by 
Jehu,  Bethel  became  more  unhappily  renowned 
than  ever  ;  the  worship  receiving  that  devel- 
opment of  splendor  and  that  accompaniment 
of  royal,  luxurious  life  which  prompted  the 
descriptions  and  characterized  the  denuncia- 
tions of  the  prophets  (Amos  3-6).  The  fall 
of  the  northern  kingdom  was,  of  course,  the 
fall  of  Bethel  ;  yet  not  until  the  time  of 
King  Josiah  was  the  presence  of  the  old  sanc- 
tuary relieved  of  the  defilements  of  idolatry. 
N.  C.  B. 


n 


KISaUUM  OF  IHRAEL. 


Clliip.  l;l :  l-IO.  The  man  of  Qod  from  Judah  :  his  prophecy  concerning  Jeroboam' g  altarin 
liclhd  ;  hi«  sif/n  f>ilJiU(d  ;  Jeroboam's  withered  hand  restored  at  hia  prayer ;  his  refusal  of  rtfresh- 
jiiriit  and  reirard.  anil  his  departure  homcicard. 


A  mure  daring  attempt  against  tliat  God- 
ordained  symbolical  religion,  the  mainteiianee 
of  which  was  the  ultimate  reason  for  Israel's 
call  and  existence— so  to  speak,  Israel's  very 
raison  d'etre — could  not  be  conceived.  It  was 
not  only  an  act  of  gross  disobedience,  but,  as 
the  siicred  text  repeatedly  notes,  a  system  de- 
vised out  of  .Ten)boam's  own  heart,  when  every 
religious  institution  in  Lsracl  had  been  Godap- 
pointed.  symbolical,  and  forming  a  unity  of 
which  no  part  could  be  touched  without  im- 
pairing the  whole.  It  was  a  movement  which, 
if  we  may  venture  so  to  say,  called  for  imme- 
diate and  unmistakable  interposition  from  on 
high.  Here,  then,  if  anywhere,  we  may  look 
for  the  miraculous,  and  that  in  its  most  start- 
ling manifestation.  Nor  was  it  long  deferred. 
A.  E. 

1.  If  Israel  afford  not  a  bold  reprover  of 
.TeroV)oam.  .Tudah  shall.  When  the  king  of  Is- 
rael is  in  all  the  height,  both  of  his  state  and 
superstition,  honoring  his  solemn  day  with  his 
richest  devotion,  steps  forth  a  prophet  of  God 
and  interrupts  that  glorious  service  with  a  loud 
inelaniation  of  ju<lgment.     Bj).  II. 

2.  Behold,  a  cbild  §ball  be  born, 
Joxiali  by  name.  This  is  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  prophecies  that  we  have  in  Scrip- 
ture. It  foretells  an  action  that  exactly  came 
to  pass  above  three  hundred  years  afterward. 
It  describes  the  circumstances  of  the  action, 
and  specifies  the  name  of  the  person  that  was 
to  do  it  ;  and,  therefore,  every  Jew  who  lived 
in  the  time  of  its  accomplishment  must  have 
been  convinced  of  the  Divine  authority  of  a  re- 
ligion founded  on  such  prophecies  as  this,  since 
none  but  God  could  foresee,  and  consequently 
none  but  God  could  foretell,  events  at  a  dis- 
tance.   Slarkhoiise. It  is  worthy  of  note  how 

completely  this  brief  protest  proclaimed  to 
Jeroboam  the  titter  and  shameful  overthrow, 
both  of  his  political  and  religious  systems.  A 
child  of  the  rival  house  of  David  should  stand 
where  he  then  stood,  his  successors  extinct  or 
powerless  to  prevent  him,  and  should  cover 
this  new  cultus  with  disgrace  and  contempt. 
The  man  of  God,  he  must  have  felt,  has  pro- 
claimed in  few  words  the  fall  of  his  dynasty,  the 
triumph  of  his  rival,  and  the  failure  of  all  his 
schemis.     Pul.  Com. 

2,  3.  lie  that  knows  what  names  we  shall 
have  before  we  or  the  world  have  a  being,  doth 
not  often  reveal  this  piece  of  His  knowledge  to 


His  creature  :  here  He  doth  ;  naming  the  man 
that  should  be  three  hundred  years  after  ;  for 
more  assurance  of  the  event,  that  Israel  inaj' 
say,  "  This  man  speaks  from  a  God  who  knows 
what  shall  be."  There  cannot  be  a  more  sure 
evidence  of  a  true  Godhead  than  the  foreknowl- 
edge of  those  things  whose  causes  have  yet  no 
hope  of  being.  But  because  the  proof  of  this 
prediction  was  no  more  certain  than  remote,  a 
present  demonstration  shall  convince  the  fu- 
ture :  "  The  altar  shall  rend  in  pieces,  the  ashes 
shall  be  scattered."  What  are  some  centuines 
of  years  to  the  Ancient  of  Days'^  How  slow, 
and  3'et  how  sure,  is  the  pace  of  God's  revenge  ! 
It  is  not  in  the  power  of  time  to  frustrate  God's 
determinations.  There  is  no  less  justice  nor 
severity  in  a  delayed  punishment.     Bp.  II. 

4.  He  put  fortli  his  lianti  fl'oui  the 
altar,  saying,  Lay  hold  on  him.  Jero- 
boam was  not  content  with  his  invasion  of  the 
ministerial  function;  but  while  he  was  busy 
in  liis  work,  and  a  prophet,  immediately  sent 
by  God,  declared  against  his  idolatry,  he  en- 
deavors to  seize  upon  and  commit  him.  Thus 
we  have  him  completing  his  sin.  and  persecut- 
ing the  true  prophets,  as  well  as  ordaining 
false.  But  it  was  a  natural  transition  ;  and  no 
way  wonderful  to  see  him,  who  stood  affront- 
ing God  with  false  incense  in  the  right  hand, 
pei-seeuting  with  the  left  ;  and  abetting  the 
idolatry  of  one  ann  with  the  violence  of  the 
other.     South. 

4-6.  The  arm  outstretched  in  eager,  wrath- 
ful command  to  arrest  the  man  of  God  is  with- 
ered in  the  very  attitude.  It  was  the  emblem 
of  his  house  and  of  his  people  ;  they  were 
withered  in  the  attitude  of  rebellion  against 
God.  Tlie  proplut  needed  none  to  shield  him. 
Gixl  protects  all  those  who  serve  Him.  Jero- 
biKtm  turns  from  idol  and  altar  and  priests,  iind 
recjuests  the  prophet's  intercession  with  Jeho- 
vah. ///.•*  arm  is  restored  at  the  prophet's  re- 
ipKst,  and  he  thus  bears  in  his  person  another 
token  that  thi>  word  he  has  heard  is  from  God. 
It  is  the  story  of  Gofl's  contest  with  darkness 
and  wrong  to-day.       Pul.  Com. 

And  the  man  of  God  bCKOu^lit  tlie 
Lord.  In  the  prophet's  ready  intercession 
for  Jeroboam  we  see  the  spirit  of  a  true  "  man 
of  Gixl  ;  "  and  how  very  different  it  is  from 
that  of  the  wicked,  or  the  men  of  the  world.  A 
good  man  is  kinder  to  his  enemy  Ih.in  bad  men 
are  to  their  friends.     He  prays  for  his  persecu- 


SECTION 


REIGN  OF  JEROBOAM. 


73 


tor,  aud  entreats  for  the  hand  that  was  stretched 
out  for  his  ruin.      Whijuh. 

1 1-32.  2'Jie  disuhcdu'iiee  and  death  of  the 
mail  of  God.  Tlie  seduction  of  the  man  of 
God.  who  lias  borne  such  fearless  witness 
against  Jeroboam's  ecclesiastical  policy,  aud 
his  tragical  end,  are  now  narrated,  partly  be- 
cause of  the  deep  impression  the  story  made  at 
the  time,  but  principally  because  these  events 
were  in  themselves  an  eloquent  testimony 
against  the  worship  of  the  calves  and  the  whole 
ecclesiastical  policy  of  Jeroboam,  and  a  solemn 
warning-  for  all  time  against  any,  the  slightest, 
departure  from  the  commandments  of  God. 
The  very  inifaithfulness  of  this  accredited  mes- 
senger of  the  Most  High,  aud  the  instant  pun- 
ishment it  provoked,  became  part  of  the  Divine 
protest  against  the  new  regiiiw,  against  the  un- 
faithfulness of  Israel ;  while  the  remarkable 
manner  in  which  these  occurrences  were  re- 
called to  the  nation's  memory  in  the  reign  of 
Josiah  (3  K.  23  :  17,  18)  made  it  impossible  for 
the  historian  of  the  theocracy  to  pass  them  over 
without  notice.     Pul.  Cum. 

So  far  this  prophet  is  true  to  his  commission, 
and  all  has  passed  off  well.  The  moral  trial 
under  which  he  fell  now  opens — on  this  wise  : 
There  lived  an  old  prophet  at  Bethel  (was  he 
ever  a  good  man?)  whose  sons  seem  to  have  wit- 
nessed the  scene  at  the  Bethel  altar.  Return- 
ing home  they  rehearse  the  story  to  their  father. 
Forthwith  he  orders  his  ass  saddled,  pursues 
and  overtakes  the  old  prophet  of  Judah,  and 
invites  him  to  his  own  home  to  eat  bread.  The 
prophet  answers,  "  No  ;  my  orders  explicitly 
forljid  it."  "But,"  rejoins  the  old  man  of 
Bethel,  "  I  am  a  prophet  as  thou  art,  and  an 
angil  spake  unto  me  hy  the  word  of  the  Lord, 
saying,  '  Bring  him  back  with  thee  into  thine 
house  that  he  may  eat  bread  and  drink  water.'  " 
"  But"  (adds  the  record)  "  he  lied  unto  him." 
This  was  the  point  of  stern  temptation.  He  is 
weary,  we  may  presume,  and  hungry  ;  so,  with 
quite  too  little  thought,  he  concludes  that,  per- 
haps, the  Lord  had  changed  Ilis  mind  and 
given  His  consent  that  His  prophet  might  take 
some  refreshment  even  in  this  wicked  Bethel. 
While  tliey  sat  at  the  table  a  message  really 
from  the  Lord  (not  a  lie  as  the  former)  came  to 
this  Bethel  prophet  for  his  guest  ;  ' '  Thou  hast 
disobeyed  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  thee  ;  thy 
carcass  shall  never  go  to  the  grave  of  thy  fa- 
thers." The  prophet  of  Judah  started  for  his 
home  ;  a  lion  met  him  in  the  way  and  slew  him. 

These  are  the  staple  facts  of  the  record  ;  what 
is  their  exjilanation,  and  what  are  the  lessons 
they  were  intended  to  teach  1    An  era  of  pro- 


phetic missions  to  the  ten  tribes  in  revolt  was 
now  opening.  The  reception  given  to  this 
prophet  from  Judah  by  Jeroboam  was  quite  in 
point  to  show  how  delicate  and  critical  such 
prophetic  missions  were  likely  to  be,  and  how 
vital  to  their  success  it  was  that  the  prophets 
should  not  only  understand  their  messages,  but 
have  supreme,  unlimited  confidence  that  the 
messages  given  them  were  really  from  God. 
For  all  along  through  this  era  of  prophetic  mis- 
sions in  Israel  the  devil  would  be  working  his 
system  of  false,  lying  prophets  to  counteract 
as  best  he  could  the  influence  of  God's  true 
prophets.  It  was  vital,  therefore,  to  forewarn 
God's  prophets  to  be  on  their  guard  against  tlie 
devil's  prophets  and  against  his  lies.  Jeremiah 
had  this  fearful  battle  to  fight  to  the  bitter  end. 
No  prophet  whose  history  is  known  to  u:^  came 
into  contact  with  false  prophets  so  often  and  so 
fiercely  as  he.  Such  a  case  as  this  in  1  Kings 
13  finds  a  place  naturally,  therefore,  in  this 
history,  assuming  it  to  have  been  written  by 
Jeremiah.  As  to  the  moral  character  of  this  old 
prophet  of  Bethel,  it  is  not  perhaps  competent 
for  us  to  pass  upon  it  absolutely.  The  only 
point  of  ditiiculty  is  this  :  how,  if  he  were  a 
prophet  of  God,  he  could  lie  so  to  the  prophet 
of  Judah,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  how,  if  he 
were  a  prophet  of  the  devil,  the  Lord  should 
have  spoken  through  his  lips  there  at  the  table, 
dining  with  his  guest.  Perhaps  it  may  relieve 
us  on  either  horn  of  this  dilemma  if  we  con- 
sider, {(i)  That  a  man,  normally  good,  may 
sometimes  sin — as  in  this  case,  may  be  left  of 
God  to  lie  ;  and  (b)  that  a  bad  man  may  be  used 
of  God,  as  Balaam  was,  to  make  prophetic 
eomraunications,  though  only  in  rare,  excep- 
tional cases.  Recurring  to  the  moral  purpose 
of  God  in  permitting  such  a  trial  to  come  upon 
one  of  his  prophets  and  really  seduce  him  into 
sin,  to  his  sad  but  exemplary  death,  we  may 
suggest  that  it  was  supplemented  not  long  after 
by  the  case  of  Jonah,  which,  being  put  on  per- 
manent record  by  his  own  pen,  bears  a  similar 
warning  to  all  prophets  of  the  Lord  to  execute 
with  unswerving  fidelity  their  Divine  commis- 
sion. These  prophets  were  human  ;  only  mere 
men  of  flesh  and  blood,  and  accessible,  there- 
fore, to  those  various  temptations  which  more 
or  less  encompass  all  the  saints  of  God  in  their 
earthly  life.  The  solemn  functions  of  the 
prophet  brought  his  soul  into  peculiarly  near 
relations  to  the  Great  God  ;  but  even  this  did 
not  lift  him  above  all  approaches  of  temptation, 
did  not  quench  utterly  those  susceptibilities 
upon  which  temptation  works — to  the  result 
sometimes  of  sorrowful  sinning.     C. 


74 


KINGDOM  OF  ISHAEL. 


God  had  given  Ilis  mcsscngfr  express  com- 
nuiiid,  ncithtr  to  eat  bread  nor  to  drink  water 
in  that  plaee,  nor  even  to  return  liy  the  way 
tliat  lie  had  eorae.  These  direetions  had,  of 
course,  a  much  deeper  and  syinlxilieal  mean- 
ing. They  indicated  that  Bethel  lay  under  the 
lian  ;  that  no  fellowship  of  any  kind  was  to  be 
held  with  it  ;  and  that  e\en  the  way  by  which 
the  messenger  of  God  hiul  come  wsis  to  be  re- 
garded !is  consecrated,  and  not  to  be  retraced. 
In  the  discharge  of  the  commission  entrusted 
to  him,  the  "  man  of  God,"  who  had  "  come  in 
the  word  of  Jehovah,"  wiis  to  consider  himself 
as  an  impersonal  being — till  he  was  beyond  the 
plaee  to  which  and  the  road  by  which  he  had 

been   sent.     A.   E. The   beguiled    prophet, 

being  himself  in  the  direct  receipt  of  Divine  in- 
timations, had  no  right  to  act  upon  a  contra- 
diction to  the  mandate  imparted  to  himself  on 
any  less  direct  authoritj'  than  that  from  which 
be  had  received  it  ;  and  his  esisy  credulity  had 
brought  discredit  upon  the  high  mission  en- 
trusted to  him,  and  marred  much  of  the  good 
effect  it  might  have  produced'  upon  the  minds 
of  the  king  and  people.  For  this  he  must  die, 
while  the  guiltier  man  incurs  no  punishment, 
even  as  a  soldier  on  high  and  resjionsiblc  dut_y 
sulTera  death  for  offences  which  woidd  scarcely 
incur  blame  at  another  time,  and  in  other  men. 
It  is  the  responsibility,  the  breach  of  duty,  less 
than  the  act,  which  constitutes  the  crime. 
Kitto. 

The  violation  of  the  least  charge  of  a  God  is 
mortal.  No  pretences  can  warrant  the  trans- 
gression of  a  Divine  command.  A  word  from 
God  is  i)leaded  on  both  sides  :  the  one  was  re- 
ceived immediately  from  God  ;  the  other  re- 
lated mediately  by  man  :  one,  the  prophet  was 
sure  of  ;  the  other  was  questionable.  A  sure 
word  of  God  may  not  be  left  for  an  \mcertain. 
An  express  charge  of  the  Almighty  admitteth 
not  of  any  check.  Doubtless  this  prophet  was 
a  man  of  great  holiness,  of  sing\dar  fidelity,  else 
he  durst  not  have  been  God's  herald  to  carry  a 
message  of  defiance  to  Jeroboam,  king  of  Israel, 
in  the  midst  of  his  royal  magniticence  ;  yet 
now  for  varying  from  but  a  circumstance  of 
God's  command,  though  ujion  the  suggestion 
of  a  Divine  warrant,  is  given  for  a  juey  to  the 
lion.  I  cannot  think  but  this  prophet  died  in 
the  favor  of  God,  though  by  the  teeth  of  the 
lion.  His  life  wius  forfeited  for  example  ;  his 
soul  was  safe.  Violent  events  do  not  always 
argue  the  anger  of  Gofl.  Kven  death  itself 
is  to  his  servants  a  fatherly  castigation.  Hut 
oh,  the  unsearehable  ways  of  the  Almighty  ! 
the  man  of  God  sins  and  dies  speedily'  ;  the 


lying  prophet  that  seduced  him  survives  :  yea, 
wicked  Jeroboam  enjoys  his  idolatry  and  treads 
upon  the  grave  of  his  reprover.  There  is 
neither  favor  in  the  delay  of  stripes  nor  dis- 
pleasure in  the  ha.ste  :  rather,  whom  (Jod  loves 
he  chastises,  a.s  sharply  so  speedily,  while  the 
rest  iirosjier  to  condemnation.     Ilji.  II. 

iiO-32.  When  the  rumor  reached  the  "  old 
projihet,"  he  immediately  underetood  the  mean- 
ing of  all.  Riding  to  the  spot,  he  reverently 
carried  home  with  him  the  dead  body  of  the 
"  man  of  God,"  mourned  over,  and  buried  him 
in  his  own  sepulchre,  marking  the  place  by  a 
monumental  pillar  to  distinguish  this  from 
other  tombs,  and  to  keep  the  event  in  peri)et- 
ual  rememl)rance.  But  to  his  sons  he  gave  sol- 
emn direction  to  lay  him  in  the  same  tomb — in 
the  rock-niche  by  the  side  of  that  in  which  the 
"  man  of  God"  rested.  This  was  to  be  adying 
testimony  to  "  the  man  of  Gml  :"  that  his  em- 
bii-ssy  of  God  had  been  real,  and  that  surely  the 
"  thing  would  be"  (that  it  would  happen) 
"  which  he  had  cried  in  the  word  of  Jehovah 
asainst  the  altar  which  (wa.s)  at  Bethel,  and 
against  all  the  Bamoth-\\on?,es  which  (are)  in  the 

cities  of  Samaria."     A.  E. This  old  seducer 

hath  so  much  truth  as  both  to  give  a  right  com- 
mentary upon  God's  intention  in  this  act  for  the 
terror  of  the  disobedient,  and  to  give  his  voice 
to  the  certainty  of  that  future  judgment  which 
his  late  guest  had  threatened  to  Israel.  Withal. 
he  hath  so  much  faith  and  courage  as  to  fetch 
that  carcass  from  the  lion  ;  so  much  pity  and 
compassion  as  to  weep  for  the  man  of  God,  to 
inter  him  in  his  own  sepulchre  ;  so  much  love  as 
to  wish  himself  joined  in  death  to  that  body 
which  lie  had  hastened  unto  death.     Bp.  II. 

29.  Is  there  not  written,  as  in  a  legend  of 
tire,  on  this  nameless  tomb  the  glory  or  the 
shame  which  must  be  the  portion  of  every 
prophet  of  the  Lortl?  How  great  are  his  ven- 
tures, how  grand  his  triumphs,  how  irresistible 
his  strength,  how  strict  his  account !  Let  us 
watch  especially  after  successes.  Let  us  be- 
ware of  resting  under  wayside  trees.  Let  us 
press  on  and  cry  mightily  for  God's  grace. 
lip.  MiirkiirHCHit. 

32.  More  than  three  hundred  years  later, 
and  nearly  a  century  had  pstsseii  since  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  had  been  carried  away  from  their 
homes.  Then  it  was  that  what,  centuries  be- 
fore, the  "  man  of  God"  had  foretold  became 
literally  true  (2  K.  33  :  1.5-18).  The  idol-temple, 
in  which  Jeroboam  had  stood  in  his  power  and 
glory  on  that  opening  day,  wsus  l)urned  by 
Josiah  ;  the  liainntk  were  ciust  down  ;  and  on 
that  altar,  to  dclile  it,  they  gathered  from  the 


SECTION  5.     REIGN  OF  JEROBOAM. 


70 


neighboring  sepulchres  the  bones  of  its  former 
worshippei-s  anil  burned  them  there.  Yet  in 
their  terrible  search  of  vengeance  one  monu- 
ment arrested  their  attention  They  aslced  of 
them  at  Bethel.  It  marked  the  spot  wliere  the 
bones  of  "  the  man  of  God"  and  of  liis  host  the 
"  old  prophet"  of  Samaria  lay.  And  they  rev- 
erently left  the  bones  in  their  resting-places, 
side  by  side — as  in  life,  death  and  burial,  so 
still  and  for  aye  witnesses  to  Jehovah  ;  and 
safe  in  their  wituess-be:>.ring.  But  three  cen- 
turies and  more  betvi^een  the  prediction  smd 
the  final  fulfilment  :  and  in  that  time  symbolic 
rending  of  the  altar,  changes,  wars,  final  ruin, 
and  desolation  !  And  still  the  word  seemed  to 
slumber  all  those  centuries  of  silence  before  it 
was  literally  fulfilled.  There  is  something 
absolutely  overawing  in  this  absence  of  all 
haste  on  the  part  of  God,  in  tliis  certainty  of 
the  final  event  with  apparent  utter  unconcern 
of  what  may  happen  during  the  long  centuries 
that  intervene,  which  makes  us  tremble  as  we 
realize  how  much  of  buried  seed  of  warning  or 
of  promise  may  sleep  in  the  ground,  iuid  how 
unexpectedly,  but  how  certainly,  it  will  ripen 
as  in  one  day  into  a  harvest  of  judgment  or  of 
mercy.     A.  E. 

The  yielding  of  the  prophet  to  the  tempta- 
tion of  the  old  prophet  to  eat  bread  with  him 
teaches  us  that  even  a  true  prophet,  a  prophet 
of  God,  might  be  deceived,  and  that  he  mimt 
be  deceived  if  he  yielded  to  any  pretences  of 
inspiration  on  the  part  of  any  man  when  what 
he  said  went  against  a  sure  witness  and  con- 
viction as  to  his  own  duty  ;  that  a  prophet  not 
haliitually  a  deceiver  might  on  a  certain  occasion 
wilfully  deceive,  in  the  plain  language  of  Holy 
Writ  might  lie.  The  characteristic  quality  of 
the  prophet  when  he  is  true  is  obedience.  If 
he  once  forgets  the  invisible  Ruler  and  Law- 
giver, no  one  will  commit  such  flagrant  errors, 
such  falsehood,  such  blasphemy.     Mniriee. 

It  seemed  a  small  offence  to  go  home  with  a 
brother  prophet  ;  but  observe  that  he  W!\s  in 
no  doubt  as  to  the  will  of  God.  He  knew  that 
he  was  forl)idden  to  enter  any  house  and  that 
the  reason  for  that  inhibition  was  weighty  ;  he 
knew  further  that  God  would  not  contradict 
Himself  or  alter  His  command,  yet  his  sensuous 
wish  lor  food  and  rest  prevailed.  An  act  may 
seem  trifling,  but  the  principle  involved  in  it 
may    be    momentous.     So    it    was    in    Eden. 

A.  R. His  offence  was  great,  and  it  would 

by  no  means  justify  him  that  he  was  drawn 
into  it  by  a  lie  ;  he  could  not  be  so  certain  of 
the  countermand  sent  bj'  another  as  he  was  of 
the  command  given  to  himself  ;  nor  had  he  any 


ground  to  think  that  the  command  would  be 
recalled  when  the  rea.son  of  it  remained  in 
force,  which  was  that  he  might  testify  his  de- 
testation of  the  wickedness  of  that  place.  He 
had  great  reason  to  sus])ect  the  honesty  of  this 
old  prophet  who  did  not  himself  liear  His  testi- 
mony, nor  did  God  think  fit  to  make  use  of  him 
as  a  witness  against  the  idolatry  of  the  city  he 
lived  in  ;  however,  he  should  have  taken  time 
to  beg  direction  from  G<id,  and  not  have  com- 
plied so  soon.  God  is  displeased  at  the  sins  of 
His  own  people,  and  no  man  shall  be  protected 
in  disobedience  by  the  sanctity  of  his  profes- 
sion, the  dignity  of  his  office,  his  nearness  to 
God,  or  any  good  services  he  has  done  for 
Him.     H. 

By  his  own  testimony  he  had  received  ex- 
press and  unmistakable  command  of  God, 
which  Scripture  again  and  again  repeats,  for 
the  sake  of  emphasis  ;  and  his  conduct  should 
have  been  guided  on  the  plain  principle  that 
an  obvious  and  known  duty  can  never  be  set 
aside  by  another  seeming  duty.  Besides,  what 
evidence  had  he  that  an  angel  had  really  spo- 
ken to  the  "  old  prophet  ;"  or  even  that  his 
tempter  was  a  "  prophet"  at  all,  or,  if  a 
prophet,  acted  in  the  prophetic  spirit  ?  All 
these  points  are  so  obvious,  that  the  conduct  of 
the  "  man  of  God"  would  seem  almost  incredi- 
ble, if  we  did  not  recall  how  often  in  every -day 
life  we  are  tempted  to  turn  aside  from  the  plain 
demands  of  right  and  duty  by  a  false  call  in 
contravention  to  it.  In  all  moral  and  spiritual 
questions  it  is  ever  most  dangerous  to  reason  : 
simple  obedience  and  not  argument  is  the  only 
safe  path  (comp.  here  Gal.  1  :  8).  One  duty 
can  never  contravene  another — and  the  plainly 
known  and  clear  command  of  God  must  silence 
all  side-questions.  Viewing  the  conduct  of 
the  "  man  of  God"  as  a  fall  and  a  sin,  all  be- 
comes plain.  He  had  publicly  announced  his 
duty,  and  he  had  publicly  contravened  it ;  and 
his  punishment  was,  through  the  remarkable 
though  not  miraculous  circumstancoe  under 
which  it  overtook  him,  equally  publicly 
known.  Throughout  the  whole  historj'  there 
is,  .so  to  speak,  a  rcmarkalile  equipoise  in  the 
circumstances  of  his  sin  and  of  his  punishment, 
as  also  in  the  vindication  of  God's  authority. 
A.  E. 

To  this  must  be  added  that  the  man  of  God 
did  not  die  merely  or  principally  because  of  his 
sin,  but  "  that  the  works  of  God  might  l>e  m;ide 
manifest  in  him."  His  death  was  necessary  in 
order  that  his  mission  might  not  be  altogether 
invididated.  His  miserable  end — as  it  must 
have  seemed  to  them — would  surely  speak  to 


76 


KINGDOM  OF  ISUAEL. 


the  iiiliabitants  of  netlicl  and  to  all  Israel  and 
Judah,  for  long  yL-are  to  come,  as  to  the  sure 
vengeance  awaiting  the  disobedient,  wlietlier 
king,  prophet,  priest,  or  i)eople.  Though 
dead  "  he  cried  agiiinst  the  altar  of  Bethel." 
And  the  sacred  narrative  alTords  us  some  ground 
for  hoping  that  the  "old  prophet"  became 
penitent  for  his  sin.  It  is  noteworthy  that  he 
joins  his  testimony  to  that  of  the  man  of  God. 
Thus,  this  trage<ly  extorted  even  from  Itini  a 
warning  against  disobedience  (verso  26),  and  a 
confirmation  of  the  prophecy  against  llic  altar 
of  Bethel  (verse  32).     Ihuamund. 

l:t::{2.  WliU-li  ai-e  in  llic  citic!*  or 
Suilliiria.  'I'he  city  of  Samaria  was  not  built 
at  this  time,  nor  had  the  separate  kingdom  of 
Jeroboam  yet  obtained  that  name  ;  so  that  the 
authoror  compilerof  this  book,  who  lived  later,  i 


writes  of  places  and  things  by  the  names  which 
they  bore  in  his  days,  in  order  to  make  himself 
more  intelligible  to  his  readers.     Caliiut. 

S3.  The  warning,  intended  to  turn  the  mis- 
guidid  king  from  his  wrong-doing,  was  lost 
ui)on  him.  "  After  this  thing  Jeroboam  re- 
turned not  from  his  evil  way.  but  made  again 
priests  of  the  high  places  from  the  ends  of  the 
people  ;  whosoever  w-ould  he  consecrated  him, 
and  he  became  one  of  the  priests  of  the  high 
places."  In  fact,  he  persisted  in  the  course 
which  he  had  marked  out  for  himself,  main- 
tained the  new  altars  and  shrines,  the  self- 
inventeil  fe:ists  and  rites,  the  idolatrous  wor- 
ship and  the  unauthorized  priests,  and  the 
entire  system  whereof  he  had  been  the  origi- 
nator. Hereupon  (chap.  14)  he  was  visited,  not 
in  warning,  but  in  judgment.     G.  II. 


Clliip.  14  :  1-20.  F((t(il  sickiienHdf  Jeruhoain's  son  Abijuh;  jinn-ney  of  the  tmither  to  Ahijah  at 
Shiliili  ;  tJif  jirojiliit'n  iiiemitiye  of  coiiiiiiy  (luom  to  tlw  kiiiy  ;  thcehild'n  (huth  a  ltd  «orroic  (f  till  Isnui  ; 
Jeroboam's  death. 


The  protest  of  the  prophet  of  Judah,  the 
signs  which  suijported  it,  and,  above  all,  the 
solemn  visitation,  with  its  strange  portents, 
which  straightway  followed  it,   having  alike 


to  do  so  openly  lest  he  should  bring  down  upon 
himself  the  denunciation  of  woe  which  he 
knew  that  he  deserved.  He  therefore  caused  his 
wife  to  disguise  herself  as  a  poor  country  wom- 


failed  to  arrest  Jeroboam  in  his  high-handed  i  an.  and  sent  her  to  Shiloh  to  mak<'  inquiry  of 
and  shameless  depravation  of  the  true  religion,  I  the  dim-sighted  prophet.  But  the  disguise 
we  now   read  of  the  retribution  which  came  |  proved  of  no  avail.     ^Vliijah.   warned  liefore- 


upon  liis  family,  and  which  began  with  the 
sickness  and  death  of  his  favorite  son.  The 
narrative  distinctly  conveys  the  impression  that 
Jeroboam's  day  of  grace  was  past,  and  that 
judgment  was  already  begun.  These  events 
would  seem  to  belong  to  a  later  period  than 
that  of  which  the  preceding  chapter  treats — a 
pi-riod  not  far  distant  from  the  clo.se  of  Jero- 
boam's reign.  He  then  heard,  as  was  fitting, 
from  the  venerable  prophet  who  liad  been 
God's  messenger  to  announce  to  him  liis  future 
reign  over  the  ten  tribes,  that  the  death  of  the 
youth  whom  he  had  destined  to  succeed  him 
was  but  the  beginning  of  sorrows,  and  fore- 
shadowed the  .shanief  id  extinction  of  his  family 
(verse  14).  He  too,  like  Solomon,  has  sown  to 
the  wind  and  now  reaps  to  the  whirlwind. 
P.  C. 

One  of  his  sons,  a  favorites  chihl  as  it  would 
seem,  was  suddenly  smitten  with  a  dangerous 
sickness.  The  king  was  greatly  alarmed  and 
intensely  an.\ious  to  know  the  result.  One 
way  only  of  learning  the  future  seemed  i)Ossi- 
ble.  Ahijah,  the  Shilonite,  the  prophet  of  the 
northern  kingdom,  was  still  living  at  Shiloh, 
and  might  at  any  rate  be  considted.  and  woid<l 
l)erhaps  be  allowc.l  to  reveal  the  future.  Jero- 
boam resolved  to  consult  him.     But  he  feared 


hand  who  his  visitor  woulil  be,  made  the  de- 
nunciation which  Jeroboam  feared.  The  child, 
he  said,  would  die  as  the  queen  set  foot  on  her 
palace  tlu-eshold  ;  and  not  only  so,  but  the 
whole  house  of  Jeioboam  would,  in  a  little 
time,  be  cut  off.  God  had  exalted  Jeroboam 
and  made  him  prince  over  liis  people,  and  rent 
the  kingdom  away  from  the  house  of  David 
and  given  it  to  him  ;  but  be  had  not  followed 
the  example  of  David  :  on  the  eontr.uy  he  had 
done  evil  above  all  those  who  had  preceded 
liim,  had  made  other  gods  and  molten  images 
and  had  provoked  Jehovah  to  anger  and  cast 
lilm  beliind  his  back.  Therefore  woe  was  de- 
nounced against  Jeroboam  and  against  his 
house.     G.  R. 

1,2.  His  son  is  sick,  he  is  sorrowful  ;  but 
as  an  amazed  man  seeks  to  go  forth  at  the  wrong 
door,  his  distraction  sends  him  to  a  false  help. 
He  thinks  not  of  God  ;  he  thinks  of  His 
l)roi)het  :  he  thinks  of  the  prophet  that  had 
foretold  him  lie  should  be  a  king  ;  lie  thinks 
not  of  the  God  of  that  i)rophet  who  made  him 
a  king.  Why  should  Jeioboam  semi  so  far  to 
an  AhijahV  Certainly  his  heart  despised  those 
base  priests  of  his  high  places  ;  neither  could 
he  trust  either  to  the  gods  or  the  clergy  of  his 
own  making,     liis  conscience  rests  upon  the 


SECTION  S.    REIGN  OF  JEROBOAM. 


77 


fidelity  of  that  man  whose  doctrine  he  had  for- 
saken. How  did  this  idohiter  strive  against  his 
own  heart,  while  he  inwardly  despised  those 
whom  he  professed  to  honor.     Bp.  II. 

a.  In  sending  his  wife  to  consult  the  prophet, 
Jeroboam  wished  the  proceeding  to  be  com- 
pletely secret  ;  for  had  it  been  publicly  known 
that  he  himself  had  no  confidence  in  his  own 
senseless  idols,  and  that  in  any  matter  of  im- 
portance he  applied  to  the  prophet  of  the  true 
God,  the  confidence  of  liis  subjects  in  his  gov- 
ernment would  have  been  materially  shaken, 
and  they  would  have  returned  to  the  worship 
of  that  true  God  whom  they  had  imprudently 
forsaken.  His  wife  was  the  only  person  in 
whom  he  could  confide  ;  he  knew  that  as  a 
mother  she  would  be  diligent  in  her  inquiry, 
and  as  a  wife  faithful  in  her  report.  Siac/c- 
hoijst;. 

6-1  §.  He  idly  calculated  that  the  prophet, 
whose  view  could  extend  into  the  future,  hid 
in  the  counsels  of  God,  could  not  see  through  a 
present  matter  wrapped  up  only  in  the  thin 
cover  of  awoman's  hood.  "  There  was  never," 
says  Dr.  Hall,  "  a  wicked  man  who  was  not 
infatuate,  and  in  nothing  more  than  in  those 
things  wherein  he  hoped  most  to  transcend  the 
reach  of  others."  All  this  fine  contrivance  was 
blown  to  pieces  the  moment  the  wife  of  Jero- 
boam crossed  Ahijah's  threshold  ;  for  then  she 
heard  the  voice  of  the  blind  prophet — "  Come 
in,  thou  wife  of  Jeroboam  ;  why  feignest  thou 
thyself  to  be  another  ?  for  I  am  sent  to  thee 
with  heavy  tidings."  He  then  broke  forth  iu 
a  strong  tide  of  denunciation  against  Jeroboam, 
because  he  had  sinned  and  made  Israel  to  sin  ; 
and  tlie  voice  which  had  proclaimed  his  rise 
from  a  low  estate  to  royal  power,  now,  with 
still  stronger  tone,  proclaimed  the  downfall 
and  ruin  of  his  house — quenched  in  blood — its 
membere  to  find  tombs  only  in  the  bowels  of 
beasts  and  birds.  There  was  one  exception — 
only  one.  The  youth  of  whom  she  came  to  in- 
quire— he  only  should  come  to  his  grave  in 
peace,  by  dying  of  his  present  disease,  because 
in  him  only  was  "  found  some  good  thing 
toward  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  in  the  house  of 
Jeroboam. ' '  Wof  ul  tidings  these  for  a  mother's 
heart, .  Here  was  beginning  of  j  udgment  upon 
Jeroboam,  and  upon  her,  because  she  was  his. 
Judgment  in  taking  away  the  only  well-condi- 
tioned and  woithy  son,  and  judgment  stored 
up  in  and  for  the  ill-conditioned  ones  who  were 
suffered  to  remain.  God,  when  it  suits  the 
piu'poses  of  His  wisdom  and  His  justice,  can 
afHict  no  less  by  what  He  spares  than  by  what 
He  takes.     Yet  there  was  mercy  in  this  judg- 


ment ;  mercy,  strange  as  it  seems  to  say,  to 
him  on  whom  the  sentence  of  death  was  passed. 
It  is  so  stated  ;  and  it  is  more  intelligible  than 
it  seems.  It  was  because  there  was  some  good 
thing  found  in  him  that  he  should  die.  Death 
was  to  be  for  him  a  reward,  a  blessing,  a  de- 
liverance. He  should  die  peaceably  upon  his 
bed  ;  for  him  all  Israel  should  mourn  ;  for  him 
many  tears  be  shed  ;  and  he  shovdd  be  brought 
with  honor  to  his  tomb.  More  than  all,  he 
would  be  taken  from  his  part  in  the  evil  that 
hung  over  his  house  ;  and  the  Lord's  vindica- 
tory justice  would  thus  be  spared  the  seeming 
harshness  of  bringing  ruin  upon  a  righteous 
king  for  his  father's  crimes.  Alas  I  how  little 
do  we  know  the  real  objects  of  the  various  in- 
cidents of  life  and  death — of  mercy,  of  punish- 
ment.and  of  trial  !  In  this  case  the  motives 
were  disclosed  ;  and  we  are  suffered  to  glance 
upon  some  of  the  great  secrets  of  death,  which 
form  the  trying  mysteries  of  life.  Having  the 
instance,  we  can  find  the  parallels  of  lives,  full 
of  hope  and  promise,  prematurely  taken,  and 
that  in  mercy,  as  we  can  judge,  to  tho.se  who 
depart.  The  heavenly  Husbandman  often  gath- 
ers for  His  garner  the  frait  that  early  ripens, 
without  suffering  it  to  hang  needlessly  long, 
beaten  by  storms,  upon  the  tree.  Oh,  how 
often,  as  many  a  grieved  heart  can  tell,  do  the 
Lord's  best  beloved  die  betimes — taken  from 
the  evil  to  come — while  the  unripe,  the  evil, 
the  injurious,  live  long  for  mischief  to  them- 
selves and  others  1  Roses  and  lilies  wither  far 
sooner  than  thorns  and  thistles.     Kitto. 

12.  The  child  shall  die.  What  a  mix- 
ture is  here  of  severitj'  and  favor  in  one  act ; 
favor  to  the  son,  severity  to  the  father.  Some- 
times God  strikes  in  favor,  but  more  often  for- 
bears out  of  severity.  The  best  are  fittest  for 
heaven,  the  earth  is  fittest  for  the  worst.  Tliis 
is  the  region  of  sin  and  misery,  that  of  immor- 
tality. It  is  no  argument  of  disfavor  to  be 
taken  early  from  a  well-spent  life  ;  as  it  is  no 
proof  of  approbation  to  be  permitted  to  live  to 
advanced  years  in  sin.     Bp.  E. 

13.  Because  in  him  there  is  found 
some  good  thing  toward  the  Lord 
Ood  of  Israel  in  the  house  of  Jero- 
l>oain.  Such  was  the  testimony  which  the 
Lord  gave,  by  His  prophet,  of  young  Abijah, 
the  son  of  wicked  Jeroboam.  The  father  was 
branded,  even  to  a  proverb,  for  his  abominable 
wickedness.  The  son  is  I'ecorded  by  the  Lord 
for  his  goodness  ;  singled  out  from  the  whole 
house  of  his  father  to  be  blessed  of  his  God  and 

come  to  his  grave  in  peace.      W.  Mason. 

Even  a  young  and  biief  life  may  be  fruitful  in 


78 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


blessing.  Young  as  Abijah  was,  the  whole  na- 
tion mourned  for  him.  The  length  of  life  is  not 
to  be  judged  by  the  number  of  its  years.  That 
life  i.-j  llie  longest  in  wliieli  God  has  been  be.st 
serve<l  and  the  world  most  benetited.  Piety 
in  life  is  the  only  guanuilee  of  pence  in  death. 
An  early  departure  from  tliis  world  is  not  a 
thing  to  be  dreaded  i)rovided  our  heart  is  right 
with  God.  If  you  would  eonie  to  your  grave 
in  [leace,  be  it  sooner  or  be  it  later,  there  must 
be  found  in  you  "  some  good  thing  toward  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel."     /.  Thain  Dandmii. 

10.  The  iTKt  of  the  acts  of  Jcro> 
boaill,  how  he  watri-e«l,  are  itiitU'ii  in  th' 
Chronichn.  In  the  liSth  chapter  of  3  Chronicles 
we  find  an  account  of  the  war  between  Abijah 
(king  of  Jv:dah  and  son  of  Rehoboam)  and  Jero- 
boam. In  a  great  battle,  with  an  immense  array 
of  forces  on  either  side,  it  is  said  (verses  15-:iO) 
that  "  God  smote  Jeroboam  and  all  Israel  be- 
fore Abijah  and  all  Judah.  And  Abijah  and 
his  people  slew  them  with  a  great  slaughter. 
"  Neither  difl  Jeroboam  recover  strength  again  ; 
and  the  Lord  struck  him,  and  he  died."  (See 
reigu  of  Abijah,  king  of  Judah.)     B. 


If  we  lay  together  all  the  particular  that 
have  been  enumerated  concerning  Jeroboam, 
and  consider  the  parts,  rise,  and  degrees  of  his 
sin,  wc  shall  find  that  it  was  not  for  nothing 
that  the  Spirit  of  God  so  frequently  and  bitterly, 
in  Scripture,  stigmatizes  this  person  ;  for  it  rep- 
resents him  first  encroaching  upon  the  civil 
government,  thence  changing  the  religion  of 
his  country,  debasing  the  office  that  God  had 
made  sacred,  introducing  a  false  way  of  wor- 
ship and  destro3-ing  the  true.  And  in  this  we 
have  a  full  and  fair  description  of  a  foul  king  ; 
that  is,  of  an  usurper  and  an  impostor  ;  or,  to 
use  one  word  more  comprehensive  than  both, 
of  "  Jeroboam   the  son  of  Nebat,  who  made 

Israel  to  sin. "     South. For  two  hundred  and 

fifty-seven  years  this  terrible  indictment.  "  he 
made  Israel  to  sin,"  follows  Jeroboam  and  his 
kingdom  through  all  the  pages  of  this  sacred 
record,  until  the  kingdom  was  utterly  de- 
stroyed and  the  ten  tribes  blotted  from  the 
map  of  human  history,  even  as  Moses  and  the 
prophets  had  predicted  (De.  28  :  36  ;  1  K. 
14  :  15  ;  Hos.  9  ;  Amos  5).  The  establishment 
of  idolatry  absolutely  controlled  and  deter- 
mined the  development  of  Israers  history  until 
its  utter  extermination  by  the  Assyrians  seven 
hundred  and  twenty-one  years  before  the  birth 

of  our  Lord.     .1.   W.  PiUcr. In  the  strong 

lajiguage  of  the  sacred  writer,  he  "  drave  Israel 


from  following  the  Lord,  and  made  them  sin  a 
great  sin"  (2  K.  IT  ;  21).  .iVs  king  after  king  is 
noted  for  his  wickedness,  it  is  with  the  words 
that  he  "departed  not  from  the  sins  of  Jero- 
boam tlie  son  of  Nebat.  wherewith  he  made  Is- 
rael to  sin."  For  a  period  of  two  centuries  and 
a  half,  down  to  the  time  of  tlie  A.ssyrian  inva- 
sion, when  Israel  ceased  to  be  a  nation,  the  same 
flirefid  language  is  continued.  Jeroboam's 
evil  example  was  the  type  and  instigation  of 
nearly  all  the  faithlessness  that  followed  it. 
He  gave,  indeed,  a  new  departure  to  the  his- 
tory of  Israel.  Thenceforward  idolatry  never 
ceased  to  contend  with  the  ancient  faith  until 
it  was  at  last  purged  out  by  the  wholesome 
though  painful  discipline  of  the  Captivity. 
MilUgnn. 

The  history  of  the  Jews  during  this  period 
presents  the  sLspect  of  one  long  judgment  of 
God,  in  which  .sin  brings  forth  death,  and  thus 
becomes  its  own  punishment.  This  is  true  also 
in  the  history  of  individuals  ;  and  we  have  in 
tills  fact  one  of  the  strongest  evidences  that  we 
are  under  the  government  of  a  holy  God.  Let 
us  never  forget  that  His  holiness  is  at  the  same 
time  'ove,  and  that  through  all  the  dark  and 
son-owful  vicissitudes  of  our  life  He  is  carry- 
ing o\it  His  plan  of  mercy.  In  spite  of  all  its 
falls,  its  wanderings  and  its  woes.  Israel  did  fulfil 
its  preparatory  mission.  If  in  the  end  the  theoc- 
racy tottered  to  its  fall,  this  failure  also  entered 
into  the  conditions  of  the  Djvine  plan.  Israel 
was  never  treated  by  God,  however,  as  a  mere 
passive  instrument.  God  gave  it  repeated  warn- 
ings, as  by  the  mouth  of  the  unknown  prophet 
who  was  sent  to  Jeroboam  to  declare  to  him 
the  judgments  of  God.     E.  de  P. 


Three  suggestions  touching  Jeroboam's  reign. 
The  first  respects  God's  principles  of  dealing 
with  rulers  and  nations.  Although  he  has  now 
divided  the  domains  of  David,  and  maintains 
his  anno\inced  purpose  in  reference  to  each 
kingdom  throughout  its  history,  yet  he  deals 
with  every  king  and  his  people  accoixling  to 
their  co/ifliiet.  Every  reign  is  prospered  or 
punished  according  to  the  obedience  or  disobe- 
dience of  its  ruler  and  subjects  to  His  com- 
mands. The  second  is  hint<'d  at  in  chap.  \i  :  16. 
It  is  explicitly  stated  in  Eccl.  9  ;  18,  One  sinner 
destroyeth  much  gimd.  In  the  continuance  of 
David's  house,  notwitlistanding  Solomon's  sin, 
we  learn  the  power  of  a  consecrated  man  for 
good  and  for  pcn^etuating  good  to  children's 
children.  Here  we  behold  a  like  power  for 
evil  of  a  self-willed,  self-seeking  man.  How 
clearly  it  stands  out  in  this  and  the  whole  after 


SECTION  6. 


79 


record  !  Through  his  device  of  a  false  wor- 
ship, the  whole  nation  is  turned  hopelessly 
uwiiy  from  the  God  of  their  fathers.  And  in 
the  effects  of  his  one  transgression  are  involved 
the  steadily  increasing  guilt  and  common  doom 
of  all  succeeding  kings  and  generations  of  Is- 
rael. Third.  Jeroboam's  spirit  and  course 
simply  outlines  the  aims  and  the  course  of 
every  self-seeker,  and  his  fearful  experience 
only  illustrates  the  invariable  result.    He  doubt- 


ed God's  word  and  disbelieved  His  promise. 
All  sin  originates  in  doubt  and  disbelief  of  God. 
Under  the  influence  of  his  disbelief,  he  planned 
for  his  own  safety  and  continuance  in  power. 
His  methods  involved  direct  and  flagrant  dis- 
obedience to  Jehovah,  and  issued  in  every  form 
of  impiety.  The  result  of  his  sin  was  death. 
And  always  ''  the  vayes  of  sin  is  death." 
"  When  it  is  finished  (full  grown  and  matured) 
sin  bringeth  forth  death  !"     B. 


Section  6. 

REIGNS   OF  NADAB,  BAASHA,  ELAH,  AND   ZIMRI. 


1  Kings  lo  :  25-31  ;  16  :  1-20. 

15 :  25  And  Nadab  the  son  of  Jeroboam  began  to  reign  over  Israel  in  the  second  year  of 

26  Asa  king  of  Judah,  and  he  reigned  over  Israel  two  years.  And  he  did  that  which  was  evil  in 
the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  walked  in  the  way  of  his  father,  and  in  his  sin  wherewith  he 

27  made  Israel  to  sin.  And  Baasha  the  son  of  Ahijah,  of  the  house  of  Issachar,  conspired  against 
him  ;  and  Baasha  smote  him  at  Gibbethon,  which  belonged  to  the  Philistines  ;  for  Nadab 

28  and  all  Israel  were  laying  siege  to  Gibbethon.     Even  in  the  thii-d  year  of  Asa  king  of  Judah 

29  did  Baasha  slay  him,  and  reigned  in  his  stead.  And  it  came  to  pass  that,  as  soon  as  he  was 
king,  he  smote  all  the  house  of  Jeroboam  ;  he  left  not  to  Jeroboam  any  that  breathed,  until 
he  had  destroyed  him  ;  according  unto  the  saying  of  the  Lord,  which  he  spake  by  the  hand 

30  of  his  servant  Ahijah  the  Shilonite  :  for  the  sins  of  Jeroboam  which  he  sinned,  and  where- 
with he  made  Israel  to  sin  ;  because  of  his  provocation  wherewith  he  provoked  the  Lord, 

31  the  God  of  Israel,  to  anger.     Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Nadab,  and  all  that  he  did,  are  they 

32  not  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Israel  ?  And  there  was  war  between 
Asa  and  Baasha  king  of  Israel  all  their  days. 

33  In  the  third  year  of  Asa  king  of  Judah  began  Baasha  the  son  of  Ahijah  to  reign  over  all 

34  Israel  in  Tirzah,  and  reigned  twenty  and  four  years.  And  he  did  that  which  was  evil  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord,  and  walked  in  the  way  of  Jeroboam,  and  in  his  sin  wherewith  he  made 

16  : 1  Israel  to  sin.     And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Jehu  the  son  of  Hanani  against  Baasha, 

2  saying.  Forasmuch  as  I  exalted  thee  out  of  the  dust,  and  made  thee  prince  over  my  people 
Israel;  and  thou  hast  walked  in  the  way  of  Jeroboam,  and  hast  made  my  people  Israel  to 

3  sin.  to  provoke  me  to  anger  with  their  sins  ;  behold,  I  will  utterly  sweep  away  Baasha  and 

4  his  house  ;  and  I  will  make  thy  house  like  the  house  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat.  Him 
that  dieth  of  Baasha  in  the  city  shall  the  dogs  eat  ;  and  him  that  dieth  of  his  in  the  field  shall 

5  the  fowls  of  the  air  eat.     Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Baasha,  and  what  he  diJ,  and  his  might, 

6  are  they  not  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Israel  ?    And  Baasha  slept 

7  with  his  fathers,  and  was  buried  in  Tirzah  ;  and  Elah  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead.  And  more- 
over by  the  hand  of  the  prophet  Jehu  the  son  of  Hanani  came  the  word  of  the  Lord  against 
Baasha,  and  against  his  house,  both  because  of  all  the  evil  that  he  did  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord, 
to  provoke  him  to  anger  with  the  work  of  his  hands,  in  being  like  the  house  of  Jeroboam,  and 
because  he  smote  him. 

8  In  the  twenty  and  sixth  year  of  Asa  king  of  Judah  began  Elah  the  son  of  Baasha  to  reign 

9  over  Israel  in  Tirzah,  entd  reigned  two  years.  And  his  servant  Zimri,  c.iptain  of  half  his 
chariots,  conspired  against  him  :  now  he  was  in  Tirzah,  drinking  himself  drunk  in  the  house 

10  of  Arza,  which  was  over  the  household  in  Tirzah  :  and  Zimri  went  in  and  smote  him,  and 
killed  him,  in  the  twenty  and  seventh  year  of  Asa  king  of  Judah,  and  reigned  in  his  stead. 


80 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


11  And  it  cnme  to  pass,  when  lip  began  to  reign,  as  soon  as  Iip  sat  on  his  throne,  that  he  smote 
all  the  house  of  Baasha  :  he  left  him  not  a  single  man  child,  neither  of  his  kinsfolks,  nor  of 

12  his  friends.     Thus  did  Zimri  destroy  all  the  house  of  Baasha,  according  to  the  word  of  the 

13  LonD,  which  he  spake  against  Baasha  by  Jehu  the  prophet,  for  all  the  sins  of  Baasha,  and 
the  sins  of  Elahhis  son,  which  thej' sinned,  and  wherewith  they  made  Lsrael  to  sin,  to  provoke 

14  the  I.onn,  the  God  of  Isniel.  to  anger  with  their  vanities.  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Elah, 
and  all  that  he  did,  are  they  not  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Israel  ? 

\~)      In  the  twenty  and  .seventh  year  of  Asa  king  of  Judah  did  Zimri  reign  .seven  days  in  Tirzah. 

16  Now  the  pco]ile  were  encamped  against  Gibbethon,  which  belonged  to  the  Philistines.  And 
the  people  that  were  encamped  heard  saj',  Zimri  hath  conspired,  and  hath  also  smitten  the 
king  ;  wherefore  all  Israel  made  Omri,  the  captain  of  the  host,  king  over  Israel  that  day  in 

17  the  camp.     .\nd  Omri  went  up  from  Gibliethon.  and  all  Israel  with  him.  and  they  besieged 

18  Tirzah.     And  it  came  to  ]iass,  when  Zimi'i  saw  that  the  city  w;is  taken,  that  he  went  into  the 

19  castle  of  the  king's  house,  iind  bvirnt  the  king's  house  over  him  with  fire,  and  died,  for  his 
sins  -which  he  sinned  in  doing  that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Loud,  in  walking  in 

30  the  way  of  Jeroboam,  and  in  his  sin  which  he  did,  to  make  Israel  to  sin.  Now  the  rest  of 
the  acts  of  Zimri,  and  his  treason  that  he  wrought,  are  they  not  written  in  the  book  of  the 
chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Israel  ? 


Reign  of  N.\d.\ii. 

Two  Yi'iirx,  2rf  and  Zd  of  Ami,  of  Judah. 

1  Kings  15  :  25-31. 

Op  Nadab,  the  son  and  successor  of  Jero- 
boam, nothing  is  recorded  except  that  he  as- 
cended the  throne  of  Israel  in  the  second  year 
of  Asa,  king  of  Judah,  and  was  murdered  in 
the  year  following  by  Baasha  the  son  of  Alii- 
jah,  of  the  tribe  of  Issaehar,  at  Gibbethon,  a 
Philistine  town  which  the  Israelites  were  be- 
sieging. No  ]iarticulai-s  are  given  of  his  age  or 
actions.  It  is  merely  said,  in  the  most  general 
way,  that  "  he  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord, 
and  walked  in  the  way  of  his  father,  and  in  his 
sin  wherewith  he  made  Israel  to  sin." 

25.  A  reign  of  "  two  years"  is  assigned  to 
him  ;  but  the  writer  counts  any  part  of  a  year 
as  "  a  year  ;"  and  all  that  we  can  distinctly 
gather  from  him  is,  that  Nadab  began  to  reign 
in  some  part  of  Asa's  second  year,  and  was 
murdered  in  some  part  of  his  third.     G.  R. 

iiH.  Even  in  the  third  year  or  A^sa. 
■yVe  have  here  (as  in  chap.  16:8,  23)  a  conspic- 
uous instance  of  the  Hebrew  habit  of  counting 
parts  of  ycara  as  entire  years.  It  is  obvious 
that  if  Nadab  succeeded  to  the  throne  in  the 
second  (veree  25)  and  died  in  the  tliird  year  of 
Asa,  he  cannot  have  reigned  two  full  years. 

29.  By  his  servant  Ahijah  the  Shilonite 
(chap.  14  :  10).  It  is  not  implied  that  it  was 
because  of  this  prophecy  that  Baasha  extermi- 
nated the  house  of  Jeroboam.  It  is  probable 
that,  so  far  from  setting  himself  to  fulfil  it.  he 
knew  nothing  about  it,  and,  as  he  thought,  mere- 
ly took  effectual  measures  for  his  own  security. 
His  seat  could  never  be  safe  so  long  as  one  of 
Jeroboam's  house  survived.     Hammond. 


We  have  here  a  signal  fulfilment  of  the  curse 
denounced  upon  Jeroboam  in  the  utter  extinc- 
tion of  his  family.  There  was  not  left  to  him 
any  that  breathed.     T.  C. 

30.  It  is  clear  to  the  most  cursory  reader 
that  a  daring  impiety  characterizes  the  whole 
period  from  Jeroboam  to  Iloshea,  and  for  this 
"  the  sin  of  Jeroboam"  is  mainly  responsible. 
Of  each  of  the  kings  of  Israel  do  we  read  that 
he  "  walked  in  the  way  of  Jeroboam,  and  in 
liis  sin  which  he  did."  Not  one  of  these  nine- 
teen kings,  sprung  as  many  of  them  were  from 
different  lineages,  had  the  courage  and  the 
piety  to  retrace  his  steps,  and  revert  to  the 
primitive  faith  and  mode  of  worship.  For 
Jeroboam  had  made  the  calf-worship  an  inte- 
gral part  of  the  national  life.  It  was  so  inter- 
twined with  the  existence  of  Israel  as  a  sepa- 
rate people,  that  to  abandon  it  would  be  to 
repudiate  all  the  traditions  of  the  kingdom, 
and  tacitly  to  acknowledge  the  superiority  of 
Judah.  Any  king  attempti:ig  such  a  reforma- 
tion would  appear  to  be  a  traitor  to  his  coun- 
try. The  attempt  would  have  provoked  a  sec- 
ond schism.  It  was  clear  to  each  monarch  at 
his  accession,  if  he  reflected  on  the  subject  at 
all,  that  the  calf -worship  must  go  on.  Ahab 
and  Jezebel  are  not  wholly  responsible  for  the 
abominations  of  Baal  and  Ashtaroth.  The  dar- 
ing innovations  of  .leroboam  had  prepared  the 
minds  of  men  for  this  last  and  greatest  viola- 
tion of  the  law.  The  iilunge  into  wholesale 
idolatry  wciuld  have  been  impossible,  had  not 
the  deep  descent  to  the  calf-woi-ship  been  trav- 
ersed first.     Iliimmond. 

33.  Tirzali.  A  little  to  the  north  of  She- 
chem,  in  tlie  mountain  district,  twelve  miles 
from  Samaria,  on  the  road  from  Nablous  to  Bei- 


SECTION  6.     REION  OF  BAASHA. 


81 


san,  in  a  well-wooded  country,  lies  Teiasir,  the 
ancient  Tirzdh.  It  was  an  uld  Canaanite  city, 
whose  king  fell  before  Joshua  (chap.  13  :  24). 
Its  remarkable  beauty — "  Thou  art  beautiful,  O 
my  love,  as  Tirzali"  (Cant.  6  :  4) — caused  it  to 
be  selected  as  the  royal  residence  by  Jeroboam. 
His  successors,  Nadab,  Baasha,  Elah,  and 
Zimri,  also  resided  at  Tirzah,  where  Baasha  and 
probably  tlie  others  were  buried.  Here  was 
matured  the  conspiracy  of  Zimri,  and,  in  retri- 
bution, he  in  his  turn  was  liere  besieged  by 
Omri,  who,  after  the  capture  of  the  place,  re- 
sided liere  for  six  years,  till  he  removed  the 
capital  to  the  new  city  of  Samaria.  Several 
generations  later,  at  Tirzah,  Menahem  organized 
his  rebellion  against  Shallum  ;  but  so  soon  as 
he  was  successful  he  established  his  govern- 
ment in  Samaria.  There  are  numerous  cave- 
sepulchres  north  of  the  village,  among  which 
may  be  the  tombs  of  the  first  four  kings  of  Is- 
rael, who  were  buried  here.     Tristram. 

Reign  of  Baasha. 

Tieenty-four  Tears,  3d  to  26th  of  Asa,  of  Judah. 

1  Kings  15  :  33,  34  ;  16  :  1-7. 

BAAsn.\,  the  third  Israelite  monarch,  had  a 
reign  of  twenty-four  years  (15  :  33).  He  was 
the  son  of  a  certain  Ahijah,  of  whom  nothing 
more  is  known,  and  belonged  to  the  undistin- 
guished and  unimportant  tribe  of  Issachar.  It 
would  seem  that  he  was  originally  of  very 
humble  rank  (16  :  2)  ;  and  at  the  siege  of  Gib- 
bethon,  where  he  conceived  the  design  of  mur- 
dering Nadab  and  seating  himself  upon  his 
throne,  he  was  perhaps  no  more  than  a  common 
soldier.  But  he  was  "  a  man  of  distinguished 
bravery,"  ambitious  to  excess,  and  of  extraor- 
dinary audacity.  Without,  so  far  as  appears, 
any  prophetic  encouragement,  without  claim 
of  any  kind  to  the  kingly  office,  he  ventured  to 
organize  a  conspiracy  against  the  reigning 
sovereign,  the  son  of  a  valiant  sire,  who  must 
have  had  the  support  of  many  powerful  inter- 
ests. All  that  we  know  is,  that  Baasha  suc- 
ceeded in  his  enterprise,  that  he  slew  Nadab  at 
Gibbethon,  and  was  accepted  as  king  in  his 
stead,  obtaining  the  throne,  as  it  would  seem, 
without  an}'  civil  war  or  long  struggle.  The 
nation,  which  the  house  of  Jeroboam  had  in  no 
way  attached  to  itself,  acquiesced  in  his  rule, 
probably  preferring  the  firm  hand  that  had 
seized  the  reins  of  government  to  the  feeble 
one  from  which  they  had  slipped.  In  firmly 
establishing  himself  upon  the  throne  and  con- 


solidating his  power,  Baasha  showed  the  same 
vigor  and  unscrupulousness  that  he  had  ex- 
hibited in  making  himself  king.  Unmoved  by 
any  stir  of  compassion  or  pity,  he  relentlessly 
exterminated  the  entire  house  of  Jeroboam. 
Religion  profited  nothing  by  the  change  of  dy- 
nasty. The  worship  of  the  calves  remained 
unchanged  at  Dan  and  Bethel ;  the  unauthorized 
priesthood  was  maintaineil  in  office  ;  Jehovistic 
Israelites  were  hindered  from  carrying  their 
offerings  to  Jerusalem  or  participating  in  the 
Temple  worship  (3  Chron.  16  :  1)  ;  Jeroboam's 
system  was,  in  fact,  continued  without  the 
slightest  modification,  and  the  prophetical 
order  can  have  been  no  better  pleased  with  the 
rule  of  the  house  of  Ahijah  than  with  that  of 
the  house  of  Nebat.  It  is  in  military  matters 
that  a  difference  can  be  traced  between  the 
policy  of  the  first  and  the  second  Israelite  dy- 
nasty. The  house  of  Nebat  had  been  content 
to  stand  on  the  defensive  against  Judah,  to 
seek  to  repel  attack  rather  than  to  make  it, 
and  to  look  to  self-protection  rather  than  to 
self-aggrandizement.  It  had  even  submitted 
under  Jeroboam  to  the  loss  of  territory,  and 
had  subsequently  made  no  effort  to  recover  the 
captured  cities.  Baasha's  military  policy  was 
the  exact  opposite  of  this.  Having  strength- 
ened himself  by  an  alliance  with  his  northern 
neighbor,  Benhadad,  king  of  Damascus  (3 
Chron.  16  :  3),  he  challenged  Judah  to  the  com- 
bat ;  he  collected  an  army,  marched  southward, 
crossed  the  Judean  border,  reconquered  the  ter- 
ritory taken  from  Israel  by  Abijah  in  the  reign 
of  Jeroboam,  and  pursuing  his  victorious  march 
seized  and  occupied  Ramah,  a  position  of  the 
utmost  importance  in  Judea  itself,  which  he 
endeavored  rapidly  to  convert  into  a  fortress  of 
the  first  class.  The  object,  as  Ewald  sees,  was 
to  "  annihilate"  Judah.  If  it  could  have  been 
maintained  for  a  few  years  in  the  hands  of  Ju- 
dah's  bitter  foes,  Jerusalem  must  have  suc- 
cumbed, and  with  the  loss  of  Jerusalem  the 
Judean  state  must  have  collapsed.  In  Judah's 
history  we  learn  how  Asa  met  the  daring  plan 
of  his  adversary,  how  he  bribed  Benhadad  to 
change  sides  and  turn  against  Baasha,  with  the 
consequent  failure  of  Baasha's  plan,  and  the 
recovery  by  Asa  of  the  fortress  which  had 
threatened  him  with  ruin.  Thus  Baasha's  at- 
tempt to  re-establish  the  unity  of  the  monarchy 
by  absorbing  Judea  into  his  own  territories  came 
to  nought.  The  invasion  of  Israel  on  the  north 
by  Benhadad  and  the  speedy  capture  not  only 
of  the  towns  of  Dan,  Ijon,  and  Abel-beth- 
maachah,  but  of  "  all  Cinneroth,  with  all  the 
land  of  Naphtali"  (1  K.  15  :  30),  revealed  the 


82 


KINGDOif  OF  ISRAEL. 


wi:ikncs3  of  tlie  Israelite  kinjrdoin  in  respect  of 
its  nortliorn  frontier,  whicli  Wiis  (iominiited  by 
tlie  more  elevated  tracts  about  Lebanon  and 
Hermon  that  never  formed  any  part  of  the  ac- 
tual territory  of  the  chosen  people,  excepting 
under  the  brief  dominion  of  David  and  Solo- 
mon. This  weakness  sliowcd  it.sclf  at  other 
periods  of  Israelite  history  besides  the  present 
one.  and  must  have  caused  Ha:usha  some  alarm. 
He  seems  to  have  liurriedly  granted  all  the  de- 
mands which  Benhadad  jireferred.  and  to  have 
thenceforth  carefully  abstained  from  provoking 
his  hostility.  A  necessary  result  wius  the  com- 
plete relinquishment  of  his  aggressive  designs 
again.st  the  kingdom  of  Judah,  and  a  resump- 
tion of  the  defensive  attitude  toward  it.  which 
had  been  miintained  by  .Ierobo:im  and  Nadab. 
Thus  Baiisha  fovind  himself  no  whit  furtlier 
advanced  on  the  path  of  military  success  than 
his  predecessors.  The  honor  and  power  of  the 
kingdom  would  indeed  seem  to  have  "  sunk 
lower  under  the  new  dynasty  than  imder  its 
predecessor. ' '  Discontent  consequently  showed 
itself.  A  prophet  (Jehu)  denounced  the  mur- 
der by  which  Baasha  hatl  attained  the  throne 
(1  K.  16  ;  7),  reproached  him  for  his  slavish  ad- 
herence to  the  sins  of  Jeroboam,  and  prophesied 
for  him  and  his  house  the  very  same  fate 
which,  a  quarter  of  a  century  earlier,  had  been 
prophesied  for  the  house  of  the  son  of  Nebat. 
Baasha,  however,  maintained  his  power,  like 
Jeroboam,  till  his  death,  and  left  his  crown  to 
his  son  Elah,  who  at  once  and  without  difficul- 
ty mounted  the  throne.  The  scene  of  Baasha's 
death  was  Tirzah,  which  Jeroboam  had  made 
the  capital  (1  K.  14  :  IT)  ;  and  there  he  was  laid 
to  rest  with  the  customary  honors.     G.  R. 

1.  Because  lie  iiiiiolc  liiiii.  Although 
the  judgment  of  God  upon  Jeroboam  and  his 
house,  as  aiuiounced  by  the  prophet,  was  thus 
fulMlled.  it  must  not  for  a  moment  be  thought 
that  the  foul  deed  of  Baasha  was  thereby  les- 
sened in  guilt.  On  the  contrary,  Iloly  Scripture 
Mre  crpremly  marks  this  crime  as  one  of  the 
grounds  of  TUuisha's  later  judgment.  It  is  per- 
haps not  easy,  and  yet  it  is  of  supreme  impor- 
tance for  the  understanding  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, to  distinguish  in  these  events  the  action 
of  man  from  the  overruling  direction  of  God. 
Thus  when,  after  his  accession,  the  prophet 
Jehu,  the  son  of  Ilanani,  was  commissioned  to 
denounce  the  sin  and  to  aimounce  the  judg- 
ment of  Baa-sha,  these  two  jjoints  were  clearly 
put  forward  in  his  message  :  the  sin  of  Baasha 
in  the  murder  of  Jeroboam's  house,  and  the 
fact  that  his  exaltation  was  due  to  the  Lord. 
A.  E. 


Reign  of  Elah. 
About  One  Year,  21th  of  Asa,  of  Judah. 

1  Kings  16  :  8-14. 
The  figure  of  Elah,  the  son  and  successor  of 
Baasha,  is  as  shadowy  in  the  sacred  history  as 
that  of  Nadab,  the  son  and  successor  of  Jero- 
boam. Of  neither  are  we  told  his  age  at  his 
accession,  or  any  special  trait  of  disposition. 
Both  have  short  reigns,  littl'  if  at  all  exceeding 
a  year;  both  "continue  in  the  way  of  Jero- 
boam, the  son  of  Nebat,"  and  "  provoke  God 
to  anger  with  their  vanities  ;"  both,  moreover, 
engage  in  a  war  against  the  Philistines  within 
a  short  period  of  their  accession  ;  and  in  both 
reigns  the  spetaal  scene  of  the  war  is  the  Philis- 
tine city  of  Gibbethon.  The  only  important 
difference  between  their  histories  is.  tliat  where- 
as Niulab  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his  army 
and  proceeded  to  encounter  the  hardships  of 
the  siege  in  person,  Elah  sent  against  Gib- 
bethon the  captains  of  his  host,  Zimri  and 
Omri,  while  he  himself  remained  in  the  capital. 
Tirzah,  drinking  and  revelling  in  the  palace  of 
the  steward  of  liis  household,  a  certain  Arza. 
We  may  iussume  that  Ziraii  was  kept  acrjuaint- 
ed  with  the  king's  unkingly  conduct,  and  saw 
in  it  his  own  opportunity.  The  associations  of 
Giljbetbon  suggested  that  kings  were  not  un- 
assailable, and  the  special  circumstances  of 
Elah's  position  were  such  !is  at  once  to  provoke 
attack  and  to  fat:ilitate  it.  Zimri,  without  in- 
forming Omri  or  the  army  of  his  intention, 
withdrew  himself  from  Gibbethon,  and,  return- 
ing to  Tirzah.  surprised  the  wretched  monarch 
at  his  drinking-bout,  and  assiissinated  him. 
Elah,  who  began  to  reign  in  the  twenty-sixth 
j'carof  Asa(l  K.  16:8),  perLshed  in  the  same 
king's  twenty -seventh  year  (ihid..  verse  15),  so 
that  he  probably  did  not  hold  the  throne  for 
more  than  a  few  montlis.     G.  R. 

Reign  of  Zimri. 
jSfesere  Days,  2.7th  of  Asa,  of  Judah. 
1  Kings  16  ;  15-20. 
Zimri.  the  bold  soldier,  who,  imitating  Ba- 
ash.i,  brought  the  second  Israelite  dynsisty  to  an 
end  by  tlic  a.ssa.ssination  of  its  second  monarch, 
proceeded  to  follow  up  his  first  success  by  a 
further  imitation  of  his  model  by  destroying  all 
tlie  house  of  Baasha.  not  sparing  any.  either  of 
his  kinsfolk  or  of  his  close  friends.     This  ex- 
treme severity  may  have  rendered  him  unpop- 
ular.    At  any  rate,  when  the  army  which  was 
at  Gibbethon  heard  of  his  insurrection  and  of 
the  liloody  deeds  by  which  he  had  followed  it 


SECTION  7. 


83 


up,  Hiey  were  so  exasperated  that  they  broke 
out  into  revolt,  refased  to  acknowledge  Zimri 
as  their  monarch,  and  invested  Omri,  who  had 
been  left  at  Gibbethon  in  sole  command,  with 
the  sovereignty.  Omri  did  not  hesitate  for  a 
moment  to  accept  the  rank  conferred  upon  him, 
and  at  once  took  steps  to  dispossess  his  rival  of 
the  throne.  By  his  orders  the  army  broke  up 
from  before  Gibbethon,  raised  the  siege,  and 
marching  witli  all  speed  to  Tirzah,  besieged  the 
pretender  in  his  capital.  Ziniri  did  not  dare  to 
venture  a  battle,  but  remained  within  the  walls. 
Within  a  very  short  time  the  defences  were 
forced  and  the  town  entered.  Brave,  fierce, 
and  obstinate  to  the  last  degree,  Zimri  took  a 
desperate  resolve,  and  throwing  himself  into 
the  royal  palace,  a  sort  of  fortress  within  a  fort- 
ress, he  stood  at  bay,  and  when  further  resist- 
ance was  hopeless,  gave  orders  that  the  palace 
should  be  set  on  fire  and  burnt  it  over  his  head. 
It  would  appear  that  Zimri,  even  in  his  short 
reign  of  seven  days,  found  occasion  to  give 
formal  approval  to  the  religious  system  of  Jero- 


bo.am,  since  it  is  declared  of  him  (verses  18,  19) 
that  "  he  died  for  his  sins  which  he  sinned  in 
doing  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  in  walking 
in  the  way  of  .Jeroboam,  and  in  his  sin  that  he 
did,  to  make  Israel  to  sin."     G.  R. 

I§.  And  died.  This  word  is  intimately 
connected  with  the  verse  following.  The  text 
conveys  clearly  that  Zimri's  tragical  death  was 
a  retribution  for  his  sins.  Bahr  remarks  that 
of  Elah  and  Zimri  we  learn  nothing,  apart  from 
the  fact  that  they  held  to  the  sin  of  .leroboam, 
except  how  they  died.  It  is  interesting  to  re- 
member here  the  aspect  these  repeated  revolu- 
tions and  assassinations  would  wear  to  the 
kingdom  of  Judah,  then  enjoying  quietness 
and  p  rosperity  under  Asa.  We  cannot  doubt  for 
a  moment  that  they  were  regarded  as  so  many 
manifestations  of  the  righteous  judgment  of 
God,  and  as  the  outcomes  of  that  spirit  of  in- 
subordination and  impiety  which,  in  their  eyes, 
had  brought  about  both  the  division  of  the 
kingdom  and  the  schism  in  the  church.  Ham- 
mond. 


Section  7. 

REIGN  OF  OMRI,  12  YEARS. 
27tli  lo  3§tli  of  Asa,  of  Judali. 

1  Kings  16:21-28. 

31      Then  were  the  people  of  Israel  divided  into  two  parts  :  half  of  the  people  followed  Tibni 

33  the  son  of  Ginath,  to  make  him  king  ;  and  half  followed  Omri.     But  the  peoi)le  that  followed 

Omri  prevailed  against  the  people  that  followed  Tibni  the  son  of  Ginath :  so  Tibni  died,  and 

23  Omri  reigned.     In  the  thirty  and  first  year  of  Asa  king  of  .Judah  began  Omri  to  reign  over 

24  Israel,  and  reiijm'd  twelve  yeare  ;  six  years  reigned  he  in  Tirzah.  And  he  liought  the  hill 
Samaria  of  Shcmer  for  two  talents  of  silver  ;  and  he  built  on  {or  fortifii'd)  the  hill,  and  called 
the   name  of  the  city  which  he  built,  after  the  name  of  Shemer,   the  owner  of  the  hill, 

25  Samaria.     And  Omri  did  that  wliich  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  dealt  wickedly 

26  above  all  that  were  before  him.  For  he  walked  in  all  the  way  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of 
Nebat,  and  in  his  sins  wherewith  he  made  Israel  to  sin,  to  provoke  the  Lorb,  the  God  of 

27  Israel,  to  anger  with  their  vanities.  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Omri  which  he  did,  and 
his  might  that  he  shewed,  are  they  not  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of 

28  IsriKd  ?  So  Omri  slept  with  his  fathers,  and  was  buried  in  Samaria :  and  Ahab  his  son 
reigned  in  his  stead. 


Summiir!/.  After  a  reign  of  twenty-two 
years,  .Jeroboam,  the  firet  king  of  Israel,  was 
succeeded  by  his  son  Nadab.  A  conspiracy, 
headed  by  Baasha,  general  of  the  army,  de- 
stroyed the  entire  family  of  Jeroboam  less  than 
two  years  after  the  accession  of  Nadab.     Ba- 


asha reigned  twenty-four  years,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son  Elah.  Within  a  year  this 
son  and  the  whole  family  of  Baasha  were  in 
turn  utterly  destroyed  by  Zimri,  captain  of  the 
palace  guard.  Seven  days  Zimri  reigned.  Be- 
sieged by  the  army  under  Omri,  then  in  the  field, 


84 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


and  the  capital  (Tirzah)  taken,  Zimri  burnt  the 
palace  and  destroyed  himself.  Oiuri.  the  eoni- 
miiiidinj;  general,  was  then  chosen  by  the  anny 
to  fill  the  Ihrone.  Hut  "  half  the  peojile"  sup- 
ported Tibni.  Four  years  of  stru^frle  ensued, 
■when  "  Tibni  died"  and  Oniri  reijriied.  His 
entire  reign  extended  twelve  years.     B. 

Omri  was  the  sixth  king  of  Israel,  and  the 
founder  of  the  fourth  dynasty,  which  laswd 
for  three  generations  and  four  kings.  Ills  fa- 
ther's name  and  tribe  are  unknown.  The 
twelve  years  of  his  reign  are  probably  to  be 
dated  from  the  death  of  Elah,  as  his  full  recog- 
nition is  placed  in  the  thirty-first  year  of  Asa, 
and  the  accession  of  his  son  Aliab  in  the  thirty- 
eighth  of  Asa  ;  so  that  his  six  years'  reign  at 

Tirzah  wotdd  include  the  civil  war.     P.  S. 

Omri  was  the  first  founder  of  a  new  dynasty, 
who  had  not  come  to  the  crown  by  a  revolt 
against  his  sovereign  and  the  extermination  of 
his  house.  It  is  true  that  he  led  the  army 
agr.inst  Zimri  ;  but  in  so  doing  he  appeared  as 
the  avenger  of  the  king  whom  Zimri  had  mur- 
dered, and  the  usurper's  reign  of  a  week  was 
too  short  to  enable  his  family,  if  he  had  any,  to 
establish  any  intluence  dangerous  to  t)mri,  or  to 
render  their  extermination  politically  expedient. 
However,  it  came  to  pass  that  Omri  attained  to 
the  throne  with  comparatively  undetiled  hands. 
He  was  even  spared  the  blood  of  Zimri,  that 
guilty  man  having  burned  the  royal  palace 
over  his  head  in  Tirzah,  which  had  by  this  time 
become  the  capital.     KHt". 

24.  Omri  biiililn  SdiiKiriK  and  ivtidjlin/ns  it  im 
the  (ujntid.  Tlie  hill  Samaria,  six  miles  north 
of  Shechem,  was  a  position  of  peculiar  strength 
and  beauty,  in  a  fertile,  well-watered  region. 
It  continued  to  be  the  capital  of  Israel  until  it 
was  taken  and  destroyed  by  the  Assyrian  king, 
when  the  kingdom  itself  became  forever  ex- 
tinct. Subsequently  it  was  twice  repeopled 
and  destroyed.  Ilerod  the  Great  rebuilt  it  and 
called  it  Sebaste.  The  ruins  still  remain  under 
the  corruiited  name  Sebustiych.  So  great  was 
the  fame  of  the  city  Samaria  that  ultimately 
it  gave  name  to  the  province  lying  between 
.ludea  and  Galilee,  and  to  its  inlialiitants,  the 

Samaritans.     B. There  were  olijections   to 

Tirzah  as  the  capital  from  its  situation,  which 
was  neither  sutliciently  central  nor  sulliciently 
strong.  Omri  cast  about  for  a  place,  near  the 
middle  of  the  land,  which  should  be  strong  in 
a  ndlitary  point  of  view,  capable  of  being  for- 
tified i>ro(luclive,  suflicicntly  watered,  and  ac- 
cessible from  the  various  parts  of  the  kingdom. 
Tliis  he  foun<l  in  the  "hill  of  Sliomeron,"  a 
few  miles  to  the  northwest  of  the  old  capital. 


Sliechem,  which  he  accordin.gly  purcha.sed,  and 
on  which  he  built  his  town.     G.  II. 

Tlie  situation  of  this  royal  city,  if  less  beau- 
tiful, is  more  commanding  than  that  of  its  sis- 
ter, Shechem.  Nearly  in  the  centn-  of  a  basin, 
about  five  miles  in  diameter,  rises  a  flatfish, 
oval-shaped  hill,  to  the  height  of  some  three 
hundred  feet.  On  the  summit  is  a  long  and 
nearly  level  plateau,  which  breaks  down  at 
the  sides  one  hundred  feet  or  more  to  an  irregu- 
lar terrace  or  belt  of  level  land  ;  below  this  the 
roots  of  the  hill  spread  off  more  gradually  into 
the  surrounding  valleys.  Tlie  whole  is  now 
oiltivated  in  terraces,  in  the  formation  of 
which  the  stones  of  the  ancient  city  have  been 
freely  used.  Groves  of  luxuriant  olives  almost 
cover  the  southern  side  and  fill  the  valley  be- 
low, while  single  trees  and  little  groups  ilot  the 
rest.  A  wide  circuit  of  picturesque  mountains 
encompasses  the  basin,  having  only  a  narrow- 
opening  on  the  west,  through  wliicli  a  winter 
torrent  finds  its  way  to  the  plain  of  Sharon. 
Little  villages,  with  their  green  corn-tields  and 
gray  olive  groves,  stud  the  dark  mountainsides 
or  crown  their  summits,  making  the  whole 
landscape  one  of  the  richest  and  most  beautiful 
in  Palestine.  The  modern  village  of  Sebustieh 
nia}'  contain  about  sixty  houses,  with  a  popu- 
lation of  four  hundred.  It  stands  upon  the 
broad  terrace  midway  up  the  eastern  side  of 
the  hill.  The  view  from  the  top  is  a  noble  one, 
embracing  the  glens  and  vales  round  the  Iiill, 
the  circuit  of  mountains,  a  section  of  the  plain 
of  Sharon,  and  the  wide  expanse  of  the  Medi- 
terranean. No  better  site  for  a  capital  could 
lia\e  been  selected  in  the  length  and  breadth  of 
Palestine — a  strong  position,  rich  environs, 
central  situation,  and  an  elevation  suflicient  to 
catch  untiunted  the  cool,  healthy  breezes  of  the 

sea.     Pofter. It  stands  some  four  hundR-d 

feet  above  the  valley,  the  sides  of  the  hill  being 
steep  and  terraced  in  every  direction  for  culti- 
vation, or  perhaps  for  defensive  purposes  ; 
broad  luid  open  valleys  stretch  north  and  south, 
and  the  hill  is  thus  almost  i.solated.  Strategical 
reasons  may  be  supposed  to  have  dictateii  the 
<-boice  of  the  capital  of  Omri,  for  on  the  north 
the  hill  commands  the  nuiin  road  to  .Tezreel 
over  a  steep  jiass,  on  the  west  it  dominates  the 
road  to  the  coast,  and  on  the  east  that  to  the 
Jordan.     Condcr. 

In  B.C.  721  Samatia  was  taken,  after  its  sec- 
ond three  years'  siege,  by  Shalmane-str,  king  of 
Assyria,  and  with  its  fall  closed  the  history  of 
the  kingdom  of  Israel.  It  was  aftenvard  taken, 
and  its  inhabitants  transplanted  by  Alexander 
the  Great.     Again,  the  Jews,  under  Hyivauus, 


SECTION 


REIGN  OF  OMRL 


85 


nearly  destroyed  it,  and  in  turn  the  old  inhab- 
itants were  re-established  by  Pompey.  Au- 
gustus gave  it  to  Ilerod  the  Great,  who  recol- 
onized  it,  rebuilt  it,  and  added  most  sumptuous 
palaces,  theatres,  temples,  stadium,  and  col- 
onnades, changing  its  name  to  Sehnste  (i.e.,  Au- 
gusta), in  honor  of  his  patron,  by  the  Arabic 
form  of  which,  Sebustiyeh,  it  is  still  known. 
Tnstram. 

25-27.  The  character  of  Omri  and  of  his 
reign.  Of  his  five  predecessors,  the  common 
record  is  that  they  sinned  and  made  Israel  to 
sin.  Of  this  man,  head  of  the  fourth  family 
that  reigned,  it  is  said  :  Omn  wi'oucjlit  eiil,  and 
did  irorse  than  idl  before  him.  Worse  did  he 
than  Jeroboam  and  Baasha,  in  compelhny  the 
people  to  iniqiiity  by  framing  it  into  a  law. 
For  in  Micah  6  :  16  we  are  told  that  the  keep 
Ing  of  the  statutes  of  Omri  made  "  Israel  a  des- 
olation," referring  probably  to  idol-worahip. 
The  noted  Moabite  Stone  contains  the  name  of 
Omri,  and  Assyrian  inscriptions  designate  Sa- 
maria as  the  "  house  or  city  of  Omri."     B. 

It  must  have  been  early  in  his  reign  that 
Omri,  desirous  of  military  fame,  invaded  the 
territory  of  Moab.  The  Moabites,  reduced  to 
subjection  by  David,  and  treated  with  extreme 
severity,  would  seem  to  have  recovered  their 
independence  at  the  separation  of  the  Israelites 
into  two  hostile  kingdoms,  and  to  have  main- 
tained it  until  Omri's  attack  upon  them. 
Omri,  as  we  learn  from  the  Moabite  Stone, 
quarrelled  with  Cheraosh-Gad,  the  father  of 
the  Jlesha  mentioned  in  3  K.  3  :  4.  He  made 
his  firet  assault  on  Medeba,  a  Moabite  city  about 
seven  miles  to  the  south  of  Ileshbon,  marked 
by  the  ruins  of  the  modern  Madeba.  Having 
conquered  this  place  and  occupied  it,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  overrun  the  entire  Moabite  country, 
which  he  subjugated  and  attached  to  his  own 
kingdom  as  a  dependency.  The  Moabite  royal 
family  was  indeed  maintained  on  the  throne 
and  continued  to  govern  the  country,  but  a 
heavy  tribute  was  required  from  the  nation, 
which  was  felt  as  a  grievous  "  oppression." 
Mesha  says,  "  Now  Omri,  king  of  Israel,  he 
opprcmed  Jloab  many  days.  His  son  succeeded 
him;  and  he  also  said,  I  will  oppress  Moab." 
We  do  not  know  the  e.xact  amount  of  tribute 
during  Omri's  reign,  but  under  his  son  and  suc- 
cessor it  reached  the  almost  incredible  total  of 
one  hundred  thousand  sheep  and  one  hundred 
thousand  lambs  annually  (3  K.  3  :  4). 

Omri  appears  also  to  have  carried  on  a  war, 
but  an  unsuccessful  war,  with  Syria  of  D;unas- 
cus.  Its  result  was  the  cession  to  the  Damas- 
cene kingdom  of  a  number  of  cities  (1  K.  30  ;  34), 


among  them  probably  Ramoth-Gilead,  the  most 
important  of  the  trans-Jordanic  towns,  and 
the  further  grant  to  the  Syrians  of  a  right  to 
"  make  streets  in  Samaria."  Such  concessions 
imply  a  very  serious  antecedent  defeat ;  and 
we  must  thus,  in  estimating  the  military  tal- 
ents of  this  king,  set  against  his  Moabite  vic- 
tories, which  were  no  doubt  brilliant,  the  grave 
losses  that  he  suffered  on  his  northern  and 
northeastern  frontier,  which  must  have  serious- 
ly crippled  the  strength  of  his  kingdom  in  that 
quarter.  The  religious  policy  of  Omri  dif- 
fered little  from  that  of  his  predecessor,  but 
was,  if  anything,  characterized  by  greater 
thoroughness.  He  "  wrought  evil  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Lord,  and  did  icor«e  than  (dl  that  were  be- 
fore him"  (verse  35).  We  hear  in  later  times 
oi  the  "  statutes  of  Omri"  as  still  kept  by  the 
Israelites  (Micah  6  :  16)  ;  and  we  may  gather 
from  this  that  he  reduced  the  calf -worship  into  a 
regular  formal  system,  whereto  all  were  required 
to  render  obedience.  It  is  clear  that  he  adhered 
to  Jeroboam's  system  (verse  26),  and  so  rigidly 
carried  it  out  as  to  leave  a  worse  name  behind 
him  in  respect  of  religion  than  even  the  worst 
of  his  predecessors.  He  reigned  twelve  years, 
from  the  twenty-seventh  to  the  thirty-eighth  of* 
Asa.  During  the  first  six  of  these  years  he  re- 
sided at  Tirzah,  and  during  the  last  six  at  Sa- 
maria. During  the  first  four  he  contended  for 
the  throne  with  Tibni  ;  during  the  last  eight  he 
was  sole  monarch.     G.  R. 

Omri's  policy  was  evidently  directed  toward 
obtaining  peace  for  his  kingdom,  by  the  culti- 
vation of  friendly  relations,  not  only  with  the 
kingdom  of  Judah,  but  also  with  other  neigh- 
boring states.  Peace  seems  to  have  been  con- 
cluded, by  the  sacrifice  of  certain  Israelitish 
towns,  with  Damascene  Syria,  which  under  the 
dynasty  of  the  Hadads  had  become,  as  Israel 
had  already  experienced  under  Baasha,  a  for- 
midable power.  The  marriage  of  Omri's  son, 
the  weak  Ahab,  with  the  Phoenician  princess 
Jezebel,  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  above-named 
political  motive.     O. 

The  dynasties  that  reigned  at  Samaria  have 
long  been  swept  away  ;  the  people  over  whom 
they  ruled  carried  into  a  captivity  over  which 
the  veil  of  impenetrable  mystery  lies.  Only 
the  word  of  the  Lord  has  stood  firm  and  im- 
movable. Of  Nadab,  of  Baasha,  of  Elah,  of 
Zimri,  and  of  Omri,  Scripture  has  only  one  and 
the  same  thing  to  say:  that  they  walked  in  the 
way  and  in  the  sin  of  Jeroboam,  the  son  of 
Nebat,  "  wherewith  he  made  Israel  to  sin,  to 
provoke  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Lsrael,  to  anger." 
And  over  each  and  all  did  the  same  judgment 


86 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


sweep.  And  yet  there  were  more  grievous 
sins  to  follow  ami  more  terrible  judgments  to 
come.     A.  E. 

Mesii/V,  King   of   Mo.^h.   and   tiik.   Mo.msite 
Stonk. 

The  liistorie  eonnections  of  Mesha,  king  of 
Sloab,  with  Israel  have  received  a  most  remark- 
able eontirmation  by  the  discovery  ii\  1869  of 
what  is  generally  known  as  "  titc  Muahite 
iStoiw."  This  is  a  pillar  or  monumental  stone 
about  three  feet  nine  inches  in  length,  two  feet 
four  inches  in  breadth,  and  one  foot  two  inches 
iu  thickness.  It  is  undoubtedly  an  official 
monument  commemorating  the  emancipation 
of  Moah  from  an  oppressive  subjection  during 
about  forty  years  to  the  kings  of  Israel.  The 
language  is  finidamentally  Hebrew,  no  word 
occurring  of  which  the  root  does  not  exist  iu 
the  Hebrew  Scriptures.  '"  It  reads  (says  M.  de 
Vogue)  like  a  page  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures." 
"  The  foi-m  of  the  letters  is  the  oldest  known  to 
any  written  language.  The  Pentateuch  was 
no  doubt  written  in  such  letters  in  the  time  of 
Moses  ;  Solomon  and  Hiram  corresponded  with 
each  other  in  such  characters."  At  the  time  it 
•was  copied  enough  was  still  legible  to  show 
that  Moab  had  been  in  subjection  to  Israel,  and 
had  achieved  her  independence,  and  that  the 
reigning  monarch  under  whom  her  indepen- 
dence was  achieved  bore  the  name  Mmlia.  It 
began  thus  ; 

"  I,  Me-sha,  am  son  of  Chemosh-gad  king  of 
Moab,  the  Dibonitc.  My  father  reigned  over 
Moab  thirty  years,  and  I  reigned  after  my 
father.  And  I  erected  this  stone  to  Chemosh 
at  Karcha  [a  stone  of]  salvation,  for  he  saved 
me  from  all  despoilers  and  let  me  se<'  my  desire 
upon  all  my  enemies,  and  Omri,  king  of  Israel, 
who  oppressed  Moab  many  days,  for  Chemosh 
vvas  angry  with  his  hind.  His  son  succeeded 
him,  and  he  also  said,  I  will  oppress  Moab." 

Its  tone  throughout  is  remarkably  religious — 
in  the  sense  of  recognizing  the  fortunes  of  his 
kingdom,  good  or  ill,  as  determined  by  his  na- 
tional god  Chemosh.  It  is  chiefly  occupied 
with  his  special  exploits  in  war  and  in  the  re- 
building of  cities.  A  large  number  of  proper 
names — i.e.,  of  great  kings,  and  of  cities — ap- 
pear on  this  stone — names  which  occur  also  in 
the  Hebrew  Scriptures — the  numbcrsupposed  to 
be  satisfactorily  identilii'd  being  twenty-three, 
and,  conjecturally,  some  others.  It  is  generally 
iidmitted  that  this  Moabite  Stone  brings  to  light 
the  oldest  extant  specimen  of  alphabetic  writ- 
ing. It  records  the  military  achievements  of 
Mesha.   king   of   Moab.   for  a   period  of  forty 


years  or  more,  from  about  B.C.  925.  This 
would  fix  the  date  of  this  writing  not  later  than 
B.C.  885 — contemporary  with  the  accession  of 
Jehu,  the  death  of  .lUiaziah,  king  of  Judah, 
and  of  Jchoram,  of  Israel.     H.  C. 

The    PiKiiMci.vN    Ai.piiabkt    and    Moabite 
Stone. 

It  was  from  the  Phoenicians  that  the  Israel- 
ites and  the  nations  round  about  them  received 
their  alphabet.  This  alphabet  was  of  Egyp- 
tian origin.  As  far  back  as  the  monuments  of 
Egypt  carry  us,  we  lind  the  Egyptians  \ising 
their  hieroglyphics  to  express  not  only  ideas 
and  syllables,  but  also  the  letters  of  an  alpha- 
bet. Even  in  the  remote  epoch  of  the  second 
dynasty  they  already  possessed  an  alphabet  in 
which  the  twent3'-one  simple  sounds  of  the  lan- 
guage were  represented  by  special  hieroglyphic 
pictures.  These  pictures,  however,  were  em- 
ployed only  on  the  pulUic  monuments  ;  for 
books  and  letters  and  business  transactions  the 
Egyptians  made  use  of  a  ninning  hand,  in 
which  the  original  pictures  had  undergone 
great  transformations.  This  running  hand  is 
termed  "  hieratic."  and  it  was  from  the  hieratic 
forms  of  the  Egyptian  letters  that  the  Phreni- 
cian  letters  were  derived.  The  Phrenician  al- 
phabet passed  first  from  the  Pluenicians  to  the 
Greeks,  then  from  the  Greeks  to  the  Romans, 
and  finally  from  the  Romans  to  the  nations  of 
modern  Europe.  But  before  the  alphabet  was 
eonununi(-ated  to  Greece  by  the  Phoenician 
traders,  it  had  already  been  adopted  by  their 
Semitic  kinsmen  in  Western  Asia.  Excava- 
tions in  Palestine  and  the  country  east  of  the 
■Jordan  woidd  doubtless  bring  to  light  in.scrip- 
tions  compiled  in  it  nnicli  older  than  the  oldest 
which  we  at  present  know.  Only  a  few  years 
ago  the  gap  between  the  time  when  the  Phoe- 
nicians first  borrowed  their  new  alphabet  and 
the  time  to  which  the  earliest  texts  written  in 
it  belonged  was  very  great  indeed.  But  during 
the  last  fifteen  years  discoveries  have  been 
made  which  help  to  fill  it  up,  and  prove  to  us 
at  the  same  time  what  may  be  found  if  we  will 
only  seek.  One  of  these  discoveries  is  that  of 
the  famous  Moabite  Stone.  In  the  summer  of 
181(9,  Dr.  Klein,  a  German  missionary,  while 
travelling  in  what  was  once  the  land  of  Moab, 
discovered  a  most  curious  relic  of  antiquity 
among  the  ruins  of  Dliibiin,  the  ancient  Oibon. 
This  relic  was  a  stone  of  black  basalt,  roiuided 
at  the  top,  two  feet  broad  and  nearly  four  feet 
high.  Across  it  nin  an  inscription  of  thirty- 
four  lines  in  the  letters  of  the  Ph<pnician  alpha- 
bet.   Pr.  Klein  unfortunatelv  contented  himself 


SECTION 


REION  OF  OMRI. 


87 


with  copying  a  few  words,  and  endeavoring  to 
secure  tlie  monument  for  tlie  Berlin  Museum. 
Things  always  move  slowly  in  the  East,  and  it 
was  not  until  a  year  later  that  the  negotiations 
for  the  purchase  of  the  stone  were  completed 
between  the  Prussian  Government  on  the  one 
side  and  the  Arabs  and  Turlcish  pashas  on  the 
other.  At  length,  however,  all  was  arranged, 
and  it  was  agreed  that  the  stone  should  be 
handed  over  to  the  Germans  for  the  simi  of 
£80.  At  this  moment  M.  Clermont-Ganncau,  a 
member  of  the  French  Consulate  at  Jerusalem, 
with  lamentable  indiscretion,  sent  men  to  take 
squeezes  of  the  inscription,  and  offered  no  less 
than  £375  for  the  stone  itself.  At  once  the  cu- 
pidity of  botli  Arabs  and  pashas  was  aroused  ; 
the  Governor  of  Nabliis  demanded  the  treasure 
for  himself,  while  the  Arabs,  fearing  it  might 
he  taken  from  them,  put  a  fire  under  it,  poured 
cold  water  over  it,  broke  it  in  pieces,  and  dis- 
tributed the  fragments  as  charms  among  the 
different  families  of  the  tribe.  Thanks  to  M. 
Clermont-Ganneau,  most  of  these  fragments 
have  now  been  recovered,  and  the  stone,  once 
more  put  together,  may  be  seen  in  the  JIuseum 
of  the  Louvre  at  Paris.  The  fragments  have 
been  fitted  into  their  proper  places  by  the  help 
of  the  imperfect  squeezes  taken  before  the 
monument  was  broken.  When  the  inscription 
came  to  be  read,  it  turned  out  to  be  a  record  of 
Mcsha,  king  of  Moab,  of  whom  we  are  told  in 
2  Kings  3  that  after  Ahab's  death  he  "  rebelled 
against  the  king  of  Israel,"  and  was  vainly  be- 
sieged in  his  capital  Kirharaseth  by  the  com- 
bined armies  of  Israel,  Judah  and  Edom.  The 
whole  inscription  reads  like  a  ehajiter  from  one 
of  the  historietd  books  of  the  Old  Testament. 
Not  only  are  the  phrases  the  same,  but  the 
words  and  grammatical  forms  are,  with  one  or 
two  exceptions,  all  found  in  scriptural  Hebrew. 
The  covenant  name  of  the  God  of  Israel  (Je- 
hovah) occurs  in  the  inscription,  spelt  in  exactly 
the  same  way  as  in  the  Old  Testament.    Sni/cc. 

The  reference  to  Chemosh,  the  national  deity 
of  Moab,  is  quite  in  harmony  with  the  Bible 
allusion  to  Chemosh  as  the  ahnminntion  of  Mnah 
(1  K.  11  :  7)  ;  and  the  whole  in.seription  be- 
tokens the  long  subjection  of  j\Ioab,  and  the 
final  triumph  of  the  Moabites.  For  sixty-five 
yearathere  is  in  the  Bible  no  further  notice  of  the 
Moabites — not  until  after  Elisha's  death,  when, 
as  we  are  told,  "  the  bands  of  the  Moabites  in- 
vaded the  land  at  the  coming  in  of  the  year" 
(2  K.  13  :  20V  The  silence  of  Scripture  on  this 
subject  is  itself  an  acknowledgment  of  the  Mo- 
abitish  success  and  independence.  The  inscrip- 
tion further  gives  an  account  of  Mesha's  tri- 


umph, and  of  his  reorganizing  and  strengthen- 
ing his  long-oppressed  and  sorely  wasted  king- 
dom. This  testimony  is  altogether  singular,  and 
cannot  be  set  aside  or  modified  by  any  possible 
ingenuity  of  mere  criticism.      TT'.  Frnxcr. 

But  the  inscription  of  Mesha  does  not  merely 
confirm  and  illustrate  Scripture.  IJke  the 
monument  erected  by  Shishak  at  Karnak,  it 
gives  us  much  additional  information  with  re- 
spect to  events  only  lightly  touched  on  in  the 
Bible,  helping  to  fill  out  the  very  brief  narra- 
tive of  the  writer  of  Kings.  We  learn  from  it 
that  the  Moabites,  who  were  reduced  to  subjec- 
tion by  David  (2  Sam.  8  :  2  ;  1  Chron.  18  ;  2), 
and  were  no  doubt  among  the  tributaries  of 
Solomon  (1  K.  4  :  21,  24  :  2  Chron.  9  :  2:^26), 
regained  their  liberty  before  the  accession  of 
Omri  ;  that  Omri  reconquered  them  early  in 
his  reign,  and  put  a  yoke  upon  them  which 
was  regarded  as  oppressive  ;  that  Ahal),  Omri's 
.son,  who  succeeded  him,  continued  this  op- 
pression ;  that  it  lasted  for  a  period  which 
might  be  called,  roundly,  "  forty  years  ;"  that 
at  length  Mesha,  the  Moabite  tributary  king, 
who  had  succeeded  his  father  in  the  sovereign- 
ty, regarding  himself  as  divinely  commissioned 
by  his  god,  Chemosh,  rebelled  ;  that  a  war  of 
independence  followed  with  varied  success,  but 
that  ultimately  Mesha  prevailed,  recovered  the 
various  strongholds  which  the  Israelites  had 
fortified  in  his  territory,  and  established  his 
sway  over  the  whole  Moabite  country  While 
thus  employed  we  find  that  he  not  only  made 
himself  master  of  Moab  proper,  but  also  took 
possession  of  a  number  of  towns  which,  at  the 
occupation  of  the  Holy  Land,  had  been  seized 
and  peojiled  by  the  Reubenites  and  Gadites — c  ff-, 
Baal-Meon,  Medeba,  Kirjathaim,  Ataroth,  Nebo, 
Dibon,  and  Jahaz.  The  result  was  that  Moab, 
on  its  re-establishment  as  an  independent  king- 
dom, was  very  much  more  powerful  than  it 
had  ever  been  before  the  time  of  David,  and 
became  one  of  the  most  dreaded  enemies  of  the 
Jews  and  Israelites  during  the  later  period  of 
the  two  monarchies.  Hence  the  numerous  de- 
nunciations of  the  Moabites  by  the  prophets  of 
the  later  kingdoms,  as  Isaiah,  Amos,  Zepha- 
niah,  Jerendah,  and  Ezekiel,  who  view  Moab 
as  one  of  the  strongest  and  bitterest  antagonists 
of  the  chosen  people.     G.  R. 

The  ancient  south  road  from  Heshbon  to 
Petra  next  passes  Dibon,  now  Dhiban,  about 
three  and  one  half  miles  north  of  the  Arnon, 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the  Reubenite 
cities,  and  now  further  remarkable  for  the  dis- 
covery of  the  Moabite  Stone.  Originally  be- 
longing to  Moab,  it  had  been  conquered  by 


88 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


Sihon  (Num.  21  :  20),  and  fell  to  Israel  on  his  I  like  the  rest  of  the  district,  it  had  been  resumed 
destruction.  It  was  lirst  rebuilt  and  occupied  by  Moab,  and  is  mentioned  by  Isaiah  and  .lere- 
by  Gad,  but  linally  allotted  to  Reuben  from  its  1  miah  in  their  denunciations  of  that  people, 
situation.     At  the  period  of  the  later  prophets,  |  Trintmm. 


Section  8. 


REIGN  OF   AIIAB,  22  YEARS  (BEGUN). 
SSth  of  Asa  to  IStb  of  Jeliosliapliat,  of  Judah. 

1  Kings  16  :  29-34. 

16:  29  And  in  the  thirty  and  eifrhth  year  of  Asa  kina;  of  Judah  began  Ahab  the  son  of 
Omri  to  reign  over  Israel  :  and  Ahab  the  son  of  Omri  reigned  over  Israel  in  Samaria  twenty  and 

30  two  years.     And  Ahab  the  son  of  Oraii  did  that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  L(ird 

31  above  all  that  were  before  him.  And  it  came  to  pass,  !is  if  it  had  been  a  light  thing  for  him 
to  walk  in  the  sins  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat,  that  he  took  to  wife  Jezebel  the  daughter 

32  of  Ethbiial  king  of  the  Zidonians,  and  went  and  served  Baal,  and  worshipped  him.     And 

33  he  reared  up  an  altar  for  Baal  in  the  house  of  Baal,  which  he  had  built  in  Samaria.  And 
Ahab  made  the  xVsherah  ;  and  Ahab  did  yet  more  to  provoke  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  to 

34  anger  than  all  the  kings  of  Israel  that  were  before  him.  In  his  days  did  Hid  the  Betb-clite 
build  Jericho  :  he  laid  tlie  foundation  thereof  with  the  loss  of  Abiram  his  firstborn,  and  set 
up  the  gates  thereof  with  the  loss  of  liis  youngest  son  Segub  ;  accoiding  to  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  which  he  spake  by  the  hand  of  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun. 


The  Reion  of  An.\B.  With  the  accession  of 
Aliab  a  new  main  section  of  our  history  begins 
—the  section  which  has  its  close  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  house  of  Omri  by  Jehu,  as  related 
in  2  Kings  10.  And  this  reign  is  recorded  at 
unusual  length  ;  in  fact,  it  occupies  nearly  all 
the  remaining  jiortion  of  this  volume,  whereas 
the  reigns  of  preceding  kings  have  in  several 
instances  been  dismissed  in  a  few  verses.  It 
owes  this  distinction  to  the  ministry  of  the 
great  prophet  Elijah  by  which  it  was  marked, 
and,  indeed,  was  profoundly  influenced  ;  but 
this  ministry,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  ne- 
cessitated by  the  critical  circumstances  of  the 
time.  No  one  can  fail  to  sec  tliat  this  was  one 
of  the  veritalile  turning-points  of  Jewish  his- 
tory. One  of  the  real  "  decisive  battles  of  the 
world" — that  between  the  Lord  and  Haul — was 
then  fought  out.  No  wonder  that  our  historian 
felt  constrained  to  chronicle  at  length  the  trans- 
actions of  a  reign  so  pregnant  both  with  good 
and  evil  for  the  people  of  the  Lord  and  for  the 
faith  with  which  they  had  been  put  in  trust. 
Indeed,  the  same  guiding  principle  which  led 
him  to  devote  so  many  of  his  pages  to  the  reign 
of  Solomon,  when  the  theocratic  kingdom  was 


at  its  highest,  impelled  him  to  linger  over  the 
reign  of  iVliab  when  religion  was  at  its  lowest 
ebb.  The  secular  historian,  too  often  like  the 
sun-dial  which  "  counts  no  hours  save  those 
serene,"  draws  a  veil  over  the  time  of  his 
country's  decadence,  or  touches  its  misfortunes 
with  a  light  hand.  It  is  only  in  the  inspired 
records  that  we  have  an  impartial  register  both 
of  the  glory  and  shame  of  a  commonwealth. 
Hammond. 

39.  TJie  accession  of  Ahab,  and  the  period  oj 
his  reign.  The  son  of  Omri,  his  reign  began 
in  the  thirty-eighth  year  of  .iVsa's  reign  over 
Judah.  Tills  good  King  Asa  had  governed 
Judah  in  peace,  while  six  kings  of  Israel  had 
died  after  troublous  reigns,  two  of  them  slain 
by  their  successors.  Ahab's  reign  of  twenty- 
two  years  is  more  fully  reconled  than  any  other 
of  the  kings  of  Israel.  The  incidents  of  his 
history  show  that  he  had  a  strong  character ; 
that  he  was  an  able  ruler,  a  brave  and  skilful 
commander,  a  kingly  esthetic,  inasmuch  as  in 
one  of  many  newly  founded  cities  he  built  for 
himself  an  ivory  palace,  and  incurred  the  guilt 
of  murder  that  his  gardens  in  .lezroel  might  be 
enlarged  and  beautified.     Although  more  dar- 


SECTION  S.    REIGN  OF  ARAB. 


89 


ingly  wicked  even  than  Jeroboam,  yet  he  had 
periods  of  penitence  under  the  appeals  and 
threatenings  of  Jehovah. 

30-;t3.  Allah's  extreme  provocation,  of  the  God 
of  iMrad.  Tlicse  verses  sum  up  the  points  of 
tins  provocation,  far  exceeding  the  sins  of  Jero- 
hoam.  Tlie  image-worship  set  up  by  Jeroboam 
was  a  breach  of  the  Second  Commandment,  for 
it  was  professedly  designed  to  retain  the  wor- 
ship of  Jehovah  under  the  form  of  a  golden 
calf,  Itself  a  counterfeit  presentment  of  the 
symbolic  Shekinah.  But  Ahab,  "  as  if  it  had 
been  a  light  thing  for  him  to  walk  in  the  sins 
of  Jeroboam,"  added  the  yet  more  heinous  sin 
of  trampling  under  foot  the  First  Command- 
ment, that  foremost,  central  principle  which 
lay  at  the  foundation  of  all  reverence  and  obe- 
dience, the  sole  worship  of  the  one  only  licing 
Jehovah.  Openly  and  utterly  he  renounced  all 
allegiance  to  the  true  God,  tJie  God  of  Israel, 
"  and  went  and  served  Baal,  and  worshipped 
him."  This  was  the  master-crime  of  this  bold- 
est and  guiltiest  of  Israel's  monarchs.  This 
defiant  rejection  of  the  true  God  he  dared  to 
cany  out  by  displacing  the  remaining  sem- 
blance of  His  worship,  and  by  erecting  in  its 
stead  an  altar  and  temple  for  Baal  in  Samaria.  B. 

31.  Ahab,  king  of  Israel,  is  represented  as 
having  sought  to  strengthen  himself  by  a  mar- 
riage with  a  foreign  princess,  and  as  having 
made  choice  for  the  purpose  of  "Jezebel, 
daughter  of  Eth-baal,  king  of  the  Zidonians. " 
Here  not  only  have  we  a  genuine  Phrenician 
name,  but  we  have  the  name  of  a  king  who  is 
proved  by  the  Tyrian  history  of  Menander  to 
have  been  seated  upon  the  throne  exactly  at 
this  time.  Eithobalus,  the  priest  of  Ashtaroth 
(or  Venus),  who  by  the  murder  of  his  predeces- 
sor, Pheles,  became  king  of  Tyre,  mounted  the 
throne  just  fifty  years  after  the  death  of  Hiram, 
the  contemporary  of  Solomon.  Ahab  mounted 
the  throne  of  Israel  fifteen  or  twenty  years 
later,  and  was  thus  the  younger  contemporary 
of  Eithobalus,  or  Eth-baal,  who  continued  to 
reign  at  Tyre  during  a  considerable  portion  of 
Aliab's  reign  in  Israel.     G.  R. 

Ahab  had  the  Divine  law  before  him  (Ex. 
34  :  16),  which  distinctly  forbade  union  with 
the  Canaauites.  Such  a  marriage  was  unpre- 
cedented in  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  and  was  the 
more  fatal  because  of  the  character  of  the 
queen,  the  Lady  Macbeth  of  Scripture.  She 
was  reckless,  fanatical  and  cruel,  with  a  temper 
as  vindictive  as  her  will  was  resolute.  Her 
husband  became  a  tool  in  her  hands.  He  could 
not  foresee  all  the  issues  of  his  choice,  but  he 
knew  the  choice  was  sinful.     P.  C. 


Hitherto  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  though  in 
an  idolatrous  form,  had  still  been  the  national  re- 
ligion ;  but  now  the  irorshipnf  Baal  and  Ashera 
was,  at  the  instigation  of  the  queen,  set  u])  in  its 
stead,  a  temple  built  for  Baal  in  Samaria  itself, 
and  (see  especially  18  :  19)  a  vast  number  of  the 
prophets  of  Baal  and  Ashera  maintained  among 
the  people.  Against  the  prophets  of  Jeho- 
vah, moreover,  who  must  at  that  time  have 
been  numerous,  a  sanguinary  persecution  arose 
(verses  4,  13),  and  they  were  put  to  death  when- 
ever the  queen  could  lay  hands  on  them.  Un- 
der these  circum.stances  the  people  remained 
passive  :  they  halted  between  two  opinions,  as 
Elijah  expressed  it — i.e..  they  thought  the 
worship  of  Jehovah  and  Baal  compatible.  At 
this  period  the  conflict  with  triumphant  hea- 
thenism was  waged  by  the  individual  in  whom 
was  reflected  the  full  glory  of  Old  Testament 
prophetship — viz.,  Elijah  the  Tishbite,  "the 
Prophet  of  Fire,  whose  word  burnt  like  a 
torch"  (as  the  son  of  Sirach  describes  him, 
48  :  1),  and  whose  very  name  "  Jehovah  is  my 
God"  testified  against  the  apostate  and  irreso- 
lute race.     0. 

Ahab  represents  the  culminating  point  of  the 
perversity  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel.  At  once 
more  able  and  more  profane  than  his  predeces- 
sors, he  fostered  to  an  unprecedented  degree 
the  corruption  of  morals,  private  and  public 
injustice,  and  idolatrous  practices.  Ahab, 
prompted  by  Jezebel,  became  the  more  danger- 
ous enemj-  of  the  cause  of  God.  At  this  period 
of  the  national  history  arose  the  greatest  of  the 
prophets,  Elijah,  who  well  bore  out  his  name — 
the  strength  of  God — and  who  was  the  faithful 
type  of  John  the  Baptist,  the  immediate  fore- 
runner of  Christ.  In  the  coming  of  Elijah  at 
such  a  crisis,  we  have  an  Illustration  of  a  gen- 
eral and  permanent  rule  of  God's  kingdom. 
The  excess  of  evil  calls  out  the  strongest  mani- 
festations of  good.  Never  was  the  power  of 
Satan  more  rampant  than  at  the  time  when  the 
Son  of  God  appeared  upon  earth.  So  in  Iho 
end  of  time,  the  day  of  Antichrist  will  be  also 
the  day  in  which  Christ  will  intervene  most  di- 
reetlj'  in  the  great  drama  of  history.     E.  de  P. 

33.  The  Aslierali.  This  was  probably 
a  wooden  image  or  symbol  of  Ashtaroth  or 
Astarte,  the  chief  female  deity,  as  Baal  (the  Sun- 
god)  was  the  chief  male  deity  of  the  Phceni- 
cians.  By  the  Assyrians  they  were  called  Bel 
and  Ishtar.  As  the  sun  represented  Baal  or 
Bel,  the  Moon  or  the  planet  Venus  was  the  em- 
blem of  Ashtaroth.  Every  conceivable  measure 
and  method  of  licentiousness  and  cruelty  were 
associated  with  the  ritual  and  the  temple-wor- 


90 


KIXODOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


sliip  of  these  imaginary  deities.  And  all  these 
revolting  and  infamous  rites  Ahab  established 
in  his  own  capital  city,  from  \vhcnc<'  the  cor- 
ruption was  easily  diffused  throughout  the  na- 
tion of  Israel.  And  this  he  did  when  "  he  took 
to  wife  .lezcbel.  the  daughter  of  Ethbaal,"  the 
Phoenician  king.  Wife  and  worship,  matched 
in  the  extreme  of  wickedness  and  infamy,  he 
enthroned  with  himself  ;  kindred  sources  of 
evil  and  agencies  of  destruction  to  the  moral 
life  and  to  the  very  continuance  of  the  nation. 
Nor,  as  we  read  the  story,  was  Ahab  the  mere 
weak  compliant  instnunent  of  this  imixTious, 
fierce,  vindictive  woman,  his  chosen  partner. 
Rather  was  Jezebel  so  chosen  beca\ise  her  wil- 
ful, haughty,  impiotis  spirit  so  exactly  re- 
sponded to  his  own.  Many  other  wives  had 
he,  but  Jezebel  alone  shared  his  throne  and  his 
counsels  to  the  end,  because  of  her  oneness  of 
nature,  her  reckless  defiance  of  all  Divine  au- 
tliority,  and  impious  disregard  of  all  right  and 
purity  and  truth.  Thus  it  was,  by  his  own 
contempt  of  Jehovah  in  setting  up  a  system  of 
shameless  idolatry,  and  by  infusing  this  spirit 
of  idolatry  by  example  and  authority  in  the 
practice  and  hearts  of  the  whole  people,  that 
' '  Ahab  did  more  to  provoke  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel  to  anger  than  all  the  kings  of  Israel  that 
were  before  him."     B. 

It  was  the  first  time  that  a  king  of  Israel 
had  allied  himself  by  marriage  with  a  heathen 
princess  ;  and  the  alliance  was  in  this  ease  of 
a  peculiarly  disastrous  kinci.  Jezebel  has 
stamped  her  name  on  history  as  the  rejiresent- 
ative  of  all  that  is  designing,  crafty,  malicious, 
revengeful,  and  cruel.  She  is  the  first  great 
instigator  of  persecution  against  the  saints  of 
God.  Guided  by  no  principle,  restrained  by 
no  fear  of  either  God  or  man,  passionate  in  her 
attachment  to  her  heathen  worship,  she  spared 
no  pains  to  maintain  idolatry  anmnd  her  in  all 
its  splendor.  Four  hundred  and  fifty  prophets 
ministered  under  her  care  to  Baal,  besides  four 
lumdred  prophets  of  the  groves  which  ate  at 
her  table  (chap.  18  :  19).  The  idolatry,  too,  was 
of  the  most  debased  and  sensual  kind.  The 
worship  of  Baal  was  combined  with  that  of 
Ashtaroth,  sometimes  understood  to  be  the 
moon,  at  other  times  to  be  the  planet  Venus. 
But  whichever  of  the  two  she  was,  there  can 
be  no  doubt  as  to  the  effect  upon  the  peo- 
ple,     ir.  Millitjnn. 

The  immediate  consequence  of  this  ill-fated 
union  was,  that  the  religion  of  Jezebel  became 
the  worship  of  the  land  of  Israel.  Ahab  built 
in  Samaria  a  temple  to  "  the  Baal" — the  Sun- 
god  (the   producing   principle  in  Xatu"') — in 


which  he  erected  not  only  an  aitar.  but,  as  we 
gather  from  2  K.  3  :  2  ;  10  :  27.  also  one  of  those 
pillars  which  were  distinctive  of  its  vile  ser- 
vices. As  usual,  where  these  rites  were  fully 
carried  out,  he  also  "  made  the  Asherah" — As- 
tarte,  the  Moon-goddess  (the  receptive  principle 
in  Nature) — so  that  the  Phoenician  worship  was 
now  established  in  its  entirety.  As  we  infer 
from  later  notices,  there  was  a  "  vestry"  at- 
tached to  these  temiiles,  where  special  festive 
garments,  worn  on  great  occa.sions,  were  kept 
(2  K.  10  ;  22).  Ahal) — or  perhaps  rather  Jeze- 
bel— appointed  not  less  than  four  livmdred  and 
fifty  i)riests  of  Baal  and  four  hundred  of 
Ashenih,  who  were  supporteil  by  the  bounty 
of  the  queen.  The  forced  introduction  of 
this  new  worship  led  to  a  systematic  pensecu- 
tiou  of  the  prophets,  and  even  of  the  open- 
ly professed  worshippers  of  Jehovah,  which 
had  their  complete  extermination  for  its  object. 
A.  E. 

"  The  change  from  a  symbolical  worship  of 
the  One  True  God,  with  the  innocent  rites  of 
sacrifice  and  prayer,  to  the  cruel  and  licentious 
worship  of  the  Phtenician  divinities,  was,"  as 
Dean  Stanley  observes,  ' '  a  prMJiyionti  uttp  ilmrn  ■ 
irai-d,  and  left  traces  in  Northern  Palestine 
which  no  subsequent  reformations  were  able  to 
obliterate."  "In  earlier  times,"  saj-s  Diillin- 
ger,  "  Baal  had  been  worshipped  without  an 
image  in  Tyre  and  its  colonies  ;  but  for  a  long 
time  now  his  worship  had  grown  into  an  idola- 
try of  the  most  wanton  character,  directed  bj' 
a  numerous  priesthood,  who  had  their  head- 
q>iarters  at  Tyre.  As  the  people  of  Asia  dis- 
tinguished, properly  speaking,  onlj'  two  deities 
of  nature,  a  male  and  a  female,  so  Baal  was  of 
an  elemental  and  sidereal  character  at  once. 
As  the  former  he  was  god  of  the  creative  power, 
bringing  all  things  to  life  everywhere,  and,  in 
particular,  god  of  fire  ;  but  he  was  Sun-god 
besides,  and,  as  such,  to  human  lineaments  he 
added  the  crown  of  rays  about  the  head  pecul- 
iar to  this  god.  In  the  one  quality  as  well  as 
in  the  other,  he  was  represented  at  the  same 
time  as  sovereign  of  the  heavens  (Baal-sjimin) 
and  of  the  earth  by  him  impregnated.  The 
Canaanitish  Moloch  (king)  was  not  essentially 
diflferent  from  Baal,  but  the  same  god  in  his 
terrible  and  destroying  aspect,  the  god  of  con- 
suming fire,  the  buriung  sun  who  smites  the 
land  with  unfruitfulness  and  pestilence,  dries 
up  the  springs,  and  begets  poisonous  winds 
(Jer.  32  :  35  ;  19  :  5).  In  the  Astarte  (Ashtaroth) 
of  the  Western  Asiatics  we  recognize  that  great 
nature-goddess  standing  by  Baal's  side,  who  is 
the  regent  of  the  stars,  the  Queen  of  Heaven, 


SECTION  8.     REIGN  OF  AHAB. 


91 


and  goddess  of  the  moon,  the  mother  of  life, 
and  deity  of  woman's  fecundity."     G.  R. 

34.  The  rebuilding  of  Jericho  hy  Hid,  and  its 
predicted  consequences  fulfilled.  To  prove  that 
"  the  Lord  is  not  slack  concerning  His  prom- 
ise," to  attest  to  all  in  after  time  the  certain- 
ty of  God's  threatened  judgments,  however 
long  the  interval  between  the  utterance  and  the 
fulfilment,  is  the  object  of  this  brief  record.  A 
curse  had  been  pronounced  by  Joshua  four  hun- 
dred and  forty  years  before  upon  the  man  who 
should  rebuild  the  walls  of  Jericho  after  they 
liad  miraculously  fallen  and  thus  given  entrance 
to  the  besieging  host  of  Israel.  Hiel,  a  native 
of  Bethel,  under  the  infection  of  idolatry,  no 
longer  believing  in  the  God  of  Israel,  delib- 
erately disregarded  the  Divine  judgment  an- 
nounced by  Joshua.  That  judgment  was  now 
fulfilled  in  punishment  of  this  daring  rebuilder 
of  an  accursed  city.  In  a  manner  which  is  not 
related,  his  eldest  and  youngest  sons  perished, 
one  at  the  outset,  the  other  at  the  completion 
of  the  rebuilding  of  the  walls  of  Jericho.  And 
a  fearful  warning  it  was  to  the  whole  nation, 
not  to  despise  the  long  suffering  and  patience 
of  God.  But  the  nation  heeded  not  the  warn- 
ing.    B. 

The  reign  of  Ahab  must  be  regarded  as,  on 
the  whole,  a  time  of  material  prosperity  for  Is- 
rael. Besides  the  two  triumphs  over  Syria  we 
find  the  kingdom  otherwise  advancing  in  wealth 
and  consequence.  New  towns  of  importance 
arose  both  in  the  north  and  in  the  south,  as 
Jezreel  in  the  Esdraelon  plain,  and  Jericho,  low 
down  in  the  Ghor  or  Jordan  valley.  Joshua 
had  in  the  olden  time  laid  a  curse  on  the  man 
who  should  rebuild  this  citj'  (Josh.  6  :  26) — the 
first  in  Canaan  to  resist  Israel — and  the  menace 
had  been  effective  for  centuries  ;  but  in  Ahab's 
reign  a  certain  Hiel,  a  native  of  Bethel,  set  the 
curse  at  naught,  and  raised  Jericho  from  its 
ruins,  paying,  however,  in  the  deaths  of  two  of 
his  sons,  the  penalty  affixed  prophetically.  The 
site  of  Jericho  was  most  favorable,  and  the 
"  city  of  palm-trees"  soon  became  a  flourishing 
place,  but  was  not  for  a  long  time  of  the  same 
importance  as  Jezreel.  Jezreel,  "  planted  on  a 
gentle  eminence,  in  the  very  centre  of  the  rich 
plain,  connnanding  the  view  of  Carmel  on  the 
west  and  of  the  valley  of  the  Jordan  on  the 
east,"  was  made  a  royal  residence  ;  strength- 
ened with  walls  and  towers  ;  adorned  with  a 
palace,  a  temple,  and  perhaps  an  "ivory 
house  ;"  and  continued  till  the  end  of  the  dy- 
nasty the  ordinary  seat  of  the  court  and  place 
of  abode  of  the  sovereign.  Following  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  father  Omri,  his  aim  was  to  in- 


crease at  once  the  internal  dignity  and  the  ex- 
ternal prosperity  of  Israel.  He  loved  peace  and 
the  arts  of  peace.  His  fame  as  a  builder  of 
cities  and  of  palaces  received  particular  notice 
in  the  Book  of  the  Chronicles  of  the  Kings  of 
Israel  (1  K.  22  :  39).  Among  the  latter  was  his 
new  palace  at  Jezreel,  which,  with  its  extensive 
gardens,  was  to  prove  so  fatal  a  spot  in  the  his- 
tory of  his  family  ;  while  either  there  or  at 
Samaria  he  erected  for  himself  that  "ivory 
house"  which  appears  to  have  attracted,  in  a 
greater  than  ordinary  degree,  the  admiration  of 
men.  Ewald  remarks  that  "  in  the  time  of  Sol- 
omon ivory  was  first  used  for  a  chair  of  state  ; 
Ahab  decorated  with  it  an  entire  house."  To 
nothing,  however,  does  Ahab  appear  to  have 
devoted  himself  more  than  to  extending  the 
commercial  prosperity  of  Israel,  and  it  was  in 
connection  with  this  that  the  weaker  side  of  his 
character  and  the  more  evil  influences  of  his 
reign  appeared.  He  was  thus  led  to  draw- 
closer  the  bonds  of  friendship  between  himself 
and  the  powerful  Phosnicians  in  the  West.  His 
marriage  with  Jezebel  is  in  no  small  degree  to 
be  traced  to  the  same  cause.     G.  R. 

Points  of  Special  Instruction.  The  firat  re- 
spects the  eminent  fitness  of  the  negative  or  pro- 
hibitory form  of  the  Ten  Commandments.  They 
all  exactly  match  man's  case,  in  striking  at  the 
fact  and  the  very  forms  of  actual  human  trans- 
gression. Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  ; 
thou  shalt  not  make  graven  images  !  What  a 
comment  upon  the  necessity  and  fitness  of  these 
Divine  commands  is  contained  in  the  entire  his- 
tory of  this  kingdom  of  Israel  ! 

This  history  further  shows  that  the  first  and 
second  Commandments  are  the  vital  and  essen- 
tial ones.  In  their  negative  form  they  imply 
the  controlling  presence  of  that  lore  to  God 
which  Christ  affirmed  to  be  the  first  and  great 
Commandment.  The  worship  of  God  in  spirit 
and  truth  is  the  foremost  simplest  outflow  of 
supreme  love  to  Him.  Neglect  of  such  wor- 
ship attends  upon  the  want  or  withdrawal  of 
love.  And  neglect  leads,  through  disregard  and 
disobedience,  to  positive  rejection,  and  the  en- 
thronement of  some  other  object  of  love  and 
worship.  Rejection  soon  transforms  indiffer- 
ence to  hate,  and  disobedience  to  revolt  and  de- 
fiance. And  defiance  is  the  forerunner  of  final 
destruction.  So  was  it  with  Ahab.  So  will  it 
be  with  every  one  who  disregards  and  disobeys 
the  great  Commandment  of  love  to  God  in 
Christ ;  with  every  one  who  allows  an  idola- 
trous affection  for  any  being  or  object  to  dis- 
place supreme  devotion  to  Him.  Though  the 
time  of  image-worship  has  passed,  subtler  forms 


n 


KTXODO.V  OF  TSHAEL. 


of  idolatrous  affcrtion  al)i(ie  as  the  clik'f  sourci'S 
of  peril,  as  occasions  and  means  of  spiritiial 
(lovviifall  and  ruin.  Tliis  lesson  of  the  history 
always  and  sadly  needs  our  pondering. 

Idolatry  substituted  a  false  for  a  true  concep- 
tion of  the  nature,  the  relations,  and  the  re- 
quirements of  God.  Its  effect  was  to  pervert 
the  reason,  to  stupefy  the  conscience,  to  nullify 
the  force  of  law,  and  obliterate  all  sense  of  duty 
toward  God  ;  and  thus  of  necessity  to  exclude 
all  idea  of  obligation  between  man  and  man. 
Its  natural  outcome  could  only  be  a  charact^'r 
altogether  vicious,  a  life  wholly  beast-like,  mas- 
tered by  self-seeking  and  malevolence,  by  ra- 
pacity and  strife,  by  lust  and  cruelty.  Such 
was  the  outcome  of  Ahab's  daring  and  defiant 
introduction  of  Baal-worship  among  the  people 
of  Israel.  How  enormous,  then,  his  sin  aud 
guilt,  and  how  immeasurable  the  abhorrence  of 
such  iniquity  on  the  part  of  a  God  immaculate- 
ly pure  I     B. 

Family  life  is  closely  linked  with  religious 
life.  Unequal  yoking  with  unbelievers  is  as 
bad  for  religion  as  it  often  is  for  domestic  quiet. 
A  Jezebel  can  do  much  mischief  to  a  family 
into  which  she  comes — to  the  whole  circle,  be  it 
wide  or  narrow,  which  is  cursed  by  her  activ- 
ity. She  ma}'  be  "  clever,"  of  high  standing, 
of  influential  connections,  of  great  force,  very 
attractive,  on  her  own  lines  very  generous  and 
public-spirited  (see  how  bountifull}'  Jezebel 
provided  for  her  priests  aud  her  worship)  ;  but 
she  is  a  curse,  and  the  consequences  to  those 
submitting  to  her  influence  can  only  be  bad. 
Let  the  young  be  profoundly  thankful  where 
God  has  given  them  Christian  parents.  And 
let  them  aim  at  the  perpetuation  of  a  godly 
family  life.  The  violation  of  this  principle 
brought  Ahab  and  his  family,  including  Jeze- 
bel, to  desolation.     /.  IInll. 

In  their  successive  and  similar  careers,  Jero- 
boam, Omri,  and  Alnih  strongly  emphasize  the 
inevitable  and  downward  progress  of  the  wick- 
ed in  iniquity.  Omri  walked  in  the  sin  of  Jero- 
boam, lecnt  farther  in  the  practice  of  evil.  He 
"  lerought  evil  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord."  Al- 
though he  evinced  judgment  and  taste  in  the 
building  of  Samaria,  and  the  fruits  of  his  en- 
ergy and  enteri)risc  were  many,  yet  in  his  own 
inner  life  as  seen  by  the  omniscient  Lord,  aud 


in  his  defilement  of  the  nation's  worship,  he 
wrought  only  rril,  and  that  to  the  end.  Ever 
nceuMuilating  guilt  for  himself,  be  transmitted, 
through  the  force  of  example  and  training,  yet 
more  fearfvil  guilt  and  misery  to  his  son  after 
him.  Jeroboam  was  notably  wicked  in  that  he 
first  "  made  Israel  to  sin."  Omri  was  "  worse 
than  all  before  him. "  And  Ahab  went  far  in 
advance  of  Omri  his  father.  Each  carried  the 
whole  nation  down  into  deeper  corruption,  and 
involved  it  in  linal  utter  destruction.  Thus  it 
was  in  this  ancient,  true,  and  typical  history. 
Thus  it  is  in  current  history,  personal  anil  na- 
tional. Sin  is  invariably  progressive,  and  the 
progress  ends  inevitabh'  in  ruin. 

Jehovah's  relations  and  dealings  with  the  na- 
tion Israel  are  simply  an  illustration  of  his  rela- 
tions and  dealings  with  every  other  nation. 
The  principles  directing  and  governing  His  ac- 
tion toward  communities  or  peoples  are  always 
aud  everywhere  the  same.  Outward  national 
prosperity  He  has  ever  conditioned  upon  na- 
tional morality  ;  and  true  morality,  personal 
and  national,  springs  solely  from  a  pure  relig- 
ion, a  religion  based  upon  divinely  instituted 
laws  and  worship.  Obedience  and  reverence 
toward  God,  grateful  service  and  worshipful 
devotion,  joined  with  righteous,  unselfish,  and 
helpful  dealing  toward  men,  comprise  the  fun- 
damental conditions  upon  which  depend  the 
prospering  favor  of  God,  alike  upon  nations 
and  individuals.  Again  and  again  throughout 
the  Old  Testament  histories  does  He  expressly 
affirm  these  principles  to  rulers  and  peoples, 
pre-eminently  to  the  successive  kings  of  Judah 
and  Israel.  And  not  only  the  entire  record  of 
the  Israelitish  people,  from  Moses  to  the  latest 
monarch  of  Judah,  but  the  whole  subsequent 
history  of  nations  affords  an  unbroken  com- 
ment upon  the  absolute  truthfulness  of  these 
principles.  Let  then  the  sense  of  obligation  to 
God  be  habitually  cherished,  and  let  His  law  of 
righteous  and  trathful  living,  of  unselfish  and 
helpful  dealing,  be  the  rule  of  personal  and  na- 
tional action.  And  let  the  practice  of  a  pure, 
heartfelt  scriptural  worship  be  more  and  more 
widely  extended  over  our  vast  inheritance.  So 
shall  the  prospering  favor  of  God,  already  so 
richly  realized,  be  perpetuated  and  increased 
with  our  swiftly  multiplying  numbers.     B. 


SECTION  9.  93 


Section  9. 

ELIJAH  AJSTNOUNCES  DROUGHT  TO  AHAB  ;  RETIRES  TO  THE  BROOK  CHERITH, 
THEN  TO  ZAREPHATH.  THE  WIDOWS  TRUSTFUL  FIDELITY;  HER  CHILD 
RESTORED. 

1  Kings  17  : 1-34. 

1  And  Elijah  the  Tishbite,  who  was  of  the  sojournere  of  Gilead,  said  unto  AJiab,  As  the  Lokd, 
the  God  of  Israel,  liveth,  before  whom  I  stand,  there  shall  not  be  dew  nor  rain  these  years, 

2  but    accoitling    to    my   word.     And   the   word    of    the    Lord    came    unto    him,    saying, 

3  Get  thee  hence,  and  turn  thee  eastward,  and  hide  thyself  by  the  brook  Chcrith,  that  is  before 

4  Jordan.     And  it  shall  be,  that  thou  shalt  drink  of  the  brook  ;  and  I  have  commanded  the 

5  ravens  to  feed  thee  there.     So  he  went  and  did   accoi-diug   unto  the  word  of  the  Lord  :  for 

6  he  went  and  dwelt  by  the  brook  Chcrith,  that  is  before  Jordan.     And  the  ravens  brought 
him  bread  and  flesh  in  the  morning,  and  bread  and  flesh  in  the  evening  ;  and  he  drank  of  the 

7  brook.     And  it  came  to  pass  after  a  while,  that  the  brook  dried  up,  because  there  was  no 
rain  in  the  land. 

8,  9      And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  him,  saying.  Arise,  get  thee  to  Zarephath,  which 
belongeth  to  Zidon,  and  dwell  there  :    behold,  I  have  commanded  a  widow  woman  there  to 

10  siLstaiu  thee.  So  he  arose  and  went  to  Zarephath  ;  and  when  he  came  to  the  gate  of  the 
city,  behold,  a  widow  woman  was  there  gathering  sticks  :  and  he  called  to  her,  and  said, 

11  Fetch  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  little  water  in  a  vessel,  that  I  may  drink.  And  as  she  was  going 
to  fetch  it,  he  called  to  her,  and  said.  Bring  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  morsel  of  bread  in  thine  hand. 

13  And  she  said,  ;Vs  the  Lord  thy  God  liveth,  I  have  not  a  cake,  but  an  handful  of  meal  in  the 
barrel,  and  a  little  oil  in  the  cruse  ;  and,  behold,  I  am  gathering  two  sticks,  that  I  may  go 

13  in  and  dress  it  for  me  and  my  son,  that  we  may  eat  it,  and  die.  And  Elijah  said  unto  her, 
Fear  not ;  go  and  do  as  thou  hast  said  :  but  make  me  thereof  a  little  cake  first,  and  bring  it 

14  forth  unto  me,  and  afterward  make  for  thee  and  for  thy  son.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord,  the 
God  of  Israel,  The  barrel  of  meal  shall  not  waste,  neither  shall  the  erase  of  oil  fail,  until  the 

15  day  that  the  Lord  sendeth  rain  upon  the  earth.     And  she  went  and  did  according  to  the  say- 

16  ing  of  Elijah  :  and  she,  and  he,  and  her  house,  did  eat  many  days.  The  barrel  of  meal 
wasted  not,   neither  did  the  cruse  of  oil  fail,  according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  he 

17  sjiake  by  Elijah.  And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  the  sou  of  the  woman,  the 
mistress  of  the  house,  fell  sick  ;  and  his  sickness  was  so  sore,  that  there  was  no  breath  left  in 

18  him.     And  she  said  unto  Elijah,  What  have  I  to  do  with  thee,  O  thou  man  of  God  ?  thou  art 

19  come  unto  me  to  bring  my  sin  to  remembrance,  and  to  slay  my  son  !  And  he  said  unto  her, 
Give  me  thy  son.     And  he  took  him  out  of  her  bosom,  and  carried  him  up  into  the  chamber, 

30  where  he  abode,  and  laid  him  upon  his  own  bed.  And  he  cried  unto  the  Lord,  and  said,  O 
Lord  my  God,  hast  thou  also  brought  evil  upon  the  widow  with  whom  I  sojourn,  by  slaying 

21  her  son  '?     And  he  stretched  himself  upon  the  child  three  times,  and  cried  unto  the  Lord,  and 

22  said,  O  Lord  my  God,  I  pray  thee,  let  this  child's  soul  come  into  him  again.  And  the  Lord 
hearkened  unto  the  voice  of  Elijah  ;  and  the  soul  of  the  child  came  into  him  again,  and  he 

33  revived.     And  Elijah  took  the  child,  and  brought  him  down  out  of  the  chamber  into  the 

34  house,  and  delivered  him  unto  his  mother  :  and  Elijah  said.  See,  thy  son  liveth.  And  the 
woman  said  to  Elijah,  Now  I  know  that  thou  art  a  man  of  God,  and  that  the  word  of  the 
Loud  in  thy  mouth  is  truth. 


Tub  picture  which  the  historian  has  just 
drawn  of  the  shameless  idolatry  and  the  gross 
degeneracy  of  the  earlier  p;u-t  of  Ahab's  reign 
forms  a  fit  prelude  to  an  account  of  the  minis- 
try of  the  great  prophet  Elijah,  which  occupies 


It  was  only  the  unprecedented  corruption  of 
that  age  which  necessitated  such  a  mission,  and 
a  mission  armed  with  such  credentials  as  his. 
It  will  be  obvious  to  the  most  cursory  reader 
that  the  narratives  eompri.sed  in  the  remaining 


this  and  several  succeeding  chapters  ;  for  the  I  portion  of  this  book  and   the  earlier  part  of 
two  stand  together  in  the  closest  connection.  !  3  Kings  are  of  a  very  different  character  from 


94 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


those  which  liavp  so  far  been  bpfore  lis.  The 
iiiiiiisti\v  i)f  Klijah  and  Klisha  alike  is  little  more 
than  a  series  of  iiiiraeles.  Of  their  woitls  com- 
paratively few  are  rcconieii  ;  we  hear  of  little 
but  the  sijrns  and  wonders  that  they  wrought. 
Neither  Elijah  nor  Elisha,  as  Ewald  has  ob- 
served, "  originated  anything  essentially  new," 
but  the  task  assigned  them  was  one  which 
needed  supernatural  sup])<)rt  and  attest;ition,  no 
less  than  the  proiuulgation  of  a  \wv{  law  or  gos- 
pel. It  was  their  work,  at  the  very  darkest 
hour  in  the  si)iritual  history  of  Israel,  when  a 
determined  effort  was  being  made  to  stamp  out 
the  faith  of  God's  elect,  when  the  nation  chosen 
of  God  to  be  tlie  depositary  of  His  trutli  was 
fast  lapsing  into  heathenism  and  into  unutter- 
able abominations,  it  was  their  work  to  witness 
for  God  and  truth  and  purity.  If  God's  pm-- 
poses  of  grace  to  our  world  which  had  been 
riptning  from  age  to  age  were  not  now  to  be 
frustrated  ;  if  the  one  lamp  which  Citst  a  ray 
on  the  world's  thick  darkness  was  not  to  be 
utterly  extinguished,  then,  as  far  as  we  can  see, 
God  must  send  special  messengers,  and  arm 
them,  in  token  of  their  mission  and  authority, 
with  superhuman  powers.  The  age  demanded 
the  messenger  ;  the  messenger  must  have  crc- 
dentiids  ;  the  credentials  could  only  be  miracu- 
lous.    HnmiMiiid. 

This  darkest  night  of  Israel's  spiritual 
declension  was  Ijroken  by  the  appearance  of  the 
greatest  of  all  the  prophets  since  Moses,  and  the 
type  of  that  great  preacher  of  repentance  who 
was  the  forerunner  of  the  Clirist,  Klijnh  tin- 
Tishliite  has  been  well  called  "  the  gr.mdest  and 
the  most  romantic  character  that  Israel  ever 
produced.  He  meets  us  with  a  suddenness  as 
startling  as  the  first  appearance  of  John  the 
Baptist  preaching  repentance  in  the  wilderness 
of  Judea.  There  is  not  a  word  of  his  parent- 
age ;  and  of  his  birthplace  we  only  know  that 
it  was  in  the  land  of  Gilead  ea.st  of  Jordan. 
But  this  one  fact  accounts  for  the  prophet's 
outward  peculiarities.  Like  Jephthah  among 
the  judges,  he  came  of  a  wild,  tuicultured, 
pastoral  race,  whose  mode  of  life  had  become 
more  and  more  assimilated  to  that  of  the  Bed- 
ouins of  the  neighboring  desert,  and  who  re- 
tained great  force  of  character  and  power  of 
physical  endurance.  His  only  clothing  was  a 
girdle  of  skin  rinuid  his  loins,  and  the 
"  mantle,"  or  cape,  of  sheepskin,  the  descent 
of  which  upon  Elisha  has  passed  into  a 
proverb.  t>h>'ltcre(l  from  Jezebel's  persecution 
in  th('  solitudes  of  Mount  Gilead,  he  had  been 
linpared  by  J<liovah  for  his  mission  to  the 
apostate  king  and  people.     P.  S. 


Like  the  Baptist  in  a  subsequent  age,  Elijah 
was  a  proi)hct  of  the  wilderness.  The  condi- 
tions of  his  work  necessitated  his  fre<iuent  sci'lu- 
sion  in  the  desert,  in  some  near  e.xile,  or  in 
some  secure  hiding-place,  whence  he  issued 
forth,  whenever  occasion  denjanded  it,  to 
deliver  his  lofty  protest,  and  to  olTer  his  single- 
handed  defiance  to  Ahab.  Lik<'  the  Baptist, 
too,  he  wore  the  primitive  garli  of  a  man  of  the 
desert — a  mantle  of  skin  thrown  loosely  over 
him,  and  secinvd  rotind  his  waist  by  a  leathern 
ginlle.  He  was  of  little  account  in  an  estimate 
of  phj'sical  forces,  but  among  the  moral  forces 
of  the  world  he  was  one  of  the  greatest.  His 
temperament  corresponded.  A  man  of  tiuick, 
fiery  impulses,  extreme  in  his  emotional  fluctu- 
ations ;  bold  as  a  lion  in  the  hour  of  duty  and 
conflict,  and  capable  of  intense  excitement,  and 
then  giving  way  to  corresponding  depression. 
All'iii. 

Ahab  far  outdistanced  even  his  father's 
wickedness,  first  by  entering  into  a  matrimonial 
alliance  with  the  vile  dyna.sty  of  Ethbaal,  and 
then  by  fonn  illy  making  the  worship  of  Baal 
the  estitblished  religion  of  Isniel,  with  all  of 
vileness  and  of  persecution  which  this  implied. 
In  these  circumstances,  surely,  we  may  look 
for  extraordinary  interposition  on  the  part  of 
Jehovah.  For,  with  such  a  king  and  ((ueen, 
and  with  a  peopUi,  not  only  deprived  of  the 
Temple  services  and  the  Levitical  priesthood, 
but  among  whom  the  infamous  rites  of  Baal 
and  .iVstarte  hail  become  the  establislied  worship, 
ordinary  means  wouUl  manifestly  have  been  in 
vain.  Again  and  again  liad  messengers  sent 
from  God  spoken  His  Word  and  amiounced  His 
judgments,  without  producing  even  a  passing 
effect.  It  needed  more  than  this,  if  the  worship 
of  Baal  was  to  be  effectually  cheeked.  Accord- 
ingly, this  period  of  Israel's  history  is  also 
marked  by  a  great  extension  of  the  proplutie 
iirder  ami  mimioii.  It  was  theirs  to  keep  alive 
the  knowledge  of  Jehovah  in  the  land  ;  theirs 
also  to  meet  the  gross  and  daring  idolatry  of 
king  and  people  l)y  a  display  of  puwcr  which 
could  neither  be  resisted  nor  gainsaid.  Hence 
the  unparalleled  frectuency  of  miracles,  mostly 
intended  to  prove  the  vainness  of  idols  as 
against  the  power  of  the  living  God,  the  reality 
of  the  prophets'  mission,  and  of  the  authority 
which  the  Lord  had  delegated  to  His  messen- 
gers. Only  tliuscoidd  any  effect  be  pmduci'd. 
It  was  an  extraonlinary  period — and  God  raised 
up  in  it  an  extraordinary  agency.  Hence  the 
unusual  accumulation  of  the  miracidous — and 
that  chiefly  in  its  aspect  of  power — asdisplayed 
by  an  Elijah  and  an  Elisha,  so  far  from  seem- 


SECTION  0.     ELIJAH  ANNOUNCES  DROUGHT  TO  AIIAB. 


95 


ing    strange   or  unaccountabk',    appears  tmi- 
ni'iitly  called  for.     A,  E. 

At  tills  ])erkxl  the  prophets  act  their  most 
promiueut  aud  Importaut  part  in  Jewish  his- 
tory, particularly  iu  that  of  Israel,  where  the 
Levites  having  been  expelled,  aud  the  priest 
hood  degraded,  they  remained  the  only  defend- 
ers of  the  law  and  religion  of  the  land.  Proph- 
ecy, in  its  more  extensive  meaning,  compre- 
hended the  whole  course  of  religious  educa- 
tion ;  and  as  the  Levitical  class  were  the  sole 
authorized  conservatora  and  interpreters  of  the 
law,  the  prophets  were  usually  of  that  tribe, 
or  at  least  persous  educated  under  their  care. 
Now,  however,  they  assume  a  higher  character, 
and  appear  as  a  separate  and  influential  class 
in  the  State.  They  are  no  longer  the  musicians, 
poets,  and  historians  of  the  country,  but  men 
full  of  a  high  aud  solemn  enthusiasm,  the  moral 
and  religious  teachers  of  the  people.  The  most 
eminent  are  described  as  directly,  and  some- 
times suddeidy,  designated  for  their  office  by 
divine  iiispinition,  endowed  with  the  power  of 
working  miracles,  and  of  foretelling  future 
events.  But,  setting  aside  their  divine  com- 
mission, the  prophets  were  the  great  constitu- 
tional patriots  of  the  Jewish  State,  the  cham- 
pions of  virtue,  liberty,  jiLstice,  and  the  strict 
observance  of  the  civil  and  religious  law,  against 
the  iniquities  of  the  kings  aud  of  the  people. 
Iu  no  instance  do  they  fall  beneath,  often  they 
rise  above,  the  lofty  and  himiane  morals  of  the 
Mosaic  Institutes.  They  are  always  on  the 
side  of  the  oppressed  ;  they  boldly  rebuke  but 
never  factiously  insult  their  kings  ;  they  de- 
fend, but  never  flatter  the  passions  of  the 
people.  In  no  instance  does  one  of  the  ac- 
knowledged seers,  like  the  turbulent  dema. 
gogucs  of  the  Grecian  or  Roman  republics, 
abuse  his  popular  influence  for  his  own  personal 
aggrandizement  or  authority.     Milman. 

I.  Elijiih'K  first  startling  appearance  and 
■message  to  Aliah.  In  Israel,  irreligion  had 
reached  the  height  of  shameless  impiety.  Baal- 
worship,  or  idolatrj'  of  the  vilest  and  most 
IJasphemous  charai-ter,  had  been  enforced  upon 
the  people  by  fierce  and  murderous  peraecution 
— the  first  on  record  for  a  pure  faith  in  God. 
Under  the  .sjicrilcgious  inspiration  of  jVliab  and 
Jezebel,  these  kindred  royal  rulers,  the  altars 
of  Jehovah  had  been  overthrown.  His  prophets 
and  servants  slain.  The  great  mass  of  the 
people,  too,  were  utterly  given  up  to  corrupt 
and  horril)le  abominations.  At  this  point  it 
was,  when  the  iniquity  of  king,  queen  and  na- 
tion was  at  its  highest,  that  God  once  more  in- 
terposes, by  raising  up  and  qualifying  one  man 


for  a  signal  mission  of  merciful  warning.  As 
reedful.  He  confronts  these  strong-willed  royal 
spirits  with  one  of  even  greater  might  and 
sternness  of  soul  ;  one  whose  faith  and  courage 
never  once  yielded  to  extreme  personal  peril  ; 
one  whose  name — meaning  Jehonih  mij  God — ■ 
indicated  the  object  of  his  trast,  aud  the  source 
of  his  dauntless  courage. 

The  story  of  Elijah  is  one  of  the  grandest 
personal  histories  of  the  Old  Testament.  Con- 
fessedly at  the  head  of  the  i^rophets  and  re- 
formers in  the  sublimer  aspects  of  character, 
especially  in  strength  of  faith  and  of  endurance, 
he  can  be  matched  with  no  other  than  Moses, 
the  great  lawgiver  and  leader.  As  these  twain 
mighty  spirits  were  most  eminent  in  work 
wrought  for  God,  so  they  impressed  themselves 
most  deeply  and  abidingly  upon  the  entire  Jew- 
ish people.  Most  remarkable  was  this  in  the 
ca.sc  of  Elijah,  for  his  direct  work  was  confined 
to  the  ten  tribes  of  Israel  who  soon  became  ex- 
tinct. Yet  so  strong  and  vivid  coutiiuied  the 
memory  of  his  character  aud  deeds,  that  when 
the  Lord  of  glory  appeai-ed  on  earth  the  Jews 
said,  "It  is  Elias  !"  With  Moses,  too,  Elijah 
shared  the  transfiguration  of  Jehovah  Jesus  on 
the  holy  mount. 

Of  Elijah's  origin  nothing  is  told  save  that 
he  came  from  the  wild  hill  country  of  Gilead 
east  of  Jordan,  lying  between  Moab  on  the 
south  and  Bashan  on  the  north.  His  birth, 
parentage,  training  aud  history  up  to  full  age, 
are  unrecorded.  With  sudden  startling  words 
he  flret  announces  his  presence  to  Ahab,  as 
though  he  were  an  angel  from  heaven  instan- 
taneously appearing  and  sharply  uttering  the 
rebuke  of  Jehovah. 

With  the  most  solemn  and  sublime  assevera- 
tion of  human  speech,  the  prophet  affirms  the 
living  Jehovah  still  to  be  the  only  God  of 
Israel,  though  Ahab  had  i-cjected  him  for  false 
and  impotent  idol-gods.  Then  he  proclaims  to 
the  impious  monarch  God's  interdict  upon  the 
land  of  Israel.  "  As  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  liv- 
eth,  before  whom  I  stand  [thus  likening  him- 
self to  an  angel  of  the  Divine  presence],  there 
shall  not  be  rain  nor  dew  these  years,  but  ax;- 
cording  to  my  word,"  or  through  my  interces- 
sion, as  his  meaning  is  interpreted  by  Jiunes 
5  :  17.  Upon  the  early  and  latter  rains,  and 
during  the  long  intervals  upon  the  regularity 
and  abmidance  of  the  heavy  dews,  the  produc- 
tiveness of  the  land  depended.  The  withdrawal 
of  botii  rain  and  dew  was  one  of  the  punish- 
ments threatened  in  case  of  apostasy  (De. 
28  :  23,  24).  And  the  effect  of  such  withdrawal, 
even  for  a  short  period,  involved  the  extreme 


96 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


of  siiflfering  from  famine.  No  reason  does 
Elijali  assifin  forliis  coming  or  message.  None 
■v\-a.s  neeiied.  for  Aliab  knew  it  to  he  tlie  mes- 
sage of  an  ofTendeii  God.  Therefore  witli  tlie 
utterance  of  tliis  fearful  warning,  awaiting  no 
reply,  tlie  pro])liel  as  suddenly  disappears 
from  the  monarch's  prc.sen^^e.     B. 

He  stood  before  the  Loixl  GSod  of  Israel  ;  and 
In  the  consciousness  of  that  presence  to  stand 
before  Aliab  was  as  nothing.  His  word  is 
abnipt,  pitliy,  terrible — a  bolt  suddenly  and 
untiringly  shot — and  it  was  the  manner  of 
spci'cli  of  his  entire  ministry.  And  it  is  cliarac- 
teristie  of  Elijah  that  he  neither  fears  nor  fal- 
ters. His  word  is  as  bold  as  it  is  momentous. 
His  well-chosen  woiil  aflirms  the  verj-  heart  of 
tlie  theocratic  faith.  lie  stood  before  the 
Lord  God  the  prophet  of  repentance,  the  restorer 
of  the  Covenant ;  he  knows  no  reserves,  he  ad- 
mits no  compromise.  It  is  surely  one  of  the 
most  audacious  words  ever  spoken.  No  word 
of  Closes  to  I'haraoh  is  bolder.  With  one  stroke 
he  breaks  down  the  bridge  behind  him.  It  is 
one  of  those  conjunctions  of  king  and  prophet, 
physical  force  and  moral,  armed  power  and 
dauntless  faith,  of  which  tlie  religious  history 
of  the  world  records  so  many  instances — Jloses 
before  Pharaoh,  Christ  before  Pilate,  the 
apostles  before  the  Sanhedrim,  Paul  before 
Felix,  Luther  at  Worms.  There  is  no  reason  to 
doubt  that  this  was  the  absolute  beginning  of 
Elijah's  imlilic  career.  It  is  in  harmonj'  with 
all  the  dramatic  movements  of  bis  history,  and 
is  incomiiatible  with  any  supposition  of  quiet 
preparation.  It  was  a  bold  challenge  to  Aliab, 
as  of  an  amba,s.sadorsent,  not  to  debate  a  treaty, 
but  to  deliver  an  ultimatum.     AUnn. 

With  the  suddenness  of  a  flash  of  lightning 
and  a  clap  of  thunder  out  of  an  Eastern  sky 
Elijah  the  prophet  bursts  upon  us  in  the  narra- 
tive of  the  Old  Testament.  As  he  was  taken 
away  when  his  work  was  done,  in  a  chariot  of 
fire  with  liorecs  of  fire  going  up  by  a  whirlwind 
into  heaven,  so  it  may  be  .said  he  came.  Every- 
thing was  going  on  in  Israel  in  its  ordinary 
way.  The  people  were  at  peace  ;  and  nothing 
seems  to  have  disturbed  their  king  as  he  pur- 
sued the  evil  courses  on  which  he  had  em- 
barked. All  at  once  Elijah  appears  upon  the 
scene.  With  the  very  first  mention  made  of 
him  he  is  before  us  in  all  the  fulness  of  his  mis- 
.sion  and  in  all  the  strength  of  that  bold,  un- 
compiomisiiig  character  wliidi  he  ever  after- 
ward ilisplaycd.  .  .  .  Elijah's  work  was  very 
dilTcrent  from  that  of  JIdscs,  and  no  less  differ- 
ent from  that  of  Samud.  .Vt  his  hands  no  new 
polity  was  needed.     He  had  to  frame  no  new 


laws.  His  work,  it  may  be  almost  said,  was  to 
be  summarized  in  one  great  act  ;  in  so  far  as  it 
was  done  in  the  sight  of  men.  it  was  to  be  be- 
gun and  completed  in  a  day.  We  do  not, 
therefore,  need  to  be  informed  as  to  his  early 
training.  Enough,  if  we  know  that,  in  com- 
munion withGixl  and  his  own  heart,  he  learned 
what  no  schools  and  no  mere  intercourse  with 
men  can  teach — the  greatness  of  the  one  Creator 
and  Ruler  of  all  ;  that  faith  in  the  Divine 
power  which  makes  him  feel,  along  with  the 
deepest  sense  of  his  own  weakness,  tliat  he  can 
say  to  the  mountain  liefore  him,  "  Be  thou  re- 
moved, and  be  thou  cast  into  the  sea;"  and 
that  superiority  to  the  shows  and  fashions  of 
a  fleeting  world  which  communion  with  the 
everlasting  hills,  and  with  Him  who  planted 
them  or  shakes  them  at  His  pleasure,  is  so  well 
fitted  to  impart.     W.  JI. 

Faith  is  the  great  word  to  be  written  in  the 
forefront  of  Elijah's  history.  lie  was  "  a  man 
of  like  passions  as  we  are" — tempted  as  we  are, 
open  as  we  are  to  joy  and  pain — yet  of  him.  of 
all  men  that  had  livi'd  since  "  the  fatlicr  of  the 
faithful,"  it  was  of  him  most  eminently  true 
that  "  he  staggered  not  at  the  prorai.ses"  or 
commands  "of  God  through  unbelief."  The 
chapter  before  us  is  full  of  faith — nothing  but 
faith.     Kitto. 

The  Lord  liveth,  berorc  whom  I 
stand.  How  distinct  and  aliiding  must  the 
vision  of  God  have  been  which  burned  before 
the  inward  eye  of  the  man  that  struck  out  that 
phrase  !  Wherever  I  am,  whatever  I  do,  I  am 
befon;  Ilim.  To  my  purged  eye  there  is  the 
Apocalypse  of  heaven,  and  I  lieliold  the  great 
tlirone,  and  the  solemn  ranks  of  ministering 
spirits,  my  fellow- servants,  hearkening  to  the 
voice  of  His  word.  No  excitement  of  work, 
no  strain  of  effort,  no  distraction  of  circum- 
stances, no  glitter  of  gold,  or  dazzle  of  earthly 
brightness,  dimmed  that  vision  for  this  i)rt>phet. 

A.  M. To  be  an  instmmeiil  for  the  nccom- 

pli.shment  of  the  Divine  will,  and  for  the  glori- 
fying of  His  name,  was  bis  anient  desire  ;  he 
could  say,  with  Isaiah's  watchman,  "  Lord,  I 
stand  <ontinually  upon  the  watch-tower  in  the 
day-  time,  and  I  am  set  in  my  ward  whole 
nights"  (Isa.  21  :  8).  His  life  was  a  hearkening 
to  God's  voice  ;  he  passed  his  days  in  the  pn-s- 
enee  of  his  Eternal  King,  and,  "  Lord,  speak  ! 
for  Thy  servant  heareth,"  was  his  watchword. 
Such  was  Elijah,  by  the  grace  of  God,  and 
thus  did  he  stand  before  the  Lord  Goil  of 
Israel,    fini  mm/If /nr. 

An  habitual  attitude  of  the  soul  is  pointed  at 
in  Elijah's  language.     To  hold  constant  inter- 


SECTIOlSr  9.     ELIJAH  ANNOUNCES  DROUGUT  TO  ARAB. 


97 


couree  with  God,  to  become  frtmiliar  with  Him, 
to  liave  always  an  open  ear  for  His  words,  to 
be  always  ready  to  listen  to  and  proclaim  His 
pleasure  was  the  spirit  of  tlie  prophet's  life. 
Hence  his  authority  ;  hence  his  stn-ngth.  Be- 
fore one  who  could  and  did  so  live,  earthly  dis- 
tinctions faded.     \V.  M. 

There  shall  not  be  dew  nor  rain. 
Elijah  here  boldl_v  preilicted  a  long  drought  to 
Aliab,  not  to  be  removed  "  but  according  to  his 
word" — that  is,  hy  Ms  iiitcrci'mo/i.  He  appre- 
hended that  the  idolatries  of  the  nation  would 
draw  down  destruction  from  God,  and  therefore 
prayed  for  a  lesser  chastisement  to  work  its  ref- 
ormation. And  when  that  end  was  accom- 
plished, he  prayed  again  for  its  remission.  So 
it  is  understood  by  the  son  of  Sirach,  Eccliis. 
48  :  10,  and  also  in  the  New  Testament,  "  Elias 
prayed  earnestly  that  it  might  not  rain  :  he 
prayed  again  and  the  heaven  gave  rain." 
Hales. 

It  was  all  most  startling  :  the  sudden, 
strange,  wild  apparition  ;  the  bold  confronting 
of  king  and  people  there  in  Samaria  ;  the  an- 
nouncement apparently  so  incredible  in  itself, 
and  in  such  contrast  to  the  scene  of  wealth  and 
fruitfulness  all  around  ;  the  unexpected  pro- 
nunciation of  the  name  Jehovah  in  such  a 
place  ;  the  authority  which  he  pleaded  and  tlie 
power  which  he  claimed — in  general,  even  the 
terms  of  his  message  :  "  Lives  .Jehovah,  the 
God  of  Israel,  which  I  stand  before  His  face  ! 
If  there  be  these  years  dew  or  rain,  except  by 
the  mouth  [the  spoken  means]  of  my  word  !" 
What  answer  AJiab  made,  what  impression  it 
produced  on  him  or  his  people.  Holy  Scripture, 
in  its  Divine  self -consciousness  and  sublime  in- 
difference to  what  may  be  called  "  effect,"  docs 
not  condescend  even  to  notice.  Nay,  here  also 
silence  is  best — and  the  prophet  himself  must 
withdraw  as  suddenly  as  he  liad  come,  hide 
himself  from  human  ken,  not  be  within  reaeli 
of  question  or  answer,  and  let  God  work,  alone 
and  unseen.  An  absolute  pause  with  that  thun- 
der-cloud overhead — unremoved  and  apparently 
unremovable — in  presence  of  which  'man  and 
Baal  shall  be  absolutely  powerless  :  such  was 
the  fitting  sequence  to  Elijah's  announcement. 
A.  E. 

U- 7.  Bi/  God's  command  Elijah  dicells  for  a 
year  by  tlui  brook  Climth,  and  is  fed  by  rarens. 
Eastward  from  Samaria,  as  bidden  by  the  Lord, 
he  goes,  and  conceals  himself  from  the  king's 
search  by  the  brook  Cherith,  near  the  Jordan. 
Without  question  or  hesitancy  "he  ircnt  and 
did  according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord."  The 
hiding  was  not  of  Elijah's  seeking  througli  lack 


of  courage.  It  was  at  God's  own  bidding. 
During  the  long  interval  (three  years)  of 
drought,  the  prophet  was  to  abide  in  seclusion. 
This  concealment  was  for  his  personal  protec- 
tion from  Allah's  vengeance,  and  for  his  relief 
from  importunity  by  the  suffering  people.  It 
was  also  that  Elijah  might  liavc  opportunity 
to  put  God's  pledges  of  deliverance  and  help  to 
actual  test,  and  so  be  himself  assured  of  His 
power  and  faithfulness  ;  and  that  .Jehovah 
might  test  and  prove  and  confirm  Elijaii's  faith 
dining  the  three  years'  process  of  teaching  and 
training  him  for  the  grand  mission  of  his  pro- 
longed life.  The  prophet's  first  home  was  in 
one  of  the  many  caverns  beneath  the  steep 
mountain-cliff,  and  beside  the  yet  flowing 
brook.  Here  in  solitary  thought,  and  liolding 
communion  only  with  God,  he  waits  further 
Divine  direction.  And  God  not  only  protects 
His  servant  in  this  hiding-place,  but  by  means 
the  most  improbable,  supernaturally  provides 
him  with  bread  and  flesh.  Morning  and  night, 
a  whole  year  round,  carrion  birds,  whose  in- 
stinct is  to  snatch  away  meat  from  others,  who 
even  abandon  their  own  young  to  God's  care 
(.Job  38  :  41),  whose  rapacity  and  greed  are 
notably  excessive,  are  constrained  to  deny  their 
own  natures,  and  bring  the  best  of  their  getting 
for  the  propliet's  sustenance.  And  this  sur- 
passing marvel,  whatever  else  its  design  for 
those  that  read  the  story,  brought  sustenance 
to  Elijah's  spirit  as  well  ;  for  the  daily  visits  of 
the  ravens  assured  his  faith  of  God's  abiding 
presence,  and  confirmed  his  conviction  that 
present  inaction  was  his  duty.  So,  too,  in  this 
quiet,  solitary  retreat  God  carried  on  a  needful 
training  process  in  the  prophet's  soul,  prepar- 
ing him  for  great  achievement.     B. 

God  prepares  men  for  great  deeds  by  great 
trial,  and  tests  His  weapons  severely  before 
using.  But  these  long  years  among  the  wild 
scenery  of  the  desert  were  all  building  up  char- 
acter. Solitude  is  the  mother  country  of  the 
strong  ;  and,  in  some  form  or  other,  every  man 
who  has  done  much  for  God  and  his  fellows 
has  had  to  be  "  in  the  deserts  till  the  day  of  his 

shewing."      A.    M. It   is  remarkable   how 

God's  elect  messengers,  each  in  his  turn,  have 
been  sent  "  ajiart  into  a  desert  place  to  rest 
awliile."  Moses  must  spend  fort}'  ycara  in  the 
great  and  terrible  wilderness  ;  must  spend  fortj' 
days  and  forty  nights  in  Horeb,  the  IMount  of 
God.  Elijah  himself  only  emerges  from  the 
Cherith  to  go  to  another  hiding-place  at  Zar- 
ephath,  and  again  he  passes  to  the  same  wilder- 
ness and  the  same  mount  where  Moses  was.  The 
Baptist's  life  was  almost  divided  between  the 


98 


KIKODOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


ik'sert  iind  the  prison.  Paul  must  learn  bis  gos- 
pel in  Arabia.     Ilammond. 

The  desert  was,  from  the  time  of  Moses  to 
the  (lays  of  John  the  Baptist,  the  great  school 
of  the  prophets.  These  men  of  God  were 
trained  for  tlieir  work  :  1.  By  being  brought 
face  to  face  with  their  sacred  mission  in  all  its 
greatness,  and  free  from  the  prejudices  and 
petty  iutluences  of  human  society.  There  they 
could  steadfastly  contemplate  the  Dirine  ideal, 
undistractcd  by  the  rude  realities  of  mau's 
fallen  condition.  2.  There  they  were  also  cut 
off  from  liiunan  aid,  left  to  test  their  own 
strength,  or  rather  to  prove  their  own  utter 
■weakness,  and,  overwhelmed  with  the  sense  of 
it,  to  cast  themselves  wholly  on  Divine  strength. 
Thus  they  received  directly  from  God,  as  did 
Elijah,  the  supplies  by  which  they  lived,  and 
realized  the  conditions  of  absolute  and  imme- 
diate trust  in  Uim.  3.  This  loving  converse  of 
the  prophets  with  their  God  brought  them  into 
closer  fellowship,  more  intimate  union,  with 
Him.  Thus  they  came  forth  from  the  desert, 
like  Moses  from  the  Mount  of  Sinai,  bearing 
unconsciously  upon  them  the  reflection  of  Ilis 
glory.  As  Paul  says,  "  We,  beholding  as  with 
open  face  the  glory  of  the  Lord  as  in  a  mirror, 
arc  changed  into  the  same  image  from  glory  to 
glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord"  (3 
Cor.  3  :  18).  Considerations  like  these  have  a 
fit  application  to  the  pastor,  who  ought  to  be 
much  in  solitary  communion  with  God  in  order 
to  be  raised  above  the  compromises  of  principle 
so  common  in  society,  and  to  get  his  whole 
nature  permeated  with  Divine  strength.  Every 
Christian  soul  has  in  like  manner  a  prophet's  rais- 
si'm,  and  ought  therefore  often  to  seek  the  desert 
solitude  in  which  the  Invisible  is  brought  near, 
and  to  frequent  those  sacred  mountain-tops  of 
prayer  where  the  disciple,  like  the  Master,  re- 
news his  strength.     E.  de  P. 

To  Elijah  it  may  have  been  of  the  utmost 
consequence  to  see  that,  in  the  very  moment  of 
his  severest  trial,  nature  and  the  God  of  nature 
were  on  his  side  ;  and  nothing  could  more 
effectually  convey  that  lesson  to  him  tlian  the 
service  of  these  unclean  and  ravenous  birds. 
Morning  after  morning,  evening  after  evening, 
bread  and  flesh  were  there.  Could  he  fail  to 
remember  the  manna  and  the  quails  with  which 
God  had  of  old  fed  Ills  people  in  their  wander- 
ings, or  the  streams  of  water  with  which  in  the 
desert  He  had  quenched  their  thirst  ?  His  po- 
sition was  precisely  analogous  to  theirs.  In 
such  circumstances  the  old  histories  of  his  na- 
tion would  uuqviestionably  come  back  upon 
him  with  renewed  freshness  and   power.     In 


like  manner  would  the  living  God  now  deal 
with  him.  There  was  strength,  comfort,  joy, 
hope,  in  the  thought.     W.  M. 

S-16.  By  another  Dirine  eomnuinil.  Elijah 
nhidcHfor  two  years  and  a  hulf  irith  the  widoir  of 
Zarephath.  His  prediction  to  ^Vliab  had  come 
to  pass.  Moisture  had  cea.sed  to  fall  from 
heaven.  The  earth  was  scorched,  and  its  herb- 
age withered.  The  flow  of  the  rivulets  was 
checked,  and  the  streams  were  dried.  And  God 
will  not  open  an  unfailing  spring  to  give  the 
prophet's  brook  miraculous  supply  ;  for  this 
would  cross  His  purpose  toward  the  people, 
and  attract  un\\elcome  visitors  to  the  place  of 
Elijah's  concealment.  So  the  word  of  the  Lord 
bade  him  take  the  long  journey  (forty  miles) 
to  Zarephath  or  Sarepta,  a  town  on  the  .scacoast 
between  Tyre  and  Sidon.  There  in  Jezebel's 
heathen  land  he  could  dwell,  safe  alike  from 
^Vhab's  violence  or  importunity  ;  while  the  hor- 
ror of  the  famine  was  deepening,  and  the 
anguish  of  the  people  becoming  more  intense. 
As  before  God  had  said  of  the  ravens,  so  here 
He  assures  the  prophet,  "  I  hate  commanded  a 
widow  woman  there  to  sustain  thee."  In 
cither  case  He  secured  the  fulfilment  of  His 
word  by  methods  and  influences  suited  to  the 
instrument  or  the  agent  employed.  So  He  ever 
chooses  fitting  agents,  instruments,  and  oppor- 
tunities for  the  bringing  of  His  will  to  pass. 

True  to  His  purpose,  fulfilling  only  His  will, 
are  all  conjunctions  of  events.  Therefore  at 
the  moment  of  Elijah's  arrival  at  the  gate  of 
Sarepta,  behold  the  teidow  icomaii  iras  there, 
gathering  sticlcs  for  the  cooking  of  her  last 
meal.  Weary  and  famished  with  his  long  foot 
travel,  he  is  yet  alert  to  discover  if  this  be  his 
appointed  helper.  The  woman's  instant  move- 
ment in  response  to  his  simple  request  for 
water,  was  indication  enough  to  induce  his 
further  request  for  bread.  The  solemn  assever- 
ation of  the  woman  at  the  outset  of  her  answer, 
"  As  the  Lord  thy  God  liveth,"  shows  that  she 
recognized  Elijah  as  an  Israelite,  and  a  servimt 
of  the  God  of  Israel  ;  and  in  her  whole  touching 
reply  tlie  inspired  prophet  saw  that  this  was 
the  woman  to  whom  be  had  been  sent. 

A  special  inspiration  directed  his  response — a 
response  which  sharply  tested,  while  it  stimu- 
lated nud  encouraged,  the  woman's  faith. 
"  Supply  my  hunger  first  out  of  the  little  thou 
hast,  and  afterward  prepare  for  thyself  and  for 
thy  son.  For  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  hath  said 
that  thy  meal  shall  not  waste,  nor  thy  cruse  of 
oil  fail,  until  the  Lord  send  rain  upon  the 
earth."  Taking  the  word  of  Elijah  as  the  word 
of  the  living  God,  without  a  moment's  doubt 


SECTION  9.     ELIJAH  WITH  THE   WIBOW  AT  ZAREPUATH. 


99 


or  demur,  with  a  faith  of  kindred  simplicity 
and  sublimity  to  tlie  faith  of  that  other 
Phoenician  motlier  who  victoriously  wrestled 
in  pleading  with  Christ,  "  she  went  and  did  ac- 
cording to  the  saying  of  Elijah."  In  the 
utterly  self-consecrating  spirit  of  the  poor 
widow  who  in  Christ's  presence  gave  her  little 
all  for  the  Temple  service,  this  widowed  mother 
willingly  denied  herself  and  her  sou  their  little 
remnant  of  food,  that  she  might  give  to  the 
man  of  God,  in  the  assured  trust  that  the  Lord 
would  make  full  return.  And  in  thus  doing, 
"  she  bore  as  nobly  as  Elijah  all  tests  brought 
to  bear  on  her  faith.  He  could  truly  have  said, 
'  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no,  not  in 
Israel.'  Consequently,  to  none  of  the  many 
widows  of  Israel  was  Elijah  sent  save  to  her." 

Tlius  signally  anticipating  the  New  Testa- 
ment spirit,  and  proving  the  New  Testament 
truth  that  "  there  is  that  scattereth  and  yet 
Increaseth,"  "she  and  he  and  her  house"  for 
two  and  a  half  years  were  fed  from  the  un- 
wasting  barrel  of  meal  and  the  unfailing  cruse 
of  oil.  So  God  commanded  a  blessing  upon  her 
ready  trust  and  willing  obedience  to  His  word, 
as  spoken  by  the  moutli  of  Ilis  servant.  And 
so  He  prepared  a  restful  home  for  the  lonely 
proplict.  Through  undisturbed  communion 
with  God,  and  long  study  of  His  ways  with  His 
people,  and  of  the  course  that  people  had  pur- 
sued and  were  pursuing,  the  prophet's  training 
in  faith  and  fortitude,  in  consecration  and  cour- 
age, was  advanced.  Tluis  was  he  girded  with 
needful  inward  might  for  his  sublime  mission 
as  the  sole  champion  of  Jehovah  against  the  re- 
bellious court  and  people  of  Israel.     B. 

It  is  difficult  to  know  which  most  to  wonder 
at  :  Elijah's  calmness,  consistency,  and  readi- 
ness of  faitli,  or  the  widow's  almost  incredible 
simplicity  of  trustfulness.  Elijah  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  go  on  with  the  trial  of  his  hostess  to  tlie 
end  ;  least  of  all,  was  ho  afraid  of  the  possible 
consequences.  As  in  every  real  trial  of  our 
trust,  there  wasfir.st  a  general  promise,  and,  on 
the  ground  of  it,  a  specific  demand,  followed 
by  an  assurance  to  conquering  faith  ("  the  cad 
of  meal  shall  not  come  to  an  end,  nor  the  cruse 
of  oil  fail").  But,  if  it  was  as  he  told  her,  why 
this  d^'mand  in  its  sharply  trying  severity  : 
first,  to  use  for  Elijah  part  of  tlie  very  little  she 
had,  and  to  bring  it  to  him,  and  only  after  that 
to  go  back  and  prepare  for  herself  and  her  son  ? 
Needless,  indeed,  the  trial  would  seem,  except 
as  a  test  of  her  faith  ;  yet  not  a  mere  test,  since 
if  she  stood  it  and  inherited  the  promise,  it 
would  be  such  confirmation  of  it,  sucli  help  and 
blessing  to  her— alike  spiritually  and  temporally 


— as  to  constitute  the  beginning  of  a  new  life. 
And  so  it  ever  is  ;  and  therefore  does  every 
specific  demand  upon  our  faith  stand  between 
a  general  pnimise  and  a  special  assurance,  that, 
resting  upon  the  one,  we  may  eliml)  the  other  ; 
and  thus  every  specific  trial — and  every  trial  is 
also  one  of  our  faith — may  become  a  fresh  start- 
ing-point in  the  spiritual  life. 

And  the  widow  of  Sarepta  obeyed.  It  re- 
quires no  exercise  of  imagination  to  realize  what 
her  difficulties  in  so  doing  must  have  been.  One 
thing  at  least  is  clear  :  that  this  heathen  woman, 
whose  knowledge  of  Jehovah  could  only  have 
been  rudimentary  and  incipient,  and  who  yet, 
at  the  word  of  a  stranger,  could  give  up  lier  own 
and  her  son's  last  meal,  because  a  prophet  had 
bidden  it,  and  promised  her  miraculous  supply 
for  the  future,  must  have  had  the  most  simple 
childlike  trustfulness  in  the  God  of  Israel. 
What  a  lesson  this,  and  how  full  of  comfort,  to 
Elijah  !  There  wa«  faith  not  only  in  Israel, 
but  wherever  He  had  planted  its  seed.  Elijah 
had  spread  the  wings  of  the  God  of  Israel's 
promise  (1  K.  17  :  14),  and  this  poor  heathen 
had  sought  shelter  under  them.  There,  almost 
hourly  these  many  "  days,"  the  promise  proved 
true,  and,  day  by  day,  as  when  Israel  gathered 
the  manna  in  the  wilderness,  did  an  unseen 
Hand  provide — and  that  not  only  for  herself 
and  her  son,  but  for  all  "  her  household."  It 
was  a  constant  miracle  ;  but  then  we  need,  and 
we  have  a  God  who  doeth  wonders — not  one  of 
the  idols  of  the  heathen  nor  yet  a  mere  abstrac- 
tion, but  the  Living  and  the  True  God.  And 
we  need  in  our  Bilile  such  a  history  as  this,  to 
give  us  the  pledge  of  personal  assurance,  when 
our  hearts  well-nigh  sink  within  us  in  the  bitter 
trials  of  life — something  which  to  all  time  may 
serve  as  evidence  that  Jehovah  reigneth,  and 
that  we  can  venture  our  all  upon  it.  And  yet 
as  great  as  this  miracle  of  daily  providing  seems 
that  other  of  the  faith  of  the  widow  of  Sarepta  I 
A.  E. 

Elijah  must  learn  that  the  God  of  Israel  had 
a  wider  plan,  and  was  animated  by  a  larger  and 
more  universal  love  than  he  supposed.  Such  is 
the  point  of  view  under  which  we  are  to  regard 
the  narrative  occupying  the  remainder  of  this 
chapter.  Our  Lord  has  Himself  given  us  its 
key.  Wlien,  at  the  close  of  His  first  sermon  in 
Nazareth,  His  hearers  would  have  demanded  of 
Him  that,  whatsoever  they  had  heard  of  as  done 
at  Capernaum,  He  should  do  also  in  His  own 
country,  He  replied,  "  Of  a  truth  I  say  unto 
you.  There  were  many  widows  in  Israel  in  the 
days  of  Elijah,  when  the  heaven  was  shut  up 
three  years  and  six  months,  when  there  came  a 


100 


KrXGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


prciit  fiimino  nver  all  the  liind  ;  and  unto  none 
of  (lii'in  w;is  Elijah  sent,  1ml  only  toZaR|)liatli. 
in  the  linil  of  Siilon.  unto  a  woman  that  was  a 
willow."  TIr'Si-  woriis  disclose  the  lijrht  in 
which  we  are  to  look  at  the  iucident  as  recorded 
here.  Not  the  sustenance  afforded  by  the 
widow  to  the  prophet,  but  that  afforded  through 
the  jirophet  to  her  and  to  her  child,  is  intended 
to  occupy  our  thousrhts.  Not  the  lesson  of  de- 
IHiuh'nce  upon  God  is  that  now  taught  him 
whom  the  Almiglily  was  preparin.g  for  His 
coming  work,  but  the  further  lesson  that,  how- 
ever he  may  have  thought  of  judgment  only  as 
his  work,  he  had  a  mission  of  mercy  to  perform 
and  one  too  of  the  widest  and  most  comprehen- 
sive kind.     W.  M. 

The  purpose  of  God  in  sending  Elijah  to  the 
poor  widow  was  to  show  him,  before  he  entered 
on  the  great  conflict  with  idolatry,  that  he  had 
at  his  disposal  a  Divine  power  which  nothing 
would  be  able  to  resist.  Elijah  was,  so  to 
speak,  to  prove  his  arms,  far  from  human  ob- 
servation, liY  \  P.\SS.\<iK  01'  DIOEP  PKIiSONAI^  EX- 
PEiiiENCE.  Hence  the  double  miracle  of  the 
l)arrel  of  meal  and  the  cnise  of  oil  always 
full.  Hence,  yet  more  distinctly,  that  glorious 
miracle  of  the  raising  of  the  widow's  son  bj* 
the  iirophet.  This  miracle  had  no  witnesses  ; 
nor  nuist  we  marvel  at  this.  God  does  not  per- 
form miracles  to  fascinate  onlookers  ;  He  does 
not  make  a  spectacle  of  His  marvellous  work- 
ing. His  glory  is  sutliciently  magnified  in  the 
deliverance  of  a  humbk'  believer,  like  the  widow 
of  Sarepta,  and  in  the  quablication  of  the 
prophet  for  his  mission.  .Jesus  ( 'hrist  refused  to 
work  any  miracles  for  show,  and  the  sublimcst 
inanifestations  of  His  power  were  reserved  for 
lumible  hearts  and  lowly  dwellings.  Elijah 
has  learned  to  know  the  strength  of  God  which 
is  in  him  ;  he  has  proved  it  in  the  secrecy  of  his 
.soul.  This  intimate  pei'sonal  experience  of  the 
grace  of  God  is  of  incomparable  value  to  His 
servants.  If  we  would  have  Divine  stR'iigth 
to  use  in  the  great  contlict  with  sin  around  us, 
we  must  prove  its  miraculous  eneriry  in  our 
private  life.  And  let  us  riMnember  also  that  our 
homes  may  be  the  scene  of  the  mightiest  mani- 
festations of  the  grace  of  God.  and  of  the  most 
signal  providential  deliverances,  if  only  our 
hearts  be  open  to  Him  in  humility  and  love, 
liki' the  heart  of  the  widow  of  Sarepta.     E.  de  P. 

1 7- til.  Most  touching  and  instructive  is  this 
iiicidriit  of  the  restoration  to  life  of  the  widow's 
dead  son.  Her  sore  grief,  wakening  her  con- 
science to  a  sense  of  past  sin,  leads  her  to  ex- 
postulate earnestly  with  the  proi)het,  as  the 
one  who  had  brought  this  great  calamity  upon 


her.  Elijah  makes  her  no  reply,  but  takes  that 
very  ex]iostnlation  to  GihI  and  pleads  in  her 
behalf.  Here  is  the  same  boldness  with  (!oil 
that  he  showed  with  king  and  peo[)le.  I5ul,  in 
both  cases,  it  is  a  holy  boklness  that  came  of  an 
invincible  faith  in  the  promise  and  power  of 
God.  His  pleading  is  like  that  of  Moses,  as 
personal  and  bold.  He  asked  for  a  mimde 
directly  involving  creative  power ;  one  that 
had  never  before  been  wrought — a  life  to  be 
given  back  from  death.  He  asked  it  without 
condition  or  limitation.  And  God  heard  and 
answered  the  prayer.  He  restored  life  to  th<r 
dead  child.  What  a  1)asis  of  unstu-pas.s<'d  faith 
had  this  bold  entreat.v  !  How  graiidlj'  it  illus- 
trates the  marvellous  promise  of  Christ  concern- 
ing the  upnjoting  of  mountains  in  response  to 
such  full  living  faith  !  The  result  not  only  re- 
joiced the  mother's  heart,  but  won  a  fuller 
confession  of  faith,  and  wrought  a  deeper  ex- 
perience of  trust  in  this  Divine  restorer.  The 
true  end  of  miracles,  which  is  the  coufirnitvtion 
of  truth,  was  attained  in  the  case  of  this  half- 
taught  but  God-fearing  woman.     B. 

17.  Not  from  the  thought  of  any  particular 
transgression  of  which  she  had  been  guilt}', 
but  because  the  tokens  of  .something  Divine 
were  immediately  before  her  eyes,  did  the  widow 
of  Zarephath  turn  to  Elijah  with  the  cry, 
"  Thou  art  come  to  me  to  bring  my  .sin  to  re- 
membrance, and  to  slay  my  son."     W.  M. 

In  the  agony  of  prayer  he  cast  this  burden 
upon  his  God.  Three  times — as  when  the  name 
of  Jehovah  is  laid  in  blessing  on  His  people 
(Num.  6  :  34),  and  as  when  the  Serai>him  raise 
their  voice  of  prai.se  ( Isa.  6  :  3) — he  stretched 
himself  in  symbolic  action  upon  the  child,  call- 
ing upon  Jehovah  as  his  God  ;  laying  the  liv- 
ing upon  the  dead,  pouring  his  life,  as  it  were, 
into  the  child,  with  the  agony  of  believing 
jirayer.  But  it  was  Jehorah  who  restored  the 
chilli  to  life,  hearkening  to  the  voice  of  His 
servant.     A.  E. 

Instead  of  chiding  the  Sarept.ui.  out  of  the 
fervency  of  his  .s(ml  he  humbly  expostulates 
with  his  God.  His  only  remedy  is  in  his 
prayer  :  that  which  shut  heaven  for  rain  must 
open  it  for  life.  Every  word  cuforceth  ;  fli-st 
he  pleads  his  interest  in  God,  "  O  Lonl  my 
God  ;"  then  the  quality  of  the  patient,  a 
"  widow,"  and  therefore  both  most  distressed 
with  the  loss  and  most  peculiar  to  the  chargi' 
of  the  .\lmighty  ;  then  his  interest,  as  in  God. 
so  in  this  patient,  "  With  whom  I  sojourn," 
as  if  the  stroke  were  given  to  hini.self  ;  and 
lastly,  the  quality  of  the  punishment.  "  By 
slaying  her  son,"  the  only  comfort  of  her  life. 


SECTION  0.     ELIJAH  PLEADS,  AND   THE  DEAD   CHILD  LIVES. 


101 


Keithcr  doth  Iiis  tongue  move  thus  oul}-. 
Tlirke  dotli  he  stretch  himself  vipou  the  dead 
bod^',  iis  if  he  could  wish  to  iufuse  of  his  own 
life  into  the  child  ;  and  so  often  calls  to  his  God 
for  the  restitution  of  that  soul.  What  can 
Elijah  ask,  to  be  denied?  "The  Lord  heard 
the  voice  of  the  prophet ;  the  soul  of  the  child 
came  into  him  again  and  he  revived."  What 
mirack^  is  impossible  to  faithful  pra.yers  "? 
There cann(jt  be  more  difference  betwixt  Elijah's 
devotion  and  ours  than  betwixt  supernatural 
and  ordinary"  acts ;  if  he  therefore  obtained 
miraculous  favors  by  his  prayers,  do  we  doubt 
of  those  which  are  within  the  sphere  of  nature 
and  use  ?  What  could  we  want  if  we  did  not 
slack  to  ply  heaven  with  our  prayers  ?    Bp.  U. 

Remember  that  the  most  marked  character- 
istic of  Elijah  was  the  indomitable  character  of 
his  faith.  Our  Lord  says,  "  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  suffereth  violence,  and  the  violent 
TAKE  IT  BY  FOKCE."  Now  Elijah  was  one  of 
those  who  take  the  kingdom  of  heaven  by  force 
— who  storm  its  crj-stal  walls  in  unconqiiei'able 
faith,  and  batter  them  with  prayers  that  will 
not  be  denied.  To  use  fitly  the  compulsive 
prayers  of  Elijah,  it  is  needful  to  have  Elijah's 
faith — just  as  onlj^  one  who  wrestles  till  break 
of  day  as  Jacob  did,  could  dare  to  sa 3',  "  I  will 
NOT  let  thee  go.  except  thou  bless  me."     Kiito. 

The  effect  was  what  might  have  been  antici- 
pated ;  whatever  may  have  been  the  widow's 
doubts  before,  she  could  resist  no  longer. 
Surely  the  presence  and  power  of  a  far  greater 
God  than  any  she  had  ever  known  were  there. 
She  recognized  Him  of  whom  she  had  often 
heard,  the  Lord  God  of  Elijah  ;  and,  in  the 
spirit  of  the  Galilean  nobleman  whose  son  Jesus 
restored  to  life,  she  exclaimed  to  the  prophet, 
"  Now  I  luiow  that  thou  art  a  man  of  God,  and 
that   the   word   of   the  Lord  in  thy  mouth  is 

truth."     W.  M. Doubtless,  what  her  meal 

and  oil  had  assured  her  of,  the  death  of  her  son 
made  her  to  doubt  ;  and  now,  reviving,  did 
rea.scertain.  Even  the  strongest  faith  some- 
times staggereth,  and  needeth  new  acts  of 
heavenly  supportation.  The  end  of  miracles 
is  confirmation  of  truth.  It  seems  had  this 
widow's  son  continued  dead  her  belief  had  been 
burii'il  in  his  grave  ;  notwithstanding  her  meal 
and  her  oil,  her  soul  had  languished.  The 
mercy  of  God  is  fain  to  pro\'ide  new  helps  for 
our  infirmities,  and  graciously  condescends  to 
our  own  terms,  that  we  may  work  out  our 
faith  and  salvation.     Bp.  II. 

The  incident  is  valuable  as  exhibiting  the 
element  of  deep  tenderness  which  there  was  in 
this    stern    prophet    of    the  Restoration,   and 


which  is  .so  often  found  blended  with  great 
severity.  It  is  the  principal  instance  in  which 
this  obverse  of  Elijah's  character  is  presented. 
Obedience,  tender  sj'mpathv,  teiTible  severity, 
heroic  courage,  deep  despondency — what  won- 
derful elements  were  blended  into  this  magnifi- 
cent character !    AUon. 

The  chapter  is  specially  fruitful  in  distincliee 
sug(]cstions. 

Elijah's  whole  story,  in  keeping  with  its  be- 
ginning here,  is  a  succession  of  marvels  requir- 
ing a  faith  and  courage  as  marvellous.  The 
secret,  alike  of  his  boldness  and  fortitude,  is  told 
hy  James  (5  :  17).  He  was  only  a  man,  but  a 
man  whose  faith  in  God's  promise  was  habitu- 
ally exercised  in  the  largest  petitions.  He  lit- 
erall)'  obeyed  the  command,  Open  thy  mouth 

wide  and  I  will  fill  it.     B. Is  it  any  wonder 

that  Elijah  was  strong  in  the  faith  '?  He  did  as 
he  was  told.  He  found  it  as  it  was  promised. 
And  his  faith  grew  in  its  exercise,  as  it  always 
does.  The  flower  in  growing  turns  every  atom 
of  its  nourishment  into  its  own  substance  ; 
bringing  it  forth  again  in  its  healthful  growth, 
its  fragrance  and  its  beauty.  So  is  it  with  faith 
inGJod.  It  must  "  grow  bp'tcMt  it  feeds  oil."  It 
must  turn  the  teachings  of  the  Word  and  the 
little  incidents  of  daily  life  into  the  elements  of 
its  growth,  its  strength,  its  fragrance  and  its 
beauty.      W.  Newton. 

God  sends  prophets  and  revelations  ;  He  dis- 
poses the  events  of  Providence  ;  He  discloses 
the  philosophy  of  history  ;  He  puts  men  under 
every  sort  of  probation,  that  they  may  learn 
simply  and  steadfastly  to  confide  in  Him.  iVhab 
and  Jezebel,  with  the  wealth  of  the  world  at 
their  feet,  made  utter  shipwreck  of  life  for 
want  of  this  faith  alone.  Elijah  became  an  im- 
mortal hero  because  he  possessed  this  one  over- 
whelming power.  Nor  is  the  reason  far  to 
seek.  Faith  unites  men  to  God,  makes  them 
will  Ilis  will,  and  eventually  opens  to  them  all 
His  infinite  resources.  All  things  belong  to 
believers — all,  because  they  are  Christ's,  and 
Christ  is  God's.     McPlurson. 

A  life  of  activity  needs,  as  a  preparation  or 
as  a  counterpoise  and  restorative,  its  times  of 
retirement  and  prayerful  thought.  So  was  it 
with  Elijah  and  other  ancient  leaders  of  God's 
people.  So  was  it  even  with  Christ,  for  His 
comfort  and  support.  The  still  hour  of  quiet 
thought  and  devout  communion  with  our  heav- 
enly Father  fills  the  soul  with  light,  girds  it 
with  strength,  and  cheers  it  with  hope  and  se- 
rene, glad  trust. 

In  emergencies  of  duty  and  peril  God  ade- 
quately  protects   and   delivers    His    servants. 


103 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


Yi't  He  rpqiiires  their  endoavors  to  coiieur  with 
His  plnus,  I'ven  in  tlicir  (U'liviTiuiccs.  Elijali 
must  si'i'k  and  keep  liis  hiding-place  ;  and 
chaniic  it  too,  wlicn  God  wills. 

Gild  iirovidi's  for  the  obedient  and  trustful  in 
all  cireiuiistances  and  under  every  virissitude 
of  experience.  When  IIi?  siiffers  the  l)ro()k  to 
fail,  from  other  and  ample  resources  He  contin- 
ues needful  supplies.  "Seek  first  the  king- 
dom of  God,  and  all  these  things  shall  bo  added 
unto  you." 

God's  onlinary  methods  of  provision,  under 
the  force  of  what  we  call  luirs  of  nature,  are  in- 
trinsically far  more  wonderfid  than  the  peculiar 
and  occasional  metliod  of  miracle.  In  the  daily 
pnuliiction  of  meal  and  oil  just  surticient  for 
the  hou.sehold  needs  of  the  day,  even  though 
continued  for  two  years,  there  was  far  less  of 
exertion  and  of  actual  product  than  in  the 
manifold  complicated  processes  through  which 
their  supjjly  had  been  woutedly  provided.  So 
that  if  the  miraculous  method  reminded  this 
little  household,  as  it  did  the  Israelites  for  forty 
years,  of  God's  daily  bovmty,  much  more  for- 
cibly shoidd  His  varied,  wide-extendcil  and 
vastly  eoni])lir'ated  natural  processes  recall  His 
abundant  goodness,  im])ress  the  sense  of  our 
dependence,  and  promjit  the  assured  expecta- 
tion of  full  answer  to  our  luibitual  petition, 
"  Give  us  day  b}'  day  our  daily  bread." 

Trial  and  suffering,  whether  visited  upon  a 
nation  or  an  individual,  are  mercifully  designed 
to  recall  a  forgotten  God,  to  impress  a  sense  of 
giiilt,  to  awaken  the  desire  and  prompt  the 
purpose  of  return  to  an  unforgcttiug,  loving 

Father.     B. If  we  were  never  afflicted  on 

account  of  sin,  we  should  soon  cease  to  feel  its 
evil  nature.  God  has,  therefore,  connected 
misery  with  sin,  and  the  children  of  God,  when 
afflicted,  are  reminded  of  sin  as  the  cause  ; 
while  they  are  also  led  to  search  out  their  own 
sin  in  particular,  and  to  inquire  why  their 
affliction  came  upon  them.  Thus  the  widow 
asked  Elijah,  "  Why  hast  thou  brought  my  sin 
to  remembrance  "i*"     li.  Hall. 

Two  vulsurpasscd  illustrations  are  here  re- 
corded of  the  prevalent  might  of  believing  im- 
portunate prayer.  It  "  turns  the  key  of  the 
clouds,"  first  to  close  and  afterward  to  oi)en 
their  treasures,  and  it  brings  back  the  dead  to 
life. 

It  is  instructive  to  note  that  Christ  endorses 
the  truth  of  this  history.  He  refers  to  the  shut- 
ting of  the  heavens  for  three  years  and  .six 
niimths,  and  the  consequent  fanunc.  He  also 
affirms  thai  Elijah  was  "sent  to  a  woman  of 
Sarepla,  that  was  a  widow"  (Luke  4  :  25,  26). 


B. The  reference  of  our  Lord  to  this  history 

shows  these  three  things  :  that  the  entertain- 
ment of  Elijah  was  a  distinguishing  honor  con- 
ferri-d  on  the  widow  of  Sarejit.:!,  that  it  proved 
of  real  spiritual  benefit  to  lier,  and  that  it  im- 
plied that  God  laid  jnirposes  of  gniee  beyond 
the  narrow  bounds  of  Israel,  uiil>elieving  as  it 
was— in  the  language  of  St.  Paul,  tluit  He  was 
not  the  God  of  the  Jews  only,  but  also  of  the 
Gentiles  (Rom.  3  :  39).  May  we  not  go  a  step 
farther  and  see  in  this  mission  of  Elijah  to  and 
entertainment  by  a  heathen  widow  an  anticipa- 
t  ion  at  least  of  the  announcement  of  that ' '  King- 
dom of  God,"  In  its  world-wide  bearing,  which 
formed  part  of  the  message  of  Ids  antitype, 
John  the  Baptist?    A.  E. 

Tlie  mission  of  God  is  wider  than  we  tlnnk. 
Children  of  (Jod  are  to  be  foinid  scjittered  where, 
left  to  ourselves,  we  shoidd  hardly  seek  for 
them.  There  is  a  covenant  beyond  the  cove- 
nant. There  are  tliose  who  are  "  of  God,"  who 
are  "  of  the  truth,"  in  scenes  where  we  imag- 
ine that  those  only  are  to  be  rcn'X  with  who  are 
the  children  of  idolatry  and  falsehood.  No  one 
can  rightly  do  the  work  of  God,  even  in  any 
limited  sphere  in  which  he  may  have  been 
placed,  until  he  has  learned  that  there  is  some- 
thing wider  than  that  sphere,  and  that  to  the 
establishment  of  the  wider,  not  the  narrower, 
all  the  plans  of  God  ultimately  tcnil.  We  can- 
not worship  truly  in  the  temple  built  with 
hands  unless  we  recognize  the  fact  that  there 
is  a  temple  built  without  hands.  We  eaimot 
really  love  our  neighbor  unless  we  own  a  neigh- 
bor in  every  child  of  Adam.  And  we  cannot 
successfully  serve  the  Israel  of  God  imless  we 
feel  that  those  as  yet  beyond  that  IsRiel  arc  also 
the  objects  of  our  heavenly  Father's  love,  and 
that  He  would  have  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  The  les- 
son thus  impressed  upon  Elijah  by  his  being 
sent  to  Zarephath  was  one  of  infinite  impor- 
tance, and  it  is  a  part-  of  the  great  truth  every- 
wliere  imbedded  in  the  Old  Testament,  though 
not  clearly  seen  in  every  age,  that  the  God  of 
Abraham,  I.saac,  and  Jacob  was  also  the  God 
of  the  whole  earth,  and  that  His  salvation  was 
from  the  beginning  designed  to  be  universid. 
W.  M. 


Admitting  the  historic  occurrence  of  miracles, 
those  recorded  in  the  history  of  Elijah  are  in 
singular  harmony  with  the  general  plan  and 
purpose  of  miracles  as  the  outwanl  material 
sign  and  signal  of  prophetic  character  and  mis- 
.sion  ;  as  also  with  the  peculiar  character  of  the 
crisis  with  which  Elijahs  mission  was  connect- 


SECTION  10. 


103 


ed.  Tlie  Old  Testament  history  has  naturally 
and  necessarily  its  crises  of  miracle,  as  in  the 
two  great  distinctive  missions  of  Moses  and 
Elijah.  That  these  should  be  signalized  by 
special  miracle  is  only  in  harmony  with  the  en- 
tire conception.  'All  the  miracles  wrought  by 
Elijali  have  a  significant  religious  purpose. 
They  arc  in  harmony  with  their  occasions,  and 
they  are  incorporated  in  a  history  of  remarkable 
simplicity,  directness,  and  elevation.  If  the 
historic  character  of  the  miraculous  be  admitted 
at  all,  the  miracles  wrought  by  Elijah  carry  the 
presumption  of  singular  congruity.     Allan. 

In  the  Bible  even  the  supernatural — we  may 
say  it  without  a  paradox — is  most  natural.  It 
is  in  such  true  keeping  with  the  times,  with  the 
events  and  doctrines  it  attests,  with  all  the  sur- 
rounding historical  circumstances  as  they  are 
narrated,  that  wc  almost  lose  the  feeling  of  the 
supernatural  in  the  admirable  harmony  and 
consistency  of  the  ideas  and  scenes  presented. 
It  seems  to  be  just  what  might  have  been  ex- 


pected ;  it  would  be  strange  that  it  should  be 
otherwise  ;  the  marvellous  here  is  the  presump- 
tive, the  extraordinary  becomes  the  easy  of  be- 
lief. The  supernatural  assumes  the  familiar 
appearance  of  the  natural,  and  God's  coming 
down  to  us  and  speaking  to  us  seem  less  incredi- 
ble than  that  far-off  silence  which,  though  so 
unl)roken  for  our  sense,  is  so  perplexing  and 
unaccountable  to  our  reason.     T.  L. 

In  comparing  the  raisings  of  the  dead  on  the 
part  of  the  Saviour  with  those  of  the  prophets 
on  the  one  hand  and  those  of  the  apostles  on 
the  other,  there  comes  into  view  a  remarkable 
distinction  as  well  as  a  beautiful  agreement. 
The  Saviour's  raisings  of  the  dead  are  attended 
with  an  exalted  composure  and  majesty,  and 
an  acting  from  His  own  completeness  of  might, 
before  which  there  wholly  vanishes  that  tension 
and  strain  of  all  the  powers  of  the  soul  which 
we  observe,  more  or  less,  in  the  prophets  and 
apostles.  What  to  us  appears  supernatural,  for 
Him  appears  the  highest  nature.     Vati  0 


Section  10. 


ELIJAH  AT  CARMEL. 


1  Kings  18  :  1^6. 


1  Airo  it  came  to  pass  after  many  days,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Elijah,  in  the 

2  third  year,  saying,  Go,  shew  thyself  unto  Ahab  ;  and  I  will  send  rain  upon  the  earth.     And 

3  Elijah  went  to  shew  himself  unto  Ahab.     And  the  famine  was  sore  in  Samaria.     And  Aliab 

4  called  Obadiah,  which  was  over  the  household.  (Now  Obadiah  feared  the  Lord  greatly  ; 
for  it  was  so,  when  Jezebel  cut  off  the  prophets  of  the  Lord,  that  Oliadiah  took  an  hundred 

5  prophets,  and  hid  them  by  fifty  in  a  cave,  and  fed  them  with  bread  and  water.)  And  Ahab 
said  unto  Obadiah,  Go  through  the  land,  unto  all  the  fountains  of  water,  and  unto  all  the 
brooks  :  peradventure  we  may  find  grass  and  save  the  horses  and  mules  alive,  that  we  lose 

6  not  all  the  beasts.     So  they  divided  the  land  between  them  to  pass  throughout  it :  Ahab 

7  went  one  way  by  himself,  and  Obadiah  went  another  way  by  himself.  And  as  Obadiah 
was  in  the  way,  behold,  Elijah  met  him  :  and  he  knew  him,  and  fell  on  his  face,  and  said. 

8  Is  it  thou,  my  lord  Elijah  ?    And  he  answered  him.  It  is  I :  go,  tell  thy  lord.  Behold,  Elijah 

9  is  here.     And  he  said.  Wherein  have  I  sinned,  that  thou  wouldcst  deliver  thy  servant  into 

10  the  hand  of  Ahab,  to  slay  me  ?     As  the  Lord  thy  God  liveth,  there  is  no  nation  or  kingdom, 
whither  my  lord  hath  not  sent  to  seek  thee  :  and  when  they  said.  He  is  not  here,  he  took 

11  a*i  oath  of  the  kingdom  and  nation,  that  they  found  thee  not.  And  now  thou  saytst.  Go,  tell 
13  thy  lord.  Behold,  Elijah  is  here.     And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  as  soon  as  I  am  gone  from  thee, 

that  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  carry  thee  whither  I  know  not ;  and  so  when  I  come  and  tell 
Ahab,  and  he  cannot  find  thee,  he  shall  slay  me  ;  but  I  thy  servant  fear  the  Lord  from  my 

13  youth.  Was  it  not  told  my  lord  what  I  did  when  Jezebel  slew  the  prophets  of  the  Lord, 
how  I  hid  an  hundred  men  of  the  Lord's  prophets  by  fifty  in  a  cave,  and  fed  them  with 

14  bread  and  water  ?    And  now  thou  sayest.  Go,  tell  thy  lord.  Behold,   Elijah  is  here:  and  he 

15  shall  slay  me.     .And  Elijah  said,  As  the  Lord  of  hosts  liveth,  before  whom  I  stand,  I  will 


10-t  KiyODOM  OF  ISRAEL. 

16  surely  sliow  myself  unto  liim  to-day.     So  Obadiiih  went  to  meet  Ahab.  and  told  liim  :  and 
IT  Aliab  went  to  meet  Klijali.     And  it  came  to  pass,  when   Ahab  saw  Elijah,  lliat  Aliab  .said 

18  unto  liim,  Is  it  t.liou,  tliou  troubler  of  Israel  ?  And  he  answered,  I  liave  not  troubled  Israel ; 
but  tliou,  and  tliy  father's  house,  in  that  ye  liave  foi-saken  tlie  commandment.s  of  the  I.oki), 

19  and  thou  liiLSt  followed  the  Baalim.  Now  tlierefore  send,  and  pither  to  me  all  Israel  nnt;> 
mount  Carniel,  and  the  propliet,s  of  Biuil  four  hundred  ami  fifty,  and  the  prophets  rif  the 

20  Ashenili  four  hundred,  wliich  cat  at  Jezebel's  table.     So  Ahab  sent  unto  all  tlie  cliildren  of 

21  Isr.iel,  and  gatliered  the  prophets  together  unto  mount  Carmel.  ^Vjid  Elijah  came  near  unto 
all  the  people,  and  said,  How-  long  halt  ye  between  two  opinions  ?  if  the  Lord  be  God,  follow 

22  liim  :  but  if  Bail,  then  follow  him.  And  tlic  people  answered  him  not  a  woinl.  Then  said 
Elijah  unto  tlie  people,  I,  even  I  only,  am  left  a  prophet  of  the  Ix)KD  ;  but  Baal's  prophets 

23  are  four  liuidred  and  fifty  men.  Let  them  therefore  give  us  two  bullocks:  and  let  tlic  ni 
choose  one  bullock  for  themselves,  and  cut  it  in  pieces,  and  lay  it  on  the  wood,  and  put  no 

24  fire  under  :  and  I  will  dress  the  other  bullock,  and  lay  it  on  the  wood,  and  put  no  fire  under. 
And  call  ye  (ra  the  name  of  your  g(id,  and  I  will  call  on  tlie  name  of  the  Loud  :  and  the  (iod 
that  answcreth  by  fire,  let  liim  be  God.     And  all  the  [leoplc  answered  and  said.  It  is  well 

25  spoken.  And  Elijah  said  unto  the  prophets  of  Baal,  Choose  you  one  bullock  for  yourselves, 
and  dress  it  firet ;  for  ye  are  many  ;  and  call  on  the  name  of  your  god,  but  put  no  fire  under. 

26  And  they  took  the  bullock  which  was  given  them,  and  they  dressed  it,  and  called  on  the 
name  of  Baal  from  morning  even  until  noon,  saying,  O  Baal,  hear  us.     But  tlicre  was  no 

27  voice,  nor  any  that  answered.  And  they  leaped  about  the  altar  which  was  made.  And  it 
came  to  pa.ss  at  noon,  tliat  Elijah  mockeil  them,  and  said.  Cry  aloud  :  for  he  is  a  god  ;  cither  he 
is  musing,  or  he  is  gone  aside,  or  he  is  in  a  journey,  or  peradventure  he  sleepeth,  and  nuLst 

28  be  awaked.     And  they  cried  aloud,  and  cut  tliemselves  after  their  manner  with  knives  and 

29  lances,  till  the  blood  gushed  out  upon  them.  And  it  was  so,  wlien  midday  was  past,  that  they 
prophesied  until  the  time  of  the  offering  of  the  t)V7ri'//y  oblation  ;  but  there  was  neither  voice, 

30  nor  any  to  answer,  nor  any  that  regarded.  And  Elijah  said  unto  all  the  people,  C(.me  near 
unto  me  ;  and  all  the  people  came  near  unto  liim.     And  he  repaired  the  altar  of  the  Loud 

31  that  was  tlirown  down.  And  Elijah  took  twelve  stones,  accoi-ding  to  the  number  of  the 
tribes  of  the  sous  of  Jacob,  untQ  whom  the  word  of  the  Lord  came,  saying,  Israel  shall  be 

32  thy  name.     And  with  the  stones  he  built  an  altiir  in  the  name  of  tlic  Lord  ;  and  he  made  a 

33  trencli  aliout  the  altar,  as  great  as  would  contain  two  measures  of  seed.     And  he  put  the 

34  wood  in  order,  and  cut  the  bullock  in  iiicces.  and  laid  it  on  the  wood.  And  he  said.  Fill 
four  barrels  with  water,  and  ]iour  it  on  the  burnt  offering,  and  on  the  wood.  And  he  said.  Do 
it  the  second  time  ;  and  tlicy  did  it  the  second  time.     And  lie  said,  Do  it  the  third  time  :  and 

35  the}'  did  it  the  third  time.     And  the  water  ran  round  about  the  altar  ;  and  he  filli-d  the  trencli 

36  also  with  water.  And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  time  of  the  offering  of  the  ercin'iir/  oblation,  tliat 
Elijah  the  prophet  came  near,  and  said,  O  Lord,  the  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Israel, 
let  it  be  known  tliis  day  that  thou  art  God  in  Israel,  and  that  I  am  thy  servant,  and  that  I 

37  have  done  all  these  things  at  thy  word.     Hear  me,  O  Lord,  hear  me,  that  this  people  may 

38  know  that  thou.  Lord,  art  Gofl.  and  Hint  thou  hast  turned  their  heart  back  again.  Then  tlie 
fire  of  the  Lord  fell,  and  consumed  the  burnt  offering,  and  the  wood,  and  the  stones,  and  the 

39  dust,  and  licked  up  the  water  that  was  in  the  trench.     And  when  all  the  people  saw  it.  they 

40  fell  on  their  faces  :  and  they  said,  The  Lord,  he  is  God  :  the  Lord,  he  is  God.  And  Elijah 
said  unto  them.  Take  the  prophets  of  Baal  ;  let  not  one  of  them  escape.     And  they  took 

41  them  :  and  Elijah  brought  them  down  to  the  brook  Kishon,  and  slew  them  there.  And 
Elijah  said  unto  Ahab,  Get  thee  up,  cat  and  drink  ;  for  there  is  tlic  sound  of  abundance  of 

42  rain.     So  Ahab  went  up  to  eat  and  to  drink.     And  Elijah  went  up  to  the  top  of  Carmel  ; 

43  and  he  bowed  himself  down  upon  the  earth,  and  put  his  face  between  his  knees.  And  he 
said  to  his  servant.  Go  up  now,  look  toward  the  sea.     And  he  went  up,  and  looked,  and  said. 

44  There  is  nothing.  And  he  said.  Go  again  seven  times.  And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  seventh 
time,  that  he  said.  Behold,  there  ariseth  a  cloud  out  of  the  sea,  as  small  as  a  man's  hand. 
And  he  said.  Go  up,  say  unto  jUiab,  Make  ready  t/i>/  chariol.  and  get  thee  down,  that  the 

45  rain  stoji  thee  not.     And  it  came  to  pass  in  a  little  while,  that  the  heaven  grew  black  with 

46  clouds  and  wind,  and  there  was  a  great  rain.  And  Ahab  rode,  and  went  to  Jezrcel,  And  the 
hand  of  the  I-oKD  was  on  Elijah  ;  and  he  girded  up  his  loins,  and  ran  before  Ahab  to  the 
entrance  of  Jezreel. 


SECTION  10.     ELIJAH  AT  CARMEL. 


105 


Introdudory,  The  preparatory  work  of  the 
famiue  had  now  been  accoiiiplislicd  in  the 
hearts  of  king  and  people.  Ampk'  proof  had 
been  affonk'd  in  tlieir  fearful  experience.  They 
had  abundant  reason  now  to  know  that  Jeho- 
vah, the  God  of  their  fathers,  incontestably  and 
absolutely  controlled  the  clouds  of  heaven  and 
all  the  processes  of  nature.  They  might  have 
inferred  that  to  Ilini,  and  not  to  Baal,  pertained 
all  creative,  sustaining  and  reproductive  might ; 
that  He  mudi-  the  sun  to  shine,  and  that  as  and 
wlien  lie  would  lie  gathered  the  clouds  and 
bade  them  dispense  the  rain.  In  the  thought 
of  the  thoughtful  among  the  people  there  must 
liave  been  .some  realization  of  their  grave  offence 
against  this  living  omnipotent  God  ;  an  offence 
of  which  their  protracted  suffering  was  the 
consequence  and  the  punishment.  Aliab,  too, 
beside  the  terrible  experience  in  which  he  and 
his  court  had  .shared,  in  addition  to  these  les- 
sons that  the  people  had  learned,  had  been  fur- 
ther prepared  for  coming  events.  His  .search 
for  the  projiliet,  even  through  all  neighboring 
kingdoms,  had  been  vain.  He  hail  been  utterly 
foiled  in  his  murderous  purpose  against  Elijah. 
Meanwhile  the  prophet's  word  had  been  im- 
varyingly  fulfilled  season  after  season  and  year 
after  year.  It  must  now  have  impressed  even 
his  haughty  heart  that  Jehovah  had  indeed 
spoken  by  Elijah,  and  that  Jehovah  had  pro- 
tected his  brave,  true  servant.  So  the  pur- 
posed preparative  work  of  the  famine  was  now 
complete.     B. 

History  is  a  record  of  great  epochs.  An  in- 
dividual, a  nation,  or  a  church  is  estimated  by 
what  it  is  at  its  greatest.  We  judge  Greece  by 
the  age  of  Pericles,  Rome  by  the  age  of  Au- 
gustus ;  they  are  not  the  common  acts  of  a  life, 
or  the  common  lives  of  a  nation,  but  their  great- 
est acts  and  lives,  which  determine  its  place 
and  power.  The  age  of  Elijah  was  such  an 
epoch  in  the  history  of  Israel  ;  it  was  part  of  a 
manifold  development  of  which  itself  was  the 
crown.  His  personality  is  as  distinct,  as  great, 
and  !is  influential  as  that  of  any  character  in 
the  history  of  Israel,  Moses  only  excepted.  His 
individuality  is  so  marked  and  unique  that 
while  there  is  but  little  in  common  between 
him  and  Samuel  and  David,  he  claims  ecjual 
rank  with  both,  and  there  is  no  other  to  be 
named  with  them.  The  dramatic  character  and 
conditions  of  his  appearance  and  work  make 
him  in  some  respects  a  more  remarkable  pereon- 
age  than  either.  'By  his  indi\idual  prophetic 
power  he  arrested  the  idolatrous  course  and 
revolutionized  the  religious  character  of  tlie 
entire  nation.     He   found   Ahab    and  Jezebel 


bent  upon  the  establishment  of  idolatry,  and 
the  theistic  feeling  of  the  peojile  so  utterly  de- 
cayed that  he  thought  it  extinct.  By  his  sin- 
gle word,  lofty,  uncompromising,  and  authori- 
tative, he  defeated  the  strenuous  policy  of  the 
weak  king  and  his  able,  subtle,  and  unscrupu- 
lous wife,  and  turned  the  entire  tide  of  national 
feeling,  recalling  the  people  for  the  time  to  re- 
pentance, and  to  the  renewed  acknowledgment 
of  Jehovah.  The  entire  conception  of  the  man, 
his  grandeur  of  character,  his  heroic  achieve- 
ments, his  dauntless  fidelity,  and  the  dramatic 
form  and  romantic  coloring  of  his  history,  have 
no  parallel  in  literature.  We  have  onlj-  to  re- 
call the  equally  detailed  histories  of  Samuel  and 
Elisha  to  realize  how  much  deeper  and  more 
vivid  the  impression  which  Elijah  makes,  how 
much  more  heroic  and  potent  his  prophetic 
force.     Alloii. 

1-4.  Three  years  and  a  half  had  elapsed 
since  the  sudden  appearance  and  startling  pre- 
diction of  Elijah  to  Ahab.  God's  time  had 
come  to  send  rain  upon  the  dry  and  barren  soil 
of  Israel.  We  have  alreatly  learned  (from 
James  5  :  17)  what  part  Elijah's  intercession 
had  in  the  sending,  as  his  prayer  had  in  the 
withholding.  But  God  will  put  honor  on  the 
prophet  by  making  good  his  word  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  king  and  people.  Therefore  the 
command,  "  Go,  show  thyself  to  Ahab."  Al- 
waj'S  obedient,  the  prophet  leaves  his  quiet 
home  at  Sarepta,  and  fearlessly  goes  to  find  the 
Idng.  Readily  and  speedily  is  Ahab  found 
through  another  of  those  divinely  ordered  co- 
incidences of  which  the  Bible  history  and  every 
personal  life  is  full.     B. 

3.  Over  the  household.  It  is  scarcely 
less  strange  to  find  Aliab  employing  Obadiah 
than  to  find  Obadiah  serving  under  Ahab. 
Whether  he  knew  of  Obadiah's  faith  may  be 
uncertain,  but  we  may  be  sure  that  he  had 
proved  his  fidelity.  It  was  because  Obadiah 
was  "  faithful  in  all  his  house"  that  he  was  re- 
tained in  this  position.  It  was  not  to  Ahab's 
interest  to  have  a  Baal-worshipper  at  the  head 
of  his  retainers.  Bad  men  do  not  care  to  be 
served  by  their  kind.  They  pay  piety  and 
probity  the  compliment — such  as  it  is — of  en- 
couraging it  in  their  dependents  and  children. 

4.  Only  t/ie  power  of  God  could  keep  men  holy 
in  Ahab's  or  J\'ero's  palace.  Coleridge  has  some- 
where said  that  there  are  two  classes  of  Chris- 
tian evidences — Christianity  and  Christendom  ; 
the  systeiu  in  itself,  its  pure  morality,  its  be- 
neficent teachings,  and  its  results,  its  conquests, 
and  achievements  in  the  world.  For  it  is  alto- 
gether bej'ond  the  power  of  human  nature  to 


IOC 


KINODOyf  OF  ISRAEL. 


work  the  moral  chnnges  which  Christ iauity  has 
wniught  cither  to  convert  men  or  to  preserve 
them  from  falling. 

ff  nun  eoitld  be  iiaints  in  A/inli's  anil  Nfro'a 
jyihirv,  they  mill/  he  Diiuitn  iini/ir/iire.  How  con- 
stantly ilo  men  plead  the  adverse  circumstances 
in  which  they  are  placed  as  a  reason  why  they 
cannot  serve  God  !  Sometimes  it  is  a  godless 
street  or  wicked  hamlet  ;  sometimes  it  is  an 
irrelif^ious  household  or  infldel  worksliop  ;  or 
their  trade  is  such,  their  employers  or  associates 
are  such,  that  they  caunot  live  a  godly  life. 
But  the  example  of  Obadiah,  the  example  of 
those  saints  of  the  Pra'torium,  convicts  them  of 
mitruth  and  of  cowardice.  They  caimot  have 
greater  temptations  or  fiercer  persecutions  than 
befell  those  Roman  Christians.  If  t/ivi/  proved 
steadfast  and  lived  in  sweetness  and  purity, 
which  of  us  cannot  do  the  same  wherever  we 
may  he  placed?     Hammond. 

Take  history  through  and  through,  and  it  will 
be  found  that  the  men  and  women  who  have 
most  devoutly  and  honestly  feared  God  have 
done  most  to  defend  and  save  the  countries  in 
which  they  lived.  They  have  made  little  noi.se, 
but  their  influence  has  silently  penetrated  the 
national  life,  and  secured  for  the  land  the  loving 
and  mighty  care  of  God.  Where  the  spiritual 
life  is  iirofound  and  real,  the  social  and  political 
influence  is  correspondingly  vital  and  benefi- 
cent. A  hidden  work  is  continually  going  on  ; 
the  people  in  the  shade  arc  strengthening  the 
social  foundation.     J.  P. 

5,  6.  The  minrh  fur  ijrriss  thrmighoiit  the  land 
hij  Ahnh  and  Ohudiah.  They  had  divided  the 
land  in  an  endeavor  to  "  find  grass  to  save"  the 
remnant  of  the  king's  horses  and  mules.  Oba- 
diah was  the  chief  steward  in  charge  of  the 
royal  household,  and,  as  his  name  purports,  was 
a  senant  of  Jehtimh.  Him  only,  it  would  seem, 
Ahab  could  trust  to  share  with  himself  in  mak- 
ing careful  and  thorough  .search  for  this  greatly 
needed  food.  They  had  deiiarted  probably 
from  .J<zreel,  where  Ahab  had  l)uilt  a  palace, 
in  whieli  he  spent  much  of  his  time. 

7-lC  The  meetiny  and  interriew  of  Elijah 
irith  Oliadiah.  This  must  liave  occurred  soon 
after  the  parting  of  Obailiah  from  Ahab,  and 
not  far  from  Jezreel.  For  on  the  same  day 
Obadiah  overtook  Ahab,  and  the  king  returned 
to  nu'ct  Elijah,  who  had  awaited  his  coming. 
Tlie  meeting  of  (he  projjhet  with  tlie  steward 
was  not  an  accident,  b\it  a  prearranged  provi- 
dence. So  is  every  minute  conjunction  of 
events  through  which  the  casual  everyday 
meetings  of  men  are  brought  about.  This  is 
the  true  idea  and  meaning  of  providence.     It  is 


God's  purpose  carried  out  in  all  actuid  events. 
Obadiah  at  once  recognized  Elijah  ;  partly  per- 
liai)S  by  his  strange  mantle  of  skins,  but  more 
by  the  lofty  demeanor  of  the  projihet  of  God. 
With  a  reverence  befitting  a  kingly  presence, 
he  salutes  him  with  a  kingly  title.  "  Art  thou 
here,  my  lord  Elijah?"  In  his  reply  the 
prophet  transfers  the  title  to  Aliab.  "  Tell 
him  who  is  thy  lord  that  Elijah  awaits  him 
here." 

The  main  point  of  the  steward's  rejoinder 
(verses  9-14)  is  the  fear  lest  Elijah  might  not 
remain  there  to  be  found  of  Ahab,  and  so  the 
king's  wrath  woidd  be  turned  against  Obadiah, 
for  failing  to  ap])rehend  the  prophet.  For  well 
he  knew  how  intense  was  AhalVs  desire  to  find 
Elijah.  This  he  declares  to  the  prophet.  He 
tells  him  how  Ahab  has  caused  search  for  him 
to  be  made  among  the  neighboring  kingdoms 
of  Tyre  and  Moab,  and  even  in  Judah.  To 
bring  Ahab  there  to  be  disappointed  was  to  en- 
sure his  own  destruction.  Oliadiah  did  not 
doubt  Elijah's  word,  but  simply  thought  that 
God  might  direct  hint  to  go  elsewhere,  so  that 
Ahab  woidd  not  find  him.  For  this  had  been 
the  case  already,  in  his  sudden  ajjpearance  at 
and  disappearance  from  the  palace.  But  to  as- 
sure Elijah  that  his  hesitation  in  bearing  the 
message  to  Ahab  did  not  come  from  imwilling- 
ness  to  serve  Jehovah  or  His  prophet  even  at 
great  personal  risk,  Obadiah  affirms  his  life-long 
loyalty  to  the  God  of  Israel.  And  he  siiuply 
states  how,  at  the  hazard  of  his  own  life,  he 
had  rescued  a  hundred  of  the  Lurd'n  jiri/j)?iets 
from  the  murderous  pursuit  of  the  fierce,  vin- 
dictive .lezebel. 

The  jirophets  here  referred  to  w-ere  men  wliom 
God  had  raised  up  in  considerable  numbers 
from  time  to  time,  as  successors  of  those  origi- 
nally trained  in  the  schools  of  Samuel.  They 
did  not,  like  Samuel,  prophesy  or  offer  sacrifice, 
nor  were  they  entrusted  with  special  nies.sages 
or  errands  from  .lehovah.  Their  office  was  of  a 
more  ju-ivate  nature.  They  read  and  exiioiuid- 
cd  the  law  and  the  ways  of  the  Loni  to  indi- 
vidvials  aiul  families  who  retained  their  integri- 
ty and  loyalty  to  Him.  And  it  wius  through 
their  fidelity  to  thin  trust  that  even  in  these 
times  of  universal  and  aggravated  wickedness 
there  remained  yet  in  Israel  seven  thousand  who 
hud  not  bmced  the  knee  to  Baal.  These  faithful 
ministers  Jezebel  sought  to  destroy,  and  many 
of  them  she  had  slaughtered.  A  hundred  of 
them,  Obadiah,  who  knew  them  well  and  had 
been  taught  by  them,  had  saved  from  the 
slaughter.  Obadiah's  present  fear,  tbiniL'li 
standing  out  in  such  marked  contrast  with  Eli- 


SECTION  10.     ELIJAH  AT  CARMEL. 


107 


jah's  fearlessness,  argues  nothing  against  the 
reality  of  his  faith.  The  crisis  of  peril  was  so 
great  that,  like  Peter  In  tlie  high  priest's  hall, 
his  courage  was  for  the  time  overcome  by  it. 
He  needed  only  the  assurance,  which  Elijah 
gave  him  at  once,  conflrmiug  it  with  an  oath, 
to  convince  him  that  the  prophet's  direction  was 
the  Lord's  will.  And  instantly,  without  an- 
other word,  he  went  to  overtake  Ahab,  and 
bear  tlie  message  of  Elijah.  "  And  Ahab  went 
to  meet  Elijah." 

The  form  of  oath  (verse  15)  used  by  Elijah, 
As  the  Lord  of  Hosts  liccth,  frequently  repeated 
In  the  subsequent  Old  Testament  history,  en- 
folds truths  of  exceeding  sublimity  and  com- 
fort. Trauscendeutly  incomparable  with  the 
armies  of  earth,  the  Hosts  of  heaven  are  ever  in 
array  before  their  King,  aud  ever  ready  for  the 
protection  or  deliverance  of  those  who  repre- 
sent Him  and  His  cause  among  men.  This  was 
the  thought  that  inspired  and  sustained  the 
soul  of  Elijah,  the  thought  that  may  well  in- 
spire and  sustain  the  heart  of  every  true  and 
faithful  servitor  of  the  Lord  of  the  heavenly 
Hosts.  As  He  liveth,  said  the  devoted  prophet, 
expressing  an  assurance  that  needed  no  evi- 
dence, that  admitted  no  question.  To  our 
hearts,  cherishing  the  same  comforting  assur- 
ance, comes  in  later  times  that  more  cheering 
and  satisfying  utterance  of  Jehovah  Jesus,  Be- 
cause I  live,  ye  shidl  lire  also!  The  further 
phrase,  "before  whom  I  stand,"  repeated  in 
verse  15,  well  expresses  the  prophet's  habitual 
attitude  of  soul.  Ever  consciously  in  Jeho- 
vah's presence,  ever  mindful  of  that  presence, 
ever  desiring  and  seeking  to  know  His  will, 
and  ever  ready  and  glad  to  execute  that  will, 
this  was  Elijah's  habit  of  mind  and  heart. 
And  this  is  the  true  abiding  state  of  every 
faitliful  believer  and  trustful  follower  of  the 
sustaining,  faitliful  Jehovah  Jesus,  our  God 
and  Saviour.     B. 

10.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  case  with 
the  people,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
no  salutary  result  had  been  produced  in  the 
mind  of  the  king.  None  knew  so  well  as  he 
why  the  suffering  had  been  sent  ;  but  he  closed 
his  heart  against  conviction,  and  with  the  vain 
folly  of  persecutors  in  every  age,  he  sought  to 
wreak  his  vengeance  upon  those  who  had 
warned  him  of  approaching  punishment  instead 
of  repenting  of  the  sin  by  which  the  punish- 
ment had  been  provoked.  He  made  every 
effort  to  discover  the  hiding-place  of  Elijah. 
W.  M. 

\'i.  One  sentence  which  Aliab's  chamberlain 
uttered  to  Elijah  helps  us  in  a  measure  to  un- 


derstand Obadiah's  constancy  to  the  ancient  re- 
ligion of  Israel,  "  I,  th}'  servant,  fear  the  Lord 
from  my  youth."  Ahab  and  his  fellow-idola- 
ters had  much  to  contend  against  ere  Obadiah 
could  be  perverted.  The  earliest  impressions 
are  commonly  the  most  lasting.  Principles 
flrml)'  rooted  in  childhood  or  early  youth  will 
be  torn  up  by  no  ordinary  tempest,  and  may 
even  withstand  the  violence  of  an  extraordi- 
nary storm.     M.  J. 

15.  The  distinctive  inspiration  of  Elijah  was 
religious  conviction  and  sentiment,  and  not 
mere  patriotism.  Against  all  the  organized 
powers  and  social  forces  of  his  age  he  stands  in 
the  simple  might  of  his  religious  convictions. 
Through  all  history  no  inspiration  has  been  so 
mighty.  The  impelling  and  sustaining  force 
of  patriotism,  of  natural  affection  even,  gives 
place  to  that  of  religion.  The  sense  of  Divine 
supremacy,  the  depth  and  sanctity  of  religious 
feeling,  and  the  strength  of  religious  convic- 
tion, together  with  the  consciousness  of  a  Di- 
vine commission,  and  the  involuntarj'  reverence 
inspired  by  it,  have  over  and  over  again  made 
weak  and  solitary  men  revolutionary  powers  in 
society.  Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  Elijah,  Jere- 
miah, Daniel,  Peter,  Paul,  are  among  the  in- 
stances in  sacred  story  ;  Athanasius,  Ambrose, 
Mahomet,  Huss,  Wycliffe,  Savonarola,  Luther, 
"  the  solitary  monk  that  shook  the  world," 
Calvin,  John  Knox,  are  among  tho.se  of  later 
religious  history.  Among  them  Elijah,  al- 
though not  the  first,  is  perhaps  the  supreme  in- 
stance. No  man  ever  fought  the  battle  of  God 
against  greater  odds  or  under  more  arduous 
conditions,  or  achieved  a  more  signal  and  mo- 
mentous victory.  No  inspiration  that  human 
experience  knows  is  so  noble  and  strong  and 
irresistible  as  religious  inspiration,  and  the  purer 
the  religious  faith  the  greater  is  its  power. 

16.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  it  is  Elijah  who 
simimons  iVhab  to  the  interview  which  follows  ; 
and  that  under  the  pressure  of  terril)le  necessi- 
ty, as  well  as  of  the  awe  which  the  prophetic 
and  religious  character  of  Elijah  produced 
upon  him,  and  urged  by  Obadiah,  he  at  once 
complies.  Elijah's  lofty  message  is,  "  Behold, 
Elijah  is  here."  "  Aud  Ahab  went  to  meet 
Elijah."     Alton. 

17.  1§.  Ths  meeting  of  tlie  false-hearted  king 
and  the  tnie-hceiried  prophet.  It  was  a  meeting 
of  two  strong-willed  spirits,  the  one  hardened 
by  his  own  multiplied  iniquities,  the  other 
girded  by  the  might  of  truth  and  of  imswerv- 
ing  devotion  to  the  will  of  Jehovah.  Yet  the 
guilty  king  dares  to  assume  the  side  of  right  in 
charging  evil  upon  God's  prophet.     Is  it  thou, 


108 


KIXdDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


he  (Ik/ck,  tlinit  trouhlcr  nf  hriui?  His  (lucstion 
shows  nil  uticiiy  uiiliiiinblc  hciirt.  a  piTsistcnt 
slrciiiilh  of  ivbcUioiis  will  tliiit  indiciilos  {rrcat 
iiiit\iral  fon'c  of  clmnifttT.  Aliab  was  not  the 
pliaiif  man,  the  wifc-ruUd  monarch,  so  often 
niistakiMily  rcpri'sentrd.  The  tremenilous  charge 
involve<l  in  his  bold  question  to  the  prophet 
was  the  natural  utterance  of  a  stern,  haughty, 
tlioroughly  self-willed  man.  But  Elijah's  an- 
swer reveals  a  nature  of  even  sterner  structure 
— a  will  of  even  greater  strength,  re-enforced 
by  a  Divine  jiower  ami  sustained  by  a  cimseious 
Divine  inspiration.  Sharply,  without  any  form 
of  deference,  in  the  name  of  .Jehovah  he  hurls 
back  the  infamous  charge  upon  the  conscience 
of  the  //('(".  As  with  the  voice  and  authority 
of  God,  the  King  of  kings,  he  <leuounces  this 
royal  blasphemer  as  the  Achan,  the  real  troubler 
of  God's  people,  Israel.  Thou  niid  thy  father's 
funme  have  brought  these  terrible  calamities 
upon  the  nation  !  And  as  distinctly  he  de- 
nounces the  stupendous  sin  of  sins,  because  of 
which  these  fearful  judgments  had  been 
wrought.  Ve  hui-i' furxakiii  the  Cmiimnndments 
iif  th<-  Lord,  (iiid  "VIWV  (concentrating  the  whole 
crime  upon  jUiab  himavU)  hast  foUoired  Buiduii .' 
As  Samuel  with  Saul,  Nathan  with  David, 
John  with  Herod,  and  Paul  with  Felix,  so  Eli- 
jidi  deals  personally  with  the  man,  the  royal 
sinniT,  Ahab.  77(««  hast  overthrown  the  al- 
tars and  worship  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  the  Ginl 
of  Israel  !  'J'/iok  hast  defiled  the  heart  of  thy 
people  by  iM'inging  in  the  abominations  and 
corrujitions  of  Baal-worship  !  Conscious  guilt 
seals  the  monarch's  lips.  No  word  of  reply 
does  he  utter  tlien  or  afterward.  Admitting 
the  truth  of  Elijah's  burning  words,  and  know- 
ing that  all  hope  of  help  for  himself  and  his 
pe<i|)le  must  come  through  this  prophet  of  Je- 
hovah, he  silently  li.stens  to  the  command  that 
follows.  And  without  word  of  demur,  he  pro- 
ceeds to  obey  it.     B. 

18.  Yes,  fiere  was  the  arch-sinuer  and  true 
troubler  of  Israel,  and  not  he  who  was  the  mere 
voice  of  the  Divine  rebuke  and  jiuignu'nt. 
Elijah  denounced  the  .sin,  but  Ahab  committed 
it  ;  Elijah  announced  the  coming  drought,  but 
Ahab  provoked  the  scourge  ;  Elijah  pro- 
nounced the  Divine  curse,  but  Ahab's  crimes 
deserved  and  compelled  it.  There  are  many 
who  falsely  conceive  the  .source  of  trouble,  and 
many  more  who  falsely  represent  it.     I'hivoii. 

10-29.  For  sul)lime  heroism  of  trust  and 
deed,  nothing  in  human  history  can  match  this 
prophet  of  God  in  this  ever-memorable  scene. 
Ami>ng  the  grander  triumphs  of  faith  reeoiml- 
ed  in  the  piuau  of  lleb.  11  none  can  surpass  the 


story  of  this  intense,  imfaltering,  mighty  spirit. 
Few  can  equal  his  eutireness  of  consecration  to 
Jehovah,  and  his  complete  devotion  to  his 
strange,  great  ndssion.  Remember  the  b\ir- 
dening  conviction  resting  on  his  heart,  that  he 
alone  was  left  of  all  the  Lord's  ministers  ;  and 
that  there  were  none  of  all  the  people  who 
would  avow  themselves  on  the  Lord's  side. 
Jealous,  he  was,  for  the  Lord  of  Hosts  ;  yet 
grieving  over  the  guilt  and  peril  of  Israel. 
Thus  alone  and  thus  burdened,  he  yet  quietly 
ccmfronts  an  angry  king,  a  hating  priesthood, 
and  an  unfriendly  jieople.  Panoi)lied  only 
with  truth  and  fealty  to  God,  he  stands  liefore 
the  vast  host  with  a  calmness,  a  dignity,  and 
an  undaunted  courage  that  evinced  true  royal- 
ty of  soul,  and  the  most  absolute,  sublime  trust 
in  Jehovah.  And  he  stands  aioicedly  for  God. 
Jehovah's  controversy  with  His  people,  in 
mercy  prolonged  from  age  to  age,  Elijah  con- 
ducts in  this  eventful  issue  as  the  divinely  ap- 
pointed advocate  and  champion. 

19,  !jO.  Innicl  conteru'd  at  Ciinnel  by  Ahiib. 
at  KUjah's  direction.  Mount  Carmel  is  a  liigh 
ridge,  running  .si.xteen  miles  southeast  from  the 
.sea,  with  an  elevation  of  six  hundred  to  seven- 
teen hundred  feet.  It  forms  the  principal 
western  boundarj'  of  the  great  plain  of  Esdrae- 
lon.  About  four  miles  from  the  eastern  ex- 
tremity near  its  highest  summit,  and  not  far 
from  the  river  Kishon  flowing  along  its  base, 
was  the  place  of  gathering.  The  conformation 
of  the  ground  was  suited  to  the  purpose,  and 
had  been  used  for  worship  by  the  adjacent 
tiibes  before  the  Temple  had  been  erected.  Tlie 
foundation  of  an  altar  to  Jehovah  still  remained. 
The  place,  if  not  central,  was  convenient  and 
easy  of  access  to  the  people  of  the  ten  tribes. 
For  all  lines  of  travel  cast  and  west  of  the  Jor- 
dan converged  upon  the  great  thoroughfare 
traversing  the  plain. 

As  one  having  authority  from  the  King  of 
kings,  proven  to  be  God's  vicegerent  by  the  ac- 
(■ouq)lishmeut  of  his  previous  prediction  of  long 
<lrought  to  Ahab,  Elijah  explicitly  conunands 
Ahab  to  gather  all  Israel  with  the  idolatrous 
proiihcts  to  a  meeting  with  him.  And  the 
strong  heart  of  the  angry  king,  being  in  God's 
hands  and  turned  as  He  would,  quailed  before 
the  might  of  truth  and  of  God  manifest  in  the 
I)ropliet.  As  if  Elijah  were  the  sovereign  and 
he  the  subject,  Ahab  obeys  the  command.  He 
was  so  far  convinced  that  Elijah  was  a  Divine 
messenger,  and  so  desirous  that  the  interdict 
might  be  remove<l.  that  both  fear  and  hope 
constrained  his  uncpiestioning  obedience. 

So  a  vast  multitude  from  all  the  laud  were 


SECTION  10.     ELIJAH  AT  CARMEL. 


109 


gatbcrL'd  togethor  with  Aliiili  and  the  four  liun- 
dred  and  lifty  prophets  of  Baal.  But  not  the 
four  hundred  prophets  of  Asherah,  wlio  were 
supported  bj-  Jezebel,  as  the  priests  of  her  own 
palace-worship.  The  Asherah  refers  to  a  pillar- 
shaped  image  upon  which  was  concentrated  the 
worship  of  Ashtaroth,  the  female  deity,  as  Baal 
was  the  male.  Intense  abhorrence  is  attached 
in  the  Bible  to  the  meaning  and  the  rites  of  this 
most  abominable  worsliip.  .Jezebel  suffered 
not  these  to  go  with  Ahab  ;  nor  did  she  go  her- 
self.    B. .Jezebel  had  introduced  the  female 

as  well  as  the  male  divinity,  so  that  nothing 
might  be  wanting  to  the  complete  observance 
of  the  worship  to  which  she  had  been  trained 
at  home.  The  staff  of  priests,  eight  hundred 
and  fifty  for  the  two  divinities,  shows  what  an 
outlay  was  made  for  the  perfection  of  the  idola- 
trous rites.     Liiiuhy. 

20.  The  range  of  Carmel  is  about  si.xteen 
miles  long,  stretching  back  from  the  ilediter- 
rannean  Sea  in  a  southeast  direction.  The 
range  rises  as  it  recedes  into  the  interior,  being 
only  some  five  or  six  hundred  feet  high  at  the 
lighthouse  and  convent  on  its  western  extremi- 
ty, and  perhaps  seventeen  hundred  feet  high 
near  its  eastern  extremity,  where  it  commands 
a  view  of  the  sea  on  the  one  side  and  the 
plain  of  Esdraelon  on  the  other.  A  little  to  the 
east  of  the  loftiest  point  of  the  ridge,  high  on  the 
declivity  looking  toward  Esdraelon  and  com- 
manding the  view  of  Jezreel,  seems  to  have 
been  the  exact  place  of  the  contest.  At  the 
Kishon,  which  here  flows  by  the  mountain's 
base,  Elijah  slew  the  discomfited  prophets  of 
Baal,  and  then,  from  the  place  of  the  contest, 
near  the  mountain's  summit,  he  prayed  for  rain 
— his  servant  climbing,  in  the  intervals  of 
prayer,  to  the  outlook  above,  from  which  the 
prospect  opened  on  the  sea.     N.  C.  B. 

On  the  promontor}'  running  into  the  sea  stands 
the  convent  from  which  the  celebrated  order  of 
Carmelites  sprung,  but  the  point  of  chief  inter- 
est is  the  shapeless  ruin  at  the  eastern  end  of 
the  ridge  called  by  the  Arabs  "  El  Maharrakah" 
(the  sac'rifice),  where  in  all  probability  stood 
"  the  altar  of  the  Lord  that  was  broken  down," 
and  which  was  repaired  by  Elijah  on  the  occa- 
sion of  his  memoraljle  conflict  with  the  priests 
of  Baal.  Not  far  distant  is  a  well  which  may 
have  furnished  water  for  the  trenches  rotuid 
the  altar,  and  in  the  plains  below  winds  the 
Kishon,  to  which  Elijah  "  brought  down"  the 
false  prophets  "and  slew  them  there."  Wil- 
son. 

Carmel,  one  of  the  historical  moimtains  of 
Palestine,  is  also  one  of  its  most  striking  natu- 


ral features.  Not  a  peak,  like  Hermon,  nor  a 
rounded  hill,  as  Tabor  :  Carmel  is  a  long  ridge 
branching  off  from  the  mountains  of  Samaria, 
and  running  for  sixteen  miles  southeast  and 
northwest,  forming  a  bold  headland,  the  one 
indentation  of  the  long  straight  coast-line  of 
Palestine.  It  forms  by  its  projection  the  Bay 
of  Acre  to  the  north,  and  runs  out  with  a  bold 
bluff,  almost  as  precipitous  as  its  eastern  end, 
into  the  sea  itself,  leaving  but  a  narrow  strip 
of  sand  at  its  base.  It  thus  stands  sis  a  wall 
between  the  maritime  plain  of  Sharon  on  the 
south,  and  the  more  inland  plain  of  Esdraelon 
on  the  north.  It  is  nearly  eighteen  hundred 
feet  high,  but  gently  descends  toward  the  west- 
ern front  of  the  bluff,  which  is  not  more  than 
six  hundred  feet  in  height,  while  the  eastern 
end  is  sixteen  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  To 
the  summit,  at  the  very  edge  of  the  cliff,  must 
have  come  Elijah's  servant,  while  his  master 
prayed  on  the  terrace  a  hundred  feet  or  more 
below,  and  sometimes  returned  to  gaze,  till 
over  the  distant  Cyprus  the  little  cloud  at 
length  arose  portending  the  coming  rain,  ex- 
actly as  it  does  now.  From  this  spot  a  slip- 
pery path  descends  three  hundred  feet  lower 
down  to  the  Mohrakah,  the  "  burning"  or  "  the 
sacrifice."  There  is  no  village,  no  house,  only 
a  shapeless  ruin  ;  yet  here  the  spot  has  a  name, 
and  the  recollection  of  the  miracle  is  imbedded 
in  the  Arabic  nomenclature.  It  is  a  glade  over- 
looking the  plain,  somewhat  in  the  shape  of  an 
amphitheatre,  and  completely  shut  in  on  the 
north  by  the  well-wooded  cliffs.  No  place  can 
be  conceived  more  adapted  by  nature  to  be  that 
wondrous  battle-field  of  truth,  where  Elijah  ap- 
pealed to  Israel,  "How  long  halt  ye  between 
two  opinions  ?"  In  front  of  the  principal  ac- 
tors in  the  scene,  with  the  king  and  his  court- 
iers by  their  side,  the  thousands  of  Israel 
might  have  been  gathered  on  the  lower  slopes, 
witnesses  of  the  whole  struggle  to  its  stupendous 
result. 

The  whole  view  from  the  summit  of  Carmel 
burst  grandly  upon  us  in  a  moment.  'We  were 
standing  on  the  edge  of  a  cliff,  from  the  base  of 
which  the  mountain  sank  steeply  down  one 
thousand  feet  into  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  the 
battle-field  of  Israel.  'W'e  looked  down  on  a 
map  of  Central  Palestine.  The  hewn  stones 
among  which  we  stood  mark  the  site  of  the 
altar  of  the  Lord  which  Jezebel  overthrew  and 
Elijah  repaired.  To  this  spot  came  Elijah's 
servant  to  look  for  the  little  cloud,  which  at 
length  rose  to  the  prophet's  prayer,  and  por- 
tended the  coming  rain  exactly  as  it  does  now. 
No  site  in  Palestine  is  more  indisputable  than 


110 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


that  iif  tho  liltlc  hollow  in  the  knoll  below  us. 
where  the  Lord  God  of  Klijah  iniinifesled  His 
Divinity  before  Aliiib  and  assembled  Israel. 
The  plain  beneath  ns,  though  slightly  inclin- 
ing westward,  appeared  a  dead  Hat.  bounded  on 
the  north  by  the  hills  of  Galilee,  generally  bare 
and  woodless,  and  on  the  south  by  those  of 
8aniaria ;  with  Mount  Talior  rising  proudlj- 
behind  in  the  east  and  seeming  almost  to  spiui 
the  distance  across  from  Galilee  to  Gilboa. 
We  were  overlooking  the  sites  of  the  old  (-ities 
of  Jezreel.  Megiddo.  Shuncm.  Xain,  and  many 
others.  Immediately  below,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Kishon,  was  a  small  flat-topped  green 
knoll,  "  the  mound  of  the  priests,"  marking  in 
its  name  the  spot  where  Elijah  slew  the  prophets 
of  Baal,  when  he  had  brought  them  down  to 
the  '"brook  Kishon."  For  twenty  miles  the 
eye  could  follow  the  vast  expanse.  Behind  us, 
on  the  one  side  of  C'armel,  stretched  the  sea, 
whence  rose  the  little  cloud  like  a  man's  hand  ; 
and  a  long  strip  of  Sharon  ;  on  the  other  side 
we  had  a  peep  of  the  plain  of  Acre  and  the  sea 
washing  its  edge.     Triitram. 

21.  Elijah's  earnest  expostulation,  with  the 
people.  Before  he  utters  the  prayer  which  will 
bring  back  the  long  withheld  blessing  to  the 
people,  their  minds  and  hearts  must  be  wrought 
upon  to  induce  a  sense  of  guilt  and  feeling  of 
repi'ntancc.  They  must  be  turned  back  to  God, 
before  lie  will  turn  with  restored  favors  to 
them.  And  this  expostulation  is  the  first 
means  to  stir  their  sluggish  souls.  Plain  and 
.  conclusive  is  this  sharp  question  and  charge. 
Directly  it  applied  to  their  religious  condition 
and  practice.  They  really  believed  in  no  God. 
neither  in  Jehovah  nor  Baal.  They  would  not 
believe  in  the  one.  and  eoiild  not  (against  the 
many  strong  counter  influences  of  llieir  history) 
believe  in  the  otlicr.  Thev  were  therefore  utter- 
ly unsettled  in  their  actual  worship  ;  to  make 
sure,  attempting  to  mix  the  worship  of  God 
with  that  of  Baal.  Conscience  constrained 
them  to  formally  recognize  the  true  God,  while 
their  natural  scltish  lusts  seduced  them  into  the 
vile  practices  of  Baal's  temple  and  ritual.  As- 
suming their  guilt,  Elijah  breaks  forth  abrupt- 
ly with  the  rebuking  question.  How  long  will 
ye  hesitate  and  practice  this  indecision'?  As- 
suming, too,  that  there  can  be  but  one  supreme 
sovereign  Deity,  he  sharply  presses  the  conclu- 
sive charge  lofnllwr  Him  who  is  the  God.  Not 
himself  asserting,  but  urging  them  to  determine 
for  themselves  which  is  tho  true  God.  But  they 
are  silent ;  and  their  silence  is  a  confession  of 
the  trutliof  the  rebuke.  It  also  intimates  their 
ignorance  and   inability  to  decide  between  Je- 


hovah and  Baal.  Therefore  it  is  that  Elijah 
proposes  a  metliod  of  decision,  wliich,  while 
appealing  to  their  judgments,  was  suited  to 

their  ignorance  and  deadness  of  heart.     B. 

His  words  have  the  ring  of  authority  as  he  re- 
bukes indecision,  and  calls  for  a  clear  adhesion 
to  Bn;d  or  Jehovah,  If  the  people  had  an- 
swereil,  the  trial  by  tire  would  have  been  need- 
less. But  their  silence  shows  that  they  waver, 
and  therefore  he  makes  his  proposal  to  them. 
Note  that  the  priests  are  not  consulted,  nor  is 
Ahab.  Thc'  former  would  have  had  some  ex- 
cuse for  shirking  the  sharp  issue  ;  but  the  peo- 
ple's assent  forced  them  to  accept  the  ordeal, 
reluctantly  enough,  no  doubt.     A.  M. 

Elijah  W!is  habitually  a  man  of  the  fewest 
words  ;  but  these  few  words  were  always  full 
of  power,  and  produced  effect.  He  spoke  from 
God,  he  spoke  from  his  own  heart  to  the 
hearts  of  others.  His  words  here  were  not 
aimed  at  the  apostasy,  but  at  the  hesitancy 
of  the  people — not  at  their  idolatry,  but 
at  their  Indecision.  Under  the  old  dispen- 
sation, as  under  the  new,  nothing  is  more  ab- 
horrent to  God  than  a  profane  neutrality  in 
matters  of  vital  moment — than  the  lukewarm- 
ness  which  admits  not  of  decided  opinions. 
He  likes  decision.  He  likes  sometliing  real. 
Be  hot  ;  be  cold  ;  be  something.  Instead  of  a 
tirade  against  Baal  and  his  Avorsliippers.  here  is 
a  simple  alternative  of  choice.  His  simple  cry 
is — "  Decide  I"     Kitto. 

"If  the  Lord  be  God,  follow  Him  ;  if  Baal, 
then  follow  him."  If  this  world  be  the  only 
good,  the  fit  and  proper  object  of  your  affec- 
tions, if  this  world  can  satisfy  your  immor- 
tal desires,  if  it  can  support  under  trials, 
give  3'ou  peace  of  conscience,  if  it  can  cheer 
j-ou  in  death  and  bless  you  through  eter- 
nity, then  fix  your  heart  upon  it,  pursue  it  as 
30ur  cliief  good,  resolutely  and  to  the  end  ; 
cast  off  the  fear  of  God,  silence  the  voice  of 
conscience,  and  make  the  most  of  this  object  of 
your  choice.  But  if  the  Lord  be  Grod — if  He  is 
the  eternal,  self-existent,  glorious  being  whose 
claims  upon  your  heart  no  tongue  can  describe, 
if  He  is  the  only  object  that  can  till  the  soul,  if 
you  are  immortal,  if  there  is  a  judgment  to 
come  on  whose  throne  He  will  sit.  if  there  is  a 
heaven  which  His  mercy  hath  prepared,  if  there 
is  a  hell  kindled  by  His  justice,  if  there  is  a 
God,  follow  Him.     N.  W.  Taylor. 

22-24.  The  question  of  Divine  power  to  be 
submitted  to  actual  test  of  miracle.  Elijali  ap- 
peals to  the  ordeal  of  sacrifice  because  it  was  a 
rite  common  to  all  religions,  and  divinely  insti- 
tuted at  first  as  the  great  symbol  of  expiation. 


SECTION  10.     ELIJAH  AT  CARMEL. 


Ill 


Other  nations  had  kept  its  form  and  something 
of  the  religious  awe  attached  to  the  rite,  al- 
thougli  its  true  meaning  had  been  almost  uni- 
versally lost.     T.  Lewis. In  presenting  our 

sacrifice,  Elijah  said  to  the  people,  Let  us  who 
here  represent  Jehovah  and  Baal,  I  alone  and 
these  four  hundred  and  fifty,  try  the  question 
of  power  by  actual  appeal  to  these  respective 
deities  I  "  And  the  God  that  answereth  by 
fire,  let  him  be  God  !"  In  former  days  of  their 
history  the  true  God  had  thus  testified  His  ac- 
ceptance of  the  sacrifices  of  Moses  and  Gideon, 
of  David  and  Solomon.  And  on  behalf  of 
Baal,  it  was  claimed  that  he,  being  the  Sun- 
god,  had  sovereign  control  over  all  natural  ele- 
ments and  forces.  If  the  claim  was  a  just  one, 
it  would  be  an  easy  thing  for  him  to  send 
down  fire  to  consume  the  sacrifice.  No  other 
form  of  appeal  was  adequate  to  the  case.  The 
people  were  in  no  condition  to  understand  or 
to  heed  the  teachings  of  the  past  ;  either  the 
statutes  or  the  wonderful  acts  of  God  as  re- 
vealed through  Moses,  Joshua,  or  Samuel.  lie 
therefore  puts  the  issue  of  authority  upon  the 
present  power  of  God.  He  rests  God's  right  in 
demanding  their  obedience  upon  the  only 
ground  they  can  comprehend,  the  only  proof 
they  will  heed,  the  open  miraculous  exhibition 
of  a  Divine  might.  Instantly  and  loudly  the 
people  recognize  the  fitness  and  approve  the 
fairness  of  Elijali's  proposition.  Ahab  is,  at 
least,  silenced.  And  the  priests  of  Baal  dare 
interpose  no  hindrance  to  the  trial  to  which 
they  are  now  to  be  challenged.     B. 

The  act  of  sacrifice  was  Elijah's  chosen  test, 
as  affording  occasion  for  the  most  demonstra- 
tive result.  The  consuming  of  the  flooded  vic- 
tim by  fire  from  heaven  was  a  miracle  that 
could  not  be  mistaken  ;  and  inasmuch  as  Baal 
was  the  sun  or  fire-god,  the  test  was  obviously 
congruous  and  conclusive.  AH  that  depended 
upon  preference  was  somewhat  scornfullj'  con- 
ceded by  Elijah.  The  scene  described  is  one  of 
the  most  dramatic  and  magnificent  representa- 
tions of  lofty  defiance,  withering  sarcasm,  and 
tragic  result,  to  be  found  in  literature.  Baal 
resisted  not  merely  the  entreaties  but  the  blood- 
invoking  power  of  his  own  priests  ;  and  as  their 
raving  was  intensified  into  mania,  the  scofllng 
provocation  of  Elijah  was  increased,  until  the 
excitement  of  the  entire  scene  becomes  alto- 
gether unimaginable.  The  calm,  siiblirae  sim- 
plicity of  the  offering  of  Elijah  which  followed 
must  have  been  in  the  highest  degree  impres- 
sive.    Allan. 

On  the  one  side  were  aiTayed  Ahab,  Baal, 
and   Israel ;  on  the   other  stood  Jehovah.     It 


was  a  question  of  reality  and  of  power  ;  and  Eli- 
jah was  to  be,  so  to  speak,  the  embodiment  of 
the  Divine  Power,  the  Minister  of  the  Living 
and  True  God.  We  might  almost  say,  that  in 
his  prophetic  capacity  Elijah  was  an  imper- 
sonal being— the  mere  medium  of  the  Divine. 
Throughout  his  history  other  prophets  also 
were  employed  on  various  occasions  :  he  only 
to  do  what  none  other  had  ever  done  or  could 
do.  His  path  was  alone,  such  as  none  other 
had  trodden  nor  could  tread.  He  was  the  im- 
personation of  the  Old  Testament  in  one  of  its 
aspects,  that  of  grandeur  and  judgment — the 
living  realization  of  the  topmost  height  of  the 
mount,  wliich  burned  with  fire,  around  which 
lightnings  played  and  thunder  rolled,  and  from 
out  of  whose  terrible  glory  spake  the  voice  of 
Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel.  A  grander  figure 
never  stood  out  even  against  the  Old  Testament 
sky  than  that  of  Elijah.  As  Israel's  apostasy 
had  reached  its  highest  point  in  the  time  of 
Ahab,  so  the  Old  Testament  antagonism  to  it  in 
the  peraon  and  mission  of  Elijah.  The  analogy 
and  parallelism  between  his  historv  and  that  of 
Moses,  even  to  minute  details,  is  obvious  on 
comparison  of  the  two  ;  and  accordingly  we 
find  him,  significantly,  along  with  Moses  on  the 
Mount  of  Transfiguration.     A.  E. 

23.  The  Baal  prophets  are  given  cvcrv  ad- 
vantage in  priority  of  action.  EiTor  is  best  un- 
masked by  being  allowed  free  opportunity  to 
do  its  best  ;  for  the  more  favorable  the  circum- 
stances of  trial,  the  more  signal  the  defeat. 
God's  servants  must  never  be  suspected  of  un- 
fair tricks  in  their  controversy  with  error. 
They  can  afford  to  let  it  try  first.  Notice  the 
substitution  of  "your  god,"  in  the  Revised 
Version,  for  "your  gods"  in  the  Authorized 
Version.  That  is  obviouslj-  right ;  for  the  only 
question  was  about  one  god — namely,  Baal. 
A.  M. 

24.  He  that  answereth  by  fire,  let 
him  be  God.  It  is  no  random  choice  of  a 
test  ;  but  precisely  the  test  to  recall  to  these 
apostate  Israelites  the  glorious  truths  of  the 
past.  "  The  God  that  answereth  by  fire,  let  him 
be  God."  It  was  the  ancient  sign  of  Jehovah's 
presence  to  accept  the  true  worship  of  His 
saints.  So  had  He  accepted  Abel's  sacrifice,  so 
had  He  appeared  to  Abraham  in  his  offering. 
So  had  He  shot  forth  the  fire  from  His  throne  on 
the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  to  consume  the  first 
sacrifice  at  the  dedication  of  the  tabernacle,  and 
again  at  the  dedication  of  the  Temple.  While, 
therefore,  the  prophet  seeks  a  sign,  he  will  have 
a  sign  which  shall  hold  forth  the  truth  of 
God  to  the  minds  of  the  people  as  the  instru- 


113 


KIXODOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


mcnt  of  fonverting  them  from  tluir  apostasy. 
S.  R. 

Israel  fannot  but  api)rove  it  ;  tlic  prophots 
of  Baal  cannot  refuse  it  ;  they  liixi  the  api)ear- 
ance  of  the  advantage  in  their  niunber,  in  the 
favor  of  king  ami  peopk'.  That  God  com- 
manded Elijah  this  trial,  who  meant  confusion 
to  the  authore  of  idolatry,  victory  to  the  truth. 
His  terror  shall  be  approved  both  by  fire  and 
by  water  ;  flret  by  Are,  then  by  water.  There 
was  no  less  terror  in  the  fire  than  mercy  in  the 
rain.  It  was  fit  they  should  first  be  hvnnbled 
by  His  terrors,  that  they  might  be  made  capable 
of  Ills  mercy  ;  and  by  both  might  be  won  to 
repentance.  Thus  still,  the  feare  of  the  law 
make  way  for  the  influences  of  grace  ;  neither 
do  those  sweet  and  heavenly  dews  descend 
upon  the  soul,  till  way  be  made  for  them  by 
the  terrible  flashes  of  the  law.     Bp.  n. 

25-29.  lyial  of  the  issue  on  the  part  of  the 
prophets  of  Baal.  As  the  challenging  party, 
Elijah  gives  them  all  possible  advantage.  lie 
iissigns  them  the  honor  of  precedency,  allows 
them  full  time  for  their  utmost  efforts,  and  ac- 
cepts the  greater  peril  for  himself  in  the  event 
of  their  success.  He  simply  insists  that  they 
adhere  to  the  terms  of  the  trial  ;  that  they  ap- 
peal to  their  gods,  and  attempt  no  deceit  by 
kindling  their  own  sacrifice.  Thus  compelled 
to  honest  dealing,  the  prophets  of  Baal  prepare 
their  bullock  for  sacrifice,  lay  it  upon  the 
wood,  and  call  upon  the  name  of  Baal.  From 
morning  until  noon  they  reiterate  their  sense- 
less cry — a  prayer  without  any  ph-a  for  its 
basis.  And  the  result  is  strildngl}'  stated  in 
the  narrative  :  JVo  voiee,  nor  any  that  ansrtered  ! 
There  was  none  to  hear  or  answer.  They  ad- 
dressed no  being,  and  there  could  be  no  answer. 
The  noon  arrived.  Patientl}-,  yet  with  holy 
indignation,  Elijah  had  borne  with  their  repe- 
titious blasphemy  through  the  long  morning 
hours.  Now  when  the  sun  was  hottest  antl 
their  hope  the  strongest,  with  rightious  irony 
he  mocks  at  their  vain  ai)peal.  "  Perhaps  your 
god  has  pleasanf  comjiany,  or  is  engaged  in  the 
chase,  or  journeying  at  a  distance,  or  he  is 
sleeping.  Cry  more  loudly,  if  possibly  he  may 
hear  and  answer. "  But  he  speaks  thus  in  no 
unseemly  spirit  of  boasting  or  triumph  at  their 
discomfiture.  He  does  not  seek  to  anser  these 
men.  but  to  incite  them  to  the  utmost  exertion 
so  that  their  failure  may  be  the  more  complete. 
His  purpose  is  to  impress  the  people  with  the 
absurdity  as  well  as  wickedness  of  such  wor- 
ship. He  seeks  to  expose  the  deceits  and  br,  ak 
down  the  power  of  this  false  priesthood  by  his 
scornful  derision,  and  bj-  his  own  open  brav- 


ing of  their  assumed  divinity.  For  these  were 
the  men  by  whom  the  peojjle  were  misled,  and 
this  the  god  the  people  worshipped.  Exas- 
perated by  his  sarcasm  into  frenzy,  they  shout 
the  more  vehemently.  After  their  custom,  in 
keeping  with  those  of  all  idolatrous  heathen 
worship  in  every  age  and  country,  under  the 
strange  notion  of  propitiating  the  divine  favor 
by  extreme  self-torture,  they  wound  and  dis- 
figure their  bodies  until  the  blood  gushed  out 
upon  them.  Thus  unwittingly  they  deepened 
the  impression  of  Elijah's  deriding  words. 
And  thus  imavailingly  they  protracte{i  the  trial 
for  nearly  three  hours  longer.  But.  the  nar- 
rative repeats,  "  there  was  neither  voice,  nor 
any  answer,  nor  any  that  reganled  !"  The  be- 
ing and  power  of  Baal  had  been  oijcnly  tested, 
and  the  people  saw  both  utterl}'  disproved  by 
the  appeal.     B. 

28.  What  a  scene  to  call  worship  !  That  is 
what  millions  of  men  are  ready  to  practise  to- 
day. And  all  the  while  there  is  no  voice,  no 
answer,  no  care  for  them,  in  the  pitiless  sky. 
The  very  genius  of  idolatry  is  set  before  us  in 
that  tunndtuous  crowd  on  Carmel.     A.  JI. 

29.  The  scene  of  Elijah  quietly  waiting,  and 
in  perfect  confidence  looking  forward  to  the 
ultimate  display  of  Jehovah's  power,  should  be 
one  to  stimulate  the  confidence  of  the  disciple 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  We  are  not  with- 
out our  false  prophets  to-day.  True,  they  do 
not  bow  down  to  Baal ;  but  they  do  revere  Na- 
ture as  the  grandest  divinity  in  existence.  Or, 
they  enthrone  humanity,  whatever  that  may 
mean.  They  cry  aloud  in  reviews  and  maga- 
zine articles,  and  expect  the  regeneration  of 
man  through  their  false  religions.  They  are 
never  done  announcing  the  decay  and  downfall 
of  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  of  Isaac,  and  of 
Jacob.  The  world  and  tlic  Church  have  watched 
for  years  for  the  descent  of  fire  upon  the  unbe- 
lievers' altars.  Bvit  there  is  no  fire  there. 
Meantime,  some  godly  man  or  woman,  working 
away  in  the  Seven  Dials,  or  the  Five  Points,  or 
the  North  End.  finds  the  fire  of  God  descending 
in  answer  to  his  prayer,  and  sees  the  flame  of 
Christian  love  springing  up  in  human  hearts 
and  the  warmth  of  Christian  zeal  awakened 
where  before  it  was  absolutely  dead.  Can 
there,  then,  be  any  doubt  as  to  which  call  upon 
the  true  God  1     Sehai/Jller. 

30-35.  The  natural  features  of  the  mount 
exactly  correspond  with  the  details  of  this  nar- 
rative. The  cc/nsi)ieuous  summit.  IfilS.")  feet 
above  the  sea,  on  which  the  altars  were  placed, 
presents  an  esp!ana<le  spacious  enough  for  the 
king  and  the  priests  of  Baal  to  stand  on  the  one 


SECTION  10.     ELIJAH  AT  OARMEL. 


113 


side,  and  Elijah  on  tlie  other.  It  is  a  rocliy 
soil,  on  which  there  is  abundance  of  loose 
stones,  to  furnish  the  twelve  stones  of  which 
the  altar  wtis  built — a  bed  of  thick  earth  in 
which  a  trench  could  be  dug  ;  and  yet  the 
earth  not  so  loose  that  the  water  poured  into  it 
would  be  absorbed.  Two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  beneath  the  altar-plateau  there  is  a  peren- 
nial fountain,  which,  being  close  to  the  altar  of 
the  Lord,  might  not  have  been  accessible  to  the 
people,  and  whence,  therefore,  even  in  that  sea- 
son of  severe  drought,  Elijah  could  procure 
those  copious  supplies  of  water  which  he 
poured  over  the  altar.  The  distance  between 
this  spring  and  the  site  of  the  altar  is  so  short 
as  to  make  it  perfectly  possible  to  go  thrice 
thither  and  back  again.      Viin.  De  Vclile. 

The  prophets  of  Baal  were  utterly  discomfit- 
ed. Six  hours  had  they  vainly  spent  in  sense- 
less supplication.  Now  the  long-appointed 
time  of  the  evening  sacriflce  (three  o'clock) 
drew  nigli,  and  Elijah  proceeds  to  prepare  the 
altar  and  sacrifice.  Standing  amid  the  ruins  of 
the  ancient  altar  to  .Jehovah,  he  bids  the  people 
come  nearer,  that  the  truth  and  depth  of  their 
impression  may  be  increased.  With  twelve 
stones  he  rebuilds  the  altar.  By  this  number 
he  symbolizes  the  twelve  tribes,  whom  as  God's 
elect  and  favored  people,  he  thus  recognizes  as 
still  one,  though  now  for  years  divided.  By 
this  act  he  boldly  reaflirms  the  unity  of  the  na- 
tion as  originally  established  in  fulfilment  of 
the  covenant  with  Abraham  and  Jacob.  As 
boldly  does  he  protest  against  the  separate  ex- 
istence of  the  ten  tribes,  and  their  assumption 
of  the  name  of  Israel.  Around  the  altar  a 
broad  trench  is  excavated.  The  wood  he  lays  in 
order,  and  the  prepared  sacrifice  he  places  upon 
the  wood.  Then  at  his  command  water  is 
brought  and  poured  upon  the  sacrifice,  the 
wood,  and  stones  of  the  altar,  and  the  trench  is 
filled  to  the  brim.  This  he  did  that  the  miracle 
might  be  made  the  more  convincing.  With  no 
excitement  in  act  or  word,  but  calmly  and  with 
dignity,  his  preparation  is  speedily  raa<le. 

S6,  37.  The  prayer  of  Elijah  at  the  hour  of 
the  evening  mcrifice.  His  supplication  is  sim- 
ple, appropriate,  intelligent,  and  quietly  fer- 
vent. He  uttei-s  no  loud  cry  nor  vain  reitera- 
tion. -He  addresses  a  personal  Beinrj,  who  has 
sustained  personal  covenant  relations  with 
Abraliam,  Isaac,  and  Israel,  the  acknowledged 
progenitors  of  the  nation.  He  thus  reminds 
them  that  Jehovah  is  still  the  God  of  Israel. 
He  auks  something  definite.  "  Let  it  be  known 
that  Thou  art  Clod.'"  This  was  the  point  in 
trial.     ■•  And  that  I  am  Thy  servant,  and  have 


done  these  things  at  Thy  word  !"  This,  too, 
was  involved  in  the  pending  issue.  And  he 
pleads  with  God  for  hearing  and  answer.  His 
plea  is  "that  this  people  may  know  that  Thou 
art  the  Lord  God,  and  that  Thou  hast  turned 
their  heart  back  again."  He  asks  that  God 
would  reveal  Himself  by  tliis  miracle  :  first, 
that  His  own  glory  might  be  manifest  ;  next, 
that  Elijah's  acts  might  be  seen  to  come  from 
His  inspiration  ;  and  last,  that  the  peojile  might 
be  convinced  of  the  present  power  and  the 
rightful  claim  of  God,  and  so  their  hearts  be 
drawn  back  to  Him.  A  mediator  and  interces- 
sor, pleading  in  the  interest  of  this  guilty  peo- 
ple, he  here  joins  together  the  two  always  in- 
separable things,  Ood's  glory  and  the  people's 
welfare.    B. 

36.  At  the  time  of  the  offering  of 
the  evening  oblation.  This  moment  wiis 
selected  for  Elijah's  sacrifice,  in  order  to  testify 
his  loyalty  to  the  Mosaic  law,  and  to  the  Tem- 
ple of  God  at  Jerusalem.  At  the  very  time 
when  the  daily  sacrifice  was  presented  there, 
liis  oSering  on  Carmel  was  made.  Elijail 
the  prophet  came  near :  This  was  the 
technical  phrase  in  the  law  for  the  priest's 
coming  to  the  altar  to  offer  a  sacrifice  (Ex. 
28  :  43  ;  30  :  20  ;  Lev.  31  :  31,  33).  Elijah  was 
not  of  the  seed  of  Aaron,  and  was  not  therefore 
a  priest.  But  the  Levitical  priests  had  been 
deposed  by  Jeroboam,  and  illegitimate  priests 
had  been  substituted  in  their  stead  for  the 
maintenance  of  his  idolatrous  worship.  In  the 
absence  of  a  lawful  priesthood,  Elijah,  as  the 
immediate  representative  of  the  Most  High,  and 
acting  under  His  direction  and  by  His  authori- 
ty, offered  this  sacrifice.     W.  H.  G. 

At  Thy  tvord.  Clearly  we  must  suppose 
that  in  all  the  ordering  of  this  sublime  trial  by 
fire,  Elijah  had  been  acting  "  at  Thy  word," 
even  though  we  have  no  other  record  of  the 
fact.  Therefore  he  could  ask  God  to  vindicate 
his  action  and  to  prove  that  he  was  God's  ser- 
vant. His  last  petition  is  beautiful,  both  in  its 
consciousness  of  power  with  God  and  recogni- 
tion of  his  place  as  a  prophet,  and  in  its  lowly 
subordination  of  all  personal  aims  to  the  res- 
toration of  Israel  to  the  true  worship.  He  asks, 
with  reiteration  which  is  earnestness  and  faith, 
and  therefore  the  sharpest  contrast  to  the  me- 
chanical repetition  by  Baal's  priests,  that  God 
would  hear  him  ;  but  his  sole  object  in  that 
prayer  is  that  the  blinded  eyes  may  be  opened, 
and  the  hearts  that  have  been  so  sadly  led 
astray  be  brought  back  to  the  worship  of  their 
fatliers'  God.  The  whole  brief  prayer,  in  its 
calm  confidence,  its  adoring  recognition  of  the 


114 


EINODOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


name  and  past  dcalinjis  of  Jehovah  as  the 
ground  of  trust,  its  tlirobbing  of  earnest  desire 
for  the  manifestation  of  liis  charaeter  before 
men,  its  consciousness  of  personal  rehttion  to 
God.  which  luinibles  rather  tlian  [luffs  up,  its 
beseecliiiig  for  an  answer,  and  its  closing  peti- 
tion which  conies  rounil  again  to  its  first,  that 
men  may  know  God  and  fasten  their  hearts  on 
Him.  may  well  stand  as  a  pattern  of  prayer  for 
us.  The  short  jirayer  of  faith  does  in  a  mo- 
ment what  all  the  long  day  of  crying  could  not 
do.     A.  M. 

S9.  Tim  ansicer  by  fire.  Sublimely  simple 
are  the  words  of  the  sacred  record.  Instantly, 
while  yet  the  heavens  were  without  a  cloud 
and  while  no  conditions  of  lightning  existed, 
the  lire  fell  in  the  sight  of  the  people.  Differ- 
ent from  all  previous  similar  miracles  wjis  the 
efTi'ct  of  this  descending  Are.  At  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  Temple  and  at  other  times,  only  the 
saeritice  and  the  wood  htwl  been  consumed. 
Here  was  superadded  the  turning  of  the  altar 
stones,  and  even  the  iutermi.xed  earth  its,"lf,  to 
ashes,  and  the  instant  exhalation  of  the  water 
in  the  trench.  Altar  and  sacrifice  had  disap- 
peared, and  their  place  left  bare.  Other  altars, 
of  Moses  and  David  and  Solomon,  were  conse- 
crated by  lire,  but  preserved  for  use,  and  in 
token  of  God's  mercj".  This  one  was  utterly 
destroyed,  because  no  more  to  be  used,  and  as 
a  symbol  to  the  witnessing  people  of  God's  de- 
vouring wrath.     B. 

The  whole  assembly  were  clearly  to  under- 
stand what  Being  it  wsis  on  whom  he  called  for 
the  demonstrative  sign,  which  had  irradiated 
the  cloud  before  the  camp  of  Israel.  The  fire, 
if  it  came,  was  to  second  that  which  had  flamed 
on  Sinai,  and  which  had  descended  on  Sodom.  It 
was  to  be  a  fire  of  intelligi'nce  iLS  well  as  power. 
It  was  to  be  Elijah's  prayer  converted  and  re- 
turned in  flame.  The  prophet's  prayer  was 
that  the  very  TiivTU  might  lighten  on  the  scene, 
and  consume  all  question,  doubt,  and  subter- 
fuge. The  Invisible  Presence  was  there  ;  the 
thunderbolt  was  read}'  ;  and  as  soon  as  he  hsul 
ended,  "it  fell."  And  neither  sacrifice,  nor 
altar,  nor  water,  remained  !  The  whole  mate- 
rials of  the  testimony  were  consumed.  J.  Fva- 
tir. 

39.  The  inntiiiit  niKiiihiiniiK  rcnlirt  of  the  as- 
toiiiidid  and  cinirielid  lunjile.  'Without  word  or 
question  or  appeal  from  Klijah,  constrained  by 
an  inten.se  and  overwhelming  conviction  to 
recognize  a  Divine  and  sui)ernatural  force  in 
the  consuming  fire,  the  ])eople  bowed  them- 
selves to  the  earth,  and  cried,  Jihemth,  lie  is  the 
Ood !     Convinced,  terrified,  and  for  the  time 


humliled   by  the   fearful  demon.stration,   they 

were  ;  but  not  converted.     B. The  people 

were — for  the  time,  at  all  events — swept  away 
by  the  miracle,  and  by  the  force  of  the  prophet's 
example  and  authority.  Short-lived  their  faith 
may  have  been,  as  cert;unly  it  was  sui)erti<ial. 
The  faith  that  is  founded  on  miracle  may  be 
deepened  into  .something  better  ;  but  uidess  it 
is,  it  speedily  dies  away.  The  faith  that  is  due 
to  the  influence  of  some  strong  personality  may 
lead  on  to  iin  indepeiulent  faith,  bxsed  on  per- 
sonal experience  ;  but,  unless  it  does,  it  too 
will  i)crish.  We  may  find  a  modern  reproduc- 
tion of  the  test  of  Carmel  in  the  impotence  of 
all  other  schemes  and  methods  of  social  and 
spiritu.d  reformation  and  the  power  of  the  Gos- 
pel. In  it  and  its  effects  God  answers  l)y  fire. 
Let  the  opposers,  who  are  so  glib  in  demon- 
strating the  failure  of  Christianit}',  do  the  same 
with  their  enchantments,  if  they  can.     A.  31. 

If  the  miracle  of  the  answer  by  fire  be  de- 
nied, there  is  absolutely  nothing  to  account  for 
the  extraordinary  and  undeniable  effect  pro- 
duced by  the  day  on  Carmel.  Clearly  the  peo- 
ple believed  in  its  occurrence,  as  clearly  decep- 
tion was  impossible.  The  whole  national 
movnnent  demands  its  recognition.  Either  it 
really  occurred  as  the  history  narrates  it.  or  in 
some  iuconceivalilc  way  Elijah  achieved  a  su- 
preme imposture,  which  is  a  psychological  as 
well  as  a  physical  imiiossibility.     Allmi. 

40.  The  execittiiin  of  Baal's  proji/ietn.  "  I 
have  done  tliis  thing  at  Thy  word,"  the  Lord's 
prophet  might  have  said  again.  By  direction 
of  Elijah,  whose  Divine  commis-sion  had  been 
so  manifestly  vindicated,  the  prophi'ts  of  Baal 
were  .seized  by  the  multitude  and  borne  down 
to  the  gorge  of  the  Kishon  at  the  mountain's 
bsise.  There,  as  Phineliiis  and  Saniui'l  before 
him,  Elijah  participated  in  and  directed  this 
Divinely  ordered  slaying.  It  wiis  Jehovah's 
sentence  that  he  was  commissioned  to  enact. 
Before  they  were  permitted  to  behold  the  good- 
ness of  Jehovah,  Ahab  and  the  people  were  to 
be  taught  the  needed  lesson  of  His  severity. 
The  punishment  of  the  false  prophets  must 
precede  mercy  to  the  misled  suffering  iieople. 
Never  wjw  doom  more  richly  merited.  For 
these  men  were  Israelites,  intelligent  perverters 
of  the  law-,  teaclu'ra  and  exemplara  of  all  that 
was  corrupting  and  di'structive  to  the  people. 
Furthermore,  they  were  knowing  usurpers  of 
an  oflice  that  Jehovah  had  expressly  instituted, 
which  only  His  true  worshippere  could  fill. 
They  were  no  prophets,  as  Baal  was  no  god  ; 
their  worship  was  defilement.  Conscious  and 
wilful  impostors,  they  knowingly  bliusphemed 


SECTION  10.     ELIJAH  AT  CARMEL. 


115 


and  defied  the  God  of  Israel.  They  virtually 
challenged  Jehovah  to  a  defence  and  deliver- 
ance of  the  people  they  had  sought  to  make 
vile  and  to  pollute.  Was  there  not  cause  for 
use  of  "the  sword  of  the  Lord"  in  a  crisis  so 
supreme  sis  this,  when  these  shameless  apostates 
sought  to  keep  the  people  away  from  their 
God?  Not  only  are  thej'  punished  according 
to  the  express  law  of  God  (De.  13  ;  1-11),  but 
their  pimislmient  vividly  suggests  to  the  peo- 
ple their  own  desert  of  similar  death.  It  sharp- 
ly impresses  God's  warning  against  idolatry  in 
the  only  way  that  thej'  will  heed.  Even  Ahab, 
who  has  followed  and  witnessed  the  execution 
of  the  idolatrous  prophets,  seems  to  share  in 
the  conviction  and  fear  of  the  jieople.  For  he 
interposes  no  hindrance  to  Elijah's  slaj'ing 
sword.     B. 

40.  Take  the  propiiet§  of  Baal, 
Elijah,  as  an  extraordinary  minister  of  God's 
vengeance  upon  sinners,  executed  the  sentence 
of  death  passed  upon  the  false  prophets  by  the 
Lord  of  life  and  death,  as  pervcrters  of  the  law 
and  teachers  of  idolatry,  as  authors  of  cruelty 
and  inciters  of  Jezebel  to  muitler  the  prophets  of 
tlie  Lord,  and  as  cheats  and  impostors,  to  whose 
execution  the  people  concurred,  their  princes 
gave  their  consent,  and  their  king  {as.  aston- 
ished  at  the   late  stupendous    miracle)  could 

make   no   opposition.     Staekhouse. Elijah's 

action  needs  no  apologies.  As  the  Lord's 
prophet,  as  the  vindicator  and  restorer  of  the 
law,  there  was  no  other  course  open  to  him. 
If  the  Mosaic  law  was  then  written,  and  tliis 
very  incident  is  one  of  the  proofs  that  it  was 
then  written  ;  if  it  wiis  still  binding  upon  Israel  ; 
and  if  Elijah  was  justified  in  executing  its  pro- 
visions, and  was  required  to  execute  them,  how- 
ever repugnant  they  might  be  to  his  inclina- 
tions, then  he  could  not  have  done  otherwise 
than  he  did.  For  it  was  an  essential  part  of 
that  law,  it  was  an  obligation  that  was  laid,  not 
once  or  twice,  but  on  tliree  separate  occiisions 
(Ex.  22  :  20  ;  De.  13  ;  17  :  2-7),  on  the  Jewish 
people,  it  was  a  duty  they  were  to  perfonn, 
however  distressing  and  harrowing  it  might  be 
(De.  13  :  6-9),  to  pro\ide  that  the  worshipper 
of  false  gods,  and  especially  the  teacher  of  such 
worship,  should  be  put  to  death.  The  execu- 
tion of  this  law  could  not  be  expected  from  the 
king.  It  must  be  executed,  if  at  all,  in  spite 
cf  him,  and  in  disregard  of  his  protests.  Only 
Elijah,  therefore,  could  put  it  into  force,  and 
Elijah  only  in  the  hour  of  his  triumph.  And 
he  held  a  commission,  higher  than  the  king's, 
as  the  prophet  of  the  Most  High.  He  had  just 
proved  that  the  Lord  He  was  God.     It  was  now 


for  him  to  prove  that  God's  law  was  no  dead 
letter.  It  was  for  liim  to  cut  oft  the  men  who 
had  corrupted  his  countrymen,  and  threatened 
the  very  existence  of  the  true  religion.  It  is 
necessary,  therefore,  for  those  who  challenge  his 
conduct  in  this  respect,  who  call  him  sangui- 
nary' and  vindictive,  to  settle  their  account  with 
the  law  which  he  obeyed,  and,  indeed,  with 
Him  who  has  approved  this  deed,  and  has  fore- 
warned us  that  He  too  will  act  in  like  manner 
(Luke  19  :  27).  For  this  terrible  retribution  is 
by  no  means  an  exceptional  or  isolated  act,  in 
contrast  to  the  general  spirit  of  that  dispensa- 
tion ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  in  thorough  accord 
with  the  system  out  of  which  it  sprung.  For 
clearly  it  was  allowed  and  approved  of  God, 
who  othenvise  would  hardlj'  have  answered 
the  prayer  which  Elijah  presently  offered,  and 
other  similar  acts  have  distinctly  received  Di- 
vine commendation  (Ex.  33  :  25-28  ;  Nimi. 
25  :  7-13  ;  2  K.  1  :  9).     nammoiul. 

41-44.  With  a  final  direction  to  Ahab,  Eli- 
jah retires  to  pray.  Turning  from  the  fulfilled 
judgment  of  Jehovah,  the  prophet  directs  Ahab 
to  go  up  from  the  brook  and  to  eat  and  drink, 
with  the  assurance  of  speedy  and  abundant 
rain.  While  the  king  obeys  his  direction,  Eli- 
jah seeks  in  a  still  higher  part  of  the  mountain 
a  solitary  place  where  he  may  plead  with  God. 
And  in  this  act  we  read  a  most  instructive  les- 
son. If  ever  one  might  withhold  prayer,  it 
would  seem  that  Elijah  could  have  done  so 
here.  God  had  declared  that  He  was  about  to 
send  rain.  B)'  a  quickened  spiritual  sense  Eli- 
j  ah  had  already  heard  ' '  a  sound  of  abundance 
of  rain. "  But  he  knew  that  God  had  made  the 
actual  descent  of  the  rain  to  depend  upon  his 
prayer.  Therefore  did  he  plead  so  earnestly 
that  "the  heavens  might  give  rain."  Thus 
decisivelj'  he  solves  the  so-called  problems  re- 
specting the  need  and  utility  of  prayer  for 
(jrod's  proposed  and  promised  blessings.  Of 
these  blessings,  Christ  assures  us,  there  is  no 
reeeiving  without  asking,  no  finding  without 
seeking,  no  entrance  into  large  possession  with- 
out persistently  knocking.  Elijah  believed 
God's  Word.  He  set  himself  to  seek  its  fulfil- 
ment. H(!  expected  the  answer,  looked  and 
waited  until  it  came.  And  in  all  this  he  is  our 
example,  to  teach  and  prompt  us  to  like  faith 
and  seeking  and  certain  expectation  of  answer. 
Seven  times  his  servant  went  to  a  view-point 
toward  the  sea,  while  the  prophet  remained  cast 
down  on  the  earth  with  "  his  face  between  his 
knees."  He  who  had  been  in  the  crisis  of  trial 
sternly  bold  before  king  and  people,  now, 
in  the  hour  of  success,   utterly  abases   him- 


116 


Kixonoyr  of  israel. 


self  before  Ood.  But  his  tmmilily  slays  not  liis 
importunity.  And  the  answer  is  foresliadowed 
with  the  seventh  return  of  his  servant.  Upon 
the  sea- verge  of  the  fleckless  heavens  a  little 
cloud  has  appeared.  The  sign  is  assurance 
that  his  prayer  is  answered,  and  the  prophet 
sends  to  Ahab  a  hsistening  message  of  instant 
return  to  .Iczrcel.     R. 

41.  A  cloud  UN  fiiiisill  a<t  u  iiiaii'!) 
hand,  (fco^raiihci-s  and  tnivcUcrs  often  tell 
us  of  tluisc  great  storms  of  wind  and  rain  which 
are  thus  indicated  in  the  Levant,  so  that,  while 
all  around  their  ship  there  is  calm  and  sunshine, 
that  little  speck  in  the  sky  near  the  horizon  is  so 
sure  a  sj-mptom  of  the  coming  gale  that,  as 
quickly  jia  possible,  the  sails  are  furled  and 
every  preparation  made  for  the  tempest  that  is 
at  hand.     W.  M. 

45.  Palestine  is  still  visited  by  those  sudden 
storms  which  arc  so  frequently  alluded  to  in 
the  Bible,  as  on  the  occiision  of  the  battle  of 
Beth-boron,  and  that  of  Barak's  victory  over 
Jabin,  king  of  Ilazor,  in  the  plain  of  Esdrae- 
lon  ;  the  storm  w  hich  caught  the  disciples  on 
the  Lake  of  Galilee,  and  that  wliich  followed 
the  discomfiture  of  the  priests  of  Baal  beneath 
Jlount  Oarmel,  when  Elijah  "  girded  up  his 
loins  and  ran  before  Ahab  to  the  entrance  of 
Jczreel."  The  writer  was  once  caught  in  one 
of  these  storms  in  the  plains  of  Galilee.  Leav- 
ing camp  one  bright  cloudless  morinng  with  a 
party  of  Arabs,  liis  attention  wa.s  called  by  his 
companions  to  a  small  cloud  in  the  west  no 
larger  than  a  man's  hand,  which,  rising  rapidly, 
soon  overspread  the  heavens  and  burst  upon 
the  party.      Wilson. 

"  It  is  useless  to  pray  for  rain,  since  that  is 
under  the  control  of  physical  laws,"  is  the  doc- 
trine of  a  noted  iihysicist  of  our  time.  "  Elijah 
prayed  to  God,  and  it  rained  not  for  three  years 
and  six  montlis,  and  he  pra_ved  again  and  the 
heaven  gave  rain,"  is  the  counter  statement  of 
Scripture.  Which  is  the  more  truthful  or  sci- 
entific statement,  or  is  there  some  truth  in  both"? 
The  Bible  takes  quite  as  strong  ground  as  the 
physicist  on  the  side  of  law.  The  weather  is 
not  with  it  a  matter  of  chance,  or  the  sport  of 
capricious  demons.  God  arranged  it  all  far 
l)ack  in  the  work  of  creation.  Ills  laws  are  im- 
partial al.so  ;  for  lie  sends  Ilis  rain  on  the  evil 
and  the  good.  But  the  Bible  knows  a  Law- 
giver beyond  the  law.  and  one  who  sympathizes 
with  the  spiritual  <-ondition  of  His  jx'ople,  and 
can  so,  in  the  complex  adjustments  of  His  work, 
order  the  times  and  seasons  as  to  correlate  fruit- 
ful seasons  or  drought  and  barrenness  with 
their  obedience  or  their  baclvsliding.     Dawson. 


45,  46.  Through  t?i<' falling  rain  Elijah  run* 
before  Ahab's chariot  to  Jtzrnt.  liapidly  gather- 
ing clouds  soon  followed  upon  Elijah's  mes- 
sage ;  and  "according  to  his  word,"  as  three 
years  before  lie  had  said  to  Ahab,  the  rain  be- 
gan to  fall.  Homeward  with  speed  drove  the 
king,  while  the  prophet,  girded  with  superhu- 
man strength,  ran  before  the  chariot  seventeen 
miles  to  Jczreel.  Though  the  Lord's  prophet, 
even  through  the  storm  he  thus  preceded  the 
king  :ls  a  servant.  This  he  did  to  show^  tluit  he 
willingly  honored  Ahab.  now  that.  Ahab  had 
outwardly  honored  God's  authority.  And  this 
act  of  humility,  crowning  a  day  of  so  great 
distinction  and  achievement,  showed  that  Eli- 
jah had  been  actuated  by  higher  than  mere 
human  motives.  It  proved  that  he  was  not 
lifted  u])  by  the  signal  triimiph  he  hsid  won,  or 
by  the  miraculous  favor  which  Grxl  had  vouch- 
safed. By  this  humble  and  deferential  spirit 
he  transferred  the  king's  thought  from  himself 
to  .lehovah  iis  the  real  actor  in  the  scenes  that 
had  transpired.  Thus  he  impressed  the  more 
dc!eply  on  Ahab's  mind  the  warning  lesson  of 
the  day.     B. 

This  day  on  Camiel  wiis  the  culminating 
point  of  Elijah's  career.  Biud-worshii)  received 
that  day  a  fatal  blow,  and  the  woi-ship  of  Jeho- 
vah its  most  signal  triumph.  Next  to  the  law- 
giving at  Sinai  it  is  the  most  signal  epoch  in 
the  history  of  Jehovah-worship  that  the  Old 
Testament  records.     Alton. 

46.  Caruiel  to  Jezreel.  The  great  cen- 
tral plain  of  Palestine  may  be  said  almost  to 
bisect  the  country  from  east  to  west.  It  is  a 
wide  rent,  scooped  out  for  about  twelve  miles 
in  width,  in  its  narrowest  parts,  from  north- 
west to  southeast.  It  is,  however,  not  one  even 
plain.  b>it,  though  always  open,  has  slight  un 
dulations.  Its  watei-slied.  which  is  a  mere  im- 
perceptible rise,  is  at  an  irregular  line  drawn  a 
little  to  the  west  of  Jlount  Talior  and  Gilboa. 
It  may  be  divided  into  three  parts  :  1.  The 
coast  plain,  known  as  the  jilain  if  Arn ,  which 
h;is  alw-ays  been  distinguished  from  the  rest, 
cut  off  by  the  bold  ridge  of  Carmel  from  the 
plain  of  Sharon,  and  on  the  northesist  off  from 
the  Pha'uician  plain  by  a  bold  headland  wliich 
pashcs  right  into  the  sea  from  the  Galilean 
hills,  called  Has  en  Xakura.  Eastwanl,  it  la 
separated  from  the  great  central  plain  by  a  low, 
sparsely  wooded  ridge,  through  an  opening  at 
the  south  end  of  which,  under  ilount  Cannel, 
the  Kishon  winds  its  tortuous  way,  and  creeps 
to  the  sea.  This  part  of  the  plain  is  also 
drained  by  the  little  classic  stream  of  the  lieliis. 
and  by  the  Wady  Kuru.     2.  The  central  plain, 


SECTION  10.     ELIJAU  AT  CARMEL. 


117 


more  strictly  that  of  Jezreel  or  Esdraelon,  some- 
times also  the  valley  of  Megiddo,  stretches  to  the 
southeiist,  commanded  on  its  southern  edge  by 
Jukneam,  Merjiihhi,  Tuiinach,  and  Eii-Giinnim 
or.Ienin,  where  it  narrows  to  a  point,  and  there 
is  flanked  on  the  east  by  the  spurs  of  Mount 
Gilboti,  Jczred,  and  Little  Ilcrmon,  or  Jebel 
Duhy,  and  on  the  north  by  Tabor,  the  hills  of 
Kazan th,  and  Sefurieh.  or  Diorasarea.  3.  To 
the  east  three  branches  of  the  plain  slope  gently 
toward  the  Jordan,  separated  by  nearly'  isolated 
ranges,  rising  out  of  the  plain  itself  ;  the  south- 
ern portion  lying  between  Jenin  and  Mount 
Gilboa,  but  not  extending  down  to  the  Jordan 
valley.  The  central  portion,  which  is  the  true 
plain  of  Jezreel,  is  a  fine  rolling  slope  of  the 
greatest  fertility,  fenced  on  the  south  by  Gil- 
boa,  at  the  eastern  end  of  which  BctJis?ieati, 
Beisan,  commands  the  Jordan  valley,  into 
which  this  plain  imperceptibly  blends,  while 
it  is  separated  from  the  northern  branch  by  the 
oblong  ridge  of  Jebel  Duhy,  or  Little  Hermon. 
To  the  north  of  this  again  a  third  branch  of 
the  plain  stretches  eastward,  opening  to  the 
west  between  Little  Hermon  and  Jlouut  Tabor, 
and  drained  toward  the  Jordan  by  Wady  Bireli. 
On  its  southern  skirt,  on  the  edge  of  Little 
Hermon,  or  Jebel  Duhy,  t/m  Hill  of  Moreh, 
hang  the  villages  of  Nain  and  Eiulor.  Tris- 
tram (see  vol.  iii.,  pp.  18-4,  211,  318,  353). 

Suggested  Truthi. 

God  protects  His  servants  in  divers  ways. 
Obadiah  was  kept  as  safely  in  the  court  of 
Ahab,  preserved  as  easily  from  the  malice  of 
Jezeliel,  as  Elijah  in  his  retreats  at  Cherith  and 
Zarephath. 

The  infirmities  of  a  weak  faith  should  be 
dealt  with  gently,  and  in  the  way  of  instruc- 
tion and  encouragement.  Elijah  assured  Oba- 
diah— he  did  not  repro.ich  him — in  his  hesita- 
tion through  fear.  And  Christ's  look  was  one 
of  love — not  of  upbraiding — when  Peter  had 
denied  Him,  through  a  like  sudden  fear  for  liim- 
self. 

In  one  particular,  Elijah,  like  liis  antitype 
John  the  Baptist,  is  a  model  preacher.  He 
never  generalizes  about  "our  common  sinful- 
ness." _His  charge  of  guilt  is  directly  and 
sharply  personal.  And  as  it  was  with  Elijah 
and  John,  such  preaching,  if  from  a  heart  con- 
strained by  the  love  of  Christ,  is  always  re- 
ceived without  offence  or  excusing  reply. 

But  one  issue  stands  before  the  race  of  men. 
One  alternative  of  consecration  and  service,  be- 
fore each  individual  of  the  race.  God  or  Self ! 
worship  and  service  of  one  absolutely  excludes 


that  of  the  other.  One  master  must  be  su- 
preme. An  intermitting  half-time  service  is 
impossible,  since  the  soul  cannot  toss  its  su- 
premely mastering  affections  to  and  fro  from 
hour  to  hour.  It  is  further  impossible,  because 
God  will  not  accept  such  dishonoring  attempts 
at  service.  The  undivided  devotion,  the  love 
and  consecration  of  all  the  mind  and  soul  and 
strength,  is  His  single  and  exalting  condition 
of  acceptance,  and  such  whole-souled  service 
alone  stands  every  test  of  life  and  death.  It 
finds  a  responsive  voice  to  the  call  of  need,  sus- 
taining help  and  cheer  in  the  experience  of 
trial.  And  indecision  respecting  the  demand 
of  God  for  trust  and  service  is  decision  against 
that  demand.  It  is  the  choice  of  its  rejection  ; 
the  actual  determination  to  distrust  disobey, 
and  forsake  Him. 

The  whole  incident  furnishes  a  vivid  sug- 
gestion of  God's  condescending  patience  with 
persistent  transgressors.  Though  he  visited 
j  udgment  upon  a  few  of  the  foremost  offend- 
ers, he  continued  to  spare  the  guilty  king  and 
people.  And  how  emphatically  does  the  whole 
previoiLS  and  subsequent  history  of  this  favored 
nation  illustrate  the  amazing  patience  and  long 
suffering  of  God  ! 

The  spirit  that  directed  and  actuated  Elijah 
in  the  arrest  and  execution  of  the  false  prophets 
has  been  sometimes  contrasted  with  the  spirit 
manifested  by  Christ,  as  though  the  one  was 
utterly  antagonistic  to  the  other.  And  the  con- 
trast has  been  extended  to  the  two  great  dis- 
pensations of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  A 
deeper  and  more  careful  study  would  have  dis- 
closed the  truth  that  no  such  contrast  or  antag- 
onism exists.  The  .Jehovah  who  inspired  the 
judgment-deed  of  Elijah  was  Jehovah  Jesus, 
the  same  who  inspired  the  like  judgment-word 
of  Peter  in  the  doom  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira. 
Whatever  the  differences  that  may  be  traced  in 
the  tiuitJwds  of  the  Divine  ordering  and  action, 
before  and  after  the  incarnation  of  Jesus  and 
the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  there  are  no  dif- 
ferences in  the  spirit  of  the  one  Jehovah  Jesus 
who  sought  and  directed  alike  all  the  agents 
He  h;is  employed  in  every  dispensation.  Love 
ever  has  been,  is  now,  and  ever  shall  be  the 
basis  of  Divine  judgment  ;  and  though  they 
mean  it  not,  good  men  dishonor  God  by  the  in- 
timation of  any  essential  antagonism  between 
the  elder  and  later  dispensation  on  this  vital 
matter.  Thcg  know  not  "  what  spirit  they  are 
of." 

In  the  constancy,  closeness,  and  fervor  of  his 
communion  with  God  we  find  the  secret  of  Eli- 
jah's intrepidity,  and  the  source  of  his  strength. 


118 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


In  olosinp;  the  fountains  of  heaven,  in  restorinc; 
the  widow's  deail  eliild,  in  evoliing  the  tire 
upon  the  sacritiee.  in  restoring  tlie  rain  to  tlie 
parched  infertile  earth,  and  in  bringing  down 
the  destroying  tlame  upon  tlie  bands  sent  for 
his  arrest,  all  these  signal  and  wondrous  events 
were  preceded  by  his  intensely  fervent  prayer. 
AH  these  miraculous  interpositions  simply 
prove  the  si.gniticant  assertion  of  James  :  Tlie 
effcctniil  {ciirrr/i'tir)  feriviit  ]triii/cr  of  a  rirjhte.itnn 
viiiii  iirnihth  murk.  Explicitly  referring  to  the 
miracle  before  us,  the  same  Apostle  declares 
that  "  Elijah  was  but  a  man.  subject  to  like 
pa.ssions  as  we  are  ;"  thus  intimating  that  like 
power  with  God  may  be  attained  by  every  be- 
lieving importunate  suppliant.     So  clearly  ajid 


forcibly  are  wc  encouraged  to  enntinne  imUint 
in  prayer,  and  to  auk  wluitwiivr  wk  will  !     B. 

This  scene  on  Mount  Carmel  is  a  grand  rep- 
resentative picture  of  things  that  arc,  wherever 
the  Gospel  is  preached.  This  congregation  on 
Cannel  is  a  representative  congregation  ;  and 
seldom  does  a  Sabbath  congregation  gather  in 
the  land,  that,  if  analyzed,  will  not  be  found  to 
consist  of  the  same  four  elas.scs  of  men  sis  this 
on  Mount  Carmel,  First,  a  very  small  minori- 
ty, more  or  less  bold  to  confess  it,  di'cided  for 
Jehovah.  Second,  a  larger  minority  thorough- 
ly decided  for  Baal.  Tliird,  a  much  larger 
minority  that  do  not  know  whether  Jehovah  is 
God  or  not.  Fourth,  the  majority  of  all  who  do 
not  care  whether  Jehovah  be  God  or  not.    S.  R. 


Section  11. 


ELIJAH'S    FLIGHT    TO    HOREB. 


JEHOVAH'S    TREATMENT 
AGED   SPIRIT. 


OP    HIS    DISCOUR- 


1  Kings  19: 1-21. 


1  And  Ahab  told  Jezebel  all  that  Elijah  had  done,  and  withal  how  he  had  slain  all  the 

2  prophets  with  the  sword.  Then  Jezebel  sent  a  messenger  unto  Elijah,  saying,  So  let  tht 
gods  do  to  me,  iuid  more  also,  if  I  make  not  thy  life  as  the  life  of  one  of  them  by  to-morrow 

3  about  this  time.     And  when  he  saw  that,  he  arose,  and  went  for  his  life,  and  came  to  Beer- 

4  slieba,  which  belongcth  to  Judah,  and  left  his  servant  there.  But  he  himself  went  a  day's 
journey  into  the  wilderness,  and  came  and  sat  down  under  a  juniper  tree  :  and  he  requested 
for  himself  that  he  might  die  ;  and  said.  It  is  enough  ;  now,  O  Lord,  take  away  my  life  ;  for 

5  I  am  not  better  than  my  fathers.     And  he  lay  down' and  slept  under  a  jimipertree;  and, 

6  behold,  an  angel  touched  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Arise  and  eat.  And  he  looked,  and,  be 
hold,  there  was  at  his  head  a  cake  bakcn  on  the  eoals,  and  a  cruse  of  water.     And  he  did  cat 

7  and  drink,  and  laid  him  down  again.     And  the  angel  of  the  Loud  came  again  the  second  time, 

8  and  touched  him.  ami  said.  Arise  and  eat  ;  because  the  journey  is  too  great  for  thee.  And  he 
arose,  and  did  eat  and  drink,  and  went  in  the  strength  of  that  meat  forty  days  and  forty 

9  nights  unto  Iloreb  the  mount  of  God.  And  he  came  thither  \mto  a  cave,  and  lodged  there  ; 
and,  behold,  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  him,  and  he  said  unto  him.  What  doost  thou  here, 

10  Elijah'?  And  he  said,  I  have  been  very  jealous  for  the  Loud,  the  God  of  hosts  ;  for  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  have  forsaken  thy  covenant,  thrown  down  thine  altars,  and  slain  thy  prophets 

11  with  the  sword  :  and  I,  even  I  only,  am  left  ;  and  they  seek  mj'  life,  to  take  it  away.  And 
he  said,  Go  forth,  and  stand  upon  the  mount  before  the  Lord.  And,  behold,  the  Ixird  passed 
by,  and  a  great  and  strong  wind  rent  th<'  mountains,  and  brake  in  pieces  the  rocks  before  the 
Lord  ;  but  the  Lord  w;ls  not  in  the  wind  ;  and  after  the  wind  an  earthquake  ;  but  the  Lord 

12  was  not  in  the  earth(|viake  :  and  after  the  earthquake  a  fire  ;  but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the 

13  fire  :  and  after  the  fire  a  still  small  voie<'.  -Vnd  it  was  so,  when  Elijah  heard  it,  that  he 
wrapped  his  face  in  his  mantle,  and  went  out,  and  stood  in  the  entering  in  of  the  cave.     And, 

14  behold,  there  came  a  voic<'  unto  him,  and  said.  What  doest  thou  here,  Elijah?  And  he  said,  I 
have  been  very  jealous  for  the  Lord,  the  God  of  hosts  ;  for  the  children  of  Israel  have  for- 
saken thy  covenant,  thrown  down  thine  altars,  and  slain  thy  proplu'ts  with  the  sword  ;  and  I, 

15  even  I  only,  am  left  ;  and  they  seek  my  life,  to  take  it  away.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him. 
Go,  return  on  thv  wav  to  the  wilderness  of  Damascus  :  and  when  thou  comest,  thou  shall 


SECTION  11.     ELIJAH'S  FLIGHT  TO  HOREB. 


119 


16  anoint  Haza«l  to  be  king  over  Syria  :  and  Jehu  tlie  son  of  Nimshi  slialt  thou  anoint  to  be  Icing 
over  Israel  :  and  Elisha  the  son  of  Shaphat  of  Abel-meholah  shalt  thou  anoint  to  be  prophet 

17  in  thy  room.     And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  him  that  eseapeth  from  the  sword  of  Ilazael 

18  shall  Jehu  slay  :  and  him  that  escapeth  from  the  sword  of  Jehu  shall  Elisha  slay.  Yet  will 
I  leave  mf  seven  thousand  in  Israel,  all  the  knees  which  have  not  bowed  unto  Baal,  and  every 

19  mouth  which  hath  not  kissed  him.  So  he  departed  thence,  and  found  Elisha  the  son  of  Sha- 
phat, who  was  plowing,  with  twelve  yoke  of  oxen  before  him,  and  he  with  the  twelfth  :  and 

20  Elijah  passed  over  unto  him,  and  cast  liis  mantle  upon  him.  And  he  left  the  oxen,  and  ran 
after  Elijah,  and  said.  Let  me,  I  pray  thee,  kiss  my  father  and  my  mother,  and  then  I  will 

21  follow  thee.  And  he  said  unto  liim.  Go  back  again  ;  for  wliat  have  I  done  to  thee?  And  he 
returned  from  following  him,  and  took  the  yoke  of  oxen,  and  slew  them,  and  boiled  their  flesh 
with  the  instruments  of  the  oxen,  and  gave  unto  the  people,  and  they  did  eat.  Then  he  arose, 
and  went  after  Elijah,  and  ministered  unto  him. 


It  has  been  often  noted  that  the  si.gnal  failures 
of  the  eminent  men  of  Scripture  (who  were  all 
"  subject  to  Ukc  passions  as  we  are")  occurred 
just  in  the  points  of  their  peculiar  excellence. 
As  it  was  the  faith  of  Abraham,  the  meekness 
of  Moses,  the  yearning  after  holiness  of  David, 
the  gentle  tolerance  of  John,  and  the  ingenuous 
boldness  of  Peter  that  failed,  so  here  it  is  the 
fearless  intrepidity  of  Elijah  that  yields  to  the 
force  of  sharp  and  sudden  trial.  Standing 
among  the  foremost  of  those  spiritual  heroes 
whose  sublime  deeds  are  recounted  as  they 
were  incited  by  the  Spirit  of  Jehovah,  in  dis- 
tinction ranking  with  Moses,  a  man  pre-emi- 
nently mighty  in  word  and  deed  and  in  miracle, 
a  man  who  left  so  deep  and  permanent  an  im- 
press of  energy  and  great  achievement  upon 
the  history  and  heart  of  the  Jewish  people  that, 
nine  hundred  years  later,  when  the  Lord  of 
glory  appeared  upon  earth  the  Jews  affirmed, 
It  is  Eliius  ! — this  man,  in  all  other  circum- 
stances and  at  all  other  periods  of  his  career, 
exemplifies  more  signally,  perhaps,  than  any 
other  the  qualities  of  unfaltering  faith  in  God 
and  intrepid  fearlessness  of  man.  Of  a  nature 
bold,  stern,  self-reliant,  of  an  iron  strength  and 
indomitable  persistency  of  piirpose,  these  ele- 
ments of  character  signalized  his  whole  history 
save  the  incident  here  recorded.  At  Carmel, 
through  the  intense  strain  to  which  his  faith 
was  subjected,  the  .seemingly  hopeless,  helpless 
perils  by  which  his  courage  was  tested,  both 
faith  and  courage  held  out  to  a  successful  end. 
As  one  directed  and  protected  by  .Jehovah,  he 
had  commanded  king  and  people  to  institute 
the  trial,  and  they  obeyed.  Consummating  his 
intrepidity,  under  the  same  Divine  direction 
and  protection  he  had  ordered,  and  himself 
participated  in,  the  slaying  of  the  priests  of 
Baal.  And  afterward  we  discern  the  same  un- 
daunted courage  in  entering  Ahab's  presence 
alone  and  denouncing  to  the  guilty  king  and 
the  viler  queen  the  ignominious,  terrible  end 


with  which  God  would  visit  them.  And  at  the 
last  we  see  this  stern,  unyielding  character  re- 
jecting all  human  companionship  when  about 
to  take  his  heavenward  departure.  Thus 
proved,  both  before  and  after,  b}'  many  severest 
tests  superior  to  all  ordinary  human  weak- 
nesses, here — but  w«?^here — his  courage  of  soul 
and  his  othem'ise  unyielding  faith  for  the  time 
utterly  gave  way.  The  causes  of  this  one  fttil- 
tire  in  faith  and  courage,  and  God's  kind  re- 
storative treatment,  comprise  the  main  points 
to  be  developed  in  this  chapter.     B. 

No  passage  in  Elijah's  historj-  is  religiously 
more  suggestive  and  comforting  than  this — 
this  mood  of  a  prophet  whose  achievements 
had  been  so  grand  and  whose  apotheosis  was  to 
be  so  triumphant,  and  his  patient,  tender  treat- 
ment by  Jehovah,  are  alike  full  of  consolation. 
Allan, 

1-7.  Jezebel's  heart  is  unmoved,  alike  by 
the  tokens  of  God's  terrible  power  recited  to 
her  and  by  the  manifest  sign  of  His  returning 
favor  to  the  land.  She  thirsts  for  Elijah's 
blood  to  avenge  the  destruction  of  Baal's 
priests.  At  her  forewarning  of  pursuit  and 
death,  the  prophet  is  stunned  with  sudden  fear. 
Looking  only  at  his  fierce  foe  (ich^n  lie  saw  that, 
the  record  says),  and  failing,  like  Peter  on  the 
waves,  to  look  to  his  Lord,  the  interposing 
power  of  God  consequently  failed  him  for  the 
time.  lie  flies  from  the  threatened  peril. 
Hitherto  he  had  gone  when  and  where  God  had 
bade  him.  Now,  without  Divine  direction, 
from  Jezreel  he  ha.stens  southward  through 
the  kingdom  of  Judah  ninety  miles  to  Beershe- 
ba.  Thence  going  a  day's  journey  into  the 
wilderness,  he  casts  himself  down  under  a  soli- 
tary broom  tree,  and  asks  that  God  would  take 
to  Himself  his  overburdened  spirit.  The  sim- 
ple expression  It  is  cnoriyh  !  intimates  the  thor- 
oughly discouraged  state  of  his  mind.  But 
even  in  his  discouragement  the  tone  of  his 
prayer  is  elevated  and  touching.     Pie  does  not 


120 


KiyQBOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


weakly  fret  or  repine.  With  tiic  old  boldness 
of  an  honest  and  faithful  heart  he  affirms  his 
own  conclusions  :  "  My  work  for  Thee,  O  Lord, 
is  done  !  Take  me  now  to  Thyself  !  Already 
Thou  hast  fully  honored  me  I  I  deserve  no 
more  than  those  who  have  gone  before  me  !" 

But  God  will  not  take  him  in  so  inglorio\is 
a  way  and  time.  The  Lord  will  not  seal  that 
shining  ndnistry  while  so  heavy  a  cloud  rests 
upon  it,  nor  take  the  strong  spirit  while  bowed 
in  its  gloom.  Radiantly  and  triumphantly  his 
work  and  life  are  to  close.  Kow,  in  answer  to 
the  prayer  for  death,  God  sends  him  bodily 
food  in  intimation  that  lie  would  have  him  lice. 
lie  sends  by  a  higher  ministry  than  the  ravens 
or  the  poor  widow — by  an  angel,  as  still  more 
assuring.  And  lie  proceeds  to  deal  graciously 
and  wisely  with  Elijah,  suiting  Ilis  treatment 
to  that  strong,  heroic  spirit.  Fimt,  with  (dter- 
nate  sleep  and  food.  He  restores  and  miracu- 
lously strengthens  the  prophet's  exhausted 
body  and  mind.  The  intense  excitement  of 
the  day  at  Cannel,  followed  by  the  seventeen 
miles  of  running  to  Jezreel,  and  the  added  jour- 
ney from  Jezreel  to  Beersheba,  were  causes 
enough  to  exhaust  the  strongest  human  frame, 
apart  from  his  present  great  distress  of  spirit. 
A  special  recuperating  force  is  imparted  by  the 
rest  and  the  angel's  supply  of  food.  So  Elijah 
is  prepared  for  the  "  great  journey"  which  is 
indicated  to  him  by  the  angel,  about  two  hun- 
dred miles.     B. 

2.  As  simply  a  specimen  of  human  nature 
]iainting,  there  is  nothing  equal  to  the  Jezebel 
of  Scripture  in  all  the  circle  of  literature.  The 
strokes  of  the  pencil  are  indeed  very  few.  It 
is  an  outline,  with  no  tilling  up  of  the  details. 
Its  in  the  tragic  poets.  Yet  the  student  who 
will  take  the  pains  to  gather  from  the  record 
and  study  this  outline  will  find  the  Jezebel  of 
Scripture  stand  out  before  him  with  more  dis- 
tinctness than  the  Medea  of  Euripides  or  the 
Lady  Macbeth  of  Shakespeare.  The  mere  out- 
line sets  her  forth  with  a  power,  and  vividness, 
and  a  gigantic  grandeur  of  wickedness,  yet 
withal  a  naturalness  that  no  human  genius  has 

ever  equalled.     S.  R. This  history  may  well 

astound  us  with  its  illustrations  of  the  terrible 
induence  of  one  had  icoi/ain.  What  Satanic  en- 
ergy of  will  I  What  bold  ingenuity  I  'What 
seductive  power  over  her  husband  toward 
wickedness  I  We  might  have  supposed  that 
no  mind  less  mighty  than  Satan's  could  throw 
itself  into  the  face  of  such  a  movement  aa  that 
inaugurated  on  Mt.  Carmel  and  block  it  utter- 
ly ;  but  apparently  Jezebel  was  equal  to  it,  and 
did  it !    H.  C. 


It  i.s  worthy  of  note  that  this  is  the  first  great 
religious  persecution  that  history  records  :  and 
of  all  the  subjects  of  religious  persecution  Eli- 
jah is  the  most  dramatic  and  heroic.  Such 
persecution  was  the  necessary  condition  of  jiro- 
phetic  greatness,  and  Elijah  wsis  great  enough 
to  become  its  hero.  Elijah  was  the  first  to 
teach  the  world  the  lofty  duty  of  resisting  or- 
ganized wrong,  even  at  the  cost  of  martyrdom. 
He  was  the  first  of  the  great  roll  of  confessors 
who,  against  kings  and  national  syst<'ms,  have 
witnessed  for  God  and  truth.  The  three  He- 
brew youths,  Daniel,  Stephen,  the  Apostles  of 
our  Lord,  the  early  Christians.  Wyclilfe,  Savo- 
narola, Huss,  Luther,  the  noble  anny  of  the 
reformers  and  faithful  witnesses  for  Christ, 
down  to  the  Malagasy  martym,  must  recognize 
him  as  their  illustrious  prototype.  lie  first 
vindicated  the  Sitcred  rights  of  the  religious 
conscience  against  all  its  persecutors  in  the 
world  or  in  the  Church.     Alton. 

3.  What  is  the  solution  of  this  paradox,  that 
a  man  is  running  for  his  life  and  j-et  praying 
to  die?  It  is,  indeed,  inconsistent  enough,  yet 
never  was  painting  truer  to  the  life  of  a  saint 
of  God  in  darkness  and  desertion.  The  clue  to 
the  whole  mystery  is  that  Jehovah  has  not  said 
to  Elijah,  "  Arise  and  flee,"  as  before  He  had 
said,  "  Go  show  thyself  to  .Uiab,"  or  "  Arise, 
get  thee  to  Zarcphath."  The  record  simply 
states  that,  hearing  Jezebel's  fierce  oath,  Elijah 
'  ■  arose  and  went  for  his  lif e. "  Once  the  com- 
munication between  Elijah  and  Jehovah  is  bro- 
ken, he  is  just  as  inconsistent  and  weak  as  any 
of  us.  Well  did  the  Apostle  James  say,  "  Elijah 
was  a  man  of  like  pa,ssions  with  -as."    8.  R. 

4.  All  day  he  travelled,  and  foiind  no  ref- 
uge ;  and  in  the  evening,  worn  out  with  fatigue 
and  consumed  w'ith  hunger,  he  east  himself 
down  >mder  the  shelter  of  one  of  the  broom 
trees,  which  alone  flourish  in  that  wilderness. 
Here  this  lately  strong-souled  man  lay  hope- 
less, helpless,  and  despairing  ;  and  he  who  fled 
so  anxiously  from  death  prayed  for  himself 
that  he  might  die.  "It  is  enough  ;  O  Lord 
God,  take  away  my  life  ;  for  I  am  not  better 
than  my  fathers."  Strange  contradiction  ! 
Here  the  man  who  was  destined  not  to  taste  of 
death  llees  from  death  on  the  one  hand,  and 
seeks  it  on  the  other  !  And  who  told  him  it 
was  "  enough"?  God  did  not  :  lie  knew  what 
was  enough  for  him  to  do  and  to  sulTer.  It 
was  not  enough.  God  hsul  more  to  teach  him, 
and  had  more  work  for  him  to  do.  If  the  Lord 
had  taken  him  at  his  word,  and  had  also  saiil  it 
was  "  enough,"  Elijah's  history  would  have 
wanted  its  crowning  glory.  Kitto. 


SECTION  11.     ELLTAH'S  FLIGHT  TO  HOREB. 


121 


If  Elijah  can  become  weak  and  his  courage 
die  out,  wlio  sliall  stand?  The  lessons  of  self- 
distrust,  of  the  nearness  to  one  another  of  the 
most  opposite  emotions  in  our  weak  natures,  of 
the  depth  of  gloom  into  which  the  boldest  and 
brightest  servant  of  God  may  fall  as  soon  as  he 
loses  hold  of  God's  hand,  never  had  a  more 
striking  instance  to  point  them  than  that  mighty 
prophet,  sitting  in  utter  despondency  below  the 
solitary  retem  bush,  praying  his  foolish  prayer 

for  death.     A.  M. Despondency  in  the  midst 

of  severe  contest,  who  has  never  had  to  wrestle 
with  this?  and  he  who  has  hitherto  been  pre- 
served from  it,  what  guarantee  has  he  that  he 
shall  not  to-morrow  lie  down  like  the  stern 
prophet  of  the  wilderness,  under  his  juniper- 
tree?  Disappointed  expectation,  increasing  con- 
flict and  wavering  faith,  each  of  these  three  is 
in  itself  .sufficient  to  deprive  us  of  courage  and 
strength  ;  what,  then,  if  they,  as  here  in  the 
case  of  Elijah,  all  storm  at  once  on  the  weary 
soul?  How  will  this  end  with  Elijah  if  God 
does  not  Himself  step  in,  but  that  he  should  be- 
come an  unprofitable  servant  of  the  Most  High, 
an  indocile  pupil  of  His  providence,  a  murmur- 
ing rebel  against  His  adorable  sovereignty,  who 
sins  even  in  his  prayers?     Van  0. 

5,  6.  Toil  and  sorrow  have  lulled  the  prophet 
asleep,  under  his  juniper  tree.  That  wholesome 
shade  was  well  chosen  for  his  repose.  While 
death  was  called  for,  the  cousin  of  death  comes 
unbidden.  The  angel  of  God  waits  on  him  in 
that  hard  lodging.  No  wilderness  is  too  soli- 
tary for  the  attendance  of  those  blessed  spirits. 
As  he  is  guarded  so  is  he  awaked  by  that  mes- 
senger of  God,  and  stirred  up  from  his  rest  to 
his  repast.  While  he  slept  his  breakfast  is 
made  ready  for  him  by  those  spiritual  hands  ; 
"  there  was  a  cake  baked  on  the  coals  and  a 
cruse  of  water  at  his  head."  Oh,  the  never- 
ceasing  care  and  providence  of  the  Almighty  ; 
not  to  be  barred  b}'  any  place,  by  any  condition  ! 
When  means  are  wanting  to  us,  when  we  are 
wanting  to  ourselves,  when  to  God,  even  then 
doth  He  follow  us  with  His  mercj',  and  cast 
favors  upon  us,  bej'ond,  against  expectation. 
What  variety  of  purveyance  doth  he  make  for 
his  servant  !  One  w"hile  the  ravens,  then  the 
Sareptan,  now  the  angel  shall  be  his  caterer  ; 
none  of  them  without  a  miracle.  Those  other 
provided  for  him  waking  ;  this,  sleeping.  O 
God,  the  eye  of  Thy  providence  is  not  dim- 
mer, the  hand  of  Thy  power  is  not  shorter ; 
only  teach  Thou  us  to  serve  Thee,  to  trust 
Thee.     Bp.  ff. 

7.  The  fatherly  tenderness  of  God  is  nowhere 
in  the  Old  Testament  more  touchingly  brought 


out  than  here,  where  he  waits,  as  it  were,  while 
the  wear}'  prophet  sleeps  again  after  his  meal, 
and  sends  the  angel  a  second  time  to  remind 
him  of  the  provision  for  his  bodily  wants,  which 
he  would  be  so  likely  to  forget.     Houghton. 

The  meal  to  which  an  angel  twice  waked  him 
was  God's  answer  to  his  praj-er,  telling  him 
both  that  his  life  was  still  needful  and  that  God 
cared  for  him.  God  for  the  third  time  miracu- 
lously provides  his  food.  The  ravens,  the  wid- 
ow of  Zarcphath,  an  angel,  were  his  caterers  ; 
and,  instead  of  taking  away  his  life,  God  him- 
self sends  the  bread  and  water  to  preserve  it. 
The  revelation  of  a  watchful,  tender  providence 
often  rebukes  gloomy  unbelief  and  shames  us 
back  to  faith.     A.  M. 

The  spiritual  food  which  God  gave  Elijah 
answers  to  truth,  the  true  and  real  in  every- 
thing. It  is  a  strange  alchemy,  but  it  is  a  lit- 
eral fact,  that  the  grace  of  God  in  the  heart  can 
turn  stones  to  bread.  There  is  an  idea,  a  les- 
son, a  picture,  a  caution,  a  comfort  everywhere. 
God  has  enshrined  all  truth  in  Christ.  He  is 
the  true  and  living  Bread,  which  is  the  "  life  of 
the  world."  We  must  appropriate  this  food, 
and  we  shall  go  in  the  strength  of  it  many  days. 
J.  Vaughan. 

8.  The  journty  to  Eweh,  and  the  forty  days' 
fast.  Horeb  is  one  of  the  Sinai  group  of  moun- 
tains central  to  the  southern  part  of  the  Ara- 
bian peninsula,  itself  rising  to  the  height  of 
seven  or  eight  thousand  feet.  From  the  ap- 
pearances of  God  upon  this  mountain  to  Moses, 
and  from  the  giving  of  the  law,  it  is  called  the 
"  Mount  of  God."  It  is  not  strange,  then,  that 
Elijah,  the  great  restorer  of  the  law,  should  be 
guided  to  this  sacred  mountain.  It  is  natural 
that  he,  who  stood  with  Moses  beside  the  trans- 
figured Christ,  should  tread  in  the  steps  and 
share  in  the  high  experience  of  Moses  upon  the 
original  holy  mount.  So,  under  circumstances 
dissimilar,  with  like  purpose  of  special  Divine 
instruction  and  manifestation,  Elijah  is  led  to 
Horeb.  And,  like  Moses,  and  like  the  incar- 
nate Lord  Himself,  Elijah  fasts  forty  days  in 
the  wilderness.  Alike  they  all  fasted  thus, 
' '  perhaps  to  intimate  the  likeness  of  their  com- 
missions, to  propose,  to  restore,  and  to  perfect 
the  law,  by  God's  last  and  best  gift,  the  Gos- 
pel ;  of  which  Moses  and  Elijah  were  witnesses 
with  Christ  at  His  transfiguration."  In  the 
opportunity  for  quiet  thoughtfulncss  during 
those  forty  days  of  the  prophet's  journeying 
and  resting,  in  his  receiving  and  pondering 
afresh  the  lessons  of  the  old  history  imprinted 
upon  every  step  of  the  way,  and  especially 
conveyed  by  the  sacred   associations    of    the 


122 


KINCrDOM  OF  TftRAEL. 


mountain,  we  may  find  a  second  pdrticiilur  of 
Ood'n  iriitnvi iKj  tniitiiiciit  of  Ilis  (lishcartcnfcl 
servant.     B. 

God  knows  what  lie  designs  us  for,  though 
we  do  not,  what  services,  what  trials,  and  will 
take  care  for  us,  when  we  for  want  of  foresight 
cannot  for  ourselves,  that  we  be  furnished  for 
them  with  (jriice  sufficient.  He  that  appoints 
what  the  voyage  shall  be  will  victual  the  ship 
accordingly.  See  how  many  different  ways 
God  took  to  keep  Elijah  alive  ;  and  now,  to 
show  that  iiKin  lircs  not  hy  bread  alone,  he  kept 
liim  alive  forty  days  without  meat,  not  resting 
and  sleeping,  which  might  make  him  the  less 
to  crave  sustenance,  but  continually  traversing 
the  mazes  of  the  desert,  a  day  for  a  year  of  Is- 
rael's wanderings  ;  yet  he  neither  needs  food, 
nor  desires  it.  The  place,  no  doubt,  reminds 
him  of  the  manna,  and  encourages  him  to  hope 
that  God  wouM  sustain  him  here,  and,  in  due 
time,  bring  him  hence,  as  he  did  Israel,  though, 
like  him,  fretful  and  distrustful.     H. 

Elijah,  faint  and  exhausted,  begged  that  he 
might  tlie,  but  Elijah,  fed  and  refreshed,  rose 
and  went  in  strength  through  a  forty  days' 
journey.  Satan  is  a  cowardly  assailant,  who 
loves  to  take  us  at  a  disadvantage,  as  he  as- 
sailed our  Lord  when  He  was  a-hungered. 
■\V'hen  the  body  is  shattered  he  will  shake  the 
soul  with  iiains.  We  should  ask,  therefore, 
when  sad  or  depressed.  Is  it  because  I  have 
been  more  wicked  than  usual  or  have  more  real 
trouble,  or  is  it  only  because  I  am  weak  in 
health  and  so  more  sensitive?  To  be  depressed 
because  we  arc  feeble  and  so  fearful,  would  be 
about  as  sensible  as  to  be  depressed  because  we 
were  hungry  when  food  was  before  us.  Use 
the  remedy,  and  the  evil  will  be  more  tolerable. 
Paul,  after  three  days  of  gloom,  received  meat, 
and  was  strengthened.  But  the  grace  of  God 
is  our  great  help  in  practising  upon  these  pre- 
cepts. Suflicieiit  to  the  day  is  the  evil,  and 
sufficient  to  the  evil  is  the  grace  offered.  W.  II. 
Lewis. 

9,  10.  Ood's  rjiiestion  and  Elijah's  nnsicer. 
In  this  ({Uestion  we  discern  a  still  further  step 
in  God's  treatment.  The  bodily  iuvigoration, 
and  the  long  restful  period  for  reflection,  have 
failed  to  bring  back  right  thoughts  and  trust- 
ful feeling.  Elijah  has  not  yet  realized  his  de- 
fection and  distrust  in  fleeing  from  Jezebel's 
threat,  when  unbidden  by  God.  Therefore  the 
mild  reproof:  M'liat  doest  thou  here?  The 
prophet's  answer  shows  that  he  understood  and 
felt  the  rebuke.  But  he  speaks  boldly  in  jiisti- 
flcation  of  his  withdrawal.  And  God  forbears, 
once  and  again,  with  his  boldness  because  of 


his  truth.  The  reply,  in  its  three  particulars, 
discloses  a  conilition  of  utter,  hopeless  discour- 
agement. Three  things,  according  to  his  own 
showing,  combined  to  break  down  his  brave 
spirit.  For  the  time  they  paralyzed  his  in- 
trepid faith. 

1.  He  was  discouraged  by  an  imagined  want 
of  success,  a  connction  of  failure.  At  Carmel 
he  hail  "  been  very  jealous  for  the  Lord  God  of 
hosts."  lie  had  stood  alone  for  God.  and  had 
triumphed  in  His  name.  The  idolatrous  proph- 
ets had  been  destroyed.  Israel  again  had  open- 
ly iU'knowledged  Jehovah,  and  His  favor  had 
released  their  land  from  the  interdict  of  barren- 
ness. Seemingly  in  a  .single  day  and  by  a  sin- 
gle deed  the  prophet's  life  aim  an<i  work  had 
been  achieved.  But  on  the  ver}-  next  day  his 
work  seemed  wasted  ;  his  hope  was  dead.  With 
the  one  shout  of  the  people  apparently  ceased 
all  their  interest  in  a  true,  pure  worship.  Ahab, 
unmoved  by  all  that  had  occurred,  suffered 
Jezebel's  murderous  purpose  to  go  forward. 
She  would  tri\miph  over  the  cause  he  had  cham- 
pioned. Ko  sign  from  heaven  appeared  :  no 
voice  from  God  was  heard.  It  .seemed  that  Grod 
had  no  more  for  him  to  do.  His  flight  was  not 
to  save  his  life,  but  to  prevent  its  being  taken 
hy  Jezebel.  For  he  asks  the  Lord  to  take  it. 
And,  connected  with  this  conviction  of  failure, 
3.  .-1  «)'/!««  of  human  desertion,  loneliness  from 
lack  of  all  sympathy  in  his  bold  stand  for  God, 
was  another  source  of  discouragement,  and 
cau.se  of  failure  in  his  faith  and  courage.  "  I, 
even  I  onlii,  am  left  !"  He  had  nftt  felt  his  lone- 
liness or  craved  sympathy  before.  During  the 
great  trial  he  was  nerved  by  the  Divine  com- 
mand, and  by  an  issue  grand  enough  to  call 
into  full  play  the  mighty  energies  of  his  na- 
ture. But  ever  since,  in  his  ear.  the  voice  of 
the  fickle  multitude  seemed  a  mocking,  taunt- 
ing echo.  Resolute  and  unyielding  as  he  was, 
this  repeated  thriisting  back  of  disagn>cable 
memories  of  solitary  and  fruitless  endeavor, 
stirred  the  heart's  native  craving  after  some 
sympathy,  hum.in  or  Divine.  But  no  voice  of 
comfort  broke  upon  hig  desolate  perturbed 
spirit.  3.  Closely  joined  with  this  feeling  of  des- 
olation was  the  want  of  any  assigned  aijgressive 
■work.  This  would  have  been  solace  enough  for 
his  strong  nature  ;  something  to  be  resisted  or 
grappled  with,  or  some  great  peril  to  be  en- 
countered. Had  God  bidden  him  brave  the 
haughtj-  queen's  wrath  when  her  threatening 
message  came,  he  would  unfalteringly  have 
done  it.  But  no  voice  came  to  him  ;  no  call  for 
that  moral  struggle  he  craved  and  for  which  he 
was  fitted.     Onlj'  physical  force  was  to  be  set 


SECTION  11.     ELIJAH  AT  HOREB. 


123 


upon  him  ;  and  Jezebel's  triumph  by  his  mur- 
der would  obliterate  all  he  had  done,  and  set 
back  the  cause  of  God.  This  was  the  state  of 
mind  which  induced  Elijah's  justifying  an- 
swer. These  were  the  chief  causes  of  his  sin- 
gle failure  in  faith  during  a  long  life  of  signal 
heroism  for  God.     B. 

9.  Cave.  The  parallel  betv.-een  Moses  and 
Elijah  is  very  real.  These  two  names  stand 
out  above  all  otliers  in  the  history  of  the  tlieoc- 
racy,  the  one  as  the  foimder,  the  other  as  the 
restorer  ;  both  distinguished  by  special  revela- 
tions, both  endowed  with  exceptional  force  of 
character  and  power  of  the  spirit  ;  the  one  the 
lawgiver,  the  other  the  head  of  the  prophetic 
order  ;  both  having  something  peculiar  in  their 
departure,  and  both  standing  together,  in  wit- 
ness of  tlieir  supremacy  in  the  past  and  of  their 
inferiority  in  the  future,  by  Jesus  on  the 
mount  of  transfiguration.  The  associations  of 
the  place  are  marked  by  the  vise  of  the  definite 
article,  which  is  missed  in  the  Authorized  Ver- 
sion— "  the  cave,"  that  same  cleft  in  the  rock 
where  Moses  had  stood.  That  question, 
"  What  doest  thou  here?"  can  scarcely  be  freed 
from  a  tone  of  rebuke  ;  but,  like  Christ's  to  the 
travellers  to  Emmaus,  and  many  another  inter- 
rogation from  God,  it  is  also  put  in  order  to 
allow  of  the  loaded  heart's  relieving  itself  b_y 
pouring  out  all  its  griefs.  God's  questions  are 
the  a.isurance  of  His  listening  ear  and  sympa- 
thizing heart.     A.  M. 

11,  12.  Jchmih  manifesting  Himself  ill  nat- 
vrrilf/rees,  and  speaking  by  His  Spirit.  Wisely 
and  effectually  He  interposes  to  reach  and  re- 
lieve the  prophet's  tempest-tossed,  discouraged 
heart.  Before  repeating  his  gentle  reproof. 
He  will  instruct  Elijah  respecting  the  character 
of  the.  instruments  by  which  He  successfully  works 
among  men,  the  real  conditions  of  failure  or  suc- 
cess. The  method  He  employs  is  unusual,  but 
exactly  suited  to  the  nuin  and  the  end  aimed 
at.  In  those  sublime  (lispla_vs  of  superhviman 
might — "  the  great  and  strong  wind  that  rent 
the  mountains  and  brake  in  pieces  the  rocks," 
the  upheaving  and  convulsion  of  Horeb  itself 
from  base  to  summit,  and  the  fierce  flame  fill- 
ing the  air  around  and  above — there  was  a  pur- 
posed ministry  of  soothing.  For  they  were  in 
strange' keeping  with  the  mood  of  Elijah's 
stern,  excited  spirit.  Yet  in  all  these  he  was 
made  to  realize  thai  God  was  not  !  But  follow- 
ing these,  after  brief,  solemnly  impressive 
silence,  there  .fell  upon  his  ear  and  sank  deep 
into  his  heart  a  still  small  -eoice.  It  was,  he 
knew,  the  voice  of  tlie  Lord  !  How  plain  the 
lesson  !   How  admirably  fitted  to  correct  his  er- 


roneous belief  !  Not  by  miracle  of  might, 
such  as  had  taken  jilace  on  C'armel,  would  God 
work  out  His  gracious  purposes  with  men. 
Useful,  needful  as  such  astounding  manifesta- 
tions might  occasionally  be  to  intimidate  or 
arouse,  the  real  work  upon  the  hearts  of  Israel 
would  be  wrought  only  by  the  silent,  unseen 
ministries  of  the  Spirit.  Not  in  the  bold  spirit 
of  conflict,  that  would  measure  strength  con- 
tinually with  the  powers  of  evil,  but  in  the 
gentler  spirit  that  sjieaks  the  truth  in  lore,  and 
relies  upon  the  silent,  inward  efl5cacy  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.     B. 

There  are  gorges  near  Sinai  where  at  times 
the  wind  rushes  with  such  fury  that  neither 
man  nor  beast  can  stand  before  the  blast ;  rocks 
are  loosened  and  hurled  across  the  path,  and 
the  mountains  bellow  with  tempest.  There 
are  signs  that  the  earthqviake  has  shaken  those 
stupendous  masses  of  rock  from  ba.se  to  sum- 
mit, opening  new  chasms,  and  dislodging  an- 
cient cliffs.  Sometimes  the  violence  of  the 
wind  is  aggravated  by  the  roar  of  thunder,  and 
lightnings  seem  to  belch  forth  from  the  moun- 
tain-tops as  from  a  glaring  furnace.  In  all 
these  grand  and  terrible  phenomena  of  Nature, 
Jehovah  had  spoken  from  Sinai  at  the  giving 
of  the  law  ;  and  Elijah  naturally  looked  for 
Him  in  like  manifestations.  But  the  Lord  came 
to  him  in  the  still  small  voice,  rebuking  the 
timidity  that  distrusted  the  Lord  after  the  mir- 
acles of  fire  and  tempest  at  Mt.  Canuel  had 
ceased.  Not  miracles  alone  testify  to  the  pres- 
ence of  God,  but  equally  the  silent  operation 
of  moral  causes,  the  gradual  development  of 
truth,  light,  and  love.  Our  faith  in  Provi- 
dence is  distorted  when  we  are  always  strain- 
ing after  marvels,  watching  for  signs  of  tem- 
pest and  earthquake,  hearing  no  voices  of  the 
night,  seeing  no  wonders  in  the  dawn.  In  the 
moral  world,  seedtime  and  harvest  are  constant, 
the  storm  and  fire  the  exceptions.  The  most 
potent  forces  in  physical  nature,  light  and  heat, 
are  silent  in  their  coming  and  their  working  ; 
and,  in  the  moral  world,  that  Coming  which 
has  wrought  the  greatest  marvels  was  in  the 
silence  of  the  night  and  the  lowliness  of  the 
manger  ;  that  Character  which  has  caused  the 
greatest  revolutions  in  human  life  and  society 
was  His  who  said,  "  I  am  meek  and  lowly  of 
heart."  Oh,  let  us  humbly,  gently,  learn  of 
Him  I     J.  P.  T. 

God  is  quiet  in  His  workings.  Mighty  as 
are  His  vast  machineries  in  nature,  all  move 
quietly  in  the  fulness  of  His  everlasting  power. 
His  spirit  is  quiet  as  "  a  still  small  voice," 
though  its  working  is  wide  as  the  world.     The 


124 


KIXriDOU  OF  TfinAEL. 


heavens  arc  quiet  wliile  tlicy  rteelare  His  glory. 
Comets,  meteors,  waiiileriiiii;  stars,  nisli  and 
stas.sjer  in  their  eourses.  l)ut  the  great  orbs  that 
light  the  steady  How  of  ages  roll  in  quiet  on 
their  way.  Christ,  the  great  revelation  of  God 
to  man.  wa.s  quiet  in  the  days  of  His  flesh.  He 
(lid  not  strive  nor  ery,  nor  eause  His  voiee  to  be 
heard  in  tlie  street.  We  should  lie  like  Him. 
Anon. 

The  Lord  lii-st  ])!i.sselh  by  him  with  the  terri- 
ble demonsl  rations  of  His  jiower — "  Agreatand 
stron,g  wind  rent  the  mountains  and  brake  the 
roclv.s  in  pieees."  The  tearing  blast  was  from 
Grod  ;  God  was  not  in  it :  so  was  He  in  it  as  in 
His  other  extraordinary  works  ;  not  so  in  it  as 
by  it  to  impart  Himself  to  Elijah.  It  wsis  the 
usher,  not  the  earriage,  of  God.  After  the 
wind  eame  an  earthquake,  more  fearful  than 
it.  That  did  but  move  the  air  ;  this,  the  earth  ; 
that  beat  upon  some  prominences  of  earth  ;  this 
shook  it  from  the  centre.  After  the  earthquake 
came  a  fire,  more  fearful  than  either.  The 
other  affected  the  ear,  the  feeling  ;  but  this  lets 
in  horror  into  the  soul  by  the  eye,  the  quickest 
and  most  apprehensive  of  the  senses.  Elijah 
shall  see  God's  mighty  power  in  the  earth,  air, 
fire,  before  he  hear  Him  in  the  soft  voice.  All 
these  arc  but  boisterous  harbingers  of  a  meek 
and  still  word.  In  that  God  wa.s.  Behold,  in 
that  gentle  and  mild  breath  there  was  omnipo- 
tency ;  there  was  but  powerf  ulness  in  those  fierce 
representations.  There  is  not  always  the  great- 
est efficacy  where  is  the  greatest  noise.  God 
loves  to  make  way  for  Himself  by  terror  ;  but 
he  conveys  Himself  to  us  in  sweetness.  It  is 
happy  for  us  if,  after  the  gusts  and  flashes  of 
the  law,  we  have  heard  the  soft  voice  of  evan- 
gelical mercy.     Bp.  II. 

The  answer  comes  in  wonderfullj'  dramatic 
and  vivid  symbols,  which  are  not  only  perfect- 
ly congrvious  with  the  character  of  the  entire 
history,  but  also  full  of  rcscmljlance  to  His  own 
vehement  mood  ;  the  wind,  the  earthquake,  the 
fire,  in  which  God  was  not,  followed  by  the 
still  small  voice  in  which  God  wsis,  were  mani- 
festly designed  to  teach  Elijah  a  great  lesson 
concerning  God's  ways  of  working.  Not  by 
great  manifestations  of  physical  power,  not  by 
coercive  and  destructive  means,  does  God  ac- 
complish spiritual  processes,  but  by  means 
which  arc  silent,  gentle,  and  suasive.  Spiritual 
forces  are  always  such  ;  such  were  the  charac- 
teristics of  our  Lord's  ministry — "  He  shall  not 
cr\',  nor  lift  up,  nor  cause  his  voice  to  be  heard 
in  the  street. "  So  it  is  of  all  ministries  which 
at'hieve  the  greatest  and  profoundest  spiritual 
processes.     Achievements  of  miraculous  vindi- 


cation and  of  avenging  bloodshed,  such  as 
those  of  C'armel,  are  not  the  true  spiritual  forces 
of  God's  kingdom.  God  might  sanction  them. 
He  might  be  in  them,  as  in  nuuiy  analogous 
processes  in  the  after  history  of  His  Church, 
and  in  the  experiences  of  individual  men  ;  but 
in  a  much  higher  and  more  transforming  sense 
He  is  in  agencies  and  processes  that  have  the 
still  small  voice  for  their  type.  It  w:is  a  lesson 
in  the  true  methods  of  Divine  working  that 
would  not  only  correct  and  instruct  the  proph- 
et, but  would  also  comfort  him.  It  would  re- 
buke his  yearning  for  more  palpable  judgments 
or  miracles  ;  it  would  qualify  his  estimate  of 
what  had  really  been  effected  on  Carmel  ;  and 
it  would  encourage  him  by  the  suggestion  that 
in  thousands  of  hidden  Israelitish  hearts  quiet, 
unrecognized  spiritual  processes  were  going 
on.     Allan. 

It  is  the  same  lesson  which  Moses  learned 
there, when  he  heard  that  the  Lord  is  "  a  God 
full  of  compassion  and  gracious,  slow  to  anger, 
and  plenteous  in  mercy  and  truth."  It  was 
exemplified  in  the  gentle  Elisha,  the  successor 
of  Elijah.  It  reached  far  beyond  the  tinie  then 
present,  and  is  indeed  a  Messianic  prophecy, 
declaring  the  inmost  character  of  him  in  whom 
"  the  Lord  is,"  in  an  altogether  special  sense. 
Elijah  as  a  prophet  brought  no  new  knowledge, 
and  uttered  no  far-reaching  predictions  ;  but  he 
receiveil  one  of  the  deepest  and  clearest  proph- 
ecies of  the  gentleness  of  God's  highest  messen- 
ger, and  on  Horeb  saw  afar  off  what  he  saw 
fulfilled  on  the  mountain  of  Transfiguration. 
Nor  is  his  vision  exhausted  by  its  Messianic 
reference.  It  contains  an  eternal  truth  for  all 
God's  servants.  Storm,  earthquake,  and  fire 
may  be  God's  precursors,  and  needed  sometimes 
to  prepare  His  way  ;  but  gentleness  is  "  the 
habitation  of  His  throne,"  and  thej'  serve  Him 
best  and  are  nearest  Him  whom  they  serve, 
who  are  meek  in  heart  an<l  gentle  among  ene- 
mies, "  as  a  nui-se  cherisheth  her  children." 
Love  is  the  victor,  and  the  sharpest  weapons  of 
the  Christian  are  love  and  lowliness.     A.  51. 

There  is  a  quiet  deepening  and  strengthening 
of  the  spiritual  forces  in  the  soul,  which  every 
one  who  seeks  it  finds.  But  it  is  a  silent  work. 
So  noiseless,  so  powerful  are  the  energiziugs  of 
the  gentle,  persuasive,  penetrating,  almighty 
Spirit  of  God.  Believers  who  live  during  this 
dispensation  of  the  Spirit  miss  tlK'  profoundest 
part  of  His  holy  ministration  if  they  know 
nothing  of  this  sweet,  potential,  silent  tuition. 
Silent  commimion,  noiseless  revelation,  voiceless 
teaching — these  are  the  sources  of  Christian 
power.     It  would  encourage  us  could  we  see 


SECTION  11.     ELIJAH  AT  HOREB. 


125 


how  to-day  God  is  working  on  tho  hearts  of  men 
with  His  silent,  attractive  power.  How  bold 
and  sure  our  service  of  Him  would  be  if  we 
wholly  believed  in  the  vast  reserve  of  effectual, 
silent  energy  with  which  He  reinforces  every 
act  or  word  for  Him  I  If  any  heart  responds  to 
the  messages  of  mercy  which  we  bear,  we  may 
be  sure  God  has  been  before  us,  with  His  noise- 
less work  of  preparation.    H.  C.  T. 

13-18.  Tlie  question  and  answer  repeated; 
subsequent  directions  and  assurance  of  Jehovah. 
The  loudest,  fiercest  voices  of  the  elements  Eli- 
jah could  hear  without  anj'  conscious  appeal  to 
heart  or  conscience.  But  the  still  small  voice 
of  the  present  God  reached  anil  bowed  his  soul  ; 
while  reverently  "  he  wrapped  his  face  in  his 
mantle."  Then  while  he  was  still  meditating 
upon  the  lesson,  when  in  answer  to  the  same 
question,  his  naturally  self-willed  spirit  faintly 
repeated  the  reasons  before  assigned,  God  gra- 
ciously proceeds  to  complete  the  treatment  and 
the  cure.  He  bids  Elijah  at  once  to  arise,  re- 
turn, and  fulfil  the  work  still  before  him.  He 
assigns  him  at  the  outset  a  specific  work  (l.!, 
16),  adapted  to  his  brave,  commanding  spirit. 
And  to  take  away  all  remnant  of  his  discour- 
agement, He  assures  the  prophet  that  his  min- 
istry at  Carmel  and  other  ministries  still  exist- 
ing among  the  people  had  not  failed  ;  that 
many  (seven  indicating  an  indefinite  number) 
thousand  hearts  were  still  true  to  Jehovah  ; 
and  these  had  been  secretly  strengthened  and 
comforted  by  his  manly  courage  and  unyield- 
ing faith.  So  from  these  instructive  acts 
and  impressive  lessons  of  Jehovah,  he  de- 
parted to  execute  his  commission — a  wiser 
and  more  useful  man.  His  faith  in  God, 
his  indomitable  spirit,  and  his  superiority 
over  human  weakness,  held  firm  and  unmoved 
imtil  alone  he  was  borne  in  the  flame-chariot  to 
heaven. 

A  word  respecting  the  directions  given  to 
Elijah.  How  the  command  to  anoint  Hazael 
and  Jehu  was  fulfilled  we  do  not  know,  but 
that  in  its  mcaninri,  which  Elijah  understood, 
it  was  obeyed,  we  are  assured.  Hazael  became 
the  enemy  and  oppressor  of  Israel  ;  and  Jehvi 
was  God's  instrument  in  the  terrible  punish- 
ment of  Ahab  and  Jezebel,  of  the  seventy  sons 
of  Ahab,  and  of  vast  numbers  of  Baal's  wor- 
shippers. The  concluding  verses  (19-31)  show 
that  Elijah  called  Elisha  to  the  chief  prophetic 
office  bj-  easting  his  mantle  upon  him.  He 
might  also  have  subsequently  anointed  him. 
The  inspired  record  carefully  selects  all  and 
only  the  important  facts.  The  unimportant 
and  therefore   vaguely  reported   matters   fur- 


nish the  main  topics  for  sceptical  question  and 
discu.ssion.     B. 

13,  14.  Tranquillitj'  now  reigns  once  more, 
and  the  solemn  stillness  of  the  sanctuary,  as 
though  Horeb,  Sinai,  mountain  cliffs  and  sand- 
deserts,  aroused  from  their  slumber,  are  all  lying 
in  mute  awe  and  adoration  at  the  feet  of  Jeho- 
vah. A  "  still  small  voice"  at  length  breaks  the 
silence,  and,  though  repeating  the  question, 
"  What  doest  thou  here,  Elijah?"  yet,  some- 
how, now  its  accents  seem  to  murmur  softly  in 
the  very  depths  of  his  soul.  It  is  a  tender, 
gentle,  complaining  voice,  as  that  which  said 
in  Gethscmane — "  What,  could  j-e  not  watch 
with  me  one  hour  V  It  breaks  Elijah's  heart. 
Abashed,  confused,  humbled,  he  covers  his  face 
with  his  mantle  ;  and  though  he  too  utters  the 
same  words  in  response,  yet  how  changed  their 
tone  and  spirit  !  It  is  In  the  accents  of  a  sub- 
dued and  humbled  child — those  wailing  accents 
at  once  of  penitence  and  confidence,  which  never 
yet  father,  that  was  not  a  monster,  could  resist. 
"  I  have  been  ver}'  jealous  for  Jehovah  ;"  thou 
knowest  how  sincerelj'  I  grieved  at  the  dis- 
honor of  His  name.  Israel — poor  children  of 
the  covenant — led  astray  by  servants  of  the 
devil,  has  apostatized.  Thy  prophets,  the  wit- 
nesses for  the  truth,  have  all  been  slain.  No 
other  voice  than  mine  remains  to  be  lifted  up 
in  testimony  for  Jehovah.  And  me  they  peree- 
cute  to  the  death.     S.  R. 

15,  16.  We  must  interpret  the  meaning  of 
the  command  in  accordance  with  the  prophet's 
action,  judging  that  he  understood  what  was  in- 
tended by  the  words.  The  word  "  anoint"  is 
used  concerning  Jehu  and  Elisha  as  well  as  Ha- 
zael ;  and  we  know  that  Elijah  did  not  anoint 
Elisha,  though  he  could  easily  have  done  .so,  but 
only  made  known,  bj'  the  act  of  casting  his  pro- 
phetic mantle  upon  him,  that  he  was  called  to 
that  office.  In  the  same  way  then  we  may  under- 
stand the  rest  of  the  Divine  order.  Elijah  was 
to  receive  assurance  for  himself,  and  to  make 
known  that  assurance  to  others,  as  he  found 
occasion,  that  God  was  still  ruling  Israel  both 
fnim  without  and  from  within,  and  would  call 
to  the  thrime  of  Syria  one  who  should  execute 
His  judgments  upon  His  rebellious  people,  and 
to  the  throne  of  Israel  one  who  should  destroy 
Baal  and  his  worship  out  of  the  land.  We  shall 
not  err,  it  seems,  if  we  suppose  that  the  knowl- 
edge which  Elisha  had  (2  K.  8  :  13)  when  he  ■ 
says,  "  The  Lord  hath  shewed  me  that  thou  shalt 
be  king  over  Syria, "  was  derived  from  Elijah's 
communication,  as  also  the  instruction  which 
led  him.  at  a  future  day  (3  K.  9  ;  1,  3),  to  send 
one  of  the  sons  of  the  prophets  to  Ramoth-Gil- 


12G 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


eatl  to  anoint  Jelm.  Hence  "  anoint"  in  tlie 
text  iK'Comis  cijuivalcut  to  "  point  tlicm  out  as 
tlie  auointuil  ones."     Luiuhy. 

Tlie  commissions  given  to  anoint  a  king  of 
Syria  and  one  of  Israel  were  not  fnltilletl  by 
Elijah,  but  by  his  suecessor  ;  ami  we  have  to 
suppose  that  further  commands  were  given  to 
him  on  that  subject.  The  tljird  injunction,  to 
anoint  liis  successor,  was  done  at  once  on  his 
journey,  though  Abel-meholah,  on  Gilboa,  was 
dangerously  near  Je/.reel.  The  designation  of 
these  future  instruments  of  God's  purpose  was 
at  once  a  sign  to  Klijah  tliat  his  own  worlv  was 
drawing  to  a  close  (having  reached  its  elima.x 
on  Carmel),  and  that  God  had  great  designs  be- 
yonil  him  and  his  service.  The  true  conception 
of  our  work  is  tliat  we  are  only  links  in  a  chain, 
and  that  we  can  be  done  without.  God  re- 
moves the  workers  and  carries  on  the  work. 
Further,  the  commissions  met  Elijah's  despond- 
ency in  another  way  ;  for  they  assured  him  of 
the  Divine  judgments  on  the  house  of  jVhab, 
and  of  the  use  of  the  Syrian  king  as  a  rod  to 
chastise  Israel.  He  had  thought  God  too  slow 
in  avenging  Ilis  ilishonored  name,  and  had  been 
taught  the  might  of  gentleness  ;  but  now  he 
also  learns  the  certainty  of  punishment,  while 
the  enigmatical  promise  that  Elisha  should 
"  slay"  those  who  escaped  the  swords  of  Hazael 
and  Jehu  dimly  points  to  that  merciful  energy 
of  the  propliet's  word,  liis  only  sword,  which 
shall  slay  but  to  revive,  and  wound  to  Ileal. 
"  I  have  hewed  them  by  the  words  of  my 
mouth."  Finally  (verse  18),  the  revelation  of 
the  seven  thousand — a  round  number,  which 
expresses  the  saeredness  as  well  as  the  niuner- 
ousuess  of  the  elect,  hidden  ones — ^rebukes  the 
hasty  iissumption  of  liis  being  left  alone,  faith- 
ful among  the  faithless.  God  has  more  ser- 
vants than  we  know  of.  Let  us  beware  of 
feeding  either  our  self-righteousness  or  our  nar- 
rowness or  our  faiut-lieartedness  with  the  fancy 
that  we  have  a  monopoly  of  faithfulness,  or  are 
left  alone  to  witness  for  God.     A.  M. 

Thus  reanimated  for  his  remaining  work,  he 
was  sent  to  jin'pan^  for  three  great  changes 
affecting  the  state  of  Israel  :  to  anoint  Hazael 
as  the  future  king  of  Syria,  in  place  of  Benha- 
dad  ;  Jehu,  the  son  of  Nimshi,  as  king  of  Israel, 
in  place  of  Ahab's  house  ;  and  Elisha,  the  son 
of  Shajihat,  to  be  prophet  in  succession  to  him  ■ 
self.  These  three  were  to  follow  each  other  in 
the  destruction  of  the  worshii)pers  of  Baal. 
Elijah  only  l)ei'fonn<'d  in  jierson  the  last  of  the 
three  acts,  the  designation  of  Elisha,  leaving  to 
liim  thi'  other  two,  which  he  liim.sclf  fnuiid  no 
opportunity  to  execute.     P.  S. 


17.  Hazael,  Jehn,  Elisha — all  the  three  were 
to  be  instruments  of  the  Divine  wrath,  and 
ministers  of  the  Divine  vengeance  tipon  degen- 
erate Israel.  The  execution  of  judgment 
against  sinful  Israel  may  be  clearly  traced  in 
the  case  of  each  of  the  three  persons  named. 
For  after  Hazael  succeeded  to  the  throne  of 
Syria  he  was  a  constant  tliorn  in  the  side  of  Is- 
rael. We  read  that  in  these  days  "  the  Lord  be- 
gan to  cut  Isiiiel  short,"  and  that  "  Hazael  smote 
them  in  all  the  coasts  of  Israel"  (2  K.  10  :  32)  ; 
that  a  little  later  "  the  anger  of  the  Lord  wiis 
kindled  against  Israel,  and  he  delivered  them 
into  the  hand  of  Hazael,  king  of  Syria,  and  into 
the  hand  of  Benhadad,  son  of  Hazael,  all  their 
days  ;"  while  it  is  even  said  in  yet  stronger 
language,  that  the  king  of  Syria  had  "  made 
them  like  the  dust  by  threshing"  (2  K.  13  :  3,  7). 
If  Hazael  thus  scourged  Israel  as  a  people,  still 
more  did  Jehu  scourge  Ahab  and  Jezebel  and 
all  their  house.  So  terrible  was  the  work  of 
extermination  upon  which  he  entered  when  he 
took  possession  of  the  throne,  that  it  has  been 
justly  described  as  one  "  hitherto  unparalleled 
in  the  histor)'  of  the  Jewish  monarchy."  Nor 
did  Jehu  prove  himself  Ic.ss  the  sccnirge  of 
those  worshippers  of  Baal  with  whom  Ahab's 
house  had  been  so  closely  identified.  And  Eli- 
sha was  also  in  like  manner  a  warning  and  a 
.scourge  to  the  idolaters  of  his  time. 

18.  These  words  immediately  follow  :  "  Yet 
will  I  leave  me  seven  thousand  in  Israel,  all  the 
knees  which  have  not  bowed  unto  Baal,  and 
every  mouth  which  hath  not  kis.sed  him."  The 
words,  as  correctly  given  in  the  Revised  Ver- 
sion, contain  more  than  an  intimation  that, 
though  Elijah  had  thought  himself  alone,  there 
were  seven  thousand  in  Israel  still  faithful  to 
the  truth.  They  are  also  a  promise  that,  amid 
all  the  judgments  that  were  to  follow,  seven 
thou.sand  would  be  found  worthy  to  escape 
them,  because  they  would  refuse  to  yield  to  the 
general  apostasy  of  the  peopl<'.  The  |iromise, 
when  correctly  interpreted,  implies  more  than 
it  is  generally  .supposed  to  include — not  merely 
that  at  that  moment  there  was  a  remnant  ac- 
cording to  the  election  of  grace,  and  that  Elijah 
did  not  stand  alone  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Al- 
mighty, but  that  that  election  would  be  pre- 
served through  all  the  judgments  that  were  to 
follow.  There  were  times  of  heavy  trial  in 
store  for  the  Church  of  God  in  Israel,  in  the 
midst  of  which  many  would  fall  and  be  over- 
whelmed. Yet,  whatever  might  hajipcn  to  the 
merely  outward  members  of  the  body,  the  Lord 
knew  them  that  were  His.     AV.  JI. 

The  Lord  knows  them  tliat  are  His,  though 


SECTION  11.     ELIJAU'S  DEPARTURE  FROM  UOREB. 


137 


we  do  not  ;  He  sees  them  in  secret.  There  are 
more  good  people  in  tlie  world  than  some  wise 
and  lioly  men  think  there  are.  Their  jealousj' 
of  themselves,  and  for  God,  makes  them  think 
the  eorrux>tion  is  universal  ;  but  God  sees  not 
as  they  do.  Goil's  love  often  proves  larger 
than  man's  charity,  and  more  extensive.     H. 

So  the  fainting  prophet  is  restored.  A  new 
body  has  the  Divine  Physician  prepared  him 
and  a  new  spirit  has  He  put  within  him.  And 
with  faith  and  courage  comes  hope.  To  the 
eyes  of  the  recovered  prophet  there  is  a  future 
for  God  and  His  kingdom.  Elijah  now  knows 
that  God  will  remain  in  the  world-lield  even 
after  he  himself  tiually  departs  ;  so  he  begins 
to  reach  forth  the  anointing  hand  to  marshal 
the  forces  which  sliall  win  in  the  coming  da3's 
of  the  Lord.  It  is  a  great  thing  for  a  prophet 
— ay,  a  great  thing  for  a  man — to  be  brought 
beyond  the  power  of  doubting  that  God  is  in 
this  world  to  stay — in  this  world  for  victory 
after  victory  imtil  every  foe  is  vanquished. 
Such  a  one  will  fall  into  his  little  grave  with 
eye  strained  to  catch  the  bursting  glorj'  and 
hand  reached  forth  to  grasp  the  banner  of  the 
coming  Lord.     S.  S.  Mitchdl. 

19,  20.  Leaving  Horeb,  and  again  travers- 
ing the  great  desert  of  the  wandering,  Elijah 
again  enters  Judah,  probably  by  Beersheba 
and  Hebron  ;  but,  avoiding  Jerusalem,  he  de- 
scends through  Engedi  into  the  great  Jordan 
valley  ;  ascending  it  he  comes  to  a  field  at  Abel- 
meholah  in  the  north,  where  he  finds  Elisha 
ploughing  with  twelve  yoke  of  oxen  before 
him,  himself  with  the  twelfth.  For  three  years 
and  a  half  this  was  the  first  spring-time  that 
gave  promise  of  a  harvest,  and  we  may  imagine 
the  joyous  toil  of  the  husbandmen.  The  ap- 
pearance of  Elijah  was  sudden  and  startling. 
Apparently  without  speaking  a  word,  Elijah 
throws  his  prophet's  mantle  over  the  shoulders 
of  the  young  farmer — a  well-understood  sym- 
bolical act — and  passes  on.  Whatever  Elisha 
may  have  felt,  he  expresses  no  surprise,  utters 
no  remonstrance  either  of  unwillingness  or 
modesty  ;  but  leaving  his  plough,  he  runs  after 
Elijah,  accepts  his  calling,  and  simply  requests 
permission  to  bid  his  family  farewell.  In  la- 
conic speech,  strange  as  his  abrupt  action,  Eli- 
jah bids  him  go  :  "  Go,  and  return,  for  thou 
knowest  what  I  have  done  unto  thee."  Elisha 
turns  back  for  this  purpose,  and  kills  the  j'oke 
of  oxen  with  which  he  had  been  ploughing,  for 
a  farewell  feast,  a.s  well  perhaps  as  to  indicate 
his  renunciation  of  his  old  calling,  and  then 
follows  Elijah.  And  for  the  next  six  j'ears, 
during  which  we  hear  nothing  of  Elij all's  do- 


ings, his  solitary  spirit  was  to  find  companion- 
ship in  the  gentle,  soothing  ministry  of  this 
young  prophetic  Timothy.  The  chief  thought 
with  Elijah  would  be  that  his  mission  was  end- 
ed, and  his  successor  appointed — "  Elisha,  the 
son  of  Shaphat,  who  poured  water  on  the  hands 
of  Elijah."  It  is  astrange  succession  :  Elijah, 
the  rough  Bedouin  of  Mount  Gilead,  the 
prophet  of  fire — Elisha,  the  gentle  son  of  a  pas- 
toral home,  a  herdsman  of  the  valley  ;  the  one 
a  Boanerges,  the  other  a  Barnabas.  Yet  such 
is  the  succession  whereby  God  carries  on  His 
work,  and  whereby  it  is  best  carried  on  ;  these 
men  represent  the  two  elements  that  must  en- 
ter, perhaps  alternately,  into  all  great  spiritual 
work.     Alton. 

Elisha's  native  place  was  at  Abel-meholah 
(the  meadow  of  the  dance),  a  place  in  the  valley 
of  the  Jordan,  near  its  junction  with  the  plain 
of  Jezreel.  He  was  ploughing  with  twelve 
yoke  of  oxen,  himself  guiding  the  twelfth,  a 
proof  of  the  wealth  he  abandoned  to  "  put  his 
liand  to  the  plough"  of  Jehovah,  when  Elijah 
arrived  on  his  way  up  the  valley  toward  Da- 
mascus, and,  without  saying  a  word,  cast  his 
prophet's  mantle  upon  Elisha,  as  if  claiming 
him  for  a  son.  Elisha,  with  a  heart  prepared 
bj"  God,  only  begged  to  give  his  father  and 
mother  a  parting  embrace,  and  Elijah  consent- 
ed, in  words  implj'iug  a  keen  feeling  of  ElLsha's 
separation  from  his  parents  and  home.     P.  S. 

Tlie  act  of  Elijah,  as,  in  passing  b}',  he  im- 
fasteued  his  mantle  and  threw  it  over  Elisha, 
was  deeply  significant.  It  meant  that  the  one 
was  to  appear  like  the  other — tliat  he  was  to 
hold  the  same  office,  and  to  discharge  the  same 
functions.  With  the  quickness  of  a  ready 
heart,  the  son  of  Shaphat  understood  tlie  mean- 
ing of  this  action.  It  was  not  to  a  position  of 
wealth,  of  ease,  or  of  influence  he  now  felt 
called.  On  the  contrary,  all  this  had  to  be  re- 
linquished. He,  a  man  of  peace,  was  called 
from  home,  friends,  and  comforts,  to  endure 
hardship,  to  suffer  persecution,  to  bear  scorn. 
Yet  he  offered  not  frivolous  excuses  nor  unbe- 
lieving objections,  but  arose  and  followed  the 
Master.  Elijah  had  passed  on,  as  if  uncon- 
cerned how  Elisha  received  the  call.  It  had 
been  addressed  to  him,  and  it  was  his  part  vol- 
untarily to  decide  for  or  against  its  acceptance. 
This  explains  what  follows  in  the  narrative. 
Hastening  after  the  prophet,  Elisha  requested 
permission  to  bid  farewell  to  his  family  and 
friends ;  or,  as  Matthew  Henry  puts  it,  he 
would  "take  leave,  not  uKk  leave."  The  an- 
swer of  Elijah,  "  Go  back,  for  what  have  I  done 
unto  thee'?"  is  intended  not  as  a  rebuke,  but  as 


128 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


a  trial.  It  meant,  in  effect,  Unless  your  heart 
fully  responds,  if  it  fondly  lingers  on  the  past, 
go  back  to  your  home.     A.  E. 

21.  The  feast  here  jjartalien  of  was  not  an 
ordinary  festival,  but  a  feast  after  a  snerifiee. 
It  was  the  pledge  that  tho.se  who  jiartook  of  it 
were  in  covenant  with  God,  that  they  had  siir 
rendered  themselves  to  His  service,  and  tliat 
tliey  were  at  peace  with  Him.  Looked  at  in 
this  light,  the  whole  transaction  now  recorded 
assumes  an  aspect  wholly  different  from  that  in 
which  we  commonly  regarfl  it.  Instead  of 
suppl.ying  evidence  of  even  momentary  hesita- 
tion ujjou  Elisha's  i)arl,  it  indicates  that  the 
future  projjhet  not  only  renounced  the  world, 
hut  that  he  was  desirous  to  tell  the  world  that 
he  did  so.  And  if  it  shows  that  he  had  tender 
affections  and  friendly  feelings,  it  shows  also 
that  he  had  learned  from  the  moment  when 
Elijah  cast  his  mantle  upon  him  to  count  all 
things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  service 
to  which  he  had  then  been  summoned.  The 
force  and  vigor  of  Elislia's  character  appear  as 
conspicuously  in  this  scene  as  they  do  in  every 

other  action  of  his  life.     W.  M. When  that 

call  came  it  was  obeyed  without  a  question. 
He  asked  not  to  what  it  would  lead,  or  where 
he  was  to  go.  There  was  no  bargaining  with 
God.  The  response  was  immediate  and  un- 
equivocal. It  was,  "  Here  am  I,  send  mc,"  of 
one  of  after  days.  It  is  this  ready  obedience 
that  honors  God.     F.  Whitfield. 

Suggested  Truths. 

God's  mightiest,  most  productive  working  in 
nature.  His  widest,  most  radical,  and  effective 
movements  in  providence,  including  all  useful 
and  permanent  effects  wrought  in  the  advance 
of  civilization  and  the  growth  of  the  Church, 
and  His  enlightening  and  transforming  force 
within  the  individual  soul,  all  alike  are  mainly 
produced  by  silent,  invisible,  and  seemingly  in- 
adequate agencies.     B. 

The  silent  affections,  the  splendors  of  an  inte- 
rior devotion,  the  unions  of  love,  humility,  and 
obedience,  the  daily  offices  of  iirayerand  praises 
sung  to  God,  the  acts  of  faith  and  fear,  of  jia- 
tience  and  meekness,  of  hope  and  reverence, 
repentance  and  charity,  and  those  graces  which 
walk  in  a  veil  and  silence,  make  great  ascents 
to  God,  and  as  sure  progress  to  favor  and  a 
crown  as  the  more  ostentatious  and  laborious 
exercises  of  a  more  solemn  religion.  Many 
times  God  is  present  in  the  "  still  voice"  and 
private  retirements  of  a  quiet  religion,  and  the 
constant  spiritualilies  nf  an  ordinary  life  ;  when 
the  loud  and  impetuous  winds,  and  the  shining 


fires  of  far  more  laborious  and  expensive  ac- 
tions, are  protitable  to  otliers  only.  Bp.  J. 
Taylor. 

The  allegory  wrought  out  by  such  terrific 
symbols  on  Iloreb,  taken  in  connection  with 
the  ultimate  failure  of  Elijah's  popular  demon- 
stration at  Carnu'l,  conveys  this  most  instruc- 
tive truth  :  that  the  means  and  agencies  which 
ensure  success  in  spiritual  undertakings  are  not 
the  visible  and  demonstrative,  not  those  which 
are  apparently  popular  and  striking.  The)'  are 
found  alone  in  the  quiet  viifiistry  nf  the  truth  l>y 
the  Spirit.  The  true  wf)rk  of  God  in  human 
hearts  is  not  carried  on  by  the  mere  stimulus  of 
popular  preaching  and  the  consetiuent  excite- 
ment of  listening  throngs,  or  by  any  of  the 
accessory  methods  by  which  sensation  is  pro- 
duced. It  is  wrought  by  the  faithfid,  persis- 
tent inculcation  of  pure  truth,  directed  and 
accompanied  by  the  unseen  ministry,  gentle 
but  resistless,  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     B. 

There  are  many  professors  of  religion  who 
are  never  happy  except  they  see  a  revival. 
They  only  live  fully  in  an  atmosphere  of  .sensa- 
tion and  excitement.  They  crave  for  electric 
conversions,  for  a  ministry  of  signs  and  won- 
ders. They  are  dissatistied  and  unhappy  when 
the  Church  of  God  is  at  its  normal  jiidse,  work- 
ing quietly  yet  .steadily,  silentl}'  yet  .soliilly.  at 
the  building  of  the  Lord's  Temple.  The  lesson 
many  need  in  these  days  is,  that  Giod's  best 
work  is  not  done  by  miracles  but  by  ordinary 
agencies.  And  the  true  test  of  religion,  the 
proof  whereby  our  attachment  to  God's  work 
is  to  be  evinced,  lies  in  steady  effort  under  com- 
monplace conditions,  in  faithfulness  in  little 
things.  "  God,"  writes  Mr.  Uuskiu  in  an  elo- 
quent passage  in  "  Jlodcrn  Painters" — "  God  is 
not  in  the  earthquake  nor  in  the  lightning,  but 
in  the  still  small  voice.  They  are  but  the  blunt 
and  low  faculties  of  our  nature,  which  can  only 
be  addressed  through  lampblack  and  lightning. 
It  is  in  ([uiet  and  subdued  pas.sagesof  unobtru- 
sive majesty  ;  the  deep,  and  the  calm  and  the 
perpetual,  that  which  must  be  sought  ere  it 
is  seen,  and  loved  ere  it  is  understood  :  things 
which  the  angels  work  out  for  us  daily,  and  yet 
very  eternally,  which  are  never  wanting,  and 
never  repeated  ;  which  are  to  be  found  always, 
yet  each  found  but  once.  It  is  through  these 
that  the  lesson  of  devotion  is  chiefly  taught  and 
the  blessing  of  beauty  given."     Interior. 

Wonderfully  does  Christ's  way  on  earth  con- 
firm the  teaching  of  this  Divine  manifestation 
on  Horeb.  Never  did  He  put  forth  the  terribU^ 
might  locked  >ip  in  His  hand,  except  in  minis- 
tries of  gentleness,  or  in  confirmation  of  His 


SECTION  11.     ELIJAH  AT  IIOREB. 


129 


calm  and  loving  wonls.  Except  against,  con- 
scious hypocrites,  destroyers  of  souls,  His  iras 
ever  tin-  utill  muall  nice,  unheard  in  the  streets. 
"  Tlie  bruised  reed  he  did  not  break,  nor  quench 
the  smoking  flax.  " 

As  with  the  "  elders  who  obtained  a  good  re- 
port," so  now  everj/  true  follower  of  God  has 
points  and  periods  of  special  weakness  ;  and  his 
chief  failures  and  defections  lie  exactly  in  the 
line  and  at  the  point  of  his  peculiar  excellen- 
cies. This  fact  rightly  interpreted  (in  the  light 
of  tins  Old  Testament  history)  may  afford  com- 
fort to  the  consciously  self -consecrated  believer 
in  his  occasional  lapses  from  duty.  And  it  an- 
swers the  error  or  cavil  of  the  unbeliever,  who 
sees  the  Christian's  defection,  but  not  his  after- 
sorrow  toward  God. 

Where  there  is  truth  in  the  heart,  God's  for- 
bearance is  very  great  with  human  weaknesses 
antl  defections,  liowever  extreme.  Even  more 
impressively  is  this  illustrated  in  the  cases  of 
Abraham,  Jacob,  and  David,  and  in  those  of 
Moses  and  Elijah.  And  Christ  forbore  with  all 
sinners  save  hypocrites. 

T\m  faithful  laborer  sometimes  makes  Elijah's 
double  mistake — of  thinking  his  labor  useless, 
and  that  his  work  for  Ood  is  done.  But  God's 
wise,  kind  interposition  always  corrects  this 
mistake.  And  gladly,  bravely  the  worker  goes 
on,  waiting  imtil  God  shall  intimate  that  his 
work  is  finished. 

Qod's  remedy  for  a  discoumged,  disquieted, 
lonely  lieart,  is  twofold :  Work  and  Trust ! 
Yielding  to  despondency,  repining  or  retiring 
before  disappointment,  or  folding  the  hands  in 
the  protracted  indulgence  of  even  a  desolating 
grief,  are  acts  of  unbelief,  of  selfish  weakness, 
and  moral  cowardice.  No  believer,  however 
sorely  stricken,  has  here  a  right  to  a  prolonged 
rest  of  inaction.  No  sorrowing,  burdened  heart 
may  rightly  say  "It  is  enough  !  Let  me  now 
die  !"  For  with  life  there  is  work  to  which 
God  bids  us  set  every  energy  of  our  nature. 
And  in  work  is  found  the  best  relief  and  firm- 
est support.  Trust,  too,  with  work  !  Trust 
in  God's  assurances  that  He,  quietly  but  effect- 
ually, will  bring  good  for  us  and  for  others  out 
of  every  disheartening  disappointment,  out  of 
all  painful  toil  and  suffering.     B. 

"  What  doe.st  thou  here?"  To  every  Imman 
being  this  question  must  be  suggested,  "  Why 
am  I  doing  what  I  do,  tliinking  what  I  think, 
seeing  what  I  see?"  Work  and  recreation  are 
equally  legitimate,  if  each  is  treated  as  part  of 
the  will  of  God.  There  may  be  very  good  rea- 
sons for  spending  portions  of  our  life  on  Horeb 
as  well  as  upon  Carmel,  but  the  essential  point 


is,  that  we  should  be  where  we  are,  that  we 
should  be  doing  what  we  do,  because,  so  far  as 
we  know,  He  wiio  has  given  us  the  gift  of  life 
wills   this,   wills   nothing    else    respecting   us. 

Liddoa. Emjihatically  to  the  spiritually  idle, 

world-busy,  but  soul-careless,  God's  question 
comes  sharply  home.  What  doest  thou  liere  f  All 
doing  is  worse  than  useless  that  bears  not  wise- 
ly and  savingly  upon  the  soul's  sujireme  rela- 
tion to  God.  For  the  end  of  such  doing  is  utter 
failure  and  eternal  loss.  Therefore,  with  His 
question,  hear  also  His  loving  command,  "  Son, 
go  work  to-day  in  M3'  vineyard."     B. 

Throughout  the  whole  history  of  Elijah  we 
see  a  striking  harmony  of  the  highest  miracu- 
lous with  the  simplicity  and  truthfulness  of  the 
ordinary  life.  What  a  charm  they  have  for  us, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  how  morally  impressive 
these  life-like  jiictures  of  the  ancient  Israel  ! 
The  prophet's  sojourn  "  by  the  brook  Oherith 
that  is  before  Jordan,"  his  journey  to  "  Sa- 
repta.  a  city  which  is  near  imto  Sidon,"  the 
widow's  unfailing  cru.se  of  oil,  long  since  passed 
into  a  proverbial  saying  to  denote  the  unfailing 
providence  of  God,  that  graphic  scene  where 
Elijah  sends  his  servant  to  watch  from  the  top 
of  Carmel  the  signals  of  the  coming  rain,  the 
repose  under  the  juniper- tree,  the  heaven-pro- 
vided sustenance,  the  Lord's  talking  with  the 
prophet  at  the  cave  in  Horeb,  the  familiar  yet 
startling  question,  "  Where  art  thou,  Elijah?" 
how  life-like  is  it  all  !  how  truth-like  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  astoimdingly  marvellous, 
how  minute  in  circumstantial  fact,  and  yet, 
with  no  loss  of  dignity,  no  abatement  of  ever- 
thrilling  awe  !  And  then,  that  pure  religious 
teaching  present  in  every  act  !  it  is  this  that 
gives  it  such  a  moral  consistency,  taking  away 
its  incredibility,  and  making  it  so  unlike  the 
unmeaning  and  impure  wonders  of  a  false  re- 
ligion. 

Thus,  especially,  does  that  most  remarkable 
scene  in  Horeb  rise  to  the  very  height  of  the 
natural  as  well  as  the  sublime.  It  is  just  what 
we  are  led  to  expect — Deity  so  holding  converse 
with  His  faithful  servant,  the  ever-present  One 
thus  talking  in  the  solitude  of  nature  to  the 
man  who,  for  His  sake  and  for  His  worship's 
sake,  had  fled  from  the  world  !  If  it  is  not  so 
with  us  in  o>ir  own  personal  experience,  we 
cannot  help  feeling  that  there  must  be  a  lack  of 
that  religious  intercourse,  that  personal  near- 
ness to  God,  which  would  make  it  seem  as 
probable  as  it  is  in  itself  both  rational  and  true. 
But  how  easy,  we  may  say,  are  such  associa- 
tions of  thought  and  feeling  in  connection  with 
these  striking    narratives.     The    two    depart- 


130 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


ments  of  tho  world  seem  to  blond  together.  In 
its  asswiation  with  the  deeply  and  fearfully 
religious,  the  natural  aequires  a  new  dignity  ; 
it  seems  to  rise  up  into  the  region  of  the  super- 
natural. On  the  awful  summit  of  Horeb  na- 
ture becomes  Divine  ;  and  we  can  hardly  tell 
whieli  has  most  to  impress  the  soul — the  "  fire, 
the  wind,  the  earthquake,"  or  the  still  small 
voice   that  attests  the    near    presence  of  the 


higher  power.  We  are  lifted  up  to  a  plane  of 
thought  wliere  much  becomes  credible  that 
would  altogether  transcend  belief  if  viewed 
from  the  lower  horizon  of  the  soul.  It  is  just 
because  the  constant  reading  of  the  Scriptures 
produces  this  elevation  of  thought,  that  ita 
miraculous  retains  that  hold  upon  the  Chris- 
tian faith  which  the  sceptic  canuot  understand. 
T.  Lewis. 


Section  12. 

AHAB'S  DOUBLE  VICTORY  OVER  BENHADAD  OF  SYRIA,  THROUGH  DIVINE 
COUNSEL  AND  HELP.  HIS  DISOBEDIENCE  DENOUNCED  AND  ADJUDGED 
BY  JEHOVAH. 

1  Kings  20  ;  1-43. 


1  And  Ben-hadad  tho  king  of  Syria  gathered  all  his  host  together  :  and  there  wore  thirty  and 
two  kings  with  him,  and  horses  and  chariots  :  and  he  went  up  and  besieged  Samaria,  and 

2  fought  against  it.     And  he  sent  messengers  to  Ahab  king  of  Israel,  into  the  city,  and  said 

3  unto  him.  Thus  saith  Ben-hadad,  Thy  silver  and  thy  gold  is  mine  ;  thy  wives  also  and  thy 

4  children,  even  the  goodliest,  are  mine.     And  the  king  of  Israel  answered  and  said.  It  is  accord- 

5  ing  to  thy  saying,  my  lord,  O  king  ;  I  am  thine,  and  all  that  I  have.  And  the  messengers 
came  again,  and  said.  Thus  speakoth  Ben-hadad,  saying,  I  sent  indeed  unto  thee,  saying. 

6  Thou  shalt  deliver  me  thy  silver,  and  thy  gold,  and  thy  wives,  and  thy  children  ;  but  I  will 
send  my  servants  unto  thee  tomorrow  about  this  time,  and  they  shall  search  thine  house,  and 
the  houses  of  thy  servants  ;  and  it  shall  be,  that  whatsoever  is  pleasant  in  thine  eyes,  they 

7  shall  put  it  in  their  hand,  and  take  it  away.  Then  the  king  of  Israel  called  all  the  elders  of 
the  land,  and  said,  Mark,  I  pray  you,  and  see  how  this  man  seeketh  mischief  :  for  he  sent 
unto  me  for  my  wives,  and  for  my  children,  and  for  my  silver,  and  for  my  gold  ;  and  I  de- 

8  nied  him  not.     And  all  the  elders  and  all  the  people  said  unto  him,  Hearken  thou  not.  neither 

9  consent.  AVhorefore  he  said  unto  tho  messengers  of  Ben-hadad,  Tell  my  lord  the  king.  All 
that  thou  didst  send  for  to  thy  servant  at  the  first  I  will  do  :  but  this  thing  I  may  not  do. 

10  And  the  messengers  departed,  and  brought  him  word  again.  And  Ben  hadad  sent  unto  him. 
and  said.  The  gods  do  so  unto  me,  and  more  also,  if  the  dust  of  Samaria  shall  suffice  for 

11  handfuls  for  all  the  people  that  follow  me.     And  the  king  of  Israel  answered  and  said.  Tell 

12  liiin.  Let  not  him  that  girdeth  on  fm  armour  boast  himself  as  he  that  puttetb  it  off.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  when  Ben-haiiad  heard  this  message,  as  he  was  drinking,  he  and  the  kings,  in 
the  pavilions,  that  he  said  unto  his  servants.  Set  yourselren  in  array.     And  they  set  theniadret 

13  ill  array  against  the  city.  And,  behold,  a  prophet  came  near  unto  Ahab  king  of  Israel,  and 
said.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Ha.st  thou  seen  all  this  great  multitude?  behold,  I  will  deliver  it 

14  into  thine  hand  this  day  :  and  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am  the  Lord.  And  Ahab  said.  By 
whom  ?     And  he  said,  Thus  saith  tho  Lord,  By  the  young  men  of  the  princes  of  the  provinces. 

15  Then  he  sai<I,  Wlio  shall  begin  tho  battle?  And  ho  answered,  Thoii.  Then  he  mustered  the 
young  men  of  the  princes  of  the  provinces,  and  thoy  wore  two  hundred  and  thirty  two  :  and 
after  them  he  mustered  all  tho  people,  even  all  the  children  of  Israel,  being  seven  thousand. 

16  And  they  wont  out  at  noon.     But  Ben-hadad  was  drinking  himself  drunk  in  tho  pavilions,  he 

17  and  the  kings,  tho  thirty  and  two  kings  that  helped  him.  And  the  young  men  of  the  princes 
of  the  provinces  went  out  first ;  and  Ben  hadad  sent  out,  and  thej'  told  him,  saying.  There 

18  are  men  come  out  from  Samaria.     And  he  said,  Whether  they  be  come  out  for  peace,  take 
1ft  them  alive  ;  or  whether  they  bo  come  out  for  war,  take  them  alive.     So  these  went  out  of  the 

city,  the  young  men  of  the  princes  of  the  provinces,  and  the  army  which  followed  them. 


SECTION  12.     ARAB'S  DOUBLE   YICTORT  OVER  BENHADAD. 


131 


20  And  they  slew  every  one  his  man  ;  and  the  S3'rians  fled,  and  Israel  pursued  them  :  and  Ben- 

21  hadad  the  king  of  Syria  escaped  on  an  horse  with  horsemen.     And  the  king  of  Israel  went 

22  out,  and  smote  the  horses  and  chariots,  and  slew  the  Syrians  with  a  great  slaughter.  And 
the  prophet  came  near  to  the  king  of  Israel,  and  said  unto  him.  Go,  strengthen  thyself,  and 
mark,  and  see  what  thou  doest  ;  for  at  the  return  of  the  year  the  king  of  Syria  will  come  up 
against  thee. 

23  And  the  servants  of  the  king  of  Syria  said  unto  him,  Their  god  is  a  god  of  the  hills  ;  there- 
fore they  were  stronger  than  we  :  hut  let  us  fight  against  them  in  the  plain,  and  surely  we 

34  shall  be  stronger  than  they.     And  do  this  thing  ;  take  the  kings  away,  every  man  out  of  his 

25  place,  and  put  captains  in  their  room  :  and  number  thee  an  army,  like  the  army  that  thou  hast 
lost,  hor.se  for  horae,  and  chariot  for  chariot  :  and  we  will  fight  against  them  in  the  plain,  and 

26  surely  we  shall  be  stronger  than  they.  And  he  hearkened  unto  their  voice,  and  did  so.  And 
it  came  to  pass  at  the  return  of  the  year,  that  Ben-hadad  mustered  the  Syrians,  and  went  up 

27  to  A])hek,  to  tight  against  Israel.  And  the  children  of  Israel  were  mustered,  and  were  vic- 
tualled, and  went  against  them  :  and  the  children  of  Israel  encamped  before  them  like  two 

28  little  flocks  of  kids  ;  but  the  Syrians  filled  the  country.  And  a  man  of  God  came  near  and 
spake  unto  the  king  of  Israel,  and  said.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Because  the  Syrians  have  said, 
The  Lord  is  a  god  of  the  hills,  but  he  is  not  a  god  of  the  valleys  ;  therefore  will  I  deliver  all 

29  this  great  multitude  into  thine  hand,  and  j'e  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord.  And  they 
encamped  one  over  against  the  other  seven  days.  And  so  it  was,  that  in  the  seventh  day  the 
battle  was  joined  ;  and  the  children  of  Israel  slew  of  the  Syrians  an  hundred  thousand  foot- 

30  men  in  one  day.  But  the  rest  fled  to  Aphek,  into  the  city  ;  and  the  wall  fell  upon  twenty  and 
seven  thousand  men  that  were  left.     And  Ben-hadad  fled,  and  came  into  the  city,  into  an 

31  inner  chamber.  And  his  servants  said  unto  him.  Behold  now,  we  have  heard  that  the  kings 
of  the  house  of  Israel  are  merciful  kings  :  let  us,  we  pray  thee,  put  sackcloth  on  our  loins, 
and  ropes  upon  our  heads,  and  go  out  to  the  king  of  Israel  :  peradventure  he  will  save  thy 

32  life.  So  they  girded  sackcloth  on  their  loins,  and  pnt  ropes  on  their  heads,  and  came  to  the 
king  of  Israel,  and  said.  Thy  servant  Ben-hadad  saith,  I  pray  thee,  let  me  live.     And  he  said, 

33  Is  he  yet  alive?  he  is  my  brother.  Now  the  men  observed  diligently,  and  hasted  to  catch 
whether  it  were  his  mind  ;  and  they  said,  Thy  brother  Ben-hadad.  Then  he  said.  Go  ye, 
bring  him.     Then  Benhadad  came  forth  to  him  ;  and  he  caused  him  to  come  up  into  the 

34  chariot.  And  Ben-hadad  said  unto  him.  The  cities  which  my  father  took  from  thj'  father  I 
will  restore  ;  and  thou  shalt  make  streets  for  thee  in  Damascus,  as  my  father  made  in  Sama- 
ria. And  I,  said  Ahab,  will  let  thee  go  with  this  covenant.  So  he  made  a  covenant  with  him, 
and  let  him  go. 

35  And  a  certain  man  of  the  sons  of  the  prophets  said  unto  his  fellow  hy  the  word  of  the 

36  Lord,  Smite  me,  I  pray  thee.  And  the  man  refused  to  smite  him.  Then  said  he  unto  him. 
Because  thou  hast  not  obeyed  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  behold,  as  soon  as  thou  art  departed 
from  me,  a  lion  shall  slay  thee.     And  as  soon  as  he  was  departed  from  him,  a  lion  found  him, 

37  and  slew  him.     Then  he  found  another  man,  and  said.  Smite  me,  I  pray  thee.     And  the  man 

38  smote  him,  smiting  and  wounding  him.     So  the  prophet  departed,  and  waited  for  the  king 

39  by  the  way,  and  disguised  himself  with  his  headband  over  his  eyes.  And  as  the  king  passed 
by,  he  cried  unto  the  king  :  and  he  said,  Thy  servant  went  out  into  the  midst  of  the  battle  ; 
and,  behold,  a  man  turned  aside,  and  brought  a  man  unto  me,  and  said.  Keep  this  man  :  if  by 
any  means  he  be  missing,  then  shall  thy  life  be  for  his  life,  or  else  thou  shalt  pay  a  talent  of 

40  silver.     And  as  thy  servant  was  busy  here  and  there,  he  was  gone.     And  the  king  of  Israel 

41  said  unto  him.  So  shall  thy  judgment  be  ;  thyself  hast  decided  it.  And  he  hasted,  and  took 
the  headband  away  from  his  ej'es  ;  and  the  king  of  Israel  discerned  him  that  he  was  of  the 

42  prophets.  And  he  said  unto  him.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Because  thou  hast  let  go  out  of  thy 
hand  the  man  whom  I  had  devoted  to  destruction,  therefore  thy  life  shall  go  for  his  life,  and 

43  thy  people  for  his  people.  And  the  king  of  Israel  went  to  his  house  heavy  and  displesised, 
and  came  to  Samaria. 


1-43.  T?ie  invasions  of  Israel  by  the  Syrians 
and  tlifir  resnlts.  The  insertion  of  this  chap- 
ter, which  contains  an  account  of  two  invasions 
of  Israel  by  the  hosts  of  Syria  and  of  the  utter 


defeat  of  the  latter,  constitutes  a  break  in  the 
history  of  Elijah,  which  has  occupied  the  his- 
torian up  to  the  end  of  chap.  19,  and  which  is 
resumed  with  chap.  21.     The  insertion  of  this 


133 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


twentieth  rhaptcr  in  this  plaoe  is  iipparently 
due  to  the  compiler  of  tliese  records,  wlio  seems 
to  have  adopted  tliis  arraugement  as  the  more 
clironological.     Hammond. 

This  chapter  contains  the  history  of  two  in- 
vasions of  the  Ivinj^dom  of  Ahal)  bj'  Hcnliadad, 
kins  of  Syria,  and  of  his  defeat  on  hoth  occa- 
sions by  the  Israelites  under  the  special  interven- 
tion of  tlie  Lonl,  who,  grievously  as  lie  had  been 
offended,  still  has  pity  for  the  seed  of  Abraham, 
will  try  them  longer  yet,  and  will  not  yet  give 
them  over  to  utter  misery  and  ruin.  He,  there- 
fore, unasked,  interferes  by  His  prophets,  and 
encourages  the  king  and  people  by  exhortations 
and  ]iroinises.  We  hear  nothing  of  Baal  in 
these  transactions.  Their  holiday  god  was  of 
no  use  to  them  in  time  of  trouble  ;  and  Ahab 
himself  had  of  late  seen  too  many  proofs  of  the 
Lord's  power,  not  to  know  that  whatever  He 
promised  He  was  able  to  perfonii,  and  to  fol- 
low in  a  spirit  of  becoming  submission  the  in- 
structions he  received.  Still  there  is  through- 
out the  narrative  a  sort  of  cheerlessness,  arising 
from  the  want  of  that  spontaneous  reference  to 
the  Lord  and  thankfulness  to  Him,  which  plays 
like  a  sunbeam  over  the  liistory  of  public  trans- 
actions of  equal  or  even  lesser  moment  in  the 

time  of  devout  kings.     lutto. This  chapter 

proclaims  that  neither  any  people  nor  its  rulers 
can  forget  God  with  impunity  ;  that  disregard 
of  His  laws  is  sure  to  bring  down  His  judg- 
ments ;  that  the  purgatory  of  nations  is  in  this 
life  present ;  that  while  the  individual  awaits 
a  judgment  to  come,  the  community  is  judged 
now,  by  sword  and  famine  and  pestilence  ;  by 
invasion  and  defeat ;  by  loss  of  fame  and  ter- 
ritory :  by  bad  harvests  and  crippled  trade. 
Corporate  bodies  and  communities  maj'  "  have 
no  conscience, "  but  they  will  prove  sooner  or 
later,  sis  Assyria  and  Babylon,  as  Jledes  and 
Persians,  as  Greeks  and  Romans,  as  Russia  and 
Turkey  have  proved,  that  "  verily  there  is  a 
reward  for  the  righteous  ;  verily  there  is  a 
God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth"  (Ps.  58:11). 
ITammond. 

13.  The  Israelites  had  their  directions  from 
an  inspired  prophet,  one  of  the  prophets  of  the 
Lord  whom  Ahab  had  hated  and  persecuted  : 
And  hehild,  a  prophet,  even  one,  drew  near  to  the 
king  of  Iiirail ;  so  it  may  be  read.  Behold  and 
wonder,  that  God  should  send  a  prophet  with  a 
kind  and  gracious  me-ssage  to  so  wicked  a 
prince  as  Ahab  was  ;  but  he  did  it,  1.  For 
his  people  Israel's  sake,  who,  though  wickedly 
degenerated,  were  the  seed  of  Abraham  his 
friend  and  Jacob  his  chosen,  the  children  of 
the  covenant  and  not  yet  cast  off.     2.  That  He 


might  magnify  His  mercy  in  doing  good  to  one 
so  evil  and  unthankful  ;  miglit  either  bring 
him  to  repentance  or  leave  him  the  more  inex- 
cusable, 3.  That  He  might  mortify  the  pride 
of  Benhadad  and  check  his  insolence  ;  Almb's 
idolatry  shall  be  punished  hereafter,  but  Ben- 
hadad's  haughtiness  shall  be  chastised  now.  H. 

For  years  piist  the  prophets  have  been  pro- 
scribed, hunted,  harried  to  death.  Yet  in  his 
darkest  hour,  when  other  refuge  fails  him, 
Ahab  finds  a  prophet  at  his  side.  God  bears 
no  grudges.  It  is  sufficient  to  give  ils  a  claim 
upon  His  help  that  we  are  helpless.  "  Who 
can  wonder  enough  at  this  unwcariable  mercy 
of  God?  After  the  fire  and  rain  fetched  niirac- 
uloasly  from  heaven,  Ahab  had  promised 
much,  pcrfoimed  nothing,  yet  God  will  again 
bless  and  solicit  him  with  victory  ;  one  of  those 
prophets  whom  he  persecuted  shall  comfort  his 
dejection  with  the  news  of  deliverance  and 
triumph."  This  act  of  grace  should  have 
proved  that  the  Lord  was  God,  and  that  the 
prophet  was  His  messenger.  It  is  not  in  man 
to  act  thus.  "  l^hoit  uluilt  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord."  "  Not  for  thy  righteousness  or  the  up- 
rightness of  thine  heart  dost  thou  go  in  to  pos- 
sess their  land,  but  for  the  wickedness  of  these 
nations,"  etc.  (De.  9  :  4.  0).  The  drought,  the 
fire,  the  great  rain,  none  of  these  had  convinced 
the  king  and  queen.  Will  tleli  vera  nee  from 
the  jaws  of  death  move  them'?  Will  they  be- 
lieve in  a  God  of  battles?  Will  they  recognize 
His  finger  in  a  superhuman  victory?  Uam- 
mond. 

The  persevering  condescension  and  forbear- 
ance of  Goil  toward  Ahab  are  truly  marvellous, 
and  all  for  the  purpose  of  causing  him  to  know 
that  the  God  of  Israel  was  indeed  the  true  God, 
or  Jehovah.  It  all  proved  to  him  but  the  savor 
of  death  unto  death  ;  and  the  signal  vielory 
but  aggravated  the  condenmation  of  him  who 
still  persisted  in  his  wickedness.     T.  C. 

16-20.  The  Syrian  king  was  still  at  his 
cups,  when  the  watchmen  reported  that  men 
were  coming  out  of  the  city  ;  on  which,  with 
quiet  indifference,  which  seems  characteristic 
of  his  arrogant  temper,  or  ndght  be  the  effect 
of  his  wine,  he  simply  directed  tliat  they  should 
be  taken  alive,  whether  they  came  for  peace  or 
for  war.  He  probably  wished  to  learn  from 
them  the  state  of  the  city  and  the  intentions  of 
Ahab  ;  but  the  direction,  given  without  any 
questions  as  to  their  luimbers,  indicates  the 
most  sovereign  indifference  to  any  force  that 
Samaria  could  set  forth.  The  young  men  had 
no  mind  to  be  taken.  On  the  contrary,  they 
smote  right  and  left,  and  presently  laid  pros- 


SECTION  13.     ARAB'S  DOUBLE  VICTOBT  OVER  BENHADAD. 


133 


trate  those  who  liad  stood  against  them.  This, 
with  tlic  sight  of  the  seven  thousand  behind 
coming  out  of  tlie  gates  to  take  part  in  the  fray, 
stnicli  the  Syrian  host  with  a  sudden  panic, 
and  they  fled  witli  all  their  might,  the  arrogant 
king  himself  being  not  the  hindmost,  for  he 
hastened  away  on  a  fleet  horse.  This  was  the 
Lord's  doing  ;  but  we  do  not  hear  of  any 
thanksgiving  or  sacrifices  offered  to  Him  in 
gratitude  for  help  to  which  the}'  had  such  little 
claim.     Kitto. 

"■i'i.  I  hear  not  of  either  the  public  tlianks- 
giving  or  amendment  of  Ahab.  Neitlier  dan- 
ger nor  victory  can  change  him  from  himself. 
Benhadad  and  he,  though  enemies,  agree  in 
unrepcntance  ;  the  one  is  no  more  moved  with 
mercy  than  the  other  with  judgment.  Neither 
is  God  an}'  changeling  in  His  proceedings 
toward  both.  His  judgment  shall  still  follow 
the  Syrian  ;  His  mercy,  Israel  :  mercy  both  in 
forewarning  and  redelivering  Ahab  ;  judgment 
in  overthrowing  Benhadad.  The  prophet  of 
God  comes  again,  and  both  foretells  the  intend- 
ed rencounter  of  the  Sj'rian  and  advises  the  care 
and  preparation  of  Israel  ;  "  Go,  strengthen 
thyself,  and  mark,  and  see  what  thou  doest ; 
for,  at  the  return  of  the  year,  the  king  of  Syria 
will  come  up  against  thee."  God  purposeth 
the  deliverance  of  Israel  ;  yet  may  not  they 
neglect  their  fortifications.  The  merciful  in- 
tentions of  G(xl  toward  them  may  not  make 
them  careless.  The  industry  and  courage  of 
the  Israelites  fall  within  the  decree  of  their  vic- 
tory.    Bp.  IT. 

34.  Benhadad,  full  of  gratitude  at  this  wholly 
\mexpected  leniency,  suggested  the  terms  he 
was  willing  to  offer  as  the  price  of  his  free- 
dom. He  would  restore  the  frontier  towns  taken 
from  Omri  by  his  father,  Benhadad  I.,  thus  dis- 
abling himself  from  future  invasion  by  the  same 
route,  and  would  grant  Ahab  the  privilege  his 
father  had  enjoyed  in  Samaria,  of  building 
streets  and  squares  in  his  capital  of  Damascus, 
for  his  commercial  and  political  convenience 
(verses  33,  34).  Ahab,  elated  by  this  unlooked- 
for  change  of  forttuie,  rashly  accepted  the 
terms,  and  permitted  the  departure  of  his  royal 
prisoner  without  requiring  any  pledge  of  the 
fulfilment  of  his  engagement.  Such  an  act  was 
a  gross-political  lilunder  no  less  than  a  heinous 
theoeratical  offence.  The  enemy  of  Jehovah 
had  been  delivered  into  his  hand  under  His 
curse  (verse  42).  To  let  him  go  was  to  be  un- 
faithful to  the  commission  under  which  he 
reigned.     Anon. 

It  was  not  clemency,  it  was  culpable  weak- 
ness to  send  this  overbearing  despot,  who  had 


already  cost  Israel  so  dear,  to  send  him  to  hia 
home,  there  to  renew  his  plots  against  the  peo- 
ple of  God.  As  well  might  the  magistrate 
compassionate  the  burglar  or  the  garotter,  and 
instead  of  shutting  him  up  in  prison,  send  him 
into  the  streets  to  be  the  plague  of  society. 
The  king,  like  the  magistrate,  is  trustee  for  the 
commonwealth.  He  has  no  right  to  gratify  his 
benevolent  instincts  at  the  expense  of  the 
community.  Still  less  right  had  the  theocratic 
king,  the  representative  of  Heaven,  to  liberate  a 
tj'rant  whom  Goil  had  manifestly  given  into 
his  hands.  "  Charity  cannot,  excuse  disobedi- 
ence." He  had  proved  Benhadad  twice,  j-et  he 
asks  for  no  material  guarantees.  He  neither 
consults  nor  remembers  his  deliverer.  Ham- 
mond. 

35.  Blasphemy  hath  escaped  too  well.  Ahab 
hath  at  once  peace  with  Benhadad,  war  with 
God.  God  proclaims  it  b}'  His  herald,  one  of 
the  sons  of  the  prophets  ;  not  yet  in  His  own 
form,  but  disguised,  both  in  fashion  and  com- 
plaint.    Bp.  II. The  wounding,  we  may  be 

quite  sure,  aud  the  tragical  circumstances  con- 
nected therewith,  are  essential  parts  of  the  par- 
able this  prophet  had  to  act,  of  the  lesson  he 
had  to  teach.  Now  the  great  lesson  he  had  to 
convey,  not  to  the  king  alone,  but  to  the  pro- 
phetic order  and  to  the  whole  country,  the  les- 
son most  necessary  in  that  lawless  age,  ^'as  that 
of  implicit,  iinquestioning  ohecHence\o  the  Divine 
law.  Ahab  had  just  transgressed  that  law. 
He  had  "  let  go  a  man  whom  God  had  appoint- 
ed to  utter  destruction  ;"  he  had  heaped  honors 
on  the  oppressor  of  his  country,  and  in  gratify- 
ing benevolent  impulses  had  ignored  the  wiU 
and  counsel  of  God.  No  doubt  it  seemed  to 
him,  as  it  has  seemed  to  others  since,  that  he 
had  acted  with  rare  magnanimit}',  and  that  his 
generosity  in  that  age,  an  age  which  showed  no 
mercy  to  the  fallen,  was  unexampled.  But  he 
must  be  taught  that  he  has  no  right  to  be  gen- 
erous at  the  expen.se  of  others  ;  that  God's  will 
must  be  done.  He  is  taught  this  by  the  pro- 
phetic word  (verse  43),  but  much  more  effec- 
tively bj'  the  actions  which  preceded  it.  A 
prophet  required  to  smite  a  brother  prophet, 
and  that  for  no  apparent  reason,  would  no 
doubt  find  it  repugnant  to  his  feelings  to  do  so. 
But  the  jirophet  who  refused  to  do  this,  who 
followed  his  benevolent  impidses  in  preference 
to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  died  for  his  sin — died 
by  the  visitation  of  God.  What  a  lesson  was 
this  to  king  and  prophets  and  people  !  Ham- 
mond. 

Vi.  Therefore  thy  life  shall  $ro  for 
his.     If  it  be  asked.  Wherein  lay  Ahab's  great 


134 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


offence,  for  which  God  threatens  to  piinis)i  liim 
80  severely?  the  answer  is,  That  it  consisted  in 
Buffcriiis;  so  liorrid  a  blaspliemer  as  Benliadail 
was  to  go  unpunislied,  which  was  contrary  to 
an  express  law  (Lev.  24  :  16),  that  extended  not 
to  those  only  that  were  born  in  the  land,  but  to 
strangers  likewise.  God  had  delivered  him  into 
Ahab's  hands  for  his  blasphemy,  as  he  had 
promised  (verse  38).  and  therefore  this  act  of 
Providence,  compared  with  the  law,  did  plainly 
intimate  that  he  was  appointed  by  God  for  de- 
struction ;  but  so  far  was  Ahab  from  punishing 
him  as  he  deserved  that  he  treats  him  like  a 
friend  and  a  brother,  dismisses  him  upon  easy 
t<>rms,  and  takes  his  bare  word  for  the  perform- 
ance, without  the  least  care  for  the  reparation 
of  God's  honor.     Stackhouse. 

It  corresponds  to  the  case  of  Agag,  whom 
Saul  spared,  but  whom  Samuel  slew.  The  Lord 
had  appointed  this  man  to  "  utter  destruc- 
tion ;"  and  Ahab  knew  it.  He  was  to  be 
taught  to  know,  in  avenging  justice,  the  great- 
ness of  that  God  he  had  blasphemed  ;  and  the 
power  of  the  state  he  ruled  was  to  be  so  broken 
as  to  render  it  incapable  of  giving  further 
trotible  to  Israel.  All  these  public  duties  Ahab 
had  neglected  to  gratify  a  private  sentiment  ; 
and  doubtless  from  a  sympathy  with  idolatry, 
which  it  ill  became  a  king  of  Israel  to  show. 
It  was  in  this  that  he  offended  ;  and  his  offence 
w!js  great.  To  view  it  rightly,  we  must  look 
to  the  misery  thereafter  caused  Israel  by  the 
very  power  which  he  threw  away  this  opportu- 
nity of  rendering  harmless  ;  and  with  peculiar 
intensity  must  we  regard  the  fact  that  a  few 
years  after  Ahal)  met  his  death  in  battle  with 
the  very  king  he  thus  befriended,  and  under 
the  orders  of  that  king  to  his  soldiers  to  aim 
their  weapons  exclusively  against  the  life  of 
the  man  who  had  spared  his  own.     Kilto. 

It  is  to  be  remembered,  first,  that  Ahab  was 
not  free  to  do  as  he  liked  in  this  matter.  His 
victories  had  been  won,  not  by  his  prowess,  by 
the  skill  of  his  generals  or  the  valor  of  his  sol- 
diers, but  by  the  power  of  God  alone.  The 
war  was  God's  war  ;  it  was  begun  and  contin- 
tied,  and  should  therefore  have  been  ended,  iu 
Him.  When  even  the  details  of  the  attack  had 
been  ordered  of  God  (verse  14),  surely  lie  should 
have  been  consulted  as  to  the  disposal  of  the 
prisoners.  But  Ahab,  who  had  himself  playetl 
BO  craven  a  part  (verses  21,  31),  and  had  con- 
tributed nothing  to  these  great  and  unhoped- 
for victories,  nevertheless  arrogated  to  himself 
their  fruits,  and  thereby  ignored  and  dishon- 
ored God.  Secontlly,  if  he  had  so  little  regard 
for  his  own  private  interests  as  to  liberate  such 


a  man  as  Benhadad,  he  ought,  as  trustee  for 
the  peace  and  welfare  of  Israel,  to  have  acted 
differently.  The  demand  of  verse  6  should  have 
revealed  to  him  the  character  of  the  man  he  had 
to  deal  with.  And  lastly,  he  was  acting  in  de- 
fiance of  all  the  princijiles  awl  precedifuts  of  the 
Old  Testament  <lispen.sation.  The  king  was  the 
authorized  dispenser  of  rewards  and  punish- 
ments, not  oidy  to  wicked  subjects  but  to  ag- 
gressive nations.  It  was. his  duty  to  mete  out 
to  them  the  measure  they  had  served  to  Israel. 
And  the  precedents  were  all  in  favor  of  putting 
such  wretches  as  this  Benhadad  to  the  sword 
(Josh.  10  :  26  ;  Judges  7  :  25  ;  1  8am.  15  :  33). 
If  he  had  been  the  first  oppres.sor  who  fell  into 
the  hands  of  Israel,  Ahab  might  havi?  had 
some  excuse.  But  with  the  fate  of  Agag,  of 
Adonibezek,  of  Oreb  and  Zeeb,  in  his  memory, 
he  ought  at  any  rate  to  have  paused  and  asked 
counsel  of  God  before  taking  Benhadad  into  his 
chariot  and  sending  him  away  with  a  covenant 
of  peace,  to  reappear  at  no  distant  period  on 
the  scene  as  the  scourge  of  the  Lord's  people. 
ILimmoitd. 


A  personal  fact  is  not  indistinctly  suggestetl 
by  the  allegory  of  the  prophet.  The  soul's  life 
is  the  forfeit  of  its  neglect  of  an  offered  salva- 
tion through  life-long  absorption  in  this  and 
that  object  of  desire  and  pursuit.  That  is  all. 
Busy — busy — busy — here  and  there  !  That  is 
the  epitaph  of  many  a  lost  soul  !  Busy  here 
and  there,  and  the  life  entrusted  to  me,  the  life 
upon  which  my  life  was  staked,  gone — gone 
forever  !  Busy,  here  and  there,  gathering,  not 
wasting,  using,  not  abusing  mental  gifts,  busi- 
ness talents,  mechanical  skill,  mother-love, 
graceful  accomplishments,  learning,  wealth,  po- 
sition and  influence,  yet  the  true  life,  to  which 
all  these  gifts  and  gains  are  designed  to  be 
subsidiary  and  helpful,  gone,  escaped  forever  ! 
To  ihis  consciousness  of  life  neglected,  of  Christ 
rejected,  of  an  eternal  future  forgotten  and  dis- 
regarded, and  to  this  experience,  must  come  at 
length  every  living  man,  every  living  woman, 
who  is  busied  life-long  exclusively  with  these 
bent  concerns  of  earth.  And  when  that  con- 
sciousness and  experience  niv  realized  at  the 
judgment  of  the  great  day.  the  confirming 
voice  of  God's  condemnation  shall  sound  with- 
in the  long-busy  soul  itself.  "  Thusclf  hast  de- 
cided it,"  was  the  self-condemning  sentence  of 
Ahab  when  the  fiat  of  Jehovah  had  gone  forth 
for  his  destruction.  And  thus  self-adjudged 
and  .self -condemned  shall  be  every  world-busy 
but  God-rejecting  man  !    B. 


SECTION  13.  135 


Section  13. 

AHAB  AND  NABOTH.     SACRILEGIOUS  MURDER  BY  JEZEBEL  AND  THE 

ELDERS  OF  JEZREEL. 

1  Kings  21  : 1-29. 

1  And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  Naboth  the  Jezreelite  had  a  vineyard,  which 

2  was  in  Jczrecl,  hard  by  the  palace  of  Aliab  king  of  Samaria.  And  Ahab  spake  unto  Naboth, 
saying.  Give  me  thy  vineyard,  that  I  may  have  it  for  a  garden  of  herbs,  because  it  is  near 
unto  my  house  ;  and  I  will  give  thee  for  it  a  better  vineyard  than  it :  or,  if  it  seem  good  to 

3  thee,  I  will  give  thee  the  worth  of  it  in  money.     And  Naboth  said  to  Ahab,  The  Lord  forbid 

4  it  me,  that  I  should  give  the  inheritance  of  my  fathers  unto  thee.  And  Ahab  came  into  his 
house  heavy  and  displeased  because  of  the  word  which  Naboth  the  Jezreelite  had  spoken  to 
him  :  for  he  had  said.  I  will  not  give  thee  the  inheritance  of  my  fathers.     And  he  laid  him 

5  down  upon  his  bed,  and  turned  away  his  face,  and  would  cat  no  bread.     But  Jezebel  his  wife 

6  came  to  him,  and  said  unto  him.  Why  is  thy  spirit  so  sad,  that  thou  eatest  no  bread?  And 
he  said  unto  her.  Because  I  spake  unto  Naboth  the  Jezreelite,  and  said  unto  him.  Give  me  thy 
vineyard  for  money  ;  or  else,  if  it  please  thee,  I  will  give  thee  another  vineyard  for  it :  and 

7  he  answered,  1  will  not  give  thee  my  vineyard.  And  Jezebel  his  wife  said  unto  him.  Dost 
thou  now  govern  the  kingdom  of  Israel?  arise,  and  eat  bread,  and  let  thine  heart  be  merry  : 

8  I  will  give  thee  the  vineyanl  of  Naboth  the  Jezreelite.  So  she  wrote  letters  in  Ahab's  name, 
and  sealed  them  with  his  seal,  and  sent  the  letters  unto  the  eiders  and  to  the  nobles  that  were 

9  in  his  city,  and  that  dwelt  with  Naboth.     And  she  wrote  in  the  letters,  saying.  Proclaim  a 

10  fast,  and  set  Naboth  on  high  among  the  people  :  and  set  two  men,  sons  of  Belial,  before  him, 
and  let  them  bear  witness  against  him,  saying,  Tliou  didst  curse  God  and  the  king.     And 

11  then  carry  him  out,  and  stone  him,  that  he  die.  And  the  men  of  his  city,  even  the  ciders 
and  the  nobles  who  dwelt  in  his  city,  did  as  Jezebel  had  sent  unto  them,  according  as  it  was 

12  written  in  the  letters  which  she  had  sent  unto  them.     They  proclaimed  a  fast,  and  set  Naboth 

13  on  high  among  the  people.  And  the  two  men,  sons  of  Belial,  came  in  and  sat  before  him  : 
and  the  men  of  Belial  bare  witness  against  him,  even  against  Naboth,  in  the  presence  of  the 
people,  saying,  Naboth  did  curse  God  and  the  king.     Then  they  carried  him  forth  out  of  the 

14  city,  and  stoned  him  with  stones,  that  he  died.     Then  they  sent  to  Jezebel,  saying,  Naboth 

15  is  stoned,  and  is  dead.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jezebel  heard  that  Naboth  Wiis  stoned, 
and  was  dead,  that  Jezebel  said  to  Ahab,  Arise,  take  possession  of  the  vineyard  of  Naboth 
the  Jezreelite,  which  he  refused  to  give  thee  for  money  :  for  Naboth  is  not  alive,  but  dead. 

16  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Ahab  heard  that  Naboth  was  dead,  that  Ahab  rose  up  to  go  down 
to  the  vineyard  of  Naboth  the  Jezreelite,  to  take  possession  of  it. 

17,  18  And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Elijah  the  Tishbite,  saying,  Arise,  go  down  to  meet 
Ahab  king  of  Israel,  which  dwelleth  in  Samaria  :  behold,  he  is  in  the  vineyard  of  Naboth, 

19  whither  he  is  gone  down  to  take  possession  of  it.  And  thou  shalt  speak  unto  him,  saying. 
Thus  .saith  the  Lord,  Hast  thou  killed,  and  also  taken  possession?  and  thou  shalt  speak  unto 
him,  saying,  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  In  the  place  where  dogs  licked  the  blood  of  Naboth  shall 

20  dogs  lick  thy  blood,  even  thine.  And  Ahab  said  to  Elijah,  Hast  thou  found  me,  O  mine 
enemy?     And  he  answered,  I  have  found  thee  :  because  thou  hast  sold  thyself  to  do  that 

21  which  is  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  Behold,  I  will  bring  evil  upon  thee,  and  will  utterly 
sweep  thee  away,  and  will  cut  off  from  Ahab  every  man  child,  and  him  that  is  slmt  up  and 

23  him  Uiat  is  left  at  large  in  Israel  ;  and  I  will  make  thine  house  like  the  house  of  Jeroboam  the 
son  of  Nebat,  and  like  the  house  of  Baasha  the  son  of  Ahijah,  for  the  provocation  wherewith 

23  thou  hast  provoked  me  to  anger,  and  hast  made  Israel  to  sin.     And  of  Jezebel  also  spake  the 

24  LoKi),  saying.  The  dogs  shall  eat  Jezebel,  by  the  rampart  of  Jezreel.  Him  that  dieth  of 
Ahab  in  the  city  the  dogs  shall  eat  ;  and  him  that  dieth  in  the  field  shall  the  fowls  of  the  air 

25  eat.    (But  there  was  none  like  unto  Ahab,  which  did  sell  himself  to  do  that  which  was  evil  in 

26  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  whom  Jezebel  his  wife  stirred  up.  And  he  did  very  abominablj'  in 
following  idols,  according  to  all  that  the  Amorites  did,  whom  the  Lord  cast  out  before  the 


136 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


87  cliildren  of  Fsmel.)  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Ahab  lipanl  those  words,  that  he  rent  his 
clothis.  and  init  sackcloth  upon  liis  flesh,  and  f.istcd,  and  hiy  in  sackcloth,  and  went  softly. 

28,  21*  And  the  word  of  the  Loiii)  came  to  Elijah  tlicTislibite.  sayinfr,.Secst  thou  how  Ahab  huni- 
bletli  himself  before  me?  because  lie  humlilith  himself  before  me,  I  will  not  bring  the  evil  in 
Ills  days  :  but  in  his  son's  days  will  1  bring  the  evil  upon  his  house. 


TuK  impressions  made  iipon  .Mial)  and  Israel 
at  (.'arnul,  God  confirms  by  twice  interposing 
in  their  behalf  against  the  Syrian  king  Benha- 
dad.  Twice  He  secures  overwhelming  victo- 
ries by  Israel's  small  army  over  the  vast  hosts 
of  Syria.  In  this  He  is  still  seeking  to  "  turn 
thi'ir  heart  buck  again  ;"  for  He  expressly 
declares,  as  the  reason  for  His  interposition, 
'■  that  ye  may  know  that  I  am  the  Lord"  (1  K, 
20:13,28).  (See  previous  Section.)  But  Ahab 
only  abused  the  Divine  forbearance  and  favor. 
In  the  very  moment  of  complete  success, 
like  Saul  with  Agag,  he  openly  disobeyed 
God's  command  to  destroy  Benhadad.  He  pre- 
ferrt>d  and  dared  to  gratify  his  royal  vanity  by 
accepting  the  professed  submission  of  this 
Syrian  king  of  kings  with  his  people.  So  he 
spared  Benhadad  to  become  strong  again,  and 
a  few  years  later  to  be  God's  instrument  in  his 
own  destruction.  "  Because,"  God  phiinly 
told  him  then,  ''  thou  hast  let  go  a  man  whom 
I  had  devoted  to  utter  (icstruction,  therefore 
tljy  life  shall  go  for  his  life."  It  wsis  during 
the  interval  of  peace  which  followed  the  sec- 
ond victory  that  the  incident  now  under  review 
occurred.  It  .seems  to  be  recorded  here  to  show 
how  utterly  hardened  Ahab  luul  becom:-.  From 
selfish  vanity  he  had  j  ust  spared  an  idolatrous 
king  whom  God  had  condemned.  Now  from  a 
mere  petty,  selfish  whim  he  sufl^ers  his  wicked 
queen  to  destroy  a  righteous  man.  on  account 
of  that  man's  obedience  to  the  law  of  God.     B. 

1-13.  History  tells  of  few  crimes  of  its  kind 
more  flagitious,  more  cruel  and  cold-blooded 
than  this.  Here  we  see  that  spectacle  which 
one  of  the  ancients  said  was  dear  to  the  gods — 
a  just  man  suffering  shameful  wrongs  with 
dignity  and  jiatience  :  we  see  a  man  because 
of  his  fidelity  to  God  and  His  law  judicially 
done  to  death  by  the  representative  of  God,  by 
the  authority  appointed  to  execute  the  law. 
And  just  as  the  crime  has  few  parallels,  so  has 
the  history  few  equals  in  point  of  graphic  force 
and  quiet  pathos.  It  is  like  one  of  those 
sketches  by  the  hand  of  a  master,  which  set  us 
wondering  to  see  how  much  effect  can  be  pro- 
duced, and  how  mu(;h  meaning  conveyed,  by 
a  few  bro:ul  lines  and  touches.     Hammond. 

l-!l.  Adjoining  the  enclosure  of  Ahab's 
Rummer  palace  at  Jez.reel  was  a  small  vineyanl 
owned  by  Naboth,  that  Ahab  desired  to  ob- 


tain. Naboth.  who  had  held  fast  his  integrity 
with  Jehovah,  declined  to  part  with  it  becau.se 
it  was  his  ]iatrimoiiy.  The  law  of  God  forbade 
any  Israelite  from  alienating  the  inheritance  of 
his  father  (Lev.  25  :  28).  This  was  Naboth's 
only  and  suHicient  reason — a  conscientious  one 
— for  declining  to  gratify  the  king.     B. 

Jezrecl.  Ahab,  not  content  with  the 
palaces  and  i)leasure  grounds  ]irovided  by  his 
father  in  Samaria,  fixed  upon  the  town  of  Jez- 
n^el  in  Esdraelon  for  his  residence,  when  his 
presence  should  not  be  demanded  at  the  capi- 
tal. Here  hi-  built  him  a  palace  ;  here  he  ap- 
pears to  have  instituted  the  worship  of  Astarte 
— the  chief  goddess  of  Jezebel's  countrymen, 
as  Baal  was  their  chief  god — and  here  the 
four  hundred  priests  of  Astarte,  or  "  the 
groves,"  ate  at  Jezebel's  own  table.  The  site 
of  Jezreel  is  of  great  beauty  and  of  command- 
ing character.  The  town  occupied  the  svmimit 
of  a  small  isolated  ridge  which  rises  out  of  the 
plain  about  six  miles  north  from  Jenin,  bi-ing  a 
mileorsoto  the  northwest  of  the  foot  of  Mount 
Gilboa,  Westwardly  it  overlooks  the  entire 
length  of  the  plain  to  the  head  of  Mount 
Carmel  ;  eastwardly  it  commands  the  view  of 
the  valley  of  Jezreel  toward  the  Jordan,  and 
of  the  massive  bulk  of  Gilead  and  Biishan  rising 
beyond.  The  ridge  is  abotit  one  hundred  feet 
high  and  is  several  luindred  yards  long.  On 
the  south  it  slopes  gradually  to  the  level  of  the 
plaifi  ;  but  in  every  other  direction  it  falls  off 
al)ruptly.  Ahab's  palace  seems  to  have  been 
built  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  ridge, 
overhanging  the  town  wall,  and  the  coveted 
vineyard  of  the  murdered  Nabotli  lay  just  be- 
neath the  palace  adjoining  the  wall.  N.  C.  B. 
(See  vol.  iii.,  pp.  18-t,  3.51,  3.53.) 

Of  the  once  capital  of  Israel  not  a  vestige  re- 
mains, though  the  situation  is  lovely.  The 
very  ruins  have  cnmibled  from  desolate  heaps 
to  flat  turf-clad  hillocks.  Many  old  sarcophagi, 
or  marble  coftins,  lay  stnnvn  about,  some  con- 
verted into  horse-troughs,  and  several  richly 
sculptured  with  the  figures  of  the  crescent 
moon,  the  symbol  of  .Vshtoreth,  the  goddess  of 
the  Zidonians  ;  but  these  are  the  only  relics  of 
the  ancient  beauty  of  Jezreel.  Its  situation  ex- 
plains why  it  was  chosen  as  a  royal  residence. 
On  the  east  side  it  has  a  <lefensible  steep,  rocky 
descent  of  at  least  one  hundred  feet,  and  from 


SECTION  13.     AIIAB  AND  NABOTH. 


137 


its  tower  there  is  a  commanding  view  north, 
east,  and  west.  For  miles  tlie  route  from  the 
Jordan  by  Bethslieau  can  be  traced.  Ou  the 
otlier  siile  the  pUiin  is  in  view  past  Taanaeli 
and  Megiddo,  as  far  aa  Carmel.  Tlie  impor- 
tance of  Jezreel  was  limited  to  the  reigns  of 
Aliab  and  his  son.  Ahab  selected  it  as  liis  fa- 
vorite residence,  without  deserting  altogether 
Samaria  as  the  political  capital.  Here  he  erected 
his  palace  and  built  his  "  ivorj'  house,"  its  in- 
ner walls,  probably,  panelled  or  veneered  with 
ivory  ;  and  here  Jezebel  lived  after  his  death. 
The  sad  story  of  Naboth  is  forcibly  brought 
before  our  mind  as  we  stand  on  the  mounds  of 
Jezreel.  The  royal  grounds  most  probably 
have  stretched  down  the  hill.  Then  to  the 
cast  is  the  little  valley,  where  was  the  plot,  the 
patrimony  of  Naboth,  on  the  way  up  to 
the  city.     Tristrnm. 

!J.  Ahab  is  lord  and  king  of  all  the  territories 
of  Israel  ;  Naboth  is  the  owner  of  one  poor 
vineyard  :  Ahab  cannot  enjoy  Israel  if  Naboth 
enjoj'  his  vineyard.  Besides  Samaria,  Ahab 
was  the  victor  of  him  that  was  attended  with 
two  and  thirty  kings  ;  Naboth  was  a  plain 
townsman  of  Jezreel,  the  good  husband  of  a 
little  vineyard.  Whether  is  the  wealthier  ?  I 
do  not  hear  Naboth  wish  for  anything  of 
Ahab's  ;  I  hear  Ahab  wishing,  not  without  in- 
dignation for  a  repulse,  for  somewhat  from 
Naboth.  Riches  and  poverty  are  no  more  in 
the  heart  than  in  the  hand.  He  is  wealthy  that 
is  contented  ;  he  is  poor  that  wanteth  more. 
O  rich  Naboth,  that  carest  not  for  all  the  large 
possessions  of  Ahab  ;  so  thou  mayest  be  the 
lord  of  thine  own  vineyard.  O  miserable  Ahab, 
that  carest  not  for  thine  own  possessions  whilst 
thou  mayest  not  be  the  lord  of  Naboth's  vine- 
yard !     Bp.  H. 

As  the  law  was  concerned  for  the  continued 
existence  of  families,  .so,  too,  provision  was 
made  for  the  presertation  of  the  property  on 
which  the  subsistence  of  the  family  depended. 
As  far  as  possible,  the  inheritance  was  to  be 
preserved  entire.  Here  the  theocnilic  principle 
in  its  full  force  came  in,  and  its  application  to 
questions  of  proprietorship  is  exjiressed  in  the 
declaration  (Lev.  3.5  :  23),  "  The  land  is  mine  ; 
for  ye  are  strangers  and  fiireigners  with  me" — 
that  is,  God,  the  King  of  the  people,  is  the  real 
proprietor  of  the  land,  and  He  gives  it  to  the 
people  only  as  tenants.  Now,  inasmuch  as  each 
family  forms  an  integral  part  of  the  theocracy, 
an  inheritance  is  given  to  it  by  Jehovah  for  its 
subsistence,  which  forms,  as  it  were,  an  hered- 
itary feudal  holding,  and  is  therefore  in  itself 
inalienable.       Hence    Naboth's    refusal  :     and 


hence  the  strong  language  of  the  prophets 
against  the  efiforts  of  the  rich  to  enlarge  their 
possessions  by  adding  to  th(  ir  own  lands  the 
inheritance  of  others  (Isa.  5  :  8  and  other  pas- 
sages).    O. 

4-7.  Ahctb  as  a  sufferer  and  Jezebel  a  com- 
forter. We  have  had  the  one  weakness  of 
Elijah's  life.  Here  we  have  the  one  weakness 
of  AlialVs  whole  career.  As  is  the  cause  so  is 
the  effect,  pitifully  trivial  and  childish.  This 
king  over  Israel,  possessing  two  luxurious 
palaces  and  all  the  pleasures  that  unlimited 
wealth  and  power  could  command,  is  actually 
sickened  with  displeasure  and  discontent  be- 
cause he  cannot  obtain  this  toy  garden  for  his 
gratification.  So  it  is  that  something  is  always 
wanting  to  those  who  have  most.  And  one 
trivial  want  is  stronger  than  the  many  po.sses- 
sions.  One  small  cross  of  want  or  disappoint- 
ment brings  more  of  real  pain  than  manj'  bless- 
ings give  of  pleasure.  Now  Jezebel  comes  in 
as  a  comforter,  faithful  in  her  devotion  to  him 
if  in  nothing  else.  Like  a  child  he  tells  her 
the  cause  of  his  trouble.  But  he  conceals  and 
misrepresents  Naboth's  reason  for  declining. 
He  implies  that  the  refusal  came  from  mere 
obstinac}'  and  a  desire  to  thwart  his  wishes. 
Whereas  Naboth  had  put  it  on  the  high 
ground  of  obedience  to  Jehovah's  express  law. 
And  Ahab,  as  himself  solemnly  pledged  to 
maintain  this  law,  was  bound  to  respect  and 
yield  to  Naboth's  reason.  What  the  subject 
could  not  conscientiously  concede  the  sovereign 
could  not  rightly  require.  As  he  acts  and 
speaks  childishly,  so  Jezebel  soothingly  answers 
as  to  a  child.  "  Cheer  up  !  Thou  art  yet 
king.  I  will  get  you  what  j'ou  are  longing 
for!"  She  does  not  tell  him  her  plan,  for /(e 
has  yet  some /(•«)■  of  God,  if  not  conscience,  left, 
or  he  would  have  at  once  seized  upon  Naboth's 
land.  She  would  not  awaken  this  fear,  and 
perhaps  hinder  her  scheme,  by  acquainting  him 
with  it.  And  as  he  lies  there  in  peevish  dis- 
content he  has  not  fear  or  conscience  enough  to 
care  what  course  she  intends  to  pursue.     B. 

As  he  lies  there  like  a  si)oiled  child,  all  be- 
cause he  could  not  get  his  own  way,  he  may 
serve  for  an  example  of  the  misery  of  unbridled 
selfishness  and  unregulated  desires.  An  acre 
or  two  of  land  was  a  small  matter  to  get  into 
such  a  state  about,  and  there  are  few  things 
that  are  worth  a  wi.se  or  a  strong  man's  being 
so  troubled.  Hezekieh  might  "  turn  his  face 
to  the  wall"  in  the  extremity  of  sickness  and 
earnestness  of  prayer  ;  b\it  Ahab,  doing  it,  is 
only  a  poor,  feeble  creature  who  has  weakly 
set  his  heart  on  what  is  not  his,  and  weakly 


138 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


wliimpcrs  because  he  cannot  have  it.  To  be 
thus  at  the  mercy  of  our  own  ravenous  desires, 
anil  so  utterly  miser.ible  when  tliey  are 
tliwarted,  is  unwortliy  of  manliood,  and  is  sure 
to  brinir  many  a  bitter  moment  ;  for  tlierc  are 
more  disappointments  than  gratifications  in 
store  for  such  a  one.  We  may  learn  from  him, 
too,  tlie  certainty  tliat  weakness  will  darkin 
into  wickedness.  Such  a  mood  as  his  always 
brings  some  .Jezebel  or  other  to  suggest  evil 
ways  of  succeeding.  In  this  wicked  world 
tliere  are  more  temptations  to  sin  than  helps  to 
virtue,  and  the  weak  man  will  soon  fall  into 
some  of  tlie  abundant  traps  laid  for  him.  A.  M. 

Discontent  is  a  sin  that  is  its  own  punishment, 
and  makes  men  torment  themselves  ;  it  makes 
the  spirit  sad,  the  body  sick,  and  all  the  enjoy- 
ments sour  ;  it  is  the  heaviness  of  the  heart  and 
the  rottenness  of  the  bones.  It  is  a  sin  that  is 
its  own  parent  ;  it  arises  not  from  the  condi- 
tion but  from  the  mind  ;  as  we  find  Paul  con- 
tented in  a  prison,  so  Ahab  tiiscontented  in  a 
palace  ;  he  had  all  the  delights  of  Canaan  at 
command,  the  wealth  of  a  kingdom,  the  pleas- 
ures of  a  court,  and  the  honors  and  powers  of 
a  throne  ;  and  yet  nil  this  arails  him  nothing 
without  Naboth's  vineyard.  Inordinate  desires 
expose  men  to  continual  vexatious,  and  they 
that  are  disposed  to  fret,  be  they  never  so 
hap])y,  will  always  find  something  or  other  to 
fret  at.     II. 

7.  I  will  give  thee  the  Tineyard 
of  Naboth.  Ahab  wanted  neither  wit  nor 
wickedness  ;  yet  is  he  iu  both  a  very  novice  to 
this  Zi<lonian  dame.  There  needs  no  other 
devil  than  .Jezebel,  whether  to  project  evil  or  to 

work  it.     Bp.    II. How  she  would  give   it 

him  she  did  not  indicate.  Nor  was  jVhab  care- 
ful to  inquire,  lest  he  should  be  forced  either 
to  s;inction  what  his  conscience  condemned  or 
to  forbid  what  he  would  fain  see  done  with  no 
open  complicity  on  his  part.  It  presents  a 
frightful  picture  of  the  demoralization  of  the 
people  of  Jczreel,  caused  by  the  residence  of 
the  idolatrous  and  wicked  court,  that  her  hor- 
rible plot  was  so  readily  carried  into  effect. 
Vi'iinMi'H. 

8-10.  Ji'ZfliiT »  imjrions  scheme  to  ptit  Nahnth 
ovt  (if  the  mil/.  The  alphabet  and  the  use  of 
letters  came  from  her  own  country  of  Phaniicia. 
Slie  employs  this,  to  her  familiar,  agency  to 
i.ssue  in  the  king's  name  and  with  his  seal  a 
command  to  the  elders  and  nobles  of  Jczreel. 
And  never  was  a  more  impious  mandate  issued. 
It  was  not  merely  an  order  causelessly  and  re- 
morselessly to  murder  a  righteous  man  ;  but 
it  pro|)osed  to  commit  such  murder  under  the 


1  rrilnr  of  a  religious  service,  and  with  the  forms  of 
justice.  The  rulers  of  Jczreel  were  directed  to 
proclaim  a  fast,  a  solemn,  religious  observance, 
as  if  some  public  calamity  were  threatened  on 
account  of  some  great  crime.  Thus  the  people 
were  prepared  to  expect  some  accusation  to  be 
made,  to  look  for  some  criminal  to  be  point<'d 
out.  And  they  would  be  ready  to  take  instant 
action  in  judgment  against  such  alleg(;d  crim- 
inal, that  the  threatened  calamity  might  be 
avoided.  Thus  the  sacred  oflices  of  religion 
would  be  perverted  to  serve  Jezebel's  munler- 
ous  purpose.  Further,  she  directs  these  men, 
who  were  the  magistrates  of  Jezreel,  to  employ 
the  forms  of  justice  while  directly  violating  its 
spirit  and  sub  verting  its  ends.  Shcrequires  the 
men  who  constitute  the  court  of  God's  appoint- 
ment, to  whom  He  had  entrusted  the  adminis- 
tration of  law  and  equity,  themsclres  to  Kulmrn 
false  witnesses.  Nay,  .she  frames  the  false 
charge,  and  requires  these  judges  to  put  the 
very  words  of  accusation  into  the  mouths  of 
the  bribed  accusers.  And  as  the  crowning 
feature  of  her  unparalleled  iniquity,  all  that 
she  proposes  to  be  done  is  based  upon  an 
assumed  recognition  of  Jehovah  as  the  God  of 
Israel,  and  a  regard  for  His  religious  ordinances 
and  civil  statutes.  Because  this  will  best  sub- 
serve her  cruel  purpose,  she  makes  pretence  of 
acknowledging  Him,  for  whose  authority  and 
laws  and  servants  she  has  hitherto  manifested 
only  scorn  and  hate.     B. 

Jezebel  had  Ahab's  signet,  the  badge  of 
authority.  Her  letter  to  the  elders  of  Jezreel 
speaks  out  with  cynical  disregard  of  decency 
the  whole  ugly  conspirac}-.  It  is  direct,  horribly 
plain  and  imperative.  There  is  a  perfect  nest 
of  sins  hissing  and  coiled  together  in  it — hypoc- 
ri.sy  calling  religion  in  to  attest  a  lie,  suborna- 
tion of  evidence,  contempt  for  the  poor  tools 
who  are  to  perjure  themselves,  consciousness 
that  such  work  will  only  be  done  by  worthless 
men,  cool  lying,  ferocity  and  murder — these 
are  a  pretty  company  to  crowd  into  half  a  dozen 
lines.  Most  detestable  of  all  is  the  plain  speak- 
ing which  shows  her  hardened  aiulacity  and 
conscious  defiance  of  all  right.  To  name  sin 
by  its  true  name,  and  then  to  do  it  without  a 
qinver,  is  a  depth  of  evil  reached  by  few  men. 

and   perhaps  fewer  women.      A.  51. Mark 

the  atrocious  use  to  which  a  bad  heart  puts  the 
knowledge  of  God's  law.  Jezebel,  as  this 
record  shows,  was  acquainted  with  the  require- 
ments of  the  Mosaic  code.  She  knew  that 
blasphemy  was  punishable  with  death,  and 
that  at  the  mouth  of  twoorthree  witnes.ses  only 
could  any  one  be  condemned  ;  and  she  availed 


SECTION  13.     AHAB  AND  NABOTH. 


139 


herself  of  that  knowledge  for  bringing  about 
falsely,  yet  under  color  of  observing  the  law, 
the  death  of  Naboth.      W.  M.  Taylor. 

11-14.  Tlie  elders  and  nobles  execute  Jezebel's 
scluine  to  the  letter.  Without  demur  or  hesita- 
tion, having  no  fear  of  God  to  counteract  tlieir 
fear  of  Jezebel,  as  residents  of  the  royal  city 
steeped  in  the  iniquity  of  the  court,  they 
promptly  carry  out  the  very  nunute  directions 
given  tliem.  They  convene  a  religious  assem- 
bly, and  transform  it  into  a  court.  They  set 
Naboth  in  a  conspicuous  place.  By  the  lips  of 
false  witnesses,  whom  tliey  have  procured  and 
instructed  how  to  speak,  they  hurl  upon  the 
righteous  but  defenceless  man  a  double  accusa- 
tion of  the  highest  crime — blasphemy  ayainst 
Ood  and  treason  against  the  king.  Then,  with- 
out allowing  the  accused  man  a  moment  of  op- 
portunity for  answer  or  disproof,  they  pro- 
nounce judgment  of  death.  And  instantly  the 
assembled  multitude  carried  the  innocent  but 
condemned  Nabotli  forth  out  of  the  city,  and 
executed  sentence  according  to  the  law  of 
Moses  by  stoning  him  to  death.  And  the  nies- 
sage  sent  to  Jezebel  accords  with  the  character 
of  the  whole  transaction.  They  said,  not  that 
Naboth  was  found  guilty  of  crime  against  God 
and  the  king  and  has  been  punished,  but  simply 
Naboth  is  stoned,  and  is  dead.  Surely  never 
were  cruel,  heartless  orders  more  heartlessly 
obeyed.     B. 

In  the  record  of  Jezebel  not  one  redeeming 
feature  anywhere  appears.  Her  character  bears 
the  stamp  of  unmixed  wickedness — pure  and 
utter  depravity.  We  should  think  much  better 
of  her  if  she  had  hired  an  assassin  to  waylay 
Naboth  and  hurl  a  javelin  tlirough  his  heart. 
It  was  doubly  horrible  to  prostitute  the  sacred 
forms  of  justice  to  the  purposes  of  such  foul 
murder  and  wrong.  Perhaps  she  thought  to 
conceal  crime  under  such  a  covering  ;  but 
God  abhors  such  concealments,  and  has  ways 
to  blast  such  schemes.  All  in  all,  the  charac- 
ter of  Jezebel  is  drawn — to  be  execrated. 
There  could  be  no  other  worthy  object  in  de 
lineating  such  ineffable  meanness  and  wicked- 
ness.    H.  C. 

No  clause  of  the  letter  is  not  observed.  A 
fast  is  warned  ;  the  city  is  assembled  ;  Naboth 
is  conveutcd,  accused,  confronted,  sentenced, 
stoned  :  his  vineyard  is  escheated  to  the  crown  ; 
Ahab  takes  speedy  and  quiet  possession.  How 
still  doth  God  sit  in  heaven,  and  look  upon  the 
complots  of  treachery  and  villainies  as  if  they 
did  not  concern  Him  I  The  success  so  answers 
their  desires,  as  if  both  heaven  and  earth  were 
their  friends.     It  is  the  plague,  which  seems 


the  felicity  of  sinners,  to  speed  well  in  their 
lewd  enterprises.  No  reckoning  is  brought  in 
the  midst  of  the  meal  :  the  end  pays  for  all. 
Bp.  IT. 

15,  16.  Jezebel  tells  Ahab  to  take  posses- 
sion of  the  coveted  vineyard,  for  Naboth  is 
dead.  As  Naboth's  sons  had  also  been  slain 
(2  K.  9  :  26),  the  king  had  now  a  legal  claim  to 
the  possession.  At  once  he  goes  to  the  vine- 
yard, himself  conscious  of  bloodguiltincss, 
although  he  had  no  direct  part  in  the  murder. 
But  well  he  knew  that  Naboth's  death  had  been 
designed  and  wrought  by  Jezebel,  and  that  at 
heart  he  had  been  consenting  to  the  deed.     B. 

Her  indecent  triumph  at  the  success  of  the 
plot  and  her  utter  callousness  are  expressed  in 
her  words  to  Ahal),  in  which  the  main  point  is 
the  taking  possession  of  the  vineyard.  The 
death  of  its  owner  is  told  with  exultation,  as 
nothing  but  the  sweeping  away  of  an  obstacle. 
Ahab  asks  no  questions  as  to  how  this  oppor- 
tune clearing  away  of  hindrance  came  about. 
He  knew,  no  doubt,  well  enough,  that  there 
had  been  foul  play  ;  but  that  does  not  matter  to 
him,  and  such  a  trifle  as  murder  does  not  slack- 
en his  glad  haste  to  get  his  new  toy.  There 
was  other  red  on  the  vines  than  their  clustering 
grapes,  as  he  soon  found  out,  wlitu  Elijah's 
grim  figure,  like  an  embodied  conscience,  met 
him  there.  Whoever  reaches  out  to  grasp  a 
fancied  good  by  breaking  God's  law  may  get 
his  good,  but  he  will  get  more  than  he  expected 
along  with  it — even  an  accusing  voice  that 
prophesies  evil.     A.  M. 

Ahab's  entry  on  the  possession  seems  to  have 
been  made  the  very  next  day  after  Naboth's 
death.  We  learn  afterward  (2  K.  9  :  26)  that 
Jehu  and  Bidkar  rode  with  Ahab  at  the  time, 
and  so  appalling  was  the  curse  which  Elijah 
pronounced  on  the  wretched  king  that  it  was 
imprinted  on  Jehu's  memory,  and  he  could 
quote  it  many  years  afterward,  apparently  in 
its  very  words.     Lumby. 

17-20.  In  the  vineyard  he  encounters 
Elijah  again,  whom  God  had  sent  to  meet  him 
there.  He  learns  from  the  prophet's  words  at 
what  fatal  cost  to  himself,  to  Jezebel,  and  to 
his  children,  this  possession  lias  been  gained. 
Elijah's  words  are  words  of  doom.  In  due 
time  they  are  fulfilled  ;  first,  in  his  own  death 
from  a  bow  "  drawn  at  a  venture  ;"  afterward, 
in  the  horrible  mangling  of  Jezebel,  and  the 
slaughter  of  his  seventy  sons.     B. 

While  Ahab  is  rejoicing  in  his  new  garden 
plot,  and  promising  himself  contentment  in 
this  commodious  enlargement,  in  comes  Elijah 
— sent  from  God  with  an  errand  of  vengeance. 


140 


KINO  DOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


Link-  pkiisure  took  he  in  his  prospect  while  it 
wiis  clogged  with  such  n  guest ;  j-et  his  tongue 
begins  fii-st,  "  Hnst  thou  found  me,  O  mine 
enemy  ?"  Great  is  the  power  of  conscience. 
Upon  the  List  meeting,  for  aught  we  know, 
Alml)  and  Elijah  ]>arted  friends  :  the  prophet 
had  lackeyed  his  coach,  and  took  a  peaceable 
leave  at  this  town's  end  ;  now  Allah's  heart 
told  him  that  Gnd  and  His  prophet  were  fallen 
out  with  him.  His  continuing  idolatry,  now 
seconded  with  blood,  bids  him  look  for  nothing 
but  frowns  from  heaven.  A  guilty  heart  can 
never  be  at  peace.     Bp.  II. 

"Wii  see  here  this  broad  principle — pleasure 
won  by  sin  is  jieace  lost.  While  sin  is  yet 
tempting  ui  it  is  loved  ;  when  sin  is  done,  it  is 
loathed.  Xabolh's  blood  stains  the  leaves  of 
Naboth's  garden.  Elijah  is  always  waiting  at 
the  gate  of  the  ill-gotten  possession.  Sin  is 
blind  to  its  true  friends  and  its  real  foes. 
Elijah  was  the  best  friend  Ahab  had  in  the 
kingdom.  Jezebel  was  the  worst  tempter  that 
hell  could  have  sent  him.  This  is  one  of  the 
certainest  workings  of  evil  desires  in  our  own 
spirits,  that  they  pervert  to  us  all  the  relations 
of  things,  that  they  make  us  blind  to  all  the 
moral  truths  of  God's  universe.  Sin  is  blind 
as  to  itself,  blind  as  to  its  own  conse(iuences, 
blind  as  to  who  are  its  friends  and  who  are  its 
foes,  blind,  as  to  earth,  blind  iis  to  another 
worM,  blind  as  to  God.  The  man  that  walks 
in  the  "  vain  show"  of  transgression,  whose 
heart  is  set  upon  evil,  fancies  that  ashes  are 
bread  and  atones  gold  (as  in  the  old  fairy  story)  ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  he  thinks  that  the  true 
sweet  is  the  bitter,  and  turns  away  from  God's 
angels  and  God's  prophets  with,  "  Hiust  thou 
found  me,  ()  mine  enemy  ?"  That  is  the 
reiison  of  not  a  little  of  the  infidelity  that 
haunts  this  world — that  sin,  perverted  and 
blinded,  stumbles  about  in  its  darkness,  and 
mistakes  the  face  of  the  friend  for  the  face  of 
the  foe.  God  sends  in  His  mercy  the  discipline 
of  life,  pains  and  sorrows,  to  draw  us  away 
from  the  wrong,  to  make  us  believe  that  the 
right  in  this  worUl  and  the  next  is  life,  and  that 
holiness  is  happiness  forevemiore.  And  then, 
when,  having  done  wrong,  God's  merciful 
mes.senger  of  a  sharp  sorrow  finds  us  out,  we 
say,  "  Hjust  thou  found  me,  O  mine  enemy  1" 
and  begin  to  wonder  about  the  mysteries  of 
I'rovidi'nce,  and  how  it  comes  that  there  is  evil 
in  the  creation  of  a  good  God.  Why,  physical 
evil  is  the  best  friend  of  the  man  that  is  sub- 
ject to  moral  evil.  Sorrow  is  the  truest  bless- 
ing to  a  sinmT.  Thi'  best  thing  that  can  befall 
any  of  us  is  that  God  shall  not  let   us  alone  in 


any  wrong  course  without  making  us  feel  His 
rod,  without  hedging  up  our  way  with  thorns, 
and  sending  us  by  His  grace  into  a  better  one. 
There  is  no  mystery  in  sorrow.  There  is  a 
mystery  in  sin  ;  but  sorrow,  following  on  the 
back  of  sin,  is  the  true  friend,  and  not  the 
eniiiiy  of  the  wrong  dciiiigspirit.     A.  M. 

TluMi  liast  Muld  tliyscir  lo  work 
evil.  Because  he  was  the  king,  the  judge, 
who,  instiail  of  punishing  the  evil-doer,  sanc- 
tioned an  1  approved  the  deed,  and  who 
crowned  a  reign  of  idolatries  and  abominations 
with  this  shameful  murder,  the  prophetic 
sentence  is  directed  primarily  against  him. 
JIninmiiiiil. Not  only  had  -Vhab  given  him- 
self entirely  over  to  iniquity,  but  he  had  done 
so  at  the  price  of  himself.  The  great  German 
poet  has  elaborated  this  thought  into  that  weird 
production  wherein  he  rei)resints  his  hero  as 
selling  his  soul  to  the  mocking  Mephistopheles. 
And  it  were  well  that  every  evil-doer  laid  to 
heart  the  moral  of  his  tragic  tale.  That  which 
the  sinner  gives  for  his  unhallowed  pleasure  or 
dishonest  gain  is  himself.      W.  M.  Tuylor. 

21-25.  Elijah  comes  here  and  prophesies 
the  fall  of  Ahab.  The  next  peal,  the  next 
flash,  fulfil  the  prediction.  There,  where  he 
did  the  wrong,  he  died.  In  Jezreel,  Ahab 
died.  In  Jezreel,  Jezebel  died.  That  plain 
wiis  the  battle-field  for  the  subseqiient  dis- 
comfiture of  Israel.  Over  and  over  again  there 
encamped  upon  it  the  hosts  of  the  spoilers. 
Over  and  over  again  its  soil  ran  red  with  the 
blood  of  the  children  of  Israel  ;  and  at  la.st,  in 
the  destruction  of  the  kingdom,  Naboth  was 
avenged  and  Giod's  word  fulfilled.  The  threat- 
ened evil  was  foretold  that  it  might  lead  the 
king  to  repentance,  and  that  thus  it  might  never 
need  to  be  more  than  a  threat.  But,  though 
Ahab  was  partially  penitent  and  partially  lis- 
tened to  the  prophet's  voice,  yet  for  all  that 
he  went  on  in  his  evil  way.  Therefore  the 
merciful  threatening  becomes  a  stern  prophecj-, 
and  is  fulfilled  to  the  very  letter.  And  so, 
when  God's  message  comes  to  vis,  if  we  listen 
not  to  it  and  turn  not  to  its  gentle  rebuke,  oh, 
then  we  gather  up  for  ourselves  an  awful 
futurity  of  judgment,  when  threatening  dark- 
ens into  punishment,  and  the  voice  that  rebuked 
swells  into  the  voice  of  final  condemnation. 
Then^  is  a  resurrection  of  acts  as  well  as  of 
l)odies.  Think  what  it  will  be  for  a  man  to  sit 
surrojinded  by  that  ghastly  company,  the 
ghosts  of  his  own  sins  ! — and  as  each  forgotten 
fault  and  buried  badness  comes,  silent  and 
sheeted,  into  that  awful  society,  and  sits  itself 
down  there,  think  of  him  greeting  each  with 


SECTION  13.     AIIAB  AND  NABOTH. 


141 


the  question,  "  Thou  too  ?  What  I  are  3'c  all 
hero  ?  Hast  thou  found  me,  O  mine  enemy  ?" 
and  from  each  bloodless  spectral  lip  there  tolls 
out  the  answer,  the  knell  of  his  life,  "  I  liare 
found  thee,  because  thou  hast  sold  thyself  to 
work  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord."     A.  M. 

Altogether  unnoticed  by  the  world,  many  a 
man's  sin  meets  him  in  that  dread  chamber  of 
an  awakened  conscience,  where  so  many  sights 
and  sounds  cf  terror  congregate.  In  solitude. 
In  secret,  in  dead  hours  of  night  the  sinner 
awakes,  and  the  long  train  of  his  transgressions 
passes  by  before  him.  They  mock  him  ;  they 
reproach  him  ;  they  present  themselves  to  him 
in  all  their  hideous  features,  with  no  modest 
reserve,  no  fair  sentences,  no  smooth  names  to 
name  them  bj',  that  thus  their  wickedness  may 
be  concealed,  but  bold,  brazen-faced,  true  to 
what  they  are.  In  such  hours  the  sinner 
trembles.  How  bitterly  does  he  reproach  him- 
self, bite  his  lips  in  the  anguish  of  his  spirit,  and 
shut  his  eyes  only  that  his  sins,  remembered 
now,  may  peer  more  closely  in  through  the 
closed  eyelids  !  It  is  Elijah  meeting  Ahab 
in  Naboth's  vineyard.  It  is  the  fulfilment  of 
the  words,  "  What  fruit  had  ye  in  those  things 
whereof  ye  are  now  ashamed,  for  the  end  of 
these  things  is  death."  The  fact  of  this 
righteous  judge  and  of  this  righteous  judgment 
cannot  be  too  deeply  impressed  upon  us  ;  and 
it  is  in  no  .'!mall  degree  for  the  sake  of  leaving 
that  impression  upon  our  minds  that  the  story 
of  Naboth  is  dwelt  upon  as  it  is. 

27-29.  The  threatenings  of  the  prophet  so 
awfully  announced,  so  powerfully  brought 
home  to  Ahab  on  the  very  spot  which  had  been 
the  scene  of  his  wickedness,  produced  its  effect. 
Ahab  himself  repented,  at  least  in  part ;  and 
the  last  impression  left  upon  us  by  tlie  sacred 
writer,  in  bringing  his  terrible  narrative  re- 
garding him  to  a  close,  is  that  even  He  whose 
judgments  had  followed  him  all  his  days  has 
no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked,  but 
rather  tliat  he  turn  from  his  wickedness  and 
live.  His  eye  pitied  the  unhappj'  king  as  he 
"  rent  his  clothes,  and  put  sackcloth  upon  his 
flesh,  and  fasted,  and  lay  in  sackcloth,  and 
went  softly ;"  and  the  final  motto  of  his 
melancholy  story  is,  that,  while  he  who  dares 
to  meet  the  Almiglity  as  a  foe  can  only  perish 
upon  the  thick  bos.ses  of  His  buckler,  he  who 
repents  and  forsakes  his  sins  shall  find  mere}'. 
W.  M. 

Ahab  put  on  the  garb  and  giuse  of  a  peni- 
tent, and  yet  Ids  lieart  was  unhumbled  and 
unchanged.  After  this  we  find  he  hated  a 
faithful   prophet  (chap.  33  :  8).     It  is  no  new 


thing  to  find  the  show  and  profession  of  re- 
pentance wliere  yet  the  trutli  and  substance  of 
it  are  wanting.  Ahab's  repentance  was  only 
what  might  be  seen  of  men  :  Secut  ihc/ii  (says 
God  to  Elijah)  how  Ahab  humbles  himnelff  It 
was  external  only — the  garments  rent,  but  not 
the  heart.  A  hypocrite  may  go  very  far  in  the 
outward  performances  of  holy  duties,  and  yet 
come  short.  He  obtained  hereby  a  reprieve, 
which  I  maj'  call  a  kind  of  pardon.  Though 
it  was  but  an  outside  repentance  (lamenting 
the  judgment  only  and  not  the  sin),  though 
he  did  not  leave  his  idols  nor  restore  the  vine- 
yard to  Naboth's  heirs,  yet  because  he  did  here- 
by give  some  glory  to  God,  God  look  notice 
of  it,  and  bade  Elijah  take  notice  of  it ;  Seest 
thou  lium  Ahab  humbles  himself?  (verse  39). 
In  consideration  of  this  the  threatened  ruin  of 
his  house,  which  had  not  been  fixed  to  any 
time,  should  be  adjourned  to  his  son's  dnys. 
The  sentence  should  not  be  revoked,  but  the 
execution  suspended.  Now,  1.  This  discovers 
the  great  goodness  of  God  and  His  readiness  to 
show  mere}',  which  here  njoiees  arjiiiiist  judg- 
ment. Favor  is  showed  to  this  wicked  man, 
that  God  might  magnify  His  goodness  (says 
Bishop  Sanderson),  even  to  the  hazard  of  His 
other  Divine  perfections  ;  as  if  (says  he)  God 
would  be  thought  unholy,  or  untrue,  or  unjust 
(though  He  be  none  of  these),  or  anything 
rather  than  unmerciful.  3.  This  teaches  us  to 
take  notice  of  that  which  is  good,  even  in  those 
who  are  not  so  good  as  they  should  be  ;  let  it 
be  commended  as  far  as  it  gees.  3.  This  gives 
a  reason  why  wicked  jjeople  sometimes  pros- 
per long  ;  God  is  rewarding  their  external  ser- 
vices with  external  mercies.  4.  Tliis  encour- 
ages all  those  that  truly  repent  and  unfcignedly 
believe  the  holy  Gospel.  If  a  pretending 
partial  penitent  shall  go  to  His  house  re- 
prieved, doubtless  a  sincere  penitent  shall  go  to 

His  house  justified.     H. But  why,  it  may  be 

asked,  if  Ahab's  humiliation  was  so  little 
worth,  was  any  Divine  regard  shown  toward 
it  ?  This,  we  answer,  was  to  show  by  a  living 
example  that  self-condemnation  and  abasement 
before  God  is  the  way  to  escape  His  anger  and 
obtain  His  favor.  The  exemption  which  the 
Lord  made  in  Ahab's  favor  on  his  repenting  was 
calculated  to  encourage  him  to  aim  at  some- 
thing better.  Self-condemnation,  self-abase- 
ment, and  giving  God  tlie  glory  are  the  firet 
steps  from  spiritual  death  to  spiritual  life. 
Krummacher. 

It  we  were  to  seek  the  Scriptures  through 
for  a  proof  that  God's  "  property  is  always  to 
have  mercy,"  and  that  judgment  is  His  strange 


142 


KINODOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


work,  where  sliould  wo  find  a  moro  striking 
ami  oiiiiiunt  one  tliaii  in  tliia  reienting  toward 
Aliab  Y     Iliimmoiid. 

Other  SuggeMioiu  of  the  Story. 

Tile  keynote  of  Elijsiii's  cliaraoter  is /«?•<•<■ — 
tlie  force  of  rifcliteousness.  Tlie  New  Testa- 
ment, you  rememl)er,  talks  alioiit  tlie  "  power 
of  Elias."  Tlie  wliole  of  liis  career  is  marked 
l)y  tiiis  one  thing — the  strength  of  a  rigliteoiis 
man.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  the  key-note 
of  Ahab's  character  is  the  weakness  of  wicked- 
ness and  the  wickedness  of  weakness.  Weakly 
longing — as  idle  and  weak  minds  in  lofty  places 
always  do — after  something  that  belongs  to 
somebody  else  :  with  all  his  gardens,  coveting 
the  one  little  herb-plot  of  tlie  poor  Naboth  ; 
weak  and  worse  than  womanly,  turning  his 
face  to  the  wall  and  weeping  when  he  cannot 
get  it ;  weakly  desiring  to  have  it,  and  yet  not 
knowing  how  to  set  about  accomplishing  his 
wish  ;  and  then — as  is  always  the  csise,  for 
there  are  always  tempters  everywhere  for  weak 
people — that  beautiful  fiend  by  liisside,  like  the 
other  queen  in  our  great  drama,  ready  to  screw 
the  feeble  man  that  she  is  wedded  to,  to  the 
sticking  place,  and  to  dare  anything  to  grasp 
that  on  wliich  the  heart  was  set.  And  so  the  deed 
is  done  :  Naboth  safe  stoned  out  of  the  way  ; 
and  Ahab  goes  down  to  take  possession  !  The 
lesson  of  that  is  :  Weak  ilallying  with  forbid- 
den desires  is  sure  to  end  in  wiclved  clutching 
at  them.     A.  M. 

The  effeet  of  selfixh  Hring.  It  so  weakens 
proper  self-respect  and  self-reliance,  that  when 
disappointment  comes,  the  man  has  nothing  to 
full  back  upon.  So  lie  belittles  liimself,  as 
Ahab  did.  by  childish  fretting.  True  manhood 
and  manly  action  have  a  basis  of  unseltisliness. 
Devotion  to  others,  to  God  or  man,  is  the  secret 
of  self-reliance,  patient  endurance,  and  all  other 
elements  of  truly  elevated  character. 

The  amazing  wickedness  of  the  human  heart. 
To  King  Ahab  were  the  words  uttered  :  Thou 
hast  sold  t hi/self  to  work  eril.  Sold  to  Satan, 
only  to  receive  the  "wages  of  sin."  In  all 
history,  sacred  and  secular,  few  parallels  can 
be  found  to  this  utter  depravity  of  Jezebel. 
Satan's  iiower  in  her  soul  has  rarely  since  been 

matched.     B. Jezebel  is  an  instance  of  the 

fatal  audacity  with  which  a  strong  character 
may  come,  by  long  indulgence  in  self-willed 
gratification  of  its  own  desires,  to  trample 
down  all  obstacles  and  go  crashing  through  all 
laws,  human  and  Divine.  The  climax  of  sin  is 
to  sec  a  deed  to  be  sinful,  and  to  do  it  all  the 


same.  Such  a  pre-eminence  in  evil  is  not 
reached  at  abound,  but  it  can  lie  reached  :  and 
every  indulgence  in  pa.ssion  and  every  gratify- 
ing of  desire  against  which  ('onsciencc  protests 
is  H  step  towanl  it.  Therefore,  if  we  shrink 
from  such  a  goal,  let  us  turn  away  from  the 
paths  that  lead  to  it.  "  No  mortal  man  is 
supremely  foul  all  at  once."  Therefore  resist 
tlie  beginnings  of  evil.     A.  M. 

Sin  is  not  hateful  to  selfish  repentance  except 
that  it  brings  self  into  trouble.  That  it  offends 
a  good  God.  grieves  a  compa-ssionate  God. that 
is  nothing  if  it  could  be  indulged  without  im- 
perilling self.  No  wonder  that  selfish  repent- 
ance is  not  saving.  It  might  exist,  does  exist, 
to  a  degree  now  inconceivable  to  us,  in  hell.  It 
may  be  very  sincere  on  earth,  but  it  is  only  an- 
other form  of  the  sinful,  seltisli,  corrupt  nature. 
It  is  the  luiman  heart  shrinking  from  suffering, 
but  not  yearning  after  God.  Godlv  sorrow,  on 
the  other  hand,  eyes  God  mainly.  That  He 
should  have  been  sinned  against  seems  the 
terrible  thing.  That  such  love  and  goodness 
should  have  been  despised  and  insulted  seems 
intolerable.     J.  Hall. 

The  moral  government  of  God  to-day  is  ad- 
ministered on  the  same  principles  as  tliose 
which  we  find  underlying  this  narrative.  True, 
tlie  dishonest  man  now  pursuing  his  purposes 
in  secret  may  have  no  Elijah  sent  to  him  ;  but 
Elijah's  God  is  living  yet,  and  one  has  only  to 
open  his  eyes  and  mark  the  progress  of  events 
from  year  to  year  to  be  convinced  that  "  sorrow 
tracketh  wrong  as  echo  follows  song — on,  on, 
on."  He  who  holds  gain  by  injustice  will, 
sooner  or  later,  come  to  ruin  ;  and,  if  no  resti- 
tution is  made,  they  who  inherit  from  him  his 
blood-stained  gold  will  be  made  sharers  of  his 
calamity.  Let  a  man  rudely  trample  upon  the 
weak,  and  take  by  violence  that  to  which  he 
has  no  right,  and  it  will  cost  him  much  ;  for 
the  judgment  of  God  is  already  on  the  way  to 
him,  and  though  it  tarry  long,  it  will  fall  heavily 
when  it  comes.      W.  if.  Taylor. 

Eril  pursues  sinners,  and  their  sin  is  sure  to 
fnd  them  out.  God  sees  the  guilt.  He  sets 
the  inward  soul-avenger,  conscience,  on  the 
track.  And  in  His  time  He  consummates  the 
judgment,  except  the  sinner  has  become  peni- 
tent and  trustful  in  His  mercy.  Save  in  that 
mercy  there  is  no  escape  from  ultimate  and 
lasting  doom. 

The priiieij)le  iiirolred  in  the  Dirine  permission 
of  Xaboth's  slaughter  by  Jezebel  is  the  same 
as  that  in  all  other  martyrdoms.  He  was  only 
one  of  the  many  worshippers  of  Jehovah  she 
liad  caused  to  be  slain.     To  meet  the  ditlictilty 


SECTION  U. 


143 


in  any  one's  thought,  it  is  enough  to  say  tliat 
the  direct  counteraction  by  God  of  the  evil  de- 
signs and  deeds  of    men    involves    an   utter 


change  in  His  existing  plan  of  government. 
An  inspired  explanation  of  this  difBculty  may 
be  found  in  the  seventy-third  Psalm.     B. 


Section  14. 

AHAB  AND  JEHOSHAPHAT  (OF  JUDAH)  DEFEATED  BY  BENHADAD,  AJSTD 

AHAB  SLAIN. 


1  Kings  22  : 1-40. 

22 : 1  And  they   continued   three  years 

2  without  war  between  Syria  and  Israel.  And 
it  came  to  pass  in  the  third  year,  that  Je- 
hoshaphat  the  king  of  Judali  came  down  to 

8  the  king  of  Israel.  And  the  king  of  Israel 
said  unto  his  servants,  Know  ye  that  Ra- 
moth-gilead  is  ours,  and  we  be  still,  and  take 
it  not  out  of  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Syria? 

4  And  he  said  unto  Jehoshaphat,  Wilt  thou 
go  with  me  to  battle  to  Ramoth-gilead?  And 
Jehoshaphat  said  to  the  king  of  Israel,  I  am 
as  thou  art,  my  people  as  thy  people,  my 

.5  horses  as  thy  horses.  And  Jehoshaphat  said 
unto  the  king  of  Israel,  Inquire,  I  pray  thee, 

6  at  the  word  of  the  Lord  to-day.  Then  the 
king  of  Israel  gathered  the  prophets  to- 
gether, about  four  hundred  men,  and  said 
unto  them.  Shall  I  go  against  Ramoth-gilead 
to  battle,  or  shall  I  forbear?  And  they  said. 
Go  up  ;  for  the  Lord  shall  deliver  it  into 

7  the  hand  of  the  king.  But  Jehoshaphat  said. 
Is  there  not  here  besides  a  prophet  of  the 

8  Lord,  that  we  might  inquire  of  him?  And 
the  king  of  Israel  said  unto  Jehoshaphat, 
There  is  yet  one  man  by  whom  we  may  in- 
quire of  the  Lord,  Micaiah  the  son  of  Im- 
lah  :  but  I  hate  him  ;  for  he  doth  not  proph- 
esy good  concerning  me,  but  evil.  And 
Jehoshaphat  said.  Let   not  the  king  say  so. 

»  Then  the  king  of  Israel  called  an  officer,  and 
said,  Fetch  quickly  Micaiah  the  son  of  Im- 

10  lah.  Now  the  king  of  Israel  and  Jehosha 
phat  the  king  of  Judah  sat  each  on  his 
throne,  arrayed  in  their  robes,  in  an  open 
place  'at  the  entrance  of  the  gate  of  Sama- 
ria ;  and  all  the  prophets  prophesied  before 

U  them.  And  Zedekiah  the  son  of  Chenaanah 
made  him  horns  of  iron,  and  said.  Thus  saith 
the  Lord,  With  these  shall  thou  push  the 

13  Syrians,  until  they  be  consumed.  And  all 
the  prophets  prophesied  so,  saying,  Go  up 
to    Ramoth-gilead,   and    prosper :    for  the 


2  Chronicles  18  : 1-34. 

18  : 1  Now  Jehoshaphat  had  riches  and 
honour  in  abundance  ;  and  he  .ioined  affinity 

2  with  Ahab.  And  after  certain  years  he 
went  down  to  Ahab  to  Samaria.  And  Ahab 
killed  sheep  and  oxen  for  him  in  abundance, 
and  for  the  people  that  were  with  him,  and 
moved  him  to  go  up  trith  /rim  to  Ramoth- 

3  gilead.  And  Ahab  king  of  Israel  said  unto 
Jehoshaphat  king  of  Judah,  Wilt  thou  go 
with  me  to  Ramoth-gilead?  And  he  an- 
swered him,  I  am  as  thou  art,  and  my  peo- 
ple as  thy  people  ;  and  icc  icill  be  with  thee 

4  in  the  war.  And  Jehoshaphat  said  unto  the 
king  of  Israel,  Inquire,  I  pray  thee,  at  the 

5  word  of  the  Lord  to-day.  Then  the  king 
of  Israel  gathered  the  prophets  together, 
four  hundred  men,  and  said  unto  them. 
Shall  we  go  to  Ramoth-gilead  to  battle,  or 
shall  I  forbear?  And  they  said.  Go  up  ; 
for  God  shall  deliver  it  into  the  hand  of  the 

6  king.  But  Jehoshaphat  said.  Is  there  not 
here  besides  a  prophet  of  the  Lord,  that  we 

7  might  inquire  of  him?  And  the  king  of  Is- 
rael said  unto  Jehoshaphat,  There  is  yet  one 
man  by  whom  we  may  inquire  of  the  Lord  : 
but  I  hate  him  ;  for  he  never  prophesieth 
good  concerning  me,  but  always  evil  :  the 
same  is  Micaiah  the  son  of  Imla.  And  Je- 
hoshaphat said,  Let  not  the  king  say  so. 

8  Then  the  king  of  Israel  called  an  officer,  and 
said.  Fetch  quickly  Micaiah  the  son  of  Imla. 

9  Now  the  king  of  Israel  and  Jehoshaphat  the 
king  of  Judah  sat  each  on  his  throne,  ar- 
rayed in  their  robes,  and  they  sat  in  an  open 
place  at  the  entrance  of  the  gate  of  Samaria  ; 
and  all  the  prophets  prophesied  before  them. 

10  And  Zedekiah  the  son  of  Chenaanah  made 
him  horns  of  iron,  and  said,  Thus  saith  the 
Lord,  With  these  shalt  thou  push  the  Syr- 

11  ians,  until  they  be  consumed.  And  all  the 
prophets  prophesied  so,  saying.  Go  up  to 
Ramoth-gilead,  and  prosper  :  for  the  Lord 
shall  deliver  it  into  the  hand  of  the  king. 

12  And  the  messenger  that  went  to  call  Mi- 
caiah  spake  to  him,  saying.  Behold,  the  words 
of  the  prophets  declare  good  to  the  king 
with  one  mouth  :  let  thy  word  therefore,  I 
pray  thee,  be  like  one  of  theirs,  and  speak 

13  thou  good.  And  Micaiah  said,  As  the  Lord 
liveth,  what  my  God  saith,  that  will  I  speak. 

14  And  when  he  was  come  to  the  king,  the  king 
said  unto  him,  Micaiah,  shall  we  go  to  Ra- 
moth-gilead  to  battle,   or  shall  I  forbear? 


144 


KIXODOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


Loud  shall  di'liver  it  into  the  hand  of  the 
18  kiuK.  And  the  messenger  that  went  to  call 
Micaiuh  spake  unto  him,  saying,  Behold 
now,  the  words  of  the  propliets  thrlare  good 
unto  the  king  with  one  mouth  :  let  thy 
word,  I  pray  thee,  be  like  tlie  word  of  one 

14  of  them,  and  speak  thou  good.  And  Mi- 
caiah  said,  As  the  Loud  liveth,   wliat  the 

15  Loud  saith  unto  me,  that  will  I  speak.  And 
when  he  was  came  to  the  king,  the  king  said 
unto  liim.  Micaiah,  shall  we  go  to  Hamoth- 
gilead  to  battle,  or  sliall  we  forbear?  And  he 
answered  him.  Go  up,  and  prosper ;  and  the 
Lord  shall  deliver  it  intJ  the  hand  of  the 

16  king.  And  the  king  said  unto  him.  How 
many  times  shall  I  adjure  thee  that  tiiou 
speak  unto  me  nothing  but  the  truth  in  the 

17  name  of  the  Lord?  And  he  said,  I  saw  all 
Israel  scattered  upon  the  mountains,  as 
sheep  that  have  no  shepherd  :  imd  the  Lord 
said,  These  have  no  mjister  ;  let  them  return 

18  every  man  to  Ids  house  in  peace.  And  tlie 
king  of  Israel  said  to  .lehosliaphat,  Did  I  not 
tell  thee  that  he  would  not  prophesy  good 

19  concerning  me,  but  evil?  And  he  said. 
Therefore  hear  thou  the  word  of  the  Lord  : 
I  saw  the  Loud  sitting  on  his  throne,  and  all 
the  host  of  heaven  standing  by  him  on  his 

20  right  hand  and  on  his  left.  And  the  Lord 
said,  Who  shall  entice  Ahab,  that  he  may 
go  up  and  fall  at  Ramoth-gileail?  And  one 
said  on  this  manner  ;  and  another  said  on 

31  that  manner.  And  there  came  forth  a  spirit, 
and  stood  before  the  Lord,  and  said,  I  will 

23  entice  him.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him, 
Wherewith?  And  he  said,  I  will  go  forth, 
and  will  be  a  lying  spirit  in  the  mouth  of 
all  his  prophets.  And  he  said,  Thou  shalt 
enlic;'  him,  and  shalt  prevail  also  :  go  forth, 

23  and  do  .so.  Now  therefore,  behold,  the  Loud 
hath  put  a  lying  spirit  in  the  mouth  of  all 
these  thy  proi)hets  ;  and  the  Lord  hathspo- 

24  ken  evil  concerning  thee.  Then  Zedekiah 
the  son  of  Chenaanah  came  near,  and  smote 
Micaiah  on  the  cheek,  and  said.  Which  way 
went  the  spirit  of   the  Lord  from  me  to 

25  speak  unto  thee?  And  Micaiah  said.  Be- 
hold, thou  shalt  see  on  that  day,  when  thou 
shalt  go  into  an  inner  chamber  to  hide  thy- 

26  self.  And  the  king  of  Israel  said.  Take 
Micaiah,  and  carry  him  back  unto  Amon  the 
governor  of  the  city,  and  to  .Toa-ih  the  kinir's 

27  son  ;  and  say.  Thus  saith  the  king.  Put  this 
fellow  in  the  prison,  and  feed  him  with 
bread  of  affliction  and  with  water  of  afflie- 

28  tion,  until  I  come  in  peace.  And  Micaiah 
said,  If  thou  return  at  all  in  peace,  the  Loud 


And  he  said.  Go  yo  up,  and  prosper  :  and 

15  tlicy  shall  l)e  delivered  into  ytnir  hand.  And 
the  king  said  to  him,  How  many  times  shall 
I  a<ijure  thiT  that  thou  speak  unto  me  noMi- 
ing  iiut  the  truth  in  the  name  of  tlie  Louu? 

16  And  he  said,  I  saw  all  Israel  st'atten'd  upon 
the  mountains,  as  sheep  that  have  n  shep- 
herd ;  and  tlie  l,oui)  said.  These  have  no 
master;  let   them   return  every   man   tcp  his 

17  house  in  peace.  .Vii  1  the  kin.ir  of  Israel  said 
to  Jehoshaphat,  I)i  1  1  not  ti'll  thee  that  he 
woidd  not   prophesy  good  cnn/c  ruing  me, 

18  b\it  evil?  An<l  he  said,  Tlieief  ire  hear  \e 
the  worii  of  the  Lord  :  I  saw  the  Lord  sit- 
ting upon  his  throne,  and  all  the  ho.st  of 
heaven  standing  on   his  right  ban  1  an  1  on 

19  his  left.  And  the  Loitl>  .said.  Who  shall  en- 
tice Ahab  king  of  Isniel.  that  he  may  go  up 
and  fall  at  Kamotli  gileadv  AikI  one  spake 
saying  after  this  manner,  and  aunt  her  say- 

20  ing  after  that  manner.  And  there  eame 
forth  a  spirit,  and  stood  before  the  Lord, 
and  said,  I  will  entice  hiiu.     And  the  Lord 

21  said  unto  him.  Wherewith?  And  he  said,  I 
will  go  forth,  and  will  be  a  lying  spirit  in 
the  mouth  of  all  bin  prophets.  An;l  he  said. 
Thou  shalt  entice   him,    ami   shalt   prevail 

22  also  :  go  forth,  and  do  so.  Now  therefore, 
behold,  the  Lord  h.ith  put  a  lying  spirit  in 
the  mouth  of  these  thy  prophets  ;  and  the 
Lord  hath  spoken   evil   concerning    thee. 

23  Then  Zedekiah  the  son  of  Chenaanah  came 
near,  and  smote  Jlicaiah  upon  the  cheek, 
and  said,  Which  way  went  the  siiiiit  of  the 

24  Lord  from  me  to  speak  unto  thee?  And 
Micaiah  said.  Behold,  thou  shalt  see  on  that 
day,  when  thou  shalt  go  into  an  inner  cliam- 

25  ber  to  hide  thyself.  And  the  king  of  Israel 
said.  Take  ye  Micaiah,  and  carry  him  back 
unto  Amon  the  governor  of  the  city,  and  to 

26  Jo:ish  the  king's  son  ;  and  say.  Thus  saith 
the  king.  Put  this  fellow  in  the  prison,  and 
feed  him  with  bread  of  affliction  and  with 
water  of  affliction,  tmtil  I  return  in  peace. 

27  And  Micaiah  said.  If  thou  return  at  all  in 
peace,  the  Lord  hath  not  spoken  by  me. 
And  he  said.  Hear,  ye  peoples,  all  of  you. 

28  So  the  king  of  Israel  and  Jehoshaphat 
the   king   of  Judah  went   up   to  Ramoth- 

29  gilead.  And  the  king  of  Israel  said  unto 
Jehofhaphat,  I  will  disguise  myself,  and  go 
into  the  battle  ;  but  jiut  thou  on  thy  robes. 
So  the  king  of  Israel  disguised  himself  ;  and 

30  they  went  into  the  battle.  Now  the  king 
of  Syria  had  commanded  the  captains  of  his 
chariots,  saying.  Fight  neither  with  small 
nor  great,  save  only  with  tlie  king  of  Israel. 

31  And  it  came  to  pa.ss,  when  the  captains  of 
the  chariots  saw  .Jehoshaphat,  that  they 
said.  It  is  the  kin.g  of  Israel.  Therefore  they 
turned  about  to  tight  against  him  :  but  Je- 
hoshaphat cried  out.  and  the  Lord  helped 
him  ;  and  God  moved  them  ti>  ikpnrt  from 

32  him.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  cap- 
tains of  the  chariots  saw  that  it  was  not  the 
king  of   Israel,  that   they  turned  back  from 

33  pursuing  him.  And  a  certain  man  drew 
ids  bow  at  a  venture,  and  smote  the  king  of 
Israel  between  the  joints  of  the  harness  : 
wherefori'  he  said  to  the  driver  of  the  char- 
iot. Turn  thine  hand,  and  carry  me  out  of 

34  the  host :  for  I  am  sore  wounded.     And  the 


SECTION  U.     AHAB'S  DEFEAT  AND  DEATH. 


145 


battle  increased  that  day  ;  howbeitthekingof 
Israel  stayed  himself  up  in  his  chariot  apainst 
the  Syrians  until  the  even  ;  and  about  the 
time  of  the  going  down  of  the  sun  he  died. 


hath  not  spoken  by  me.     And  he  said,  Hear, 
ye  peoples,  all  of  you. 

29  So  the  king  of  Israel  and  Jehoshaphat  the 
king  of  Judah  went  up  to  Ranioth-gilead. 

30  And  the  king  of  Israel  said  unto  Jehoshaphat,  I  will  disguise  myself,  and  go  into  the  battle  ; 
but  put  thou  on  thy  robes.     And  the  king  of  Israel  disguised  himself,  and  went  into  the  bat- 

31  tie.     Now  the  king  of  Syria  had  commanded  the  thirty  and  two  captains  of  his  chariots,  say- 

32  ing,  Fight  neither  with  small  nor  great,  save  only  with  the  king  of  Israel.     And  it  came  to 
pass,  when  the  captains  of  the  chariots  saw  Jehoshaphat,  that  they  said.  Surely  it  is  the  king 

33  of  Israel  ;  and  they  turned  aside  to  fight  against  him  :  and  Jehoshaphat  cried  out.     And  it 
came  to  pass,  when  the  captains  of  the  chariots  saw  that  it  was  not  the  king  of  Israel,  that 

34  they  turned  back  from  pursuing  him.     And  a  certain  mau  drew  his  bow  at  a  venture,  and 
smote  the  king  of  Israel  between  the  joints  of  the  harness  :  wherefore  he  said  unto  the  driver 

35  of  his  chariot.  Turn  thine  hand,  and  carry  me  out  of  the  host  ;  for  I  am  sore  wounded.     And 
the  battle  increased  that  day  :  and  the  king  was  stayed  up  in  his  chariot  against  the  Syrians. 

36  and  died  at  even  :  and  the  blood  ran  out  of  the  wound  into  the  Ijottom  of  the  chariot.     And 
there  went  a  cry  throughout  the  host  about  the  going  down  of  the  sun,  saying.  Every  man  to 

37  his  city,  and  every  man  to  liis  country.     So  the  king  died,  and  was  brought  to  Samaria  ;  and 

38  they  buried  the  king  in  Samaria.     And  they  washed  the  chariot  by  the  pool  of  Samaria  ;  and 
the  dogs  licked  up  his  blood  ;  (now  the  harlots  washed  themselves  tlicre  ;)  according  unto  the 

39  word  of  the  Lord  which  he  spake.     Kow  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Ahab,  and  all  that  he  did, 
and  the  ivory  house  which  he  built,  and  all  the  cities  that  he  built,  are  they  not  written  in  the 

40  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Israel?     So  Ahab  slept  with  his  fathers  ;  and  Ahaziah 
his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 


I  K.  verses  1-40.  Ths  Death  of  Ahab 
and  tlie  Defeat  of  Isreu'l.  This  chapter  is  almost 
entirely  occupied  with  an  account  of  the  death 
of  Ahab,  and  of  the  circumstances  which  pre- 
ceded and  attended  it.  The  earlier  portion  of 
the  chapter,  which  contains  the  prophesyings 
of  the  false  prophets  and  the  vision  of  Micaiah, 
is  only  recorded  because  of  its  bearing  on  the 
death  of  the  king,  and  the  dispersion  of  his 
army.  And  the  prominence  iwcorded  to  Ahab's 
end  only  corresponds  with  the  space  assigned 
to  his  reign.  That  reign  was  so  full  of  evil  for 
Israel  that  it  occupies  a  fourth  part  of  this  en- 
tire book.  It  was  meet,  therefore,  that  the 
death  which  avenged  it  should  be  recorded 
with  proportionate  detail.  For  the  battle  of 
Ramoth-Gilead  was  the  final  payment — so  far 
as  this  world  is  concerned — for  the  sins  of  two 
and  twenty  years.  And  it  is  also  to  be  consid- 
ered here  that  Israel  had  gone  hand  in  hand 
with  him  in  his  downward  course.  As  the 
king's  career  had  been  one  of  steadily  increas- 
ing demoralization,  so  had  that  of  the  people. 
The  death  of  Naboth  affords  sufficient  proof  of 
this.  The  ready  compliance  of  the  elders,  the 
alacrity  with  which  they  perpetrated  that  judi- 
cial murder,  shows  to  what  a  moral  depth  the 
example  of  the  court  and  the  idolatry  around 
them  had  plunged  the  holy  nation.  No  ;  king 
and  queen  had  not  sinned  alone,  and  justice  re- 
quired they  should  not  suffer  alone.  Nations 
and  their  rulers  receive  a  reckoning  in  this  life  ; 


how  much  more  the  covenant  people  and  the 
Lord's  anointed?  Placed  as  they  were  under  a 
direct  law  of  temporal  punishments  and  re- 
wards, it  would  have  been  strange,  indeed,  if 
such  a  reign  as  this  had  gone  unrecompensed. 
But,  so  far  from  that,  they  have  alreaily  re- 
ceived part  reckoning  for  their  sin.  The  three 
j'ears'  drought,  the  famine,  the  terrible  Syrian 
invasions,  have  avenged  a  part  of  their  idola- 
tries and  immoralities  ;  but  there  still  remains 
a  long  score  of  guilt  to  be  expiated  in  shame 
and  suffering  and  blood.  And  here  it  may  be 
well  to  remind  ourselves  what  were  the  sins 
which  awaited  a  settlement  under  the  walls  of 
Ramoth-Gilead.  They  were  five  in  number. 
(1)  The  calf-worship — the  hereditary  sin  of  the 
northern  kingdom,  the  sin  of  Jeroboam  ;  (2) 
the  worship  of  Baal,  with  the  prostitution  which 
accompanied  it — the  sin  primarily  of  JezebeJ 
anil  her  Phoenician  following,  but  shared  in  by 
almost  the  entire  nation  ;  (3)  the  determined 
persecution  of  the  prophets  and  the  virtual 
proscription  of  the  ancient  faith  ;  (4)  the  re- 
lease of  the  Syrian  king  in  disregard  of  God's 
will — tlie  sin  of  Ahab  and  his  captains  ;  and  (5) 
the  murder  of  Naboth  in  defiance  of  all  law — 
the  sin  of  the  rulers  and  elders.     Ilamihond. 

We  have,  in  the  cuneiform  annals  of  an  As- 
syrian king,  a  very  curious  and  valuable  con- 
firmation of  the  power  of  Daraasctis  at  this 
time — of  its  being  under  the  rule  of  a  monarch 
named  Benhadad,  who  was  at  the  head  of  a 


14G 


KiyODOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


great  t^onfcdcTiicv  of  princes,  and  who  was  able 
to  bring  into  tlic  tiekl  year  after  year  Viust 
armies,  witli  which  he  repeatedly  engaged  the 
whole  force  of  Assyria.  We  have  accounts  of 
three  campaigns  between  the  Assyrians  on  the 
one  side,  and  the  Syrians,  llittites,  Ilamathites, 
and  I'hccnicians,  united  under  the  command  of 
Beuhadad,  upon  the  other,  in  which  the  con- 
test is  maintained  with  spirit,  the  armies  being 
of  a  large  size,  and  their  composition  and  char- 
acter sucli  as  we  tind  described  in  Scripture. 
G.  K. 

1,  'i.  Though  Ahab  continued  under  guilt 
and  wrath,  and  the  dominion  of  the  lusts  to 
which  he  had  sold  himself,  yet,  sis  a  reward  for 
his  professions  of  repentance  and  humiliation, 
though  the  time  drew  near  when  he  should  de- 
scend into  battle  and  perish,  yet  we  have  him 
blessed  with  a  three  years'  peace,  and  an  hon- 
orable visit  made  him  by  Jehoshaphat  king  of 
.ludah.     II. 

iJ.  Here  for  the  first  time  we  find  relations 
of  alliance — political  fraternity — between  the 
usvially  rival  kingdoms  of  Israel  and  Judah. 
The  author  of  Chnuiicles  indicates  the  particu- 
lar form  of  this  allian'^e  ;  "  Jehoshaphat  joined 
adinity  with  Ahab."  iv-sking  and  taking  Ahab's 
daughter  for  the  wife  of  his  son  Jehoram,  heir- 
apparent  to  his  throne  (2  Chron.  18 :  1  and 
21  : 6).  This  affinity  is  the  more  astounding 
because  Jehoshaphat  was  in  the  main  a  good 
man  and  a  real  reformer,  while  Ahab  was 
wicked,  and  Jezebel  notoriously  and  fearfully 
so.  What  Jehoshaphat's  inducements  were 
the  record  does  not  clearly  indicate.  The  au- 
thor of  Chronicles  puts  things  in  this  order  : 
"  Now  Jehoshaphat  Inul  riidics  and  honor  in 
abundance,  and  joined  affinity  with  Ahab." 
This  author  not  seldom  gives  indications  of  a 
philosophic  turn  of  mind  ;  so  that  we  probably 
do  no  violence  to  his  words  if  we  introduce  the 
logical  connective — "  And  eoimequently"  joined 
allinity  with  Ahab.  It  would  not  be  the  fii-st 
or  the  last  time  in  which  riches  and  honor  have 
opened  the  door  and  led  the  way  to  affinities 
which  inorallij  should  have  been  revolting. 
The  capital  mistake  of  Jehoshaphat  lay  in  leav- 
ing God  out  of  the  accoiuit.  In  his  estimate  of 
political  forces  and  national  strength,  the  God 
of  his  fathers  seems  to  have  been  sadly,  sin- 
fully omitted.  H.  C. It  was  in  circum- 
stances of  marked  prosperity  that  Jehoshaphat 
"  joined  affinity  with  Ahab."  The  sacred  text 
specially  notfs  this,  partly  to  show  that  Jehosh- 
aphat had  not  even  an  e.vcuse  for  such  a  step, 
and  partly,  as  we  think,  to  indicate  that  this 
sUianee   must,   in   the   first  place,   have   been 


sought  by  Ahab.  The  motives  which  would 
influence  the  king  of  Israel  are  not  difficult  to 
understand.  The  power  of  the  country  had 
been  greatly  weakened  by  Syria  during  the 
reign  of  Omri.  Not  only  had  Benhadad  pos- 
sessed himself  of  a  number  of  cities,  both  east 
(Ramoth  Gilead,  for  example)  and  west  of  the 
Jordan,  but  the  country  had  become  virtually 
subject  to  him,  since  he  claimed  even  in  the 
capital,  Samaria,  the  right  of  having  "  streets," 
or  rather  "  squares" — that  is,  Syrian  quarters 
of  the  town — which  owned  his  dominion  (cf.  1 
K.  20  :  34).  And  now  Benhadad  had  been  suc- 
ceeded l)y  a  son  of  the  same  name,  equally  war- 
like and  ambitious.  In  these  circumstances  it 
was  of  the  utmost  importance  to  Ahab  to  secure 
permanent  pciue  on  his  southern  or  Judean 
frontier,  and,  if  possible,  to  engage  as  an  active 
ally  so  powerful  and  wealthy  a  monarch  as  Je- 
hoshaphat. On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  so  easy 
to  perceive  the  reasons  whie-h  influenced  the 
king  of  Judah.  Of  course  he  could  not  have 
wished  to  see  the  power  of  S3'ria  paramount  so 
close  to  his  borders.  Did  he,  besides,  desire  to 
have  the  long-standing  (seventy  years')  breach 
between  Judah  and  Israel  healed?  Had  he  a 
dim  hope  that  by  the  marriage  of  his  son  with 
the  daughter  of  Ahab  the  two  realms  might 
again  be  joined,  and  an  undivided  kingdom 
once  more  established  in  the  house  of  David? 
The  sacred  text  affords  no  clew  to  this  political 
riddle.     A.  E. 

7,  8.  Jehoshaphat  would  not  go  forth  until 
counsel  had  been  sought  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord.  Then  began  a  scene  which  the  Scripture 
depicts  with  marvellous  dramatic  power.  Four 
hundred  false  prophets,  either  worshippers  of 
the  golden  calves,  or  fresh  importations  by  Jeze- 
bel of  Baalites,  raised  the  cry,  "Go  up  and 
prosper."  Jehoshaphat  was  not  satisfied.  He 
would  fain  hear  a  prophet  of  the  Loni  ;  and 
Micaiah,  the  son  of  Imlah,  was  remembered  by 
Ahab,  though  he  added,  "  I  hate  him,  for  he 
doth  not  prophesy  good  concerning  me.  but 
evil."  It  w!is  he,  acconling  to  Josephus,  who 
had  denounced  Ahab  for  letting  Benhadiui  es- 
cape {1  K.  20  :  35-43).     Ii<  iihiim. 

8.  Slattcrs  of  moment  must  be  seriously 
dealt  with.  To  tell  a  man  of  his  sins  as  softly 
as  Eli  did  his  sons,  reprove  him  its  gently  as 
Jehoshaphat  tiid  Ahab,  ' '  Let  not  the  king  say 
so,"  doth  tisually  as  much  harm  as  good.  I 
am  persuaded  the  very  manner  of  some  men's 
reproof  and  exhortation  hath  hardened  many  a 
sinner  in  the  way  of  destruction.  To  t<ll  them 
of  sin.  or  of  heaven,  or  hell,  in  a  dull,  easy, 
careless  language,  doth  make  men  think  you 


SECTION  U.     ARAB'S  DEFEAT  AND  DEATH. 


147 


are  not  in  good  sadness,  nor  do  mean  as  you 
speak  ;  but  eitlier  you  scarce  think  yourselves 
sucli  things  are  true,  or  else  you  take  them  in 
such  a  slight  and  indifferent  manner.  Oh,  sirs, 
deal  with  sin  as  sin,  and  speak  of  heaven  and 
hell  as  they  are,  and  not  as  If  you  were  in  jest  ! 
Baxter. 

2!J.  The  scheme  of  false,  lying  prophets  is 
agreed  on  and  i)ut  in  execution.  In  respect  to 
the  morality  of  this  transaction  as  related  to  the 
Lord,  it  meets  no  other  difficulty  than  is  in- 
volved in  every  case  of  God's  providential 
agency  in  the  existence  of  sin — which  agency 
is  not  a  license  for  sinning — is  never  the  em- 
ploying of  His  moral  subjects  to  do  the  sinning  ; 
but  is  simply  leaving  the  wicked  to  commit  sin 
of  their  own  free  will.  His  shaping  hand  being 
interposed  only  to  turn  it  to  best  moral  account. 
H.  C. 

23.  What  warning  could  be  more  awful  and 
yet  more  plain  than  that  of  the  text?  Ahab 
was  told  that  he  was  listening  to  a  lie.  He  had 
free  choice  to  follow  that  lie  or  not,  and  he  did 
follow  it.  After  having  put  Micaiah  into  pris- 
on for  speaking  the  truth  to  him,  he  went  up 
to  Ramoth-Gilead  ;  and  yet  he  felt  he  was  not 
safe.  He  went  into  the  battle  and  disguised 
himself,  hoping  that  by  this  means  he  should 
keep  himself  safe  from  evil.  But  God's  ven- 
geance was  not  checked  by  his  paltry  cunning. 
This  chapter  tells  us  not  merely  how  Ahab  was 
tempted,  but  it  tells  us  how  we  are  tempted  in 
these  very  days.  By  every  wilful  sin  that  we 
commit  we  give  room  to  the  devil.  By  every 
wrong  step  that  we  take  knowingly  we  give  a 
handle  to  some  evil  spirit  to  lead  us  seven  steps 
further  wrong.  And  3'et  in  every  temptation 
God  gives  us  a  fair  chance.  He  sends  His 
prophets  to  us,  as  He  sent  Micaiah'to  Ahab,  to 
tell  us  that  the  wages  of  sin  is  death,  to  set  be- 
fore us  at  every  turn  good  and  evil,  that  we 
may  choose  between  them,  and  live  and  die  ac- 
cording to  our  choice.  The  Bible  is  a  prophet 
to  us.  Every  man  is  a  prophet  to  himself. 
The  still  small  voice  in  a  man's  heart  is  the 
voice  of  God  within  us  ;  it  is  the  Spirit  of  God 
striving  with  our  spirits,  whether  we  will  hear 
or  whether  we  will  forbear,  setting  before  us 
what  is  righteous,  and  noble,  and  pure,  and 
Godlike,  to  see  whether  we  will  obey  that  voice, 
or  whether  we  will  obey  our  own  selfish  lusts, 
which  tempt  us  to  please  ourselves.  C.  Kings- 
ley. 

Ahab  wished  to  be  guided  by  false  prophets, 
and  the  j  ustice  of  God  decreed  that  he  should 
be  guided  by  them  to  his  ruin.  vSin  is  punished 
by  sin.     "  God  proves  His  holiness  most  of  all 


by  this,  that  He  punishes  evil  by  evil,  and  de- 
stroys it  by  Itself"  (Bahr).  Ahab  had  chosen 
lying  instead  of  truth  ;  by  lying — according  to 
the  lex  talionis — he  should  be  destroyed.  The 
difficulty,  in  fact,  is  that  of  the  permission  of 
evil  in  the  world  ;  of  the  use  of  existent  evil  by 
God  to  accomplish  His  purposes  of  good. 
Hammond. 

28.  "  H  thou  return  at  all  in  peace"  (re- 
sponded Micaiah),  "  then  the  Lord  hath  not 
spoken  by  me  ;"  and  he  cried  aloud  to  call  the 
attention  of  the  whole  people  to  his  words.  A 
stanch  man  is  he,  swerving  never  a  hair's 
breadth  from  the  rough  line  of  duty  as  the 
Lord's  prophet.  No  conciliating  words  lisis  he 
to  say,  bearing  never  so  little  upon  his  personal 
liberty  or  his  hardships  in  prison.     H.  C. 

Tlie  Bible  is  a  book  of  texts  because  it  is  a 
book  of  types.  It  does  not  profess  to  give  full 
histories,  but  refers  to  public  records  for  these. 
Inspiration  selects  from  histories  typical  or  rep- 
resentative incidents  to  bring  out  the  principles 
of  the  grace  and  truth  of  God.  In  the  scene 
before  us  we  have  types  of  wickedness  in  Zede- 
kiah  and  Ahab,  the  one  ecclesiastical,  the  other 
civil,  which  may  be  profitably  studied  in  the  ar- 
guments they  use  contending  with  Micaiah,  the 
representative  of  the  truth  of  God.     J.  A.  M. 

29.  We  can  hardly  doubt  that  Jehoshuphat 
at  least  would  have  been  well  content  to  aban- 
don the  expedition.  After  the  solicitude  he 
had  manifested  for  the  sanction  of  one  of  the 
prophets  of  Jehovah,  and  after  that  the  one 
who  had  been  consulted  had  predicted  the  de- 
feat of  the  army,  the  king  of  Judah  must  have 
had  many  misgivings.  But  it  is  not  difficult  to 
understand  why,  notwithstanding  his  fears,  he 
did  not  draw  back.  For,  in  the  first  place,  he 
had  committed  himself  to  the  war  by  the  rash 
and  positive  promise  of  verse  4.  Moreover,  he 
would  have  subjected  himself  to  the  imputa- 
tion of  cowardice  hiid  he  deserted  his  ally  be- 
cause of  a  prophecy  which  threatened  the  latter 
with  death.  And,  finally,  we  must  remember 
that  his  own  interests  were  threatened  liy  Syria, 
and  he  may  well  have  feared  trouble  from  that 
cjuarter  in  case  this  war  were  abandoned. 
Hammond. 

32.  The  author  of  Chronicles,  with  his  eye 
on  the  history  of  Jehoshaphat  and  with  a  kind- 
ly view  of  his  character,  made  the  hand  of  God 
specially  prominent  here  :  "  When  the  captains 
of  the  chariots  saw  Jehoshaphat  they  said.  It 
is  the  king  of  Israel,  and  they  compassed  about 
him  to  fight  ;  bvit  Jehoshaphat  cried  out  and 
the  Lord  helped  liim,  and  God  moved  them  to 
depart  from  him."     H.  C. That  it  was  a 


148 


KIXQDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


cry  for  Divine  help  \a  the  most  probsiblc.  be- 
cause it  is  almost  Jiii  instinct,  especially  with  a 
pious  soul  like  Jehoshaphat,  to  cry  to  God  in 
the  moment  of  ilan^jer.  That  he  liail  doubts  as 
to  whether  the  course  he  w;us  ])ursuing  was 
pleasinu;  to  God,  would  make  him  all  the  more 
ready  to  cry  aloud  for  mercy  the  moment  he 
found  himself  in  i)eril.     ILiiiiiaoiid. 

33.  Mis  cries  deliver  him;  his  cries,  not  to 
his  pursuers,  but  to  his  God,  whose  mercy  takes 
not  advantage  of  our  infirmity,  but  rescues  us 
from  tliose  evils  which  we  wilfuU)'  provoke. 
It  is  Aliab  against  whom,  not  the  Syrians  only, 
but  God  Himself  intends  this  quarrel.  The 
enemy  is  taken  off  from  Jehoshaphat. 

31.  Oh,  the  just  and  mighty  hand  of  that  Di- 
vine providence  which  directeth  all  our  actions 
to  His  own  ends  ;  which  takes  order  where 
every  shaft  shall  light,  and  guides  the  arrow 
of  the  strong  archer  into  the  joints  of  Ahab's 
harness  !  It  was  shot  at  a  venture  ;  falls  by  a 
destiny  ;  and  there  falls  where  it  may  carry 
death  to  a  hidden  debtor.  In  all  actions,  both 
voluntary  and  ciusual,  thy  will,  O  God,  shall 
be  done  by  us,  with  whatever  intentions.  Lit- 
tle did  tlie  Syrian  know  whom  he  had  stricken  ; 
no  more  than  the  arrow  wherewith  he  struck. 
An  invisible  hand  disposed  of  both,  to  the  pun- 
ishment of  Ahab,  to  the  vindication  of  Micaiah. 
How  worthily,  O  God,  art  thou  to  be  adored  in 
Thy  justice  and  wisdom  ;  to  be  feared  in  Thj"^ 
judgments  I  Too  late  doth  Ahab  now  think  of 
the  fair  warnings  of  Micaiah  which  he  unwise- 
ly contemned  ;  of  tlic  painful  flatteries  of  Zed- 
ekiah  which  ht^  stubbornly  believed.  That 
guilty  blood  of  his  runs  down  out  of  his  wound 
into  the  midst  of  his  chariot,  and  pa3-s  Naboth 
his  arrearages.     Bp.  II. 

35.  The  arrow  that  pierced  Ahab's  corselet 
was  shot  "in  simplicity,"  without  deliberate 
aim,  with  no  thought  of  striking  the  king.  It 
was  an  unseen  Hand  that  guich'd  that  chance 
shaft  to  its  destination,  It  was  truly  "  the  ar- 
row of  tile  Lord's  vengeance."  It  would  be 
deeply  in''.tnictive  could  we  know  the  thoughts 
of  that  unhappy  king,  sis  with  the  urrow  in  his 
side,  and  the  blood  draining  from  his  wound 
and  forming  a  sickening  pool  in  the  well  of  the 
chariot,  he  was  stayed  up  those  wretfdied,  weary 
hours  until  the  sunset  against  the  Syrians. 
Surelj'  he  knew  at  last  that  "  the  Lord  was 
God."  He  would  think,  it  may  be,  of  Elijah's 
and  Jlicaiali's  i)rophecies  ;  he  would  think  of 
Nabiilh's  bleeding  an<l  mangled  corpse  ;  he 
would  lliink,  above  all,  that  his  sin  had  found 
him  out.  and  that  Jehovah  had  conquered. 
He  had  fought  all  his  life  for  Baal,  but  it  was 


in  vain  ;  he  had  been  wr<?stling  not  with  flesh 
and  blood,  but  witli  an  invisible,  irresistible, 
omnipotent  God,  and  now  he  is  thrown,  cast 
down  never  to  rise  again.     ILimm/iutl. 

3§.  The  liand  of  God  also  was  .seen  in  the 
secjuel.  Tlie  prophecies  of  Elijah  ami  Micaiah 
seem  to  be  in  conflict.  The  one  speaks  of  the 
dogs  licking  the  blood  of  Ahab  at  "  Samaria  ;" 
the  other  of  Ahab  falling  at"  Hamoth-Gilead." 
Who  but  God  could  so  order  events  that  there 
should  be  no  conflict  here?  "The  blood  ran 
out  of  the  wound  into  the  midst  of  tlie  char- 
iot ;"  perhaps  more  correctly,  "  into  the  bosom 
of  the  charioteer,"  on  which  the  king  leaned. 
"And  line  washed  the  chariot;"  or  rather, 
■■  And  the  driver  washed  himself  in  the  pool 
of  Samaria,  and  the  dogs  licked  his  blood" — 
i.e.,  the  blood  of  Ahab,  which  fell  from  the 
bosom  of  the  driver. 

39.  The  sacred  history  consists  of  selections 
from  the  .secular  under  the  guiding  influence  of 
Divine  inspiration,  with  a  view  to  illustrating 
the  principles  of  the  providence,  truth,  and 
grace  of  God.  To  illustrate  such  principles  is 
the  noblest  end  of  writing.  In  these  selections 
the  notices  of  the  wicked  are  generally  brief. 
Perhaps  no  wicked  man  h:is  a  larger  share  of 
the  sacred  writings  occupied  with  his  acts  than 
Ahab.  Such  acts  are  not  agreeable  to  the  Spirit 
of  God.  But  in  the  hands  of  inspiration  they  arc 
made  an  influence  for  good.  They  are  recorded, 
apparently,  because  of  their  relation  to  the  ac- 
tions of  prophets  and  good  men.  They  aiv  made 
to  serve  as  a  dark  background  to  show  up  toad- 
miration  virtuous  qvuUities,  and  to  be  made  them- 
selves odious  in  the  contrast.  The  principles  of 
the  wicked  should  only  be  studied  to  be  sluinned. 
So  God  brings  gocKi  out  of  evil.  The  sacred 
records  have  survived  the  secular.  "  The  book 
of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Isniel  "  has 
long  since  perished.  The  sacred  records  have 
come  down  to  our  times.  In  tliese.  after  a  lapse 
of  nearly  thirty  centuries,  Ahab  survives.  But 
for  these  his  name  woidd  not  l)e  known.  Not<- 
((()  the  Providence  which  lias  lu-escrved  the 
Scriptures  evinces  their  Divine  authenticity. 
(b)  Things  are  iiermanent  a.s  they  stand  related 
to  the  everlasting  Goii,  (r)  The  posthumous 
influence  points  to  the  immortality  of  man. 
J.  A.  M. 

We  have  here  an  awful  commentary  on  such 
godless  lives  as  his.  His  ivory  palace  and  the 
cities  which  he  built  have  pa.s.sed  away,  to- 
gether with  that  book  of  chroni<'les  which  con- 
tained tlieir  history  ;  but  what  has  remained, 
and  will  remain  forevcimore.  is  the  fi'arful 
testimony   that   neither  before   uor  since  was 


SECTION  15. 


149 


there  ever  any  king  in  Israel  lilve  Ahab,  who  gave 
himself  up  so  completely  and  unreservedly  to 
work  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  We  see 
here  a  commentarj'  upon  this  truth,  that  the 
question  of  lasting  importance  to  each  man  is 
this  :  whether  he  has  set  himself  with  all  his 
heart  to  serve  the  Lord,  or  whether  he  has  de- 
termined to  be  rebellious  ;  and  that  lasting 
praise  belongs,  not  to  him  who  builds  cities  and 
ivory  palaces,  but  to  him  who  fears  the  Lord 
and  walks  in  His  ways.     Bp.  H.  Gimdinn. 

40.  Thus  closed  the  life  of  Ahab,  after  a 
reign  of  twenty  j'ears  in  consummate  wicked- 
ness. Of  Jehoshaphat  we  shall  see  much  more 
when  we  studj'  him  in  his  place  in  the  line  of 
Judah's  kings.  Yet  this  affinity  with  Ahab 
brought  upon  him  the  Divine  rebuke,  as  the 
author  of  Chronicles  is  careful  to  say  :  ' '  When 
he  returned  in  peace  to  his  house  in  Jerusalem, 
Jehu,  son  of  Hanani  the  seer,  went  out  to  meet 
him,  saying,  Shouldest  thou  help  the  ungodly, 
and  love  them  that  hate  the  Lord?  Therefore, 
is  wrath  upon  thee  from  before  the  Lord. 
Nevertheless,  there  are  good  things  found  in 
thee  in  that  thou  hast  taken  away  the  groves 
out  of  the  land,  and  hast  prepared  thine  heart 
to  seek  God."     H.  C. 


Signally  true  of  Jeroboam  and  Ahab  is  that 
word  of  Solomon:  One  sinner  (lentrfty/'th  miicli 
r/nod.  How  wide,  how  might}',  how  disastrous 
the  power  for  evil  exerted  by  these  self-willed, 
self-seeking  rulers  !  And  such  power  is  exert- 
ed by  every  godless  soul  in  its  sphere,  with  re- 
sults far  wider,  mightier,  and  more  disastrous 
than  is  known  this  side  the  day  of  final  arcount. 
A  fearful  part,  indeed,  of  that  account  is  the 
making  others  to  sin  ! 

The  liighest,  all-inclvsive  form  of  sin  is  impie- 
ty. The  course  of  impiety  is,  first  the  neglect, 
then  the  re.iection,  and  then  the  defiance,  of 
God  ;  finally,  the  shameless  substitution  in  His 
rightful  place  of  another  object  of  worship. 
These  successive  steps  were  partly  taken  by 
Jeroboam  and  completed  by  Omrl  and  Ahab. 
And  they  are  the  steps,  in  part  or  whole,  suc- 
cessively taken  by  every  sinner  through  all 
time.  Not  indeed  consciously  taken.  For  as 
the  soul  becomes  more  self-asserting  and  seek- 
ing, the  heart  becomes  more  unbelieving,  and 
the  judgment  and  conscience  lose  their  discern- 
ment and  keenness.  So,  even  unwittingly  to 
himself,  the  man  may  reach  the  farthest  stages 
of  defiance  toward  God,  an  utter  blinded  self- 
idolatry.     B. 


Section  15. 

REIGN    OF   AHAZIAH,  BETWEEN    ONE  AND  TWO   TEARS. 
irtli  to   l§th  of  Jehoshaphat,   of  Judah. 

1  Kings  22  :  51-53  ;  2  Kings  1  : 1-18. 


1  K,  22  :  51  Ahazi.\h  the  son  of  Ahab  began  to  reign  over  Israel  in  Samaria  in  the 

52  seventeenth  year  of  Jehoshaphat  king  of  Judah,  and  he  reigned  two  years  over  Israel.  And 
he  did  that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  walked  in  the  way  of  his  father, 
and  in  the  way  of  his  mother,  and   in  the  way  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat,  wherein  he 

53  made  Israel  to  sin.  And  he  served  Baal,  and  worshipped  him.  and  provoked  to  anger  the 
LoTiD,  the  God  of  Israel,  according  to  all  that  his  father  had  done. 

2  K.  I  :  1,  2  And  Moab  rebelled  against  Israel  after  the  death  of  Ahab.  And  Ahaziah 
fell  down  through  the  lattice  in  his  upper  chamber  that  was  in  Samaria,  and  was  sick  :  and 
he  sent  messengers,  and  said  unto  them.  Go,  inquire  of  Baal-zebub  the  god  of  Ekron  whether 

3  I  shall  recover  of  this  sickness.  But  the  angel  of  the  LoRDsaidto  Elijah  the  Tishbite,  Arise, 
go  up  to  meet  the  messengers  of  the  king  of  Samaria,  and  say  unto  them.  Is  it  because  there 

4  is  no  God  in  Israel,  that  ye  go  to  inquire  of  Baal-zebub  the  god  of  Ekron  ?  Now  tlicn^fore 
thus  saith  the  Lord,  Thou  shalt  not  come  down  from  the  bed  whither  thou  art  gone  up,  but 

5  shalt  surely  die.     And  Elijah  departed.     And  the  messengers  returned  unto  him,  and  he  said 

6  unto  them.  Why  is  it  that  ye  are  returned  ?  And  they  said  unto  him,  There  came  up  a  man 
to  meet  us,  and  said  unto  us.  Go,  turn  again  unto  the  king  that  sent  you,  and  say  unto  him. 
Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Is  it  because  there  is  no  God  in  Israel,  that  thou  sendest  to  inquire  of 


150 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


Uiial-zcbub  the  god  of  Ekron  V  Uurcfore  thou  shall  not  eoine  clown  from  the  bed  whither 

7  thoti  art  gone  up,  but  shult  surely  die.     And  he  said  unto  them,  What  manner  of  man  was  he 

8  which  came  up  to  meet  you,  and  told  you  these  words  ?     And  they  answered  him,  lie  was 
un  hairy  man,  and  girt  with  a  girdle  of  leather  about  his  loins.     And  he  said.  It  is  Elijah  the 

i)  Tishbite.     Then  (lie  king  sent  unto  him  a  captain  of  lift)'  with  his  fifty.     And  he  went  up  to 
him  :  and,  behold,  he  sat  on  the  top  of  the  hill.     And  he  spiike  unto  him,  ()  man  of  Gcxl, 

10  the  king  hath  .said.  Come  down.  Ami  Elijah  answered  and  said  to  the  captain  of  fifty.  If  I 
be  a  man  of  God,  let  fire  come  down  from  heaven,  and  consume  thee  and  thy  fifty.     And 

11  there  came  clown  fire  from  heaven,  and  consumed  him  and  his  fifty.  And  again  he  sent 
unto  him  another  captain  of  lifty  with   his   fifty.     And   he   answc  red  and  said  unto  hira,  O 

12  man  of  God,  thus  hath  the  king  said,  Come  down  ciuickly.  And  Elijah  answered  and  said 
unto  them.  If  I  be  a  man  of  God,  let  fire  come  down  from  heaven,  and  consume  thee  and  thy 

13  fifty.  And  the  fire  of  God  came  down  from  heaven,  and  consumed  him  and  his  fifty.  And 
again  he  sent  the  captain  of  a  third  fifty  with  his  fifty.  And  the  third  cajitain  of  fifty  went 
up,  and  came  and  fell  on  his  knees  before  Elijah,  and  besought  him,  and  said  unto  him,  O 
man  of  God,  1  pray  thee,  let  my  life,  and  the  life  of   these  fifty  thy  servants,  l)c  precious  in 

14  thy  sight.     Behold,  there  came  fire  down  from  heaven,  and  consumed  the  two  fonncr  cap- 

15  tains  of  fifty  with  their  fifties  :  but  now  let  my  life  be  precious  in  thy  sight.  And  the 
angel  of  the  LoKD  said   unto  Elijah,  Go  down  with  him  :    be  not  afraid  of  him.     And  he 

16  arose,  and  went  down  with  him  unto  the  king.  And  he  said  unto  him.  Thus  saith  the  I-OUD, 
Forasmuch  as  thou  hast  sent  messengers  to  inquire  of  Baal-zebub  the  god  of  Ekron.  is  it  be- 
cause there  is  no  God  in  Israel  to  inquire  of  his  word  ?  therefore  thou  sludt  not  come  down 

17  from  the  bed  whither  thou  art  gone  up,  but  shalt  surely  die.  So  he  died  according  to  the 
word  of  the  Loud  which  Elijah  had  spoken.  And  Jehoram  beg>'n  to  reign  in  his  stead  in 
the  second  year  of  Jehoram  the  son  of  Jehoshaphat  king  of  Judah  ;  because  he  had  no  son. 

18  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Ahaziah  which  he  did,  are  they  not  written  in  the  book  of  the 
chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Israel  ? 


The  history  of  Ahaziah's  reign  begins  in  1  K. 
22  :  ,51,  and  is  carried  on,  without  any  real  break 
or  pause  in  the  sense,  to  2  K.  1  :  18.  How  the 
two  books  came  to  be  divided  at  this  point  is 
quite  inexplicable.  The  division  is  most  un- 
happy. Not  only  docs  it,  without  apparent 
reason,  draw  a  strong  line  of  demarkation  in  the 
middle  of  a  reign,  but  it  separates  what  it  wiis 
evidently  the  intention  of  the  writer  most 
closely  to  connect — viz.,  the  sins  of  the  mon- 
arch and  their  punishment.  Alniziah  began  his 
reign  by  openly  showing  himself  a  devotee  of 
Baal — by  "  walking  in  the  way  of  liis  father 
and  ill  the  way  of  his  motlier"  the  wicked  Jeze- 
bel :  therefore  calamity  immediately  smote 
him — first  Moab  rebelled,  threw  off  the  Israel- 
ite yoke,  and  re-established  its  independence  ; 
and  then,  witliin  a  short  space,  Ahaziah  him- 
self met  with  an  accident  which  produced  a  dan- 
gerous illness.  The  writer  relates  barely  the 
former  fact,  qut  enlarges  on  the  latter,  which 
gave  occasion  for  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
of  the  miriK-les  of  Elijah.     P.  C. 

Ahaziah,  the  eldest  son,  and  of  like  spirit, 
succeeded  Ahab.  During  the  second  year  of 
his  reign  he  accidentally  fell  from  a  window. 
Severe  sickness  ensued,  which  led  him  to  send 
messengers  to  ini|uirc  of  naalzcbub  if  he 
•would  recover.     God  directed  Elijah  to  inter- 


cept the  messengers,  and  to  send  them  baf:k 
with  His  reproof  and  warning  to  Ahaziah.  In 
defiance  of  this  Divine  message  Ahaziah  sends 
three  successive  companies  (of  fifty  each)  forci- 
bly to  arrest  Elijah.  To  the  sharp  summons  of 
the  two  captains  of  the  first  and  second  compa- 
nies, by  a  Divine  impulse  and  direction.  Elijah 
called  down  fire  from  heaven,  which  destroyed 
them  all.  God  did  this  to  teach  king  and 
people  that  He  was  to  be  reverenced  in  the  per- 
son of  IIispro])het,  and  to  show  that  He  would 
protect  the  faithful  and  destroy  the  disobedient. 
The  third  captain,  heeding  the  terrilile  lesson, 
did  reverence  to  Elijah  as  God's  prophet,  and 
was  spared  by  God  upon  his  own  entreaty  for 
mercy.  Then  Elijah,  as  bidden  by  the  Lord, 
went  obediently  and  boldly  lus  aforetime  into 
the  presence  of  the  king  and  Jezebel,  and  re- 
peated the  exact  w-ords  of  the  previous  message. 
And  no  hand  did  this  impious  son  and  mother 
raise  against  him.  notwithstanding  the  executed 
doom  tipon  their  two  arresting  bands,  and  his 
bold  utterance  of  God's  warning  message. 
"So  Ahaziah  died,  according  to  the  word  of 
the  Ijord."  This  was  Elijah's  last  recorded 
public  act.     B. 

Nothing  is  related  concerning  him  but  what 
is  unfortunate.  He  renewed  the  close  alliance 
with  J-dah,  which  had  been  made  by  his  father 


SECTION  15.     REION  OF  ARAZIAH. 


151 


(1  K.  22  ;  44  ;  1  Chron.  20  :  36),  uniting  with 
Jehoshaphat  in  the  maritime  enterprise  on 
wliioh  he  was  bent,  and  engaging  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  joint  fleet  which  was  intended 
to  malic  voyages  to  Ophir  for  gold.  The  sliips 
were  constructed  in  the  port  of  Ezion-geber  on 
the  Ked  Sea  at  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  Akabah, 
and  were  manned  (apparently)  by  Jewish  sail- 
ors only.  A  disaster  followed.  Scarcely  had 
the  fleet  set  sail  when  it  was  driven  back  to 
port  by  a  violent  tempest,  which  greatly  dam- 
aged most  of  the  vessels.  Ahaziah  ascribed  the 
calamity  to  the  unskilfulncss  of  the  Jewish 
marinei-s,  and  proposed  that  in  any  future  voy- 
age the  ships  should  be  manned  by  mixed 
crews  from  the  two  nations  (2  K.  22  :  49)  ;  but 
Jehoshaphat  was  too  proud  to  accept  such  a 
proposal,  and  a  coolness  must  have  followed  in 
the  relations  between  the  allies,  though  there 
seems  to  have  been  no  actual  rupture.  With 
the  Moabites  on  the  southeastern  frontier  of 
Israel  the  case  was  different.  There  Ahab's 
death  produced  an  immediate  rupture  of  peace- 
ful relations  (2  K.  1  :  1  ;  3  :  5)  ;  and  a  war  fol- 
lowed (whereof  we  have  the  Moabite  account 
on  the  "  Stone  of  Mesha")  which  seems  to  have 
consisted  of  little  more  than  a  series  of  Israelite 
reverses.  Mesha  recovered  in  succession 
Medeba,  Baal-meon,  Kirjathaim,  Ataroth,  Nebo 
and  Jahaz,  which  had  all  been  occupied  by  the 
Israelites.  In  Nebo  alone  he  slew  no  fewer 
than  seven  thousand  men.  The  entire  country 
was  recovered,  and  a  number  of  ruined  cities 
rebuilt  and  strongly  fortified  with  walls,  and 
towers,  and  gates,  and  moats.  The  entire 
tribvite  which  Moab  had  previouslj-  paid  (2  K. 
3  :  4)  was  lost,  and  a  powerful  kingdom  was 
set  up  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
which  threatened  both  Israel  and  Judah.  A 
single  year  sufficed  for  the  capture  or  msissacre 
of  all  the  Israelite  garrisons,  and  for  the  com- 
plete establishment  of  the  Moabites  as  an  inde- 
pendent nation  in  the  country  which  they 
claimed  as  their  own.     G.  R. 

I.  Then  Moab  rebelled.  The  Moab 
ites,  who  had  once  lorded  it  over  Israel  (Jud. 
3  :  12-14),  were  reduced  to  sulijection  by 
David,  and  treated  with  extreme  severity  (2  S. 
8  :  2).  Nothing  is  related  of  them  in  Scripture 
from  the  date  of  this  subjection  to  the  time  of 
Ahab,  when  they  are  found  to  be  dependent  on 
the  kingdom  of  Israel,  to  which  it  has  therefore 
been  generally  supposed  that  they  fell  at  the 
separation  of  Israel  from  Judah.  The  Moabite 
monument,  discovered  in  18(i9,  has  now  given 
reason  to  believe  that,  at  the  separation  of  the 
kingdoms,  they  recovered  their  independence, 


but  were  again  reduced  by  Omri,  who,  with 
his  son  Ahab,  is  said  (in  round  numbers)  to 
have  "oppressed"  them  for"  forty  years." 
The  enormous  tribute  exacted  by  Ahab  implies 
a  grievous  oppression.  Moab  rebelled  as  soon 
as  Ahab  was  dead,  and  easily  regained  her 
independence.  It  is  this  war  of  liberation 
which  is  the  principal  subject  of  the  Moabite 
monument  above  mentioned,  a  monument 
which  was  set  up  by  Mesha  (chap.  3  :  4)  to  com- 
memorate his  successes.     B.  C. 

2.  Ahaziah  had  been  walking  on  the  roof  of 
his  palace  in  Samaria,  and  had  leaned  against 
what  seems  to  have  been  a  latticed  fence  run- 
ning round  the  roof.  The  fence  gave  way. 
The  king  fell  either  into  the  street  or  into  the 
inner  court  of  the  palace,  and  was  so  severely 
injured  that  he  became  alarmed  for  his  life. 
After  the  example  of  his  father  and  mother  he 
had  been  a  worshipper  of  Baal.  In  particular, 
Ahaziah  had  honored  him  as  Baal-zebub,  the 
god  of  flies.  This  deity  would  appear  to  have 
been  held  in  peculiar  reverence  at  Ekron,  the 
most  northerly  of  the  five  great  cities  of  the 
Philistines,  and,  therefore,  nearest  to  Samaria. 
Thither,  accordingly,  Aliaziah  sent  his  mes- 
sengers, immediately  after  his  fall,  with  the  in- 
quirj'  whether  or  not  he  should  recover  from 
its  effects.  It  was  a  daring  violation  of  the  law 
of  God  (Lev.  20  :  6).  It  was  a  countenancing 
of  idolatry  in  the  worst  form  in  which  it  had 
been  supported  bv  Ahab  and  Jezebel.  And 
the  offence  was  rendered  still  more  heinous  by 
the  recent  character  of  that  work  of  reforma- 
tion which  had  been  effected  by  Elijali.     W.  M. 

The  same  hand  that  guided  Ahab's  shaft 
cracks  Ahaziah's  lattice.  How  infinite  variety 
of  plagues  hath  the  just  God  for  obstinate 
sinners  I  Whether  in  the  field  or-  in  the  cham- 
ber. He  knows  to  find  them  out.  No  place  is 
safe  for  the  man  that  is  at  variance  with  God. 
The  body  of  Ahaziah  was  not  more  sick  than 
his  soul  was  graceless.     Bp.  II. 

3.  Of  the  whole  period  of  ten  years  between 
the  calling  of  Elisha  and  the  summons  to  meet 
the  messengers  of  Ahaziah,  we  known,  so  far 
as  concerns  Elijah,  absolutely  nothing. 

3,  4.  The  message  at  once  shows  the  light 
in  which  the  conduct  of  Ahaziah  is  to  be  re- 
garded. It  was  a  denial  of  the  God  of  Israel. 
It  was  the  worship  of  one  who  was  no  God  ; 
and  the  soul  that  so  sinned  was  to  die.  Elijah 
instantly  obeyed  "  the  word  of  the  Lord,"  met 
the  messengers  of  Ahaziah  with  the  same  start- 
ling suddenness  as  that  with  which  he  had  be- 
fore met  Ahab,  delivered  his  message,  and  with 
equal   suddenness  "  departed."      At  no  time 


155 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


was  it  his  part  to  nrcruc.  He  was  "  a  voice  of 
one  fryins  in  llic  wilderness."  Tho  voice  was 
to  cry  at  the  appointed  moment  ;  and  when  its 
cry  Wiis  utt<'red  to  lie  silent.  Let  men  liear  or 
let  them  forbear  :  tlie  wmk  of  tlie  voice  was 
done.  The  messengers  instantly  returned. 
W.  M. 

8.  It  is  Elijah  the  Tl§libite.  No  doubt 
he  suspected  it  before.  Tlie  boldness,  the  daring, 
the  sudden  appearance,  and  equally  sudden  dis- 
appearance of  tlie  man  who  could  .send  him  such 
:i  messa.c;e,  were  traits  that  could  hardly  belonj^ 
to  any  but  to  one  whom  he  and  his  father's 
house  had  so  much  occasion  to  remember.  The 
messace  itself  too  touched  his  conscience  ;  and 
although  not  the  prophet  himself,  but  his 
imajre,  called  up  by  his  imagination,  .stood  be- 
fore liim,  lie  coiiM  only  repeat,  a.s  it  were,  the 
exclamation  of  Ahab  in  the  vineyard  of  Naboth, 
"  Thou  hast  found  me,  O  mine  enemy. "    W.  M. 

9.  Behold  the  true  son  of  Jezebel  :  the 
anguish  of  his  disease,  the  expectation  of 
death,  cannot  take  off  the  edge  of  his  persecu- 
tion of  Elijah.  It  is  against  his  will  that  his 
deathbed  is  not  bloody.  Had  .Vhaziah  meant 
any  other  than  a  cruel  violence  to  Elijah  he  had 
sent  a  peaceable  messenger  to  call  him  to  tlie 
court  :  he  had  not  sent  a  captain  with  a  band 
of  .soldiers  to  fetch  him.  The  instruments  which 
he  usetli  carry  revenge  in  their  face.  If  he  had 
not  thought  Elijah  more  than  a  man,  what 
needed  a  band  of  fifty  to  apprehend  one  ?  and 
if  he  did  think  him  such,  why  would  he  send 
to  apprehend  him  by  fifty  ?  Surely  Aliaziah 
knew  of  old  how  miraculous  a  prophet  Elijah 
was  ;  what  power  that  man  had  over  all  their 
base  deities  ;  what  command  of  the  elements, 
of  the  heavens  ;  and  yet  he  sends  to  attach  him. 
It  is  a  strange  thing  to  see  how  wilfully  god- 
less men  strive  against  the  stream  of  their  own 
hearts  ;  hating  that  which  they  know  good  ; 
fighting  against  that  which  they  know  divine. 
What  a  gross  disagreement  is  in  the  message  of 
this  Israelitish  captain  ;  "Thou  man  of  God, 
the  king  hath  said.  Come  down  !  "  If  he  were 
,1  man  of  (iod,  how  hath  he  offended  ?  .Vnd  if 
hi'  have  justly  offended  the  anointed  of  God, 
how  is  he  a  man  of  God  ?  And  if  he  be  a  man 
of  God  and  have  not  offended,  why  should  he 
come  down  to  punishment  ?  Here  is  a  kind 
confession  with  a  false  heart,  with  bloody 
bands.  The  world  is  full  of  those  windy 
courtesies,  real  cruelties.     Dp.  II. 

10.  Elijah  took  the  scorner  at  his  word. 
"  If  1  be  a  man  of  God,"  he  said,  "  let  fire  come 
down  from  lieav<'ii  and  consume  thee  and  thy 
fifty."     The   prophet   had  dcult  with  fire  from 


he.iven  before.  It  may  he  that  near  that  very 
spot  he  had  seen  the  heavens  open  at  his  prayer 
and  the  fire  came  down  that  "  consumed  the 
burnt  offering,  and  the  wood,  and  the  stones, 
and  the  dust,  and  licked  up  the  water  that  was 
in  the  trench."  Thus  no  doubt  he  prayeil 
again,  and  there  rushed  forth  fire  from  heaven, 
and  consumed  the  captain  and  his  fifty.     W.  M. 

Ahaziah,  the  son  of  the  wicked  Jezebel,  had 
challenged  Jehovah  to  a  trial  of  strength  by 
first  ignoring  him,  and  then  sending  a  troop  of 
soldiers  to  arrest  his  prophet  Was  Elijah  to 
succumb  without  an  effort,  or  was  he  to  vindi- 
cate the  majesty  and  honor  of  Jehovah  ?  He 
had  no  power  of  himself  to  do  either  gomi  or 
harm.  He  could  but  pray  to  Jehovah,  and 
Jehovah,  in  His  wisdom  and  perfect  goodness, 
would  either  grant  or  refuse  his  prayer.  If  He 
granted  it,  the  punishment  inflicted  would  not 
be  Elijah's  work,  but  His.  God  regarded  it  as 
a  fitting  time  for  making  a  signal  example, 
and,  so  regarding  it,  He  inspired  a  spirit  of  in- 
dignation in  the  breast  of  His  prophet,  who 
thereupon  made  the  prayer  which  He  saw  fit  to 
answer.  The  judgment  was  in  accordance 
with  the  general  tone  and  tenor  of  the  law. 
which  assigns  "  tribulation  and  anguish  to 
every  soul  of  man  that  doeth  evil,"  and  visits 
with  death  every  act  of  rebellion  against  God. 
P.  C. 

It  was  not  long  since  Elijah  had  fetched  fire 
from  heaven  to  consume  the  sacrifice  (1  K. 
18  :  38),  in  token  of  God's  acceptance  of  that 
sacrifice  as  an  atonement  for  the  sins  of  the 
people  ;  but  they  having  slighted  that,  now  the 
fire  falls,  not  on  the  .sacrifice,  but  on  the  sinners 
themselves  (verse  10).  What  an  interest  the 
prophets  had  in  heaven  ;  what  the  Spirit  of 
God  in  them  demanded,  the  power  of  God 
effected  ;  Elijah  did  but  speak  and  it  was 
done  ;  he  that  formerly  had  fetched  water  from 
heaven  now  fetches  fire.  Oh,  the  power  of 
prayer  1  Cnnrerninf)  the  work  of  My  li(ind»,  com- 
iniind  ye  Me  (Isa.  45  :  11).  What  an  interest 
Heaven  had  in  the  prophets  !  God  was  always 
ready  to  ])le;ul  their  cause,  and  avenge  the 
injuries  done  to  them.  Kings  shall  still  be 
rehuktd  Jor  their  Kiikea  and  charged  to  do  Hh 
priiphetn  no  harm.  One  Elijah  is  more  to  God 
than  ten  thousand  cajitains  and  their  fifties. 
Doubtless  Elijah  did  this  by  a  Divine  impulse, 
and  yet  our  Saviour  would  not  allow  the  disci- 
ples to  draw  it  into  a  precedent  (Luke  9  :  54).  H. 

In  his  rebuke  of  James  and  John  no  woi-d  is 
sjioken  by  our  LonI  in  regani  to  the  conduct  of 
Elijah.  What  he  finds  fault  with  is  simply  the 
spirit  of  His  own  disciples,  and  the  whole  tone 


SECTION  15.     BEION  OF  AHAZIAH. 


153 


of  the  narrative  implies  that  all  that  He  would 
say  was  this,  "  Ye  do  not  understand  the  nature 
of  the  Dispensation  whieh  I  am  introdueing, 
and  _ve  err  in  thinking  that  my  mission  is  to  be 
marked  by  the  same  judgments  called  down 
directly  upon  sinners  as  those  which  were  ex 
hibited  in  the  Dispensation  that  is  passing 
away."  For  anything  contained  in  the 
passage,  therefore,  our  Lord  accepted  the  con- 
duet  of  Elijah  as  that  of  a  righteous  servant  of 
His  Father  in  Heaven,  and  declared  only  that 
He  Himself  luui  come  to  fulfil  all  righteousness 
in  a  different  way.  Not,  in  other  words,  in 
an}'  change  in  the  character  of  God,  and  cer- 
tainl}'  not  in  the  conduct  of  the  captains  and 
their  companies,  but  in  the  outward  circum- 
stances of  men,  in  the  nature  of  the  Old  and 
Xew  Testament  Dispensations,  as  adapted  to 
their  different  stages  in  the  history  of  the 
world,  is  the  explanation  to  be  found. 
Neither  in  the  destruction  brought  through 
Elijah  upon  the  companies  of  Ahaziah,  nor  in 
that  upon  the  four  hundred  and  fifty  prophets 
of  Baal  at  an  earlier  period,  is  there  the  least 
appearance  of  merely  human  passion,  or  of  a 
spirit  of  revenge  that  knew  not  where  to 
pause.  In  both  the  prophet  acts  as  one  who 
feels  that  he  is  the  messenger  of  God,  clothed 
with  His  commission,  under  an  obligation  to 
execute  His  will — and  that  will  was  regiilated 
by  thought  of  the  condition  of  those  who  were 
then  training  for  better  tilings.     W.  M. 

Elijah's  actions  are  more  for  wonder  than 
for  precedent.  Not  in  his  own  defence  would 
the  prophet  have  been  the  death  of  so  many, 
if  God  had  not  by  a  peculiar  instinct  made  him 
an  instrument  of  this  just  vengeance.  The 
Divine  justice  finds  it  meet  to  do  this  for  the 
terror  of  Israel ;  that  He  might  teach  them 
what  it  was  to  contemn,  to  persecute  a 
prophet ;  that  they  might  learn  to  fear  Him 
whom  they  had  forsaken,  and  confess  that 
Heaven  was  sensible  of  their  insolencies  and 
impieties.  If  not  as  visibly  yet  as  certainly 
doth  God  punish  the  violations  of  His  ordi- 
nances, the  affronts  offered  to  His  messengers, 
still  and  ever.  Not  ever  with  the  same  speed  ; 
sometimes  the  punishment  overtakes  the  act ; 
sometimes  dogs  it  afar  off,  and  seizeth  upon 
the  offender  when  his  crime  is  forgotten  ;  here, 
no  sooner  is  the  word  out  of  Elijah's  mouth 
than  the  fire  is  out  of  heaven. 

Oh,  the  wonderful  power  of  a  prophet  ! 
There  sits  Elijah  in  his  coarse  mantle  on  the 
top  of  the  hill,  and  commands  the  heavens,  and 
they  obey  him  :  "  Let  fire  fall  down  from 
heaven."     He  needs  no  more  but  say  what  he 


would  have  done  :  the  fire  falls  down,  as  before 
upon  the  sacrifice  in  Carmel,  so  now  upon  the 
soldiers  of  Ahaziah.  What  is  man  in  the 
hands  of  his  Maker  ?  One  flash  of  lightning 
hath  consumed  this  one  and  fifty.  And  if  all 
the  hosts  of  Israel,  j'ea,  of  the  world,  had  been 
in  their  rooms,  there  had  needed  no  other  force. 
What  madness  is  it  for  him,  whose  breath  is  in 
his  nostrils,  to  contend  with  the  Almighty  I 
Bp.  H. 

II,  12.  Undismayed  by  what  had  hap- 
pened, the  king  now  sent  another  captain  and 
his  fifty  upon  the  same  errand  ;  but  there  is  a 
difference  in  the  message.  It  is  even  harsher 
and  more  imperative  than  before.  "  O  man  of 
God,  thus  hath  the  king  said.  Come  down 
quickly."  There  was  no  "quickly"  in  the 
first  demand.  In  the  second  there  is.  The 
message  on  the  first  occasion  had  perhaps  not 
been  imperative  enough.  A  greater  show  of 
boldness  may  alarm  the  prophet.  But  Elijah 
answered  as  he  had  already  done  :  "  If  I  be  a 
man  of  God,  let  fire  come  down  from  heaven 
and  consume  thee  and  thy  fifty."  The  miracle 
of  destruction  was  instantly  repeated  ;  "  The 
fire  of  God  came  down  from  heaven  and  con- 
sumed him  and  his  fif t)'. ' ' 

13.  A  third  company  was  now  sent,  and  so 
far  apparentlj'  without  any  change  in  the  king's 
mind.  But  there  was  a  change  in  the  temper 
of  the  captain  to  whom  the  charge  had  been 
committed.  Insolence,  scorn,  impietj'  have  no 
place  in  his  mind.  He  exhibits  meekness  and 
submission.  He  "  came  and  fell  on  his  knees 
before  Elijah,  and  besought  him,  and  said  unto 
him,  O  man  of  God,  I  pray  thee  let  my  life  and 
the  life  of  these  fifty  be  precious  in  thy  sight." 
W.  M. 

14-16.  Elijah  does  more  than  grant  the  re- 
quest of  this  third  captain.  God  is  not  severer 
with  those  that  stand  it  out  against  Him  than 
He  is  ready  to  show  mercy  to  those  that  repent 
and  submit  to  Him  ;  never  an}'  found  it  in  vain 
to  cast  themselves  upon  the  mercy  of  God. 
This  captain  not  only  has  his  life  spared,  but  is 
permitted  to  carry  his  point  ;  Elijah,  being  so 
commanded  by  the  angel,  goes  down  irit/>  him  to 
tlie  kinr/  (verse  13).  Thus  he  shows  that  he  be- 
fore refused  to  come,  not  because  he  feared  the 
king  or  court,  but  because  he  would  not  be  im- 
periously summoned,  and  would  not  lessen  the 
honor  of  his  Master  ;  he  magnifies  his  office. 
He  comes  boldly  to  the  king  and  tells  him  to 
his  face  (let  him  take  it  as  he  may)  what  lie  had 
before  sent  to  him  (verse  16),  that  he  should 
surely  and  shortly  die  ;  he  mitigates  not  the 
sentence  either  for  fear  of  the  king's  displeas- 


154 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


\irc  or  ill  ])ity  to  liis  misery  :  the  God  of  Israel 
lias  coniiemncd  him,  lot  liitn  send  to  see 
wliclhir  the  god  of  Ekron  can  deliver  him.  So 
thunderstruck  is  Ahaziah  with  this  message 
when  it  pomes  from  thj  prophet's  own  mouth, 
that  neither  he  nor  any  of  those  about  him 
durjt  offer  him  any  violence,  nor  so  much  as 
give  him  an  affront  ;  but  out  of  that  den  of 
lions  he  comes  unhurt,  like  Daniel.  Who  can 
harm  Ihosc  whom  God  will  shelter  ?     II. 

The  awful  destruction  by  fire  from  heaven, 
at  the  word  of  Elijah,  of  the  two  first  parties 
sent  ti)  apprehend  him,  must  have  tended  pow- 
erfuUj- 1.)  impress  upon  the  nation  the  fact  that 
the  Lonl  still  asserted  His  right  to  reign  over 
them,  and  would  be  known  to  them  in  His  pro- 
testing judgments,  since  they  would  not  know 
Ilim  in  Ilis  mercies.  His  cheerful  going  with 
the  third  parly,  the  leader  of  which  approaclied 
him  with  humble  entreaties,  must  have  sug- 
gested that  the  door  to  those  mercies  was  still 
open  to  those  who  becomingly  approached  it. 
This  was  practical  preaching  of  the  kind  that 
this  people  could  most  easily  understand.  The 
fearless  prophet  repeated  in  person  to  the  king 
the  words  of  rebuke  and  death  that  he  had  sent 
by  the  messengers  ;  and  the  doomed  king  was 
too  awestruck,  after  what  had  passed,  to  make 
any  attempt  upon  his  liberty  or  life.  Accord- 
ing to  his  prediction,  Ahaziah  died  soon  after, 
and,  as  he  had  no  son,  was  succeeded  by  his 
brother  Jtlioram.     KUto. 

According  to  the  word  of  the  prophet, 
Ahaziah  dies.  Not  two  whole  years  doth  he  sit 
in  the  throne  of  Israel,  which  he  now  must 
J  ield,  in  the  want  of  children,  to  his  brother. 
Wickedness  shortens  his  reign.  He  had  too 
much  of  Ahab  and  Jezebel  to  expect  the  bless- 
ing, either  of  length  or  prosperity  of  govern- 
ment. As  always  in  the  other,  so  ofttimes  in 
this  world  doth  God  testify  His  anger  to  wicked 
men.  Some  live  long  that  they  may  aggravate 
their  judgment  ;  others  die  soon  that  they  may 
hasten  it.     /);).  //. 

17.  In  tlic  second  j-ear  of  Jelioram 
80n  or  Jcliosiliaphat.  The  similarity  of 
names  in  the  two  royal  houses  of  Israel  and 
Judali  at  this  time,  and  at  no  other,  seems  to 
be  the  consequence  of  the  close  ties  which  for 
once  united  the  two  reigning  families,  and  is 
well  noted  among  the  "  undesigned  coinci- 
dences" of  the  Old  Testament.  The  accession 
of  the  Israelite  Jehoram  in  the  second  year  of 
the  Jewish  king  of  the  same  name  involves 
some  dilHculty.  In  chap.  3  :  1  we  are  told  that 
he  ascended  the  throne  in  the  eighteenth  year 


of  Jchoshaphat ;  and  this  agrees  with  previous 
stalements  as  to  the  accession  of  Jehoshaphat 
and  the  length  of  his  reign.  B.  C. The  ap- 
parent discrepancy  is  reconciled  by  supposing 
that  Jehosliaphat  associated  his  son  Jelioram  in 
the  kingdom  in  his  seventeenth  year,  when  he 
was  about  to  enter  upon  the  Syrian  war,  so 
that  the  eighteenth  year  of  Jehfishaphat  was 
also  the  second  year  of  Jelioram.  It  Ls  certain 
that  asso<iation  was  largely  practised  in  E.gypt 
at  a  date  long  anterior  to  Jehoshaphat,  and 
David's  proclamation  of  Solomon  as  king  was 
an  association,  so  that  the  explanation  is  not 
untenable.  Because  lie  had  no  noii — i.e., 
because  he,  Ahaziah,  had  no  son.  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  younger  brother,  Jehoram.     P.  C. 

2K.  1:17,  IS.  Unwnttenhistorii.  Ahaziah 
died,  and  Jehoram  his  brother  succeeded  him. 
"  The  rest  of  his  acts"  were  written  "  in  the 
book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  Kings  of  Ismel  ;" 
but  Scripture  has  not  preserved  them.  Why 
should  it  ?  What  was  there  in  the  records  of 
that  brief  and  evil  existence  to  entitle  the  mem- 
ory of  it  to  live  ?  "  The  memory  of  the  just  is 
blessed  ;  but  the  name  of  the  wicked  shall  rot" 
{Prov.  10  :  7).  Enough  is  written  to  hold  him 
up  to  after-ages  as  an  example  of  the  certainty 
of  retribution.  Then  Scripture  buries  him  with 
the  epitaph,  "  So  he  died  according  to  the  word 
of  the  Lord  wliich  Elijah  had  spoken."     J.  O. 

Principles  applicable  here  and  clscw/tere.  God 
i.s  Horereign  in  putting  down  and  raising  up 
(Ps.  75  :  7),  and  He  decides  all  human  issues. 
But  equally  the  other  and  balancing  truth  is 
made  evident  in  all  this  inspired  history  :  that 
man  is  left  free  to  work,  in  his  sphere,  as  he 
wills.  No  compulsion  is  upon  him  stronger 
than  ni'itire;  and  that  motive  attracting  and 
persuading  the  soul  in  one  direction — a  wise, 
right  and  happy  direction.  Both  Gixi's  sov- 
ereign working  and  man's  unconstraiiu'd  work- 
ing are  plainly  revealed  as  facts;  facts  which 
enforce  a  belief  in  fjut/t  trutlis,  tliough  they 
do  not  touch  the  explanation  of  the  underlying 
mystery.  A  further  liiut  of  relief  we  lind  in 
this  additional  fact  manifest  in  tlie  history  : 
Althotigh  God  has  announced  a  definite  course 
of  action  toward  the  nation,  yet  He  deals  with 
erery  kinrj  and  Jns  jH'oplc  according  to  tluir  own 
conduct  ;  nay,  more,  although  He  has  foretold 
the  nation's  doom  on  account  of  its  iniquities, 
yet  He  continues  to  hold  forth  every  motive 
and  to  exercise  every  means  to  save  it.  From 
this  we  li-arn,  at  least,  that  God's  sovereignty 
is  not  arbitrary — exercised  without  reason  ;  and 
that  it  is  gracious — exercised  for  good  alone.    B. 


SECTION  16. 


155 


Section  16. 

ELIJAH'S  TRANSLATION,  AND  ELISHA'S  SUCCESSION. 
2  Kings  2  : 1-18. 

2  : 1  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  Loud  would  take  up  Elijah  by  a  whirlwind  into  heaven, 

2  that  Elijah  went  witli  Elisha  from  Gilgal.  And  Elijah  .said  unto  Elisha,  Tarry  here,  I  pray 
thee  ;  for  the  Lord  hath  sent  me  as  far  as  Beth-el.     And  Elisha  said.  As  the  Loud  lireth,  and 

3  as  thy  soul  liveth,  I  will  not  leave  thee.  So  they  went  down  to  Beth-el.  And  the  sons  of  the 
prophets  that  were  at  Beth-el  came  forth  to  Elisha,  and  said  unto  him,  Knowcst  thou  that  the 
Lord  will  take  away  thy  master  from  thy  head  to-day?     And  he  said.  Yea,  I  know  it  ;  hold 

4  ye  your  peace.  And  Elijah  said  unto  him,  Elisha,  tarry  here,  I  pray  thee  ;  for  the  Loud 
hath  sent  me  to  Jericho.     And  he  said,  As  the  Loud  liveth,  and  as  thy  soul  liveth,  I  will  not 

5  leave  thee.  So  they  came  to  Jericho.  And  the  sons  of  the  prophets  that  were  at  Jericho 
came  near  to  Elisha,  and  said  unto  him,  Knowest  thou  that  the  Lord  will  take  away  thy 

6  master  from  thy  head  to-day?  And  he  answered,  Yea,  I  know  it  ;  hold  ye  your  peace.  And 
Elijah  said  unto  him,  Tany  here,  I  pray  thee  ;  for  the  Lord  hath  sent  me  to  Jordan.  And 
he  said.  As  the  Lord  liveth,  and  as  thy  soul  liveth,  I  will  not  leave  thee.     And  they  two  went 

7  on.     And  fifty  men  of  the  sons  of  the  prophets  went,  and  stood  over  against  them  afar  off : 

8  and  they  two  stood  by  Jordan.  And  Elijah  took  his  mantle,  and  wrapped  it  together,  and 
smote  the  waters,  and  they  were  divided  hither  and  thither,  so  that  they  two  went  over  on 

9  dry  ground.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  they  were  gone  over,  that  Elijah  said  unto  Elisha, 
Ask  what  I  shall  do  for  thee,  before  I  be  taken  from  thee.     And  Elisha  said,  I  pray  thee,  let 

10  a  double  portion  of  thy  spirit  be  upon  me.  And  he  said.  Thou  hast  asked  a  hard  thing  :  iicTer 
thcless,  if  thou  see  me  when  I  am  taken  from  thee,  it  shall  be  so  unto  thee  ;  but  if  not,  it  shall 

11  not  be  so.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  still  went  on,  and  talked,  that,  behold,  there  appeared  a 
chariot  of  fire,  and  horses  of  fire,  which  parted  them  both  asunder  ;  and  Elijah  went  up  by 

12  a  whirlwind  into  heaven.  And  Elisha  saw  it,  and  he  cried.  My  father,  my  father,  the  char- 
iots of  Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof  I  And  he  saw  him  no  more  :  and  he  took  hold  of  his 

13  own  clothes,  and  rent  them  in  two  pieces.     He  took  up  also  the  mantle  of  Elijah  that  fell  from 

14  him,  and  went  back,  and  stood  by  the  bank  of  Jordan.  And  he  took  the  mantle  of  Elijah 
that  fell  from  him,  and  smote  the  waters,  and  said.  Where  is  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Elijah? 
and  when  he  also  had  smitten  the  waters,  the}'  were  divided  hither  and  thither  :  and  Elisha 

15  went  over.  And  when  the  sons  of  the  prophets  which  were  at  Jericho  over  against  him  saw 
him,  they  said,  The  spirit  of  Elijah  doth  rest  on  Elisha.     And  they  came  to  meet  him,  and 

16  bowed  themselves  to  the  ground  before  him.  And  they  said  unto  him,  Behold  now,  there  be 
with  thy  servants  fifty  strong  men  ;  let  them  go,  we  pray  thee,  and  seek  thy  master  :  lest 
peradventure  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  hath  taken  him  up,  and  cast  him  upon  some  mountain, 

17  or  into  some  valley.  And  he  said.  Ye  shall  not  send.  And  when  they  urged  him  till  he  was 
ashamed,  he  said.  Send.     They  sent  therefore  fifty  men  ;  and  they  sought  three  days,  but 

18  found  him  not.  And  they  came  back  to  him,  while  he  tarried  at  Jericho  ;  and  he  said  unto 
them.  Did  I  not  say  unto  j'ou.  Go  not? 


It  is  at  this  point  that  the  sacred  narrative 
introduces  one  of  the  greatest  events  of  the  old 
dispensation,  the  a.scent  of  Elijah.  The  chro- 
nology is  intricate,  but  the  event  seems  to  have 
taken  place  about  the  time  of  Ahaziah's  death. 
The  chief  difliculty  arises  from  the  letter  which 
Elijah  sent  to  Jehoram,  king  of  Judah,  prophe- 
sying his  destruction  because  he  followed  the 
sins  of  the  house  of  Ahab.  This,  by  the  way, 
is  the  only  point  of  connection  between  Elijah 
and  the  house  of  David,  and  the  only  mention 


of  his  name  in  the  Chronicles  (31  :  12-15). 
Now  Jehoshaphat,  the  father  of  Jehoram,  took 
part  in  the  campaign  which  is  related  after  Eli- 
jah's ascension,  and  in  wliich  too  Elisha  ap- 
pears as  the  prophet.  That  Elisha  ever  left  his 
attendance  upon  Elijah  to  act  in  public,  before 
he  received  the  prophet's  mantle,  is  a  supposi- 
tion quite  unwarranted  by  the  history.  That 
the  letter  of  Elijah  to  Jehoram  was  written  be- 
fore but  delivered  after  his  ascension,  is  a  vio- 
lent assumption.     The  true  and  simple  expla- 


156 


KINODOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


nation  is,  tbat  Jeborum  began  to  roign  over 
.Iu(i:ih  some  years  before  his  father's  death. 
There  is  llierefore  no  reason  to  depart  from  the 
order  of  the  narrative  in  Kings.     P.  S. 

It  is  prol)able  that  during  the  eight  or  ten 
years  of  Klijah's  life,  after  the  anointing  of 
Elisha,  tlie  two  prophets  were  ciuietly  and  ac- 
tively mini.stering  in  the  cities  and  villages  of 
Israel.  Taught  by  the  '"still  small  voice"  of 
Horeb,  Elijah  would  speak  to  the  people  of 
Jehovah's  goodness  and  mercy,  and  seek  to 
win  them  to  spiritual  service  and  love.  We 
read  also  of  sons  of  the  prophets  settled  in 
Bethel,  which  had  been  one  of  the  chief  seats 
of  idolatry  ;  and  there  are  indications  tbat 
"  schools  of  the  prophets"  were  organized  and 
established  throughout  the  land,  and  that  to 
these  Elijah  devoted  some  years  of  assiduous 
culture,  indicating  that  under  his  influence  true 
religion  made  considerable  progress  in  Israel. 
Allon. 

Elijah's  work  was  finished.  But  he  lies  not 
down  to  die  in  despondency  and  gloom.  God 
has  assured  him  of  an  end  more  glorious  than 
that  of  any  of  the  whole  race  of  men.  The 
<'louds  that  have  swept  over  his  day  of  toil  and 
endurance  are  to  pass  away  before  the  golden 
evening  radiance,  which  for  him  shall  buret  in- 
stantly into  the  efiulgence  of  heaven's  eternal 
day. 

1-5.  Prom,  Oilgal  Elijah  goes,  with  EUshn, 
to  Bet/iel  and  Jericho,  to  take  leave  of  the  sons 
of  tlie  prophets.  No  dates  are  recorded  of  Eli- 
jah's life.  From  Gilead  he  came  ;  in  Samaria 
his  ministry  was  performed,  perhaps  for  twenty 
years  ;  to  Gilead  he  returns  and  thence  is  trans- 
lated. Of  this  translation,  like  Moses,  he  had 
received  beforehand  a  Divine  intimation.  He 
is  now  directed  first  to  pay  a  parting  visit  to 
those  schools  of  the  prophets  that  he  had  nur- 
tured and  trained.  In  these  schools  were  men 
whom  God  had  raised  up  from  among  the  peo- 
ple, to  act  as  instructors  of  His  law  and  truth  to 
such  as  desired  and  accepted  this  teaching. 
From  these  men  God  selected  the  superior 
prophets,  and  endowed  them  with  special  in- 
spiration to  declare  His  counsel  and  purpose  as 
events  demanded.  Thus  God  bad  done  and 
continued  to  do,  in  order  to  preserve  the  truth 
among  His  people,  to  counteract  the  influence 
of  false  anil  idolatrous  teachers,  to  reclaim  the 
people  from  iniquity  and  recover  them  from 
idolatry,  and  to  bold  firm  in  their  integrity  as 
many  as  would  obey  and  serve  Him. 

Tbrici',  in  liis  journey  to  the  Jordan,  Elijah 
sought  to  cheek  Elisha's  purpose  to  accompany 
him.     He  seems  to  have  designed  in  this  to  test 


the  steadfastness  and  strength  of  Elisha's  faith. 
But  the  heart  of  Elisha  firndy  stood  the  trial  to 
the  end.  He  answere  by  the  double  a.ssevera- 
tion  "  As  the  Lord  liveth  and  as  thy  soul  liv- 
eth" — thus  appealing  to  the  eternity  of  God 
and  the  immortality  of  the  soul—"  I  will  not 
leave  thee."  So  he  abides  at  Elijah's  side  until 
tbey  are  parted  by  the  whirlwind  which  bears 
the  prophet  heavenward.  At  Bethel  and  Jeri- 
cho the  same  events  transpire.  Wonls  of  in- 
struction, encouragement  and  blessing  Elijah 
spake  to  the  pupils  from  whom  be  was  now 
finally  to  part.  And  tbey  seemed  to  have  in- 
ferred the  issue  and  naturally  .spoke  of  it  to  Eli- 
sha. His  reply  was  not  a  denial  or  rebuke,  but 
a  catition  that  they  should  not  suffer  the  fact 
they  understood  to  be  noised  abroad.     B. 

I.  From  Gilg:al.  The  Gilgal  here  men- 
tioned, from  which  the  two  prophets  "  went 
down"  to  Bethel,  must  be  sought  in  the  hill 
country  of  Epbraim,  and  at  a  higher  elevation 
than  Bethel  itself,  which  is  in  the  mountain  re- 
gion. Such  a  position  belongs  to  the  modern 
Jiljilieb,  on  the  highland  between  Nablous  and 
Beitiu  (Bethel),  about  eight  and  a  half  miles 
from  the  latter  ;  and  this  place  is  therefore  now 
commonl}'  supposed  to  be  the  Gilgal  here  men- 
tioned. Some  regard  it  as  the  ordinary  resi- 
dence of  Elisha.     B.  C. 

3.  No  record  of  Elijah's  parting  intercourse 
with  these  sons  of  the  prophets  is  given.  We 
are  left  to  imagine  the  seriousness,  fidelity,  and 
tenderness  of  his  last  words  to  these  pious 
youths,  whom  he  had  gathered  and  trained  for 
the  religious  ministry  of  the  land.  It  is  touch- 
ing and  beautiful  to  think  that  such  should 
have  been  his  last  earthly  occupation,  his  last 
counsels  and  blessings  ;  that  his  last  words 
should  have  been  words  of  help  to  those  who 
were  to  be  God's  witnesses  in  the  land.     Allon. 

6-8.  From  Jericho  the  two  prophets  proceed  to 
the  Jordan  and  cross  the  rirer.  Fifty  of  Elijah's 
pupils  follow  them  afar  off,  and  witnessed  the 
crossing  of  the  river,  but  no  more.  In  the 
method  of  that  crossing,  the  miraculous  divid- 
ing of  the  waters,  we  witness  Elijah's  last  pro- 
phetic act.  Herein  we  see  conclusive  proof, 
not  only  tbat  he  maintained  his  trust  steadfast 
to  the  end,  but  that  his  faith  culminated  in  force 
and  sublimity  at  the  very  end.  And  God  re- 
sponded to  his  faith.  As,  under  Divine  direc- 
tion, Moses  at  the  Red  Sea  stretched  forth  his 
rod — the  sign  of  his  oflice — so  now  Elijah  smites 
the  waters  with  bis  mantle,  and  God  honore  the 
sign  and  divides  the  river  as  at  Joshua's  en- 
trance. "  So  they  two  went  over  on  dry 
groimd."     Into  Gilead  the}' went,  Elijah's  na- 


SECTION  16.     ELIJAH'S  TRANSLATION,  AND  ELISHA'S  SUCCESSION.    157 


tive  country,  whence  he  would  fain  depart  to  be 
with  Christ :  into  Gilead,  under  the  shadow  of 
Pisgah,  whence  Moses  had  finally  withdrawn 
from  the  leadership  and  the  love  of  the  long- 
wandering  people  of  God.     B. 

6.  They  two  went  on.  There  was  si- 
lence in  all  probability  between  them.  They 
■were  solemnized  by  the  consciousness  of  a  Di- 
vine presence,  by  the  feeling  that  they  were 
every  moment  approaching  nearer  to  an  as  yet 
unknown  manifestation  of  the  Divine  counsels, 
by  the  persuasion  that  one  of  them  at  least  was 
standing  on  tlie  threshold  of  the  unseen  world. 
Under  impressions  such  as  these  Elisha  had  al- 
ready declined  conversation  with  the  sons  of 
the  prophets  at  Betliel  and  at  Jericho.  Under 
the  same  impressions  he  was  silent  now.  Nor 
would  Elijah  be  inclined  to  speak.  His  depar- 
ture itself,  and  not  the  words  with  which  he 
might  accompany  it,  was  to  be  the  lesson  to  his 
companion  and  friend.  When  we  stand  by  the 
death-bed  of  the  child  of  God  our  impulse  is 
not  so  much  to  speak  as  to  learn  the  lessons  that 
are  tauglit  us  by  the  scene.  Thus  Elijah  and 
Elisha — "  they  two  went  on."     W.  M. 

7.  By  the  ford  opposite  Beth-Nimrah,  or 
Bethabara,  did  Elijah  most  probably  pass,  -when 
he  had  vainly  attempted  to  prevent  his  faithful 
Elisha  from  accompanying  him,  as,  for  the  last 
time,  he  hastened  toward  the  mountains  of  his 
native  Gilead,  thence  to  be  carried  up  to  his 
eternal  home.  Up  to  that  bold  peak  of  Qua- 
rantauia  behind,  the  sons  of  the  prophets  had 
climbed,  and  there  they  "  stood  to  view"  and 
watch  as  master  and  scholar  walked  across  the 
plain,  till  they  descended  to  the  wooded  bank. 
There  was  no  delay,  as  the  stricken  waters 
made  a  path  for  them  dryshod  ;  and  thence 
they  would  naturally  follow  the  road  to  the 
mountains.  Not  long  had  they  walked,  still 
absorbed  in  converse,  when  the  chariot  and 
horses  of  fire  appeared,  and  Elijah  went  up  by 
a  wliirhvind  into  heaven.  Not  long — for  when 
Elisha  returned,  the  sons  of  the  prophets  had 
not  j-et  relinquished  their  post  of  observation. 
Still  had  they  gazed  on,  waiting  till  their  fa- 
thers should  return,  when  soon  they  recognized 
Elisha,  coming  back  in  all  the  power  and  spirit 
of  Elijah.  It  could  not,  therefore,  have  been 
far  from  this  ford  that  heaven  and  earth  were 
brought  so  near  together.  There  is  a  peculiar 
appropriateness  in  this  identification  since  he 
who  was  to  come  "in  the  spirit  and  power  of 
Elias"  appeared,  completed  his  mission  and 
discharged  his  function  of  herald  of  the  King- 
dom, by  the  baptism  of  Christ  at  Bethabara, 
just  opposite,   near  the  very  spot  where  his 


prototype  had  disappeared.  By  this  ford,  too, 
our  Lord  and  Ilis  disciples  passed  over  Jordan, 
when  they  came  by  the  plain  on  the  east  side 
and  ascended  from  Jericho  to  Jerusalem. 
Tristram. 

8.  The  use  of  the  "  mantle"  had  undoubted- 
ly a  meaning.  It  had  been  the  most  character- 
istic token  of  the  prophet's  work.  As  a  gar- 
ment of  rough  hair,  it  reminded  both  him  and 
all  who  witnessed  the  use  to  which  it  was  put, 
of  his  privations  in  the  wilderness,  of  his  lone- 
liness, of  his  toils,  of  his  self-denials,  and  of  his 
sufferings,  in  the  execution  of  his  mission.  I^ 
was  associated  with  the  thought  of  a  good  fight 
fought,  of  a  course  finished,  of  faith  kept. 
Why  should  it  not  be  a  source  of  strength  to 
him  in  a  departing  hour?  It  had  covered  him 
alike  in  his  struggles  and  in  his  triumphs,  In 
his  sorrows  and  his  joys.  He  rolled  it  together 
as  his  rod,  struck  the  waters  of  the  river  with 
it,  and  he  and  Elisha  passed  over  dry-shod. 
W.  M. 

9,  10.  Tlw  sublime  offer  of  Elijah,  and  th-e 
er/iially  siihliiite  request  of  Elisha.  Never  were 
two  liuman  soiils  moved  by  higher  inspiration 
and  more  hallowed  aspiration  than  in  this  invi- 
tation and  response.  The  offer  came  from  a 
deeper  feeling  than  even  Elijah's  love  to  Elisha. 
It  was  actuated  by  the  desire  to  aid  his  inexpe- 
rienced successor  in  lifting  the  burden  he  was 
about  to  lay  down.  And  back  of  this  desire 
was  his  ^'earning  of  soul  for  the  glory  of  Jeho- 
vah to  be  manifested  in  the  future  blessing  of 
Ilis  people.  Thus  true  to  God's  glory  and  to 
His  people's  welfare  was  this  grand  man  to  the 
last.  Once  more  Elisha  could  be  availed  of  his 
mightily  prevalent  intercession.  And  how  pure 
and  lofty  is  the  responsive  request  of  the 
younger  prophet !  No  thought  of  scLf-eleva- 
tion  marred  its  singleness  and  grandeur.  About 
to  take  Elijah's  place  and  work,  he  knows  his 
need  of  wisdom  and  courage,  of  strength  and 
steadfastness  of  .soul,  of  unfaltering  trust  and 
fidelity  toward  God.  Therefore  he  sini])ly  asks 
for  these  qualities — so  eminently  vouchsafed  to 
Elijali — that  he  too  may  carry  forward  God's 
work  among  His  people.  Not  for  more  than 
Elijah's  own  gifts  does  he  ask  ;  but  for  the 
double  portion  allotted  to  a  first-born  son — for 
thus  much  more  than  the  Lord's  remaining 
prophets.  So  pure,  lofty  and  large  is  Elisha's  as- 
piration and  request.  And  Elijah's  answer  indi- 
cates his  full  appreciation  of  its  reach  and  great- 
ness. He  cannot  assure  the  reception  of  such 
high  gifts.  He  can  only,  and  trill  fervently,  re- 
fer the  petition  to  God.  And  God  Himself  will 
give  a  sign,  if  He  grant  it.     As  we  know,  the 


158 


KINGDOM  OF  ISIiAEL. 


sisn  was  fjivon.  and  tlip  prayer  in  its  real  intent 
and  spirit  al)umlanlly  answered.  Livina;  lonjer 
and  in  closer  relations  to  the  peoph',  Elislia 
wrought  twiec  as  many  miracles  as  Elijah, 
and  exerted  a  wider  personal  intluence.  But 
none  save  Moses  is  comparable  with  Elijah 
in  strength,  (lepth  and  permanence  of  effect 
wrought  upon  Israel  and  Judah.     B. 

Elisha  reckoned  himself  Elijah's  first-horn 
spiritual  son,  and  asked  for  the  elder  brother's 
share,  because  he  had  In-en  designated  as  suc- 
cessor, and  would  need  more  than  others  for 
his  work.  The  new  sense  of  responsibility  is 
coming  on  him,  and  teaching  him  his  need. 
Well  for  us  if  higher  positions  make  \is  lowlier 
in  the  consciousness  of  our  own  unfitness  with- 
out Divine  lielp  !  Elijah  knew  that  his  spirit 
was  not  his  to  give,  and  can  only  refer  his  suc- 
cessor to  till'  Fountain  from  which  he  had 
drawn  ;  for  the  sign  which  lie  gives  is  obvi- 
ously nut  within  his  power  to  determine.  If 
the  Lord  shows  him,  who  is  left,  tlie  ascending 
master,  lie  will  give  the  servant  his  desire. 
A.  M. 

11,  12.  The  nscenxion  of  Elijah,  anditsi  effect 
ujion  EUsha.  As  they  utill  went  mi,  iind  talked, 
they  were  parted.  Elijah  had  referred  Elislia's 
petition  fervently  to  God,  and  now,  like  liis  as- 
cending Lord,  was  uttering  words  of  instruc- 
tion and  counsel  and  encouragement.  Neither 
thought  nor  petition  had  he  for  himself,  until 
God's  time  and  summons  came.  And  the  ne.xt 
record  of  Elijali — nine  hundred  years  later — re- 
veals liim  as  talking  with  his  transfigured  Lord 
concerning  the  one  central  theme  of  heaven  and 
eternity.  Suddenly  a  violent  storm  surrounds 
and  encloses  them.  Near  to  the  earth  Elisha 
sees  a  chariot  and  horses  of  fire,  parting  him 
from  Elijah.  And  instantly  he  beholds  Elijah 
caught  up  i  1  the  tempest  and  borne  heaven- 
ward. The  fiaming  chariot  and  horses  were  an 
acknowledged  symbol  of  present  Divine  power 
and  protection.  Elisha  may  have  witnessed 
this  sj'nibol,  or,  like  his  servant  in  Dothan  (2  IC. 
f!  :  17),  this  may  simply  have  been  a  spiritual 
vision. 

No  further  record  have  we  of  this  transcen- 
dent marvel.  We  arc  only  assured  of  this,  that 
in  a  moment,  by  the  mighty  working  of  Christ, 
the  bo<iy  of  Elijah  was  changed  into  the  like- 
ness of  His  own  glorilied  body.  Here,  as  in  the 
ca.se  of  Enoch,  was  a  complete  victory  over 
ileath.  And  here  the  event  Avas  far  more  glori- 
ous, signilicaiit,  and  che<Ting.  Enoch's  ([uiet, 
unseen  tran.slation  was  suited  to  the  undemon- 
strative character  of  that  early  time.  Elijah's 
visible  ascent,  like  Christ's,  was  equally  suited 


to  the  period  of  .lehovah's  signal  exhibition  of 
Ilimsi'lf — thnmgli  His  express  ordinances  and 
by  His  ])rophets,  to  His  cho  ,en  people.  In  the 
glory  lluis  reflected  from  the  exaltation  of  Eli- 
jah, God  strikingly  commended  to  iieople  and 
prophets  the  worth  of  truth  and  fidelity,  of 
trust  in  Him,  and  of  purity  in  His  worship. 
And  He  intimated  that  the  reward  of  all  these 
excelhnces  in  character  and  life  was  to  be  ex- 
perienced in  a  loftier,  freer  and  more  beautiful 
heavt'uly  existence. 

In  his  exclamation,  Elisha  touchingly  utters 
the  noblest  testimony  concerning  his  ascended 
teacher.  First,  his  loving  heart  overflows  with 
a  sense  of  its  bereavement,  in  the  tender  appel- 
lation. Father.  Then  as  the  thought  fills  his 
own  great  mind  of  that  intrepid,  energetic,  and 
effective  life,  and  of  its  grand  results  in  the 
spiritual  deliverance  and  help  of  the  people,  he 
utters  his  grief  in  behalf  of  the  people's  loss  : 
Thmt  irho  wast  the  defence  if  Israel — "  the  char- 
iot and  the  horseman  thereof" — art  departed/ 
(And  to  himself,  at  his  departure,  these  identi- 
C!il  words  were  spoken,  with  this  meaning,  2  K. 
13  :  14.)  Then,  sis  signifying  this  great  loss  to 
the  nation  and  to  himself,  although  he  had  re- 
ceived the  sign  of  God's  answer  to  his  own  de- 
sire, he  rent  his  garments  in  twain.     B. 

11.  Elijali  went  up  by  a  wliirlivind 
into  Iieaven  ;  literally,  and  Elijah  went  up 
in  a  stiirin  into  the  heaceiis.  There  Is  no  men- 
tion of  a  "  whirlwind  ;"  and  "  the  heavens" 
are  primarily  the  visible  firmament  or  sky 
which  overhangs  the  earth.  Elijah,  like  our 
Lord,  rose  bodily  from  the  earth  into  the  upper 
region  of  the  air,  and  was  there  lost  to  sight. 
Three  only  of  the  seed  of  Adam — EuiK'h,  Eli- 
jah, Jesus — have  passed  from  earth  to  heaven 

without   dying.     P.    C. Literally,   "  Elijah 

went  \\\)  in  a  storm  into  the  sky."  There  is  no 
mention  of  a  whirlwind,  but  only  of  a  storm  ; 
and  the  word  translated  "  heaven"  is  properly 
the  visible  firmament  or  sky.  No  honest  ex- 
egesis can  explain  this  passage  in  any  other  sense 
than  as  teaching  the  translation  nf  Elijah,  who 
was  taken  from  the  earth  like  Enoch,  without 
dying.     B.  C. 

Elijah  is  not  said  to  have  gone  up  into  heaven 
in  a  chariot  of  fire  with  horses  of  fire.  The 
chariots  and  horses  of  fire  appeared,  but  they 
are  so  spoken  of  as  to  show  that  they  were 
rather  the  (iccoinpaniment  than  the  means  of 
this  translation.  Such  ai>pearances  Elisha  .ac- 
Hially  beheld  waiting,  as  it  wen'.  >ipon  Elijah 
in  the  last  moments  of  his  life  \ipon  e;irth  ;  and 
then,  with  that  glory  as  his  attendant  sat(  llitc, 
he  saw  him  swept   away  in  a  storm  toward 


SECTION  16.     ELIJAHS  TRANSLATION,  AND  ELISIIA'S  SUCCESSION.     159 


heaven.  Thus  with  all  reverence  for  the  Sacred 
Word  may  we  be  permitted  to  speak  of  the 
traruilatinii  of  Elijah.     W.  M. 


There  arc  three  bodily  inhabitants  of  heaven, 
Enoch,  Elijah,  our  Saviour  Christ  :  the  first, 
before  the  Law  ;  the  second,  under  the  Law  ; 
the  third,  under  the  Gospel — all  three  in  a  sev- 
ered form  of  translation.  Our  blessed  Saviour 
raised  Himself  to  and  above  the  heavens  by  His 
own  immediate  power  :  He  ascended  as  the  Son  ; 
they,  as  servants  :  He,  as  God  ;  they,  as  crea- 
tures. Elijah  ascended  by  the  visible  ministry 
of  angels  ;  Enoch,  insensibly.     Bp.  H. 

The  essential  fact  is  that  Elijah  was  trans- 
lated without  dying.  Not  only  does  the  credi- 
bility of  the  historj'  demand  this  ;  but  the  en- 
tire biblical  conception  demands  it  also.  If  the 
gospels  do  not  accept  myths  as  veritable  his- 
tory, if  the  transfiguration  of  our  Lord  be  a 
fact,  and  not  a  mere  vision  or  legend,  if  there 
be  an_v  significance  in  the  representation  of 
Moses  and  Elias  appearing  with  Him  in  glory, 
we  must  literally  accept  the  representation  that 
Elijah  was  translated  without  tasting  death. 
The  miracle  it  is  impossible  to  remove,  and 
those  who  reject  miracles  must  reject  the  nar- 
rative as  a  whole.     W.  M. 

Elijah  was  going  and  talking  when  the  storm 
from  heaven  came  to  take  him.  There  can  be 
no  better  posture  or  state  for  the  messenger  of 
our  dissolution  to  find  us  in  than  in  a  diligent 
prosecution  of  our  calling.  The  busy  attend- 
ance of  our  holy  vocation  is  no  less  pleasing  to 
God  than  an  immediate  devotion.  Happy  the 
servant  whom  the  Master,  when  He  comes,  shall 
find  so  doing.     Bp.  II. 

The  removal  of  Elijah  from  the  earth  was  in 
keeping  with  the  manner  and  work  of  his  life 
upon  the  earth.  Like  Enoch,  we  may  say  of 
him  that  "  by  faith  he  was  translated  that  he 
should  not  see  death  ;"  and  it  is  noteworthy 
that,  so  far  as  we  know  anything  of  it  from  the 
fragment  of  his  prophecy  preserved  by  Jude, 
Enoch's  career  was  just  such  a  struggle  and 
protest  against  prevalent  iniquity  as  that  of 
Elijah  was.  Thus  both  of  these  exceptions  to 
the  great  law  of  human  mortality  were  granted 
to  men  who  had  been  faithful  witnesses  to  God 
and  His  "truth  in  periods  of  general  apostasy. 
W.  M.  Taylor. 

The  teaching  of  the  event  is  plain.  As  for 
the  pre-Mosaic  ages  the  translation  of  Enoch, 
and  for  the  earlier  Mosaic  epoch  the  mysterious 
death  of  Moses,  so  for  the  prophetic  period  the 
carrying  to  heaveu  of  Elijah,  witnessed  of  a 
life  beyond  death,  and  of  death  as  the  wages  of 


sin,  which  God  could  remit,  if  He  willed,  in  the 
case  of  faithful  service.  Enoch  and  Elijah 
were  led  round  the  head  of  the  valley  on  the 
heights,  and  reached  the  other  side  witliout 
having  to  go  down  into  tlie  cold  waters  (lowing 
in  the  bottom  ;  and  though  we  cannot  tread 
their  path,  the  joy  of  their  experience  has  not 
ceased  to  be  a  joy  to  us,  if  we  walk  with  God. 
Death  is  still  the  coming  of  the  chariot  and 
horses  of  fire  to  bear  the  believer  home.     A.  M. 

One  of  the  purposes,  doubtless,  of  this  trans- 
lation of  Elijah  was  to  make  plainer  to  our  dull 
understandings  the  upward  heavenly  going  of 
every  saint  when  his  work  on  earth  is  over. 
We  are  so  apt  to  follow  the  body  with  our 
thoughts  and  to  imagine  our  departed  friends 
in  the  grave,  that  here  God  made  the  bod}-  go 
upward  that  we  may  be  weaned  of  this  wrong 
and  heathenish  notion.  Enocli  and  Elijah  cer- 
tainly are  not  alone  of  men  in  heaven.  They 
are  there  with  all  God's  saints  who  have  de- 
parted this  life.  Paul  shows  us  that  to  depart 
is  ti>  he  with  Christ.  Elijah's  ascent  is  to  elicit 
our  look  upward  for  our  departed  friends — to 
think  of  them  as  with  the  cloud  of  witnesses. 
II.  Crosby. 

Nor  are  we  without  assurance  that  the  de- 
parting soul  at  death  enters  upon  a  state  of  joy 
and  blessedness,  as  appears  by  the  promise  to 
the  penitent  thief  on  the  cross  ;  the  parable  of 
the  rich  man  and  Lazarus  ;  Christ  telling  the 
Saddueees  that  God  "  is  not  the  God  of  the 
dead,  but  of  the  living  ;"  the  translation  of 
Enoch  and  Elijah,  and  the  appearance  of  Moses 
with  Elijali  on  the  mount  of  tran.sfiguration  ; 
our  Lord's  arguing  that  they  who  kill  the  body 
are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul  ;  His  commending 
His  spirit  into  His  Father's  hands,  and  its  be- 
ing ill  Paradise  while  His  body  was  in  the 
grave  ;  His  promising,  "  AVhere  I  am,  there  shall 
also  my  servant  be  ;"  Stephen's  seeing  heaven 
opened,  and  his  praying.  Lord  Jesus,  receive 
my  spirit ;  our  being  come  to  the  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect  ;  Paul's  desiring  to  depart 
and  to  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better,  and 
to  be  absent  from  the  body  and  present  with 
the  Lord  ;  the  blessedness  of  the  dead  which 
die  in  the  Lord.     Baxter. 

Tho.se  who  would  find  Elijah,  let  them  aspire 
to  the  heavenly  Paradise.  Let  them  follow  the 
high  steps  of  his  sincere  faithfulness,  strong 
patience,  undaunted  courage,  fervent  zeal. 
Shortly,  let  them  walk  in  the  wajs  of  his  holy 
and  constant  obedience  ;  at  last,  God  shall  send 
the  fiery  chariot  of  death,  to  fetch  theiu  up  to 
that  heaven  of  heavens,  where  they  shall  tri- 
umph in  everlasting  joys.     Bp.  U. 


160 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


The  translation  of  Elijah,  as  aforetime  of 
Enoeh,  was  the  trausliguralion  of  life  as  well 
as  of  death.  As  stieh,  it  is  hardly  possible  to 
overestimate  its  value  to  the  faith  of  the  saints 
of  the  olden  world.  For  the  Christian,  too, 
whose  life  is  hid  with  Christ  iu  God,  there 
come,  now  and  then,  in  the  rare,  sviprenie  mo- 
ments of  peculiar  experiences,  sometimes  in  tlie 
midst  of  life,  sometimes  as  the  end  draws  near, 
a  Divine  rapture  and  translation  out  of  the 
earthy  into  the  heavenly.  It  is  then  that  others 
nearest  them,  if  they  may  not  at  once  follow 
on,  do,  at  any  rate,  catch  glimpses  and  get  in- 
spirations which  henceforth  are  not  to  be  for- 
gotten. And  the  best  of  it  is,  such  disclosures 
help  us  to  such  worthier  conceptions  of  the 
Christian  life  ;  the  life  with  possibilities  so  in- 
conceivably richer,  higher,  sweeter,  mightier 
than  the  dull  heart  of  worldly  wisdom  could 
ever  attain  to.  Oh,  for  their  mantle  to  fall  on 
us  !     Interior. 

The  translation  of  Elijah  conveyed  to  the  Old 
Testament  Church  an  intimation  of  inunortali- 
ty.  No  doubt  life  and  immortality  are  brought 
clearly  to  light  only  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
Of  Him  alone  who  rose  on  the  third  morning 
from  the  grave  can  we  say  that  He  hath  abol- 
ished death,  and  hath  given  us  the  assurance 
that  an  hour  is  coming  when  mortality  shall 
be  swallowed  up  of  life.  But  as  for  all  the 
other  truths  of  the  Christian  dispensation,  so 
for  this  great  truth  there  was  a  preparation 
made  before  Jesus  came.  We  are  distinctly 
taught  by  the  writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  He- 
brews that  those  saints  of  old  who  received  the 
promises,  and  were  led  in  doing  so  to  confess 
that  tliey  were  strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the 
earth,  thus  plainly  declared  that  they  sought  a 
better  country,  even  an  heavenly  (Heb.  11  :  16) ; 
and  throughout  the  prophets  there  are  not  a 
few  passages  which  show  that  the  expectation 
of  life  in  a  world  to  come  was  rising  upon  the 
mind  of  Israel  with  increasing  clearness  as  time 
ran  on.  Such  views  the  translation  of  Elijah 
mu-st  have  deepened  and  confirmed.     W .  M. 

One  such  translation,  well  certified,  might 
spread  its  inlluence  over  vast  countries,  and 
send  it  down  through  long  succeeding  ages. 
How  grand  and  yet  how  specific  tlie  testimony 
it  bears  to  the  resurrection  of  the  righteous 
dead  !  How  it  must  awaken  thought  and  in- 
quiry !  For  it  could  not  be  supposed  that  the 
blessed  home  for  God's  saints  in  His  presence 
could  be  for  Enoch  and  Elijah  only  ;  it  could 
not  be  assumed  that  those  two  human  bodies 
and  tliose  only  among  all  the  saved  would  find 
place  before  the  throne  of  God.     Certainly,  men 


must  infer  that  the  bodies  of  other  saints— nay 
of  all  the  saints — must  reach  that  blessed  world, 
as  well  as  theirs,  in  GckIs  due  time,  and  in  His 
ordained  method.  It  scarcely  need  be  suggest- 
ed that  in  an  age,  drifting  like  that  of  Elijah  so 
fearfully  away  from  the  true  God  into  Usial- 
woiship,  the  call  for  such  a  demonstration  of 
the  future  life  would  be  urgent,  and  the  scope 
for  its  influence  vast.     H.  C. 

A  most  instructive  view  of  Elijah's  transla- 
tion is  its  parallel  and  contrast  with  Christ's 
ascension.  The  one  was  by  outward  means ; 
the  other,  by  inward  energy.  Storm  and  fire 
bore  Elijah  up  into  a  region  strange  to  him. 
Christ  ascended  up  where  He  was  before,  re- 
turning by  the  propriety  of  His  nature  to  His 
eti'rnal  dwelling-place.  The  one  is  accom- 
plished with  significant  disturbance,  of  whirl- 
wind and  flame  ;  the  other  is  gentle,  like  the 
life  which  it  closed,  and  the  last  sight  of  Him 
was  of  extended  hands  of  blessing.  Each  life 
closed  in  a  manner  corresponding  to  its  charac- 
ter. The  one  was  swift  and  sudden.  The 
other  was  a  slow  solemn  motion,  vividly  de- 
.scribed  as  being  "  borne  upward"  and  as  "  go- 
ing into  heaven."  The  one  bore  a  mortal  into 
"  heaven."  In  the  other,  the  Son  of  God,  our 
great  High-priest,  "  hath  passed  through  the 
heavens,"  and  now,  far  above  them  all,  tills  all 
tilings.  .  .  .  And  the  Scripture  teaches  us 
ever  to  associate  together  the  departure  and  the 
coming  of  the  Lord,  and  always  when  we  medi- 
tate on  His  iuscension  to  prepare  a  place  for  us, 
to  think  of  His  real  presence  with  us  through 
the  ages,  and  of  His  coming  again  to  receive 
us  to  Himself.     A.  M. 

Midway  between  the  incarnation  and  the  as- 
cension, tlic  transfiguration  blended  the  lumiil- 
iation  and  the  glorj',  the  himianity  and  the  Di- 
vinity, of  our  Lord.  As  of  His  person,  so  of 
His  kingdom  :  this  was  the  unifying  symbol, 
which  conjoined  all  agencies  and  dispensations 
iu  Jesus  iis  the  centre  of  glory  and  of  power. 
The  great  law-giver  of  the  Old  Testament  and 
the  grandest  of  the  prophets  came  in  their 
heavenly  forms  and  splendor  to  do  homage  to 
the  Son  of  man  on  earth,  to  testify  of  His  cru- 
cifixion as  the  crowning  of  their  work,  and  to 
greet  the  ajiostles  of  His  future  Church.  The 
unity  of  doctrine,  the  unity  of  purpose,  the 
unity  of  ministration,  the  unity  of  fellowship, 
the  unity  of  redemption,  were  thus  manifested 
in  Him  who  "  gathered  in  one  all  things  which 
are  in  heaven  and  which  are  on  earth."  Su- 
preme in  authority  as  the  Son  of  God,  Jesus 
must  be  heanl  and  obeyed  by  every  soul  that 
would  be  saved.     Yet  from  the  glory  of  that 


SECTION  16.     ELIJAH'S  TRANSLATION,  AND  ELISHA'S  SUCCESSION.    101 


presence  which  would  fill  us  with  dread  He 
comes  to  us  with  the  tender  voice  of  friendship, 
saying,  "Arise  ;  be  not  afraid."  Equally  at 
home  with  God  in  heaven  and  with  man  on 
earth,  passing  and  repassing  from  one  world  to 
the  other.  He  has  effaced  the  shadows  of  the 
spiritual  world,  has  peopled  that  world  with 
loved  and  familiar  names,  and  transfigured 
death  into  His  own  glorified  presence.     J.  P.  T. 

The  appearance  of  Moses  and  Elijah  set  forth 
Christ's  death,  which  was  their  theme,  as  the 
climax  of  revelation.  The  Law  with  its  re- 
quirement and  its  sacrifices,  prophecy  with  its 
forward-looking  face,  stand  there,  in  their  rep- 
resentatives, and  bear  witness  that  their  con- 
verging lines  meet  in  Jesus.  The  finger  that 
wrote  the  Law  and  the  finger  that  smote  and 
parted  Jordan  are  each  lifted  to  point  to  Him. 
The  stern  voices  that  spoke  the  commandments 
and  that  hurled  threatenings  at  the  unworthy 
occupants  of  David's  throne  both  proclaim 
"  behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  the  perfect  fulfillcr 
of  law,  the  true  king  of  Israel."  Their  pres- 
ence and  their  speech  was  the  acknowledgment 
that  this  was  He  whom  they  had  seen  from 
afar  ;  their  disappearance  proclaims  that  their 
work  is  done  when  they  have  pointed  to  Him. 
Their  presence  also  teaches  us  that  Jesus  is  the 
life  of  all  the  living  dead.  Of  these  two,  one 
had  died,  though  mystery  hung  round  his  death 
and  burial  ;  the  other  had  passed  into  the 
heavens  by  another  gate  than  that  of  death  ; 
and  here  they  both  stand  with  lives  undimin- 
ished by  their  mysterious  changes,  in  fulness  of 
power  and  of  consciousness,  bathed  in  glory, 
which  was  cofigruous  with  them  now.  They 
are  witnesses  of  an  immortal  life,  and  proofs 
that  His  yet  unpierced  hands  held  the  keys  of 
life  and  death.  He  opened  the  gate  which 
moves  backward  to  no  hand  but  His,  and  sum- 
moned them  ;  and  they  come,  with  no  napkins 
about  their  heads  and  no  trailing  grave-clothes 
entangling  their  feet,  and  own  Him  as  the  King 
of  life.  Tliey  speak  too  of  the  eager  onward 
gaze  which  the  Old  Testament  believers  turned 
to  the  coming  deliverer.  In  silent  anticipation, 
through  all  these  centuries,  good  men  had  lain 
down  to  die,  saying,  "  I  wait  for  Thy  salva- 
tion," and  after  death  their  spirits  had  lived 
expectant,'  and  crying,  like  the  souls  under  the 
altar,  "  How  long,  O  Lord,  how  long?"     A.  M. 

I'i.  And  be  cried,  IMy  fatlier !  my 
fatlier!  Elisha  regarded  himself  as  Elijah's 
specially  adopted  son,  and  hence  had  claimed 
the  "double  portion"  of  the  firstborn.  That 
his  request  was  granted  showed  that  the  rela- 
tionship was  acknowledged.    Tile  chariot 


of  Israel,  and  the  horsemen  thereof 

— ('.('.,  the  best  earthly  defence  of  Israel.  "  In 
losing  thee,"  he  means,  "we  lose  our  great 
protector — him  that  is  more  to  us  than  chariots 
and  horsemen — the  strength  of  Israel,  against 
both  domestic  and  foreign  foes."  The  sight  of 
the  fiery  chariot  and  horses  may  have  deter- 
mined the  imagery,  but  they  are  not  spoken  of. 
P.  C. 

The  only  possible  farewell  of  Elisha,  the  only 
sign  of  his  reverence  and  love,  was  the  tender, 
piercing  cry,  "  My  father,  my  father,  the  chariot 
of  Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof . "  To  hira 
Elijah  had  been  a  father  ;  to  Israel,  the  simple 
prophet  had  been  a  defence  and  a  glory,  more 
than  armies,  more  than  chariots  and  horse.s. 
They  arc  not  the  phenomena  of  death  that  are 
so  wonderful,  they  are  the  characteristics  of  the 
life  that  death  crowns.  So  God  testified  to  His 
servant  "  not  that  he  was  unclothed,  but  clothed 
upon — mortality  swallowed  up  of  life."  So, 
after  the  great  conflicts  and  depressions  of  his 
life,  this  great  servant  of  God  entered  into  his 
rest — ' '  an  abundant  entrance  administered  unto 
him" — the  supreme  and  typical  instance  of  the 
glorious  end  of  a  good  and  great  life.     Allan. 

Elish.^^'s  Succession.     Search   for  Body  op 
Elijah. 

Verses  13-18. 

13,  14.  Th£  second  dinding  of  the  Jordan  at 
the  believing  appeal  of  Elisha.  As  Elijah  was 
taken  up,  his  mantle — the  sign  of  the  prophetic 
office — fell  from  him  at  Elisha's  feet.  Cast 
down  from  the  heavens  by  the  hand  of  God,  it 
was  His  token  of  Elisha's  full  investiture  with 
the  commission  and  work  of  Elijah.  Instant- 
ly the  intimation  is  accepted.  The  youthful 
prophet,  tarrying  not  to  grieve,  lifts  the  mantle 
and  returns  to  the  east  bank  of  the  river.  And 
his  first  icorcl  and  act  prove  that  his  prayer  for 
high  spiritual  gifts,  and  Elijah's  seconding  in- 
tercession, have  been  answered.  Smiting  the 
waters  with  the  mantle,  he  cries,  "  Where  is 
the  Lord  God  of  Elijah?"  Though  Elijah  was 
removed,  he  knew  that  Elijah's  God  continued 
His  all-controlling  presence.  The  words  are  a 
sublime  appeal  in  testimony  of  this  faith. 
They  are  uttered  in  the  spirit  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment saints  ;  based  upon  God's  o%vn  naming  of 
Himself  as  the  God  of  their  great  fathers. 
Thus  associating  Elijah  with  Abraliam,  Isaac 
and  Jacob,  he  asserts  his  belief  that  the  Lord 
had  equally  distinguished  His  just  ascended 
servant.  And  he  further  aflirms  his  faith  in 
his  own  Divine  commission,  and  his  assurance 


1(V 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


that  Elijalj'8  God  will  be  his  God  ;  that  He  will 
direct,  actimte.  deliver  and  suoceed  Am  ap- 
pointi'd  work.  Ami  this  si<:nal  faith  at  the 
outset  eontimied  to  the  end  of  his  Ions  career. 
The  faith  and  the  prayer  met  on  the  instant  a 
Divine  response.  The  Lonl  God  of  Klijah 
again  parted  the  stream,  and  Klisha's  spirit  was 
Strengthened  as  he  passed  between  the  retiring 
waters.     B. 

15.  The  fifty  "  sons  of  the  prophets"  yonder 
are  watching  to  see  what  he  will  do.  It  is  nec- 
essary that  they  sliould  know  that  ho  has  re- 
ceived his  credentials  to  act  as  PMijah's  succes- 
Bor.  He  believes  that  the  power  to  stay  the 
river  lay  not  in  Klijah,  but  in  Elijah's  God. 
lie  knows  no  reason  why  that  God  may  not 
work  with  him  as  well  as  with  another.  And 
therefore  he  calls  upon  the  Lord.  "  Where  is 
the  Lord  God  of  Elijah?"  he  cries,  and  lifts 
the  mantle,  as  Elijah  had  done,  to  smite  the 
waters.  And  lo,  for  him  too  they  part ;  the 
Jied  of  the  river  lies  bare,  and  he  passes  to  the 
other  side  as  dry-shod  as  before.  And  the 
wondering  spectators,  convinced  that  the  same 
Divine  presence  remains  on  earth  which  had 
distinguished  the  Tishliite's  life,  exclaim,  "  The 
spirit  of  Elijah  doth  rest  on  Elisha  !"  C.  E. 
finiilfi. 

When  God  removes  one  servant.  He  has  an- 
other ready  to  take  up  his  mantle.  On  the 
beautiful  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of 
the  brothers  Wesley  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
these  words  are  engraved  :  "  God  buries  the 
workers,  but  He  carries  on  the  work."  When 
Moses  tlies,  Joshua  is  ready  to  take  the  leader- 
ship. When  Elijah  is  translated,  Elislia  is  so 
invested  with  his  miraculous  might,  that  the 
sons  of  the  prophets  coiild  see,  and  say  :  "  The 
spirit  of  Elijah  doth  rest  on  Elisha."  W.  M. 
Taylor. 

The  mantle  that  passed  from  one  to  the  other 
was  the  symbol  of  office  and  authority  trans- 
ferred ;  the  functions  were  the  same,  while  the 
holders  had  changed.  The  sons  of  the  prophets 
bow  before  the  new  master  ;  "  the  spirit  of  Eli- 
jah doth  rest  on  Elisha."  So  the  world  goes 
on.  Man  after  man  serves  his  generation  by 
the  will  of  God.  and  is  gathered  to  his  fathers  ; 
and  a  new  arm  gra.sps  the  mantle  to  smite  Jor- 
dan, and  a  new  voice  speaks  from  his  empty 
place,  and  men  recognize  the  successor,  and 
forget  the  predecessor.     A.  M. 

Elijah  and  Elisha.  In  i)er8onal  cliaracter 
and  history  there  is  a  marked  contrast  between 
Elijah  and  Elisha.  No  genealogy  is  recorded 
of  Elijah,  and  no  human  relationship  anywhere 
hinted  at.     Strong  and  stern  in  spirit,  with  an 


unequalled  majesty  of  demeanor  and  elevation 
of  soul,  he  stands  forth  as  superior  to  human 
tenderness  and  afTeeti<m.  He  represents  th(! 
God  of  Sinai,  and  the  predominating  spirit  of 
severity  that  marks  Ilis  Law.  But  Elisha  is 
presented  to  us  at  the  outset  as  a  beloved  and 
loving  son,  who  desires  and  seeks  the  parental 
blessing  as  he  obeys  the  call  of  God  (1  K. 
19  :  19.  20).  His  life  is  spent  in  close  contact 
with  men.  His  spirit,  too,  is  full  of  human 
sympathy  and  interest.  And  thus  he  exempli- 
fies the  gentler  antl  more  gracious  ti.'mper  which 
predominates  in  the  Gospel.     B. 

Elisha  is  distinctly  secondary  to  Elijah.  He  is 
in  no  sense  an  originator,  either  of  fresh  revela- 
tions or  of  new  impulses  to  obedience.  He  but 
carries  on  what  Elijah  had  begun,  inherits  a 
work,  and  is  Elijah's  Timothy  and  "  son  in  the 
faith."  The  same  spirit  was  on  him,  though 
the  form  of  his  character  and  gifts  was  in 
strong  contrast  to  the  stormier  genius  of  his 
mightier  predecessor.  Elisha  had  no  such 
work  as  Elijah — no  foot-to-foot  and  hand-to- 
hand  duels  with  murderous  kings  or  queens  ; 
no  single-handed  efforts  to  stop  a  nation  from 
rushing  down  a  steep  place  into  the  .sea  ;  no 
fiery  energj-  ;  no  bursts  of  despair.  He  moved 
among  kings  and  courts  as  an  honored  guest 
and  trusted  counsellor.  He  did  not  dwell  apart, 
like  Elijah,  the  strong  son  of  the  desert ;  but, 
born  in  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Jonlan,  he  lived 
a  life  "  kindly  with  his  kind,"  and  his  delights 
were  with  the  sons  of  men.  His  miracles  are 
mostly  works  of  mercy  and  gentleness,  reliev- 
ing wants  and  sicknesses,  drying  tears  and  giv- 
ing back  dear  ones  to  mourners. '  lie  is  as  com- 
plete a  contrast  to  his  stern,  solitary,  forceful 
predecessor,  as  the  still  small  voice  was  to  the 
roar  of  the  wind  or  the  crackling  hiss  of  the 
flames.     A.  M. 

Elisha's  reception  by  the  sons  of  the,  prophets. 
Prom  their  view -point  near  the  river,  beholding 
the  amazing  miracle  now  performed  by  Elisha, 
they  .saw  in  it  the  proof  of  his  Divine  appoint- 
ment to  the  place  of  Elijah.  To  tliis  Spirit  of 
God  now  resting  upon  him  they  did  reverence, 
as  thej'  came  and  bowed  before  him.  And  yet 
their  strong  love  for  tlie  grand  ol<l  jirophet  as- 
serted it-self  in 

16-18.  Their  earnest  request  and  fruitless 
search.  The  possible  recovery  of  Elijah's  body 
seems  to  have  been  their  aim.  If  God  had 
taken  his  soul,  as  they  inferred  from  Elisha's 
return  alone  and  with  Elijah's  mantle,  they 
might  at  least  find  and  honor  the  projihet's 
body.  They  would,  at  least,  be  a.ssured  that 
he  was  beyond  this  last  friendlj'  ministry.     To 


SECTION  16.     ELIJAH'S  TRANSLATION.  AND  ELISHA'S  SUCCESSION.    163 


their  continued  importunity,  when  liis  patience 
was  exliausted,  lie  at  last  assented  ;  perhaps  lest 
they  might  draw  some  unfavorable  inference 
from  his  denial.  On  their  return  to  Jericho 
from  a  fruitless  search  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Jordan,  Elisha  merely  met  their  account  with 
the  gently  reproving  reminder  that  he  had  not 
sent  them.     15. 

17.  And  lliey  <«niislit  liiiii  three 
days,  but  foiiiid  liiiii  not.  He  was  gone, 
no  more  to  be  seen  by  mortal  eyes  ;  or,  if  ever 
again,  only  in  far-distant  ages,  when  on  the 
summit  of  "  a  high  mountain,  apart  by  them- 
selves," three  disciples,  like  Elisha,  should  be 
gathered  round  a  Master  whose  departure  they 
were  soon  expecting  ;  "  and  there  appeared 
unto  them  Moses  and  Elijah  talking  with  Him. " 
The  ascension  or  assumption  of  Elijah  stands 
out  alone  in  the  Jewish  history,  as  the  highe.^t 
representation  of  the  end  of  a  great  and  good 
career  ;  of  death  as  seen  under  its  noblest  as- 
pect— as  the  completion  and  crown  of  the  life 
which  had  preceded  it,  as  the  mysterious 
shrouding  of  the  departed  within  the  invisible 
world.     Stanley. 

Elijah's  work  was  singularly  simple  and  di- 
rect. One  idea  runs  throughout  it  all.  At  his 
first  appearance  before  Ahab  at  Carmel,  at  Ho- 
reb,  in  the  vineyard  of  Naboth,  in  his  dealings 
with  the  captains  of  Ahaziah,  and  at  his  trans- 
lation into  heaven,  he  has  one  truth  to  enunci- 
ate and  one  lesson  to  enforce.  He  is  the  em- 
bodiment of  law.  He  stands  in  a  position 
wholly  different  from  that  of  the  evangelical 
prophets  of  the  Old  Testament.  He  is  a  second 
Moses.  He  is  the  prophet  of  judgment  and  of 
Are.  No  one  could  fulfil  such  a  function  who 
was  not  stern,  bold  and  untlinching  even  unto 
death.  His  dependence  was  wholly  upon  God. 
In  every  event  of  his  life  he  looked  to  Him, 
and  to  Him  alone,  for  guidance.  He  had  neither 
wishes  nor  purposes  of  his  own.  With  this 
simplicity  of  faith  was  closely  connected  sin- 
gleness of  aim.  He  had  one  thing  to  do,  to  re- 
awaken the  religious  life  of  Israel,  and  to  that 
he  directed  all  his  efforts,  assured  that  the  final 
issue  must  be  for  the  comrnon  welfare,  and 
that,  if  we  seek  first  God's  kingdom  and  right- 
eousness, all  things  will  be  added  unto  us.  In 
this  respect,  he  embodied  the  essence  of  the 
true  prophetic  spirit ;  and  his  character  thus 
possessed  all  the  force  which  belongs  in  every 
age  to  men  who  become  so  possessed  by  one 
great  cause  that  for  its  sake  they  are  ready  both 
to  live  and  die.  No  one  of  the  old  prophets  is 
so  frequently  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament ; 
and  his  name   never  occurs  except  in  a  con- 


nection which  testifies  to  the  deep  impression 
that  he  had  made.  His  memory  was  cherished 
with  admiration  and  reverence.  The  priests 
and  Levites  could  not  comprehend  the  Baptist's 
right  to  baptize  unless  he  was  either  the  Christ, 
or  the  great  prophet  that  was  to  come,  or  Elijah 


(John  1 


Paul  refers  to  an  incident  in  his 


history  to  give  force  to  his  argument  that  Is- 
rael was  not  wholly  cast  away  i.Hom.  11  :  2). 
James  sees  in  him  the  most  striking  illustration 
of  the  power  of  prayer  (.5  :  17)  ;  and  our  Lord's 
disciples  quote  him  as  one  whose  deeds  afford- 
ed a  justification  of  what  they  were  anxious  to 
do  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  that  would 
not  receive  their  Master  (Luke  9  :  54).  It  was 
the  rugged  sternness  and  severity  of  his  charac- 
ter which  most  of  all  left  this  impression  upon 
men's  minds.  They  had  an  instinctive  feeling 
that  it  had  been  needed,  and  that  there  was  no 
one  by  whom  it  had  been  so  strikingly  and  con- 
sistently displayed.  Possessed  of  elements  of 
character  like  these,  Elijah  stands  out  on  the 
page  of  Old  Testament  history  the  grandest  and 
most  unique  of  all  its  figures  except  the  great 
law -giver  Moses.  He  was  the  prophet  of  fire, 
and  it  was  most  of  all.  by  being  so,  that  he  pre- 
pared the  way  for  Him  who  was  the  Hope  at 
once  of  Israel  and  of  the  world.     W.  M 

Suffgestions  and  Lessons. 

Love  remains  to  the  last,  thoughtful  of  the 
beloved.  Like  Christ,  the  Christian  loves  his 
own  to  the  end.  But  not  less  is  he  faithful  to 
his  Lord,  in  supreme  mindfulness  of  His  glory  ! 

Working  on  up  to  the  last  in  the  work  set 
before  you  is  the  best  way  to  prepare  for  death 
— to  make  the  transition  a  translation  ! 

The  prayer  that  needs  neither  qualification 
nor  stint  is  that  for  gifts  of  spirit  that  we  need 
for  the  Lord's  assigned  work.  We  cannot  too 
earnestly  covet  or  aspire  after  the  highest  and 
best  of  spiritual  gifts — wisdom,  courage,  trust 
in  God  and  single-souled  faitlifulness.  Of 
these  possessions  (which  are  the  elements  of 
spiritual  character)  only  can  it  be  said  :  We 
are  what  we  ?iare,  as  well  as  what  we  wish  for. 

Since  we  are  together  but  a  little  while  at  the 
most,  is  it  not  the  part  of  true  wisdom,  affec- 
tion and  fidelity  to  impart  and  to  receive  all 
the  good  that  may  be  communicated  and  exem- 
plified ? 

Elijah's  words  conclusively  show  that  dead 
saints  cannot  intercede  for  living  ones.  What- 
ever earthly  ministry,  if  any,  pertains  to  de- 
parted believei'S,  the  blessed  office  of  interces- 
sion ceases  with  their  departure. 

Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  let 


\M 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


my  Inxt  end  he  like  Ilh !  Elijah's  tenderness, 
affection  and  lidelity,  as  well  as  his  serenity  in 
the  brief  peri(xl  after  tlie  crossing  of  Jordan, 
naturally  suggest  this  prayer.  So  ought  Chris- 
tian love  to  remain  thoughtful  of  and  helpful 
to  its  beloved  to  the  last.  So  ought  Chri.stian 
fidelity  to  toil  on  in  the  service  given  it  to  the 
end.  Thus  is  death  best  pR'pared  for  in  loving 
helpful  work  for  the  glory  of  the  Jliister  ;  thus 
is  the  transition  made  a  translation. 

In  Elijah's  translation  we  see  how  this  life, 
had  it  been  sinless,  might  have  ended.  We 
learn  how  "  they  that  remain  shall  be  caught 
up  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air."  We  have  a 
gliiujise  and  gleam  of  the  life  immortal  brought 
to  light  in  the  Gospel.  And  so,  in  his  exalta- 
tion, who  was  a  man  of  like  passions  as  we  are, 
we  may  well  take  to  heart,  by  an  anticipating 
faith,  the  apostle's  triumphant  challenge  :  0 
death,  where  is  thy  sting  ?  0  grave,  where  is  thy 
victory?  Thanks  be  to  Ood  who  giveth  xis  tlie 
mctory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ! 


What  prayer  is,  and  what  it  does,  is  nowhere 


more  effectively  taught  and  shown  than  in  Eli- 
jah's career.  What  it  is — a  constant,  close, 
fervid,  importunate  asking,  seeking  and  knock- 
ing, in  the  very  presence,  at  the  very  heart  of 
God.  As  shown  at  Carmel.  it  is  an  address  to 
the  persiiniil  (Iml  revealed  by  covenant  to  Abra- 
ham ;  it  is  the  asking  soinitliini/  definite  ;  it  has 
a  pla  ;  comprising  two  always  inseparable 
things,  God's  glory  and  His  jhdijU'.s  welfare. 
And  what  prayer  does — in  the  training  of  Ills 
own  intrepid  faithful  spirit  ;  in  the  marvellous 
events  that  followed  his  prevalent  supplica- 
tion :  the  shutting  and  opening  of  the  heavens 
— restoring  the  widow's  dead  child — bringing 
down  the  fire  upon  the  prepared  sacrifice,  and 
the  flame  of  judgment  upon  the  two  com- 
panies !  And  our  simple  conclusion  is,  thiit  if 
one  man's  prayer  wrought  such  marrels,  erery 
man's  prayer — of  like  spirit — will  assuredly 
avail  to  secure  God's  best  blessings  of  grace  and 
providence  freely  promised  to  all.  And  this 
conclusion,  at  least,  the  Apostle  James  clearly 
substantiates  in  his  intimation  that  Elijah  was 
only  a  man.     B, 


Section  17. 

REIGN  OF  JEHORAM,  13   YEARS. 
l§tli  of  Jcliosliaplisit  to  Stii  of  Jvliurani,  of  Judali. 

2  Kings  3  : 1-37. 

1  Now  Jehoram  the  son  of  Ahab  began  to  reign  over  Israel  in  Samaria  in  the  eighteenth 

2  year  of  Jeliosliapbat  king  of  .Tudah,  and  reigned  twelve  years.  And  he  did  that  wliieli  wjis 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Loud  ;  hut  not  like  liis  father,  and   like  his  mother  ;  for  he  put  away 

3  the  pillar  of  Baal  that  his  father  had  maile.  Nevertheless  he  cleaved  unto  the  sins  of 
Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat,  whcrcwitli  he  made  Israel  to  .sin  ;  he  departed  not  therefrom. 

4  Now   Mesha    king    of    Jloab   was    a    sheepmaster  ;    and  he  rendered  unto   the   king  of 

5  Israel  the  wool  of  an  hundred  thousand  lambs,  and  of  an  hundred  thousand  rams.  But  it 
came  to  pass,  when  Ahab  was  dead,  that  the  king  of  Moab  rebelled  against  the  king  of  Israel. 

6,  7  And  king  Jehoram  went  out  of  Samaria  at  that  time,  and  mustered  all  Israel.  And  he 
went  and  sent  to  Jchoshapliat  the  king  of  Judah.  saying.  The  king  of  lloab  hath  rebelled 
against  me  :  wilt  thou  go  with  me  against  !Moab  to  battle?     And  he  said,  I  will  go  up  : 

8  I  am  as  thou  art,  my  people  as  thy  people,  my  horses  as  thy  horses.     And  he  said,  Wliich 

9  way  shall  we  go  up  ?  And  he  answered,  The  way  of  the  wilderness  of  Edom.  So  the  king 
of  Israel  went,  and  the  king  of  Judah,  and  the  king  of  Edom  :  and  they  made  a  circuit  of 
seven  days'  journey  :  and  there  was  no  water  for  tlic  host,  nor  for  the  beasts  that  followed 

10   tlicm.     And  the  king  of  Israel  said,  Alas  !  for  the  Lonn  hath  called  these  three  kings  to- 
ll gether  to  deliver  them  into  the  hand  of  Moab.     But  Jeho.shaphat  said.  Is  there  not  here  a 
prophet  of  the  Lono,  that  we  may  inquire  of  the  Lord  by  him  ?    And  one  of  the  king  of 
Israel's  servants  answered  and  said,  Elisha  the  son  of  Shaphat  is  here,  which  poured  water 


SECTION  17.     REIGN  OF  JEHORAM. 


165 


13  on  the  bauds  of  Elijah.     And  Jcliushaphat  said,  Tht-  word  of  the  Lord  is  with  him.     So  the 

13  king  of  Israel  and  Jehoshaphat  and  the  king  of  Edom  went  down  to  him.  And  Elisha  said 
unto  the  king  of  Israel,  What  liave  I  to  do  with  tliee  ?  get  thee  to  the  prophets  of  thy  father, 
and  to  the  propliets  of  tliy  mother.     And  the  king  of  Israel  said  unto  him,  Nay  :  for  the 

14  LoKD  hath  called  these  three  kings  together  to  deliver  them  into  the  hand  of  Moab.  And 
Elisha  said.  As  the  Lord  of  hosts  livetb,  before  whom  I  stand,  surely,  were  it  not  that  1 
regard  the  presence  of  Jeliosh;iphat  the  king  of  Judah,  I  would  not  look  toward  thee,  nor 

15  see  thee.     But  now  bring  me  a  minstrel.     And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  minstrel  played, 

16  that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  came  upon  him.     And  he  said.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Jlake  this 

17  valley  full  of  trenches.  For  thus  sailh  the  Loud,  Ye  shall  not  see  wind,  neither  shall  ye  see 
rain,  yet  that  valley  shall  be  filled  with  water  :  and  ye  shall  drink,  both  ye  and  your  cattle 

18  and  your  beasts.     And  this  is  but  a  light  thing  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  :  he  will  also  dc- 

19  liver  the  Moabites  into  your  hand.  And  ye  shall  smite  every  fenced  city,  and  every  choice 
city,  and  shall  fell  every  good  tree,  and  stop  all  fountains  of  water,  and  mar  every  good 

20  piece  of  land  with  stones.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  morning,  about  the  time  of  offering 
the  oblation,  that,  behold,  there  came  water  by  the  way  of  Edom,  and  the  country  was  filled 

21  with  water.  Now  wlieu  all  the  Jloabites  heard  that  the  kings  were  come  up  to  fight  against 
them,  the}-  gathered  themselves  together,  all  that  were  able  to   put  on   armour,  and   up- 

23  ward,  and  stood  on  the  border.     And  they  rose  up  earlj'  in  the  morning,  and  the  sun  shone 

upon  the  water,  and  the  Jloabites  saw  the  water  over  against  them  as  red  as  blood  :  and  they 

23  said.  This  is  blood;  the  kings  are  surely  destroyed,   and  they  have  smitten  each  man  his 

2-4  fellow  :  now  therefore,  Moab,  to  the  spoil.     And  when  they  came  to  the  camp  of  Israel,  the 

Israelites  rose  up  and  smote  the  Moabites,  so  that  they  fled  before  them  :  and  they  went  for- 

25  ward  into  the  land  smiting  the  j\Ioabites.  And  they  beat  down  the  cities  ;  and  on  every  good 
piece  of  land  they  cast  every  man  his  stone,  and  filled  it  ;  and  the}'  stopped  all  the  fountains 
of  water,  and  felled  all  the  good  trees  :  until  in  Kir-hareseth  only  they  left  the  stones  thereof  ; 

26  howbeit  the  slingers  went  about  it,  and  smote  it.  And  when  the  king  of  Jloab  saw  that  the 
battle  was  too  sore  for  him,  he  took  with  him  seven  hundred  men  that  drew  sword,  to  break 

27  through  unto  the  king  of  Ed(  m  ;  Init  they  could  not.  Then  he  took  his  eldest  son  that 
should  have  reigned  in  his  stead,  and  offered  him  for  a  burnt  offering  upon  the  wall.  And 
there  was  great  wrath  against  Israel  :  and  they  departed  from  him,  and  returned  to  their 
own  land. 


1-3.  Jehoram  (abbreviated  Joram),  the  ninth 
king  of  Israel,  was  the  son  of  Ahab  and  Jezebel, 
and  the  successor  of  his  brother  Ahaziah.  His 
accession  is  marked  by  a  twofold  date — in  the 
eighteenth  year  of  Jeho.shapliat,  king  of  Judah, 
and  the  second  year  of  Jehoram,  the  son  of  Je- 
hoshaphat— that  is,  the  second  year  of  Jehoram 's 
association  with  his  father,  Jelioshaphat,  in 
the  kingdom.  Jehoram  of  Israel  reigned  twelve 
years  at  Samaria.  He  maintained  a  close  alli- 
ance with  Judah,  and  it  was  perhaps  by  the  in- 
fluence of  Jehoshaphat  that  he  was  a  shade  bet- 
ter than  hi'^  father  and  his  brother.     P.  S. 

Jehoram  was  onlj*  half-hearted  in  his  religious 
changes.  He  must  have  personally  disap- 
proved of  the  sensuous  Pha-nieian  religion  ; 
but  he  either  shrank  from  carrying  out  his 
views  Xo  the  full  for  fear  of  popular  disturb- 
ances, or  he  was  so  far  under  the  influence  of 
the  Queen-mother,  Jezebel,  that  he  submitted 
to  a  compromise,  and  while  publicly  condemn- 
ing the  Baal  worship,  privately  connived  at  its 
continuance.  Elisha's  angry  words  (in  vei-se 
13),  "  Get  thee  to  the  prophets  of  thy  father 


and  to  the  prophets  of  thy  mother, "  sufliciently 
indicate  his  dissatisfaction  with  the  king's  half 
measures  ;  and  the  history  of  Jehu's  reforma- 
tion (2  K.  10  :  21-28)  shows  that  the  Baal  tem- 
ple, image,  and  worship  all  continued  to  the 
end  of  Jehoram 's  reign,  and  were  not  removed 
until  the  reign  of  his  successor. 

4-27.  From  religious  reforms  Jehoram 
turned  his  attention  to  matters  political.  The 
revolt  of  Moab  in  the  reign  of  his  predecessor, 
and  the  complete  recovery  b_y  the  Jloabites  of 
their  independence  through  a  series  of  successes 
uneheekored  by  a  reverse,  constituted  a  new 
source  of  danger  to  the  State,  which  could  not 
afford  the  lowering  of  its  prestige  consequent 
upon  the  brilliant  campaign  conducted  by 
Mesha.  An  effort  was  necessary,  if  not  to  re- 
cover Moab,  at  any  rate  to  repair  the  loss  of 
honor  involved  in  the  successful  rebellion  ;  and 
Jehoram,  seemingly  in  his  first  ,vear,  conceived 
the  design  of  forming  a  powerful  confederation 
against  the  triumphant  rebels,  which  should  at 
the  lea.st  severely  chastise  them  for  their 
audacity.     In  the  first  instance  he  applied  to 


1(!C 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


Jihoshupli:!!,  kins  of  Judrtli,  who  had  shown 
b'mself  well  disposed  both  towaifi  Ahab  (1  K. 
22  :  4,  29)  and  toward  Ahaziah  (ibid.,  verses 
44-49),  and  solieited  his  aid,  whieli  was  willingly 
gnuUed  (verse  7) ;  after  which  m'gotiatious 
were  entered  into  with  the  king  of  Edoni.  a 
semi  independent  nionareh,  and  he  also  was 
iMdue<'d  to  join  the  league.  Edom  was  at  this 
time  growing  in  power,  and  probably  cnter- 
tuined  a  covert  jealoiisy  of  Moab,  which  was 
its  near  neighbor  and  might  be  a  formidable  en- 
emy. The  king  thei-efore  accepted  the  third 
position  in  the  confederacy,  and  even  gave  the 
armies  of  Israel  and  Judah  passage  through  his 
territory,  that  so  they  miglit  have  the  lietter 
chance  of  taking  the  Moabites  by  smprise. 
After  travel-sing  the  waterless  tract  west  and 
south  of  the  Dead  Sea,  the  frontier  of  Jloab 
was  ap])n)ached  at  a  point  where  a  deep  tor- 
rent bed  separated  between  Moab  nn<l  Edom 
Here  it  seems  to  liavc  been  supposed  that  water 
would  be  found  ;  but  tlie  bed  of  the  stream 
proved  wholly  dry,  and  Jehoram  gave  way  to 
despair.  He  was,  however,  pereuaded  by 
Jehoshaphat  to  make  an  appeal  for  aid  to  the 
prophet,  Ellisha,  -.vho  had  accompanied  the 
host  ;  and  Elisha,  after  some  contemptuous  ex- 
pressions and  a  half  refusal,  was  induced  to  ex- 
ert his  supernatural  powers  in  oirlcr  to  save 
the  army.  The  host,  refreshed  in  the  night  by 
a  rush  of  water  down  the  gully  caiised  by  some 
heavy  rain  at  a  distance,  was  set  upon  in  the 
morning  by  the  Moabites,  who,  seeing  the 
ruddy  sunrise  reflected  the  pools  which  the 
flood  had  left,  imagined  that  the  red  liquid  was 
blood,  and  that  the  allies  had  fallen  out  and 
fought  each  other.  Their  error  was  fatal  to 
them.  Rushing,  half  armed  probably,  and  in 
a  disonierly  crowd,  against  the  Israelite  camp, 
they  were  met  by  an  enemy  who  was  expect- 
ing their  onset,  repulsed,  and  routed.  A  hur- 
ried flight  ff)llowed,  and  a  hot  pureuit  ;  great 
nunibei-s  of  the  Jloabites  were  slain  ;  even  the 
cities  afforded  little  protection,  and  the  land 
was  devastated  and  ruined.  At  liist  the  king 
of  Moab  stood  at  bay  in  Kir-IIaraseth,  the 
strongest  of  his  fortresses.  Then  occurred  tliat 
horrible  .scene,  the  king  openly  offering  his  son 
US  a  burnt  ofTering  \ipon  the  wall.  Shocked 
and  dismayed  at  the  sight,  the  besiegers  broke 
up  their  camp,  and  returned  to  their  respective 
countries.  Ewald  remarks  that  "  had  there 
been  a  .loab  or  a  David  then  alive  in  Israel, 
such  an  issue  of  the  campaign  would  not  have 
been  tolerated  ;  but  already  a  worm  of  inward 
weakness  had  begun  to  gnaw  at  the  national 
lieart  and  at  its  confidence  in  Jehovah.     From 


that  day,  however,  Moab  remained  indepen- 
dent ;  and  long  ages  after,  every  time  that 
other  causes  had  enfeebled  the  kingdom  of  the 
Ten  Tribes,  the  roving  bands  from  Jloab 
marched  across  the  Jordan  on  ])lundering  ex- 
cursions."    G.  R. 

The  enormous  annual  tribute  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  fleeces  of  rams,  and  as  many  of 
lambs,  led,  after  the  <leath  of  .Vhab.  to  a  vigor- 
ous revolt,  in  which  Amnion  rallied  to  the 
support  of  Moab.  This  tribute  in  kind  is  re- 
ferred to  by  Isaiah  (Isa.  16  :  1)  :  "  Send  yc  the 
lamb  to  the  ruler  of  the  laud  from  Sela  to  the 
wilderness."  A  campaign,  or  rather  two  cam- 
paigns, quickly  followed,  of  which,  or  of  parts 
of  which,  we  have  three  distinct  records. 
2  Kings,  chap.  3,  recounts  the  invasion  of  JNIoab 
by  the  combined  armies  of  Israel,  Judah,  and 
Edom.  3  Chronicles,  chap.  20.  records  an  in- 
va.sion  of  Judah  by  Moab  and  her  allies,  Am- 
mon  and  Edom.  Twenty  yeare  ago  the  discov- 
ery of  the  famous  monolith  of  King  Mesha,  at 
Dibon,  known  as  "the  Moabite  Stone,"  a 
unique  relic  of  antiquity,  nearly  three  thousand 
years  old,  and  not  only  the  sole  Moabite  in- 
scription, but  the  earliest  existing  document  in 
the  Hebrew  language,  older  liy  a  hundred  and 
fifty  years  tlian  any  other  epi.grapliie  record 
containin.g  the  same  species  of  writin.g,  gave  us 
the  story  of  Moab's  struggle  with  Israel  from 
the  side  of  the  former.  The  JMoabite  Stone 
pictures  to  us  the  desperate  defence  of  Mesha 
in  his  capital,  Kir  (now  Kerak),  which  the  in- 
vaders had  overrun  and  destroyed  his  whole 
country.  But,  as  we  read  in  verec  27,  they  re- 
tired ;  and  then  ^lesha,  evidently  a  monarch  of 
great  sa,gacity  and  vigor,  set  to  work  to  restore 
his  fortresses,  and,  pushing  beyond  the  .Vrnon, 
wrested  again  from  the  unstable  grasp  of 
Reuben  many  of  the  towns  which,  originally 
Moabite,  had  been  seized  by  Sihon,  to  be  soon 
conquered  l)y  Moses.  Henceforwai-d,  till  the 
Assyrian  invader  impartially  ravaged  both 
alike,  Sloab  was  the  aggressor  in  a  border  war- 
fare, kept  in  check  only  by  tlu;  growing  power 
of  Syria.  In  the  w-arnings  of  the  prophets  we 
sec  how  bitter  was  the  feud  between  the  chil- 
dren of  Lot  and  of  Abraham.  But  the  end  soon 
came;  and  from  the  date  of  the  Cajitivity  the 
kingdom  of  JIesha<lisappears  from  history,  and 
Moab  itself  has  remained  but  a  geographical 
expression,     lyintrnm. 

The  points  established  by  the  Moabite  in- 
scription are  :  1.  That  Moab  recovered  from 
the  blow  dealt  by  David  (3  Sam.  8  :  2.  12),  and 
becjmie  again  an  independent  state  in  th(!  in- 
terval between  David's  conquest  and  the  ac- 


SECTION  17.     REIGN  OF  JEHORAM. 


167 


cession  of  Omri.  3.  That  Omii  reconquered 
the  country,  iind  that  it  then  became  suliject  to 
the  northern  kingdom,  and  remaini'd  so 
througliout  liis  reign  and  that  of  his  son  Aliab, 
and  into  the  reign  of  Alialj'.sson  and  successor, 
iUiaziah.  3.  Tliat  the  independence  was  re- 
gained by  means  of  a  war,  in  which  Mesha 
toolv  town  sifter  town  from  the  Israelites,  includ- 
ing in  his  conquests  many  of  the  towns  which, 
at  the  original  occupation  of  the  Holy  Land, 
Iiad  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  Reuben- 
ites  or  the  Gadites,  as  Baal-Meon  (Num.  32  :  38). 
Kirjathaim  {ibid.  37),  Ataroth  (ibid.  34),  Nebo- 
{ibid.  38),  Jahaz  (.Josh.  13  :  18),  etc.  4.  That 
the  name  of  Jehovah  was  well  known  to  the 
Jloabitcs  as  that  of  the  God  of  the  Israelites. 
5.  That  there  was  a  sanctuary  of  Jehovah  at 
Nebo,  in  the  trans- Jordanic  territory. 

8.  The  ^vay  through  the  -wilder- 
ness of  Edoin.  That  is,  round  the  south- 
ern extremity  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  across  the 
Arabah,  or  continuation  of  the  Jordan  and 
Dead  Sea  valley.  This  route  led  to  the  Edom- 
ite  country  which  extended  along  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Arabah  and  bordered  on  Moab 
toward  the  south,  where  its  desert  {midbar)  was 
divided  from  that  of  Moab  by  the  Wady-Kurahy 
or  El  Alisy.  One  object  of  taking  this  route 
wa.s  most  likely  to  effect  a  junction  with  the 
forces  of  Edom,  which  had  resumed  its  depend- 
ence on  Judah,  though  the  year  before  it  had 
been  in  alliance  with  Moab.  (See  2  Chron. 
20:23.)  Another  may  have  been,  to  come 
upon  the  Moabites  luiprepared.  This  line  of 
march  was  followed  on  more  than  one  occasion 
by  the  Crusaders,  who  maintained  fortresses  in 
the  Jloabite  country.     B.  C. 

10.  God  had  not  "called  the  three  kings 
tugetlier  ;"  they  had  come  together  of  their 
own  accord,  guided  by  their  own  views  of 
earthly  policy.  Yet  God  was  not  about  to 
"  deliver  them  into  the  liands  of  Moab,"  as  in 
strict  justice  He  might  have  done.  He  was 
about  to  deliver  the  tliree  kings  from  their 
peril. 

1 1 .  The  Israelite  monarch  despairs  at  once  ; 
the  Jewish  monarch  retains  faith  and  hope.  Un- 
doubtedly he  ought  to  have  had  inquiry  made 
of  the;  Lord  befure  he  consented  to  aecompan}' 
Jelioram  on  the  expedition.  But  one  neglect 
of  duty  does  not  justify  persistence  in  neglect. 
This  he  sees,  and  therefore  suggests  that  even 
now,  at  tlie  eleventh  hour,  the  riglit  course 
shall  be  taken.  Apparently  Jehoram  was  not 
aware  of  Elisha's  presence  with  the  army.  lie 
had  to  be  enlightened  by  one  of  his  attendants, 
who  happened  to  be  acquainted  with  the  fact. 


We  ma)'  suppose  that  Elisha  liad  joined  the 
army  "  at  the  instigation  of  the  Spirit  of  God" 
(Keil),  God  having  resolved  to  rescue  the 
Israelites  from  their  peril  by  His  instrumental- 
ity, and  at  the  same  time  to  show  forth  His 
glory  before  the  people  of  Moab. 

12.  Prophets  were  commonly  summonetl 
into  the  king's  presence,  or,  if  they  had  a 
message  to  him,  contrived  a  meeting  in  some 
place  where  they  knew  he  would  be.  That  the 
kings  should  seek  Elisha  out  and  visit  him  was 
a  great  sign  both  of  the  honor  in  which  he  was 
liL'ld,  and  also  of  the  extent  to  which  they  were 
humbled  by  the  danger  which  threatened 
them.     Iliniiinond. 

13.  And  Elisha  said  unto  the  king 
of  Israel.  Jehoram 's  present  humility  does 
not  save  him  from  rebuke.  He  is  of  the  ac- 
cursed stock,  and  lies  himself  under  a  special 
curse  ;  since  all  the  evil  threatened  against 
Ahab  was  to  come  to  pass  in  "  Ms  son's  days" 
(1  K.  21  :  39).  Moreover,  his  reformation  (see 
verse  2)  had  been  but  a  half  reformation — a 
compromise  with  idolatry.  Not  only  had  the 
calf  worship  been  retained,  but  the  Baal  wor- 
ship itself,  though  disestablished,  had  been 
allowed  to  continue  and  wsis  in  favor  with  the 
queen-mother,  and  probably  with  a  portion  of 
the  court.     B.  C. 

15.  The  power  of  music  in  particular — the 
concord  of  sweet  sounds — to  soothe  the  brain, 
to  calm  the  nerves  and  elevate  the  soul,  is  well 
known.  The  noblest  passages  in  "  Paradise 
Lost"  were  composed  as  Milton's  daughter 
played  to  her  father  on  the  organ.  "We  all  re- 
member how  David's  harp  chased  away  the 
evil  spirit  from  Saul.  The  father  of  medicine 
himself,  JGsculapius,  appears  in  ancient  his- 
tory as  healing  diseases  with  songs.  The  phi- 
losopher Pythagoras  quieted  the  troubles    of 

his  mind  with  the  l,yre.     T.   H.   Ilowat. As 

David's  harping  refreshed  Saul  and  tranquil- 
lized his  spirit,  so  the  playing  of  any  skilled 
minstrel  had  a  soothing  effect  on  those  possess- 
ing the  prophetic  gift  generally,  and  enabled 
them  to  shut  out  the  outer  world,  and  concen- 
trate their  whole  attention  on  the  inward  voice 
which  communicated  to  them  the  Divine  mes- 
sages. 

1 7.  "Wind  and  rain  usually  go  together  in 
the  East,  especially  when  there  is  sudden  heavy 
rain  after  a  time  of  drought.  What  Elisha 
promises  is  a  heavy  storm  of  wind  accompanied 
by  violent  rain,  which,  however,  will  be  at  such 
a  distance  that  the  Israelites  will  see  nothing  of 
it,  but  whereof  they  will  experience  the  effccta 
when  the  torrent-course   that  separates  them 


108 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


from  the  iroabite  country  suddenly  becomes  a 
rushing  sirrum  ils  thi'  ruin  Hows  off  down  it. 
Their  ■'  pits."  or  trendies,  will  retain  a  jinrtiou 
of  the  water,  anil  furnish  them  with  a  sullieient 
supply  for  their  wants.  It  wivs  necessary  that 
the  storm  should  be  distant,  that  the  Moabites 
ini^ht  know  nothing  of  it,  and  so  fall  under 
tin'  delusion  (verse  33)  which  led  to  their  com- 
plete ih'toat. 

20.  Behold,  llicre  came  water  by 
llie  way  of  Ed<»iii.  The  Wady-el-Ahsy 
drains  a  jiortion  of  Soutliern  Moab.  and  also  a 
consideral)le  tract  of  Northern  Edoin.  The 
nocturnal  storm  had  burst,  not  in  the  JMoabite 
country,  where  it  would  have  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  .Moal)ites,  but  in  .some  compara- 
tively distant  part  of  the  Idumiean  territory, 
KO  that  the  Jloabites  were  not  avrare  of  it. 
lldmiiwnd. 

20-24.  We  have  here  the  Divine  gift  of  both 
those  things  which  God  had  promised  by  EUsha 
— water  and  victory  ;  and  the  former  notoidy  a 
pledge  of  the  lattiT.  but  a  means  of  it.  God, 
who  created  and  commands  all  the  waters  both 
above  and  !)eneath  the  lirmaraent,  sent  them  an 
abundance  of  water  on  a  sviddeu,  which  did 
Iheni  double  S(^rviee.     II. 

"i'i.  This  i§  hloud.  The  pits,  deep  but 
with  small  mouths,  gleaming  redly  through  the 
haze  which  would  lie  along  the  newly  mois- 
tened valley,  seemed  to  the  JNIoabites  like  ])ools 
of  blood.  They  caught  at  the  idea,  probably, 
the  more  readily  from  a  recollection  of  their 
own  disaster  the  preceding  year,  when  they 
and  their  allies  had  mutuall_v  destroyed  each 
other  (2  Chron.  30:23).  It  seemed  to  them, 
from  their  knowledge  of  the  jealousies  subsist- 
ing between  Judah,  Israel,  and  Edona,  not  un- 
likely that  a  similar  calamity  had  now  befallen 
their  foes. 

25.  Only  in  Kir-Haraweth.  Kir-Hara- 
seth,  called  also  Kir-IIare.seth  {Isa.  16  :  7),  Kir- 
Ilaresh  {Hiid  11),  and  Kir-Moab  {ibid  15  :  1),  is 
identified  almost  certainly  with  the  modern 
Kerak,  a  strong  city  on  the  highland  immedi- 
ately east  of  the  southern  part  of  the  Dead  Sea. 


It  was  the  great  fortress  of  Moab.  though  not  the 
cajiital,  which  was  Rabbath  or  Kabbah.  B.  C 
2.3-27,  The  victory  was  followed  up  by  an 
exterminating  war.  Tlie  cities  of  Moab  were 
ra/.ed,  ami  their  stones  thrown  into  the  corn- 
lields  :  the  welLs  were  filled,  and  the  fruit  trees 
were  cut  down.  The  only  refuge  left  wils  the 
city  of  Kir-llaraseth  :  and  even  this  was  on 
the  point  of  being  taken  by  storm,  when  the 
king  of  Moab,  with  seven  hundred  chosen  war- 
riors, tried  to  cut  his  way  through  to  reach  the 
king  of  Edom,  but  he  was  driven  back  into  the 
city.  lie  resorted  to  the  forlorn  hope  of  his 
horrid  superstition.  Mcmnting  the  wall,  in 
sight  of  the  besiegers,  he  offered  his  eldest  son 
and  heir  as  a  burnt  offering  to  Moloch.  It 
would  seem  that  this  act  of  despair  roused  the 
sympathy  of  the  Edomites,  as  well  as  the  hor- 
ror of  Jehoshaphat  :  "  There  was  great  indig- 
nation against  Israel  ;  and  they  departed  from 
him,  and  returned  to  their  own  land  ;"  and  the 
ne.\t  we  hear  of  the  relations  between  the  allies 
is  the  revolt  of  Edom  from  the  king  of  Judah. 
To  Elisha's  aid  in  this  war  may  probably  be 
a-scribed  those  friendly  relatioiLs  between  Jeho- 
ram  and  the  prophet  which  belong  to  the  his- 
tory of  the  latter.  Indeed  the  deeds  of  Elisha 
filled  the  greater  part  of  the  annals  of  Israel 
under  Jehoram.     P.  S. 


Elisha  W!is  a  prophet  of  the  Gospel,  as  Elijah 
had  been  a  prophet  of  the  Law.  Yet,  as  the 
Law  is  in  the  Gospel,  and  the  Gospel  was  in 
the  Law.  so  Elisha  could  sometimes  denounce 
God's  judgment,  and  Elijah  yearn  for  and  de- 
light in  His  mercy.  The  story  of  the  three 
kings  and  their  invasion  of  Jloab  ilisclo.ses 
EUsha  in  both  aspects — severe  toward  the  king 
of  Israel,  but  gentle  and  helpful  to  the  king  of 
Judah.  And  such  is  the  true  character  of  the 
Gospel,  and  the  genuine  spirit  of  its  teachers 
and  confessors.  Always  accessible  with  its 
precious  truths  and  promises,  and  always  help- 
ful with  its  wise  counsels  and  sufficient  grace, 
yet  always  boldly  and  sternly  outspoken  when 
fidelity  to  truth  and  righteousness  demand.     B. 


SECTION  18. 


169 


Section  18. 

SIX  NOTED  MIRACULOUS   ACTS   OF  ELISHA 

2  Kings  2  :  19-35  ;  4  :  1-44  ;  6  :  1-7. 

It  is  evidently  the  object  of  the  writer  or  compiler  of  2  Kings  to  collect  in  this  place  the 
principal,  or  at  any  rate  the  most  noted,  of  the  miraculous  acts  of  the  great  prophet  who  suc- 
ceeded Elijah,  and  so  to  preserve  them  from  oblivion.  This  object,  which  he  began  to  set  be- 
fore himself  in  chap.  2  :  13,  is  pursued  in  chaps.  4  and  6.     Uaminoiid. These  six  miracles  are 

here  set  together,  not  merely  to  secure  unity  and  order  in  the  arrangement  of  sections,  but  also 
to  classify  this  group  of  similar  topics,  and  to  facilitate  their  comparative  study.     B. 

Miracle  of  Help  at  Jericho. 

2  Kings  2  :  19-22. 

19  And  tlie  men  of  the  city  said  unto  Elisha,  Behold,  we  pray  thee,  the  situation  of  this  city 
.20  is  pleasant,  as  my  lord  seeth  :  but  the  water  is  naught,  and  the  land  misearrieth.  And  he 
21  said,  Bring  me  a  new  cruse,  and  put  salt  therein.  And  they  brought  it  to  him.  And  he 
went  forth  unto  the  spring  of  the  waters,  and  cast  salt  therein,  and  said,  Thus  saith  the  Lord, 
I  have  healed  these  waters  ;  there  shall  not  be  from  thence  any  more  death  or  miscarrying. 
32  So  the  waters  were  healed  unto  this  day,  according  to  the  word  of  Elisha  wliich  he  spake. 


19-22.  A  nnriide.  of  mercy  to  Jericho. 
Although  this  city  had  been  rebuilt  in  the  face 
of  a  Divine  curse  (which  was  fulfilled  upon  the 
builder)  yet  no  order  for  its  demolition  fol- 
lowed. There  were  now  good  men  living  in 
it.  Not  only  the  sons  of  the  prophets,  but  it 
would  seem  the  chief  men  of  the  city,  recognized 
Jeliovah  in  the  pereon  of  His  prophet.  Faith 
In  His  power  must  have  helped  to  prompt  this 
prayer  to  Elisha  for  the  removal  of  their  chief 
trouble.  Their  personal  comfort  and  the  pro- 
ductiveness of  the  neighboring  country  de- 
pended upon  the  purity  of  the  spring  which 
has  ever  been  the  one  source  of  supply  to  Jeri- 
cho. "  The  city  is  plea.sant,"  they  said,  "  but 
the  water  is  bad  and  the  soil  barren." 

On  Elisha's  part  there  is  no  hesitation  or  de- 
lay. The  opportunity  is  used  to  signalize  God's 
mercy  in  answer  to  their  call.  The  occasion  is 
furnished  to  further  confirm  and  establish 
Elislia's  prophetic  mission  among  tlie  peoph;. 
And  the  means  employed  help  this  confirmation 
as  they  make  the  miracle  more  conspicuously 
God's  work.  At  the  spring-head  of  the  waters 
Elisha  .ca.st  in  a  bowl  full  of  salt.  This  was 
indeed  a  Ki/inl/ol  of  pinifyinff  power.  But  its 
only  naturril  effect  was  to  increase  the  brack- 
ishness  of  the  waters,  and  the  unproductiveness 
of  the  ground.  Well  did  the  people  know  this, 
living  so  near  the  .salt  Dead  Sea,  and  familiar 
with  its  desolating  waters.     Yet  "  the  waters 


were  healed  unto  this  day,  according  to  the 
saying  of  Eli.sha. "  And  this  spring,  the  only 
one  in  the  neighborhood,  still  exists  ;  and  its 
pleasant  waters  extend  over  the  whole  plain  of 
Jericho.     B. 

The  situation  of  Jericho  is  indeed  pleasant, 
as  its  inhabitants  observed  to  Elisha.  And  to 
this  day  it  deserves  the  epithet.  It  has  been 
called  a  diamond  in  the  desert  ;  for  it  pu.shes 
forward  from  under  the  steep  mountain  range 
of  the  central  hills  of  Palestine,  which  shelter 
it,  into  the  dreary  gypsum-strewn  Ghor  or 
Plain  of  Jordan — a  bright  green  gem  in  a  wide 
setting  of  desert.  A  square  of  two  or  three 
miles  in  extent  each  way  is  one  luxuriant  mass 
of  exuberant  verdure  ;  and  this  is  all  due  to  the 
live-giving  streamlets  that  are  carefully  led  in 
every  direction  from  Ain  es  Sultan,  "  the 
prophet's  fountain."  Many  copious  fountains 
spring  from  the  base  of  the  mountains  near  the 
lower  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea.  But,  with 
two  or  three  exceptions,  all  are  salt  or  brackish. 
19.  The  water  iijnauglil.  Theeause 
for  this  is  not  far  to  seek.  The  upper  strata  of 
the  plain  are  saturated  with  various  salts  and 
with  sulphur,  and  often  crusted  with  gypsum. 
After  a  rainstorm  has  washed  the  ground,  I 
have  often  seen  the  surface  coated  with  an 
efflorescence  of  thin  minerals  of  a  yellowish- 
white  color.  No  wonder,  then,  that  the  water 
percolating  through  such  a  soil  should  become 


170 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


impregnated  with  salts.  The  two  niiiiirkaMu 
fxci'ptioiis  lire  till- giant  fountains  (if  Ain  Dfik 
ami  Ain  es  Sullun.  Hut  Ain  DuU  is  more  Unin 
thit-e  mill's  northwest  of  Jericho,  iniinediatcly 
under  the  mountains,  here  most  precipitous, 
and  is  doubtless  fed  by  their  drainage  without 
coming  in  contact  with  the  lower  dei>osits.  Not 
80  Ain  cs  SuUAn,  "the  prophet's  fountain." 
It  bui'sls  up,  a  stream  full  grown  at  birth,  at 
the  foot  of  an  insignilicant  roeliy  mound,  only 
a  few  feet  high,  in  the  middle  of  tlie  plain. 
Its  very  position  seems  to  attest  the  reality  of 
the  ininieulo\is  healing  ;  for  by  all  analogy  it 
should  be  salt.  The  tradition  of  the  benelieent 
wonder-working  prophet  still  lingers  on  the 
spot.  It  has  always  struck  me  that  the  very 
existence  of  this  marvellous  spring  is  in  itself 
a  witness  of  the  miracle.  But  how  came  a 
place  without  good  water  to  be  a  city  of  su('li 
iraporlanci'  in  the  Canaauitish  days,  before  the 
conciuest  by  Joshua  'I  Careful  research  ex- 
plains this  ;  for  there  are  many  traces  of  an- 
cient a(iueduets  which  brought  down  to  the 
plain  the  sweet  waters  of  Ain  Diik,  and  also 
those  of  the  Wady  Kelt  (the  valley  of  Achor),  a 
little  to  the  south  of  it.  These  aqueducts 
were,  of  course,  destroyed  by  Joshua  when  he 
razed  Jericho  to  the  ground.  Long  after,  when 
Iliel  the  nethelite  rebuilt  Jericho  (1  K.  16  :  34), 
he  did  not  reconstruct  the  aqueduct,  and  the 
inhabitants  were  dependent  on  the  brackish 
waters  of  their  own  fountain,  excepting  for 
the  small  supply  they  might  carry  from  a  dis- 
tance.     Trintnim. 

20.  The  "new  cruse"  and  the  "salt"  arc 
evidently  chosen  from  a  regard  to  symbolism. 
The  foul  stream  represents  sin,  and  to  cleanse 
it  emblems  of  purity  must  be  taken.  Ileuee 
the  clean  "  new"  dish,  previously  unused,  and 
thus  untainted  ;  and  the  salt,  naturally  very 
unapt  to  heal  an  unwholesome  stream,  which 
generally  holds  too  much  salt  in  solution,  but 
a  common  .scriptural  symbol  of  iucorruption. 
B.  (". 

20-22.  The  cruse  and  the  salt  must  be  their 
own  ;  the  act  must  be  his  ;  the  power,  God's  ; 
he  cast  the  salt  into  the  spring  and  said,  "  Thus 
saith  the  Loni,  I  have  healed  these  waters  ; 
there  shall  not  be  from  thence  any  more  death 
or  barrenness."  Kar  was  it  from  Klislia  to 
challenge  aught  to  him.self.  How  <arcf  ul  is  the 
man  of  tiod  that  Jericho  shall  know  to  whom 
they  owe  the  blessing,  that  they  may  duly 
retvirn  the  thanks  !  Elisha  professes  he  can  do 
no  more  of  himself  than  that  salt,  than  that 
cruse  :  only  Ood  shall  work  by  him,  by  it  ; 
and  whatever  that  Almighty  hand  undertalces 


cannot  fail,  yea  is  already  done.  Neither  doth 
he  say,  "  I  w'ill  heal,"  but  "  I  have  healed.  " 
Even  so,  O  God,  if  Thou  cast  into  the  fountain 
of  our  hearts  but  one  cruseful  of  the  salt  of 
Thy  Spirit  we  are  whole  ;  no  thought  can  pass 
between  the  receipt  and  the  remedy.     lip.  II. 

The  tffect  of  the  cure.  There  was  not  to  be 
from  thence  (the  spring)  any  more  death  or 
barrenness.  The  result  of  Elisha's  word  was 
that  "  the  waters  were  healed  unto  this  day." 
"  Down  to  the  present  hour  all  travellers  to 
Palestine — Robinson,  Dean  Stanley,  Professor 
Porter — speak  in  glowing  terms  of  the  cool, 
sweet,  and  pleasant  waters  of  the  '  Fountain 
of  Elisha.'  The  soil  is  extensively  cultivated. 
Sugar-yielding  canes  are  plentiful.  Fig-trees 
abound  on  all  sides."  All  which  things  may 
again  be  interpreted  as  a  parable.  The  Gospel 
is  the  new  cruse,  and  in  it  is  the  healing  salt — 
the  word  of  truth — ivhicli,  cast  into  the  tliseased 
spring  of  the  Imman  heart,  heals  and  purifies 
its  waters  ;  yet  is  the  cfTcct  not  wrought  by 
the  natural  action  of  the  truth  apart  from  the 
Divine  and  omnipotent  operation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  works  through  human  means  j'et 
is  Himself  the  efficient  Agent  in  all  conversion. 
The  work  is  of  God,  and  the  efEects  are  incalcu- 
lable. "  Old  things  are  passed  away  ;  behold, 
all  things  are  become  new"  (2  Cor.  5  :  17). 
The  most  marvellous  influence  is  exerted  by 
Christianity  on  the  spring,  not  only  of  private, 
but  of  public  and  social  life  ;  and  State  as  well 
as  Church  is  blessed.  Christianity  is  the  salva- 
tion of  peoples — the  source  of  true  national  as 

well  as  of  individual  well-being.     J.  O. Out 

of  the  heart  are  the  issues  of  life.  Into  the 
heart,  the  fountain  of  evil,  is  to  be  put  that 
grace  of  God  w'hich  alone  can  give  healing  to 
the  soul,  sweetness  and  fruitfulness  to  the  life. 
When  God  thus  quickens  the  spirit  there  is  no 
more  death  or  barrennt'ss.     B. 

How  striking  an  image  is  this  rebuilt  city, 
with  its  unhealed  spring,  of  godless  civiliza- 
tions, founded  on  self-will  and  delianee  of  God's 
counsel,  often  stately  and  imposing,  yet  end- 
ing in  vanity,  because  no  means  exist  to  cure 
the  spring  of  the  corrupt  human  heart !  "  Of 
republican  Athens,  of  imperial  Rome,  it  might 
well  be  said,  '  The  city  was  pleasant.'  In 
both  there  was  learning,  genius,  high  civili/a- 
tion.  the  cultivation  of  the  tine  arts  to  an  extent 
that  has  made  the  Elgin  marbles,  for  example, 
the  wonder  of  the  world.  But  '  the  water 
was  naught,  and  the  groiuid  was  barren,'  be- 
cause there  was  the  absence  of  true  religion. 
No  country  whatever  can  in  the  highest  sense 
prosper  without  it. "    ?'.  II.  Ilowat. Politics, 


SECTION  IS.     SIX  NOTED  MIRACULOUS  ACTS  OF  ELISIIA. 


171 


literature,  art,  science,  material  civilization, 
will  dwindle  and  decay  unless  a  pure  stream 
can  be  made  to  flow  from  the  people's  heart  ; 
for  "  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life."     J.  O. 

The  men  of  Jericho  believed  the  jiropliet  of 
God,  and  in  response  to  their  believing  request. 


received  God's  blessing.  The  men  of  Bethel 
scoffed,  and  God  returned  to  them  the  judg- 
ment of  tlie  scoffer.  So  is  the  same  message  of 
God  from  the  lips  of  the  Gospel  preacher  a 
savor  of  life  unto  life,  or  of  death  unto  death, 
as  it  is  believed  or  rejected.     B. 


Miracle  of  Judgment  at  Bethel. 
2  Kinys  3  :  23-25. 

23  And  he  went  up  from  thence  unto  Beth-el ;  and  as  he  was  going  up  by  the  way,  there  came 
forth  little  children  (or,  young  bids)  out  of  the  city,  and  mocked  him,  and  said  unto  him.  Go 

24  up,  thou  bald  head  ;  go  up,  thou  bald  head.     And  he  looked  behind  him  and  saw  them,  and 
cui-sed  them  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.     And  there  came  forth  two  she-bears  out  of  the  wood, 

25  and  tare  forty  and  two  children  of  them.     And  he  went  from  thence  to  mount  Carmel,  and 
from  thence  he  returned  to  Samaria. 


23,  24.  A  miracle  of  judgment  at  Bethel. 
This  was  one  of  the  chief  centres  of  idolatrous 
worship.  Here  also  was  the  leading  school  of 
God's  prophets,  whereby  alone  the  interests  of 
pure  religion  were  preserved  in  Israel.  But 
the  mass  of  the  people  were  wholly  given  up  to 
their  false  and  iniquitous  worship.  Under  this 
influence  tlieir  children  were  trained  as  scoffers 
at  the  true  God  and  His  projihets.  It  was  the 
natural  result  of  this  training  that  led  a  num- 
ber of  these  children  (rather,  young  nwn)  to  go 
forth  on  Elisha's  coming  and  shout  their  im- 
pious mockery.  They  expressed  the  spirit  of 
the  parents,  who  rejoiced  to  be  rid  of  Elijah, 
and  would  have  Elisha  also  taken  out  of  their 
way.  Hence  the  cry,  Go  up,  and  the  insulting 
epithet,  thou  bald  liend !  The  curse  of  Elisha 
wliieh  followed  was  spoken  under  a  Divine 
impulse.  As  in  the  miracle  of  mercy  at  Jericho 
it  was  the  Lord  who  inspired  Elisha's  act  and 
words,  so  here  it  is  the  Lord  who  puts  the  im- 
pulse to  curse  in  the  prophet's  heart.  And  it  is 
the  Lord  who  Himself  carries  out  His  appointed 
doom.  He  who  elsewhere  uses  fire,  flood, 
pestilence,  or  famine  as  instruments  of  His 
judgments,  here  summons  savage  beasts  to  de- 
stroy these  impious  mockcra.  Mocking  the 
Lord's  messengers  and  misusing  His  prophets 
are  siiecitically  referred  to  among  the  crying  sins 
of  Israel  (2  Cliron.  86  :  16  ;  see  also  Lev.  26  :  21, 
22).  And  this  offence  was  aggravated  here  by 
the  blasphemous  allusion  to  God's  translation 
of  Elijah.  Richly  deserved,  therefore,  was  this 
terrible  punishment  by  these  youthful  mock- 
ers. Through  them  its  effects  reached  to  their 
parents,  while  it  conveyed  to  the  whole  nation 
a  fearful  warning  against  impiety.  It  fore- 
shadowed the  doom  that  would  surely  follow 
God's  unheeded  patience   and    long-suffering. 


And  it  furnished  a  needed  authentication  of 
Elisha's  Divine  mission  as  the  successor  of 
Elijah.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  this  miracle  of 
judgment  and  the  leprosy  pronounced  on 
Gchazi  are  the  exceptions  among  the  many 
wonders  performed  in  connection  with  Elisha's 
whole  ministry.  All  the  rest  were  miracles  of 
mercy.  This  one  instance  in  a  long  life  of 
helpful  beneficence  shows,  as  the  Incarnate 
Master  of  Elisha  clearly  intimated,  that  love 
may  flash  with  the  spirit  of  judgment  and  wield 
the  power  of  doom.     B. 

The  prophet  Elisha,  ridiculed  by  a  band  of 
children  in  the  kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  de- 
nounces against  them  the  malediction  of  God  ; 
immediately  forty-two  of  them  are  torn  by 
bears  that  rush  forth  out  of  the  forest.  This 
event  occurs  at  Bethel,  the  chief  seat  of  idol- 
atry in  the  kingdom  of  Israel.  The  taunts 
uttered  by  these  children  against  the  prophet 
of  Jehovah  were,  conscqueutlj',  an  outrage 
against  Jehovah  Himself.  Their  sarcasm  is 
even  carried  to  blasphemy  ;  for  when  they  cry 
after  Elisha,  "  Go  up,  thou  bald  head  !"  they 
sneer  at  the  ascension  of  Elijah,  which,  as 
Elisha  had  declared,  had  recently  taken  place  ; 
and  they  urge  the  servant  to  follow,  if  he  can, 
his  master  into  heaven.  The  immediate  pun- 
ishment of  these  children  was  destined  to  warn 
the  entire  nation  of  Samaria  of  the  total  ruin 
which  so  much  impiety  was  about  to  bring 
upon  it.     Godet. 

This  shocking  impiety  toward  the  God  of 
the  holy  prophets  ;  this  inexpressibly  awful 
hardihood  in  j  oking  thus  upon  th(^  chariot  and 
horses  of  Are  which  swept  Elijah  up  to  heaven 
— what  shall  we  say  or  think  of  it  'i  We  are 
not  surprised  that  a  Divine  impulse  moved 
Elisha  to  curse  them,  and  that  God  made  them 


172 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAKL. 


examples    of    swift   aufl    lerrible    rutributiou. 

II.  C. The   offence,  involving  sis  it  did  a 

bliisphemous  insult  upon  one  of  the  Lord's  most 
signid  acts,  made  a  near  approach  to  what  in 
the  New  Testament  is  called  the  siu  against  the 
Holy  Ghost.  It  became  the  Lord  to  vindicate 
His  own  honor  among  a  people  governed  l)j' 
sensible  dispensaticms  of  judgments  and  of 
nierev  ;  and  it  became  Him  to  vindicate  the 
character  and  authority  of  Ilis  anointed 
l)rophet     at  the    outset    of    his    high    career. 

Kitti). O  fearful  example  of  Divine  justice  ! 

This  was  not  the  revenge  of  an  angry  prophet  : 
it  was  the  jjunishment  of  a  righteous  Judge. 
God  and  His  seer  look  through  these  children, 
at  the  i)arents,  at  all  Israel.  He  would  punish 
the  parents'  misnurturing  their  children  to  the 
contempluous  usage  of  a  prophet,  with  the 
death  of  those  children  whom  they  had  mis- 
taught  ;  He  would  teach  Israel  what  it  was  to 
misuse  a  prophet  ;  and  if  He  would  not  endure 
these  contumelies  unreveugod  in  the  mouths  of 
children,  what  vengeance  was  enough  for  aged 
persecutors  ?     7?/).  //. 

I  tjike  this  story  as  teaching  us  what  I  think 
we  very  much  need  to  be  taught — viz.,  that  the 
faults  of  our  youth,  and  those  which  are  most 
natural  to  us  at  that  age,  are  not  considered  liy 
God  as  trilling.  .  .  .  You  may  hear  grown- 
up people  talk  in  a  laughing  manner  of  the 
fauH-i  which  they  committed  at  school,  of  their 
idleness,  and  their  various  acts  of  mischief,  and 
worse  than  mischief.  And  when  boys  hear 
this,  it  natuRiUy  makes  them  think  it  really 
does  not  matter  much  whether  they  behave 
well  or  ill — they  are  just  as  likely  to  be  re- 
spectable and  amiable  men  hereafter.  .  .  . 
Men  measure  fault.sby  the  harm  which  they  do 
in  this  world,  and  not  by  the  harm  which  they 
do  in  untitling  us  for  the  kingdom  of  God  by 
making  us  unlike  God  and  Christ.      T.  Arnold. 

C'liildren  will  onlinarily  tread  in  the  steps  of 
their  parents.  In  their  hearts  is  reproduced 
the  spirit  that  rules  in  the  household,  either  of 
reverence  or  of  impiety.  Hence  the  fearful 
responsibility  of  parents. 


No  thought  concerning  God's  character  and 
dealing  is  more  inipres.sive  than  this — IHh  pa- 
tienri'  and  hinrj-Htifferiny !  Everywhere  in  the 
history  it  meets  us.  Here  and  there  only,  as  in 
the  doom  of  the  i)rie.stsof  Baal  and  the  childn  n 
of  Bethel,  we  read  of  His  "strange  work"  of 
judgment  !  But  even  these  wo\dd  have  been 
withheld,  if  His  very  mercy  to  the  nation  had 
not  required  them.  They  must  he  warned  in  a 
way  that  they  could  recognize  and  feel.  How 
ought  this  sublime  thought  of  (Sod's  ama/.ing 
patience  to  exalt  our  estimate  of  His  character, 
and  to  draw^  us  nearer  to  His  heart  of  love  and 
mercy  I  'i'et  we  know  that  God's  patience  luis 
a  limit  with  every  soul.  If  His  long-suffering, 
active  mercy  be  iiersistcntly  unheeded,  it  will 
at  length  give  place  to  HLs  wrath.  lie  thiit, 
heliKj <ifteh  reproted,  hitrdeneth  Ids  iierk,  x/iiill  atid- 
denly  be  destroyed,  and  that  iHthont  remedy  !    B. 

25.  From  BetJicl  Elisha  yoes  to  Varmel  and 
returns  to  Samaria.  He  remaias  for  a  time  at 
Blount  C'annel,  where  he  had  liveil  with 
Elijah.  Here  he  retired  at  this  early  period  of 
his  ministry — and,  we  infer,  frequently  after- 
ward— to  recall  previous  impressions,  and  to 
receive  fresh  and  deeper  Divine  influences  from 
quiet  communion  with  God.  He  subsequently 
took  up  his  residence  at  Samaria  until  his 
death.  Unlike  Elijah,  he  lived  in  close  and 
constant  association  with  the  people.  His  min- 
istry was  performed  in  view  of  the  court  and 

the  nation.     B. Elisha  does  not  imitate  the 

seclusion  of  his  master.  He  "  prefers  from  the 
first  the  companionship  of  men,"  fixes  his  home 
in  the  capital  of  his  country,  Samaria  ;  is  a 
friendly  counsellor  of  the  king  and  highly  hon- 
ored by  him  ;  his  whole  life,  indeed,  is,  com- 
pared with  that  of  Elijah,  one  of  ease  and  tran- 
quillity. But,  though  living  "  in  the  world." 
he  is  not  "of  the  world."  As  Ewald  says, 
"  In  spite  of  all  the  seductions  to  which  he  was 
abundantly  exposed  through  the  great  consid- 
eration in  which  he  was  held,  he  retained  at 
every  period  of  his  life  the  true  prophetic  sim- 
plicity and  purity,  and  contempt  for  worldly 
wealth  and  advantages,"     Ilaniniond. 


Miu.\CLL()t:s  Supply  ok  tui-:  Widow's  Neeu. 


2  Kinf/.s  4  :  l-T. 

1  Now  there  cried  a  certain  woman  of  the  wives  of  the  sons  of  tlie  prophets  unto  Elisha, 
sjiying,  Thy  servant  my  husband  is  dead  :  mid  thou  knowest  that  thy  .servant  did  fear  the 

2  L()1U)  :  and  the  creditor  is  come  to  take  unio  him  my  two  children  to  be  bondmen.     And 
Elisha  .said  unto  her.  What  shall  I  do  for  thee  ?  tell  me  ;  what  hast  thou  in  the  house  ?     And 

8  she  said.  Thine  handmaid  hath  not  any  thing  in  the  hou.se,  save  a  pot  of  oil.     Then  he  said, 
.    Go,  borniw  thee  vessels  abroad  of  all  thy  neighboure,  even  empty  vessels  ;  borrow  not  a  few. 


SECTION  IS.     SIX  NOTED  MIRACULOUS  ACTS  OF  ELISUA. 


173 


4  And  thou  shalt  go  in,  and  shut  the  door  upon  thee  and  upon  thy  sons,  and  pour  out  into  all 

5  those  vessels  ;  and  thou  slialt  set  aside  that  which  is  full.  So  she  went  from  him,  and  shut 
the  door  upon  her  and  upon  her  sons  ;  they  brought  i/is  vessels  to  her,  and  she  poured  out. 

6  And  it  came  to  pass,  wlien  the  vessels  were  full,  that  she  said  unto  her  son.  Bring  me  yet  a 

7  vessel.  And  he  said  unto  her.  There  is  not  a  vessel  more.  And  the  oil  stayed.  Then  she 
came  and  told  the  man  of  God.  And  he  said,  Go,  sell  the  oil,  and  pay  thy  debt,  and  live 
thou  and  thv  sous  of  the  rest. 


The  widow's  oil  increased.  This  simple  and 
touching  story  is  one  of  those  many  narratives 
which  make  the  Bible  a  book  for  every  one, 
and  a  book  for  every-day  life.  The  individual 
is  never  lost  in  the  nation  or  the  race.  The 
Bible  is  partly  a  history  of  nations,  and  partic- 
ularly of  the  Jewish  nation.  But  it  is  much 
more  a  history  of  individuals.  It  is  this  that 
makes  it  such  a  book  of  universal  comfort  and 
instruction.  As  we  read  of  the  men  and  women 
whose  lives  are  recorded  in  it,  we  learn  more 
from  their  faith  and  their  failings,  from  their 
temptations  and  their  victories,  than  we  could 
from  any  abstract  discourses  about  the  benefit 
of  virtue  and  the  evil  of  vice.  We  learn  that 
they  were  men  and  women  of  like  passions 
with  ourselves.  We  learn  that  the  temptations 
they  conquered  we  can  conquer  by  the  help  of 
the  same  Spirit  ;  that  the  trials  thej'  endured 
we  can  endure  ;  and  that  the  faith  and  holiness 
to  which  they  attained  are  within  our  reach 
also.  Perhaps  we  think  it  hard  to  be  religious 
in  our  business,  in  society,  or  amid  the  cares 
and  worries  of  our  daily  life.  The  Bible  shows 
us  men  and  women  living  under  the  same  con- 
ditions, and  yet  living  so  much  in  the  fear  of 
God  and  the  presence  of  eternity  that  they  tri- 
umphed over  their  distractions,  and,  while  in 
the  world,  were  not  of  it.  Such  a  glimpse  of 
every-day  life  we  obtain  in  the  narrative  be- 
fore us.     C.  H.  I. 

This  whole  section  reveals  Eli.sha's  sympathy 
and  helpfulness,  while  it  conveys  Gospel  pre- 
cepts bearing  upon  practical  human  conduct. 
The  miracles  it  narrates,  like  all  the  miracles 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  were  for  use 
and  instruction,  not  to  produce  mere  wonder- 
ment. 

1.  T/ie  request  of  faith  under  circumstances 
of  strait  and  distress.  A  woman  (probably  of 
Samaria,  where  Elisha  lived)  is  the  suppliant — • 
a  widow  of  an  humble  but  godly  teacher.  The 
husband  had  been  one  of  a  small  class  of  in- 
structed and  devout  men,  trained  in  the  re- 
ligious schools  founded  by  Samuel  and  con- 
tinued under  succeeding  prophets.  Either  as 
youths  or  men,  and  under  an  impulse  of  the 
Divine  Spirit,  thej'  voluntarily  entered  these 
sacred   seminaries.     But,   whether  as  students 


or  as  graduated  evangelists,  unmarried  or  mar- 
ried, each  one,  like  Paul,  had  an  occupation  by 
which  he  maintained  himself  or  his  household. 
This  man  had  left  a  debt  as  his  only  legacy. 
How  incurred  we  know  not,  but  not,  certainly, 
from  evil  or  blameworthy  conduct.  By  the  *• 
laws  of  all  ancient  nations  children  were 
counted  as  the  property  of  the  parent,  and  so 
reckoned  among  his  assets,  wherewith  his  debts 
could  be  paid.  The  Jewish  law  empowered 
the  creditor  to  hold  a  deceased  creditor's  chil- 
dren as  bondsmen  for  seven  years.  What  dues 
could  not  be  paid  in  money,  it  required  to  be 
paid  in  such  enforced  service.  This  law  was 
about  to  be  applied  to  the  two  sons  of  this  poor 
widow.  She  had  no  resource  but  her  trust  in 
God.  This  trust  she  shows  by  going  at  once  to 
God's  acknowledged  prophet.  She  knows  that 
Elisha  is  favored  with  Divine  gifts  for  God's 
people.  Her  husband  was  God's  servant,  and 
his  household  is  consecrated  to  God.  And  this 
is  the  ground  of  her  appeal  in  her  great  strait 
and  distress.  Of  God's  favor  she  seeks  to  be 
availed  at  the  hand  of  His  prophet.     B. 

Of  the  vviFe§  of  the  §oii<«  of  the 
prophets.  We  learn  from  this  that  the 
"  sons  of  the  prophets"  were  not  mcrcl.v,  all  of 
them,  college  students,  but  included  fathers  of 
families,  who  cannot  have  lived  a  cloistered 
life,  but  must  have  had  separate  homes  for 
themselves  and  their  families.  Such  persons 
may  still  have  taught  in  the  prophetical 
schools,  as  do  the  married  tutors  and  professors 
of  modern  universities.  The  creditor  is 
come  to  tal<e  nijr  two  sous  to  he 
bonclnien.  In  primitive  communities  men 
borrowed  upon  their  personal  credit,  and  the 
primary  security  for  debt  was  regarded  as 
being  their  own  persons,  the  value  of  their 
labor,  and  that  of  those  dependent  on  them. 
In  Greece  and  Rome,  originally,  as  in  the  He- 
brew community,  borrowers  ordinarily  raised 
money  by  pledging  their  persons,  and,  if  they 
could  not  pay  when  the  debt  became  due,  went 
into  servitude  with  their  children.  The  Mosaic 
law  presupposes  this  state  of  things,  and  per- 
mits its  continuance,  but  in  two  respects  inter- 
feres to  modify  it  ;  by  requiring  that  the 
service  exacted  shall  not  be  severe  (Lev.  25  ;  43, 


174 


KINODO.V  OF  ISRAEL. 


46),  but  such  as  was  commonly  rcndcird  liy 
hircil  servants  (verses  39,  40) ;  and  by  liniitinjj 
till'  i>eriod  of  serviee  lo  tlie  date  of  the  next 
jubilee  year  (verses  40,  41).  In  tlie  instauee 
brought  b(  re  under  our  notice,  it  would  seem 
tliat  the  en  ditor  had  not  proceeded  to  claim 
his  rijrhts  until  the  debtor  died,  when  he  en- 
forced lliem  against  the  man's  children.  ILtm- 
moiiil. 

2-'l.  The  aiiiirer  of  EUsIm.  Instantly  he 
recognizes  and  responds  to  her  faith.  lie 
acknowledges  her  claim,  and  at  once  proceeds 
to  satisfy  the  appeal  of  her  need.  A  little  be- 
fore lie  had  sternly  repulsed  the  kine,  Jehoram, 
in  the  mid.st  of  his  royal  allies  and  their  com- 
bine<i  hosts,  with  the  question.  What /inve  I  to 
do  tcilh  tlue  ?  But  now  with  tenderest  .sympa- 
thj'  he  asks  this  lone  and  lowly  widow,  M'luit 
ihall  I  do  for  thcc?  The  question  expressed  his 
willingness  to  supply  her  ^vant  from  resources 
(not  his  own)  which  he  could  draw  upon  by  a 
signal  and  assured  faith.  Yet  he  seeks  full  in- 
formation before  he  acts.  By  a  second  ques- 
tion lie  brings  out  the  completeness  of  her  des- 
titution, and  discovers  a  way  by  which  slw  also 
can  be  called  upon  to  do  »<ninihiu(j  in  self-help. 
Thus  her  faith  and  obedience  will  be  tested  by 
being  called  into  action.  So  (in  a  previous 
chapter)  he  had  bidden  the  thirsting  army  dig 
ditches  for  the  promised  water.  And  so  Christ 
and  His  apostles  always  summoned  those  they 
were  about  to  help  to  some  act  or  some  expecta- 
tion, hy  which  faith  might  be  awakened,  encour- 
aged or  tested.  This  law  of  all  Divine  help, 
that  man  must  in  some  way  co-operate  with 
God  by  desire,  will,  or  deed,  is  expressed  in  its 
liighest  form  by  Paul  in  Phil.  2  :  12.  13.  .1 
litllf  oil  ilia  pitcher :  this  is  her  sole  remaining 
treasure.  jVssured  that  God  will  multiply  this 
at  his  intercession,  Elislia  bids  the  woman  bor- 
row as  many  empty  vessels  as  she  could  from 
families  that  know  lier — i.e.,  of  the  sons  of  the 
prophets.  Then  he  directs  her,  with  the  door 
closed  upon  herself  and  her  two  sons,  to  pour 
from  the  small  half-empty  pitcher  into  them  all. 
until  they  are  filled.     B. 

!8.  None  can  so  freely  compassionate  the 
hard  terms  of  a  prophet  as  an  Elisha.  He  finds 
that  she  is  not  querulously  impatient  ;  ex- 
pressing her  sorrow  without  murmuring  and 
di.seontcntmcnt  ;  making  a  loving  and  honora- 
ble mention  of  that  husband  who  had  left  her 
distressed  ;  readily,  therefore,  doth  he  incline  to 
her  succor  :  "  What  shall  I  do  for  thee  ?    Tell 

me  what  hast  thou  in  the  house  ?"    Sp.  II. 

God's  help  takes  its  starting-point  from  what 
we  already  have.     The  widow  had  but    "one 


pot  of  oil,"  but  this  was  made  the  ba.sisof  what 
was  to  be  done.  So  Elijah  founded  his  miracle 
on  the  widow  of  Zarephath's  "  handful  of  meal 
in  a  barrel,  and  a  little  oil  in  a  cruse."  The 
lesson  is  that  what  means  of  help  we  have  are 
to  be  made  use  of  to  the  utmost  before  super- 
natural aid  is  invoked.     J.  O. 

5,  C  Tlie  obt'dicna;  of  faith  and  its  rcstiU. 
She  did  what  she  could  and  what  was  com- 
manded. Neither  the  strangeness  of  the  com- 
mand nor  the  seeming  impossibility  of  the 
asserted  consequences  delaj-ed  her  acting.  Nor 
for  a  moment  did  her  faith  waver  while  gath- 
ering the  vessels  or  filling  them  one  by  one 
from  lier  own  small  pitcher.  When  her  obedi- 
ence was  fully  rewaiiled  and  no  empty  vessel 
remained,  tlien  the  supply  ceased,  l/ut  only  with 
the  pouring.  And  now  God  lind  greatly  en- 
riched her.  Used  as  the  olive  oil  was  for  food,  ■ 
for  light,  for  various  ceremonials,  its  value  was 
permanent  and  great.  And  it  could  always  be 
readily  exchanged  for  money.     B. 

Divine  love  is  an  eternal  fountain  that  never 
leaves  running  while  a  vessel  is  empty  or  capa- 
ble of  holding  more  ;  and  it  stands  open  to  all 
comers  :  therefore,  come  ;  and  if  ye  have  not 
suflicient  of  your  own,  go  and  borrow  vessels, 
empty  vessels,  not  a  few  ;  "  pay  your  debts 
out  of   it,  and   live  on   the  rest"   to  eternity. 

Elisha    Coles. Our    faith,    our    earnestness 

of  desire,  our  ardor  and  confidence  of  prayer, 
our  faithfulness  of  stewardship  and  strenuous- 
ness  of  use,  measure  the  amount  of  the  un- 
measured grace  which  we  can  receive.  So 
long  as  our  vessels  are  brought,  the  golden 
oil  does  not  cease  to  flow.  The  more  we  trust, 
the  more  we  can  contain  of  His  gift,  and  the 
more  we  can  contain,  the  more  shall  surely  pos- 
sess. As  Bernard  beautifully  says,  "  He  puts 
the  oil  of  His  mercy  into  the  vase  of  our  trust, " 
and  the  larger  the  vase  the  fuller  the  stream 
which  He  pours  into  It.  As  long  as  we  bring 
vessels,  the  blessing  runs,  like  the  oil  into  the 
widow's  cruse.  When  we  cease  to  hold  up 
our  emptiness  to  the  fountain,  it  stays.  "  Ye 
have  not,  because  ye  ask  not."  If  our  Chris- 
tian life  be  shrunken,  and  our  gi-aces  feeble,  it 
is  only  because  we  have  not  gone  to  Him  for 
fresh  supplies.  Little  faith  means  little  grace. 
.  .  .  The  principle  of  the  variation  in  actual 
manifestation  of  the  unvarying  might  of  God 
is  found  in  the  Lord's  words  :  "  Aceoniing  to 
your  faith  be  it  unto  you."  So,  then,  we  may 
expect  periods  of  quickened  energy  in  the 
forth  putting  of  the  Divine  power.  And  these 
will  correspond  to  and  be  consequent  on  the 
faithful  prayers  of  Christian  men.     See  to  it 


SECTION  IS.     SIX  NOTED  MIRACULOUS  ACTS  OF  ELISEA. 


175 


that  you  keep  the  channels  clear,  that  the  flow 
may  continue  full  and  increase.     A.  M. 

We  see  here  how  exactly  the  oil  matches  the 
capacity  and  number  of  the  vessels  provided. 
According  to  the  provision  made,  so  was  the 
miraculous  gift.  This  shows  us  the  law  of 
God's  dealing  with  men's  souls.  He  gives 
grace,  but  He  gives  it  in  measure.  He  gives 
grace  as  much  as  man  is  ready  to  receive  ;  but 
He  requires  man  to  prepare  vessels  to  receive 
the  grace  He  gives,  and  to  use  and  not  "  leave 
of  it."  The  oil  was  given  to  be  used;  so  is 
Divine  grace.  If  we  use  what  God  gives  and 
value  it,  he  who  gathers  much  shall  have  noth- 
ing over,  and  he  who  gathers  little  shall  have 

no  lack.     Banng-Gmild. iVs  the  widow's  oil 

increased,  not  in  the  vessel,  but  b}'  pouring 
out ;  and  as  the  barley  bread  in  the  Gospel 
multiplied,  not  in  the  whole  loaf,  but  by  break- 
ing and  dutribuiing  ;  and  as  the  grain  bringeth 
increase,  not  when  it  lieth  on  a  heap  in  the  gar- 
ner, but  by  scattering  upon  the  land  ;  so  are 
these  spiritual  graces  best  improved,  not  by 
keeping  them  together,  but  by  distributing 
them  abroad.  The  talent  gathereth  nothing 
in  the  napkin,  unless  it  be  rust  and  canker  ; 
but  travelling  in  the  bank,  besides  the  good  it 
doth  as  it  passeth  to  and  fro,  it  ever  returneth 
home  with  increase.     Sanderson. 

No  waj'  to  honor  God,  no  way  to  win  souls, 
no  way  to  increase  your  own  gifts  and  graces, 
but  to  exercise  them  for  the  good  of  others. 
Grace  is  not  like  to  worldly  vanities  that  di- 
minish by  distriliution,  but  like  caudles  which 
keep  the  same  light,  though  a  thousand  are 
lighted  b_\"  them.  Grace  is  like  the  widow's 
oil,  which  multiplied  by  pouring  out  ;  and  like 
those  talents  which  doubled  by  employment. 
T.  Brooks. 

7.  Oratitude  expressed  and  counsel  sought. 
TTie  large  deliverance.  In  few  but  fervent 
words  "  she  told  the  man  of  God."  And  he, 
who  saw  her  feeling  of  gratitude  and  of 
stewardship,  told  her  first  how  to  discharge  her 
stewardship  by  full  honest  payment  of  her  hus- 
band's debt.  Then  he  intensified  and  made  per- 
manent her  grateful  sense  of  God's  mercy,  by 
bidding  her  and  her  children  lire  of  the  re- 
mainder of  His  bounty.  Thus  she  received 
more  than  she  had  asked,  even  all  that  she 
needed.-  And  a  better  gift  God  added  in  the 
greatlj'  quickened  and  strengthened  graces  of 
her  spiritual  life.  As  the  thought  has  been  ex- 
pressed of  Christ  :  He  laid  large  foundations 
for  the  future  Church  in  the  great  numbers  of 
those  whoso  faith  was  wrought  or  strengthened 
in  connection  with  His  beneficent  miracles.     B. 


I  do  not  see  her  run  forth  into  the  street  and 
proclaim  her  store  ;  nor  calling  in  her  neigh- 
bors, whether  to  admire  or  bargain.  I  see  her 
running  to  the  prophet's  door  and  gratefully 
acknowledging  the  favor,  and  humbly  depend- 
ing on  his  directions  ;  as  not  daring  to  dispose 
of  that  which  was  so  wondrously  given  her 
without  the  advice  of  him  by  whose  powerful 
means  she  had  received  it.     Bp.  H. 

The  element  of  miracle  here  is  very  notable. 
But  the  pledge  of  Divine  help  in  distress  implied 
in  such  a  miracle  remains  to  us,  and  God  will 
honor  every  draft  on  His  promises  made  by 
faith,  basing  itself  on  such  deeds  as  this.  It 
might  almost  be  said  that  there  is  a  multiplying 
power  in  the  Divine  blessing  apart  from  mira- 
cle. The  whole  incident  teaches  us  the  lesson 
of  trusting  God  in  every  time  of  need.  When 
have  the  righteous  been  forsaken,  or  their  seed 
seen  begging  bread  (Ps.  37  :  25)  ?  If  we  can 
trust  in  God  for  temporal  supplies,  much  more 
may  we  for  our  spiritual  supplies  (Phil.  4  :  19). 

J.  O. Let  those  who  are  poor  and  in  distress 

be  encouraged  to  trust  God  for  supply  in  the 
way  of  duty.  "  Verily  thou  shalt  be  fed,"  but 
not  feasted.  It  is  true  we  cannot  now  expect 
miracles,  yet  we  may  expect  mei'cies  if  we 
wait  on  God  and  seek  Him.  Let  widows  par- 
ticularly, and  prophets'  widows  in  a  special 
manner,  depend  upon  Him  to  preserve  them  and 
their  fatherless  children  alive  ;  for  to  them 
He  will  be  a  Husband  and  a  Father.  Let  those 
whom  God  bath  blessed  with  plenty  use  it  for 
the  glory  of  God,  and  under  the  direction  of 
His  Word  ;  let  them  do  justly  with  it,  as  this 
widow  did.  and  .serve  God  cheerfvilly  in  the  use 
of  it  ;  and,  as  Elisha,  be  ready  to  do  good  to 
those  that  need  them — be  eyes  to  the  blind  and 
feet  to  the  lame.     H. 

Rich  suggestions  of  Gospel  truth,  precept  and 
promise  abound  in  this  and  the  succeeding 
miracles,  each  of  which  is  only  an  acted  par- 
able.    In  this  one  we  find  many  golden,  texts. 

1.  "  Be  care-full  (or  anxious)  for  nothing,  but 
in  ererythiiig  by  prayer  and  supplication  with 
thanksgiving,  make  known  your  requests  unto 
God."  "  Casting  all  your  care  upon  Him." 
And  by  abundant  similar  invitations  are  we  en- 
couraged to  take  our  trouble,  whatever  it  be, 
to  God — in  Him  to  find  assured  relief. 

2.  "  What  shall  1  do  for  thee,"  is  the  question 
of  all  true  Christian  helpfulness.  Coming  from 
the  heart,  it  is  always  seconded  by  the  hand  in 
appropriate  deeds  or  gifts.  Genuine  sympathy 
is  active,  expressing  itself  in  earnest  interces- 
sion with  the  Divine  Helper  if  it  can  do  no 
more. 


176 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


3.  IIo  who  supplied  Israel  in  tlie  (iesert  with 
bread  from  heaven  and  water  from  tlie  rock, 
■who  multiplied  the  meal  and  oil  for  two  poor 
widows,  still  "  giveth  all  their  meat  in  due  sea- 
son." And  by  the  Siime  Divine  power  out  of 
the  same  infinite  resourees,  though  now  through 
the  fiiniiliar  miracle  of  fruitage  from  the 
warmed  and  moistened  earth. 

4.  Not  only  in  "  man's  extremity"  does  God 
find  His  "  opportunity."  The  promise  that 
"  the  Lord  will  provide"  equally  applies  and 
needs  to  be  realized  by  men  in  their  times  of 
fulness.  It  were  well  if  tlien  too  they  found 
opportunity  for  grateful  looking  and  resting 
upon  God. 

5.  Borriiir  not  (i  feie  ressels  !  Large  expecta- 
tion brings  abundant  provision.  Large  asking 
is  the  condition,  as  it  has  the  promise,  of  boun- 
tiful supply.  And  it  honors  God's  royalty  in 
giving.  He  gives  exceeding  abundantly  above 
all  tee  auk  or  think  ! 

6.  In  His  providence  and  grace  alike  ik  are 
workers  together  icith  God.  The  increase  of 
what  we  have  comes  not  without  our  own  act 
concurring  with  His  interposition.  By  the 
icoman's  jmiiring  the  vessels  were  filled.  So  are 
we  bidden  to  "  work  out  our  own  salvation," 
if  we  would  have  "  God  work  in  us"  all  pre- 
cious results  of  holy  character  and  happy  ex- 
perience. 


7.  Render  unto  all  their  dues :  o>ne  no  man 
anything.  Honor,  in  its  high,  true  sense,  as 
well  as  conscience,  accepts  this  Gospel  law.  In 
a  just  and  lofty  meaning  of  the  terms,  it  is  true 
that  honesty  is  the  best  policy.  Even  the  poor 
must  be  honest  and  pay  their  debts — poor  men, 
poor  ministers,  and  poor  churches.  The  daily 
bread  we  ask  of  God  miLst  be  honestly  ours,  or 
our  prayer  is  a  mockery  and  is  unheartl  of  Him. 

8.  Grace,  like  the  widow's  oil,  is  the  super- 
natural free  gift  of  God,  and  avails  to  pay  all  the 
soul's  debt.  More  even  than  this,  it  provides 
for  every  si)iritual  need  of  this  life  ;  beautify- 
ing, nourishing,  healing  the  .soul,  and  lighting 
its  pathway  until  it  enters  into  glory.  And, 
according  to  the  Divine  assurances,  "  God  is 
able  to  make  all  grace  abound."  Add  now  the 
entire  expression  of  the  Holy  Gho-it,  and  learn 
the  reawn  of  this  abounding  grace  given  :  that 
it  mag  be  used  for  the  glory  of  God.  No  word 
even  of  Paul  surpasses  this  wonderfid  succes- 
sion of  unlimited  superlatives.  None  is  fraught 
with  deeper,  richer  meaning  of  promise  and 
counsel  concerning  the  abundance  and  the  right 
use  of  grace.  Read  thoughtfully  and  ponder 
each  word  of  this  royal  cumulative  utterance  of 
the  Divine  Spirit  :  God  is  able  to  make  all  grace 
abound  toicard  you,  that  ye,  alicays  htiring  all 
suffieiencyin  all  things,  may  abound  to  every  good 
mirk !     B. 


The  Shun.\mmite's  Son  Restored  to  Life. 


2  Kings  4  :  8-37. 

8  And  it  fell  on  a  day,  that  Elisha  passed  to  Ghunem.  where  was  a  great  woman  ;  and  she 
constrained  him  to  eat  bread.     And  so  it  was,  that  as  oft  as  he  passed  by,  he  turned  in 

9  thither  to  eat  bread.     And  she  said  unto  her  husband.  Behold  now,  I  perceive  that  this  is  an 

10  holy  man  of  God,  which  passeth  by  us  continually.     Let  us  make,   I   pray  thee,  a  little 
chamber  on  the  wall  ;  and  let  us  set  for  him  there  a  bed,  and  a  table,  and  a  stool,  and  a 

11  candlestick  ;  and  it  shall  be,  when  he  cometU  to  us,  that  he  shall  turn  in  thither.     And  it 
\i  fell  on  a  day,  that  he  came  thither,  and  he  turned  into  the  chamber  and  lay  there.     And  he 

said  to  Gchazi  his  servant,  Call  this  Shunammite.     And  when  he  had  called  her,  she  stood 

13  before  him.     And  he  said  unto  him.  Say  now  unto  her.  Behold,  thou  hast  been  careful  for 
us  with  all  this  care  ;  what  is  to  be  done  for  thee  ?  wouldest  thou  be  spoken  for  to  the  king, 

14  or  to  the  captain  of  the  host  ?    And  she  answered,  I  dwell  among  mine  own  people.      And 
he  said.  What  then  is  to  be  done  for  her  ?     And  Geliazi  answered.  Verily  she  hath  no  son, 

l/i  and  her  husband  is  old.     And  he  said.  Call  her.     And  when  he  had  called  her,  she  stood 

16  in  the  door.     And  he  said.  At  this  season,  when  the  time  comcth  rotind,  thou  shalt  embrace 

17  a  son.     And  she  said.  Nay,  my  lord,  thou  man  of  God.  do  not  lie  unto  thine  handmaid.     And 
the  woman  conceived,  and  bare  a  son  at  that  season,  when  the  time  came  roimd.  its  Elisha 

18  had  said  unto  her.     And  when  the  child  was  grown,  it  fell  on  a  day,  that  he  went  out  to  lus 

19  faihcr  to  the  reajiers.     And  he  said  unto  his  father,  5Iy  head,  my  head.     And  he  said  to  his 

20  i-ervaiit,  Carry  him  to  his  mother.     And  when  he  had  taken  him,  and  brought  him  to  his 

21  mother,  he  sat  on  her  knees  till  noon,  and  then  died.     And  she  went  up.  and  laid  him  on  the 

22  bed  of  the  man  of  God,  and  shut  the  door  upon  him,  and  went  out.     And  she  called  unto  her 
husband,  and  said.  Send  me,  I  pray  thee,  one  of  the  servants,  and  one  of  the  asses,  tliat  I 


SECTION  IS.     SIX  NOTED  MIRACULOUS  ACTS  OF  ELISIIA. 


177 


23  m<ay  run  to  the  man  of  God,  and  come  again.     And  he  said.  Wlierefore  wilt  thou  go  to  him 

34  to-day  ?  it  is  neither  new  moon  nor  sabbath.  And  she  said,  It  shall  be  well.  Then  she 
saddled  an  a.ss,  and  said  to  her  servant.  Drive,  and  go  forward  ;  slacken  me  not  the  riding, 

35  except  I  bid  thee.  So  she  went,  and  came  unto  the  man  of  God  to  mount  Carmel.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  when  the  man  of  God  saw  her  afar  off,   that  he  said  to  Gehazi  his  servant, 

26  Behold,  yonder  is  the  Shunammite  :  run,  I  pray  thee,  now  to  meet  her,  and  say  unto  her,  Is 

27  it  well  with  thee  ?  is  it  well  with  thy  husband  ?  is  it  well  with  the  child  ?  And  she 
answered,  It  is  well.  And  when  she  came  to  the  man  of  God  to  the  hill,  she  caught  hold  of 
his  feet.  And  Gehazi  came  near  to  thrust  her  away  ;  but  the  man  of  God  said,  Let  her 
alone  :  for  her  soul  is  vexed  within  her  ;  and  the  Lord  hath  hid  it  from  me,  and  hath  not 

28  told  me.     Then  she  said.  Did  I  desire  a  son  of  my  lord  ?  did  I  not  say.  Do  not  deceive  me  ? 

29  Then  he  said  to  Gehazi.  Gird  up  thy  loins,  and  take  my  staff  in  thine  hand,  and  go  thy 
way  :  if  thou  meet  any  man,  salute  him  not  ;  and  if  any  salute  thee,  answer  him  not  again  ; 

30  and  lay  my  staff  upon  the  face  of  the  child.     And  the  mother  of  the  child  said.  As  the  Loud 

31  liveth,  and  as  thy  soul  liveth,  I  will  not  leave  thee.  And  he  arose,  and  followed  her.  And 
Gehazi  passed  on  before  them,  and  laid  the  staff  upon  the  face  of  the  child  ;  but  there  was 
neither  voice,  nor  hearing.     Wherefore  he  returned  to  meet  him,  and  told  him,  saying.  The 

32  child  is  not  awaked.     And  when  Elisha  was  come  into  the  house,  behold,  the  child  was  dead, 
38  and  laid  upon  his  bed.    He  went  in  therefore,  and  shut  the  door  upon  them  twain,  and  prayed 

34  unto  the  Lord.  And  he  went  up,  and  lay  upon  the  child,  and  put  his  mouth  upon  his  mouth, 
and  his  eyes  upon  his  eyes,  and  his  hands  upon  his  hands  :  and  he  stretched  himself  upon 

35  him  ;  and  the  flesh  of  the  child  waxed  warm.  Then  he  returned,  and  walked  in  the  house 
once  to  an<l  fro  ;  and  went  up,  and  stretched  himself  upon  him  ;  and  the  child  sneezed  seven 

36  times,  and  the  child  opened  his  eyes.     And  he  called  Gehazi,  and  said.  Call  this  Shunam- 

37  mite.  So  he  called  her.  And  when  she  was  come  in  unto  him,  he  said.  Take  up  thy  son. 
Then  she  went  in,  and  fell  at  his  feet,  and  bowed  herself  to  the  ground  ;  and  she  took  up 
her  son,  and  went  out. 


§-17.  Elisha's  ordinarj^  ministry  consisted 
in  the  oversight  of  the  prophetical  schools,  and 
in  personal  instruction  and  helpfulness  in  be- 
half of  those  who  still  acknowledged  Jehovah. 
Although  living  in  Samaria,  he  seems  often  to 
have  visited  Elijah's  old  retreat  at  Carmel, 
there  to  olitain  the  same  needed  blessing  of 
quiet  thoughtfulness  and  devotion.  The  city 
Shunem  lay  upon  the  road  he  usually  traversed, 
between  Samaria  and  Carmel.  In  this  city  was 
a  woman  of  comparative  distinction  and  wealth, 
who  was  a  worehipper  of  the  true  God.  This 
woman,  at  first  recognizing  Elisha  as  a  prophet 
of  Jehovah,  invites  him  to  come  in  for  passing 
refreshment  and  rest.  Then,  receiving  spirit- 
ual cheer  and  help  from  his  devout  and  genial 
spirit,  she  desires  more  of  his  presence,  that  she 
may  receive  more  of  God's  blessing  upon  her 
household.  Her  husband  gladly  concurring,  a 
chamber  is  specially  prepared  for  Elisha's  use, 
that  he  may  make  the  house  his  home  as  often 
and  as  long  as  he  will.  Tlirough  Elisha's  grati- 
tude, she  who  thus  received  God's  prophet, 
'receircd  a  prophet' n  reward  CSlan.  10:41).  At 
his  intercession,  God  gives  the  childless  woman 
a  son,  and  for  some  years  permitted  her  to  lav- 
ish a  mother's  affection  upon  the  child.     B. 

8.  Three  miles  north  of  Jezrecl,  by  the  south- 
west edge  of  Little  Ilermou,  was  Shunem — the 


modern  SoUtm.  Here,  at  the  hoiLse  of  a  dis- 
tinguished family,  the  prophet  Elisha  was  en- 
tertained, from  time  to  time,  in  his  goings  past 
the  place,  with  generous  hospitality  ;  and  here 
he  restored  to  life  tlie  only  child  of  the  house- 
hold— the  child  of  promise — who  had  died  of  a 
sunstroke  received  in  the  harvest  field.  The 
prophet,  at  the  time  of  the  child's  death,  was  at 
Mount  Carmel,  no  doubt  near  the  scene  of  his 
predecessor's  great  triumph  over  the  false 
prophets.  The  distance  from  Shunem  was 
about  twelve  miles.     N.  C.  B. 

8,  9.  They  are  not  rendered  .selfish  or  worldly 
minded  by  their  prosperity.  They  feel  and  ad- 
mit the  claims  of  religion  upon  them.  In 
Elisha  they  recognize  a  "  man  of  God  ;"  first, 
it  would  seem,  ofHcially.  ^Vs  the  official  repre- 
sentative to  them  of  the  Most  High,  they  re- 
gard him  as  entitled  to  kindness  and  hospital- 
ity. They  press  upon  him  their  good  offices,  and 
insist  on  his  taking  his  meals  with  them,  "  con- 
strain him  to  eat  bread"  (verse  8).  When  by 
degrees  they  have  become  acquainted  with  his 
character,  they  recognize  in  him  something 
more — they  "  perceive  that  he  is  a  holy  man  of 
God"  (vei-se  9).  Like  is  perceived  by  like.  It 
takes  some  holiness  to  perceive  and  recognize 
holiness.  And  the  perception  raises  a  desire 
for  greater  intimacy.      Like  dcJsires  like.     It 


178 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


■will  bo  a  blessed  thins  if  tliey  can  persuade  the 
prDphct,  not  merely  ti)  take  an  oecasioiiiil  meal 
ill  tlicir  limise,  but  to  be  an  oeeasioiial  inmate 
— to  rest  (here,  to  sleep  there.  So  the  woman 
I)ropose8  to  her  husband  to  bnild  the  prophet  a 
Bleeping-ehamber ;  and  he  readily  consents. 
Jill  lit  mtiiitf. 

itiail  <>r  <ii(»(i.  Astrikin,n-  title  to  give  to 
a  human  beiiii;,  and  a  very  grand  one.  And 
yet  is  not  this  the  title  which  every  man  should 
be  able  to  adopt  and  proud  to  bear  ?  We  all 
come  from  His  creating  hand.  We  live  on  His 
beneficence.  We  are  subject  to  His  provi- 
dence. A  great  many  different  kinds  of  life 
men  can  live  on  the  earth,  lower  and  higher, 
but  there  is  only  one  best  life — that  which  a 
man  may  live  in  God.  A  man  of  God  should 
be  proud  of  his  title.  Other  men  ant  proud  of 
Uieirs — the  man  of  the  world,  the  man  of  let- 
ters, the  statesman,  the  man  of  honor.  The 
man  of  God  should  never  be  ashamed  of  his 
name,  if  only  he  has  the  right  to  bear  it.  A. 
liahigh. 

The  life  of  men  forgiven  and  the  life  of  men 
attached,  the  life  of  men  devoted  and  the  life 
of  men  expectant  may  be  represented  as  the 
life  of  g(xlliiiess  wrought  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  in  all  believing  peopU-.  And  this 
life  of  godliness  throws  round  a  man  a  holy  un- 
selfishness, invests  him  with  a  beautiful  charity, 
develops  in  hinj  a  pure  consecration  of  thought 
and  life,  so  that  by  the  unction  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  upon  him  there  is  consciously  felt,  by  all 
nroiiiid  him,  the  fragrance  of  an  undemonstra- 
tive yet  irresistible  sanctity,  that  mighty  power 
instilling  mighty  principles  in  all  he  does,  that 
mysterious  atmosphere  in  which  every  man 
breatliing  finds  something  of  the  instinct  of  a 
better  life,  and  all  are  prepared  to  say,  concern- 
ing the  consistent  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  "  Truly  this  is  a  holy  man  of  God  that 
passeth  by  us  continually."     Eiclirinhon. 

lO,  AikI  it  fiiiail  be,  when  lie  coni- 
ctli  l<>  118,  tliiil  lie  §liall  liirii  in 
(IlillltT,  In  the  intervals  between  hi.s  active 
ministrations,  a  prophet  would  naturally  desire 
quiet  retirement,  security  from  interruption. 
He  would  need  to  refieet,  to  meditate,  to  pray, 
perhiips  to  write.  The  Sliunamtnite's  propo.sal 
shows  not  only  kindness,  but  thoughtfuliiess 

and  appreciation.      Ilummond. A  chamber 

was  fitted  up  on  the  wall  for  Elisha's  private 
use,  and  there  he  abode,  ami  could  feel  at  home, 
wlienever  he  pas.scd  that  way.  How  beautiful 
the  large  and  unstinted  generosity,  the  wise  fore- 
thought, the  warm  consideration  for  another's 
comfort,  displiij'ed  in  this  incident  1     This  wise 


and  tinsclfish  use  of  wealth  is  the  true  secret  of 
obtaining  enjoyment  out  of  it.     J.  O. 

VZ.  He  Naid  l<>  Cieliazi  IiIn  Nervanl. 

Gehazi  is  first  mentioned  in  connection  with 
this  narrative  of  the  Shunammite  (verse  12),  of 
which  he  subsequently  gave  an  ai'count  to  the 
king  (3  K.  8  ;  4,  5)  ;  besides  this,  he  is  only 
once  spoken  of  in  his  deceit  practised  upon 
Naaniiin  and  its  penalty.  He  was  the  attend- 
ant upon  Elisha,  as  Elisha  himself  had  been 
upou  Elijah,  and  Barueh  was  upon  Jeremiah 
(Jer.  36  : 4).  He  may  have  been  one  of  the 
sous  of  the  prophets,  whom  Elisha  here  en- 
trusts with  a  sacred  function,  aiul  who,  he  may 
have  hoped,  would  both  be  a  vahiable  as.sistant 
to  him  in  his  work  and  continue  it  after  he  was 
taken  away.     \V.  II.  G. 

i:t.  I  (Itveil  anion;;  mine  own 
people.  As  if  she  said,  "  The  courtesy  is  not 
small  in  itself,  but  not  useful  to  me.  I  live 
here  quietly,  in  a  contented  obscurity.  I  have 
neither  fears  nor  ambitions.  My  neighbors  are 
my  friends."  If  the  world  afford  any  perfect 
contentment,  it  is  in  a  middle  estate  ;  equally 
distant  from  penury,  from  excess  ;  it  is  in  a 
calm  freedom,  a  secure  tranquillity,  a  sweet 
fruilion  of  ourselves,  of  ours.     /jy*.  II. 

This-  is  indeeil,  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  term, 
a  ciiiitrnti'd  woman,  whom  we  here,  under  the 
reign  of  King  Joram,  meet  in  hospitable  Shu- 
neni,  as  the  childless  hostess  of  God's  holy 
prophet.  That  which  has  been  bestowed  on 
her  she  docs  not  despise  ;  calmly  and  peace- 
fully her  days  glide  on  in  the  midst  of  her 
jieople.  To  Elisha  she  has  offered  all  that  her 
house  affords  ;  but  has  nothing  to  ask  from 
him,  even  when  he  puts  words  in  her  mouth. 

Van    0. She  said — ami  the  words  indicate 

the  power  which,  even  under  that  earlier  dis- 
pensation, God's  grace  hail  gained  in  her  heart 
— "  I  dwell  among  mine  own  people  ;"  words 
worthy  of  a  jjsalmist,  worthy  of  an  apostle, 
worthy  of  him  who  sung,  "  The  lines  are  fallen 
unto  me  in  pleasant  places  ;  yea,  I  have  a 
goodly  heritage,"  and  of  him  who  wrote,  "  I 
have  learned,  in  whatsoever  state  1  am,  there- 
with to  be  content."  Oh,  that  in  an  age  when 
men  run  to  and  fro  in  restless  (juest  of  some- 
thing which  at  present  they  have  not.  we  could 
all  re-echo  her  sentiment,  and  take  it  up  into  otu- 
mouths  with  sincerity:  "  I  dwell  among  mine 
own  people."  "  In  my  present  home  I  desire 
to  abide,  till  I  exchange  it  for  a  better  and  an 
eternal  one  !"     E.  M.  G. 

I<i.  Like  Sarah,  the  woman  was  incredulous  ; 
she  could  not  believe  the  i;-oo<l  tidings,  and 
thought  the  prophet  was  only  raising  hopes  to 


SECTIOJSf  IS.     SIX  NOTED  MIRACULOUS  ACTS  OF  ELISIIA. 


179 


disappoint  tUcm.  HtrworLls,  "  Do  not  lie  unto 
thy  servant,"  are  less  harsh  in  the  orijjinal, 
being-  merely  equivalcut  to  the  "  Do  not  deceive 
me"  of  verse  28.     Hammond. 

l§-ttl.  T/ie  Mill's  death  from  sunstroke. 
God  is  about  to  test  her  faith  as  He  had  be- 
fore tested  that  of  the  widow  of  Zarcphath. 
This  He  did,  as  He  ever  does,  that  her  faith 
might  be  exercised,  confirmed,  strengthened  and 
rewarded.  Therefore  this  child  of  promise  and 
of  prayer,  given  in  love,  and  rejoiced  over  with 
grateful  affection,  was  stricken  with  death  in 
her  enfiikling  arms.  Without  one  act  of 
preparation  for  burial,  laying  the  dead  boy 
upon  Elisha's  own  bed,  she  hastens  to  lay  her 
burden  upon  the  prophet's  heart.  Faith  there 
was — wonderfully  simple  and  strong — in  all  her 
quiet  and  firm,  uncomplaining  yet  energetic 
acting.  She  trusted  Elisha  and  Elisha's  God.  Her 
acts  were  a  prayer,  and  an  expectation  of  answer 
that  would  in  some  way  meet  her  sore  ueeds. 

22-124.  Me.fs(i(/e  to  her  husband  and  his  reply. 
She  asked  that  he  would  send  an  ass  upon 
which  she  might  ride  to  Carmel,  and  a  young 
man  to  lead  or  drive  the  animal  (as  is  now  cus- 
tomary in  the  East).  The  distance  was  upward 
of  twelve  miles.  She  assigned  no  reason  for 
her  request,  and  the  husband  supposed  that  her 
purpose  referred  to  religious  instruction  or 
counsel  from  the  prophet.  "  It  is  neither  new 
moon  nor  Sabbath,"  he  said,  thus  showing  that 
these  religious  festivals  were  still  honored  by 
devout  Israelites.  But  satisfying  him  with  a 
general  reply,  she  pereisted  in  seeking  the 
prophet,  and  bade  the  servant  to  make  all  speed 
upon  the  way.     B. 

The  husband's  surprised  question,  "  Where- 
fore wilt  thou  go  to  him  to-day  ?  it  is  neither 
new  moon  nor  Sabbath,"  shows  that  it  was 
Elisha's  custom  to  hold  religious  a.ssemblies  on 
the  Sabbath  days,  to  which  the  godly  in  Israel 
resorted.  This  is  an  interesting  side  light  on 
the  practice  of  the  time.  Weekly  assemblies 
were  not  provided  for  in  the  law  ;  but  where 
love  to  God  is  in  the  heart,  it  ueeds  no  law  to 
bring  believers  together.     J.  O. 

23.  It  is  specially  worthy  of  remark  that  the 
schools  of  the  prophets  served  the  people  of  the 
northern  kingdom  as  a  suhstitute  for  the  legiti- 
mate sanctuary.  From  verse  23  it  may  be  in- 
ferred that  the  pious  betook  themselves,  on  the 
new  moons  and  Sabbaths,  to  the  schools  of  the 
prophets  ;  na_v,  from  the  mention  of  the  ofEcring 
of  first  fruits  of  barley  loaves  and  new  corn 
(verse  42),  it  may  be  presumed  that  there  were 
some  who  brought  to  the  prophets  the  dues  pre- 
scribed in  the  law  (for  the  sanctuary).     O. 


25-2§.  What  transpired  before  and  at  the 
interview  on  Carmel.  Thither  she  had  hastily 
ridden,  well  knowing  where  to  find  Elisha.  At 
a  distance  she  is  recognized  by  the  prophet. 
From  her  coming,  and  in  haste,  he  infers  some 
calamit}'  in  her  household.  In  instant  sympa- 
thy he  bids  his  servant  to  run  and  meet  her, 
with  the  inquiry  if  all  is  well.  The  faith  that 
has  nerved  her  still  holds  out  as  she  answers 
Gehazi,  Well!  Yet  she  slacks  not  her  speed 
until  she  has  ascended  the  hill,  and  reached  the 
spot  where  the  anxious  prophet  has  waited. 
Then  her  troubled  soul  finds  its  expre.ssiou  only 
by  clasping  the  feet  of  Elisha.  When  Gehazi 
would  have  removed  her,  the  master  forbade 
him ;  for  well  Elisha  read  her  sore  grief, 
though  he  knew  not  its  cause.  In  two  terse, 
touching  questions,  she  exposes  the  core  of  her 
sorrow.  They  conveyed  an  appeal,  not  a  re- 
proach, to  Elisha.  "  Not  from  my  asking  was 
God's  gift  of  the  child  !  Thou  wilt  not  let  the 
gift  be  taken  thus  prematurely,  and  so  utterly 
destroy  the  hope  that  thou,  all  unsolicited,  hast 
awakened  in  these  brief  years  of  joy  and 
love  !"     B. 

This  mourner  took  her  trouble  to  the  right 
place.  She  found  words  which  in  form  were 
words  of  expostulation:  "Did  I  desire  a  son 
of  my  lord  ?  did  I  not  say.  Do  not  deceive 
me  ?"  In  reality  she  was  recalling  to  the 
prophet  that  it  was  his  own  word  which  had 
[iromised  her  this  child.  She  was  telling  him 
in  effect  that  the  child  was  dead,  and  suppli- 
cating his  help  to  prevent  his  original  promise 
being  completely  cancelled.  God  is  pleased 
that  we  should  plead  His  promises  with  Him. 
He  bids  us  "  put  Him  in  remembrance."     J.  O. 

How  many  a  sad  heart  is  to-day  tempted  to 
raise  this  cry  of  anguish  !  And  how  patient  is 
Elisha  with  wild  words,  and  how  he  discerns, 
beneath  the  apparent  rough  reproach,  the  mis- 
ery which  it  implies  and  the  petition  which  it 
veils  !  Elisha's  Lord  is  no  less  tender  in  His 
judgment  of  our  hasty,  whirlwind  words, 
when  our  hearts  are  sore  ;  and  if  only  we  speak 
them  to  Him  and  cling  to  His  feet,  He  trans- 
lates them  into  the  petitions  which  they  mean, 
and  is  swift  to  answer  the  meaning  and  pass 
by  the  sound  of  our  bitter  cry.     A.  M. 

29-31.  The  mission  of  Gehazi  with  Elis/ia's 
^t'lff,  and  its  failure.  What  the  prophet  in- 
tended or  expected  from  the  laying  of  his  staff 
upon  the  face  of  the  dead  child  we  do  not 
know.  No  reasonable  conjecture  has  been 
framed  concerning  it.  The  extreme  haste  he  en- 
joined upon  Gehazi  seems  to  suggest  his  hope 
that  life  was  not  wholly  gone,  and  that  it  migfU 


180 


KINGDOM  OP  ISRAEL. 


l)f  ri'callcd  tlirouiih  this  appliril  olliciiil  sym- 
bol. Hut,  ignoniut  as  wc  tire  of  Elisha's  pur- 
posf,  tlie  act  itself  with  its  utter  failure  con- 
veys this  lesson  :  That  mere  outward  imtiu,- 
mentalitiea  are  not  honored  of  God.  Even  in 
miracle  working,  and  assuredly  in  all  spiritual 
ministry,  onJi/  a  personal  agent  innpired  icith 
faith  and  cj'ern'iiing  that  faith  in  prayer  is  used 
by  God  in  t!ie  accuniplishnient  of  Ilis  gracious 
life-giving  |>iirposcs.  The  child  continued  in- 
sensililc  to  Gdiazi's  call,  after  tlie  laying  of  the 
stall  upon  his  face.  The  servant  therefore  re- 
turns to  meet  his  master,  who,  uitli  tlic  trust- 
ing mother,  was  liastcning  bade  to  Shunem. 
"  The  child  is  not  awakened,"  he  said.     B. 

30.  Ajiparently  tlie  woman  supposed  that 
Elislia  intended  to  do  nothing  more,  but  trust 
the  child's  recovery  to  such  virtue  as  might  in- 
here in  his  staff.  But  her  own  resolution  was 
long  ago  taken — she  would  be  content  with 
notliing  less  than  bringing  the  propliet  face  to 
face  with  her  dead  cliild.  She  "  will  not 
leave"  him  till  he  consents  to  accompany  her 
to  her  home.  And  lie  !ir«»>*e,  siiid  J<i»l- 
lotved  licr ;  as,  no  doulit,  he  had  intended 
from  the  first.     Hammond. 

O  strong  faith  of  the  Shunammite,  that  could 
not  bo  discouraged  with  the  seizure  and  contin- 
uance of  death  ;  raising  up  her  heart  still  to  an 
expectation  of  that  life,  which  to  the  eyes  of 
nature  had  been  impossible,  irrevocable  !  O 
infinite  goodness  of  the  Almighty,  that  would 
not  suffer  such  faith  to  be  frustrate  ;  that 
would  rather  reverse  tlie  laws  of  nature  in  re- 
turning a  guest  from  heaven,  and  raising  a 
corpse  from  tleath,  than  the  confidence  of  a  be- 
lieving heart  should  be  disappointed  !     Bp.  II. 

31.  Although  on  some  occasions  it  has 
pleased  God  to  allow  miracles  to  be  wrouglit 
by  the  instrumentality  of  lifeless  objects,  as 
when  Elisha's  bones  resuscitated  a  dead  man, 
and  when  virtue  went  out  from  the  hem  of  our 
Lord's  garment,  and  still  more  remarkably, 
when  "  handkiTchiefs  or  aprons  from  the  Ijody 
of  Paul  were  brought  unto  the  sick,  and  the 
diseases  departed  from  them,  and  the  evil  spirits 
were  cast  out  of  them  ;"  yet  the  instances  are, 
comparatively  speaking,  rare,  and  form  excep- 
tions to  what  may  be  called  the  usual  Divine 
economy  of  miracles.  Miracles  arc,  as  a  general 
rule,  attached  in  Scripture  to  intense  unwaver- 
ing faitli — faith,  sometimes,  in  those  that  are 
the  objects  of  them,  almost  always  in  those 
that  are  the  workera  of  them.  The  present  case 
was  not  to  be  an  exception  to  the  general  rule, 
the  circumstances  not  calling  for  an  exception. 
The  power  of  faith  was  to  be  shown  forth  once 


more  in  Elisha,  as  not  long  previously  in  Elijah 
(1  K.  17  :  IH-J:!)  ;  and  Israel  was  to  be  tauglit, 
by  a  second  marvellous  example,  how  much  the 
elTectual  fervent  prayer  of  a  faithful  and 
righteous  man  avails  with  the  Most  High. 
Uaninuind. 

32-35.  Tlie  dead  child  rextored  to  life  at 
Elisha's  intercession.  A  careful  comi>arison  of 
this  narrative  with  that  of  Elijah's  (1  K. 
17  :  19-3i)  is  greatly  interesting  and  instruc- 
tive. Like  Elijah,  Elisha  shuts  himself  in  his 
own  room,  with  the  lifeless  body  and  with 
God.  Like  Elijah,  he  first  cries  to  the  Lord. 
Tlu^n,  like  his  old  teacher,  he  stretches  himself 
upon  the  child,  if  po.ssible  that  his  body  might 
impart  warmth  to  the  cold  body.  "  And  the 
flesh  of  the  child  waxed  warm."  But  there 
needs  yet  more  of  importunity  before  full  con- 
sciousness is  restored.  This  Elisha  utters,  as 
he  walks  to  and  fro  with  intensely  stirred 
spirit.  "  He  continues  and  struggles  ill  prajxT. 
The  Lord  does  not  allow  great  deeds  to  be  ac- 
comiilished  without  battles  and  struggles,  labor 
and  perseverance"  (Bahr).  Then  he  returns 
again  to  repeat  the  symbolic  act  by  which  he 
expressed  his  yearning  to  aid  in  bringing  baf:k 
a  full  life.  And  God  responded  to  his  prayer 
of  faith  and  its  accompanying  act  of  helpful 
desire.     The  child  is  awaked  !    B. 

34.  When  that  one  uniting  force  in  human 
society — love  luiilt  upon  confidence — is  diverted 
from  the  poor  finite  creatures,  and  transferred 
from  one  another  to  Ilim,  then  His  infinite  en- 
erg}-,  which  is  ever  around  us,  whether  wo 
know  it  and  open  our  hearts  to  it  or  no,  flows 
into  our  being,  and  becomes  an  indwelling 
guest  which  fills  our  souls.  They  that  love  are 
one.  "  He  that  is  joined  to  the  Lord  is  one 
Spirit."  And  as  the  prophet  in  the  wonderful 
old  story  laid  himself  down  on  the  dead  child, 
j  hand  to  hand,  mouth  to  mouth,  lip  to  lip.  and 
heart  to  heart,  that  the  throlibing  heart  might 
move  the  puUes,  and  the  warmth  might  steal 
into  the  dull,  cold  frame,  so,  but  with  a  con- 
tact closer,  more  real,  more  all  emliracing  as  is 
the  diffi-rencc  between  man  and  God,  between 
spirit  and  flesh,  Christ  lays  His  lifj  to  our 
death,  and  in  Him  wo  too  live  and  move.  In 
Him  we  are  (juiekened  together  and  raised  up 
together.  Christ's  dwelling  in  us,  and  w-e  in 
Him.  is  the  secret  and  the  condition  of  all  our 
spiritual  life.     A.  M. 

3«,  37.  The  rhiht  ddirerrd  to  the  ffratefiil, 
hiiji/ii/  iiiothir.  With  heart  too  full  for  words, 
reverently  and  gratefully  she  falls  at  the  proph- 
et's feet  :  t bus  exiiressing  her  acknowledgments 
to   Him  who  had    given   her  child   back   from 


SECTION  IS.     SIX  NOTED  MIRACULOUS  ACTS  OF  ELISHA. 


181 


death.  With  her  faith  thiis  marvellously  con- 
fir.nedandrc'wardi'd.  her  twice  given  son  heace- 
forth  becomes  a  boud  to  hold  her  heart  closely 
to  the  gracious  Jehovah.     B. 

How  beautiful  are  the  quiet  words,  "  Take 
up  thy  son"  !  She  has  no  words  ;  but,  for  all 
answer,  comes  close  to  him  (there  is  no  "  in"  in 
verse  37),  and  once  again,  but  with  what  differ- 
ent feelings,  clasps  his  feet.  The  story  draws 
a  curtain  over  that  meeting  in  the  prophet's 
chamber.  Sad  hearts,  who  have  vainly  longed 
for  such  a  moment,  can  fancy  the  rapture. 
But  the  da_v  will  come,  not  here,  but  in  the 
upper  chamber,  when  parted  ones  shall  clasp 
each  other  again  ;  and  manj'  a  mourner  shall 
liear  Jesus  say  from  the  throne  wliat  He  once 
said  from  the  cross,  "  Woman,  behold  thy  son  ; 
son,  behold  thy  mother."     A.  M. 

How  true  an  heir  is  Elisha  of  his  master  ;  not 
in  his  graces  only,  but  in  his  actions  !  Both  of 
them  divided  the  waters  of  Jordan  ;  the  one  as 
his  last  act,  the  other  as  his  first.  Elijah's  curse 
was  the  death  of  the  captains  and  their  troops  ; 
Elisha's  curse  was  the  death  of  the  children ; 
Elijah  relinked  Ahab  to  his  face  ;  Elisha,  Jeho- 
ram.  Elijah  supplied  the  drought  of  Israel  by 
rain  from  heaven  ;  Elisha  supplied  the  drought 
of  the  three  kings  by  waters  gushing  out  of  the 
earth.  Elijah  increased  the  oil  of  the  Sareptan  ; 
Elisha  increased  the  oil  of  the  prophet's 
widow.  Elijah  raised  from  death  the  Sarep- 
tan's  son  ;  Elisha,  the  Shunammite's  :  both  of 
them  had  one  mantle,  one  spirit  :  both  of  them 
climbed  up  one  Carmel,  one  heaven.     Bp.  U. 


The  cnjoj'ment  of  our  little  ones,  while  they 
are  with  us,  is  a  blessing,  and  for  that  we 
should  be  grateful.  It  is  better  to  have  had 
them  and  lost  them  than  never  to  have  had 
them  at  all.  We  have  had  all  the  radiance  of 
their  presence,  and  all  the  discipline  both  of 
their  training  and  their  departure,  so  that  while 
their  removal  has  indeed  changed  the  world  for 
us,  their  coming  to  us  and  sojourn  with  us  have 
revolutionized  our  own  natures.  Our  charity 
is  broader,  our  sympathy  is  wider,  our  charac- 
ters are  deeper.  The  little  ones  have  gone,  but 
the  qualities  which  they  created  in  us  and  fos- 
tered within  us  remain  to  be  a  blessing  both 
to  ourselves  and  others.  That  is  a  profound 
utterance  of  Tennyson,  when  in  lines  of  condo- 
lence to  a  bereaved  friend  he  says  : 

"  God  gives  us  love  ;  eomething  to  love 
lie  lend^  us  ;  but  when  love  ia  grown 
To  ripeness,  that  ou  which  it  throve 
Falls  off ;  and  love  is  left  alone." 


So  the  gift  of  a  child,  even  though  he  should 
be  taken  from  us,  leaves  a  deposit  of  blessing 
on  our  characters,  and  is  a  perennial  source  of 
benefit.  Moreover,  it  is  not  to  be  forgotten, 
that  if  the  mystery  of  the  death  of  little  ones 
be  great,  the  consolation  is  proportionate.  We 
have  the  unfaltering  conviction  of  their  eternal 
salvation,  and  when  we  think  of  the  dangers  of 
life,  when  we  remember  what  perils  have  men- 
aced ourselves,  and  how  we  have  often  come 
near  making  shipwreck  of  our  souls,  we  may 
sometimes  see  reason  to  be  grateful  that  God 
took  our  loved  ones  away  out  of  reach  of  the 
storm,  into  the  haven  of  sccurit}'.  Then  what 
a  drawing  heavenward  is  felt  b}'  the  father  or 
the  mother  who  has  a  child  in  glory  !  W.  M. 
Tat/lor. 

The  simple,  touching  story  affectingly  illus- 
trates one  of  the  main  purposes  and  uses  of 
afflictive  providences  when  visited  upon  the 
believer.  By  every  such  visitation  God  intends 
to  exercise  and  strengthen  faith,  by  begetting 
a  sense  of  utter  dependence  upon  Himself  and 
by  constraining  the  afflicted  soul  to  look  unto 
and  wait  upon  Him  for  support  and  deliver- 
ance. Such  trust — dependent,  expectantly'  look- 
ing, patiently  hoping  and  waiting — He  always 
rewards  in  the  issue.     B. 

From  Heb.  11  :  35  we  learn  that  it  was  in  an- 
swer to  the  woman's  faith  that  she  received  her 
dead  rai.sed  to  life  again.  It  was  her  faith  that 
led  her  to  seek  the  prophet's  aid  ;  in  her  trial 
she  held  firmlj'  to  the  word  of  promise,  and  in 
answer  to  the  prophet's  pra3-er  of  faith  her  son 
was  given  back  to  her.  It  was  neither  the 
staff,  nor  the  breath  of  the  prophet,  nor  the 
warm  contact  of  the  living  with  the  dead  that 
brought  back  life  to  the  child.  It  was  the 
prayer  of  faith  that  moved  the  Divine  power. 
That  alone  could  restore  the  boy  to  his  stricken 
mother.  Faith  may  not  now  bring  back  the 
dead  to  life,  j'et  it  always  brings  victory  over 
death.  It  looks  forward  to  the  day  of  resurrec- 
tion, when  our  Lord  will  restore  the  child  to 
the  mother,  and  the  friend  to  the  friend,  never 
again  to  be  parted.     Anon. 

The  prophet's  course  in  seeking  the  restora- 
tion of  the  dead  child  impressively  intimates 
the  human  means  and  methods  through  which 
the  spiritually  dead  are  divinely  renewed.  Only 
the  spiritually  living  have  a  part  in  the  Divine 
work  of  restoring  lifeless  souls.  But  in  God's 
plan,  this  part  is  an  essential  condition  of  His 
work.  This  part  is  twofold  ;  first,  the  earnest 
wrestling  prayer  of  faith  ;  and  next,  person- 
al contact  of  the  living  soul  with  the  dead, 
through  a  msible  godly  life  and  the   expressed 


182 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


interest  of  warm  living  sympatliy  and  yearn- 
ing. Such  a  niiinifost  holy  life  and  such  ex- 
pressed yearning  joined  to  fervent  intercession 
cannot  fail  to  awaken  healiliful  thought  and 
feeling  in  unrenewed  souls,  l-'or  the  Spirit 
of  God  idways  co-works  with  such  prayer  and 
personal  ('frort.  Thus,  and  thus  only,  does  He 
onlinarily  ([uicken  the  spiritually  dead.  How 
great,  then,  the  responsibility  of  every  Chris- 
tian believer  in  connection  with  Christ's  vast 
work  of  seeking  and  saving  the  lost  !  Iloie 
much  lum  every  Chriiitian  soul  to  ch  in  the  salca- 
tion  of  thiiHc  especially  a  mong  whom  h  in  lot  is  aist ! 
Elisha's  dealing  with  the  Shunammite  wife 
and  niollier  presents  efEectively  the  human  side 


of  the  Old  Testament  Gospel.  We  behold  him 
first  as  a  visitant  and  teacher  ;  then  a  friend 
and  frequent  and  welcome  guest.  In  the  nat- 
ural outflow  of  friendship,  and  knowing  the 
willing  love  of  God,  he  asks  the  best  earthly 
boon  for  his  friendly  entertainer,  the  boon  of 
motherhood.  And  afterward,  when  the  moth- 
er's faith  was  sorely  tried  and  failed  not,  he  be- 
sought and  brought  again  the  child  blessing 
from  God.  And  the  history  of  subsequent 
years  shows  that  the  human  friendship  was  held 
and  proved  by  other  fruits  of  blessing  to  the 
mother.  In  these,  as  in  other  points,  there  is 
clearly  evinced  the  humanizing  character  of  the 
Old  Testament  spirit.     B. 


The  I'oisonei)  I'ott.^oe  Puuifieu  .\t  Gilgal. 

3  Kingx  4  :  38-41. 

88  And  Elisha  came  again  to  Gilgal  ;  and  there  was  a  dearth  in  the  land  ;  and  the  sons  of  the 
prophets  were  sitting  before  him  :  and  he  said  unto  his  servant.  Set  on  the  great  pot,  and 

39  seethe  pottage  for  the  sons  of  tlu^  prophets.  And  one  went  out  into  the  field  to  gather  herbs, 
and  f(mnd  a  wild  vine,  and  gathered  thereof  wild  gourds  his  lap  full,  and  came  and  shred 

40  them  into  the  pot  of  pottage  :  for  they  knew  them  not.  So  they  poured  out  for  the  men  to 
cat.     And  it  came  to  psiss,  as  they  were  eating  of  the  pottage,  that  they  cried  out,  and  said, 

41  O  man  of  God,  there  is  death  in  the  pot.  And  they  could  not  eat  thereof.  But  he  said. 
Then  bring  meal.  And  he  cast  it  into  the  pot  ;  and  he  said,  Pour  out  for  the  people,  that 
lliey  may  eat.      And  there  was  no  harm  in  the  pot. 


The  great  pot  is  set  on  to  seethe  pottage  in, 
and  one  goes  out  to  gather  herbs  to  eke  out  the 
Bcanty  supply.  Attracted  by  some  wild  creep- 
ers, the  messenger  gathers  therefrom  a  lapful 
of  gourtis,  which  he  mistakes  for  gourds  of  a 
similar  apjiearance  that  are  edible.  The  plants 
he  had  gathered  were  in  reality  poisonous.  lie 
brought  them  home,  and  they  were  shred  into 

the  pottage.     J.  O. Prompt  measures  must 

be  taken,  if  poisoning  is  even  suspected.  lie 
has  meal  brought — not  that  meal  has  any  virtue 
in  itself  against  any  deleterious  drug.  But  he 
acts,  now  as  always,  under  Divine  direction, 
and  is  instructed  to  use  meal  on  this  occasion, 
as  he  used  salt  in  healing  the  waters  of  Jericho. 

Jlammoiid. The  meal  was  brought,  and  cast 

into  the  pottage,  and  the  evil  was  at  once 
cun'<l.  There  seems  no  reason  for  using  the 
meal  except  that  it  was  customary  to  accom- 
pany these  prophetic  miracles  with  an  outward 
symbolical  act ;  and  the  meal,  as  a  sj-mbol  of 
what  was  wholesome  and  nutritious  in  food,  was 
as  appropriate  a  medium  as  any  to  be  used. 
We  get  thi.s  idea — that  the  unwholesome  is  to 
be  displaced  by  the  wholesome.  If  the  banc  i ; 
to  be  destroyed,  we  must  use  as  antidotes  that 
which  is  of  opposite  character.     We  may  learn 


two  lessons  :  1.  The  danger  of  being  deceived 
by  appearances.  Things  often  are  not  what 
they  seem.  The  most  plausible  errors  are  those 
which  bear  a  superficial  resemblances  to  great 
truths.  We  need  to  have  our  "  .senses  exercised 
to  discern  both  good  and  evil"  (lleb.  5  :  14). 
To  the  true  vine  there  correspond  many  wild 
vines  ;  to  the  gourds  that  nourish  and  satisfy, 
many  fair  but  poisonous  imitations.  2.  The 
best  intentions  may  lead  to  sad  mistakes.  The 
important  point  to  be  noticed  here  is  that  our 
intentions,  however  good,  cannot  prevent  things 
from  acting  according  to  their  real  nature.  The 
person  who  gathered  the  gourds  thought  them 
innocuoiis,  but  they  produced  their  poi.sonous 
effects  all  the  same.  "  Sinccrirj'"  does  not  ex- 
onerate us  from  the  consequences  of  our 
actions  ;  at  least  it  cannot  prevent  these  conse- 
quences follow'ing.  Poisonous  principles  are 
as  harmful  in  their  influence  when  promulgated 
in  ignorance,  as  when  diffused  with  the  fullest 
knowledge  of  their  deadly  character.  "  They 
knew  it  not"  docs  not  suffice  to  alter  the  nature 
of  facts.  The  pottage  was  no  sooner  tasted 
than  the  pecidiar  flavor  and  felt  ciTects  discov- 
ered to  those  eating  it  that  there  was  something 
amiss.     The  cry  was  raised,  "  O  thou  man  of 


SECTION  IS.     SIX  NOTED  MIRACULOUS  ACTS  OF  ELISIIA. 


183 


God,  there  is  death  in  the  pot  !"  One  poison- 
ous ingredient  had  destroyed  the  value  of  much 
wholesome  food.  It  did  not  require  that  all  the 
elements  in  the  pottage  should  be  unwhole- 
some ;  it  was  enough  that  this  one  was. 
Through  it  the  whole  mixture  was  rendered 


deadly.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  defend  a  sys- 
tem by  pointing  to  the  numerous  truths  which 
it  contains.  But  one  vital  error  blended  with 
these  truthsmay  give  the  whole  a  fatal  quality. 
The  Gospel  itself  may  be  adulterated  with  spe- 
cious lies  which  destroy  its  power  for  good.  J.  O. 


Miracle  op  the  Loaves  and  Corn. 
2  Kings  4  ;  4S-44. 

43      And  there  came  a  man  from  Baal-shalishah,  and  brought  the  man  of  God  bread  of  the  first- 
fruits,  twenty  loaves  of  barley,  and  fresh  ears  of  coiii  in  his  sack.     And  he  said.  Give  unto 

43  the  people,  that  they  may  eat.     And  his  servant  said.  What,  should   I  set  this  before  an  hun- 
dred men  ?     But  he  said.  Give  the  people,   that  they  may  eat  ;  for  thus  saith  the  Lord, 

44  They  shall  cat,  and  shall  leave  thereof.     So  he  set  it  before  them,  and  they  did  cat,  and  left 
thereof,  according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord. 


42.  The  "  loaves"  of  the  Israelites  were  cakes 
or  rolls,  rather  than  "  loaves"  in  the  modern 
sense  of  the  word.  Each  partaker  of  a  meal 
usually  had  one  for  himself.  Naturally, 
twenty  "  loaves"  would  be  barely  sufficient  for 
twenty  men.  And  full  ears  <»f  corn — i.e., 
a  few  ripe  ears  of  the  same  corn  as  that  whereof 
the  bread  was  made.  And  lie  said.  Give 
nnto  the  people—t'.c,  to  the  sons  of  the 
prophets  who  dwelt  at  Gilgal — that  they 
may  eat. 

4;{.  This  time,  however,  he  added  an  ex- 
planation of  the  proceeding  :  for  thus  saith 
the  Liord,  They  shall  eat,  and  shall 
leave  thereof.  God  had  supernaturally  in- 
timated to  him  that  the  quantity  of  food  would 
prove  ample  for  the  hundred  men  ;  they  Avould 
show  that  they  had  had  enough  by  leaving 
some  of  it.     And  the  result  was  as  predicted. 

44.  So  he  set  it  before  tlieni,  and 
they  did  eat,  and  left  thereof,  accord- 


in;;  to  the  %vord  of  the  Lord.     We  are 

not  expressly  told  how  the  miracle  was  wrought. 
But  the  analogy  of  our  Lord's  miracles  of  feed- 
ing the  multitudes,  whereof  this  is  a  manifest 
type,  makes  it  probable  that  in  this  case  also 
there  was  a  miraculous  increase  of  the  food. 
The  object  of  the  writer  in  communicating  the 
account  is  certainly  not  merely  to  show  how  the 
Lord  cared  for  His  servants,  but  to  relate  an- 
other miracle  wrought  by  Elisha,  of  a  different 
kind  from  those  previously  related.  Hammond. 
It  has  been  generally  seen  that  this  miracle 
was  a  faint  foreshadow  ing  of  our  Lord's  far 
more  marvellous  feeding  of  thousands  with 
even  scantier  materials.  The  resemblance  is 
not  only  in  the  broad  fact,  but  in  various  minute 
particulars,  as  in  the  distribution  through  the 
hands  of  others  ;  the  material,  bread  ;  the  sur- 
prised question  of  the  servant  ,  and  the  evi- 
dence of  superfluity  in  the  fragments  that  were 
left.  (See  Matt.  14  :  19-31  ;  John  6  :  9-13.)  B.  0. 


Recovering  the  Lost  Axe-Head  at  the  Jordan. 

3  Kings  6  :  1-7. 

1       And  the  sons  of  the  prophets  said  unto  Elisha,  Behokl   now,  the  place  where  we  dwell  be- 

3  fore  thee  is  too  strait  for  us.     Let  us  go,  we  pray  thee,  unto  Jordan,  and  take  thence  every 

man  a  beam,  and  let  us  make  us  a  place  there,  where  we  may  dwell.     And  he  answered,  Go 

3  ye.     And  one  said.  Be  content,  I  pray  thee,  and  go  with  thy  servants.     And  he  answered, 

4  I  will  go.     So  he  went  with  them.     And  when  they  came  to  Jordan,  they  cut  down  wood. 

5  But  as  one  was  felling  a  beam,  the  axe-head  fell  into  the  water  :  and  he  cried,  and  said, 

6  Alas,  !ny  master  !  for  it  was  borrowed.     And  the  man  of  God  said.  Where  fell  it  V     And  he 
shewed  him  the  place.     And  he  cut  down  a  stick,  and  cast  it  in  thither,  and  made  the  iron 

7  to  swim.     And  he  said,  Take  it  up  to  thee.     So  he  put  out  his  hand,  and  took  it. 


That  the  schools  of  the  prophets  had  special 
buildings  for  their  accommodation  is  not  only 
inferable  from  the  necessities  of  the  case,  but  is 
touchingly  indicated    here,  as  we    read    that 


"  the  sons  of  the  prophets"  came  to  Elisha  to 
say  that  their  accommodations  for  students' 
rooms  were  too  strait,  and  proposing  to  go  to 
Jordan  and   its    timbered    bottoms,  and  take 


184 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


tlu'iico  every  man  his  l)e;im  [pdlc],  iuid  tit  up 
more  such  humble  accommotiatioiis  for  their 
shelter.  Ho  said,  "Go;"  but  they  quietly 
suggest  that  he  go  with  them  ;  aud,  like  a  true 
and  faithful  fatlier  prophet,  he  went.  It  was 
fortunate  that  he  did  ;  fiirso  he  was  on  hand  to 
bring  the  iron  axe-head  to  the  surfaee  when  by 
aeeident  it  liad  sprung  from  its  helve  and  fallen 
into  the  Jordan.  Tlie  ery,  "  Alas,  master,  for 
it  was  begged  I"  brought  Elislia's  miracle- worlv- 
ing  power  at  once  to  their  aid.  They  were  too 
poor  to  buy  their  axes.  This  man  had  to  beg 
his — ask  it,  as  the  Hebrew  sigtnfics — yet  never 
in  the  sense  of  borrow.  It  is  the  word  used  in 
the  history  (Ex,  3 :  22  ;  11  :  3)  of  the  Israelites 
(ik/ci'iii/  jewels  and  goods  of  the  Egyptians — 
which  was  by  no  means  "  borrowing."  All  in 
all,  this  is  a  very  pleasant  inside  view  of  col- 
lege life  in  those  ancient  schools  of  the  prophets 
— antedating  by  a  few  thousand  years  the  ex- 
periences of  some  prophet  schools  of  our  age 
which  have  struggled  upward  from  the  hum- 
blest beginnings  amid  many  privations,  and  not 
a  little  morally  wholesome  manual  toil,  and 
occasionally  some  cheering  tokens  of  a  helping 
j)ower  from  above.     11.  C. 

1.  The  place  where  we  dwell  willi 
Ihee.  Literally,  "  the  place  where  we  sil 
before  thee" — i.e.,  "  the  place  where  we 
assenil)le,  and  sit  to  hear  thy  teaching. "  Elisha 
did  not,  properly  speaking,  "  dwell  with"  the 
sons  of  the  prophets.  He  only  visited  them  in 
circuit,  staying  a  short  time  at  each  place  where 
a  "  school"  was  estal)lished. 

5.  The  a\c-head.  Literally,  "  the 
iron."  The  Jews  used  iron  for  the  heads  of 
axes  at  a  very  early  date.  (See  De.  19 :  5.) 
They  proljably  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the 
smelting  process  in  Egypt,  where  iron  was  em- 
ployed at  least  from  the  time  of  the  third 
Uameses.  For  it  ivas  borroived.  This 
is  part  of  the  wood-cutter's  exclamation,  not  a 
remark  of  the  author's.  The  wood-cutter  shows 
Uie  axe-handle  to  Elisha,  and  cries,  "  Alas,  my 
lonl,  and  it  a  borrowed  one  !"  He  merely  made 
the  natural  exclamation  of  a  man  to  whom  such 
a  misforlune    had  happ<'ned. 

0.  .\iid  he  eut  <lowii  a  stiek  and 
ea»I  il  ill  Ihiliier.  It  has  been  suggested 
that  no  miracle  is  here  intended,  but  that  Elisha, 
seeing  the  axe-head  at  the  bottom  of  the  river, 
thrust  in  a  long  .stick,  and  adroitly  passing  it 
through  the  hole  designed  to  receive  the  handle, 
lifted  the  axe-head  to  the  surface.  But  there 
arc  two  objections  to  this.  First,  it  is  not  the 
natural  sense  of  the  words,  which  imply  that 
the  prophet  threw   the  wood  into  the  water  ; 


and  secondly,  the  sacred  writers  do  not  record 
mere  acts  of  manual  dexterity.  I?Iadc  tlic 
Iron  to  HU^iin,  His  action,  though  it  could 
no  more  naturally  produce  such  a  result  than 
salt  could  purify  a  spring  or  meal  removes  the 
noxious  character  of  poisonous  herbs,  yet  had 
the  effect  which  he  intended.  The  iron  rose  to 
the  surface,  and  remained  there. 

No  doul)t  there  is  something  startling  in  the 
trivial  character  of  this  miracle,  and  of  the  few 
others  which  resemble  it.  We  are  apt  not  to 
be  satisfied  unless  there  is  clearly  seen  by  us  to 
be  a  dignus  findice  nodui  in  each  case  of  mirac- 
ulous interposition.  But  we  really  know  very 
little  as  to  the  laws  which  govern  the  exercise 
of  miraciilous  powers,  where  such  powers  have 
bei'U  committed  by  God  to  a  mere  mortal.  It 
is  possil)le  that  they  may  sometimes,  like  nat- 
ural gifts,  be  so  much  uuder  their  possessor's 
control  that  he  can  exercise  them,  or  not  exer- 
cise them,  at  pleasure.  And  it  may  depend  on 
his  discretion  whether  they  arc  exercised  in  im- 
portant cases  only,  or  in  trivial  cases  also. 
Elisha  had  evidently  great  kindness  of  heart. 
He  could  not  see  a  grief  without  wishing  to 
remedy  it.  And  it  seems  as  if  he  had  some- 
times iLsed  his  miraculous  power  in  pure  good 
natiiri>,  when  no  natural  waj-  of  remedying  an 
evil  presented  itself.     B.  C. 

In  this  miracle  God  did  not  do  all.  There 
was  water,  air,  sky  and  iron.  Instead  of  these 
four  concauses  there  were  five,  one  of  which 
was  Jehovah's  will.  Why  did  the  iron  sink  1 
It  was  heavier  than  the  water  ;  gravity  ptdlcd 
it  down.  Why  did  it  swim  ?  This  excess  of 
gravity  might  have  been  counteracted  by  a  lift- 
ing up  with  a  string  or  a  stick  ;  but  God  sim- 
ply interpolated  a  new  transient  force  equal  to 
the  excess  of  the  specific  gravity  of  the  iron 
over  the  water,  and  acting  in  a  direction  oppo- 
site to  that  of  gravity,  and  the  iron  Uoated. 
This  is  also  true  of  the  most  complex  of  mir- 
acles, as  the  rising  of  Lazarus  from  the 
dead.  It  was  not  simply  to  arrest  decay,  but 
to  make  tlie  atoms  of  the  body  go  back  to 
healthy  action,  as  in  life.  God  simply  changed 
the  conditions  by  a  new  Divine  force,  and  the 
atoms  acted  as  in  his  growing  youth  and  man- 
hood . 

How  different  the  miracles  of  the  Bible  from 
other  miracles  !  They  were  certain  definite 
events,  not  done  in  the  dark  nor  in  a  corner, 
but  in  the  clear  light  of  day.  where  everybody 
could  see  them.  They  were  repeated  under 
varying  circumstances,  before  many  witnesses, 
and  under  the  inspection  of  the  senses— sight, 
touch,  hearing.     A.  A.  Hodge. 


SECTION  19.  185 

Section  19. 

NAAMAN'S   LEPROSY   REMOVED.     LEPROSY   INFLICTED   UPON  GEHAZL 

2  Kings  5  : 1-27. 

2  K.  5  : 1  Now  Naaman,  captain  of  tlie  host  of  the  king  of  Syria,  was  a  great  man  with 

his  master,  and  lionourable,  because  by  him  tlie  Lord  had  given  victory  unto  Syria  :  lie  was 

3  also  a  mighty  man  of  valour,  hut  he  was  a  leper.     And  the  S.vrians  had  gone  out  in  bands. 

and  had  brought  away  captive  out  of  the  land  of  Israel  a  little  maid  ;  and  she  waited  on 

3  Naaman 's  wife.     And  she  said  unto  her  mistress,  Would  God  my  lord  were  with  the  prophet 

4  that  is  in  Samaria  !  then  would  he  recover  him  of  liis  leprosy.     And  one  went  in,  and  told  his 

5  lord,  saying.  Thus  and  thus  said  the  maid  that  is  of  the  land  of  Israel.  And  the  king  of  Syria 
said,  Go  to,  go,  and  I  will  send  a  letter  unto  the  king  of  Israel.  And  he  departed,  and  took 
with  him  ten  talents  of  silver,  and  six  thousand  pieces  of  gold,  and  ten  changes  of  raiment. 

6  And  he  brought  the  letter  to  the  king  of  Israel,  saying.  And  now  when  this  letter  is  come 
unto  thee,  behold,  I  have  sent  Naaman  ni}'  servant  to  thee,  that  thou  mayest  recover  him  of 

7  his  leprosy.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  king  of  Israel  had  read  the  letter,  that  he  rent 
his  clothes,  and  said.  Am  I  God,  to  kill  and  to  make  alive,  that  this  man  dotli  send  unto  me  to 
recover  a  man  of  his  leprosy  ?  l)ut  consider,  I  pray  you,  and  see  how  he  seeketh  a  quarrel 

8  against  me.  And  it  was  so,  when  Elisha  the  man  of  God  heard  that  the  king  of  Israel  had 
rent  his  clothes,  that  he  sent  to  the  king,  saying.  Wherefore  hast  thou  rent  thy  clothes?  let 

9  him  come  now  to  me,  and  he  shall  know  that  there  is  a  prophet  in  Israel.     So  Naaman  came 

10  with  his  horses  and  with  his  chariots,  and  stood  at  the  door  of  the  house  of  Elisha.  And 
Elisha  sent  a  messenger  unto  him,  saying.  Go  and  wash  in  Jordan  seven  times,  and  thy  flesh 

11  shall  come  again  to  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  clean.  But  Naaman  was  wroth,  and  went  away, 
and  said.  Behold,  I  thought.  He  will  surely  come  out  to  me,  and  stand,  and  call  on  the  name 

13  of  the  Lord  his  God,  and  wave  his  hand  over  the  place,  and  recover  the  leper.  Are  not 
Abanah  and  Pharpar,  the  rivers  of  Damascus,  better  than  all  the  waters  of  Israel?  may  I  not 

13  wash  in  them,  and  be  clean?  So  he  turned  and  went  away  in  a  rage.  And  his  servants  came 
near,  and  spake  unto  him,  and  said,  My  father,  if  the  prophet  iiad  bid  thee  do  some  great 
thing,  wouldest  thou  not  have  done  it?  how  much  rather  then,  when  lie  saith  to  thee.  Wash, 

14  and  be  clean?  Then  went  he  down,  and  dipped  himself  seven  times  in  Jordan,  according  to 
the  saying  of  the  man  of  God  :  and  his  flesh  came  again  like  unto  the  flesh  of  a  little  child, 

15  and  he  was  clean.  And  he  returned  to  the  man  of  God,  he  and  all  his  company,  and  came, 
and  stood  before  him  :  and  he  said.  Behold  now,  I  know  that  there  is  no  God  in  all  the  earth, 

16  but  in  Israel  :  now  therefore,  I  pra}'  thee,  take  a  present  of  thy  servant.  But  he  said.  As  the 
Lord  liveth,  before  whom  I  stand,  I  will  receive  none.     And  he  urged  him  to  take  it ;  but  he 

17  refused.  And  Naaman  said.  If  not,  yet  I  pray  thee  let  there  be  given  to  thy  servant  two 
mules'  burden  of  earth  ;  for  thy  servant  will  henceforth  offer  neither  burnt  offering  nor  sacri- 

18  fice  unto  other  gods,  but  unto  the  Lord.  In  this  thing  the  Lord  pardon  thy  servant ;  when 
my  master  goeth  into  the  house  of  Rimmon  to  worship  there,  and  he  leaneth  on  my  hand,  and 
I  bow  myself  in  the  house  of  Rimmon,  when  I  bow  myself  in  the  house  of  Rimmon,  the  Lord 

19  pardon  thy  servant  in  this  thing.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Go  in  peace.  So  he  departed  from 
him  a  little  way. 

20  But  Gehazi,  the  servant  of  Elisha  the  man  of  God,  said,  Behold,  my  master  hath  spared  this 
Naaman  the  Syrian,  in  not  receiving  at  his  hands  that  which  he  brought  ;  as  the  Lord  liveth, 

31  I  will  run  after  him,  and  take  somewhat  of  him.  So  Gehazi  followed  after  Naaman.  And 
when  Naaman  saw  one  running  after  him,  he  lighted  down  from  the  chariot  to  meet  him,  and 

33  said.  Is  all  well?  And  he  said.  All  is  well.  My  master  hath  sent  me,  saying.  Behold,  even  now 
there  be  come  to  me  from  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim  two  young  men  of  the  sons  of  the  proph- 

23  ets  ;  give  them,  I  pray  thee,  a  talent  of  silver,  and  two  changes  of  raiment.  And  Naaman  said, 
Be  content,  take  two  talents.  And  he  urged  him,  and  bound  two  talents  of  silver  in  two 
bags,  with  two  changes  of  raiment,  and  laid  them  upon  two  of  his  servants  ;  and  they  bare 

24  them  before  him.     And  when  he  came  to  the  hill,  he  took  them  from  their  hand,  and  bestowed 


18G 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


23  them  in  the  house  :  and  lie  lot  the  men  go,  iind  tliey  departed.  But  he  went  in,  and  stood 
before  liis  master.     And  Elisha  wild  unto  Iiim,  Whcnee  comest  thou,  Uehazi?     And  he  said, 

26  Thy  servant  went  uo  whither.  And  lie  said  unto  liim.  Went  not  mine  heart  with  l/ice,  when 
tlie  man  turned  again  from  liis  chariot  to  meet  thee?  Is  it  a  time  to  receive  money,  and  to 
receive  garments,  and  oliveyards  and  vineyards,  and  slieep  and  oxen,  and  mcnservants  and 

27  maidservants?  The  leprosy  therefore  of  Naaman  shall  cleave  unto  thee,  and  unto  thy  seed 
for  ever.     .\nd  he  went  out  from  his  presence  a  leper  as  ichite  as  snow. 


TuE  historiai.  continues  his  narrative  of  Eli- 
sha's  miracles,  commenced  in  chap.  3,  and 
gives  in  the  i)resent  chapter  a  very  grapliic  and 
complete  account  of  two  which  were  especially 
remarkable,  and  which  stood  in  a  peculiar  rela- 
tion the  one  toward  the  other.  One  was  the  rc- 
viouilofltprosy;  the  oi\\er  its  iriflictioii.  One 
was  wrought  on  a  foreigner  and  a  man  of  emi- 
nence ;  the  other  on  a  Hebrew  and  a  servant. 
The  second  was  altogether  consequcutial  upon 
the  first,  without  which  the  occasion  for  it 
would  not  have  arisen.  The  two  together  must 
have  greatly  raised  the  reputation  of  the 
propliet,  and  have  given  him  an  influence  be- 
yond the  borders  of  the  land  of  Israel  ;  at  the 
same  time  extending  the  reputation  of  Jehovah 
as  a  great  God  through  many  of  the  surround- 
ing nations.     Ilammond. 

It  is  not  only  the  doctrine  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, but  of  the  Old  as  well,  that  the  Lord  is 
not  the  God  of  tlie  Jews  only,  but  also  of  the 
Gentiles  (Rom.  3  :  29).  When  Abram  was  first 
called  to  be  the  father  of  the  chosen  race,  who 
should  be  for  a  time  the  depositaries  of  Divine 
revelation  and  of  the  true  religion,  it  was  with 
explicit  reference  to  tlie  ultimate  diffusion  of 
these  blessings  and  the  salvation  of  the  world 
(Gen.  12  :  3).  The  restriction  was  not  with  the 
view  of  excluding  others  from  participation  In 
the  saving  benefits  granted  to  the  seed  of  Abra- 
ham, but  for  their  protection  and  perpetuation 
in  the  midst  of  prevailing  idolatry  and  corrup- 
tion, until  such  time  as  the  barriers  could  be 
safely  thrown  down  and  the  Church  could  as- 
sume the  aggressive.  Meanwhile,  intimations 
were  given,  from  time  to  time,  to  remind  the 
Israelites  that  they  were  not  the  exclusive 
favorites  of  heaven,  but  that  God's  grace  was 
for  the  Gentiles  likewise.  Such  an  intimation 
is  contained  in  Elijah's  abode  with  the  widow- 
in  Zarephath  rather  than  with  any  of  the 
widows  of  Israel,  and  in  Elisha's  cleansing  the 
leprosy  of  Naaman  the  Syrian  rather  th.an  that 
of  any  of  the  lepers  in  Israel,  as  we  learn  from 
our  Lord's  reference  to  them  in  the  synagogue 
of  Nazareth  at  the  out.set  of  his  ministry  (Luke 
4  :  2*-27).     AV.  II.  G. 

I.  7'hc  station,  condition,  and  character  of 
Naaman.     In  the  Syrian  kingdom  of  Bcnbadad 


he  held  the  highest  military  and  civil  oflice  ;  in 
both  relations  standing  next  to  tlie  king  him- 
self. This  position  he  had  achieved  by  liis  own 
wisdom  in  counsel  and  valor  in  tin-  liild.  Yet 
wa.s  he  only  an  instrument  in  God's  hand,  for  it 
is  added,  "  by  liim  the  Lord  had  given  deliver- 
ance to  Syria."  And  herein  is  declared  the 
grand  truth  that  Ood  is  in  all  human  history  ; 
that  His  sovereignty  controls  the  course  and 
issue  of  all  events,  alike  among  idolatrous  na- 
tions as  among  Ills  own  chosen  people.  But 
with  all  his  honorable  distinction  and  great 
wealth,  Naaman  w<i,h  a  leper.  He  was  afflicted, 
not  with  that  severer  form  of  the  disease  which 
produces  a  disgusting  disfiguration  and  decay 
of  the  body,  but  with  the  milder  type,  which 
was  known  as  the  ichitc  leprosy.  Yet  its  effects 
were  sore  enough  to  embitter  his  otherwise 
happy  life,  and  to  throw  a  shadow  of  sadness 
over  the  court  and  within  his  own  household. 
The  whole  story  shows  a  deep  sympathj-  on  the 
part  of  all  associated  with  him,  from  the  king 
his  master  to  his  lowest  dependents.  And  this 
sympathy,  together  with  the  spirit  he  mani- 
fests in  the  incidents  that  follow,  reveals  much 
that  is  attractive  and  noble  in  the  character  of 
the  man.  They  show  that  he  was  attached  to 
his  master  and  faithful  to  his  interests  ;  that  he 
was  kindly  to  his  servants,  ready  to  recognize 
their  sympathy,  to  hear,  to  consider,  and  act 
upon  their  friendly  suggestions  ;  even  to  yield 
to  their  reasonable  remonstrances  when  his 
pride  of  station  and  of  opinion  had  been  deeply 
wounded  by  Elisha's  dealing.  And  his  noble- 
ness of  spirit  is  further  shown  in  his  grateful  re- 
turn and  acknowledgments  to  the  prophet  after 
his  restoration,  and  his  spontaneous  self-conse- 
cration to  Jcliovah.     B. 

I.  By  liim  the  Lord  lia<I  srireii  de- 
liverance unto  Syria.  From  the  history 
of  Syria  so  far  as  it  is  referred  to  in  the  books 
of  the  Kings,  we  should  find  no  clew  to  this  al- 
lusion to  national  perils.  Syria  had  recently 
been  victorious  over  the  combined  armies  of  Is- 
rael and  Judah  at  Ranioth-Gilead.  But  all  is 
explained  by  the  recently  discovered  Assyrian 
monuments.  There  we  find  that  Asshuridanni- 
pal  had,  a  few  years  previously,  overrun  the 
whole  of    Northern  Syria — then  Hittite — and 


SECTION  10.     NAAMAirS  LEPROSY  REMOVED. 


187 


had  received  the  submission  of  Tyre  and  Sidon. 
But  as  regards  Phoenicia  and  Syria  at  least,  the 
conquest  was  not  permanent.  As  soon  as  he 
liad  retired,  Damascus  threw  off  the  yoke  ;  and 
when  liis  son,  Shalmaneser  II.,  succeeded  him, 
B.C.  859,  Syria  paid  no  tribute.  In  the  seventh 
year,  and  again  in  the  eleventh  j'ear  of  his 
reign,  Shalmaneser  tells  us  he  led  his  armies 
against  Beuhadad  of  Damascus,  and  defeated 
him  ;  but  in  neither  ease  does  he  claim  to  have 
carried  off  any  trophies,  imposed  tribute  or  re- 
ceived submission.  We  may,  therefore,  safely 
infer  that  the  Syrian  resistance  had  been  suc- 
cessful. These  campaigns  occurred  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  reign  of  Jehoram  of  Israel,  and 
it  is  evident  that  Naaman  had  been  the  success- 
ful general  who  repelled  the  invader  and  gave 
deliverance  to  Syria.  Surely  this  illustration 
well  deserves  a  place  among  the  undesigned 
coincidences  which  set  forth  the  historical  ac- 
curacy of  Old  Testament  historj-.     Tristram. 

2-4.  The  captive  maid's  sympathy  reported  to 
Naaman  and  to  tlie  kiny.  Syria  had  long  been 
a  rod  in  God's  hand  for  the  chastening  of  Israel. 
Over  the  common  border  of  the  two  kingdoms 
frequent  inroads  were  made  by  marauding 
bands  of  Syrians.  In  one  of  these  raids  this  Is- 
raelitish  girl  had  been  taken  from  her — possibly 
desolated — home.  But  from  that  home  she  had 
borne  with  her  the  blessed  results  of  a  godly 
training.  Her  faith  in  God  had  taught  her  ten- 
derness in  behalf  of  the  afflicted.  Even  to  those 
who  had  wrought  her  evil,  she  would  return 
only  good.  Knowing  Elisha's  power  with 
God,  and  trusting  in  God's  willingness  to  heal 
and  bless,  her  heart  constrains  her  to  utter  the 
simple  fervent  desire  that  her  lord  would  seek 
the  prophet's  help.  (Thus  incidentally  we  learn 
that  Elisha's  prophetic  character  was  generally 
known,  and  the  influence  of  his  teachings  wide- 
ly felt  in  Israel.)  And  child  and  captive  though 
she  was,  her  devout  and  helpful  spirit  won  its 
way  into  the  heart  and  faith  of  her  mistress. 
The  words  that  thus  awakened  hope  in  the  wife 
were  speedily  reported  to  Naaman,  and  by  him 
to  the  king.  So  much  of  faith  and  hope  was 
aroused  in  both  as  to  lead  to  instant  prepara- 
tion for  testing  the  prophet's  power.     B. 

The  little  maid  who  waited  on  Naamau's  wife 
was  a  lily  among  thorns — a  transplanted  rose, 
bea«tiful  and  fragrant,  in  a  foreign  garden. 
Her  harp  was  not  broken  by  the  rough  hand  of 
captivity  ;  nor  was  it  hung  on  the  willows. 
She  could  sing  the  Lord's  song,  the  song  of 
peace  and  goodwill  to  men,  in  a  strange  land. 
She  was  kind  to  those  who  had  been  unkind  to 
her  ;  she  overcame  evil  with  good.     It  gave 


her  no  pleasure  that  the  captain  whose  soldiers 
had  stolen  her  away  from  the  land  of  the  He- 
brews was  thus  deeply  afflicted.  She  desired 
his  relief.  As  she  knew  no  country  more 
bles.sed  than  her  own,  and  no  person  there  more 
renowned  than  Elisha,  she  recommended  that 
he  journey  to  that  good  land,  and  make  the  ac- 
quaintance of  that  remarkable  man.  And  thus 
was  she  true  to  the  injunction  of  the  Lord  to 
her  nation,  to  seek  the  good  of  those  countries 
whither  they  were  carried  captive.  She  was  a 
spirit  of  peace  in  a  warrior's  palace — a  living 
leaf  of  mercy  scattered  among  the  Gentiles. 
Charity,  seeking  not  its  own,  burned  in  her 
heart ;  and  her  tongue  was  moved  by  it  to 
speak  words  kind  as  the  oil  on  Aaron,  and 
sweet  as  the  morning  dew.  "  Would  to  God, 
my  lord  were  with  the  prophet  that  is  in  Sa- 
maria ;  for  he  would  recover  him  of  his  lep- 
rosy." All  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for 
his  life.  The  trumpet  of  fame  and  the  plaudits 
of  the  multitude  are  unheeded  in  the  sick 
chamber  ;  while  the  voice  of  a  child  proposing 
a  remedy  is  listened  to  with  delight.     R.  T. 

5-7.  Naaman' s  journey,  and  reception  by 
Jehoram,  kin<}  of  Israel.  A  royal  letter-missive 
is  prepared  for  Jehoram,  and  munificent  gifts 
as  a  fitting  return  for  the  hoped-for  restoration. 
Both  the  character  of  the  letter  and  the  proposed 
gifts  seem  to  imply  the  heathen  king's  impres- 
sion that  Elisha  was  a  superior  magician  or 
conjurer  at  the  court  and  under  the  direction 
of  Jehoram,  to  whom  the  matter  of  the  cure 
would  of  course  be  referred.  For  no  idea  had 
either  Benhadad  or  Naaman  of  a  God  who 
would  gratuitously  grant  so  great  a  blessing  as 
this.  And  the  professed  wonder-workers  of 
that  day,  as  ever  since,  were  wont  to  demand 
enormous  rewards  for  their  services.  In  Jeho- 
ram's  ejjclamation  (upon  reading  the  letter  of 
the  Syrian  king)  is  implied  an  acknowledgment 
of  Jehovah  as  the  only  true  God.  He  knew 
that  leprosy  was  incurable  save  by  Divine 
power.  Further,  he  acknowledges  that  he 
himself  had  no  claim  or  means  or  hope  of  the 
interposition  of  that  power.  There  may  also 
have  been  a  tacit  conTiction  of  blasphemj'  in 
the  request  of  Benhadad.  But  his  is  not  the 
devout  heart  to  be  horrified  at  the  thought  of 
such  blasphemy.  What  filled  his  selfish  soul 
with  alarm  and  suspicion  was  the  belief  that  the 
Syrian  king  was  only  seeking  a  fresh  occasion 
of  quarrel  with  himself  and  his  people.  In  his 
fear,  too,  as  in  his  previous  prosperity,  ho  for- 
got the  existence  of  the  prophet  who  had  al- 
ready delivered  his  father  (Ahab)  and  himself 
from  this  same  Syrian  power. 


188 


KINODO^a  OF  ISRAEL. 


But  God  interposes  at  tliis  juiictiiie  liy  ICli- 
shu's  mes.si\ge  to  the  liimbkcl  kiiiij.  The  tone 
of  reproof  and  conuniind  tliiit  appears  in  tlie 
message  recalls  the  similar  tone  of  Elijah  to 
Ahab.  Here  again  the  sovereign  was  sum- 
moned to  do  the  bidding  of  the  subject,  and  in 
this  case  not  by  the  prophet  himself,  but  by 
his  servant.  But  in  assuming  tliis  coramiind- 
ing  tone,  both  i)rophet.s  were  inspired  with  the 
same  spirit  of  jealousy  for  tlie  Lord  of  Hosts. 
Both  were  animated  wilh  the  same  purpose  of 
showing  that  tliere  was  slill  a  God  in  Israel. 
And  this  purpose  was  achieved  in  the  case  be- 
fore us,  as  it  had  been  with  Elijah.  "  None 
but  God,"  Jehoram  had  said,  "  can  make  alive 
(or)  recover  a  man  of  his  leprosy  ;"  and  con- 
firniing  this  declaration  by  the  after  miracle 
wrouirht  at  the  prophet's  word,  God  reveals 
Himself  afresh  to  Jehoram  ;  impressing  anew 
upon  his  own  and  his  people's  heart  the  old  les- 
son that  lie  alone  ik  0ml,  t/ie  Ood  of  Israel! 

9,  10.  Xaamaii's  reception  and  treatment  by 
EUsha.  At  the  prophet's  summons,  he  goes 
with  his  splendiii  retinue  from  the  king's  pal- 
ace to  Elisha's  lowly  abode.  But  the  prophet 
neither  asks  him  to  enter,  nor  goes  forth  to  re- 
ceive him.  He  only  sends  him  a  simple  mes- 
sage by  a  servant.  As  the  prophet  of  Jehovah, 
Elisha  thus  supports  the  character  and  dignity 
of  that  God  who  is  no  respecter  of  persons. 
He  corrects  the  ignorant  notions  of  Naaman, 
gathered  from  the  familiar  methods  of  the 
heathen  enchanters.  Unlike  these  magical  pre- 
tenders, Elisha  keeps  himself  in  the  back- 
ground. He  honors  God  by  putting  the  issue 
upon  Ilia  working,  while  he  demands  the  use 
of  means  by  Naaman.  Thus  he  excites  and 
exercises  the  faith,  and  tests  the  obedience  of 
the  priucelj'  leper.  He  brings  distinctly  into 
view  and  so  exalts  the  sole  agcncj'  of  Jehovah  ; 
and  he  elicits  Naaman's  acknowledgment  of 
that  agency.  He  strikes  effectually,  yet  not  in 
a  way  of  provocation,  at  the  pride  and  self-will 
of  Naaman.  And  thus  he  helps  the  cure  of  the 
inward  leprosy  of  soul,  as  well  as  the  outward 
bodily  disease.  For  all  these  reasons,  Elisha 
sends  by  his  servant's  mouth  the  simple  direc- 
tion," Go,  wash  seven  times  in  Jordan  I"    B. 

Jehoram  may  despair,  but  Elisha  is  confident. 
His  message  to  his  king  (verse  8)  has  a  noble 
ring  of  assured  poAver  and  consciousness  of  his 
prophetic  dignity.  "  Let  him  come  now  to 
mc,"  ns  befits  a  suitor.  The  great  end  of  mira- 
cle i3  clearly  put  in  "  he  shall  know  that  there 
is  a  prophet  in  Israel. "  That  was  not  self-asser- 
tion, from  which  the  gentle  nature  of  Elisha 
was  wholly  free,  but  upholding  the  honor  of 


his  olliee,  and,  therein,  of  Him  who  had  ap- 
pointed him  to  it.  The  i)ieture  of  the  long 
train  of  Naaman's  attendants,  and  especially  of 
horses  and  chariots  drawn  up  at  Elisha's  hum- 
ble door,  has  stamped  itself  on  the  writer's 
mind,  as  well  it  might.  Here  is  the  dreaded 
soldier,  who  wielded  the  power  that  had  often 
made  Israel  tremble,  sitting,  a  humble  suppli- 
ant, outside  the  prophet's  house.  The  prophet 
stays  indoors,  because  he  has  nothing  to  do 
with  the  cure  but  to  proclaim  how  to  obtain  it. 
He  is  only  a  voice.  His  personality  disa|)pears. 
He  brings  the  sick  man  into  the  presiMiee  of  the 
true  physician's  prescription,  and  there;  leaves 
him.  So  our  sense-bound  nature  is  always 
ready  to  fly  to  forms  and  -sacraments  and  out- 
ward means,  administered  by  priests,  as  the 
vehicles  of  forgiveness  and  cleansing.  But 
God's  messenger  has  no  such  function.  He 
has  simply  to  proclaim  the  conditions  of  cure. 
A.  M. 

Wasli  in  Jordan.  He  was  told  to  do 
this  iiarti<'iilar  thing  because  of  its  symbolic 
significance.  Leprosy  was  defilement  ;  wash- 
ing was  the  symbol  of  cleansing  and  purifica- 
tion. And  the  river  Jordan  in  the  Lord's  land 
represented  a  cleansing  bj'  His  immediate 
agency.  Seven  times,  both  from  its  signifi- 
cance as  the  number  of  perfection  anfl  because 
the  repetition  afforded  a  further  test  of  Naa- 
man's faith.  The  cure  was  not  effected  until 
the  number  was  complete.  If  he  had  dipped 
himself  six  times,  and  gone  away,  he  would 
have  experienced  no  cure.     AV.  H.  G. 

II,  \'i,  JVaaman's  impulsire  angry  words. 
His  wrath  was  natural.  His  "  thought,"  that 
is,  the  method  of  Elisha's  acting  which  he  had 
counted  on,  was  utterly  disappointed.  No  re- 
spect was  shown  to  his  person  and  rank.  No 
public  ceremony  in  the  presence  of  his  retinue  ; 
no  incantations  or  prayers  ;  no  magical  touch- 
ing of  the  prophet's  hand  ;  no  instant  marvel- 
lous effect.  All  this  was  in  liin  thought.  In- 
stead of  all  this  display  in  compliment  to  his 
state  and  in  gratificaticm  of  his  vanity,  only  a 
mesxage  by  a  servant.  With  his  unchanged  hu- 
man nature,  he  could  not  but  go  "  away  in  a 
rage."  The  proud  Syrian  altogether  over- 
looked the  relative  position  of  Elisha  and  him- 
self in  reference  to  the  desired  cure.  He  forgot 
that  the  method  of  cure  should  properly  origi- 
nate with  the  agent  of  the  cure,  who  would 
best  know  what  under  God  would  effect  the 
cure.  And  he  did  not  then  consider  that  the 
cure  consisted  not  in  the  washing,  much  less  in 
the  waters  of  any  river,  but  in  the  power  of 
God,  exerted  in  connection  with  Sis  own  pre- 


SECTION  in.     NAAMAN'S  LEPROSY  REMOVED. 


189 


scription.  Not  in  the  means,  but  in  their  Di- 
vine iiuthorizutioD,  together  with  the  obedience 
which  accepted  and  used  them.  All  this  he 
afterward  grateful!}'  acknowledged. 

Apart  from  his  national  pride  in  the  rivers  of 
Damascus,  his  high  estimate  was  fully  justilied 
by  their  superior  beauty,  breadth,  and  clcar- 
•  ness.  "  The  Abana  is  no  doubt  the  modern 
Barada,  which  rises  in  the  tableland  some 
twenty-three  miles  from  Damascus,  and  flows 
through  the  city  in  seven  beautiful  streams. 
The  Pharpar  passes  a  little  below  the  city." 
The  Jordan's  turbid  waters  bore  no  comparison 
with  these  magniticent  streams,  supplied,  as 
they  were,  so  abundantly  by  the  extended  and 
lofty  ranges  of  Anti-Lebanus.  But  the  Jordan 
was  in  a  peculiar  sense  the  river  of  God,  and 
had  been  oft  hallowed  by  His  marvellous  pres- 
ence in  Israel's  history.  There  was  a  fitness, 
therefore,  in  the  direction  of  the  jirophet.  This 
also  Naaman  afterward  learned.     B. 

1 1.  He  will  i^iircly  come  out  to  me. 
This  was  the  tribute  which  Naaman  expected 
to  be  paid  to  his  rank.  To  this  day,  in  the  East, 
the  exact  mode  of  meeting  and  receiving  a 
guest  is  one  of  the  most  important  parts  of 
social  etiquette.  The  host  is  naturallj'  seated 
on  a  cushion,  carpet  or  mat,  exactly  in  centre 
of  the  side  of  the  room  opposite  to  the  door,  on 
the  raised  dais  which  is  generally  to  be  found 
in  an  Eastern  hall  or  guest-chamber.  If  the 
visitor  be  of  inferior  rank,  the  host  remains 
seated,  while  the  other  advances,  making  a 
salaam  or  obeisance  at  each  step,  the  form  of 
which  differs  according  as  he  is  a  slave,  a  free- 
man, a  messenger,  a  suppliant  or  a  trader.  If 
he  be  of  equal  or  nearly  equal  rank,  the  master 
rises,  and  makes  a  step  or  several  steps  forward. 
And,  as  I  have  often  experienced,  in  exact  pro- 
portion to  the  number  of  his  paces  is  the  amount 
of  consideration  shown  to  the  guest.  If  an  in- 
ferior is  honored  by  the  visit  of  a  superior,  all 
propriety  demands  that  he  should  at  once  come 
forward  and  meet  his  visitor  before  or  outside 
his  door.  But  Elisha  would  humble  the  pride 
of  Naaman.     I'l-istnan. 

Elisha's  conduct  may  serve  as  an  illustration 
of  one  characteristic  of  God's  great  message  of 
healing  for  the  world.  The  Gospel  puts  us  all 
on  one  level,  and  treats  us  all  in  the  same  fash- 
ion. _Naaman  wanted  to  be  dealt  with  as  a 
great  man  who  happened  to  be  a  leper  ;  Elisha 
served  him  as  a  leper  who  happened  to  be  a 
great  man.  So  Christianity  brushes  aside  all 
surface  distinctions,  and  goes  down  to  the  deep- 
lying  identities  of  character  and  need.  We 
have  to  be  content  to  be  dealt  with,  not  as  cul- 


tivated, educated,  refined,  distinguished  people, 
but  as  sinners  ;  for  we  are  all  alike  in  that. 
But  many  of  us  dislike  this,  and  want  to  be 
cured  indeed,  but  with  proper  deference.  Naa- 
man has  plenty  of  successors  living  yet,  who 
prefer  not  to  be  saved  from  their  sins,  because 
the  way  is  offensive  to  their  self-esteem.  But 
that  impartial  treatment  of  all  is  the  glory  of 
the  Gospel,  and  is  the  precursor  of  as  universal 
a  healing.  "  God  hath  concluded  them  all  in 
unbelief,  that  He  might  have  mercy  upon 
all."  .  .  .  Let  me  put  it  into  plain  English. 
Whether  do  j'ou  think  it  matters  most  in  your 
relation  to  God — yours  and  mine — that  we  are 
sinners,  or  that  we  are  cultivated  people? 
Whether  do  you  think  it  matters  most  that  our 
hearts  have  started  aside  from  Ilim  and  our 
hands  have  done  evil,  or  that  we  can  read  Latin 
and  Greek  books  and  are  scholars?  Whether 
do  you  think  it  matters  most  that  we  have  bro- 
ken God 's  commandments,  or  that  we  have  made 
a  quantity  of  monev,  and  live  in  fine  houses, 
and  take  a  position  before  our  fellows?  Are  we 
going  to  stand  upon  our  miserable,  tiny  mole- 
hills beneath  those  solemn  stars  far  above  us 
and  say  :  "  Their  light  ought  to  fall  upon  us 
in  another  fashion  from  what  it  does  on  those 
people  that  live  a  little  lower  down  "?  I  am  a 
rich  man.  Come  out  and  strike  \\\y  liand  over 
the  place.  I  have  got  a  cultivated  taste,  a 
highly  polished  intellect.  I  must  have  another 
gospel  from  the  vulgar  crowd.  I  am  a  man  of 
position  and  fame.  I  am  not  going  to  be  treat- 
ed like  that  poor  old  woman  in  her  garret,  like 
that  soul  struggling  with  insanity,  like  that 
little  child,  like  that  barbarian  just  dragged  out 
of  cannibalism  and  savagery.  There  must  be 
something  special  for  me  I  There  is  something 
for  you.  If  the  distinctions  on  which  you  pride 
yourselves  are  woith  anything,  the}'  will  help 
you  to  apprehend  and  profit  by  God's  gift.  But 
the  gift  is  one.  You  must  be  content  to  sit  at 
the  public  table,  to  make  one  of  the  thousands 
on  the  grass  there,  fed  with  the  same  food  as 
all  the  others.  If  any  Pharisee  or  scribe  will 
gather  up  his  robes  about  him  and  demand  a 
meal  apart,  he  will  have  to  go  without.  A.  M. 
There  were  two  ways  of  cleansing  the  lep- 
rosy :  the  grand  way  that  Naaman  expected  ; 
the  very  simple  way  which  the  prophet  pre- 
scribed. Even  so  there  arc  two  ways  of  salva- 
tion :  God's  way  and  man's  way.  Man's  way 
is  unavailing,  yet  much  frequented,  because  it 
flatters  the  pride  of  man.  Man's  way  of  salva- 
tion deals  with  what  it  takes  to  be  great  things  : 
great  works  which  man  himself  i,  to  do,  great 
organizations,  great  gifts,  which  flatter  human 


190 


KINGDOM  OF  ISUAKr.. 


vanity  nnd  ■will-worship,  but  Imve  this  tiiliiiis 
deffct,  that  they  arc  of  no  avail.  God's  plan 
knows  nothing  of  oarthly  grandeurs,  burden- 
some niinutia;,  external  observances.  God's 
messages  are  very  short  and  vi'ry  few  and  sim- 
ple. He  says  only,  "  Wash  and  be  clean  ;" 
"  Believe  and  obey  ;"  "  Believe  and  lice."  It 
rests  with  you  to  take  Christ's  service  or  man's 
bondage,  Christ's  simplicity  or  man's  inven- 
tions. If  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  within 
you,  then  it  is  nowhere  for  you.  "  Believe  on 
the  Lonl  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved. " 
Ftirriir. 

I  a,  Abnnu  and  Fliarpar,  rivers  of 
I>aiiiasoiiti.  Truly  to  the  eye  of  man  the 
.Jiinlan  can  bear  no  comparison  with  the  rivers 
of  Damascus,  any  more  than  the  bare  bills  of 
Israel  with  the  garden-forests  of  the  "  City  of 
the  Sun."  Turbid  and  discolored  from  the  time 
when  it  leaves  the  clear  blue  lake  of  Galilee  till 
it  enters  the  lifeless  basin  of  the  Dead  Sea  ; 
twisting  and  writhing  in  its  lonely  course 
throiigh  the  deep,  solitary,  and,  for  the  most 
part,  desolate  valley  ;  without  even  an  i.solated 
human  habitation  on  its  banks,  and  only  a  nar- 
row belt  of  trees  and  verdure  on  either  side  to 
mark  its  coui-se — the  Jordan,  apart  from  its 
history  and  the  phenomena  of  its  sudden  birth 
and  exit,  has  nothing  to  attract.  But  the 
Abana — or,  as  it  is  now  called,  the  Barada — the 
river  to  which  the  beauteous  oasis  of  Damascus 
owes  its  beauty  and  its  very  existence — winding 
from  the  Anti-Lebanon  through  a  deep  green 
zone,  its  waters  clear  and  transparent  as  crys- 
tal, da.sliing  llirough  rocky  dells,  or  buried 
from  sight  under  the  foliage  of  a  forest  of 
fruit-trees  of  every  kind — the  Abana  was  justly 
the  Syrian's  boast.  No  wonder  that  the  limpid 
Abana  seemed  to  Naaman  worthier  than  the 
muddy  .lordan  !  .  .  .  From  the  summit  of  Mt. 
llermon  we  looked  down  on  Tyre  and  Sidon, 
on  Carmel  and  Gerizim  and  Kebo.  Lakes 
llulch  and  Ginnesareth,  sunk  in  the  depths  be- 
neath us  and  reflecting  tlie  sunlight,  were  mag- 
nificent. And  very  striking  were  the  views  to 
the  north  and  east,  with  the  head-waters  of  the 
Plmrpar  rising  beneath  us  and  the  Abana  in  the 
far  distance,  both  rivers  marking  the  courses  of 
their  fertilizing  streams  by  the  deep  green  lines 
of  verdure,  till  the  eye  rested  on  the  brightness 
of  Dasmascus,  and  then  turned  up  the  wide 
opening  of  Ca'le-Syria  until  shut  in  by  Leba- 
non.     'J'nutram. 

Damascus  lies  in  a  plain  at  the  eastern  foot 
of  Anti-Lebanon,  six  or  eight  days'  journey 
from  Jerusalem.  For  many  miles  the  city  is 
girdled  by  fertile  fields  and  gai-dcns,  watered  by 


the  IJaraila  :iiid  othiT  streams  ;  and  the  vegeta- 
tion is  so  fresh  and  green,  that  in  the  Kast  Da- 
nia.scus  is  caUcd  "  a  pearl  in  the  midst  of  em- 
eralds." As  the  traveller  approaches  it  from 
Anti-Lebanon,  the  view  is  magnificent.  A 
plain,  fifty  miles  in  circuit,  bordered  by  blue 
mountains  in  the  distance,  lies  before  him. 
forming  a  vast  waving  grove  of  walnut,  fig, 
pomegranate,  plum,  apricot,  citron,  and  other 
fruit-trees  ;  while  in  the  distance  rising  above 
this  vast  sea  of  green,  brown,  and  yellow  foli- 
age, are  seen  the  leaden  domes,  the  gilded  cres- 
cents, and  the  marble  minarets  of  Damascus. 
The  situation  .seems  as  if  marked  out  l)y  Nature 
as  the  site  of  a  great  and  wealthy  city.  In  the 
course  of  its  long  history  it  has  jjassed  thro\igh 
many  fluctuations  of  fortune,  and  a(;knowl- 
edged  many  different  masters  ;  at  the  jiresent 
day,  with  a  popidation  of  some  loO.OIlO,  it  is 
still  one  of  the  most  considerable  ciliesof  the 
East.     W.  G.  B. 

The  Damascus  oasis  is  really  a  triangle,  con- 
taining more  than  two  hundred  scjuare  miles. 
It  owes  its  existence  entirely  to  the  streams 
from  llermon  and  Lebanon,  esjM  cially  the 
Awaj  (or  Pharpar),  and  the  Barada,  the  old 
Abana.  The  waters  of  these  rivers  are  distrib- 
uted everywhere  by  canals,  and  where  they  go 
they  carry  fertility  and  beauty.  In  the  daj's 
of  Abraham,  "  Damesek"  is  spoken  of  as  a 
well-known  city.  It  seems  likely  that  Abra- 
ham tarried  here  on  his  way  from  Mesopotamia 
to  Canaan,  and  "  Eliezer  of  Damascus,"  after- 
ward his  steward,  may  then  have  been  added 
to  his  family.  From  that  day  to  this  it  has 
never  ceased  to  be  a  populous  city.  If  it  be 
asked  how  it  is  that  amid  the  fall  of  empires 
and  the  destruction  of  great  cities — Nineveh, 
Babylon,  Tyre,  Memphis,  Thebes — Damascus 
ever  lives,  the  gurgling  waters  of  the  limpid 
Barada  give  the  reply.  This  oasis  always  has 
been  the  natural  stopping-place  for  caravans, 
travellers  and  armies  moving  from  the  banks 
of  thir  Tigris  and  Euiihrates  in  the  East  across 
the  great  Arabian  steppe  to  Palestine,  to  the 
Mediterranean  ports  and  to  Egypt,  in  the  West 
and  Southwest.  As  we  drew  toward  it  we  had 
a  token  of  this  fact  in  meeting  a  herd  of  one 
hundred  and  forty  camels  being  led  from  Bag- 
dad on  the  Tigris  to  Cairo,  the  metropolis  of 
Egypt,  for  sale  there.  The  causes  which  led 
armies  and  tradesmen  by  this  route  from  Assy- 
ria and  Babylonia  to  Egyjit  tliree  and  four 
thousand  years  ago  are  still  in  force.  Damas. 
cus  is  the  great  highway-house  between  tlie 
East  and  the  West.     Dulles. 

Belter  tliaii  all  tlic  waters  of  Is- 


SECTION  19.     NAAMAN'8  LEPR08T  REMOVED. 


191 


rael.  What  is  Jordan  that  1  should  wasli  in 
it?  What  is  the  preaching  tliat  I  should  at- 
tend on  it,  where  I  hear  nothing  but  what  I 
knew  before?  What  are  these  beggarly  ele- 
ments of  water,  bread,  and  wine?  Are  not 
these  the  reasonings  of  a  soul  that  forgets  who 
appoints  the  means  of  grace?  AVhat,  though  it 
be  clay,  let  Christ  use  it,  and  it  shall  open  the 
ejx's,  though  in  itself  more  likely  to  put  them 

out.     Chirnall. Christianity  comes  to  us — 

or  rather,  instead  of  that  abstract  word,  let  us 
say  Christ,  who  is  Christianity,  comes  to  us — 
trusting  wholly  and  only  to  siiiritual  remedies. 
lie,  too,  .says  "  wash  and  be  clean."  The  one 
power  that  cleanses  is  His  blood  for  pardon, 
His  spirit  for  holiness.  The  one  condition  of 
receiving  these  is  simple  faith  in  Him  ;  all  ex- 
ternals are  nothing.  Forms  and  ceremonies, 
acts  of  worship,  and  church  ordinances  are  of 
no  avail.  The  bond  that  unites  us  to  Him  who 
is  our  life  is  the  medium  through  which  life 
flows  to  us.  And  that  one  bond  is  faith  ;  and 
that  life  is  the  life-giver  who  died  for  us.  The 
Gospel  depends  wholly  on  spiritual  forces,  and 
is  received  only  by  spiritual  acts.  .  .  .  Christ's 
work  for  us  must  be  all  in  all,  or  not  at  all. 
There  must  be  no  eking  out  ours  with  His  ;  no 
saying,  "  Well,  I  do  as  well  as  I  can — and  for 
the  rest  I  will  trust  in  Clirist !"  The  old  can- 
not be  patched  with  the  new  in  that  fashion. 
You  must  throw  away  the  rags,  and  let  Him 
clothe  you  whoU}'  from  head  to  foot — not  in 
your  own  righteousness,  completed  with  bits 
of  His — but  in  His  wholly — "  if  so  be  that  be- 
ing clothed  we  may  not  be  found  naked." 
Powerless  we  are,  but  He  is  strong.  Sick,  but 
He  is  the  healer.  Leprous,  but  He  both  will 
and  can  make  us  clean.     A.  M. 

13,  14.  The  servants'  interposition  lieeded, 
and  the  result.  Not  blinded  by  pride,  nor  mad- 
dened by  passion,  they  could  see  nothing  hu- 
miliating or  unreasonable  in  the  proposed  wash- 
ing in  .Jordan.  It  seemed  to  them,  as  it  really 
was,  a  simple  and  appropriate  means  of  heal- 
ing. So  iu  their  strong  affection  and  sympathy, 
they  venture  upon  their  unanswerable  appeal. 
His  earnest  desire  of  recovery,  they  humbly 
say,  would  lead  him  to  undergo  any  amount  of 
toil  or  of  sacrifice.  How  much  rather,  then, 
do  this  small  thing,  demanding  neither  toil  nor 
sacrifice?  Their  deep  interest  and  sympathy 
and  these  reasonable  words  at  once  soothe  and 
convince  Naaman.  His  anger  is  quieted,  and 
he  comes  to  himself.  He  realizes  his  leprous 
condition  and  the  folly  of  his  pride.  His  faith 
is  encouraged  and  hope  is  rekindled.  Both 
prove  strong  enough  for  the  journey  to  the 


river,  and  for  the  sevenfold  bath.  And  both 
faith  and  hope  find  full  rewai'd,  when,  having 
obeyed  "  the  saying  of  the  man  of  God,  his 
flesh  came  again  like  unto  the  flesh  of  a  little 
child."  In  these  miracles  of  tlie  Old  Testa- 
ment, like  most  of  those  recorded  in  the  New, 
some  form  of  human  acting  preceded  or  attend- 
ed the  exertion  of  Divine  power.  In  the  res- 
toration of  the  dead  children  by  Elijah  and 
Elisha,  there  was  the  personal  contact  as  well 
the  prayer  of  faith.  Here  the  seven  dippings 
in  .Jordan  in  the  spirit  of  obedience  to  "  the  say- 
ing of  the  man  of  God."  And  as  in  Naaman's 
case  healing  and  faith  followed  close  upon  obe- 
dience, so  would  it  prove  with  many  a  sin- 
troubled  soul.  If  only  such  a  soul  would  obey 
the  call  of  Christ  to  come  to  Him  for  healing 
and  cleansing,  virtue  would  assuredh'  go  forth 
from  Him,  and  the  inestimable  blessing  of  the 
new  life  would  be  experienced.     B. 

These  men  loved  more  their  master's  health 
than  his  passion  ;  and  would  rather  therefore 
advise  than  flatter  ;  draw  him  to  good  than  fol- 
low him  to  evil.  Since  it  was  a  prophet  from 
whom  he  received  this  prescription,  tliey  per- 
suade him  not  to  despise  it ;  intimating  there 
could  be  no  fault  in  the  slightness  of  the  re- 
ceipt, so  long  as  there  was  no  defect  of  power 
iu  the  commander  ;  that  the  virtue  of  the  cure 
should  be  in  his  obedience,  not  in  the  nature  of 
the  remedy.  They  persuade  and  prevail.  Next 
to  the  prophet  Naaman  may  thank  Iiis  servants 
that  he  is  not  a  leper.  He  goes  down  upon 
their  entreaty,  and  dips  seven  times  in  Jordan. 
His  flesh  riseth  ;  his  lepro.s)'  vanisheth  :  not  the 
unjust  fury  and  techiness  of  the  patient  shall 
cross  the  cure  ;  lest,  while  God  is  severe,  the 
prophet  should  be  discredited.     Bp.  II. 

Naaman  had  good  servants.  The  little  maid 
sent  him  to  Elisha,  and  now  his  attendants  will 
not  let  him  go.  Their  advice  is  so  undeniably 
reasonable  that  there  is  no  resisting  it.  Naa- 
man had  already  "done  a  great  thing,"  in 
coming  to  the  foreign  soil,  and  seeking  help 
from  an  Israelite,  as  well  as  in  bringing  so  large 
a  reward,  which  he  was  ready  to  give  for  heal- 
ing, and  now  to  refuse  to  do  so  simple  a  thing 
would  be  preposterous.  But  it  is  a  peculiarity 
of  human  nature,  that  it  is  always  more  willing 
to  seek  great  ends  by  diflicult  than  by  easy 
paths,  and  suspects  simple  means  if  they  pro- 
fess to  accomplish  large  results.  We  see  the 
same  tendency  everywhere.  Man  loves  involu- 
tion, and  trouble,  and  effort.  God  loves  sim- 
plicity. The  most  unreasonable  and  tragic  in- 
stance is  the  frequent  rejection  of  the  Gospel, 
just  because  there  is  so  little  for  us  to  do  in 


192 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


onltT  to  be  cured.  It  nsks  nothing  from  us 
but  our  ncci'plancc  of  its  terms.  People  are 
willin;:  to  fast  and  go  on  pilgrimages,  mid  prac- 
tice aust<'rities,  to  swing  with  hooks  in  their 
shouliler-blades  or  to  hold  tliiir  hands  up  till 
the  arm  is  stiffened,  or  to  build  ehurehes,  and 
spend  money  and  pains  to  secure  salvation, 
however  falsely  they  may  conceive  of  the  na- 
ture of  it ;  but  they  are  not  willing  to  give  up 
trying  to  do  anything,  and  to  take  salvation  as 
Gal's  free  gift.     A.  SI. 

A  readiness  to  do  some  great  thing  i.s  not  pe- 
culiar to  Naaman  the  Syrian.  There  are  many 
Christians  who  can  never  find  a  place  large 
enough  to  do  their  duty.  They  must  needs 
strain  after  great  changes,  and  their  works 
must  utter  themselves  by  a  loud  report.  Any 
reform  in  soc-iety,  short  of  a  revolution,  any 
improvement  in  character,  less  radical  than 
that  of  conversion,  is  too  faint  a  work,  in  their 
view,  to  be  much  valued.  Nor  is  it  merely 
ambition,  but  often  it  is  a  truly  Christian  zeal, 
guarded  by  no  sufficient  views  of  the  less  im- 
posing matters  of  life,  which  betrays  men  into 
such  im)iressions.  If  there  be  anything,  in 
fact,  wherein  the  views  of  God  and  the  impres- 
sions of  men  are  apt  to  be  at  total  \ariance,  it 
is  in  resijcct  to  the  solemnity  and  importance  of 
ordinary  duties.  The  hurtfulness  of  mistake 
here,  is  of  couree  very  great.  Trying  always 
to  do  great  things,  to  have  extraordinary  occa- 
sions every  day,  or  to  produce  extraordinary 
changes,  when  small  ones  are  quite  as  much 
needed,  ends,  of  course,  in  defeat  and  dissipa- 
tion. It  ])roduces  a  sort  of  religion  in  the 
gross,  which  is  no  religiim  in  particular.     H.  B. 

Bingle-mindedncss,  or  simple-mindedness,  is 
a  characteristic  of  childhood  ;  and  child-likeness 
is  the  standard  of  greatness  for  the  disciple  of 
Jesus.  A  strong  thinker,  and  a  child-like  looker 
for  God  and  for  God"s  truth,  has  said  :  "  The 
simplest  things,  after  all,  are  the  hardest,  appar- 
ently, for  i)eople  to  see.  They  are  looking, 
like  Naaman,  for  great  biddings  or  teachings. 
I  am  glad  .Jesus  thanked  the  Father,  as  he  did 
after  John's  disciph-s  had  come  to  Him  from 
their  master,  that  God  had  revealed  these  things 
to  babes.  I  want  to  be  niunbered  among  those 
babes,  whose  eyes,  unambitious  or  unabli^  to 
see  perplexities,  are  content  with  lovingly  look- 
ing at  the  simplicities  which  there  are  in 
Christ,"     S.  S.  T. 

15-19.  Naaman'H  nnhle  confession,  and  eon- 
secriition  to  the  God  of  Ixrad.  A  radical  spiritual 
transformation  is  wrought  witli  the  physical. 
lie  is  no  longer  a  prou<l  heathen  prince,  but  an 
humble  believer  in  ihe  God  who  has  achieved 


this  double  miracle  in  himself.  Now  he  knows 
that  God  had  directed  Elisha's  act  and  mes- 
sage ;  that  God  liad  effected  the  cure.  Thus 
"believing  in  Ins  heart,"  he  instantly  returns 
to  Samaria  (thirty  miles),  makes  "confession 
with  his  mouth,"  and  desires  to  leave  an  offer- 
ing in  token  of  his  gratitude  and  devotion. 
The  confession  Elislia  gladly  heard.  The  offer- 
ing, though  presented  in  a  right  spirit,  and 
with  no  thunrjht  (f  makin'j  recompense,  he  de- 
clined. Neither  himself  nor  the  simple  schools 
over  which  he  presided  needed  such  help. 
Whatever  was  required  beyond  the  returns  of 
their  own  toil  was  readily  supplied  by  the  few 
godly  households  of  Israel. 

With  the  confession  of  Jehovah  as  the  only 
true  God,  Naaman  declares  his  allegiance  to 
this  only  Lord.  Him  alone  will  he  worship 
and  serve.  He  is  not,  indeed,  fully  aware  of 
the  spiritual  character  of  true  worship  and  the 
utter  singleness  of  true  .service.  The  two  re- 
quests he  makes  show  this.  First,  he  asks  for 
a  gift  of  earth  enough  from  the  enclosure  of 
Elisha's  dwelling,  to  construct  with  it  an  altar 
to  Jehovah  in  his  own  home.  T/iis  re(i\iest,  so 
natural  to  one  of  his  training,  Elisha  tacitly 
declines,  thus  indirectly  instructing  him  in  the 
spirituality  of  acceptable  worship.  The  second 
request  (18)  shows  the  sincerity  of  his  confes- 
sion, and  the  thorough  honesty  of  the  man's 
nature.  Uninstructed  as  he  was,  both  con- 
science and  lieart  told  him  that  even  an  out- 
ward seeming  of  worship  to  his  master's  God 
was  wrong.  Foreseeing  this  great  hindrance 
in  the  way  of  his  purposed  confi'ssion  of  Jeho- 
vah, he  brings  the  matter  to  Jehovah's  prophet 
for  coTuisel.  In  his  civil  capacity  as  the  king's 
liereoual  attendant,  when  the  king  liimself 
bows  down  and  all  his  attendants,  Avoidd  it  be 
wrong  for  him,  not  in  worship  but  in  simple 
courtesy  and  obedience,  to  bow  with  the  king? 
This  nice  point  Elisha  does  not  decide.  He 
neither  allows  nor  forbids.  But  he  jiuts  the 
doing  or  not  doing  upon  the  same  conscience, 
noip  stirred  at  the  anticipation,  afterwaiti  to  be 
more  fully  enlightened  by  the  amasing  Spirit, 
lie  knows  the  man  is  true  and  earnest,  and 
means  faithfully  to  serve  the  God  of  Israel. 
Such  a  man,  he  knows,  will  be  guided  and 
taught,  and  kept  steadfast  too,  by  the  Spirit  of 
God  who  has  won  him.  Since  Ho  /las  given 
life.  He  irill  give  liyht.  So  svithout  mistrust  or 
anxiety  concerning  his  future,  Elisha  dismisses 
the  humble,  grateful  Syrian  general  with  the 
beni'diction  of  God's  peace  !     B. 

15.  .%iid  lie  reliirii04l  to  (Iir  man  of 
God,  lie  iiiid  all  Iii8  coiiipuii}'.    It  is 


SECTION  19.     STAAMAirS  LEPROSY  REMOVED. 


193 


not  always  seen  what  this  involved.  It  in- 
volved going  out  of  his  way  at  least  fifty  miles. 
At  the  Joixian,  Na;iman  was  on  his  way  home, 
had  accomplished  a  fourth  part  of  his  return 
journey  ;  in  three  more  days  he  would  be  in 
Damascus,  in  his  own  palace.  But  he  feels 
that  it  would  be  an  unworthy  act  to  accept  his 
cure  and  make  no  acknowledgment  of  it,  hav- 
ing turned  away  from  the  prophet  "  in  a  rage" 
(verse  13),  now.  without  apology,  or  retractation, 
or  expression  of  regret  or  gratitude,  to  return 
Into  his  own  country  under  the  obligation  of 
an  inestimable  benefit.  His  cure  has  wrought 
in  him  not  merely  a  revulsion  of  feeling  from 
rage  and  fury  to  thankfulness,  but  a  change  of 
belief.  It  has  convinced  him  that  the  God  of 
Elisha  is  the  God  of  the  whole  earth.  It  has 
turned  him  from  a  -worshipper  of  Rimmon  into 
a  worshipjier  of  Jehovah.  He  must  proclaim 
this.  He  must  let  the  prophet  know  what  is  in 
Ills  heart.  He  must,  if  possible,  induce  him  to 
accept  a  recompense.  Therefore  he  thinks 
nothing  of  an  outlay  of  time  and  trouble,  but 
retraces  his  steps  to  the  Israelite  capital,  taking 
with  him  all  his  company,  his  horses  and  his 
chariots,  his  gold  and  silver  and  bales  of  cloth- 
ing, and  numerous  train  of  attendants.  And 
canic,  and  stood  before  liini — i.e.,  de- 
scended from  his  chariot,  and  asked  admittance 
into  the  prophet's  house,  and  was  received  and 
allowed  an  audience — a  striking  contrast  with 
liis  previous  appearance  before  the  house,  in 
expectation  that  the  prophet  would  come  down 
and  wait  upon  him.  And  he  said.  Be- 
hold, iioAv  I  know  that  there  is  no 
Ood  in  all  the  earth,  but  in  Israel. 
This  is  an  acknowledgment  of  the  sole  suprem- 
acy of  Jehovah  on  the  part  of  a  heathen,  such 
as  we  scarcely  find  elsewhere.  The  general  be- 
lief of  the  time,  and  indeed  of  antiquity,  was 
that  everj'  land  had  its  own  god,  who  was  su- 
preme in  it — Baal  in  Phoenicia,  Chemosh  in 
Moab,  Moloch  in  Amnion,  Rimmon  in  Syria, 
Bel  or  Bel-Merodach  in  Babylon,  Amun-Ra  in 
Egypt,  etc.,  and  when  there  is  an  acknowledg- 
ment of  Jehovah  on  the  part  of  heathens  in 
Scripture,  it  is  almost  always  the  recognition 
of  him  as  a  god — the  God  of  the  Jews  or  of  the 
Israelites,  one  among  many.  But  here  we  have 
a  plain  and  distinct  recognition  of  Him  as  the 
one  and  only  God  that  is  in  all  the  earth. 
Hammond. 

16.  In  this  particular  case  Elisha  felt  that 
he  would  be  unfaithful  to  the  God  whom  he 
served  if  he  ac  ^epted  anything.  It  might  lead 
Naaman  to  think  that  he  had  purchased  that 
blessing,  which  God  bestowed  as  a  free  gift  of 


undeserved  mercy.  It  might  lead  hini  to  think 
that  the  prophets  of  God  were  iatluenced  by 
mercenary  motives  in  granting  their  aid,  like 
the  magicians  and  soothsayers  of  the  heathen. 
Hence  Elisha  refused  to  accept  a  gift  which 
was  thus  capable  of  being  misunderstood. 
And  he  nrg^ed  him  to  take  it ;  but 
he  refused.  It  was  creditable  to  Naaman 
that  he  j^ressed  the  prophet  to  accept  his  token 
of  gratitude  ;  it  was  equally  creditable  to  Eli- 
sha that  he  would  not  take  it.     W.  II.  G. 

17,  Naaman  distinctly  intimated  his  convic- 
tion that  the  land  of  Israel  was  a  sacred  soil, 
seeing  that  there  alone  the  true  God  was  to  be 
found  ;  and  it  was  for  this  reason  that  he  de- 
sired to  possess  a  portion  of  its  venerated  dust. 
If,  therefore,  we  look  to  the  uses  to  which  the 
Easterns  apply  the  soil  of  places  accounted 
holy,  it  is  possible  we  may  hit  upon  the  right 
reason  for  Naaman's  singular  request.  To  the 
Mohammedans  at  the  present  day  the  sacred 
soil  is  that  of  Mecca  ;  and  the  man  accounts 
himself  happy  who  has  in  his  possession  the 
smallest  portion  of  it  for  use  in  his  devotions. 
He  carries  it  about  his  person  in  a  small  bag  ; 
and  in  his  prayers  he  deposits  this  before  him 
upon  the  ground  in  such  a  manner  that,  in  his 
frequent  prostrations,  the  head  comes  down 
upon  this  morsel  of  sacred  soil — so  that  in  some 
sort  he  may  be  said  to  worship  thereon.  May 
it  not  be  that  Naaman  contemplated  forming, 
with  this  larger  portion  of  the  soil  of  the  sacred 
land,  a  spot  on  which  he  might  offer  up  his  de- 
votions to  the  God  of  Israel?     Kitto. 

18.  19.  It  seems  that  it  was  Naaman's  duty 
to  attend  the  king  of  Syria  when  he  went  to 
pay  his  idol  homage,  and  as  the  king  leaned 
upon  him  with  his  arm  upon  his  shoulder,  and 
bowed  very  low,  he  could  not  well  avoid  bend- 
ing his  own  body  with  the  king.  And  he 
meant  to  ask  whether,  if  he  did  this  out  of 
dutj'  to  his  master,  and  not  of  reverence  to  the 
idol,  he  should  commit  sin.  It  showed  great 
tenderness  of  conscience  in  him.  If  the  same 
question  were  put  to  us,  we  should  say  that  it 
would  depend  very  much  upon  circumstances 
whether  it  would  be  right  or  wrong  for  Naa- 
man to  do  this.  If  he  wished  to  save  himself 
from  persecution  by  a  seeming  compliance  with 
the  idolatries  of  his  country,  or  if  any  would 
suppose  him  to  be  still  an  idolater  from  that 
act,  then  it  would  undoubtedly  be  wrong  ;  but 
if  it  would  not  be  so  taken,  nor  was  done  to 
avoid  iiersecution,  biit  was  only  an  act  of  duty 
to  his  king,  there  was  no  harm  in  it.  Now  it 
is  evident  that  Naaman  meant  no  concealment 
of  his  new  faith.     He  avowed  before  all  the 


194 


KTXOnO.\f  OF  ISRAEL. 


company  of  Syriaus  who  were  with  him,  Umt 
he  would  henceforth  worsliip  only  Jehovah. 
Auil  he  probably  btiilt  au  ultur  on  liis  return, 
and  openly  worsliipped  the  true  God,  so  that  it 
would  be  known  when  lie  went  to  the  house  of 
liininion  that  he  was  no  idolater.  Therefore 
Elisha  said  unto  him.  "  Go  in  peace."  W.  II. 
Leiriii. 

All  the  Syrian  court  shall  know  that  he  sac- 
riliceth  uijon  Israelilish  earth  to  the  God  of  Is- 
rael. They  shall  hear  him  protest  to  have 
neither  heart  nor  knee  for  Rimmon.  If  he 
must  go  into  the  house  of  that  idol,  it  shall  be 
as  a  servant,  not  as  a  suppliant  :  his  duty  to 
his  master  shall  carry  him  ;  not  his  devotion  to 
his  master's  god  :  if  his  master  go  to  wonsliip 
there  ;  not  he  :  neither  doth  he  saj-,  "  When  I 
bow  mj'self  to  the  image  of  Rimraon  ;"  but, 
"  iu  the  house."  He  shall  bow  to  be  leaned 
upon,  not  to  adore.  Yet  had  not  Naaman 
thotight  this  a  fault  he  had  not  craved  a  par- 
don. It  is  not  for  us  to  expect  a  full  stature  in 
the  cradle  of  conversion.  As  nature,  so  grace 
rises  by  many  degrees  to  perfection.  Leprosy 
was  in  Naaman  cured  at  once  ;  not  corruption. 
The  prophet,  as  glad  to  see  him  but  thus  for- 
ward, dismisses  him  with  a  civil  valediction. 
Bp.  U. 

Did  Elisha  accept  Naaman's  plea?  The  evi- 
dence turns  entirely  on  Elisha's  words,  "  Go  in 
peace."  These  words  are  the  common  form  of 
Oriental  leave-taking.  They  may  have  been 
little  more  than  a  courteous  dismissal.  Elisha 
may  have  felt  that  the  permission  craved  by 
Kaaman  involved  a  question  of  conscience 
which  he  was  not  called  tipon  to  resolve. 
Hence  he  would  not  sanction  Naaman's  want 
of  consistency  on  th<'  one  hand  nor  condemn  it 
on  the  other.  He  declines  the  office  of  judge. 
He  leaves  conscience  to  do  her  work.  Who 
shall  say  this  was  not  the  wisest  course  to 
adopt?  The  prophet  saw  Naaman's  weakness, 
but  he  also  saw  Naaman's  difficulty.  Put  the 
worst  construction  on  his  words,  and  you  will 
say  he  evades  the  question  ;  put  the  best,  and 
you  will  say  he  exercises  a  wise  forbearance. 
We  may  fairly  ask  how  far  Naaman  is  to  be 
excused  in  urging  the  plea  of  the  text.  Super- 
stition mingled  with  his  faith.  He  was  a 
heathen,  only  just  converted,  only  newly  en- 
lightened. We  may  excuse  Naaman,  but  we 
cannot  pretend  as  Christians  to  make  his 
plea  our.s  or  to  justify  our  conduct  by  his. 
Bp.  Perowne. 

It  is  worthy  of  being  noted  that  the  in- 
dulgence which  Naaman  sought  for  was  not 
denied   by    Elisha.      There    is    perhaps  some- 


thing more  to  be  deduced  from  this  than  the 
facile  accommodation  of  these  earlier  times. 
There  may  be  instruction  in  it  to  us  on  whom 
the  latter  ends  of  the  world  have  come  ;  and  I 
should  feel  inclined  to  .see  in  this  hi.story  a  re- 
buke of  those  sticklers  for  small  things  who 
scruple  not  at  great  things,  who  strain  at  gnats 
while  they  swallow  camels.     T.  C. 

Elisha  declared  neither  that  God  would  nor 
that  he  would  not  forgive  Naaman  his  depart- 
ure from  tlie  path  of  strict  right.  He  was  not 
called  upon  to  give  an  answer,  since  Najiman 
had  not  put  a  question,  but  had  only  expressed 
a  wish.  His  "  Go  in  peace"  is  to  be  taken 
simply  as  "  wishing  the  departing  Syrian  the 
peace  of  God  upon  the  road."  So  he  de- 
parted rroin  liiiii  a  Htllc  way.  Naa- 
man left  the  presence  of  Elisha,  quitted  Sa- 
maria, and  had  gone  a  short  way  on  his  home- 
ward journey  when  Gehazi  overtook  him. 
Verse  19  is  closely  connected  with  verse  20. 
Ilammond. 

Chief  Distiru-tive  Lessons  of  t/ie  Story. 

The  subtle  interlacing  of  providential  events 
under  God's  control  is  here  most  happily  illus- 
trated. No  thought  had  that  marauding  Sy- 
rian band  in  securing  the  little  captive  of  the 
blessing  that  would  follow  to  their  cuief  com- 
mander. No  thought  had  Naaman's  wife  in 
bringing  (perhaps  by  her  own  choice  and  pur- 
chase) this  maid  into  her  household  of  the  heal- 
ing of  her  lord.  But  God's  providence  led  to 
that  particular  foray  and  to  the  transfer  of  that 
captive,  lie  conducted  the  godly  child  to  the 
splendid  heathen  home  of  Naaman.  Thus  he 
wrought  out  the  whole  i)reparali(in  for  the  ulti- 
mate blessing  to  Naaman  and  his  household,  to 
the  kings  and  people  of  Israel  and  Sj'ria.  and 
to  multitudes  in  subsequent  ages.  And  it  may 
be  noted,  Christ  expressly  recognizes  this  inci- 
dent as  illustrating  God  sovereignty  in  provi- 
dence and  grace  (Luke  4  :  27). 

Here  also  we  read  one  of  the  finest,  most 
complete  illustrations  on  record  of  the  vast  is- 
sues of  good  resulting  from  a  single  kindly  and 
devout  impulse — and  this  in  a  ijniitlifnl  heart. 
Herself  and  her  parentage  nameless  and  ob- 
scure ;  except  for  this  record,  utterly  unknown. 
Yet  by  her  thougthful,  sympathetic  kindness 
she  has  saved  the  name  anil  fame  of  Naaman. 
Nay  more,  by  her  simple  helpful  instrumental- 
ity, Naaman  himself  was  saved.  And  through 
her  indirect  agency,  by  the  Gospel  truths  dis- 
seminated through  the  story  over  ali  the  earth, 
this  unknown  maiden  and  her  simple,  heartfelt 


SECTION  19.     LEPROSY  INFLICTED    UPON  OEHAZL 


195 


exclamation  have  been  lionored  of  God  in  the 
proiluction  of  blessing  to  unnumbered  souls. 

The  man  of  leprous  soul  neither  knows  his 
inward  defilement  nor  wants  it  cured.  The 
way  of  cure — by  the  sacrifice  of  Clirist  and  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit — makes  him  a  recipient 
and  dependent,  therefore  his  pride  rejects  it. 
And  the  inner  experiences  he  must  undergo  in 
the  substitution  of  himiility  for  pride,  of  sub- 
mission for  self-will,  of  self-restraint  and  sacri- 
floe  for  self-indulgence,  are  all  repelling  and 
painful.  And  yet  in  this  matter  God's  volun- 
tary doing  and  man's  required  experiences  are 
all  worthy  of  a  wise,  holy  and  loving  God, 
while  they  exalt  and  ennoble  the  soul  that  ac- 
cepts and  conforms  to  them.  For  the  breaking 
down  of  man's  natural  pride  of  heart  is  not 
humiliating,  but  exalting.  The  subjection  of 
man's  will  to  the  wiser,  better  will  of  God  is 
not  enslaving,  but  ennobling,  and  principled, 
helpful  self-denial  is  as  consciou.sly  elevating 
as  unrestrained,  selfish  indulgence  is  degrad- 
ing. For  the  lowly,  obedient  and  unselfish 
heart  is  a  trusting  and  loving  heart.  And  the 
possessor  of  such  a  heart  is  the  child  and  heir 
of  God,  assured  of  sufficient  grace  here,  and  of 
abundant  glory  and  joy  hereafter  I 

IMen  seek  to  do  great  things  in  the  pursuit  of 
position,  power  and  gain.  But  the  acquisition 
of  each  of  these  objects  is  ordinarily  secured  by 
gradual  advances,  by  steadiness  in  regular  toil 
and  by  successive  small  undertakings.  So  it  is 
pre-eminently  in  the  attainment  of  salvation 
and  with  progress  in  the  Christian  life.  All 
the  great  things  are  done  by  God  Himself  in  the 
giving  of  His  Son,  in  the  willing  sacrifice  of 
Christ  and  in  the  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Ours  is  the  smaller,  simpler  work  of  a  receiving 
and  appropriating  faith,  in  the  good  but  the 
lesser  part  of  a  willing  glad  choice  of  eternal 
life.  Very  simple  and  clear  is  the  way  of  at- 
taining this  life.  It  is  to  come  as  unto  a  fiow- 
ing  fountain  for  the  cleansing  of  sin's  defile- 
ment, and  to  receive  the  new  spirit  of  life  in 
Christ  Jesus.     B. 

There  is  a  distinct  parallel  between  the  mira- 
cle and  the  greater  miracle  which  cleanses  a 
sinful  heart,  in  that  in  both  the  cure  is  sus- 
pended on  simple  compliance  with  the  terms, 
and  that,  in  regard  to  the  Gospel  healing,  the 
sole  comlition  of  being  cleansed  is  to  let  Christ 
cleanse  us.  "  Wash  and  be  clean"  is  the  one 
call  of  Christ's  love.  It  was  not  easy  to  pro- 
vide that  all-cleansing  fountain.  To  do  so  re- 
quired the  mystery  of  Incarnation  and  the 
agony  of  Calvary  ;  but,  being  provided,  all 
else  is  simple.     Jesus  has  done  all,  and  we  have 


but  to  accept  what  is  done.  ' '  Wash  and  be 
clean"  is  a  command  shadowing  forth  "the 
soul-quickening  words.  Believe  and  live." 

We  have  our  Lord's  authority  for  seeing  in 
tliis  story  of  Naaman  at  least  some  of  the  prin- 
ciples which  regulate  the  dispensation  of  His 
love  and  grace,  exemplified  for  the  world.  He 
alleges  it  as  an  instance  of  the  way  in  which 
the  universal  love  overleaped  all  national  dis- 
tinctions, and  surged  over  the  barriers  which 
Jewish  narrowness  would  have  erected  for  its 
free  course.  "  None  of  them  were  cleansed, 
save  Naaman,  the  Syrian."     A.  M. 

Leprosy  Inflicted  upon  Gehazi. 
Verses  20-27. 

Mercy  and  judgment  both  find  place  in 
God's  dispensations.  The  history  of  Naaman 
is  a  sign;d  instance  of  God's  free  mercy  granted 
to  a  stranger  who  was  not  of  the  chosen  race — 
who  came,  not  only  from  a  foreign  land,  but 
from  one  which  was  frequently  in  open  hostil- 
ity to  Israel.  It  shows  that  even  in  that  re- 
stricted economy  God's  grace  was  not  confined 
to  one  favored  people  ;  but  they  who  sought 
Him,  from  whatever  land  and  whatever  nation, 
might  find  Him  and  receive  rich  blessings  from 
His  hand.  But  to  this  bestowment  of  God's 
favor  upon  an  alien  there  is  a  reverse  picture — 
the  inflction  of  just  judgment  upon  an  offender 
who  was  not  only  one  of  the  chosen  race,  an 
Israelite,  but  who  was  specially  privileged  as 
belonging  to  the  household  of  the  prophet. 
This  shows  that  descent  from  Abraham  and 
connection  with  the  commonwealth  of  Israel 
are  not  of  themselves  a  sure  passport  to  the  Di- 
vine favor.  It  is  an  anticipation  of  the  truth 
that  many  shall  come  from  the  East  and  West, 
and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham  and  Isaac 
and  Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  the 
children  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  cast  out. 
W.  H.  G. 

20.  Tlie  temptation  of  Gehazi,  and  the  fall. 
Gehazi  is  to  be  classed  with  Judas  and  with 
Ananias  and  Sapphira,  rather  than  with  Achan 
or  Simon  Magus.  L^nlike  the  true  servants  of 
the  heathen  Naaman,  he  was  a  false  servant  of 
the  Lord's  prophet.  The}'  had  no  means  of 
knowledge  and  grace.  A  professed  follower  of 
Jehovah,  he  had  the  fiilness  of  the  knowledge 
then  possessed  and  the  grace  then  given.  More 
privileged  he,  than  even  the  other  sons  of  the 
prophets,  by  his  special  relation  to  Elisha. 
Therefore  the  words  by  which  he  is  here  char- 
acterized, "  Gehazi,  the  servant  of  Elisha,  the 
man  of  God,"  convey  a  peculiar  sadness  and 


196 


KINGDOM  OF  ISIiAET.. 


solemnity  in  connection  with  Iiis  fearful  crime. 
Like  Jiulas  ami  Ananias,  he  belonifeil  to  the 
fellowship  of  the  [,orii's  disciples.  By  this  his 
guilt  was  ajjirravateil,  an<i  its  effects  tended 
greatly  to  harm  and  hinder  the  Lonl's  work. 

Gehazi  said,  "  I  will  avail  myself  of  the  offers 
of  this  despicable  Syrian,  whom  my  master  has 
foolishly  let  go  free  of  cost  and  sacrifice." 
While  this  Jewish  servant  of  Elisha  despises 
Naaman  because  a  heathen,  yet  Ids  eye  and 
heart  are  admirinirly  set  uiion  N'aanian's  sacks 
of  treasure.  Hut  his  thought  and  desire  went 
further  than  mere  p<)S.session  of  some  of  this 
tre!L<ure.  He  wits  already  conceiving  hini.self 
as  having  olive-jards,  and  vineyards,  anil  sheep, 
and  o.xen,  and  many  servants.  The  money 
would  give  him  all  these,  and  set  him  among 
the  rich  and  distinguished  in  the  laud.  As 
Naaman 's  departing  retinue  disappeared  in 
the  distance,  Gehazi's  resolve  was  formed. 
Strangely  enough,  too,  he  binds  himself  to  its 
execution  by  a  sacred  form  of  oath  :  "  As  the 
Lord  liveth."  He  had  already  broken  the 
ninth  and  tenth  Comnuuidraents.  Now  he 
breaks  the  thinl  as  he  goes  forth  to  break  the 
eighth.  He  follows  after  Naaman  to  rob  him 
under  a  fraudulent  pretence.     B. 

Naaman,  a  Syrian,  a  courtier,  a  soldier,  had 
many  servants,  and  we  read  how  wise  and  good 
they  were  (verse  13).  Elisha,  a  holy  prophet, 
a  man  of  God,  has  but  one  servant,  and  he 
proves  a  base  liar.  They  that  heard  of  Elisha 
at  a  distance  honored  him  and  got  good  bj- 
■what  they  heard  ;  but  ne  that  stood  continually 
before  him  to  hear  his  wisdom  had  no  good 
impressions  made  vipon  him  either  by  his  doc- 
trine or  miracles.  One  would  expect  that  Eli- 
sha's  servant  should  be  a  saint  (even  Ahab's 
servant,  Obadiah,  was),  but  even  Chrisi  Himself 
had  a  Judas  among  His  followers.  The  means 
of  grace  cannot  give  grace.     H. 

!20.  my  iniiNtcr  liatli  spared  Naa- 
man llii!«  Syrian.  The  words  "this  Sy- 
rian" are  eni]ihatic.  Gehazi  persuades  himself 
that  it  is  right  to  spoil  a  Syrian — that  is,  a 
Gentile,  and  an  enemy  of  Lsrael.  A§  the 
I>4>r4l  livolll.  These  words  are  here  a  pro- 
fane oath.  It  could  be  no  fit  occasion  for  a 
solemn  asseveration.  But  Gehazi,  anxious  to 
make  himself  believe  that  he  is  acting  in  a 
proper,  and,  even,  in  a  religious  spirit,  does  not 
scruple  to  introduce  one  of  the  most  solemn  of 
religious  phrases.     B.  C. 

21,  t23.  Gihazi's  rtetplion,  and  hia  nqiuxt  of 
Xiiitinini.  Recognized  at  once  as  the  servant 
of  Elisha.  he  is  treated  with  great  respect  by 
the  grateful  Syrian.     Naaman  even  descends 


from  his  chariot  to  greet  this  guppnsed  memienger 
of  the  prophet.  Gehazi  at  once  appropriates 
this  thought  of  Naaman,  and  thus  begins  this 
complicated  series  of  falsehoods.  As  with 
every  plan  of  covetousness  for  wrong  getting, 
so  this  one  involved  many  untrutlis.  Elisha 
had  not  known  of  his  coming  ;  could  not  have 
authorized  it,  much  less  have  sent  him.  Elisha 
had  not  asked  for  gifts  ;  nay,  had  declined 
them.  Gehazi  well  umlerstooil  the  pnnnple 
which  actuated  the  prophet  in  declining.  Not 
only  did  he  misinterpret  Elisha's  conduct,  and 
so  throw  a  stain  upon  the  jirophet's  character, 
but  what  was  even  more  heinous,  he  was  falsi- 
fying God's  own  declarations  by  the  proph- 
et's mouth  and  act  of  the  utter  freeness  of 
His  grace.  In  God's  name  Elisha  had  siiid.  I 
will  take  no  recompense  for  the  blessing.  Now 
Gehazi  abuses  liis  position  to  counti-ract  this  Di- 
vine announcement.  Further,  he  tiikes  as  his 
own  what,  as  Naamau  gives  it,  is  a  return  for 
the  Divine  goodness  in  healing.  Thas  Gehazi 
robs  God  of  Naaman's  purposed  gift  to  Him, 
and  he  rols  Xaantnii  of  so  much  treasure. 

That  the  man  was  shrewd  ajipears  in  the  rea- 
son and  form  of  his  request.  Nothing  was 
asked  for  Elisha  himself  ;  but  for  those  under 
his  oversight  and  care.  Yet  more,  the  request 
is  made  in  view  o*'  an  emergency  that  has  ri»en 
since  Naaman  parted  with  Elisha.  In  all  this 
fabricated  statement  he  only  so  far  protects  Eli- 
sha's  consistency  that  his  own  story  may  psuss 
muster.  As  for  any  «</«;■  care  and  for  rt/(y  prin- 
ciple, the  story  furnishes  no  trace. 

One  thing  he  overlooked.  This  was  the  vast 
disproportion  of  the  amount  he  asked  to  the  ob 
ject  proposed.  But  his  covetousness  would  be 
content  with  no  less,  though  any  score  of  the 
sons  of  the  prophets  might  well  have  been  satis- 
fied with  half  the  sum  asked  for. 

23,  24.  Saaman's  gift :  where  !iestoired  by 
Gehazi.  The  covetous  servant  required  urging 
only  to  keep  up  the  play  he  was  enacting. 
"  Please  you  to  take  two  talents. "  said  Naaman. 
Very  gladly  Gehazi  accepted.  For  in  this  com 
pai-atively  vast  treasure — equal  to  the  amount 
paid  for  the  whole  city  of  Samaria — he  saw 
wealth  and  abundance  for  life.  In  his  grati- 
tude Naaman  also  insisted  upon  sending  back 
two  of  his  servants  to  carry  the  bags  of  silver. 
But  soon  lus  they  reached  some  point  in  the  city, 
Gehazi  took  the  bags,  (lisniis.sed  the  servants, 
and  concealed  his  ill-gotten  wealth  in  Elisha's 
house 

25-27.  Klinhn  and  Gehazi.  The  Judgment 
of  li prosy.  Gehazi  then  resumes  his  place  in  at- 
tenilance  upon  his  master.     Elisha's  tirst  ques- 


SECTIOy  10.     LEPROSY  INFLICTED    VPOX  OEIIAZL 


197 


tion  ought  to  have  warned  liim  of  some  knowl- 
edge on  the  prophet's  part.  It  seems  designed 
as  an  opportunity  of  vohmtary  confession  and 
repcutAuce.  But  the  covetous  spirit,  now  en- 
hanced by  possession,  could  not  see  this  possible 
meaning  or  purpcsi'  in  the  prophet's  question. 
Still,  as  he  thinks,  guarding  himself,  he  replies 
with  a  square  falsehood.  Like  Ananias,  he 
thinks  ti)  keep  his  doubly  stolen  riches,  at  least 
without  the  prophet's  knowledge.  And  in  this 
"  Satan"  also  deceived  Mm  "  to  lie  to  the  Holy 
Ghost." 

Elisha's  words  of  arraignment  are  almost 
gentle  in  the  reproach  they  address  to  his  in- 
structed conscience.  Yet  are  they  explicit  and 
plain,  both  respecting  Gehazi's  act  (now  de- 
nied), and  respecting  his  intended  use  of  his 
treiisure.  The  prophet's  heart  was  saddened  at 
the  occurrences  that  had  just  taken  place^  in 
the  seeking  and  meeting  of  Naaman.  All  the 
deceit  and  wickedness  of  Gchazi,  the  result  of 
simply  3nelding  to  covetous  desire,  he  saw  and 
grieved  over.  And  he  knew  all  the  effects  of 
evil  to  result  from  this  selfish  sin  of  Gehazi, 
through  its  unhapp}'  result,  possibly  upon 
Naaman  and  upon  Syria,  certainly  upon  Ge- 
hazi himself  and  upon  the  people  of  Israel. 
He  saw  God  s  work  hindered,  God's  grace  spe- 
cially dishonored  at  a  time  when  apostasy  wide- 
ly prevailed.  This  man  hitherto  professing  a 
lowly  life  of  faith  in  God,  unselfish  and  truth- 
ful, a  life  then  Dxiinly  needed  as  the  great  stay 
against  the  inro:ids  of  evil,  would  by  his  fall 
shake  feeble  souls  from  their  hold  upon  God. 
He  would  destroy  Elisha's  character  with  the 
people  ;is  a  pure  true  prophet.  Kay,  he  would 
represent  Jehovah  himself  as  having  the  selfish 
false  spirit  of  Baal. 

All  this  was  involved  in  the  time  and  the 
cveiits  then  transpiring.  Servant  as  he  was, 
liis  position  with  God's  prophet  and  his  pro- 
fessed relations  with  God  Himself  gave  him 
this  tremendous  vantage-ground  for  evil  doing. 
Therefore  went  forth  the  j  udgraent  of  God,  at 
the  mouth  of  Elisha,  in  the  mark  of  lepros)', 
borne  down  to  after  generations.  Dismissed 
from  the  prophet's  service,  Gehazi  "  went  out 
from  his  presence  a  leper  as  white  as  snow." 
But  he  went  as  a  rich  man,  openly  taking  his 
treasure.  He  invested  it,  too,  as  he  had  pro- 
posed I  and  we  may  suppose,  from  2  K.  8  : 
1-6,  that  his  was  the  exact  career  depicted 
by  Christ  (Luke  13  :  13-30).  All  this  is  strange, 
some  may  think — that  God  should  suffer  him 
to  possess  this  wealth  in  peace,  obtained  by 
fraud  and  falsehood.  But  this  is  precisely  what 
God  is  suffering  to  be  done  by  all  who  have  the 


purpose  and  hardihood  to  do  it.  For  Him  to 
interpose  and  take  away  from  everj'  man  what 
is  dishonestly  gotten  would  be  to  revolution- 
ize His  ways  among  men.  It  would  be  to  in- 
terfere seriously  with  men's  own  agency  and 
responsibilit}'.  It  would  be  prematurely  to 
execute  His  now  waiting  judgment.  Christ's 
words  apply  here,  too  :  "  Let  both  wheat  and 
tares  grow  unto  the  judgment." 

Like  the  Pharisees  of  the  Master's  time.  Ge- 
hazi had  his  reward.  He  enjoyed  the  wealth 
and  position  he  had  coveted.  He  was  elevated 
toward  Naaman 's  position.  But  he  had  Naa- 
man's  curse.  Tliis  curse  no  waters  of  the  Jor- 
dan would  ever  relieve  or  remove.  Kay,  life  it- 
self would  not  bring  it  to  an  end  ;  for  the  true 
and  the  terrible  Uprosj'  rested  upon  his  selfish, 
guilty  soul.  This  he  alone  had  brought  upon 
himself.     B. 

25.  But  tac  went  in,  and  stood  be- 
fore his  master.  Gehazi,  lest  his  absence 
should  be  noticed,  as  soon  as  he  had  put  away 
the  money,  sought  his  master's  presence,  enter- 
ing the  room  ciisually,  as  if  he  had  been  busied 
about  the  house.  He  was  met  at  once,  how- 
ever, b}'  the  plain  question  which  follows. 
And  Elisha  said  unto  him,  'Whence 
comest  thou,  Oehazi  {  literally,  Whiiiee, 
Gehazi?  A  short,  stern,  abrupt  question. 
And  he  said,  Thy  servant  went  no 
Avilither.  There  was  ho  help  for  it.  One  lie 
necessitates  another.  Once  enter  on  the  devi- 
ous path,  and  jou  cannot  say  whither  it  will 
conduct  you.  To  deceive  and  plunder  a  for- 
eigner of  a  hostile  nation  probably  seemed  to 
Gehazi  a  trifle,  either  no  sin  at  all,  or  a  very 
venial  sin.  But  now  he  finds  himself  led  on  to 
telling  a  direct  lie  to  his  master,  which  even  he 
could  not  have  justified  to  himself. 

ae,  27.  The  prophet  follows  Gehazi's 
thoughts,  which  had  been  to  purchase,  with 
the  money  obtained  from  Naaman,  olive-yards 
and  vineyards,  and  sheep  and  oxen,  etc.,  and 
asks — 'Was  this  a  time  for  such  proceedings'; 
Kcil  well  explains,  "  'Was  this  the  time,  when 
so  many  hypocrites  pretend  to  be  prophets  from 
selfishness  and  avarice,  and  bring  the  prophetic 
office  into  contempt  with  unbelievers,  for  a  ser- 
vant of  the  true  God  to  take  money  and  goods 
from  a  non-Israelite  .  .  that  he  might  ac 
quire  property  and  luxury  for  himself?"  It 
was  evidently  a  most  unfit  time.  As  Thenius 
says,  "  In  any  other  case  better  than  in  this 
mightiest  thou  have  yielded  to  thy  desire  for 
gold  and  goods."     Ilainmond. 

"  Is  this  a  time  to  receive  money  and  gar- 
ments,   and,"   which   thou  hast  already   pur- 


198 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


chased  in  thy  conceit.  "  olive-.vards  ami  vine- 
yanls,  and  slieep  and  oxen,  and  men  servanU 
anil  maid  servants?"  Did  my  mouth  refuse 
tliat  tliy  hands  niijjrlit  take?  Was  I  so  careful 
to  win  honor  to  my  God  and  credit  to  my  pro- 
fession by  denying  these  Syrian  presents,  tliat 
thou  niighU'st  dusli  both  in  receiving  them? 
Was  there  no  way  to  enrich  thyself  but  by  be- 
lying thy  master;  by  dispiiraging  this  holy 
function  in  the  eyes  of  a  new  convert?  Since 
thou  wouldst  needs  therefore  take  part  of  Naa 
man's  treiLsurc,  take  part  with  him  in  his  lep- 
rosy ;  "  The  leprosy  of  Naaman  shall  cleave 
unto  thee  and  unto  thy  seed  forever." 

Oh,  heavy  talents  of  Geliazi  !  Oh,  the  horror 
of  this  one  unchiingeablc  suit,  which  shall  never 
be  but  loathsomely  white,  noisomely  unclean  ! 
How  nmch  better  had  been  a  light  purse  and  a 
homely  coat,  with  a  sound  body,  a  clear  soul  ! 
Too  late  <loth  that  wretched  man  now  find  that 
he  liath  loailed  himself  with  a  curse  ;  that  he 
hath  clad  himself  with  shame.  Ilis  sin  shall  be 
read  ever  in  his  face,  in  his  seed  :  all  jiassen- 
gers,  all  posterities  shall  now  say,  "  Behold  the 
characters  of  Geliazi's  covetousness,  fraud,  sac- 
rilege !"  The  act  overtakes  the  word;  "He 
went  out  of  his  presence  a  leper  as  white  as 
snow."  It  is  a  woful  exchange  that  Gchazi 
hath  made  with  Naaman,  Naaman  came  a 
leper,  returned  a  disciple  ;  Gehazi  came  a  dis- 
ciple, returned  a  leper :  Naaman  left  behind 
both  his  disease  and  money  ;  Gehnzi  takes  up 
both  his  money  and  his  disea.se.  Now  shall 
Gehazi  never  look  upon  himself  but  he  shall 
think  of  Naaman,  whose  skin  is  transferred 
ujion  him  with  those  talents  ;  and  shall  wear 
out  the  rest  of  his  days  in  shame  and  pain 
and  sorrow.  This  son  of  the  prophets  shall 
more  loud  and  lively  preach  the  justice  of 
God  by  his  face  than  others  by  their  tongue. 
Bp.  II. 

His  punishment  is  severe  ;  but  his  sin  was 
great.  The  leprosy  was  a  fitting  punishment, 
both  because  it  had  been  Naaman's,  from  which 
obedient  reliance  on  God  had  set  him  free,  and 
because  of  its  symbolical  meaning,  sw  the  type 
of  sin.  Gehazi  got  his  coveted  moni'V,  but  he 
got  something  else,  along  with  it,  which  he  did 
not  bargain  for,  and  which  took  all  the  .sweet- 
ness out  of  it.  That  is  always  the  case.  "  Ill- 
gotten  gear  never  prospers  ;"  and  if  a  man  has 
set  his  heart  on  worldly  good,  he  may  sxiccecd 
in  amassing  a  fortiine,  but  the  leprosy  will 
cleave  to  him,  and  his  soul  will  be  all  crusted 
and  foul  with  that  living  death.  Ilmv  many 
8ucc<'ssfu!  men,  pcTliaps  high  in  rejiutation  in 
the  Church  as  in  the  world,  would  stand  "  lep- 


ers as  white  as  snow"  if  we  had  God'8  eyes  to 
see  them  with?     A.  M. 

Remembering  how  leprosy  in  the  Bible  is  al- 
ways a  type  of  sin  and  its  result,  spiritual 
death — we  may  ask  oui-selves,  Dcue  we  gain 
riches  by  uinvortliy  means,  when,  so  gained, 
they  bring  moral  death  with  them?  When  we 
iisk  ourselves  this  question,  the  punishment  of 
Gehazi,  dreadful  as  it  was,  does  not  appear  ex- 
cessive. Still  less  does  it  appear  so  when  we 
consider  who  Gehazi  was.  A  prophet — Elisha's 
privileged  companion — a  man  to  whom  the 
glory  of  Jehovah,  not  only  in  the  sight  of  Naa- 
man, but  of  the  rebellious  people  of  Israel, 
(mght  to  have  been  beyond  all  things  precious, 
such  a  one  willing  to  barter  all  this,  to  risk  the 
undoing  of  Elisha's  prophetic  work  for  money  I 
The  answer  of  conscience  is  that  it  is  only  just 
that  that  servant  who  knew  his  Lord's  will  and 
did  it  not  should  be  beaten  with  many  stripes 
(Luke  12  :  47).     Houghton. 

The  getting  of  treuiiures  hy  o  lying  tongue  is  a 
rtinity  tnKned  to  and  fro  of  thfm  that  seek  death 
(Prov.  21  :  6).  Those  who  get  wealth  by  fraud 
and  injustice  cannot  expect  either  the  comfort 
or  the  continuance  of  it.  What  was  Gehazi 
profited,  though  he  gained  his  two  talents, 
when  thereby  he  lost  his  health,  his  honor,  his 
peace,  his  service,  and,  if  repentance  prevented 
not,  his  soul  forever?  His  heart  (says  Bishop 
Hall)  was  packed  up  in  Naaman's  chests,  and 
he  must  run  after  him  to  fetch  it.  ilultitudes, 
by  coveting  worldly  wealth,  have  erred  from 
the  faith,  and  pierced  themselres  with  many  sor- 
rows.    H. 

One  sin  leads  on  to  another  hy  a  siqiience  wJiich 
i.'i  ineritable.  Gehazi  begins  with  covetousness. 
lie  cannot  see  the  wedges  of  silver  and  gold 
and  the  large  bales  of  rich  stuffs  without  a 
keen  desire  to  obtain  pos.session  of  a  portion. 
His  master's  refusal  seems  to  him  mere  folly, 
almost  madness.  He  soon  frames  a  scheme  by 
which  his  master's  intentions  shall  be  frustrated. 
The  scheme  involves  him  in  lying  ;  nay,  in  a 
whole  heaj)  of  lies.  He  tells  a  circumstantial 
tale  in  which  there  is  not  a  single  woixl  of 
truth.  Gehazi  obtains  even  more  than  he  had 
ventured  to  ask  ;  hides  it  away  without  any 
difticulty.  and  thinks  that  all  is  over.  But  all 
is  not  over.  "  Whence  comest  thou,  Gehazi?" 
He  nmst  either  confess  all  or  diivctly  and  un- 
mistakably lie  to  his  master.  Of  course  the  lie 
is  nsolved  upon  ;  his  previous  conduct  luis  so 
demoralized  him  that  we  cannot  even  imagine 
him  to  have  hesitated.  The  only  security 
against  a  moral  decline  as  grievous  as  Gidiazi's 
is  not  to  enter  upon  it,  not  to  take  the  first  step. 


SECTION  SO. 


199 


Gehazi's  punishment  has  also  its  lesson.  He 
was  a  rich  man,  and  might  carry  out  all  his 
far-reaching  schemes  of  proprietorship  and 
lordship  over  others.  But  what  will  it  all 
profit  him  if  he  is  to  be  to  the  end  of  his  days  a 
leper?  The  apples  of  Sodom,  so  "  fair  to 
view,"  are  felt  and  known  to  be  worthless 
when  they  "turn  to  ashes  on  the  lips."  So 
was  it  with  hiiu  ;  and  so  is  it  with  tliose  wlio 
pursue  a  course  similar  to  his.  The  prosperity 
acquireti  by  fraud  has  witliin  it  a  taint  of  rot- 
tenness. There  is  a  drawback  of  some  kind  or 
other  whicli  deprives  the  prosperity  of  all  its 
value,  and  makes  the  wealthy  prosperoxis  man 
a  miserable  wretch.  If  he  escape  external  ca- 
lamity, he  will  not  escape  the  worm  of  remorse, 
which  will  eat  into  his  heart  and  poison  liis  cup 
of  pleasure.     Udiiiinninl. 

Almo.st  every  specific  sin  or  breach  of  a  defi- 
nite commandment  may  be  traced  to  the  one 


controlling  spirit  of  greed.  The  love  of  money 
in  a  root  of  all  eml.  But  this  root-sin  has  its 
source  and  its  life  in  unbelief  and  rejection  of 
God.  The  unbelieving  heart  is  a  heart  supreme- 
ly controlled  by  self-interest  and  self-pleasure, 
by  the  spirit  of  greed. 

Gehazi  was  the  Ananias  and  the  Demas  of 
the  Old  Testament.  Tiy  his  close  personal  con- 
nection with  Elisha,  he  reminds  us  of  Judas. 
To  him  Elisha  could  sa)-,  as  Peter  to  Ananias, 
"  TIiou  hast  not  lied  to  men,  but  to  God  !" 
And  of  him,  as  Paul  of  Demas,  "  He  has  for- 
saken me,  having  loved  this  present  world." 
And  as  a  signal  hindrance,  offence  and  grief  to 
the  cause  he  professedly  espoused,  his  was  the 
same  ultimate  condemnation. 

As  the  blessing  of  God  maketh  rich  and 
addeth  no  sorrow,  .so  the  curse  of  God  goes 
with  ill-gotten  gain,  even  to  children's  chil- 
dren.    B. 


Section  20. 

ELISHA  DELIVERS   JEHORAM   FROM  SYRIAN  INVASIONS. 


2  Kings  6  :  8-23. 

8  Now  the  king  of  Syria  warred  against  Israel  ;  and  he  took  counsel  with  Iiis  servants,  say- 

9  ing.  In  such  and  such  a  place  shall  be  my  camp.     And  the  man  of  God  sent  unto  the  king  of 
Israel,  saying.  Beware  that  thou  pass  not  such  a  place  ;  for  thither  the  Syrians  are  coming 

10  down.     And  the  king  of  Israel  sent  to  the  place  which  the  man  of  God  told  him  and  warned 

11  him  of  ;  and  he  sa\-ed  himself  there,  not  once  nor  twice.  An<i  the  heart  of  the  king  of  Syria 
was  sore  troubled  for  this  thing  ;  and  he  called  his  servants,  and  said  unto  them.  Will  ye  not 

12  shew  me  which  of  us  is  for  the  king  of  Israel?  And  one  of  his  servants  said.  Nay,  my  lord, 
O  king  :  but  Elisha,  the  prophet  that  is  in  Israel,  telleth  the  king  of  Israel  the  words  that 

13  thou  speakest  in  thy  bed-chamber.    And  he  said.  Go  and  see  where  he  is,  that  I  may  send  and 

14  fetch  him.  And  it  was  told  him,  saying,  Behold,  he  is  in  Dothan.  Therefore  sent  he  thither 
horses,  and  chariots,  and  a  great  host  :  and  thpy  came  by  night,  and  compassed  the  cit}'  about. 

15  And  when  the  servant  of  the  man  of  God  was  risen  early,  and  gone  fortli,  behold,  an  host 
with  horses  and  cluiriots  was  round  about  the  city.     And  his  servant  said  unto  liim,  Alas,  my 

16  master  !  how  shall  we  do?     And  he  answered.  Fear  not :  for  they  that  be  with  us  are  more 

17  than  they  that  be  with  them.  And  Elisha  prayed,  and  said,  Lokd,  I  jiray  thee,  open  his  eyes, 
that  he  may  see.     And  the  Lord  opened  the  eyes  of  the  young  man  ;  and  he  saw  :  and,  be- 

18  hold,  the  mountain  was  fidl  of  horses  and  chariots  of  tire  round  about  Elisha.  And  when 
thej'  came  down  to  him,  Elisha  prayed  unto  the  Loud,  and  said.  Smite  this  people,  I  pray 
thee,  with  blindne.ss.     And  he  smote  them  with  blindness  according  to  the  word  of  Elisha. 

19  And  Elisha  said  unto  them,  This  is  not  the  way,  neither  is  this  the  city  :  follow  me,  and  I 

20  will  bring  you  to  the  man  whom  ye  seek.  And  he  led  them  to  Samaria.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  wlien  they  were  come  into  Samaria,  that  Elisha  said,  Lord,  open  the  eyes  of  these  men, 
that  they  may  see.     And  the  Lord  opened  tlieir  eyes,  and  they  saw  ;  and,  behold,  they  were 

21  in  the  midst  of  Sanuiria.     And  the  king  of  Israel  said  unto  Elisha,  when  he  saw  them,  My 

22  father,  shall  I  smite  them?     Shall  I  smite  them?     And  he  answered,  Thou  shalt  not  smite 


200 


KISUDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


them  :  wouldcst  thou  smite  those  whom  thou  hiust  taken  captive  witli  tliy  sword  and  with  thy 
bow?  Set  bread  ami  water  Ix'fore  them,  that  tliey  may  eat  aud  driiiii,  and  go  to  their  master. 
23  And  he  prepared  ^reat  provision  for  Ihem  :  and  when  tliey  had  eaten  and  drunk,  he  sent 
them  away,  and  they  went  to  tlieir  lUiistcr.  And  the  bands  of  Syria  tame  no  more  into  the 
land  of  Israel. 


9-23.  TiiK  ehroiiie  lioatility  whieh  subsisted 
between  the  Israelitish  and  the  Syrian  king- 
doms soon  broke  out  again  in  w^ar.  In  this,  as 
in  other  instances,  Syria  was  the  aggressor. 
The  invaded  kingdom  was  delivered,  not 
through  ■•  the  sword  and  the  bow"  (veme  32) 
of  its  king,  but  once  more  through  the  inter- 
position of  Elisha.     J.  O. Incursions,  on  the 

side  of  Syria  and  of  Israel,  were  of  constant 
occurrence  during  almost  the  whole  j)eriod  of 
the  monarchy  of  Jehoram.  "  The  Syrians  went 
out  by  companies,  and  brought  away  captives 
out  of  the  land  of  Israel,"  and  the  Israelites  no 
doubt  retaliated,  and  from  time  to  time  sent 
their  plundering  expeditions  into  Syria,  and 
took  booty  and  pri-soners.  But  before  Jehoram 
had  been  on  the  throne  many  years  a  more 
tlireatening  system  of  attac:k  was  organized 
by  the  second  Bcidiadad,  and  attempts  were 
for  a  second  time  made  to  push  the  war  to  ex- 
tremities, and  to  effect  the  subjection  of  Sama- 
ria to  the  Syrian  yoke.  The  enterprising  mon- 
arch of  Syria  led  a  series  of  expeditions  into 
the  Israelite  territory  with  the  hope  of  surpris- 
ing and  cutting  off  detachments  or  of  otherwise 
gaining  some  ('onsiderable  advantage  ;  but  his 
expectations  were  frustrated  after  a  manner  for 
which  he  found  it  haixl  to  iu'count — his  de- 
signs seemed  to  be  penetrated,  his  intentions 
known.  Suspi'cting  trcwhcry  among  his  olfi- 
cers,  he  was  met  by  the  assurance  that  the 
Syrian  ranks  harbored  no  traitor,  but  that  Eli- 
sha, hy  his  sui)ernatural  powers,  w:us  able  to 
penetrate  and  expose  all  his  plans.  Under 
these  circumstances,  he  sought  to  obtain  pos- 
session of  Elisha's  person  ;  and  having  learned 
that  the  prophet  w:us  residing  in  a  small  Israel- 
ite town  called  Dothan,  he  sent  an  army  thither 
to  take  liira.  Elisha,  though  angelic  hosts  sur- 
rounded him,  was  instructed  to  yield,  and 
obeyed.  He  induced  the  Syrians  to  siccom- 
pany  him  to  Samaria,  under  a  strange  species 
of  illusion  ;  after  which  he  delivered  them 
over  to  Jehoram,  whose  first  impulse  was  to 
put  them  to  death.  This  impulse  Elisha 
checked.  The  king,  he  said,  should  rather  en- 
tertain his  prisoners  hospitably,  relciise  them 
freely  and  let  them  return  to  their  own  co\ui- 
try.  The  advice  was  followed  ;  and  licnhadad 
appears  to  have  been  so  far  touched  liy  the 
generous   treatment   of   his   soldiers,    that  for 


some  considerable  space  he  refrained  from  fur- 
ther hostilities  against  the  Isnu'lites.  IJut  some 
years  later  he  suddenly  inv;vded  Israel  aud  laid 
siege  to  Samaria,     G,  li.     (See  next  Section.) 

S-l  'i.  Elis/ui  foils  tlui  ambu-acaUiiiff  scJietnes 
of  t/ie  Syrian  king.  At  several  points  succes- 
sive ambuscades  were  laid  to  entrap  the  king 
of  Isrtiel.  But  Elisha,  by  special  supiMiiatural 
vision,  faithfully  forewarned  Jehoram  upon 
each  occiLsion,  and  the  king  escaped  the  peril. 
Naturally  the  Syrian  king  was  sui'pri.scd  at  the 
seeming  disclosure  of  his  secret  plans,  and  in- 
ferred treachery  on  the  part  of  his  own  oliicers. 
Upon  investigation  at  a  called  council,  he  was 
informed  by  one  who  hivl  learned  the  fact  in 
some  way,  that  Elisha  the  prophet  had  revealed 
all  Ms  very  thoughts  to  the  king  of  Israel.  At 
once  he  sends  out  spies  to  discover  the  place 
where  Elisha  was  tarrying.  They  return  with 
the  intelligence  tliat  he  is  at  Dothan.  This  was 
a  small  town  upon  a  hill,  about  eleven  miles 
north  of  Samaria.     B. 

§.  Tlicii  the  king  of  Syria  warred 
against  Israel.  It  may  seem  strange  that, 
so  soon  after  sending  an  embassy  to  the  court 
of  Samaria,  and  asking  a  favor  (chap,  5  :  5,  6), 
Benhadad  should  resume;  hostilities,  especially 
as  the  favor  hiul  been  obtained  (chap.  5  :  14)  ; 
but  the  normal  relations  between  the  two  coun- 
tries were  those  of  enmity  (chap.  5  ;  2),  and  a 
few  years  would  suffice  to  dim  the  memory  of 
what  hiul  happened,     llaiiiinund. 

9,  And  tltc  man  of  God  sent  unto  the  king  of 
Israel — Jehoram  (2  K.  3  :  1),  or  Joram,  as  he  is 
likewise  called  (2  K.  8  :  25),  the  sou  of  Ahab. 
How  little  reganl  Elisha  had  for  this  ungodly 
monarch  is  plain  from  his  language  to  him  on 
a  former  occasion  (2  K.  3  :  13),  when  he  sought 
the  prophet's  aid  in  a  time  of  great  peril,  aud 
from  his  speaking  of  him  (2  K.  (i  :  32)  as  "  this 
son  of  a  murderer."  ,Vnd  how  alienated  the 
king  wius  from  the  pi-ophet  appears  not  only 
from  the  fact  that  it  Wiis  not  he.  but  one  of  his 
servants,  who  suggested  the  application  to  the 
prophet  when  the  armies  of  the  three  kings 
were  in  danger  of  pcrisliing  (2  K.  3  :  11),  and 
that  lie  did  not  direct  Najunan  to  him  until  the 
prophet  himself  volunteered  in  the  Ciise  (2  K. 
5  :  H),  but  that,  in  the  straits  to  which  Samaria 
wa.s  reduced  afterward  in  a  siege,  instead  of 
soliciting  the  intercession  of  the  prophet,  he 


SECTION  so.     ELISHA  DELIVERS  JETIORAM  FROM  STRIAN  INVASIONS.      201 


ordered  him  to  be  put  to  death  (2  K.  6  :  31).  It 
is  perliaps  signilicaut  that  ho  is  here  spoken  of 
not  by  name,  but  simply  by  his  office.  The 
message  of  the  prophet  was  addressed  to  the 
king;  of  Israel.  He  was  for  the  time  the  head 
an<l  representative  of  the  people  of  God,  and  it 
is  for  the  safety  and  the  welfare  of  Israel  that 
the  [irophet  is  concerned,  not  for  the  personal 
advantage  of  Joram.     W.  II.  G. 

Elisha  is  a  thousand  scouts.  He  sends  word 
to  the  king  of  Israel  of  the  projects,  of  the  re- 
moves, of  his  enemy.  More  than  once  hiid  Je- 
honim  saved  both  his  life  and  his  host  by  these 
close  admonitions.  It  is  well  that  in  something 
yet  a  prophet  may  be  obeyed.  What  strange 
state-service  was  this  which  Elisha  did,  besides 
the  spiritual  !  The  king,  the  people  of  Israel 
owe  themselves  and  their  safety  to  a  despised 
prophet  !  The  man  of  God  knew  and  felt  them 
idolaters  ;  }'et  how  careful  and  vigilant  is  he, 
for  tlieir  rescue  !  If  they  were  bad,  yet  they 
were  his  own  ;  if  they  were  bad,  yet  not  all ; 
God  had  His  number  among  their  worst  :  if  they 
were  bad,  yet  the  Syrians  were  worse.  The 
Israelites  misworshipped  the  true  God  ;  the 
Syrians  worsliipped  a  false.  That  if  it  were 
possiWe  he  might  win  them,  he  will  preserve 
them  ;  and  if  they  will  needs  be  wanting  to 
God,  yet  Elisha  will  not  be  wanting  to  them  : 
their  impiety  shall  not  make  him  uudutiful. 
Bp.  U. 

Its.  And  one  of  Ms  servants  said.  Nay,  yiy 
lord,  0  king  :  bnt  Elisha,  the  propliet  that  is  in 
Israel,  ielleth  the  king  of  Israel  tJie  words  that  thou 
speakist  in  thy  hed-ehamher  ;  The  cure  of  Naa- 
man's  lepros.v  was  doubtless  widely  known  in 
Syria.  Such  a  miracle  wrought  upon  the  gen- 
eral of  the  army  and  the  favorite  of  tlie  king 
could  not  be  a  secret.  And  many  other  evi- 
dences of  Elisha's  supernatural  power  may  also 
have  been  general!}'  reported.     W.  H.  G. 

14,  15.  The  emompassing  Syrian  host,  and 
the  serranVs  great  fear.  Secretly  and  by  night 
this  little  city  was  invested  by  a  considerable 
company  of  Sj'rians,  with  horses  and  chariots 
and  footmen.  This  great  company  of  hostile 
warriors  met  the  gaze  of  Elisha's  new  and  un- 
tried servant,  as  he  went  forth  early  in  the 
mcH'ning  upon  the  wall.  The  imminence  of  the 
peril  jiressed  sorelj'  upon  his  inexperienced 
heart,  and  with  small  faith  in  God  or  His 
prophet,  he  liastens  with  the  alarming  news  to 
Elisha.  Yet  had  he  some  faith  with  his  fear  ; 
for  he  asks,  "  How  shall  we  do?" 

16,  17.  The  answer  and  the  prayer  of  Eli- 
sha. Oalm  and  undaunted  in  spirit,  with  the 
unwavering  courage  of  implicit  faith  in  Jeho- 


vah, Elisha  hears  his  servant's  appeal.  And 
quietly  he  a.ssures  the  young  man  of  God's  ab- 
solute invincible  protection.  He  sees  the  gath- 
ered hosts  of  God,  outnumbering  far  the  human 
array  and  girded  with  the  might  of  onmipo- 
tence,  now  as  ever  interposed  for  his  deliver- 
ance. How  sublime  the  contrast  here  of  human 
fear  and  human  faith — fear  of  man  and  faith  in 
God  !  In  this  we  read  the  first  grand  lesson  of 
the  incident. 

But  Elisha  adds  to  his  assurance  a  fervent 
prayer  for  the  same  elevation  of  faith  to  be  im- 
parted to  Ms  servant.  He  asks  that  a  spiritual 
vision  may  be  given  to  the  mind  of  the  man. 
And  there,  as  he  stood  in  the  pnjphet's  secluded 
chamber,  the  Lord  gifted  him  with  supernatu- 
ral mental  vision.  To  the  actual  scene  he  had 
just  beheld,  now  reproduced  upon  the  eye  of 
the  mind,  the  Divine  Spirit  added  a  sublime 
picture  of  a  vaster  host  of  fiery  chariots  inter- 
vening between  Elisha  and  his  foes — a  multi- 
tude filling  the  city,  and  the  hill  upon  which  it 
lay.  The  end  of  the  vision  was  the  enlarge- 
ment and  confirmation  of  the  man 's  faith.  And 
this  is  the  second  grand  lesson  of  the  incident 
under  review.  Faith  comes  through  the  spirit- 
ual vision  of  God.  The  power  of  spiritual 
sight  is  imparted  by  His  Spirit.  The  Holy 
Ghost  alone  unseals  the  eyes  of  the  understand- 
ing, to  behold  the  wondrous  things  of  God — of 
His  law,  of  His  grace  and  love.  The  mar- 
shalled hosts  of  God  were  around  Elisha,  but 
the  young  man  saw  them  not  until  a  Divine 
illumination  was  imparted  to  him.  So  the  sub- 
lime facts  of  God's  presence,  of  His  providence 
and  redemption — all  truths  disclosed  in  type 
and  history,  in  psalm  and  prophecy  in  the  Old 
Testament,  and  f  ultilled  Iiy  Christ  and  the  Holy 
Spirit — all  have  intense  reality.  But  the  sense 
of  that  reality  comes  alone  through  the  appre- 
hension of  faith.  And  the  vision  of  faith  is  the 
gift  of  God.  It  is  the  work  of  His  quickening, 
lllmninating  Spirit.  And  this  Divine  gift  is 
bestowed,  this  Divine  work  inwrought  in  every 
soul,  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  those  who,  like 
Elisha,  already  believe  and  live.     B. 

Elisha's  servant  quakes  at  the  Syrian  army, 
no  fear  invades  the  prophet.  He  saw,  and 
caused  his  man  to  see,  a  greater  Deliverer 
above.  So  it  is  with  men  in  the  time  of 
trouble  ;  if  their  eyes  be  fixed  on  earth,  their 
enemies  appear  great,  and  God  that  is  so  high 
seems  little.  Let  our  eyes  be  in  heaven,  and 
from  thence  look  down  upon  our  enemies,  God 
will  then  appear  mighty,  our  foes  weak  and 
contemiitible.     Adams. 

16.  lear  not :  for  they  that  he  irith   iis  <ire 


203 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


more  than  they  that  be  mth  them,  is  the  perfectly 
fearless  wortl  of  Elisha  at  Dolliiin.  It  f;ets 
echo  and  einpliiusis  in  Paul's  perfectly  fearless 
word  at  Corinth  :  "  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can 
be  against  usV"  Old  Testament  and  New 
Testament  agree  in  this,  that  a  true  faith  allies 
us  to  God.  And  alliance  with  God  means  ma- 
jority and  might  and  victory.     //.  Jnhnnoii. 

\s  stood  the  projihet  with  his  servant  in  the 
miilst  of  two  opposing  ho.sts,  gathered  for  Am 
destruction  and  deliverance,  so  stands  every 
hiunan  soul.  In  the  midst  of  two  opi>nsing 
hosts,  liiit/i  of  whom,  the  enemies  a.s  well  as 
friends,  are  invisible  save  to  the  vision  of  faith, 
a  vision  divinely  given  in  answer  to  prayer. 
Satan  and  liis  hosts  of  evil  daily,  hourly  ar- 
rayed against  me.  God  and  His  liosts  of  good 
daily,  hourly  arrayed  for  me.  This  is  the  one 
grand  reality  of  our  life  against  which  our 
eyes  arc  closed,  the  reality  which  God  alone 
can  enable  us  to  behold.     B. 

There  is  no  contrast  in  modern  life  so  great 
as  the  contr:ist  between  the  two  standards  un- 
der which  the  whole  world  ranges  itself  to-day. 
The  kingdom  of  God  and  the  kingdom  of  Satan 
— these  two  stand  over  against  each  other  in 
irreconcilable  hostility  ;  and  yet  the  subjects 
of  both  meet  and  interminglt^  in  the  world, 
oftt'n  without  knowing  to  which  of  the  two 
kingdoms  one  another  belongs.  The  two  king- 
doms are  spiritual  kingdoms,  and  their  soldiere 
do  not  always  wear  a  visible  uniform  l)y  which 
they  may  be  distinguished.  But  the  distinc- 
tion, though  not  always  visible,  is  there  ;  and 
its  consequences  reach  into  eternity.  No  other 
contrast  of  life  matters  so  much — whether  we 
arc  rich  or  poor,  ignorant  or  intelligent,  refined 
or  uncultivated,  is  a  question  which  may 
chiefly  affect  this  life  ;  but  the  distinction  be- 
tween God's  kingdom  and  Satan's  kingdom  is 
one  whose  consec|Uences  will  siffect  each  of  us 
untold  ages  after  the  other  contrasts  of  this  life 
shall  have  been  forgotten.     H.  C.  T. 

17.  Some  have  tried  to  explain  away  the 
record  of  spiritual  appearances  as  due  to  the 
natural  surroundings  of  romantic  scenery  work- 
ing on  an  excited  inuigination.  Dothan  lends 
itself  to  no  such  fantiistic  solution.  A  wide, 
rich  plain,  lying  on  the  natural  highway  from 
Syria  across  Jordan  by  Bethshean  to  Samaria, 
with  a  smooth,  round  to|)pe(l  hill  at  its  south- 
eastern ed.ge,  l)en(  iitli  which  is  a  copious  s])ring, 
precious  to  the  shi'iiherds,  and  many  dry  cis- 
terns, into  one  of  which  Joseph  may  have  been 
cast,  lends  no  aid  to  the  imagination.  The  an- 
cient city,  now  marked  by  grass  grown  mounds, 
covered  the  sununit  of  the  hill.     On  its  slopes 


the  Syrians  could  not  camp.  They  beleaguered 
it  by  encircling  it  with  their  can\p  on  the  rising 
ground  beyond  the  base  of  the  mount.  It  was 
on  the  open  sjjace  all  round  the  city  that  the 
hosts  of  Jehovah  were  revealed  interposing 
between  Bcnhadad's  troops  and  the  prophet. 
Tristram. 

The  horees  and  chariots  mean  warlike  force. 
Still,  what  the  servant  sees  is  not  a  material,  it 
is  a  spiritual  reality,  taking  a  form  which  as- 
sures him  of  God's  sure  protection,  through  the 
agencies  of  these  ministers  of  His  who  do  His 
pleasure,  and  at  a  time  when  all  was  dark  to 

the  eye  of  flesh.     LiMim. The   servant  of 

Elisha,  luitil  his  eye  was  divinely  opened,  saw 
nothing  but  the  hosts  of  the  cneni}'  surround- 
ing Dothan  and  cutting  off  escape  ;  but  as  soon 
as  Divine  light  fell  on  him,  he  beheld  a  new 
spiritual  world.  He  was  now  the  enlightened 
one,  the  man  of  opened  eyes  ;  while  the  Sj'- 
rians,  who  gloried  in  their  strength,  were  smit- 
ten with  l)lindness,  and  led  captive  by  a  single 
unarmed  man.  His  mind  had  ilrawn  in  a  great 
lesson.  The  chariots  of  tire,  indeed,  and  horses 
of  fire,  were,  in  one  sense,  unreal  ;  that  is,  they 
were  not  of  flesh,  nor  obvious  to  human  sense  : 
they  were  unearthly  powers,  who  assumed  a 
form  by  which  they  could  make  an  impression 
of  truth  on  the  distrustful,  fleshly  mind  of  the 
prophet's  servant.  There  were  no  chariots 
there,  nor  horses  ;  but  there  were  spiritual 
hosts,  who  showed  themselves  before  the  im- 
agination of  the  young  man  to  be  more  than  a 
match  for  the  army  of  besiegers.  Thus  a  great 
truth  from  heaven,  a  reality  as  lasting  and  as 
wide  as  the  universe,  was  taught  him.  that,  be- 
yond our  eyes  and  ears,  a  majestic,  spiritual 
world  is  moving  on  in  silence  ;  that  an  unseen 
God  has  infinite,  unseen  resources  ;  that  the 
causes  and  issue  of  things  lie  outside  of  the 
horizon  of  the  senses  ;  that  inuncnse  agencies 
may  1)e  at  work  in  all  stillness  and  without  the 
slightest  show,  of  which  the  worldly  mind  does 
not  so  much  as  dream.  If  there  are  liosts  of 
foes  of  God,  there  is  a  God  of  hosts  above  them. 
T.  D.  \V. 

In  the  state  of  light  the  soul  can  see  that  to 
which  it  w!is  previously  quite  blind.  The 
prophet's  servant  imagined  that  his  master  and 
himself  were  left  alone,  but  when  his  eyes  were 
opened  he  saw  the  mountain  to  be  filled  with 
chariots  and  hoi-ses  of  fire.  As  great  a  wonder 
is  often  wrought  in  our  own  days.  A  num  is 
living  among  us  seeing  nothing  beyond  a  con- 
tracted circle  of  earth  and  earthly  interests — 
thinking,  perhaps,  that  few  care  for  him,  and 
that  he  needs  to  look  to  no  one  but  liimself — 


SECTION  m.     ELISHA  DELIVERS  JEHORAM  FROM  SYRIAN  INVASIONS.     203 


that  he  is  isohited  and  aloue  or  almost  so — but 
the  Spirit  touches  him,  the  scales  fall  from  his 
eyes,  the  curtain  is  withdrawn  from  the  spirit- 
ual world,  and  the  intense  light  of  Divine 
truth,  with  gradual  dawn  or  sudden  flash, 
lights  up  the  amphitheatre  by  which  he  is 
surrounded,  and  he  beholds  that  he  is  in  the 
midst  of  eternities — at  once  a  spectacle  to  and 
a  spectator  of  another  and  grander  univeree. 
R.  Flint. 

The  Gospel  comes  to  recreate  and  strengthen 
our  faith  in  things  and  persons  unseen  and 
eternal  ;  it  comes  to  rebridge  the  great  gulf 
which  ice  have  fixed  between  the  seen  and  tem- 
poral, and  the  unseen  and  eternal,  and  to  draw 
us  in  thought  and  affection  over  the  bridged 
chasm.  It  comes  to  make  real  and  substantial 
to  us  the  invisible.  It  seeks  to  make  us  walk 
by  faith,  not  by  sight — to  live  for.  fight  for, 
work  and  suffer  aud  die  for  invisible  interests 
and  beings  ;  and  to  reveal  them  (if  that  were 
possible)  would  be  to  subvert  its  objects.  Oiu- 
invisible  helpers  must  remain  invisible.  They 
are  here.  They  are  real.  We  need  but  a  spir- 
itual vision,  an  all-conquering  faith  to  see 
them,  to  realize  their  presence,  to  banish  our 
fears,  to  make  lis  ever  calm  and  serene.  Faith 
says  in  all  the  way,  ' '  Fear  not,  for  the)'  that  be 
with  us  are  more  than  they  that  be  with  them." 
J.  Dniiiiitiond. 

This  manifestation  has  several  features  of  re- 
semblance to  that  given  to  Jacob  in  his  most 
defenceless  hour,  when  he  saw  beside  his  un- 
protected camp  of  women  and  children  "  God's 
host,"  and  in  a  rapture  of  thankful  won- 
der named  the  place  "  Mahanaim" — "  Two 
Camps. ' '  The  sight  teaches  us  that  God's  mes- 
sengers are  ever  near,  and  then  most  near  when 
needed  most.  It  tells  us,  too.  that  they  come 
in  the  form  needed.  They  are  warriors  when 
we  are  ringed  about  by  foes,  counsellors  when 
we  are  perplexed,  comforters  when  we  mourn. 
Their  shapes  are  as  varied  as  our  needs,  and 
ever  correspond  to  "the  present  distress." 
They  come  in  power  sufficient  to  conquer. 
There  was  force  enough  circling  the  prophet  to 
have  annihilated  all  the  Syrians.  True,  they 
did  not  draw  their  celestial  swords,  but  they 
were  there,  and  their  presence  was  enough  for 
the  triumphant  faith  of  the  guarded  men. 
What  living  thing  could  come  through  that 
wall  o"f  fire?  Our  eyes  are  blinded,  and  we 
need  to  have  them  cleared.  We  look  so  con- 
stantly at  the  things  sgen  that  wc  have  no  .sight 
for  the  unseen.  Worldliness,  sin,  unbelief, 
sense  and  its  trifles,  time  and  its  transitorinesses, 
blind  the  eyes  of  our  mind  ;    and    we    need 


those  of  sense  to  be  closed,  that  these  may  open. 
The  truest  vision  is  the  vision  of  faith.  It  is 
certain,  direct  and  conclusive.  The  world 
says,  "  Seeing  is  believing  ;"  the  Gospel  says, 
"  Believing  is  seeing."  If  we  would  but  live 
near  to  Jesus  Christ,  pray  to  Him  to  touch  our 
blind  eyeballs,  and  turn  away  from  the  daz- 
zling unrealities  which  sense  brings,  we  should 
find  Ilim  "  the  Master-light  of  all  our  seeing," 
and  be  sure  of  the  eternal,  invisible  things  with 
an  assurance  superior  to  that  given  by  the 
keenest  sight  in  the  brightest  sunshine.  When 
we  are  blind  to  earth,  we  see  earth  glorified  by 
angel  presences,  and  fear  and  despair  and  help- 
lessness and  sorrow  flee  away  from  our  tranquil 
hearts.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  fix  our  gaze 
on  earth  aud  its  trifles,  there  will  geuerall}'  be 
more  to  alarm  than  to  encourage,  and  we  shall 
do  well  to  be  afraid,  if  we  do  not  see,  as  in 
such  a  ease  we  shall  certainly  not  see,  the  fiery 
wall  around  us,  behind  which  God  keeps  His 
people  safe.     A.  M. 

Prayer  is  a  cold  and  heartless  thing  in  num- 
bers of  instances  because  men  see  nothing  of 
Him  to  whom  prayer  is  addressed,  nothing  of 
God,  nothing  of  Jesus,  nothing  of  the  spirit- 
world  around  the  throne,  nothing  of  the  maj- 
esty, the  beauty,  the  glory  which  encircles  God, 
such  as  is  possible,  really  possible  to  our  finite 
and  purblind  gaze — nothing  of  the  everlasting 
worship  which  surrounds  Him.  nothing  of  the 
ministers  of  His  that  do  His  plctisure.    Liddon. 

1 8.  The  investing  company  of  Syrians  smitten 
with  blindness  at  the  prayer  of  Elisha.  With  his 
now  assured  servant  Elisha  goes  down  to  the 
Syrian  camp  in  the  plain  below.  As  he  ap- 
proaches his  prayer  is  uttered.  "  Smite  this 
people,  I  pray  Thee,  with  blindness."  For  his 
servant  he  had  asked  siglit.  a  clear,  mental  im- 
pression of  things  invisible.  Upon  this  S.yrian 
cohort  he  pra.ys  that  a  mental  delusion  or  be- 
wilderment (concerning  things  visible)  may  fall. 
Not  a  bodily  blindness,  but  such  a  dazing  of 
the  senses  as  utterly  to  bewilder  aud  parah'ze 
the  ordinary  judgment.  The  object  of  Elisha 
was  to  hinder  their  recognition  of  him,  and  to 
lead  them  (as  he  did)  to  Samaria.  And  this 
praj'cr  of  Elisha,  also,  was  instantly  answered. 
The  Lord  smote  the  Syrians  with  such  blind- 
ness, and  thus  prepared  the  way  for  Elisha's 
further  interposition  in  behalf  of  Israel.     B. 

He  that  praj-ed  for  the  opening  of  his  ser- 
vant's eyes  to  see  his  safeguard  prajs  for  the 
blinding  of  his  enemies,  that  they  might  not 
see  to  do  hurt.  As  the  eyes  of  Elisha's  servant 
were  so  shut  that  they  saw  not  the  angels  when 
they  saw  the  Sj'rians,  so  the  e.yes  of  the  Syrians 


204 


KINODOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


sliiiU  be  likewise  shut,  that  when  they  see  the 
mail  they  shall  not  see  the  prophet.  To  all 
other  objects  their  eyes  are  dear  :  ouly  to  Eli- 
sha  they  shall  be  blind— bliiul,  not  through 
darkness,  but  through  misknow  ledge.  They 
shall  see  and  mistake  both  the  person  and  place. 
lilK  If. 

l!>-2:{.  Going  boldly  into  their  midst  he  bids 
them  follow  him  to  the  city  where  the  man 
they  seek  has  his  dwelling.  Then  he  leads 
them  eleven  miles  to  Samaria.  Whatever  ((ues- 
tion  may  be  raised  respecting  the  i)reeise  Irutli- 
fulnessof  the  prophet's  assertion  to  them,  finds 
its  most  sjitisfactory  solution  in  these  two  facts  ; 
that  Olid  xeeiiis  to  hare  directed  the  prophet'a  ar- 
tiiin  in  the  whole  matter  ;  and  that  Elisha's  ;/«' 
of  his  simple  stratagem  intimates  a  kind  temper 
and  purpose  toward  the  Syrians.  When  their 
blinding  bewilderment  was  remove;!,  at  Eli- 
sha's  prayer,  they  found  themselves  captives  in 
th.'  midst  of  the  capital  city,  Samaria.  Jeho- 
ram  would  then  have  fallen  upon  and  destrnye;! 
them.  But  t  he  prophet  nobly  rebukes  the  king. 
■'  Thou  wouldst  not  slay  those  thou  overcomest 
in  fair  conflict.  Much  less  shouldst  thou  luu-m 
these  whom  God  has  put  in  thy  power.  Rather 
treat  them  kindly  and  generously  ;  aud  release 
them  to  their  master."  Yet  these  Syrians  had 
been  exclusively  seeking  this  very  prophet. 
There  was  prudence  and  policy,  as  well  as 
kindness  and  nobleness,  in  Elisha's  conduct. 
His  generous  treatment,  together  with  their 
own  sharp  experience,  served  to  put  a  stop  at 
lesist  for  a  time  to  the  warfare  against  Israel. 
B. 

19.  Justly  now  might  Elisha  sa}',  "  This  is 
not  the  way,  neither  is  this  the  city,"  wherein 
Elisha  shall  be  descried.  He  W!is  in  Dothan  : 
but  not  as  Elisha.  He  shall  not  be  found  but 
in  Samaria,  neither  can  they  have  any  g\iide  to 
him  but  liiniself.  Xo  sooner  are  they  come  into 
the  streets  of  Samaria,  than  their  eyes  have 
leave  to  know  both  the  place  and  the  prophet. 
TIk'  first  sight  they  have  of  themselves  is  in  the 
trap  of  Israel.     Bp.  II. 

Elisha  meant  the  Syrians  to  understand  him 
to  say,  "  This  is  not  the  way  which  ye  ought  to 
liavc  taken  if  ye  wanted  to  capture  the  projihet 
Elisha,  and  this  is  not  the  city  (Dothan)  when' 
he  is  to  be  found.  '  And  so  the  Syrians  under 
stood  liini.  In  the  mf)rality  of  the  time,  aud, 
indeed,  in  the  morality  of  all  times  up  to 
tlie  present,  it  has  been  hell  to  lie  Jiislitiable  to 
deceive  a  i)ul>lie  enemy.  Follow  me.  and 
I  will  liriiiK  yon  to  llio  iiiiiii  whom  ye 
iicek.  Uut  hti  led  tlieiii  tu  Sumiirlii. 
It  could  only  be  through  the  miraculous  delu- 


sion for  wbieli  Elisha  had  prayed,  and  which 
had  been  sent,  that  the  Syrians  believed  the  first 
comer  in  an  enemy's  country,  followed  him  to 
the  capital  without  hesitation,  and  allowed  him 
to  bring  them  inside  the  walls.  But  for  the 
delusion  they  would  have  suspected,  made  in- 
quiries of  others,  aud  retreated  hastily,  as  soon 
its  the  walls  aud  towers  of  Samaria  broke  on 
their  sight. 

"M.  And  it  came  to  |>a<«N,  wlioii  they 
^vcre  come  into  Samaria,  tliat  Eli- 
sha said,  Lord,  open  the  ejeii  or 
these  men,  thai  tliey  may  see.  And 
the  Lord  opened  their  eye§,  and 
they  saw  ;  and,  behold,  ihcy  were  in 
the  midst  of  Samaria.  Their  delusion 
was  dispelled — they  returned  to  their  proper 
.senses,  and,  seeing  the  size  and  strength  of  the 
town,  recognized  the  fact  that  they  were  in  Sa- 
maria, their  enemy's  capital,  and  .so  were  help- 
less.    Iliimmond. 

Elisha,  in  promising  to  bring  them  to  the  man 
whom  the}'  wanted,  undertook  no  mon'  than 
he  performed.  Only  when  the  Lord  opened 
their  eyes,  they  foimd  they  were  not  in  Dothan, 
but  in  Samaria.  This  is  one  way  in  which  God 
frequently  discomfits  wicked  men,  pouring 
confusion  into  their  covmsels.  They  "  grope 
for  the  wall,  like  the  blind,  and  grope  as  if 
(they)  had  no  e3-es  :  (they)  stumble  at  noonday 
as  in  the  night  :  (they)  are  in  desolate  places  as 
dead  men"  (Isa.  .5!)  ;  10).  They  are  granted  the 
desires  of  their  hearts,  but  after  a  fashion  of 
God's  own  ;  aud  in  such  a  way  as  to  lead  to 
their  final  discoiufiture.     .J.  O. 

tJiS.  "  Thou  slialt  not  smite  them  :  wouldst 
thou  smite  those  whom  thou  hast  taken  captive 
with  thy  sword  and  with  thy  bow?"  .Vs  if  he 
said,  "  These  are  God's  captives,  not  thine  ; 
and  if  they  were  thine  own.  their  blood  could 
not  be  shed  without  cruelty.  If  it  be  victory 
thou  aimest  at,  overcome  them  with  kindtiess  ; 
set  bread  and  water  before  them,  that  they  may 
eat  and  drink. "  Oh,  noljle  revenge  of  Elisha, 
to  feast  his  persecutors  !  To  provide  a  table 
for  those  who  had  provided  a  gmve  for  him  ! 
Thc^se  Syrians  came  to  Dothan  full  of  bloody 
purposes  to  Elisha  ;  he  sends  them  from  Sama- 
ria full  of  gooil  cheer.  Thus  should  a  prophet 
l)unish  his  pursuers.  No  vengeance  but  this  is 
heroical,  and  fit  for  Christian  imitation  ;  "  If 
thine  enemy  hunger,  give  him  bread  to  eat  ;  if 
lie  thirst,  give  him  water  to  drink,  and  the 
Lord  shall  reward  thee."     Bp.  II. 

•ill.  Faith  in  God  puts  enemies  in  our  hands, 
but  not  for  vengeance.  Eli-sha  in  the  might  of 
h'.i  faith  captures  those  who  sought  to  capture 


SECTION  21. 


205 


him,  and  in  capturing  their  persons  he  would 
capture  their  hearts.  He  has  them  treated  by 
his  king  witli  Ivindness,  and  then,  unliarmed, 
the}"  are  sent  back  to  tlieir  master,  taught  tliat 
the  God  of  Elisha  and  of  Israel  is  not  only  a 
mighty  but  a  gracious  and  forgiving  God. 
This  is  faith's  way.     It  "  worketh  by  love." 

II.  Jo?ll}Silll. 

The  king  of  Israel  hath  done  that  by  his  feast 
wliich  he  could  not  have  done  by  his  sword. 
The  bands  of  Syria  will  no  more  come  by  way 
of  ambush  or  incursion  into  the  bounds  of  Is- 
rael.    Bp.  II. The  S.vrian  raids,  which  had 

hitherto  been  frequent,  perhaps  almost  contin- 
uous (chap.  5  :  2),  now  ceased  for  a  time,  and 
the  kingdom  of  Israel  had  a  respite.  Haiii- 
mond. 


The  incident  impressivel}'  illustrates  the  sub- 
lime expression  of  Paul  in  2  Cor.  4  :  17,  18. 
The  unseen  agencies  of  the  eternal  world  ever 
surround  the  believer.  He  abides  under  the 
shadow  of  the  Almighty.  Ho  is  entrenched 
within  the  impregnable  camp  and  guarded  bj' 
the  iuvisildc  coliorts  of  God.  With  clear,  high 
thoughts  of  this  encompassing  Divine  presence, 
whom  can  he  fear?  "  If  God  be  for  him,  who 
can  be  against  him?"  Only  let  him  look  more 
steadfastly  and  trustingly  upon  the  things 
which  are  not  seen,  only  let  him  realize  that  he 
15  "  kept  by  the  power  of  God,"  and,  like  Eli- 
sha he  shall  abide  calm  and  undaunted  in  the 


midst  of  the  beleaguering  hosts  of  evil,  assured 
of  daily  deliverance  through  the  period  of  con- 
tinuing peril,  and  at  length  of  "  an  abundant 
entrance  into  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Clirist." 

The  incident  further  discloses  the  privilege 
and  office  of  the  clear-visioned  and  strong- 
hearted  believer  in  behalf  of  the  feeble-sighted, 
the  fearful  and  faint  in  spirit.  Not  only  by  his 
example,  but  by  his  fervent  prayer,  may  the 
believing  soul  help  to  impart  vision  and  rein- 
force tlie  courage  and  faith  of  the  half -seeing, 
the  timid,  and  tlie  doubting.  What  Elisha 
achieved  by  his  prayer  for  his  servant  may  be 
accomplished  by  every  Elisha-like  disciple  ac- 
cording to  the  measure  of  his  faith  in  God's 
promise  and  working. 

Further,  in  the  opening  of  the  eyes  of  the 
prophet's  servant,  and  in  the  dimming  of  the 
vision  of  the  prophet's  foes,  we  find  an  effec- 
tive illustration  of  Christ's  words  in  John  9  :  39. 
"  I  am  come  into  the  world,"  He  said,  "  that 
they  which  see  not  might  see,  and  that  they 
which  see  might  be  made  blind."  To  those 
who  know  and  feel  their  spiritual  darkness, 
who  desire  and  gladl}'  welcome  Him  as  the 
light  of  life.  He  imparts  the  clear  vision  and 
the  blessed  experience  of  faith.  But  from  the 
spiritually  blind  who  think  they  see,  who 
therefore  reject  His  offered  light.  He  witliholds 
all  quickening  grace.  Thus,  in  judgment,  the 
darkness  is  sealed  upon  their  hearts  forever.    B. 


Section  21. 

SIEGE   AND  DELIVERANCE   OF   SAMARIA— ELISHA  AND  JEHORxVM. 
2  KiNos  6  :  24-33  ;  7  :  1-20. 


6  :  24  Akt>  it  came  to  pass  after  this,  that  Ben-hadad  king  of  Syria  gathered  all  his  host,  and 

25  went  uii,  and  besieged  Samaria.  And  there  was  a  great  famine  in  Samaria  :  and,  behold, 
they  besieged  it,  until  an  ass's  head  was  sold  for  fourscore  pifcc.i  of  silver,  and  the  fourth  part 

26  of  a  kab  of  dove's  dung  for  five  jneccs  of  silver.     And  as  the  king  of  Israel  was  passing  by 

27  upon  the  wall,  there  cried  a  woman  unto  him,  saying.  Help,  my  lord,  0  king.  And  he  said, 
If  the  Lord  do  not  help  thee,  whence  sliall  I  help  thee  ?  out  of  the  threshing-floor,  or  out 

28  of  tlie  wine-press  ?  And  the  king  said  unto  her.  What  aileth  thee  ?  And  she  answered, 
Tliis  woman  said  unto  me.  Give  thy  son,  that  we  may  eat  him  to-day,  and  we  will  eat  ray 

29  son  to-morrow.     So  we  boiled  my  son,  and  did  eat  him  :  and  I  said  unto  her  on  the  next  day. 

30  Give  thy  son,  that  we  may  eat  him  :  and  she  hath  hid  her  son.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when 
the  king  heard  the  words  of  the  woman,  that  he  runt  his  clothes  ;  (now  he  was  passing  by 
upon  the  wall  :)  and  the  people  looked,  and,  behold,  he  had  sackcloth  within  upon  his  flesh. 

31  Then  he  said,  God  do  so  to  me,  and  more  also,  if  the  head  of  Elisha  the  sou  of  Shaphat  shall 


20C  KINODOM  OF  ISRAEL. 

83  stand  on  liira  this  daj".  But  Eliaha  sat  in  his  liousc.  and  tlic  ciders  sat  with  him  ;  and  tlie 
king  sent  a  man  frnni  before  him  :  but  ere  the  messenger  came  to  liim,  lie  said  to  the  elders, 
See  ye  how  this  son  of  a  miirderer  hath  sent  to  take  away  mine  head  V  look,  wlien  the  mes- 
senger eometh,  shut  the  door,  and  hokl  the  door  fast  ajiiainst  him  :  is  not  t lie  sound  of  his 

33  master's  feel  behind  liim  V  And  while  he  yet  talked  with  them,  behold,  the  messenger  eame 
down  unto  him  :  and  he  said.  Behold,  this  evil  is  of  the  Loud  ;  why  should  I  wait  for  the 
7  :  1  LoKD  any  longer?  And  Elislia  said.  Hear  ye'the  word  of  the  Loud  :  thus  saith  the  Loud, 
Tomorrow  about  this  time  shall  a  measure  of  fine  Hour  be  ttuhl  for  a  shekel,  and  two  meas- 
i  ures  of  barlej'  for  a  shekel,  in  the  gate  of  Samaria.  Then  the  captain  on  whose  hand  the 
king  leaned  answered  the  man  of  God,  and  said.  Behold,  if  the  Lord  should  make  windows 
in  heaven,  might  this  thing  be  V  And  he  said.  Behold,  thou  slialt  see  it  with  thine  eyes,  but 
slialt  not  eat  thereof. 

3  Jsow  there  were  four  leprous  men  at  the  entering  in  of  the  gate  :  and  they  said  one  to 

4  another,  ^^'hy  sit  we  here  until  we  die  ?  If  we  say.  We  will  enter  into  the  city,  then  the 
famine  is  in  the  eity,  and  we  shall  die  there  ;  and  if  we  sit  still  here,  we  die  also.  Now 
therefore  eome,  and  let  us  fall  unto  the  host  of  the  Syrians  :  if  they  save  us  alive,  we  shall 

0  live  ;  and  if  the}'  kill  us,  we  shall  but  die.  And  they  rose  up  in  the  twilight,  to  go  unto 
the  camp  of  the  Syrians  :  and  when  they  were  come  to  the  outermost  part  of  the  camp  of 

6  the  Syrians,  behold,  there  was  no  man  there.  For  the  Loud  had  matle  the  ho.st  of  the  Syrians 
to  hear  a  noise  of  chariots,  and  a  noise  of  horses,  even  the  noise  of  a  great  host :  and  they 
said  one  to  another,  Lo,  the  king  of  Israel  hath  hired  against  us  the  kings  of  the  Hittites, 

7  and  the  kings  of  the  Egyptians,  to  come  upon  us.  Wherefore  they  arose  and  fled  in  the 
twilight,  and  left  their  tents,  and  their  horses,  and  their  asses,  even  the  cam))  its  it  was,  and 

8  tied  for  their  life.  And  when  these  lepers  came  to  the  outermost  part  of  the  camp,  they 
went  into  one  tent,  and  did  cat  and  drink,  and  carried  thence  silver,  and  gold,  and  raiment, 
and  went  and  hid  it  ;  and  they  came  back,  and  cntereil  into  another  tent,  and  carried  thence 

9  also,  and  went  and  hid  it.  Then  they  said  one  to  another.  We  do  not  well  :  this  day  is  a  day 
of  good  tidings,  and  we  hold  our  peace  :  if  we  tarry  till  the  morning  light,  punishment  will 

10  overtake  us  :  now  therefore  come,  let  us  go  and  tell  the  king's  household.  So  they  came 
and  called  unto  the  porter  of  the  city  :  and  they  told  them,  saying,  We  came  to  the  camp 
of  the  Sj'rians,  and,  behold,  there  was  no  man  there,  neither  voice  of  man,  but  the  horses 

11  tied,  and  the  asses  tied,  and  the  tents  as  they  were.     And  he  called  the  porters  ;  and  they 

12  told  it  to  the  king's  household  within.  And  the  king  arose  in  the  night,  and  said  unto  his 
servants,  I  will  now  shew  you  what  the  Syrians  have  done  to  us.     They  know  that  we  be 

<       hungry  ;  therefore  are  tliej'  gone  out  of  the  cami)  to  hide  themselves  in  the  field,  saying, 

13  When  they  come  out  of  the  city,  we  shall  take  them  alive,  and  get  into  the  city.  And  one 
of  his  servants  answered  and  said,  Let  some  take,  I  pray  thee,  five  of  the  horses  that 
remain,  which  are  left  in  the  city,  (behold,  they  are  as  all  the  multitude  of  Israel  that 
are  left  in  it  ;    behold,   they  are  as  all  the  multitude  of  Israel  that  are  consumed  :)   and 

14  let  us  send  and  see.     They  took  therefore  two  chariots  with  horses  ;  and   the  king  sent 

15  after  the  host  of  the  Syrians,  saying,  Go  and  see.  And  they  went  after  them  unto  .lordan  : 
and,  lo,  all  the  way  was  full  of  garments  and  vessels,  which  the  Syrians  had  cast  away  in 

10  their  haste.  And  the  messengers  returned,  and  told  the  king.  And  the  people  went  out, 
and  spoiled  the  camp  of  the  Syrians.     So  a  measure  of  line  flour  was  mid  for  a  shekel,  and 

17  two  meiLSures  of  barle}'  for  a  shekel,  according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord.  And  the  king  ap- 
pointed the  captain  on  whose  hand  he  leaned  to  have  the  charge  of  the  gate  :  and  the  people 
trode  upon  him  in  the  gate,  and  he  died  as  the  man  of  God  had  said,  who  spake  when  the 

18  king  came  down  lo  him.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  the  man  of  God  had  spoken  to  the  king, 
saying,  Two  measures  of  barley  for  a  shekel,  and  a  measure  of  fine  flour  for  a  shekel,  shall 

19  be  to-morrow  about  this  time  in  the  gate  of  Samaria  ;  and  that  captain  answered  the  man 
of  God,  and  said.  Now,  behold,  if  the  Lord  should  make  windows  in  heaven,  might  such 
a  thing  be  1  and  he  said.  Behold,  thou  shalt  see  it  with  thine  eyes,  but  shalt  not  eat  thereof  : 

20  it  came  to  pass  even  so  unto  him  ;  for  the  people  trode  upon  him  in  the  gate,  and  he  died. 


The  siege  of  Samaria.      Unwarned  by  the 
failure  of    previous  attempts,  Benhadad  was 


fresh   invasion    was   made   the    occasion   of   a 
fresh  deliverance,   more  wonderful    than   any 


Boon  engaged  in  a  new  war  on  Israel.     The    of    the    preceding,    but    not    before    Samaria 


SECTION  21.     SIEGE  AND  DELIVERANCE  OF  SAMARIA. 


207 


liad  been  reduced  to  the  most  desperate  straits. 
J.  O. 

A  considerable  interval  succeeded  the  inroad 
of  tlie  Syrian  bands,  recounted  in  the  preceding 
section.  But  at  length  the  same  king  Benha- 
dad  comes  against  Israel  with  a  great  army. 
Through  a  plundered  and  wasted  countr}',  he 
reaches,  surrounds,  and  lays  siege  to  the  capital 
city.  The  siege  is  protracted  until  there  is 
great  famine  in  Samaria.  Jehoram.  excited 
with  the  suffering  of  the  people,  becomes  en- 
raged against  Elisha.  Either  he  thought  that 
Elisha's  threats  and  prayers  had  brought  the 
sore  evil  upon  them,  or  that  the  prophet  had 
forborne  to  use  his  prevalent  intercession  with 
God  for  their  relief.  He  does  not  realize  that 
Ms  and  his  people's  sins  have  brought  upon 
them  humiliation  and  calamity.  These  sius 
were  the  proper  objects  of  his  wrath,  and  not 
the  good  prophet.  The  messenger  sent  by 
Jehoram  to  kill  Elisha  was  arrested  by  com- 
mand of  the  foreseeing  prophet.  At  the  same 
moment  the  king  himself  comes  in  to  Elisha 
with  a  bitter  complaint  against  Jehovah.  Then 
the  prophet  speaks  words  of  hope  and  promise, 
which  are  only  doubtingly  received  by  the  king 
and  his  attendants. 

On  that  very  afternoon  deliverance  came  by 
miracle,  from  God  alone.  He  used  an  empty 
sound — as  harmless  a  thing  as  can  be  con- 
ceived—sending it  through  the  air  on  either 
side  the  Syrian  camp.  Simply  the  noise  of 
great  hosts  advancing  from  afar  struck  the 
besieging  army  with  an  utter  overwhelming 
panic.  Not  only  did  they  flee  on  the  instant, 
but  to  give  completeness  to  God's  deliverance 
and  supply  to  Israel,  they  loft  behind  the 
horses  and  asses  upon  which  they  might  more 
swiftly  and  safely  have  fled.  The  discover}' 
was  made  by  four  lepers  outside  the  city  gate. 
With  starvation  on  every  other  side,  they  de- 
termine to  trust  the  mercy  of  the  Syrians. 
They  find  absolute  silence  and  desertion  in  the 
rich  and  splendid  camp.  After  satisfying 
their  hunger  and  securing  abundance  of  gold 
and  silver  and  raiment,  late  in  the  evening 
they  make  their  way  back  to  the  city  gate  and 
tell  their  story.  The  porters  carried  the  tale  to 
those  that  were  within,  and  so  it  reached  the 
king.     B. 

While  Jehoram  paid  a  certain  amount  of 
respect  to  Elisha,  as  the  prophet  of  Jehovali, 
he  nevertheless  allowed  the  worship  of  Baal  to 
continue  in  the  capital  (chap.  10  ;  18-28),  if  not 
elsewhere,  and  maintained  the  calf  worship 
also  at  Dan  and  Bethel  (chap.  3  ;  3).  He  had 
suffered  himself  to  be  guided  by  Elisha  in  re- 


spect of  the  Syrian  prisoners  captured  by  the 
prophet  (verse  23),  and  had  evidently  been  in 
communication  with  him  on  the  subject  of  the 
present  siege,  had  probably  been  exhorted  by 
him  to  repentance,  and  [iromised  that,  if  he 
would  wait  upon  Jehovah,  in  due  time  there 
should  be  deliverance.  The  prophet's  words 
had  made  some  impression  on  him  ;  he  had  to 
a  certain  extent  turned  to  God,  had  put  sack- 
cloth upon  his  loins,  not  ostentatiously,  but 
secretlj'  (verse  30),  had  borne  the  privations  of 
the  siege  without  murmuring,  had  refused  to 
surrender  the  town,  and  looked  to  Jehovah  to 
deliver  it.  But  there  was  no  depth  in  his  pen- 
itence, no  siUTender  of  the  heart  and  the  will 
to  God,  no  firm  and  rooted  faith  in  God's  truth- 
fulness and  in  the  certain  accomplishment  of 
His  promises.  A  single  incident  of  the  siege — 
a  horrible  one  certainl}%  but  not  without  a 
parallel  in  other  sieges — shattered  the  whole 
fabric  of  his  repentance  and  his  resolution, 
turned  him  against  the  prophet  and  against 
Jehovah,  caused  him  to  threaten  the  prophet's 
life,  and  to  make  up  his  mind  that  he  would 
follow  his  own  course  and  not  wait  for  the 
Lord  any  longer  (verse  38).  He  thus  revealed 
the  true  state  of  his  heart  and  soul,  showed  his 
spiritual  unsoundness,  revealed  himself  as  one 
whose  character  was  rotten  at  the  core,  who 
had  never  turned  to  Jehovah  in  sincerity  and 
truth.  What  wonder,  then,  that  God  had  not 
granted  the  deliverance  promised  to  true  faith 
and  true  penitence,  that  a  half  repentance  had 
not  availed  with  Him  ?  So  it  had  been  with 
Ahab  ;  so  it  would  always  be  witli  all  those 
who,  after  Jehoram's  example,  should  be  half- 
hearted in  religion,  should  at  once  "  fear  the 
Lord  and  serve  their  own  gods"  (chap,  17  :  33) 
— own  for  masters  both  God  and  mammon.  A 
half  repentance  is  useless.  Nothing  avails  but 
to  turn  to  God  with  all  the  heart  and  all  the 
soul  and  all  the  strength.     Hammond. 

24.  And  it  came  to  jxtss  after  this — probably 
some  considerable  time  after,  when  the  memory 
of  .Jehoram's  kind  act  had  passed  away — that 
Benhadnd  kinrj  of  Sjjrin  rjathercd  all  his  host.  A 
contrast  is  intended  between  the  inroads  of  small 
bodies  of  plunderers  and  the  invasion  of  the  ter- 
ritory by  the  monarch  himself  at  the  head  of  his 
entire  force.  And  went  vp.  However  Samaria 
was  approached  from  Sj'ria,  there  must  always 
have  been  afinal  ascent,  either  from  the  Jordan 
valley  or  from  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon.  And 
besieged  Samaria.  Josephus  says  that  Jehoram 
was  afraid  to  meet  Beuhadad  in  the  open  field, 
since  his  forces  were  no  match  for  those  of  the 
Syrian  king,  and  therefore  at  once  shut  him- 


208 


KIXaVOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


self  up  within  his  capital,  without  risking  a 
buttle.  The  walls  of  Samaria  were  very 
strong. 

HH.  And  the  king  Hafd  unto  her, 
What  nili-lli  thee  t  Pioliably,  as  Bahr 
suggests,  lliewiinmii  ixiilainid  to  the  king  that 
she  (iiil  not  appear  before  him  to  beg  food,  but 
to  claim  his  interposition  as  judge  in  a  case  in 
which  she  considered  herself  to  be  wronged. 
Such  an  appeal  the  king  was  bound  to  hear  ; 
and  he  therefore  asks,  "  What  aileth  thee  ?" — 
i.e.,  "  What  is  thy  ground  of  complaint  ?" 
Then  she  tells  her  story.     Hammond. 

3it.  It  has  been  proposed  to  change  "  mes- 
senger" into  "king,"  the  two  words  being  in 
Hebrew  nearly  alike,  and  the  speech  with 
which  the  chapter  ends  being  only  suitable  in 
the  mouth  of  the  king,  whose  presence  is  more- 
over indicated  in  verses  2  and  17  of  the  next 
chapter.  Jehoram  bursts  into  the  prophet's 
presence  with  a  justification  of  the  sentence  he 
has  pronounced  against  him.  "  Behold  this 
evil — this  siege  with  all  its  horrors — is  from 
Jehovah — from  Jehoviih,  whose  prophet  thou 
art.  Why  should  I  wait  for  .Jehovah — tempo- 
rize with  Ilim — keep,  as  it  were,  on  terms  with 
Him  by  suffering  thee  to  live — anj'  longer  ? 
What  hast  thou  to  say  in  arrest  of  judg- 
ment ?"    B.  C. 

7:1,2.  The  separation  of  these  verses  from 
the  preceding  narrative  is  most  unfortunate. 
They  are  an  integral  part  of  it,  and  form  its 
climax:.  In  answer  to  the  king's  attempt  upon 
his  life,  and  hasty  speech  in  which  he  has 
threatened  to  renounce  Jehovah,  Elisha  is 
commissioned  to  proclaim  that  the  siege  is  on 
the  point  of  terminating,  the  famine  about  to 
be  within  twenty-four  hours  succeeded  by  a 
time  of  plenty.  There  is  thus  no  reason  for 
the  king's  despair  or  anger.     Hammond. 

The  promise  came  from  Elisha  when  all 
seemed  desperate.  The  wonderfully  vivid  nar- 
rative in  the  previous  chapter  , tells  a  pitiful 
talc  of  women  boiling  their  children,  of  un- 
clean food  worth  more  than  its  weight  in  .sil- 
ver, of  a  king  worked  up  to  a  pitch  of  frcnz)- 
and  murderous  designs,  and  renouncing  his 
allegiance  to  Jehovah.  Ehsha  had  counselled 
resistance,  and  the  woman's  story  was  the  re- 
sult. "  God  do  so  to  himself,  and  more  also, 
if  the  prophet's  head  stood  on  him  an  hour 
longer."  He  could  blame  the  prophet,  but  all 
his  sorrow  had  not  taught  him  the  first  step 
toward  a  betUr  mind  by  blaming  himself. 
Jleauwhile  Elisha  was  quietly  sitting  in  his 
house  with  the  elders  of  the  city,  who  had 
come,  wc  may  suppose,  to  take  counsel  with 


him.  Suddenly  turning  to  them,  he  told  them 
that  the  king — a  true  son  of  Ahab,  the  mur- 
derer of  the  prophets  and  of  Naboth,  and  him- 
self now  bent  on  murder — had  sent  a  messenger 
to  behead  him.  They  must  refuse  him  admis- 
sion ;  for  the  king  would  be  sorry  for  his  com- 
mand as  soon  as  he  had  given  it,  and  would 
follow  in  haste  to  prevent  its  execution.  It 
was  indeed  so.  While  the  soldiers  still  par- 
leyed with  the  elders  outside  the  door,  the  king 
appeared,  his  fury  gone,  his  spirit  changed. 
"Behold,"  said  he  to  Elisha,  "  this  evil  is  of 
the  Lord.  He  Inis  willed  that  wc  open  the 
gates  to  the  Syrian.  Why  should  I  wait  for 
deliverance  any  longer  ?"  The  horroi-s  he  had 
heard  seemed  to  tell  him  that  hope  of  aid  from 
God  was  vain  ;  that  surrender  was  inevitable. 
What  had  the  prophet  to  say  ?  "  Hear  the 
word  of  the  Lord,"  replied  he.  "  To-morrow, 
about  this  time,  a  seah — that  is,  a  peck — of  fine 
flour  will  be  sold  for  a  shekel,  and  two  pecks 
of  barley  for  a  shekel,  in  the  gate  of  Samaria." 
"  What  !"  said  the  officer  on  whom  the  king 
leaned,  "  If  God  make  windows  in  heaven,  and 
rain  down  flour  and  barley,  that  may  be,  but 
not  otherwise."  "You  will  sec  it, "  answered 
Elisha,  "but  will  taste  neither."  .  .  .  Note 
the  precision  and  confidence  of  the  promise. 
The  hour  of  the  fulfilment  and  the  price  of  flour 
and  the  cheaper  barley  are  stated.  Man's 
promises  are  vague  ;  God's  are  specific.  Mark, 
too,  the  entire  silence  of  the  promise  as  to  the 
mode  of  its  fulfilment.  Probably  Elisha  knew 
as  little  as  any  one  how  it  was  going  to  be  ac- 
complished. The  particularity  and  vagueness 
combined  are  remarkable.     A.  M. 

3-16.  The  mode  in  which  Elisha's  prophecy 
of  relief  and  deliverance  was  fulfilled  is  now 
set  forth.  Four  lepers,  excluded  from  the  city, 
and  on  the  point  of  perishing  of  hunger,  felt 
that  they  could  be  no  worse  off,  and  might 
better  their  condition,  if  they  deserted  to  the 
Syrians.  They  therefore  drew  off  from  the 
city  at  nightfall,  and  made  for  the  Syrian 
camp.  On  arriving,  they  found  it  deserted. 
The  entire  host,  seized  with  a  sudden  panic, 
hud  fled  about  the  time  that  they  liegan  their 
journc}'.  The  lepers'  firet  thought  wiis  to  en- 
rich themselves  by  plunder  ;  but  after  awhile 
it  occurred  to  them  that,  unless  they  hastened 
to  carry  the  good  news  to  Samaria,  inquiry 
would  be  made,  their  proceedings  would  be 
found  out,  and  they  would  be  severely  pun- 
ished. So  they  returned  to  the  capital,  and  re- 
ported what  they  had  discovered.  Jehoram, 
on  receiving  the  news,  feared  that  the  .Syrians 
had  prepared  a  trap  for  him,  and  declined  to 


SECTION  21.     SIEGE  AND  DELIVERANCE  OF  SAMARIA. 


209 


move.  He  consented,  however,  to  send  out 
scouts  to  reconnoitre.  The  scouts  found  evi- 
dent proof  tliat  the  entire  arm}'  Imd  actuall}' 
fled  and  was  gone,  whereupon  there  wa,s  a 
general  raid  upon  the  camp  and  its  stores, 
which  were  so  abundant  that  Elislia's  prophecy 
was  fulfilled  ere  the  day  ended.     Hammond. 

3.  Now  there  wer»  four  leprous  men  at  the  en- 
tering in  of  thegate.  By  the  Mosaic  law,  lepers 
were  regarded  sis  ceremonially  unclean,  and 
excluded  from  all  association  with  others,  and, 
in  the  language  of  the  statute,  were  required 
"  to  dwell  alone  without  the  camp"  (Lev. 
13  :  46  ;  Num.  5  ;  3,  3).  The  form  of  expres- 
sion Inakes  it  plain  that  this  law  was  enacted 
in  the  wilderness  wliile  Israel  occupied  a  camp, 
and  before  they  reached  settled  habitations  in 
Canaan.  It  thus  affords  ocular  demonstration 
of  the  falsity  of  that  critical  hypothesis  which 
would  assign  the  law  to  a  much  later  date. 
Moreover,  the  fact  that  these  lepers  were  out- 
side of  the  city  shows  that  this  law  was  in  ex- 
istence, and  that  it  was  observed  even  in  the 
apostate  kingdom  of  the  ten  tribes.     W.  II.  G. 

6.  The  Liord  lia«l  made  (he  Xxnst  of 
the  Syrians  to  hear  a  noise.  Keil  truly 
remarks  that  we  cannot  say  whether  the 
miracle  by  which  God  now  wrought  deliver- 
ance for  Samaria  consisted  in  a  mere  illusion  of 
the  sense  of  hearing — parallel  to  the  illusion  of 
the  sense  of  sight  by  which  Elisha  had  been 
recently  delivered  (chap.  6  :  19,  30)  ;  or  whether 
there  was  any  objective  reality  in  the  soiuid. 
He  adds  with  equal  truth  that  the  determina- 
tion of  this  question  is  a  matter  of  no  impor- 
tance. "  The  Divine  causality  is  the  same  in 
either  case. ' ' 

The  kings  of  the  Hittites.  The  Hit- 
tites,  who  are  found  in  early  times  far  to  the 
south  in  thecounlr}'  about  Hebron  (Gen.  33  :  7), 
and  who  afterward  inhabited  the  central  ta- 
ble-land of  .ludea  (Josh.  11  :  3),  seem  to  have 
retired  northward  after  the  occupation  of 
Palestine  by  the  Israelites.  They  are  found 
among  the  Syrian  enemies  of  the  Egyptians 
in  the  monuments  of  the  nineteenth  dynas- 
ty (about  B.C.  1300),  and  ai)pear  at  that  time 
to  have  inhabited  the  valley  of  the  Upper 
Orontes.  In  the  early  Assyrian  monuments 
they  appear  as  the  most  powerful  people  of 
northern  Syria,  dwelling  on  both  banks  of  the 
Euphrates  in  the  country  along  its  course  from 
Bir  to  Balis.  In  this  tract  they  form  a  great 
confederacy  \inder  a  number  of  petty  kings, 
while  at  the  same  time  there  is  a  second  con- 
federacy of  their  race  farther  to  the  south, 
which  seems  to  inhabit  the  anti-Lebanon  be- 


tween Hamath  and  Damascus.  These  southern 
Hittites  are  under  the  dominion  of  twelve  kings. 
They  are  in  the  time  of  Benhadad  and  Haza- 
el  a  powerful  people,  especially  strong  in 
cliariotn ;  and  generally  assist  the  Syrians 
against  the  Assyrians  ("  Ancient  Monarchies," 
vol.  ii.,  pp.  361-63).  The  Syrians  seem  now 
to  have  imagined  that  these  southern  Ilittites 
hiwl  been  hired  by  .Jehoram.     B.  G. 

Monumental  research  luis  not  only  proved 
the  truth  of  the  events  recorded  in  Scripture, 
it  also  proves  that  the  account  of  these  events 
must  have  been  written  by  contemporaries. 
On  no  other  hj-pothesis  is  the  minute  accuracy 
which  distinguishes  it  to  be  explained.  This 
accuracy  has  lately  been  illustrated  by  a  start- 
ling and  unexpected  discovery.  Besides  the 
small  Hittite  tribe  settled  in  the  south  of 
Judah,  of  whom  we  hear  so  much  in  connec- 
tion with  the  lives  of  the  patriarchs,  reference 
is  more  than  once  made  in  the  Books  of  Kings 
to  Ilittites  living  in  the  north  of  Syria.  Solo- 
mon, we  are  told,  imported  horses  from  Egypt, 
which  were  sold  again  to  "  all  the  kings  of  the 
Hittites"  and  the  kings  of  Aram  or  Syria 
(1  K.  10  :  39).  Again,  when  God  had  sent  a  panic 
upon  the  Syrian  army  which  was  besieging 
Samaria,  the  soldiers  of  Benhadad  supposed 
that  "  the  king  of  Israel  hath  hired  against  us 
the  kings  of  the  Hittites  and  the  kings  of  the 
Egyptians."  Objectors  to  the  historical  truth 
of  the  Old  Testament  narrative  declared  that 
these  allusions  to  northern  Hittites  destroyed 
its  credibility.  No  Hittites  in  the  north  of 
Syria  were  known  to  classical  writers  ;  and  the 
Hittites  of  Genesis  lived  in  the  southern  part  of 
Judea.  But  first  the  Egyptian  and  then  the 
Assyrian  monuments  proved  that  not  onlj'  did 
Hittite  tribes  inhabit  the  very  district  to  which 
the  notices  in  the  Books  of  Kings  would  assign 
them,  but  also  that  they  were  oncc^  a  verj'  pow- 
erful and  important  people.  In  the  time  of  the 
great  Egyptian  monarch,  Ramescs  II.,  the  op- 
pressor of  the  children  of  Israel,  they  con- 
tended on  equal  terms  with  the  Egyptians 
themselves  ;  the  Egyptian  king  was  glad 
finally  to  secure  a  peace  by  marrying  a  Hittite 
princess.  For  several  centuries  they  success- 
fully withstood  the  power  of  Assyria  ;  and  it 
was  not  until  the  reign  of  Sargon  that  their 
capital.  Carchemish,  was  at  last  taken  by  storm, 
and  the  last  Hittite  sovereign  replaced  by  an 
Assyrian  governor.  In  the  age  of  the  Exodus 
the}'  had  carried  their  arms  across  Asia  Minor 
as  far  as  the  shores  of  the  ^Egean,  and  the  em- 
pire they  founded  in  Asia  Minor  has  left  re- 
mains in  the  neighborhood  of  the  river  Halvs, 


210 


KINGDO^r  OF  ISRAEL. 


as  well  as  on  tlio  sculpturctl  rocks  of  Lydia. 
Tliry  liml  invented  ii  |)cciiliiir  system  of  pic- 
torial writing,  and  tlieir  art,  llioush  based  on 
Babylonian  inoiiels,  was  also  of  a  peculiar 
kind.  The  early  art  of  Greece"  was  indebted  to 
it,  and  llirough  the  art  of  Greece  the  art  of 
modern  Europe  sis  well.  The  site  of  their 
northern  capital,  Carchenii.'fh,  Wiia  discovered 
at  a  place  now  called  .Icrablus,  on  the  Euphra- 
tes, by  .Mr.  George  Smith.  Since  then  the  ruins 
of  Carchemish  have  l)een  partially  e.xjilored, 
and  some  of  the  Ilittite  monuments  disinterred 
among  them  are  now  in  the  British  Museum. 
Cartrheniish,  however,  Wiis  not  the  only  capi- 
tal the  Ilittites  possessed.  The  Bible  speaks 
of  their  "  kings"  in  the  plural,  and  in  agree- 
ment with  this  we  lind  from  the  Egyptian  in- 
scriptions that  they  bad  also  a  southern  capital 
on  tlie  Orontes,  called  Kadesh.     Sayre. 

7,  The  Egyptians  advancing  from  the  south, 
and  the  Ilittites  from  the  north,  the  Syrians  ap- 
prehended that  they  might  be  surrounded  and 
all  chance  of  retreat  cutoff.  Tlu'j'  accordingly 
fled  with  precipitation  by  the  only  route  which 
they  supposed  was  left  open  to  thcra,  eastward 
to  the  .Jordan  (verse  15),  that  they  might  make 
their  way  as  speedily  and  directly  as  possible 
to  Diuuasciis,  whence  they  had  come.  Fled 
ill  llic  Iwiliglit.  Everything  was  accu- 
rately adjusted,  in  the  plan  of  God,  to  effect 
His  purpose,  and  bring  to  pass  what  lie  had 
declared  through  Elisha.     W.  H.  G. 

Not  lung  before,  Elisha's  servant  saw  chariots 
and  horses,  but  heard  none  ;  now,  these  Syrians 
hear  chariots  and  horses,  but  see  none  :  that 
sight  comforted  his  heart  ;  this  sound  dismayed 
theirs.  The  Israelites  heard  no  noise  within 
the  walls  ;  the  lepers  heard  no  noise  without 
the  gates  ;  only  the  Syrians  heard  this  noise  in 
their  camp.  What  a  scorn  doth  God  put  upon 
these  presumptuous  Aranutes  !  He  will  not 
vouchsafe  to  use  any  substantial  stratagem 
against  them.  Nothing  but  an  em])ty  sound 
shall  scatter  them,  and  send  them  home  empty 
of  substance,  laden  with  shame,  half  deml  with 
fear.  The  very  horses  that  might  have 
hastened  their  flight  are  left  tied  in  their  tents. 
Their  very  garments  are  a  burden.  All  is  left 
behind  save  their  very  bodies,  and  those  breath- 
less for  speed.     Bp.  II. 

12.  The  king's  fear  nf  stratagem  and  ambus- 
cade in  the  seeming  retreat.  Not  surprising 
when  we  remember  how  large  his  experience 
had  been  of  this  Syrian  style  of  warfare. 
Jeliorani  hail  the  report  of  the  lepers  only,  He 
had  not  heanl  the  noise  of  an  oncoming  host 
which  filled   the  ears  of  the  besiegers.     And 


he  had  no  reason  to  look  for  God's  favor, 
though  it  had  been  prondsed  him.  The  very 
consciousness  of  his  evil-doing  and  disbelief 
only  made  his  belief  and  expectation  of  good 
the  more  diflieult.  Doubt  of  God's  mercy  and 
distrust  of  His  promises  root  themselves  nat- 
urally in  a  guilty  heart  and  a  disquieted,  sus- 
lucious  conscience. 

13-15,  A  sensible  suggestion  of  one  of  his 
officers  arleil  iijXin.  "  Send  men  upon  the  few 
remaining  horses,  and  trace  the  course  of  the 
Syrian  host.  All  the  men  and  the  horses  are 
dying  fast.  We  ma}'  well  risk  these  to  iuscer- 
tain  the  truth  of  the  matter."  So  two  chariots 
were  sent  forth  to  search  out  the  track  of  the 
besieging  army.  They  went  on  until  they 
came  in  view  of  the  Jordan,  "  and,  lo,  all  the 
way  was  full  of  garments  and  vessels  which 
the  Syrians  had  cast  away  In  their  hiiste. "  The 
effects  were  evident,  though  none  knew  the 
cause  of  so  complete  a  panic.  As  rapidly  drove 
the  now  rejoicing  messengers  back  over  the 
twenty  and  more  miles  they  had  travei-sed,  and 
told  the  king.  And  with  the  morning  light  the 
imprisoned,  famished  people  of  Samaria  went 
forth  to  liberty  and  abundance.     B. 

13.  Tbey  went  after  tlieiii  unto 
Jordan.  The  Syrians  had  fled  probably  by 
the  great  road  wliich  led  from  Samaria  to 
Damascus  through  Geba,  En-gaunim,  Beth- 
shean,  and  Aphek.  This  is  the  route  ;issigned 
to  Holofernes  in  Judith.  It  croases  the  Jordan 
at  the  Jixr  Mejainia,  about  thirty-live  miles 
northeast  of  Samaria.     B.  C. 

16-19.  Elisha's  word  of  promise  and  his 
prophecy  tf  judgment  fulfilled  in  order.  The 
tents  of  the  Syrians  were  spoiled.  And  so 
enormous  was  the  amoimt  of  grain  in  store, 
that  in  its  sale  that  day  in  the  city  gate  the  low 
scale  of  prices  prt'dicted  by  Elislia  was  accu- 
rately realized.  Thus  was  his  word  of  promise 
mside  good.  And  thus  was  God  glorified  in 
His  merciful  interposition  again  in  behalf  of 
His  chastened  jieople.  But  Elisha  had  been 
moved  of  God  to  utter  a  prediction  of  j  udg- 
ment  against  one  who  dared  deride  his  promise 
of  Diviu('  deliverance.  A  high  official  of  the 
court  in  ])ersonal  attendance  upon  the  king  the 
day  before  had  openly  expressed  his  disbelief 
in  Elisha's  prediction  of  speedy  and  complete 
relief.  "  As  soon  expect  a  rain  of  flour  and 
barley  from  heaven,"  he  had  mockingly  said 
to  the  prophet.  "  Thou  shalt  see  it,"  rejoined 
Elisha,  "but  thou  sbait  not  eat  thereof." 
Now,  when  the  people  were  bringing  the  gnun 
from  the  Syrian  camp  into  the  city,  this  same 
lord  was  appointed  by  the  king  to  collect  a  toll 


SECTION  SI.     SIEGE  AND  DELIVERANCE  OF  SAMARIA. 


211 


npon  the  food.  It  would  seem  that  the  people 
were  indignant  at  the  imposition  of  such  a 
tax  at  such  a  time,  when  manj'  within  the  city 
■were  still  starving.  This  led  to  violence 
against  the  king's  collector.  "  And  so  it  fell 
out  unto  him  :  for  the  people  trode  upon  him 
in  the  gate,  and  he  died."  This  statement 
occurs  twice,  and  the  whole  previous  incident 
is  cited  to  emphasize  the  fact  of  God's  juag- 
ment  upon  his  disbelief,  iis  solemnly  foretold 
by  Elisha.  The  peojile  were  God's  agents  of 
judgment  in  crushing  the  proud  man  who 
had  scorned  His  power.     B. 

The  Avriter's  intention  is  to  lay  special  stress 
on  the  fulfilment  of  Elisha's  prophecy  ;  and  to 
emphiisize  the  punishment  that  follows  on  a 
lack  of  faith.  The  concluding  piissage  of  the 
chapter  is,  as  Bahr  says,  "  a  finger  of  warning 
to  unbelievers. "     Ilammond. 

20.  The  people  trod  upon  him  in 
the  gate,  and  he  died.  Twice  is  his 
death  recorded  ;  twice  does  the  H0I3'  Spirit  bid 
us  mark  it.  And  we  learn  this  from  it,  that  the 
punishment  of  unbelief  is  sure,  is  great,  is  be- 
yond expectation  dreadful.  Faith  "gives  glory 
to  God."  Unbelief  robs  Him  of  His  glory. 
It  "  makes  Him  a  liar. "  It  slights  His  good- 
ness, it  asperses  His  wisdom,  it  impeaches  His 
sovereignty,  it  denies  His  power.  There  is  not 
one  of  His  perfections  at  which  it  does  not 
strike.  And  then  it  is  the  parent  of  every  other 
sin.  It  keeps  alive  all  our  corruptions  ;  it 
strengthens  and  covers  them.  We  are  taught 
also  here  tlie  misery  of  iiiibdievers.  They  are 
living  now  in  a  world  of  mercy.  They  hear 
too  of  greater  mercies  than  any  which  the  world 
affords  ;  of  mercies,  such  as  angels  in  their  in- 
nocence never  received  or  perhaps  thought  of. 
But  what  is  written  on  them  all  '?  "  Behold, 
thou  shalt  see  it  with  thine  eyes,  but  shalt  not 
eat  thereof. "     C.  Bradley. 

Unbelief  which  rejects  God's  plain  promises 
because  it  does  not  see  how  they  can  be  fulfilled 
is  common  enough  still,  and  is  as  unreasonable 
as  it  is  impertinent.  Elisha  was  as  ignorant  as 
this  nobleman  of  the  means,  but  his  faith  fixed 
its  eyes  on  the  faithful  word,  and  trusted, 
while  sense,  self-conceit,  and  worldliness,  a 
mole  pretending  to  have  an  eagle's  eye,  de- 
clared that  to  be  impossible  which  it  could  not 
see  the-  way  to  bring  about,  and  thereby  ex- 
posed only  its  own  blind  arrogance.     A.  M. 

Unbelief  is  the  same  to-day  as  in  Jehoram's 
time.  God  may  give  us  deliverance  ten  times, 
and  yet  when,  for  the  eleventh  time,  danger 
arises,  unbelief  denies  that  God  can  or  will 
help.     Unbelief  is  a  desperate  scholar,  and  the 


reason  for  this  is  that  it  does  not  want  to  learn. 
No  man  so  blind  as  he  who  will  not  see  ;  and 
unbelief  will  not  see  because  it  shuts  its  eyes 
tight  against  all  evidence.  All  Elisha's  previ- 
ous miracles  were  now  of  no  avail.     Schanffler. 

Is  not  the  sentence  on  this  scoffing  lord  the 
very  sentence  pronounced  ever  on  unbelief  ? 
In  his  case,  it  was  fulfilled  by  the  crowd  that 
pressed,  in  their  ravenous  hunger,  through  the 
gate,  and  trod  him  down  ;  but  in  ordinary 
cases,  in  our  days,  the  natural  operation  of 
unbelief  is  to  shut  men  out  from  the  fruition  of 
which  faith  is  the  necessarj- and  onlj- condition. 
It  is  no  avenging  and  arbitrarily  imposed  ex- 
clusion, but  the  necessary  result  of  self-made 
disqualification,  which  brings  on  the  unbeliever 
the  doom,  "Thou  shalt  not  eat  thereof."  To 
have  eyes  opened  at  last  to  our  own  folly,  and 
to  see  the  rich  provision  of  God's  table  when  it 
is  too  late,  will  be  a  chief  pang  of  future  retri- 
bution, as  it  sometimes  is  of  present  godless- 
ness.     A.  M. 

This  tragic  conclusion  of  the  story  seems  de- 
signed to  impress  these  definite  truths  :  that 
God  notes  all  distrust  of  His  promise  and 
power  ;  that  He  resents  and  punishes  positive 
scornful  disbelief  of  His  positive  promises  ;  that 
His  truthfulness  ensures  the  execution  of  His 
threatenings  equally  with  His  promises  ;  and 
that  he  that  hardeneth  himself  against  God 
"  shall  suddenly  be  destroyed,  and  that  without 
remedy  !" 

The  incident  of  the  lepers  (verses  3-10)  is  full 
of  valuable  suggestion.  They  also  are  agents 
of  God's  providence.  Their  part  in  the  work- 
ing out  of  this  result  shows  how  God  puts  in 
and  finishes  every  minute  detail  essential  to  the 
completion  of  His  design.  The  Syrian  camp 
needed  to  be  occupied  by  nightfall,  or  the  store 
of  provision  might  have  been  rifled  by  famish- 
ing beasts.  And  the  starving  people  of  Sa- 
maria had  imminent  need  of  the  food.  So 
the  lepers  are  moved  to  go  out  to  the  deserted 
camp  at  twilight,  j-et  they  reason  and  deter- 
mine and  act  really  of  their  own  impul.se,  and 
seemingly  of  that  alone.  But  the  Divine  is  here, 
as  everywhere,  blended  with  the  human  agency 
in  the  production  of  the  event.  They  go,  they 
behold,  they  satisfy  their  hunger  and  their  greed 
for  spoil  ;  and  then  their  consciences  are  stirred, 
and  they  return  and  tell  the  story.  80  God 
secures  the  getting  and  the  giving  of  the  nec- 
essary information. 

We  add,  in  conclusion,  that  the  same  essen- 
tial truths  are  taught  in  all  these  Old  Testa- 
ment lessons.  The  incidents  vary,  but  in  each 
we  see  God  acting  in  behalf  of  or  upon  Hia 


212 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


I)er)plc.  nnd  dealing  willi  His  pncmics.     Out-  I  In  the  end  always  bringing  delivcranpc  to  ITis 
wariily     nnd  indirectly    through    providences  |  own  who  trust  Ilini,  and  executing  judgment 


(hiiv  interpreted  to  us),  and  directly  through 
His  prophet  by  His  Spirit.  Now  agiiin-it  and 
now  with  His  pcdple.  sometimes  even  with  His 
enemies,  Hut  with  both  often  tarrying  in  His 
long-suflering  mercy,  waiting  to  he  gracious. 


against  those  who  wilfully  disbelieve  and  reject 
His  grace.  Are  not  these  the  chief  facts  lien? 
taught  in  thestory  of  individuals  and  the  history 
of  peoples  ?  And  are  they  not  the  supreme  facts 
of  all  time  and  of  every  personal  history  V    B. 


Section  22. 

THE  SHUNAMMITE'S   LAND   RESTORED.     ELISHA  AND   HAZ.VEL. 

3  KiNOS  8  :  1-15. 

1  Now  Klisha  had  spoken  unto  the  woman,  whose  son  h<'  had  restored  to  life,  saying.  Arise, 
and  go  thou  and  thine  houscdiold,  and  sojourn  wheresoever  thou  canst  sojourn  :  for  the  Lord 

2  hath  called  for  a  famine  ;  and  it  shall  also  come  upon  the  land  seven  years.  And  the 
woman  arose,  and  did  according  to  the  word  of  the  man  of  God  :  and  she  went  with  her 

S  household,  and  sojourned  in  the  land  of  the  Philistines  seven  years.  And  it  came  to  pass  at 
the  seven  years'  end.  that  the  woman  returned  out  of  the  land  of  the  Philistines  :  and  she 

4  went  forth  to  cry  unto  the  king  for  her  house  and  for  her  land.  Now  the  king  was  talking 
with  (Jehazi  the  servant  of  the  man  of  God.  saying.  Tell  me,  I  pray  thee,  all  the  great  things 

5  that  Elisha  hath  done.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  was  telling  the  king  how  he  had  restored 
to  life  Inm  tliat  w.is  dead,  tliat,  behold,  the  woman,  whose  son  he  had  restored  to  life,  cried 
to  the  king  for  her  house  and  for  her  land.     And  Gehazi  said.  My  lord.  O  king,  this  is  the 

6  woman,  and  this  is  her  son,  whom  Elisha  restored  to  life.  And  when  the  king  asked  the 
woman,  she  told  him.  So  the  king  appointed  unto  her  a  certain  officer,  saying.  Restore  all 
that  was  hers,  and  all  the  fruits  of  the  field  since  the  day  that  she  left  the  land,  even  until  now. 

7  And  Elisha  came  to  Damascus  ;  and  Ben-hadad  the  king  of  Syria  was  siek  ;  and  it  was 

8  told  him.  saying.  The  man  of  God  is  come  hither.  And  the  king  said  unto  Hazael.  Take  a 
present  in  thine  hand,  and  go  meet  the  man  of  God,  and  inquire  of  the  Lord  by  him.  saying, 

9  Shall  1  recover  of  this  sickness  ?  So  Hazael  went  to  meet  him.  and  took  a  present  witli  him, 
even  of  every  good  thing  of  Damascus,  forty  camels'  burden,  and  came  and  stood  befor<- 
him,  and  said.  Thy  son  Ben-hadad  king  of  Syria  hath  sent  me  to  thee,  saying.  Shall  I  recover 

10  of  this  sickness  'i     And  Elisha  said  un'o  him.  Go,  say  unto  him.  Thou  shalt  surely  recover  ; 

11  howbeit  the  Loud  hath  shewed  me  that  he  .shall  surely  die.     And  he  settled  his  countenance 

12  steadfiistly  iqu/ii  him,  until  he  was  a.shamed  :  and  the  man  of  God  wept.  And  Hazael  said. 
Why  weepeth  my  lord  1  And  ho  answered.  Because  I  know  the  evil  that  thcu  wilt  do  unto 
the  diildrcn  of  Isratd  :  their  strong  holds  wilt  thou  set  on  fire,  and  their  young  men  wilt  thou 
slay  with  the  sword,  and  wilt  dash  in  pieces  their  little  ones,  and  rip  up  their  women  with 

13  child.  And  Hazael  said.  Hut  what  is  thy  servant,  which  is  but  a  dog.  that  he  should  do  this 
great  thing  't    And  Elisha  answered.  The   Loiu)  hath  shewed  me  that  thou  shalt  be  king 

14  over  Syria.     Then  he  departed  from  Elisha,  and  came  to  his  master  ;  who  said  to  him,  AVhat 
l.'j  said  Elisha  to  thee  '?  And  he  answered.  He  told  me  that  thou  shouldest  surely  recover.     And 

it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that  he  took  the  coverlet,  and  dipped  it  in  water,  and  spread 
it  on  his  face,  so  that  he  died  :  and  Hazael  reigned  in  his  stead. 


I-I5.  Ei.isH.v  is  still  the  ;</•</^;l7«HM^(.1  of  the 
historical  drama.  The  writer  brings  together 
in  the  present  section  two  more  occasions  of  a 
public  chanicter  in  which  he  was  concerned. 


and  in  which  kings  also  bore  a  part.  One  of 
the  occasions  is  domestic,  and  shows  the  in- 
teri'st  which  .lehoram  took  ii\  the  miracles  of 
the  prophet,  and  in  those  who  were  the  objects 


SECTION  S2.     TUB  HHUNAMMITE  8  LAND  RESTORED. 


313 


of  them  (verses  1-6).  The  other  belongs  to 
Syrian  rather  than  to  Israelite  history,  and 
proves  that  the  influence  of  Elisha  was  not 
confined  to  Palestine  (verses  7-15).     Hammond. 

The  Secjuel  of  the  SHUN.^jrMiTE   Mother's 

Story. 

2  Klii;j.<<  8  :  1-6. 

In  chronological  order  this  narrative  seems 
to  precede  the  cure  of  Naaman,  while  Gehazi 
was  still  the  servant  of  the  prophet.  A  fam- 
ine of  long  duration  was  about  to  descend  on 
the  land,  and  Elisha  gave  timely  warning  to 
the  Shunammite  to  take  refuge  somewhere 
else.    J.  O. 

Seven  years  Iiad  this  Shunammite  sojourned 
in  Philistia ;  now  she  returns  to  her  own.  and 
is  excluded.  She  that  found  harbor  among 
Philistines  finds  oppression  and  violence  among 
Israelites  ;  those  of  her  kindred,  taking  ad- 
vantage of  lier  absence,  had  shared  her  pos- 
sessions. How  oft  doth  it  fall  out  that  the 
worst  enemies  of  a  man  are  those  of  his  own 
Louse!  All  went  hj  contraries  with  this 
Shunammite.  In  the  famine  she  had  enough  ; 
in  the  common  plenty  she  was  scanted  :  Philis- 
tines were  kind  unto  her  ;  Israelites,  cruel. 
How  happily  doth  God  contrive  all  events  for 
the  good  of  His  !  This  suppliant  shall  fall 
upon  that  instant  for  her  suit  when  the  king 
shall  be  talking  with  Gehazi  ;  when  Gehazi 
shall  be  talking  of  her  to  the  king.  The 
words  of  Gehazi,  the  thoughts  of  the  king,  the 
desires  of  the  Shunammite  shall  be  all  drawn 
together  by  the  wise  providence  of  God  into 
the  centre  of  one  moment,  that  his  oppressed 
servant  might  receive  a. speedy  jasticc.     Bp.  II. 

1.  'Sow  Elislia  had  §i>oken  unto  the 
woman.  The  reference  is  to  a  time  long 
anterior  to  the  siege  of  Samaria.  A  famine 
is  mentioned  in  chap.  4  :  38,  which  must  belong 
to  the  reign  of  Jehoram,  and  which  is  probably 
identified  with  that  here  spoken  of.  Elisha, 
on  its  approach,  recommended  the  Shunam- 
mite, though  she  was  a  woman  of  substance 
(cliap.  4  :  8),  to  quit  her  home  and  remove  to 
some  other  residence,  where  she  might  escape 
the  pressure  of  the  calamity.  He  k'ft  it  to  her 
to  choose  the  place  of  her  temporary  abode. 
The  phrase,  "God  hath  called  for  a  famine," 
means  no  more  and  no  less  than  "  God  has  de- 
termined that  there  shall  be  a  famine."  "With 
God  to  speak  the  word  is  to  bring  about  the 
event. 

4.  How  the  kin;;  was  talking  with 
Oehazi.     The  king,  that  is,  happened  to  be 


talking  with  Gehazi  at  the  moment  when  the 
woman  came  into  his  presence  and  "  cried"  to 
liim.  It  has  been  resisonably  concluded  from 
this  that  chronological  order  is  not  observed  in 
the  portion  of  the  narrative  which  treats  of 
Elisha  and  his  doings,  since  a  king  of  Israel 
woukl  scarcely  be  in  familiar  convereation 
with  a  leper  (Edl).  It  voiny  be  added  that 
Gehazi  can  scarcely  have  continued  to  be  the 
servant  of  Elisha,  as  lie  evidently  now  was, 
after  liis  lepro.sy.  He  must  luive  dwelt  "  with- 
out the  gate." 

5.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  was 
tellings  the  king  how  he — i.e.,  Elisha — 
had  restored  a  dead  body  to  life. 
This  was  luidoubtedly  the  greatest  of  all 
Elisha's  mirack'S,  and  Gehazi  naturidl_v  enlarged 
upon  it.  As  an  eye-witness  he  could  give  all 
the  details.  That,  behold,  the  woman, 
tvliose  son  he  had  restored  to  life, 
cried  to  the  king  for  her  house  antl 
for  her  land.  The  coincidence  can  scarcely 
have  been  accidental.  Divine  Providence  so 
ordered  matters  that,  just  when  the  king's  in- 
terest in  the  woman  was  most  warm,  she  should 
appear  before  him  to  urge  her  claim.  At  an- 
other time,  .Jehoram  would,  it  is  probable,  liave 
been  but  slightly  moved  by  her  complaint. 
Under  the  peculiar  circumstances,  he  was 
deeply  moved,  and  at  once  granted  the  woman 
the  redress  for  which  she  asked.  And 
Oehazi  said,  My  lord,  O  king,  this  is 
the  ^vonian,  and  this  is  her  son, 
whom  Elisha  restored  to  life.  The 
Sliuuammite  was  accompanied  l)y  her  son,  now 
a  boy  fif  at  least  ten  or  eleven  5'ears  old — the 
actual  object  of  Elisha's  miracle.  The  king's 
interest  in  the  woman  would  be  still  more 
roused  by  this  cii'cumstauce. 

6.  The  order  was,  that  not  only  was  the 
Shunammite  to  receive  back  her  house  and 
estate,  but  that  she  was  also  to  have  the  full 
value  of  all  that  the  land  had  produced  beyond 
the  expense  of  cultivation  during  the  seven 
years  of  her  absence.  English  law  lays  down 
the  same  rule  in  Ciisea  of  unlawful  possession 
for  which  there  is  no  valid  excuse. 

The  piety  of  the  Shunammite  had  been  suffi- 
ciently shown  in  the  previous  record  left  us  of 
her  (chap.  4  :  8-37).  The  sequel  of  her  story 
indicates  how,  in  a  wonderful  way,  events  and 
circumstances  seemingly  fortuitous  and  un- 
connected work  together  for  the  advantage  and 
happiness  of  one  who  lives  virtuously,  and 
seeks  in  all  things  to  serve  God  and  advance 
the  cause  of  religion.  "  The  series  of  inci- 
dents," it  has  been  well  said,  "  forms  a  marvel- 


214 


KISGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


loiis  wol)  of  Divine  dispensations"  (/?'V7"')-  1- 
The  miiifiilfiice  nf  thi-  kinrj'i>  desire  to  learn  more 
alniiit  Klinfiii  irilh  thi  return  of  the  woman  to  her 
own  land.  It  was,  humanly  spealiinir.  a  purf  ac 
i-idcnt  tliat  the  curiosity  of  tlic  king  witli  respect 
to  Elislm  lia]) pencil  to  be  aroused  just  as  tlie  fam- 
ine WHS  over,  and  the  woman,  liaving  returned 
from  Philistia  into  tlie  hind  of  Israel,  found 
her  estate  occupied  by  another.  It  was  another 
accident  that  she  hethought  herself  of  appcal- 
ini;  to  tlie  kiiij;.  instead  of  havinfr;  recourse  to 
any  other  remedy.  2.  Thceoineideuev  of  (ivhazi 
bein;/  Hjwakinr/  of  her  ease  exnrtly  ax  she  made  Iwr 
apjiearance.  Geha/.i  had  many  miracles  to  re- 
late, and  might  have  been  discoursing  of  any 
one  of  them  ;  V)ut  events  were  so  ordered  that 
it  was  of  her  child's  resurrection  that  he  was 
telling  the  king,  and  not  of  any  other  miracle, 
when  she  came  into  the  royal  presence.  This 
coincidence  it  was  which  so  interested  the  king 
in  her.  that  he  at  once  gave  the  order  for  restor- 
ing her  estate  to  her.  We  may  learn  from  the 
entire  narrative  that  our  lives  are  divinely 
ordered;  that  nothing  happens  to  us  by  mere 
chance  ;  that  events  which  seem  to  us,  at  the 
time  when  they  happen,  of  the  least  possible 
importance,  may  be  necessary  linlis  in  the  chain 
which  Divine  providence  is  forging  for  the 
ordering  of  our  lives,  and  for  the  working  out 
through  them  of  the  Divine  purpose.  Ilam- 
mond. 

Inteuview    between    Elisii-v   .\nd   Haz.\ei,. 
Killing  of  Benuadad  by  Hazael. 

Verses  7-15. 

7,  8.  The  Lord  has  won  to  Himself  honor 
among  the  heathen.  In  Israel  we  have  seen 
kings  sending  to  consult  heathen  gods  ;  among 
the  heathen  we  l)eliolil  a  king  sending  to  con- 
sult the  God  of  Israel  through  His  prophet. 
The  great  Benhadad  lies  on  a  sick  bed  ;  and 
having  heanl  that  the  famous  proi)het  of  Israel, 
who  had  healed  his  general  Xaaman,  was  come 
to  Dama.scus.  he  sent  a  great  ollicer  named 
Ila/.ael  to  Klislia  to  sisk  if  he  should  recover 

from  this  .sickness.     Kittn. The  miracles  of 

Elisha  had  had,  at  any  rate,  this  effect — they  had 
convinced  the  Syrians  that  Jehovah  was  a  great 
and  jiowcrful  G<h1,  and  made  them  regard 
Klislia  liimsclf  as  a  trin'  prophet.  Their  faith 
in  their  own  superstitions  must  have  been  at 
least  partially  shaken  by  these  convictions.  It 
wjus  by  these  and  similar  weakenings  of  estab- 
lished errors  that  the  world  was  gradually  edu- 
cati'd,  and  the  way  pri'pared  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  Christianity.     There  was  very  early 


among    the    Syrians    a    flourishing    Christian 
Church.     Ilainmond. 

10-15.  The  disea.sc  which  laid  him  upon  his 
bed  was  not  mortal  :  he  might  certainly  re- 
cover from  it,  and  Would  recover  if  let  alone. 
This  was  all  that  was  required  from  him,  and  he 
gave  it.  But  he  knew  more,  about  which  he 
was  not  consulted.  He  reiul  the  heart,  the  pur- 
poses, and  the  future  life  of  the  man  who  stood 
before  him,  and  w:is  willing  to  let  him  know 
it.  So,  after  a  pause,  he  added.  ;is  addressed  to 
Hazael  himself  and  not  as  i)art  of  his  response 
to  the  king,  "  Howbeit,  the  Lord  hath  showed 
me  that  he  shall  surely  die."'  Much  misappre- 
hension has  arLsen  from  regarding  this  as  part 
of  the  response  to  be  borne  to  the  sick  king, 
though  the  change  of  personal  pronouns  in  the 
two  sentences  might  alone  suffice  to  show  the 
difference  ;  "  thou  "  in  the  first ;  "  he"  in  the 
second.  Having  said  this,  the  projihet  looked 
steiwlfiistly  at  Hazael,  until  the  latter  (luailed 
beneath  that  searching  gaze  ;  and  then  the 
man  of  God  turned  his  head  aside  and  wept. 
Why  wept  he  ?  Hazael  himself  respectfully 
asked  that  question.  Elisha  answered  that  he 
wept  because  he  clearly  saw  the  misery  and 
desolation  which  this  man  would  hereafter  in- 
flict upon  Israel.  On  hearing  this,  the  Syrian 
exclaimed,  "But  what  Is  thy  servant,  a  mere 
dog,  that  he  should  do  this  great  deed?"  He 
was  not  offended,  as  the  current  version  would 
seem  to  imply,  or  he  would  not  have  called  it 
a  fjreat  deed.  But  he  asked  how  could  a  per- 
son of  comparatively  low  condition  like  him- 
self have  such  high  influence  upon  the  fate  of 
nations.  The  prophet  answered  that  the  Lord 
had  disclosed  to  him  that  he  should  become 
king  over  Syria.  Hazael  then  returned  to  his 
master,  and  in  reply  to  his  anxious  in(juiries 
delivered  the  message  the  prophet  intended  for 
him,  but  suppressed  the  intimation  given  to 
himself  that  he  should  really  die.  But  the 
\-erv  next  day,  it  would  seem  that  Hazael  ac- 
complished the  purpose  he  had  priibalily  long 
contemplated,  and  which  the  prophet  had  de- 
tected. He  put  his  msister  to  death,  and  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  crime  remained  undis- 
covered, and  the  king  was  supposed  to  have 
died  of  hisdiseii.se  ;  and  dying  apparently  child- 
less, the  wicked  and  unscrupulous  general  was 
enabled  to  secure  the  object  of  his  ambition. 
Kitto. 

1 1 .  And  be  §ettled  liis  roiiiilcnance 
Ktcadra<«ll}-  literally,  and  he  s,tt!<d  his 
eotintenanee  and  sit  it — i.e..  Elisha  fixed  on 
Hazael  a  long  and  meaning  look— until  lie 
was  ashamed— I.e.,   until  Hazael  felt  em- 


SECTION  22.     ELISHA  AND  IIAZAEL. 


215 


barrassed,  and'  his  eyes  fell.  It  niny  be  gath- 
ered that  the  ambitions  courtier  had  already 
formed  a  murderous  dL-sign  against  his  master, 
and  understood  by  the  peculiar  gaze  which  the 
prophet  tixed  upon  him  that  his  design  was 
penetrated.  Ami  tlie  man  of  God  wept. 
There  flashed  on  the  prophet's  mind  all  the 
long  scries  of  calamities  which  Israel  would 
suffer  at  the  hands  of  Syria  during  Hazael's 
reign,  and  he  could  not  but  weep  at  the  thought 
of  them.     Jliinuiwiid. 

13.  He  does  not  shrink  from  Elisha's  words, 
or  mean  to  say  that  he  would  be  a  dog,  could 
he  act  so  cruelly  as  Elisha  predicts  he  will. 
On  the  contrary,  Elisha's  prediction  has  raised 
his  hopes,  and  his  only  doubt  is  whether  so 
much  good  fortune  ("  this  great  thing")  can  be 
in  store  for  one  so  mean.  "  Dog"  here,  as  gen- 
erally (though  not  always)  in  Scripture,  has 
thesenseof  "  mean,"  "  low,"  "  contemptible." 
B.  C. Hazael  does  not  accuse  Elisha  of  mak- 
ing him  out  a  dog  in  the  future,  l)ut  calls  him- 
self a  dog  in  the  present.  Hazael  means  to  say  : 
How  is  it  possible  that  he,  occupying,  as  he 
does,  so  poor  and  humble  a  position  as  that  of 
a  mere  courtier,  should  ever  wage  war  with 
Israel,  and  do  the  "  great  things"  which  Elisha 
has  predicted  of  him  '?  And  Eli§lia  an- 
sivered.  The  Liord  hath  shelved  ine 
that  thou  Shalt  he  kiii^  over  Syria. 
Elisha  explains  how  it  would  be  possible. 
Hazael  would  not  continue  in  his  poor  and 
humble  condition.  Jehovah  has  revealed  it  to 
him  that  the  mere  courtier  will  shortly  mount 
the  Syrian  throne. 

14.  He  told  me  that  thou  sliouldest 
surely  reeover.  This  was  giving  half 
EHsha's  answer,  and  suppressing  the  other  half. 
The  siippi-esm)  »eri  is  a  siiggestio  falsi  ;  and  the 
suppression  was  Hazael's  iict,  not  Elisha's. 
Had  Hazael  repeated  the  whole  of  Elisha's  an- 
swer, "  Say  unto  him.  Thou  shalt  surely  re- 
cover ;  howbeit  the  Lord  hath  showed  me  that 
he  shall  surely  die,"  Benhadad  might  have  been 
puzzled,  but  he  would  not  have  been  deceived. 

Hammond. Hazael  repeated  the  exact  words 

of  Elisha:  "Thou  shalt  certainly  live;"  but 
he  omitted  the  clause  by  which  Elisha  had 
shown  how  those  words  were  to  be  understood. 
He  thus  deceived  his  master,  while  he  could 
flatter  himself  that  he  had  not  uttered  a  lie. 
B.  C.    - 

15.  A  thick  cloth.  The  fatal  prediction 
is  accomplislicd  in  every  point.  Hazael 
smothers  his  master  with  a  wet  cloth,  seizes  the 
throne,  and  his  first  measure  is  a  bloody  battle 
at  Uamoth  against  the  combined  forces  of  both 


the  Jewish  kingdoms  under  Jehoram,  king  of 
Israel,  and  Ahaziah,  who  had  just  succeeded 
his  father,  Jehoram  of  Judah.  In  this  calami- 
tous field  Jehoram  was  wounded,  and  retreated 
to  Jezreel,  where  Ahaziah  came  to  meet  him. 
Milman. 

Hazael  succeeded  in  repulsing  the  Assj'rians, 
and  maintaining  his  independence,  notwith- 
standing all  their  efforts  to  conquer  him.  He 
reduced  Israel  to  a  species  of  semi-subjection 
(chap.  13  :  7).  He  compelled  even  Judea  to 
purchase  peace  at  his  hands  (chap.  13  ;  18).  He 
wsis,  on  the  whole,  the  most  warlike  of  all  the 
early  kings  of  Syria  ;  and,  though  he  suffered 
one  great  defeat  at  the  hands  of  the  Assyrian 
king,  Shalmaneser  II.,  yet  he  issued  from  the 
struggle  unsubdued,  and  left  his  dominions 
intact  to  his  son  and  successor,  Benhadad  III. 
Ilammond. 

Personal  Suggestions. 

Even  in  the  practice  of  the  purest  and  lofti- 
est souls  there  are  oftentimes  slight  variances 
from  truth  or  rectitude,  waverings  of  a  kind, 
generous,  unselfish  spirit,  neglects  of  that  love 
which  is  heart-expanding  and  enriching,  and 
even  unchecked  pulsations  of  temper,  pride, 
and  evil  passions,  and  the  soul's  own  knowl- 
edge of  these  concealed  weaknesses,  so  incon- 
sistent with  its  apparent  life,  will  cause  the  face 
to  flush  at  the  thought  of  unveiling  its  secret 

feelings  to  another  soul.     B. Is  there  one 

who  can  aflirm  that  he  could  stand  with  un- 
blenched  cheek  before  the  man  whom  he  be- 
lieved to  be  viewing  his  naked  soul?  Is  there 
one  who  could  endure,  without  confusion  of 
face,  without  a  quivering  frame,  the  keen  anat- 
omy of  his  character,  his  conduct,  his  spirit, 
by  even  the  most  friendly  hand  in  the  world  ? 
Would  he  be  content  that  any  human  eye 
should  trace  the  tortuous  meanderings  of  feel- 
ing in  regard  to  anj'  one  matter  in  which  he 
has  ever  been  engaged — the  unholy  thought, 
the  ungenerous  imputation,  the  low  suspicion, 
the  doubt,  the  dislike,  the  covetousness,  the 
hate,  the  contention,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the 
lust  of  the  eye,  the  pride  of  life — that  more  or 
less  enter  into  and  defile,  with  the  prints  of  vil- 
lainous hoofs,  the  fairest  gardens  of  life  ? 

To  us  it  is  of  infinitely  less  concernment  what 
man  thinks  of  us  than  what  God  thinks  ;  what 
man  knows  than  what  God  knows  ;  yet  while 
we  shrink  with  such  instinctive  dread  from  the 
too  near  survey  of  a  fellow-sinner,  we  manage 
to  get  on  quietly,  with  small  trouble  of  mind, 
in  the  perfect  knowledge  that  One  who  cannot 
be  mistaken,  who  sees  through  all  disguises, 


21G 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


and  from  whom  nothing  can  be  for  a  moment 
hid,  anil  wlio  iiiuhTstands  us  far  butter  than  we 
(Uiriclves  know  or  than  our  iie:irc>;t  fricuds  or 
keenest  enen\ies  imagine,  lias  a  sleepless  eye 
lixed  with  uneeiusing  vigilanee  upon  our 
hearts.  This  keen  suseeptihility  to  the  inspec- 
tion and  good  opinion  of  man,  and  this  com- 
parative indifference  to  the  constjint  survey  of 
God.  is  a  familiar  thing,  and  strikes  us  little 
because  it  is  familiar  ;  but  it  is  nevertheless 
one  of  tlu'  strangest  anomalies  of  our  nature, 
and  is  beheld  with  astonishment  and  grief  by 
the  angels  of  God.  In  their  view  it  is  an 
inversion  of  the  whole  order  of  life  and  be- 
ing. To  them  God  is  all,  His  inspection  is 
all. 

How  different  would  be  our  conversation  and 
our  walk  if  we  lived  and  moved  in  the  ever- 
present  consciousness  that  the  unseen  Eye  was 
upon  lis  and  noted  all  our  steps,  and  that  the 
opinion  of  us,  hereafter  to  be  pronounced  in  the 
presence  of  the  assembled  universe,  as  tlie  foun- 
dation of  final  and  uneliangeable  judgment,  fix- 
ing our  lot  forever,  shutting  us  up  in  despair  or 
opening  all  the  golden  doors  of  joy,  is  a  matter 
of  inconeiivably  more  importance  to  us  than 
all  that  the  world  can  think  or  say,  can  offer  to 
us  or  deprive  us  of  !  Lst  us  bL^lieve  that  to 
walk  and  act  from  day  to  day  with  this  as  a 
vital  consciousness  about  us,  as  a  check  to  sin, 
an  encouragement  to  faith,  and  a  stimulus  to 
duty,  without  any  supreme  anxiety  but  to  walk 
so  as  to  please  God,  is  a  most  pleasant  life,  is 
the  very  autepast  of  heaven.  There  is  no 
bondage  in  it.  It  is  perfect  freedom,  and  is 
happiness  as  complete  as  this  world  allows.  It 
relieves  us  from  many  masters,  and  redeems 
from  bondage  to  a  thousand  fears.  Oh,  the 
blessedness  of  being  freed  from  this  slavish 
reference  to  erring  man's  judgment  of  our  con- 
duct and  our  motives,  by  being  enabled  to 
realize  the  presence  and  to  welcome  the  in- 
spection of  One  who,  although  lie  be  of  purer 
eyes  than  to  endure  iniquity,  is  incapable  of 
harsh,  unjust,  or  unkind  judgment — who  has 
become  to  us  in  Christ  Jesus  a  kind  and  loving 
Father,    and    longs  with  deep    yearnings    of 


paternal  affection  to  pour  out  upon  us  all  the 
fulness  of  His  everlasting  love  1  It  is  quite  im- 
pos.sible  for  any  one  to  be  truly  happy  until  this 
great  work,  the  reversid  of  the  ordinary  infiii- 
ences  upon  his  life,  has  been  wrought  within 
him,  making  God  first  and  mini  second  in  all 
his  thouglits  :  until  the  great  matter  becomes 
God's  judgment  of  us,  and  the  small  mailer 
man's  ;  until,  in  answer  to  all  injurious 
thoughts  and  imputations,  we  can  answer  with 
Paul,  "  It  is  a  small  matter  for  me  to  be  judged 
of  you  or  of  man's  judgment ; /or /»erre  </i« 
Lord  ChriM."     Kitto. 

This  man.  Hazael.  who  was  ashamed  at  the 
idea  of  perpetrating  such  enormities  at  first, 
actually  enacted  them  a  few  hours  afterwanl. 
The  elements  of  the  devil  are  in  every  man, 
though  he  may  not  know-  it.  Men  have  often 
deprecated  courses  of  action  whicli  afterward 
they  have  pursued  with  alacrity  and  delight. 
The  virtue  of  many  men  is  only  vice  sleeping. 
The  evil  elements  of  the  heart  are  like  gun- 
powder, passive,  until  the  spark  of  temptation 
falls  on  them.  The  greatest  monsters  in  human 
history  were  at  one  time  con-sidered  innocent 
and  kind.  "  Man}-  a  man,"  says  a  modern 
author,  "  could  he  have  a  glimpse  in  innocent 
youth  of  what  he  would  be  twenty  or  thirty 
years  after,  would  pray  in  anguish  that  he 
might  be  taken  in  youth  before  coming  to 
that."  What  is  the  moral  of  this'?  The  ne- 
cessity of  a  change  of  heart.     A.  Muckny. 

When  temptation  is  at  a  distance,   and  all 
goes  on  smoothly,   we  are  apt  to  think  more 
highly  of  ourselves  than  we  ought  to  think  ; 
but  let  a  strong  temptation  work  upon  a  suit- 
able corruption  in  the  heart  (Satan  and  oppor- 
tunity blowing  up  the  flame),  and  there  is  no 
saying  what   may  happen.     It   was   well  ob- 
served that  ' '  heed  ought  to  be  taken  by  the 
best    of    saints    against  the  worst    of    sins." 
"  Watch  and  pray,  therefore,  that  ye  enter  not 
into  temptation. "     And  "  let  him  that  thinketh 
he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall. ' '     But  if  thou 
I  hast  fallen,  let  not  thy  sin  drive  tbee  to  despair, 
1  but  to  Christ,  that  thou  mayest  be  delivered 
i  both  from  its  guilt  and  its  power.     UiU, 


SECTION  S3.  217 


Section  23. 

REIGN  OP  JEIIU,  28  YEARS  (Begun). 
l8t  of  Alhaliali  to  2'2<I  of  Joa§Ii,  in  Jiitlah. 

Anointed  ;  Slays  jEnoRAM  op  Israel,  Aiiaziah  of  Judah,  and  Jezebel. 

2  Kings  9  : 1-37. 

1      And  Elisha  the  prophet  called  one  of  the  sons  of  the  prophets,  and  said  unto  him.  Gird  up 

3  thj'  loins,  and  tal^e  this  vial  of  oil  in  thine  hand,  and  go  to  Ramoth-gilcad.     And  'when  thou 

comest  thither,  look  out  there  Jehu  the  son  of  Jehoshaphat  the  son  of  Nimshi,  and  go  in,  and 

3  make  liim  arise  up  fi-om  among  his  brethren,  and  cai-ry  him  to  an  inner  chamber.     Tlieu  take 
the  vial  of  oil,  and  pour  it  on  his  head,  and  say,  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  I  have  anointed  thee 

4  king  over  Israel.     Then  open  the  door,  and  flee,  and  tarry  not.     So  the  young  man,  even  the 

5  young  man  the  prophet,  went  to  Ramoth-gilead.     And  when  he  came,  behold,  the  captains 
of  the  host  were  sitting  ;  and  he  said,  I  have  an  errand  to  thee,  O  captain.     And  Jeliu  said, 

6  Unto  which  of  all  us?     And  he  said.  To  thee,  O  captain.     And  he  arose,  and  went  into  the 
house  ;  and  he  poured  the  oil  on  his  head,  and  said  unto  him.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God 

7  of  Israel,  I  have  anointed  thee  king  over  the  people  of  the  Lord,  even  over  Israel.     And  thou 
Shalt  smite  the  house  of  Ahab  thy  master,  that  I  may  avenge  the  blood  of  my  servants  the 

8  prophets,  and  the  blood  of  all  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  at  the  hand  of  Jezebel.     For  the 
wliole  house  of  Ahab  shall  perish  :  and  I  will  cut  off  from  Ahab  every  man  child,  and  him 

9  that  is  shut  up  and  him  that  is  left  at  large  in  Israel.     And  I  will  make  the  house  of  Ahab 
like  the  house  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat,  and  like  the  house  of  Baasha  the  son  of  Ahijah. 

10  And  the  dogs  shall  eat  Jezebel  in  the  portion  of  Jezreel,  and  there  shall  be  none  to  bury  her. 

11  And  he  opened  the  door,  and  fled.  Then  Jehu  came  forth  to  the  servants  of  his  lord  :  and  one 
said  unto  him.  Is  all  well?  wherefore  came  this  mad  fellow  to  thee?    And  he  said  unto  them, 

12  Ye  know  the  man  and  what  his  talk  was.  And  they  said.  It  is  false  ;  tell  us  now.  And  he 
said.  Thus  and  thus  spalce  he  to  me,  saying.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  I  have  anointed  thee  king 

13  over  Israel.     Then  they  hasted,  and  took  every  man  his  g.arment,  and  put  it  under  him  on 

14  the  top  of  the  stairs,  and  blew  the  trumpet,  saying,  Jehu  is  king.  So  Jehu  the  son  of  Jehosha- 
phat the  .son  of  Nimshi  conspired  against  Joram.     (Now  Joram  kept  Ramoth-gilead,  he  and 

lo  all  Israel,  because  of  Hazael  king  of  Syria  •  but  king  Joram  was  returned  to  be  healed  in  Jez- 
reel of  the  wounds  which  the  Syrians  had  given  him,  when  he  fought  with  Hazael  king  of 
Syria.)    And  Jehu  said.  If  this  be  your  mind,  then  let  none  escape  and  go  forth  out  of  the 

16  city,  to  go  to  tell  it  in  Jezreel.     So  Jehu  rode  in  a  chariot,  and  went  to  Jezreel  ;  for  Joram 

17  lay  there.  And  Ahaziah  king  of  Judah  was  come  down  to  see  Joram.  Now  the  watchman 
stood  on  the  tower  in  Jezreel,  and  he  spied  the  company  of  Jehu  as  he  came,  and  said,  I  see  a 
company.     And  Joram  said.  Take  an  horseman,  and  send  to  meet  them,  and  let  him  say,  Is  it 

18  peace?  So  there  went  one  on  horseback  to  meet  him,  and  said,  Thus  saith  the  king,  Is  it 
peace?    And  Jehu  said.  What  hast  thou  to  do  with  peace?  turn  thee  behind  me.     And  the 

19  watchman  told,  saying.  The  messenger  came  to  them,  but  he  cometh  not  again.  Then  he 
sent  out  a  second  on  horseback,  which  came  to  them,  and  said.  Thus  saith  the  king,  Is  it 

20  peace?  And  Jehu  answered.  What  hast  thou  to  do  with  peace?  turn  thee  behind  me.  And 
the  watchman  told,  saying.  He  came  even  unto  them,  and  cometh  not  again  :  and  the  driving 

21  is  like  the  driving  of  Jehu  the  son  of  Nimshi  ;  for  he  driveth  furiously.  And  Joram  said. 
Make  ready.  And  they  made  ready  his  chariot.  And  Joram  king  of  Israel  and  Ahaziah  king 
of  Judah  went  out,  each  in  his  chariot,  and  they  went  out  to  meet  Jehu,  and  found  him  in  the 

22  portion  of  Naboth  the  Jczreelite,  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Joram  saw  Jehu,  that  he  said. 
Is  it  peace,  Jehu?    And  he  answered.  What  peace,  so  long  as  the  whoredoms  of  thy  mother 

23  Jezebel  and  her  witchcrafts  are  so  many?    .\.nd  Joram  turned  his  hands,  and  fled,  and  said 

24  to  Ahaziah,  There  is  tioachery,  O  Ahaziah.  And  Jehu  drew  his  bow  with  his  full  strength, 
and  smote  Joram  between  his  arms,  and  tlic  arrow  went  out  at  his  heart,  and  he  sunk  down  in 


218 


KINO  DOM  OF  ISnAEL. 


2.")  his  clinriot.  Then  said  Jihii  to  Bidkar  his  captain.  Take  up,  and  cast  liim  in  the  portion  of 
tlic  lidd  of  Naljoth  the  Jczrtclitc  :  for  icmcnilicr  liow  tliat,  when  I  and  tliou  rode  together 

26  after  Ahab  his  father,  the  Uiitn  laid  tliis  Imrden  ujion  liim  ;  Surely  I  have  seen  yesterday  the 
blood  of  Nabolh;  and  the  blood  of  his  sons,  saith  the  Loud  ;  and  I  will  requite  thee  in  this 
plat,  saith  the  Ldku.     Now  therefore  take  and  cast  him  into  the  plat  "/  gr'ninil,  according  to 

27  the  word  of  the  Lord.  But  when  Ahaziah  the  king  of  .Judah  saw  this,  he  fled  by  the  way  of 
the  garden  house.  And  Jehu  followed  after  him,  and  said.  Smite  him  also  in  the  chariot  : 
and  they  smote  >nm  at  the  ascent  of  Gur,  which  is  by  Ibleam.     And  he  fled  to  Megiddo,  and 

28  died  there.  And  liis  servants  carried  him  in  a  chariot  to  Jerusalem,  and  buried  him  in  his 
sepulchre  with  his  fathers  in  the  city  of  David. 

29  And  in  the  eleventh  year  of  Joram  the  son  of  Ahab  began  Ahaziah  to  reign  over  Judah. 

30  And  when  Jt'hu  was  come  to  Jezrccl,  Jezebel  heard  of  it  ;  and  she  painted  her  eyes,  and 

81  tired  her  head,  and  looked  out  at  the  window.     And  sis  Jelui  entered  in  at  the  gat<-,  she  said, 

82  Is  it  peace,  thou  Zimri,  thy  ma.ster's  murderer?  And  he  lifted  up  his  face  to  the  window, 
and  said,  Who  is  on  my  side?  who?     And  there  looked  out  to  him  two  or  three  eunuchs, 

33  And  he  said.   Throw  her  down.     So  they  threw   her  down  :    and  some  of  her  blooil  was 

34  sprinkled  on  the  wall,  and  on  the  horses  :  and  he  trode  her  under  foot.  And  when  he  was 
come  in,  he  did  eat  and  drink  ;  and  he  said,  See  now  to  this  cursed  woman,  and  bury  her  : 

85  for  she  is  a  king's  daughter.     And  they  went  to  bury  her  :  but  they  found  no  more  of  her 

36  than  the  skull,  and  the  feet,  and  the  palms  of  her  hands.  Wherefore  they  came  again,  and  told 
him.     And  he  said.  This  is  the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  he  spake  by  his  servant  Elijah  the 

37  Tishbite,  saying.  In  the  portion  of  Jezreel  shall  the  dogs  eat  the  flesh  of  Jezebel  :  and  the 
carcase  of  Jezebel  shall  be  as  dung  \ipon  the  face  of  the  field  in  the  portion  of  Jezreel  ;  so 
that  thcv  shall  not  say.  This  is  Jezebel. 


AxoTnEu  great  revolution  was  at  hand. 
Four  kings  of  the  house  of  Omri  and  Ahab  had 
now  sat  on  the  throne  of  Israel ;  but  the  death- 
knell  of  the  wicked  dynasty  had  rung.  There 
had  been  a  new  war  between  Syria  and  Israel  ; 
and  Ramoth-Gilead,  as  before,  was  the  scene  of 
the  contest.  King  Jehoram  had  been  wounded 
in  battle,  and  had  retired  to  Jezreel,  where  liis 
cousin.  King  Ahaziah  of  Judah,  had  come  to 
see  Mm.     W.  G.  B. 

Elisha  is  still  the  primary  figure  in  the  his- 
torical drama  ;  bvit  at  this  point  his  personality 
merges  in  the  general  account  of  the  kingdom 
of  Israel,  which  it  is  the  object  of  the  writer  to 
trace  from  beginning  to  end.  Elisha  here  per- 
forms his  last  public  act,  being  commissioned, 
and  carrying  out  his  commission,  to  transfer 
the  kingdom  of  Israel  from  the  unworthy  dy- 
nasty of  Omri,  which  on  account  of  its  persis- 
tent idolatry  has  fallen  under  Divine  condem- 
nation, to  a  new  dynasty,  that  of  Jehu,  which 
will,  at  an}'  rate,  check  the  worst  excesses  of 
the  prevalent  idolatrous  system,  and  maintain 
the  Jehovah-worship  as  the  religion  of  the  State. 
Hammond. 

With  Jehu  begins  the  most  powerful,  the 
most  important,  and  the  longest-lived  of  all  the 
Israelite  dynasties.  The  descendants  of  Jehu 
kept  the  throne  "  to  the  fourth  generation"  (2 
K.  10  :  30).  Five  kings  in  succession,  furnished 
from  a  single  house,  showed  that,  under  certain 
clrcmnstauces,  God  would  allow,  even  to  the 


northern  kingdom,  a  certain  prosperity  and  sta- 
Ijilitj-.  The  live  reigns  tilled  the  space  of  above 
a  century,  and  in  the  couree  of  this  period  Is- 
rael attained  the  highest  point  of  her  greatness. 
Under  Jeroboam  the  Second  there  was  a  near 
approach  to  a  restoration  of  the  Davidic  king- 
dom, not,  however,  in  the  Davidic  line,  but  in 
a  line  which  aspired  to  supersede  it. 

1-3.  The  further  course  of  the  Syrian  war  is 
not  given  in  Scripture  with  any  detail  ;  but  it 
appears  that  Jehoram,  shortly  after  the  panic 
flight  of  the  enemy  from  Samaria  (last  Section), 
took  the  offensive,  and  in  conjunction  with  his 
nephew  and  ally,  Ahaziah  king  of  Judah,  in- 
vaded the  Sj'rian  possessions  in  northern  Periea 
and  recovered  the  important  city  of  Ramoth- 
Gilead,  which  Ahab  and  Jehoshaphat  had  failed 
to  take  (1  K,  22  ;  29-36  ;  2  K.  8  :  28  ;  9:1,  14). 
Jehoram  received  severe  wounds  in  the  course 
of  the  siege,  and  in  consequence  withdrew  to 
Jezreel  for  medical  aid,  leaving  his  army  in 
Uamoth-Gilead  under  the  command  of  Jehu, 
one  of  the  captains  of  the  host,  to  watch  over 
the  place  (verse  14)  and  defend  it,  sho\Ud  the 
Syrians  attempt  its  recapture.  It  wsis  while 
matters  were  in  this  position  that  Elisha,  re- 
garding the  fitting  time  as  at  last  arrived,  pro- 
ceeded to  carry  out  the  commission  which  had 
been  entrusted  to  Elijah  many  years  previously 
(1  K,  19  :  16),  of  anointing  a  new  king  to  the 
throne  of  Israel  in  the  place  of  Jehoram,  whose 
sins  had  forfeited  his  crown.     One  of  the  "  sons 


BEGTION  23.     REIGN  OF  JEHU. 


219 


of  the  prophets"  wns  sent  by  him  to  the  Israel- 
ite army  at  Ramoth-Gilead,  with  instructions  to 
seek  out  Jehu,  the  son  of  Kimshi,  and  having 
obtained  a  private  audience,  to  anoint  liim  king 
of  Israel  with  the  holy  oil  of  the  sanctuary,  a 
portion  of  which  the  prophet  put  into  his 
hands.     G.  R. 

It  is  a  serious  question  how  the  relation  of 
Elisha  toward  a  dynasty  stained  by  so  many 
crimes,  and  so  unfaithful  to  the  true  service  of 
the  Lord,  is  to  be  explained.  It  certainly  can- 
not be  understood  without  taking  several  con- 
siderations into  account.  The  situation  was 
not  simple,  but  complicated,  and  accordingly 
the  motives  influencing  the  conduct  of  the 
prophets  were  varied,  and,  if  one-sidedly 
viewed,  may  for  that  very  reason  appear  con- 
flicting. These  three  considerations  may,  how- 
ever, help  us  to  understand  their  general  bear- 
ing. First,  the  prophets  were  always  only  the 
executors  of  God's  behests  ;  they  stood  not  in 
any  independent  personal  relation  to  events  or 
individuals.  Secondly,  the  behests  of  God, 
and  consequentl_v  the  prophetic  commission, 
whether  as  regarded  judgment  or  deliverance, 
applied  to  acts  and  individual  events,  not  to 
persons  or  lives.  Thirdly,  the  final  object  of  all 
was,  on  the  one  hand,  the  vindication  of  Jeho- 
vah's dealings,  and,  on  the  other,  the  arresting 
of  Israel's  spiritual  and  with  it  of  their  national 
decline.  It  was  needful  that  signal  judgments 
should  sweep  away  Ahab  and  all  connected 
with  his  ways,  and  Jehu  was,  in  the  circum- 
stances of  the  time  and  in  the  state  of  the  peo- 
ple, the  most  suitable  instrument  for  it.  Thus 
far,  and  thus  far  only,  had  his  counter-revolu- 
tion the  countenance  of  the  prophets.     A.  E. 

We  must  distinguish  throughout  this  historj' 
between  the  motives  which  actuated  Jehu  in 
his  conspiracy  against  Ahab,  and  the  providen- 
tial purpose  which,  as  God's  instrument,  he  was 
raised  up  to  fulfil.  That  is  to  be  read  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  prophet.  Israel  was  a  people 
called  into  e.xistence  for  the  purpose  of  being  a 
witness  for  the  true  God  amid  surrounding 
heathenism.  It  owed  its  existence  and  posses- 
sion of  the  land  of  Caanan  to  Jehovah.  From 
Him  it  had  received  its  politj'  ;  to  Him  it  was 
bound  in  solemn  covenant  ;  the  fundamental 
laws  of  its  constitution  required  undivided  al- 
legiance to  Him.  The  penalties  which  would 
follow  from  disobedience  were  but  a  counter- 
part of  the  blessings  which  would  flow  from 
obedience.  The  first  great  sin  of  the  nation 
was  in  the  setting  up  of  the  calves  under  Jero- 
boam. For  adherence  to  this  unlawful  form  of 
worship  two   dynasties  had   already  perished 


(verse  9).  But  with  the  accession  of  the  house 
of  Omri  a  new  development  in  evil  took  place. 
The  worship  of  the  Phoenician  Baal  was  intro- 
duced ;  God's  prophets  were  relentlessly  perse- 
cuted, and,  under  the  influence  of  Jezebel,  the 
moving  spirit  of  three  reigns,  corruption  had 
spread  far  and  near  throughout  the  realm,  and 
hail  penetrated  even  to  Judah.  Jehoram  at  first 
showed  a  better  spirit  (chap.  3  :  2),  but  he  must 
afterward  have  j-ielded  to  the  superior  influence 
of  his  mother,  for  Baal-worship  was  restored, 
and  had  the  prestige  of  court  example  (verse 
22  ;  chap.  10  :  21).  Under  these  circumstances, 
it  was  folly  to  hesitate,  if  Israel  was  to  be  saved. 
"  Here  the  question  of  the  justifiableuess  of  re- 
bellion against  a  legitimate  dynastj',  or  of  revo- 
lution in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word,  cannot 
arise.  The  course  of  the  house  of  Ahab  was  a 
rebellion  against  all  law,  human  and  Divine,  in 
Israel"  (Biihr).  Even  in  ordinary  earthly  states, 
the  right  of  revolution  when  religion,  liberty, 
morality,  and  national  honor  can  be  saved  by 
no  other  means,  is  universally  conceded.  But 
revolution  here  was  not  left  to  dubious  human 
wisdom.  The  initiative  was  taken  by  Jehovah 
himself,  acting  through  His  prophet,  and  ex- 
press Divine  sanction  was  given  to  the  over- 
throw of  Ahab's  house.     J.  O. 

Oh,  the  sure  though  patient  justice  of  the 
Almighty  I  Not  onlv  Ahab  and  Jezebel  had 
been  bloody  and  idolatrous,  but  Israel  was 
drawn  into  the  partnership  of  their  crimes.  All 
these  shall  share  in  the  judgment.  Elijah's 
complaint  in  the  cave  now  receives  this  late  an- 
swer :  Hazael  shall  plague  Israel ;  Jehu  shall 
plague  the  house  of  Ahab  and  Jezebel.     Bp.  H. 

6.  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  God  of  Israel.  Jeho- 
vah's name  is  emphaticallj-  put  forward,  in 
contrast  with  the  name  of  Baal,  as  that  of  the 
true  God  of  Israel ;  and  appeal  is  made  to  Jehu, 
as  to  one  whose  God  is  Jehovah,  and  who  will  ac- 
cept as  authoritative  a  message  emanating  from 
Him.  I  hare  anointed  thee  king  over  the  people 
of  Jehovah,  over  Israel.  Practicallj-,  the  people 
is,  in  the  main,  "  the  people  of  Baal"  (chap. 
10  :  19-21),  but  theoretically  and  by  covenant  it 
is  "  the  people  of  Jehovah" — His  "  peculiar  peo- 
ple" (De.  14  :  2),  chosen  by  Him  out  of  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  to  be  His  own. 

7.  And  thou  shalt  smite  the  house 
of  Ahab  thy  master.  This  is  plainly  a 
command,  not  a  prophecy.  Jehu  is  expressly 
ordered  by  God  to  "  smite" — i.e.,  destroy  utter- 
ly— the  whole  house  of  Ahab.  This  command 
he  carried  out  (verses  24,  33  ;  chap.  10  ;  1-11) ; 
and  his  obedience  to  it  obtained  for  him  the 
temporal  reward  that  his  children  to  the  fourth 


220 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


generation  slioviUi  sit  on  the  tlironc  of  Isnal 
(cliap.  10  :  30).  Yet  still  his  conduct  in  destroy- 
ing the  house  of  Aliab  is  sjiokcn  of  by  the 
prophet  Hoseu  iis  a  sin,  and  Gt)d  declares,  by 
llosea's  mouth,  that  he  will  "  avenge  the  blood 
of  Jezreel  upon  the  house  of  Jehu"  (Hos.  1  :  4). 
It  is  naturally  asked,  "  How  could  Jehu's  shed- 
ding this  blood,  at  God's  command  and  in  ful- 
fihnent  of  His  will,  be  a  sin?"  .iVnd  it  is  right- 
ly answered,  "  Because,  if  we  do  what  is  the 
will  of  G(k1  for  any  end  of  our  own,  for  any- 
thing except  God,  we  do  in  fact  our  own  will, 
not  God's.  It  was  not  lawful  for  Jehu  to  de- 
pose and  slay  the  king  his  nia.ster.  except  at  the 
express  eomnimid  of  God,  who,  as  tlie  supreme 
King,  sets  up  and  puts  down  earthly  rulers  as  Ho 
wills.  For  any  other  end,  and  done  otherwise 
than  at  God's  express  command,  such  an  act  is 
sin.  Jehu  was  rewarded  for  the  measure  in 
whicli  he  fulflUed  God's  commands,  as  Ahab, 
'who  had  sold  himself  to  work  wickedness,' 
had  yet  a  temporal  reward  for  humbling  him 
self  publicly,  when  rebuked  by  God  for  his  sin, 
and  so  honoring  God,  amid  an  apostate  people. 
But  Jehu,  by  cleaving,  against  the  will  of  God, 
to  Jeroboam's  sin  (chap.  11  :  29,  31),  which 
served  his  own  political  ends,  showed  that,  in 
the  slaughter  of  his  master,  he  acted,  not  as  he 
pretended,  out  of  zeal  for  the  will  of  God 
(chap.  10  :  16),  but  served  his  own  will  and  his 
own  ambition  only.  By  his  disobedience  to  the 
one  command  of  God,  he  showed  that  he  would 
have  equally  disobeyed  the  other,  had  it  been 
contrary  to  his  own  will  or  interest.  He  had 
no  principle  of  obedience.  And  so  the  blood 
which  was  shed  according  to  the  righteous 
judgment  of  God,  became  sin  to  him  that  shed 
it  in  order  to  fulfil,  not  the  will  of  God,  but  liis 
own"  {Ptisey).     Hammond. 

7,  ThebloodofidltheaertanUoftheLord.  We 
may  gather  from  this  passage  that  besides  the 
murder  of  the  prophets  there  had  been  general 
persecutions  of  the  worshippers  of  Jehovah  at 
Jezebel's  instigation — persecutions  which  are 
not  recorded  in  the  direct  narrative.  The  allusion 
cannot  be  to  the  single  case  of  Xaboth.     B.  C. 

O.  And  I  w'lU  make  the  house  of 
Ahiib  like  the  house  of  Jeroboam 
the  (ion  of  Kebat.  Jeroboam's  house  had 
been  "  cut  off,"  smitten,  destroyed,  till  not  one 
of  his  posterity  was  left,  about  seventy  j'cars 
previously,  by  Baasha,  "  because  of  his  sins 
which  he  sinned,  and  which  he  made  Israel  sin, 
by  his  provocation  wherewitli  he  provoked  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel  to  auger."  The  far  greater 
sin  of  Ahab  could  not  be  visited  with  less  se- 
veritv.     Hammond. 


10.  And  the  dogs  shall  eat  Jeze- 
bel. The  fate  of  Jezebel  had  been  prophesied 
by  Elijah  (1  K.  21  :  2;i  ;  2  K.  0  :  3(S,  87).  Its  an- 
ncnuiecment  as  inuninent  forms  a  worthy  cli- 
max to  this  gratul  prophecy  of  Klisha's.  Hers 
was  the  chief  guilt.  From  her  hiul  come  the 
whole  of  that  terrible  sin  which  had  now  over- 
shadowed both  kingdoms.  What  more  fitting, 
then,  that  now,  when  the  e^■il  was  come  to  a 
head,  and  Divine  wrath  was  about  to  bvirst 
forth  and  sweep  away  the  entire  impious  brood, 
she  should  be  selei-ted  for  a  punishment  of  ex- 
traordinary horror — a  puiiishiiieiit  which  would 
never  be  forgotten — which,  in  Jewish  eyes,  was 
the  most  terrible  that  could  befall  lunnanity'? 

In  the  portion  of  Jezreel.  There 
most  fitly  would  she  suffer,  at  Jezreel,  the 
scene  of  her  idolatries — there,  where  she  had 
set  up  her  temple  and  her  grove,  had  maintained 
her  four  htmdred  prophets  and  her  priests, 
had  threatened  Elijah  with  destruction,  and, 
above  all,  had  stirred  up  her  lord  to  commit 
murder.  The  "  portion"  or  "  field"  of  Jez- 
reel, if  not  exactly  identical  with  the  vineyard 
of  Naboth,  wa.s,  at  any  rate,  a  tract  closel}'  sul- 
joining  upon  it. 

11.  The  captains  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the 
man  is  mad  ;  but  seeing  his  excited  look,  his 
strange  action,  and  his  extreme  hsiste,  they  call 
him  (as  soldiers  would)  "  this  wild  fellow" — 
"  this  scatter-brain." 

13.  On  the  top  of  the  stairs.  Rather, 
"  on  the  very  stairs,"  or  "on  the  stairs  them- 
selves." The  stairs  would  undoubtedly  be 
those  of  the  house  in  which  the  captains  were 
assembled  ;  they  would  rise  against  the  wall  of 
the  house  from  the  pavement  of  the  court  to  the 
level  of  the  upper  story,  or  of  the  roof.  At  the 
top  of  the  stairs  would  be  a  flat  platform,  and 
this  would  form  a  convenient  extempore  throne, 
on  which  the  new  king  could  exhibit  liimself  to 
his  subjects  (who  were,  doubtless,  admitted 
into  the  court  below)  seated  and  in  an  elevated 
position. 

14.  Joram  had  kept  RamotIi-C>iI- 
eail.  Rtther,  "  Joram  was  keeping  watch  in 
Kamoth-Gilead."  The  city  being  taken,  but 
the  war  continuing,  and  there  being  a  danger 
of  the  Syrians  recovering  it.  Joram  and  all  Is- 
rael— i.e.,  the  whole  militarj-  force — were  guard- 
ing the  recent  conquest,  while  Hazael  threat- 
ened it.  Joram  is  mentioned,  though  not  pres- 
ent, because  the  watch  was  kept  by  his  orders. 
Then,  to  prevent  misconception,  the  writer  re- 
peats, almost  in  the  same  words,  what  he  had 
said  in  chap.  8  ;  '29,  of  Joram's  personal  with- 
drawal to  Jezreel.    The  whole  passage,  "  Now 


SECTION  ZS.     REION  OF  JEHU. 


221 


.  .  .  with  Hazael,  king  of  Syria,"  is  paren- 
thetic.    B.  C. 

15.  Literally,  let  no  iHrapir  go  forth  from  the 
city — equivalent  to  let  no  one  quit  the  city — 
to  go  to  tell  it  in  Jezrecl.  This  is  the  im- 
portant point.  Secrecy  was  absolutely  essen- 
tial. If  the  revolt  had  got  wind — and  a  single 
messenger  might  have  carried  the  news — the 
whole  attempt  might  have  failed,  or  only  have 
succeeded  after  a  long  and  bloody  civil  war. 
Hammond. 

15,  16.  Jehu  evinced  his  fitness  to  rule  by 
the  i)i-omi)titude  with  which  he  decided  on  his 
course  of  action.  He  determined  to  set  out  at 
once  for  Jezreel,  and  to  be  the  first  to  declare  to 
Jehoram  tliiit  his  reign  had  ended.  This  rela- 
tive position  of  the  two  parties  in  the  action 
forms  the  foundation  of  perhaps  the  most  strik- 
ing, forcible,  graphic,  and  j-et  concise  descrip- 
tion of  a  revolution  in  all  literature.     Kitto. 

On  a  mound  near  the  head  of  the  valley  of 
Jezreel  is  Zerin  (Jezreel),  commanding  a  view 
of  nearly  the  whole  of  the  great  plain  of  Es- 
draelon  westward,  and  ea.stward  looking  down 
the  broad  rich  valley  of  Jezreel  to  the  acropolis 
of  Bethshean  and  the  distant  mountains  of  Gil- 
ead.  The  village  itself  is  poor  and  miserable, 
and  there  is  little  to  remark  in  the  ruins  that 
cover  the  mound,  but  beneath  that  heap  of 
rubbish  lie  waiting  for  the  hand  of  the  explorer 
the  site,  perhaps  the  remains,  of  the  ivory  pal- 
ace of  Aliab,  the  street  into  which  Jezebel  was 
thrown  down  at  the  command  of  Jehu,  and  the 
scenes  of  some  of  the  bloodiest  tragedies  in 
sacred  history.  Without  the  city,  on  the  road 
to  Beisan,  was  the  vineyard  of  Naboth  the  Jez- 
reclite,  where  Joram  met  liis  death  ;  and  as  we 
look  down  the  long  valley  with  its  even  slope 
of  green  turf,  we  can  easily  picture  the  advance 
of  Jehu,  which  is  here  so  graphically  described  ; 
the  dispatch  of  the  several  messengers,  the  rec- 
ognition of  Jehu  by  his  furious  driving,  the 
hasty  preparation  of  tlie  chariots  of  the  kings 
of  Isr;iel  and  Judah,  the  meeting  near  the  foot 
of  the  mound,  the  deatli  of  Joram  and  the  flight 
of  Ahaziah,  mortall)'  wounded,  over  tlie  great 
plain  to  Megiddo — all  come  before  the  traveller 
with  a  vividness  and  reality  that  can  onlj'  be 
felt  by  those  who  have  visited  the  spot.  Wil- 
son.  As  we  stand  on  the  crown  of  the  ridge, 

perhaps-on  the  very  site  of  the  palace,  we  open 
our  Bible  and  read  the  story  of  poor  Naboth 
and  his  vineyard.  The  vineyard  was  here  be- 
low us  in  the  plain  (verse  16).  Then  turn  to 
2  K.  9  :  11-37,  and  the  scene  is  changed  ;  and 
ever}'  incident  of  that  fearful  change  is  illus- 
trated by  the  natural  features  of  the  scene  be- 


fore us.  We  see  how  up  the  valley  from  the 
Jordan  Jeliu's  troops  might  be  seen  advancing  ; 
how  in  Naboth's  "  field"  the  two  sovereigns 
met  the  relentless  soldier ;  how,  while  Joram 
died  on  the  spot,  Ahaziah  drove  across  the 
westward  plain  toward  tlie  mouutain-pa.9s,  by 
the  beautiful  village  of  Engannim  ("  the  gar- 
den-house"), but  was  overtaken  in  the  ascent, 
and  died  of  his  wounds  at  Megiddo  ;  how,  in  the 
open  place  which,  as  usual  in  Eastern  towns, 
lay  before  the  gates  of  Jezreel,  the  bod}'  of  the 
queen  was  trampled  under  the  hoofs  of  Jehu's 
horses  ;  how  the  dogs  gatliered  round  it,  as  even 
to  this  day,  in  the  wretched  village  now  seated 
on  the  ruins  of  the  once  splendid  city  of  Jez- 
reel. they  prowl  on  the  mounds  without  the 
walls  for  the  oifal  and  carrion  thrown  out  to 
them  to  consume.      Murray's  Ilandhodk. 

1§.  The  watchman  evidentl}'  though  his  not 
returning  suspicious,  and  repoited  it  at  once. 
Jorara  should  now  have  taken  alarm,  but  he 
did  not.  He  appears  to  have  had  no  notion 
that  any  danger  could  be  approaching. 

20.  A  still  stranger  circumstance,  and  one 
still  more  suspicious.  The  second  messenger 
could  only  have  been  sent  out  because  the  king 
disapproved  the  detention  of  the  first.  Who- 
ever, therefore,  had  detained  the  second  mes- 
senger must  be  consciously  acting  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  wishes  of  the  king. 

21.  And  Joram  king  of  Israel  and 
Ahaziah  king  of  Jndaii  Avent  out, 
each  in  his  chariot.  The  uncle  and  the 
nephew  went  out  together,  still,  as  it  would 
Seem,  unapprehensive  of  any  danger,  though 
the  circumstances  were  certainly  such  as  might 
well  have  aroused  suspicion.  And  met  him 
in  the  portion  of  Naboth  the  Jcz- 
reelite.  Humanly  speaking,  this  was  acci- 
dental. The  "  portion  of  Naboth,"  or  his  plot 
of  ground,  lay  outside  the  southeastern  gate  of 
the  city,  at  no  great  distance  from  the  walls  ; 
and  it  happened  tliat  Joram  and  Jehu  met 
within  its  limits.  Had  the  king  started  a  little 
sooner,  or  had  Jehu  made  less  htiste,  the  meet- 
ing would  have  taken  jjlaee  farther  from  the 
town,  and  outside  the  "  portion  of  Naboth." 
But  Divine  providence  so  ordered  matters  that 
vengeance  for  the  sin  of  AJiab  was  exacted 
upon  the  very  scene  of  his  guilt,  and  a  proph- 
ecy made,  probably  by  Elisha,  years  previous- 
ly, and  treasured  up  in  the  memory  of  Jehu 
(verse  26),  was  fultilled  to  the  letter.  Ilam- 
mond. 

22.  What  peace,  etc.  Joram  had  asked 
the  usual  question,  "  Is  it  peace?"  meaning 
simply,  "  Is  all  well?"     Jehu  replies  with  an- 


222 


KINGDOM  OF  ISIiAEL. 


otliiT  question,  "  IIow  can  all  be  well,  so  long 
us  the  whoniloms  of  tliy  mother  Jezebel,  anil 
her  miiiiv  wilchcnifls  contiiuifV" 

'i;t.  Jorum  turned  iiU  IiuikIn  iiikI 
fled.  The  nieaninji  here  is  tliat  .loram  nnUtrtl 
liin  rhariiitor  Ui  turn  round  anil  drive  back  to 
the  town.  Jehu's  wonls  left  nu  doubt  as  to 
his  hostile  intention  ;  and  so  Jonun.  who  had 
probabl}-  eome  out  unarmed  and  \inaltt'nded, 
felt  compelled  to  seek  for  safety  in  flight.  Fly- 
ing, he  shouted  to  his  nephew  the  two  words — 
"  Trea-son,  Aha/.iah  !"     B.  C. 

24.  Too  late  now  doth  wretched  Jehoram 
turn  his  chariot  and  flee,  and  cry,  "  Treason,  O 
Ahaziah."  There  w:is  treason  before,  O  Jeho- 
ram ;  thy  treason  against  the  majesty  of  God 
is  now  revengetl  by  the  treason  of  Jehu  against 
thee.  That  fatal  shaft,  notwithstanding  the 
swift  pace  of  both  the  chariots,  is  directed  to 
the  heart  of  Jehoram.  There  is  no  erring  of 
those  feathci-3  which  are  guided  by  the  hand  of 
destiny.     Bp.  II. 

25.  Take  up,  and  cast  Iiim  in  the 
purliMii  4tr  llic  Ucld  of  Nubolh  the 
JczrcelitC.  "  Take  up  the  body,"  that  is, 
"  and  cast  it  into  tlie  plot  of  ground  which 
once  belonged  to  Xaboth  the  Jezreelite,  and 
w:us  forfeited  to  the  crown  at  his  death  (1  K. 
21  :  15),  and  taken  possession  of  by  Ahab"  (verse 
16).  The  reason  for  the  order  follows.  For 
remember  how  that,  iclwn  I  and  thou  rode  togethiir 
after  Aliab  hi!<  father,  the  Lord  laid  this  burden 
upon  him.  Jehu  recalls  his  captain's  recol- 
lection to  an  occurrence  which  was  deeply  im- 
pressed upon  his  own.  "  When  thou  and  I 
rode  together  after  Ahab"  probably  means 
"  when  we  two  stood  behind  Ahab  in  his  char- 
iot." 

26.  I  will  requite  tliec  in  thi§  plat, 
§aitil  the  Lord.  This  Wiis  the  gist  of  the 
prophecy,  which  ran  as  follows  :  "In  the  place 
where  dogs  licked  the  blood  of  Naboth  shall 
dogs  lick  thy  blood,  even  thine. "  Koic  therefore 
take  and  emit  him  into  the  plat  of  ground,  accord- 
in;/  to  the  inirdof  the  Lord.  The  evil  prophesied 
against  Ahab  had  been  formally  and  l^\l)ressly 
deferred  to  his  son's  days  on  Ahab 's  repentance 

(cf.  1  K.  21  ;  29).     ILimmond. On  that  very 

spot,  or  near  it,  Xaboth's  own  blood  had  been 
shed,  and,  as  this  verse  shows  (verse  26),  not 
his  alone,  b>it  the  blood  of  his  sons.  Thither, 
after  the  munler,  Ahab  went  down  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  vineyard,  and  there,  when  he  ar- 
rived, he  found  Elijah  standing,  waiting  to 
denovinee  upon  him  the  doom  of  blood.  This 
was  nut  all,  for  among  those  who  rode  with 
Ahab  that  day  were  two  of  his  captains,  one  of 


them  Bidkar,  the  other  this  Jehu,  who  heard 
the  prophetic  announcements  against  Ahab  and 
his  family.  That  prophecy,  probably,  had 
never  altogether  left  the  mind  of  Jehu,  but 
now  it  came  home  to  him  with  fresh  force  as 
he  saw  it  actmdly  fulfilled  by  his  own  hand. 
Bidkar,  too,  as  it  chanced,  was  there,  and  Jdui 
recalled  to  him  the  prophetic  oracle.  Then,  to 
give  it  literal  accomplishment,  he  bade  Bidkar 
give  orders  that  the  corpse  of  Jehoram  should 
be  thrown  into  the  plat  of  ground  which  for- 
merly belonged  to  Naboth.     J.  0. 

How  just  are  the  judgments  of  God  !  It  was 
in  the  field  of  Xaboth,  wherein  Jehoram  met 
with  Jehu  :  that  verj'  ground  called  to  him  for 
blood.  And  now  this  new  avenger  remembers 
that  prophecy,  which  he  heani  from  the  mouth 
of  Elijah,  in  that  very  place,  following  the 
heels  of  Ahab  ;  and  is  careful  to  perform  it. 
Wliat  a  resemblance  there  is  betwixt  the  death 
of  the  father  and  the  son — Ahab  and  Jehoram  ! 
Both  are  slain  in  their  chariot  ;  both  with  an 
arrow  ;  both  repay  their  blood  to  Naboth  ;  and 
how  perfect  is  this  retaliation  !  Face  doth  not 
more  answer  to  face  than  sin  to  sin.    Bp.  11. 

2C  And  tiie  blood  of  his  sons.  The 
murder  of  Naboth's  sons  is  here  for  the  first 
time  mentioned.  As  the  removal  of  the  sons 
was  necessary  if  the  vineytud  ^vas  to  escheat 
to  Ahab,  we  can  well  understand  that  Jezebel 
would  take  care  to  clear  them  out  of  the  way. 
She  was  not  likely  to  do  anj-  work  which  she 
undertook  by  halves.     B.  C. 

27,  2§.  Ahaziah  king  of  Judahwas  pursued 
and  slain  in  a  little  time,  ami  not  far  oJI  (verses 
27,  28).  Though  he  was  now  in  Joram's  com- 
jiany,  he  had  not  been  slain  but  that  he  was 
joined  with  the  house  of  Ahab  both  in  affinity 
and  in  init|uity  ;  he  was  one  of  them  ;  so  he 
had  made  himself  by  his  sias,  and  therefore  he 
must  fare  as  they  fare.  Yet  perhaps  he  had 
not  at  this  time  fallen  with  them  if  he  had  not 
been  found  in  company  with  them.  It  is  a 
dangerous  thing  to  associate  ^^  ith  evil-doers  ; 
we  nuiy  be  entangled  both  in  guilt  and  misery 
by  it.  II.  -  Ahaziah  continued  his  flight  to 
Megiddo,  where  he  died.  A  slightly  difTc^rent 
account  of  the  manner  of  his  death  is  given  in 
3  Cliron.  22  :  9.  Whatever  the  precise  circum- 
stances of  the  death,  we  cannot  but  see  in  it  a 
righteous  retribution  for  his  own  sins,  and  an 
example  of  the  end  of  evil  association.  Through 
his  mother  Athaliah,  daughter  of  Jezebel,  he 
was  brought  into  close  and  friendly  relations 
with  the  court  of  Samaria,  and  sharing  in  the 
crimes  of  Ahab's  house,  shared  also  in  their 
fate.     It  was  his  visit  to  King  Jehoram  which 


SECTION  23.     REIGN  OF  JEHU. 


223 


immediately  brought  down   this   doom   upon 
him.     J.  O. 

29.  Ill  the  eleventh  year.  We  read 
in  cliap.  8  :  35  that  Ahaziali  ascended  the  throne 
in  Jehoram's  twelfth  year.  The  discrepancy 
may  be  explained  as  arising  eitlier  from  two  j 
modes  of  calculating  the  regnal  years  of  kings 
(Kcil),  or  from  two  ways  of  reckoning  the  ac- 
cession of  jVhaziah,  who  is  likely  to  have  been 
regent  for  his  father  during  at  least  one  j-ear. 

30.  Jezebel  painted  Iter  faee.  Lit- 
erally, "  put  her  e3-cs  in  antimony" — i.e.,  dyed 
the  upper  and  under  eyelids  witli  a  pigment 
prepared  from  antimony,  a  common  practice  in 
the  East,  even  at  the  present  day.  The  effect 
is  at  once  to  increase  the  apparent  size  of  the 
eye,  and  to  give  it  unnatural  brilliancj'.  No 
doubt  the  practice  was  very  ancient  among  the 
Oriental  nations.  And  tired  her  head. 
Foreseeing  her  fate,  Jezel)el  determined  to  keep 
up  her  regal  si)lendor  to  the  last,  and  painted 
her  eyes  and  tired  her  head,  and  no  doubt  put 
on  her  royal  robes,  that  slie  might  die  as  be- 
came a  queen,  in  true  royal  array.     B.  C. 

While  one  loathes  the  character  of  the  woman, 
it  is  impossible  not  to  admire  the  boldness  and 
spirit  with  which  she  faces  the  inevitable.  Her 
proud,  imperious  nature  comes  out  in  her  last 
actions.  Slie  paints  her  eyelids  with  antimony, 
tires  her  head,  and  adorns  her  person,  as  if  she 
was  preparing  for  some  festal  celebration. 
Then  she  plants  herself  at  the  window,  and, 
when  Jehu  appears,  assails  him  with  bitter 
taunting  words.  "  Is  it  peace,  thou  Zimri,  tli}' 
master's  murderer?"  she  mockingly  asked. 
What  a  power  for  evil  this  woman  had  been  in 
Israel  !  What  a  power,  with  her  strong  intel- 
lect and  will,  she  might  have  been  for  good  ! 
J.  O. 

33.  And  he  §aid,  Tliro^v  her  down. 
A  splendid  example  of  the  man's  prompt  and 
bold  and  unscrupulous  decision.  A  queen,  a 
queen-mother,  always  more  tenderly  regarded 
than  an  ordinary  qucen-regnant,  a  princess  in  her 
own  right  (see  verse  34),  daughter  of  a  neighbor- 
ing and  powerful  potentate,  settled  in  her  king- 
dom for  over  thirty  years,  the  most  powerful  per- 
son in  the  State  during  that  entire  period,  backed 
up  by  the  numerous  and  dominant  party  of  her 
coreligionists,  she  is  to  Jehu  nothing  but  a 
wicked  woman  who  is  in  his  way  ;  she  inspires 
liim  with  no  awe,  she  does  not  even  toucli  him 
with  any  feeling  of  respect.  "  Throw  her 
down."  Histor}'  presents  no  parallel  to  such 
an  indignity.  Tlie  boldness  of  Jeiiu  communi- 
cated itself  to  tliose  whom  he  addressed  ;  and 
the  eunuchs  violently  seized  the  person  of  the 


queen,  and  precipitated  her  from  the  window 
to  the  ground  below.     Hitintiwnd. 

34.  He  passed  over  her,  and  entered  the  pal- 
ace, the  Iioofs  of  liis  horses  and  his  chariot- 
wheels  red  with  her  blood,  without  pausing  to 
see  whether  she  lived  or  died.  He  took  posses- 
sion, and  after  awhile  sat  down  to  refresh  him- 
self with  meat  and  drink  after  that  morning's 
bloody  work.  The  coolness  of  this  iron-heart- 
ed man  is  astonishing,  but  not  without  parallel. 
Kitto. 

25-37.  Si'tribiition  may  be  long  in  coming, 
hut  it  comes  at  last.  Yet  throughout  all  history 
evil  disposed  men  have  persisted  in  wicked  and 
cruel  conduct  just  as  if  it  was  not  only  possi- 
ble, but  probable,  that  retribution  would  be  es- 
caped. The  lesson  thus  needs  continually  to 
be  impressed  on  men,  that  sooner  or  later  retri- 
bution m  u.it  come — that  there  is  no  escape  from 
it.     Retribution  must  come — 

Because  Ood  rules  the  u/iicci;se,  and  Ood  is 
just.  Disbelief  in  retribution  is  essentially 
atheistic.  It  implies  either  that  there  is  no 
God,  or  that  God  is  without  one  or  more  of 
those  attributes  which  make  Ilim  God.  A 
just  God  must  have  the  will  to  punish  ;  an 
omnipotent  God  must  have  the  power  to  pun- 
ish. If  a  so-called  God  did  not  punish  sin,  he 
must  be  either  not  just  or  not  omnipotent,  or 
not  either  ;  but  then  he  would  not  be  God. 
As  Bithr  says,  "  A  God  without  vengeance 
— i.e.,  who  cannot  and  will  not  punish,  is 
no  God,  but  a  divinity  fashioneil  from  one's 
thoughts." 

Because  God  lias  declared  that  it  shall  come, 
and  God  is  true.  God  has  said  to  each  man, 
through  his  conscience,  that  He  will  punish 
sin.  Remorse  and  regret,  the  dissatisfaction  of 
a  guilty  conscience,  are  such  punishment  be- 
gun. In  His  Word  God  has  expre.«Iy  declared 
that  "  He  will  reward  every  man  according  to 
his  works  ;"  that  He  "  will  by  no  means  clear 
the  guilty;"  that  "indignation  and  wrath, 
tribulation  and  anguish,  shall  be  on  ever}'  soul 
of  man  tliat  doeth  evil."  Nothing  is  more 
plaint}-  taught  in  the  whole  of  Scripture,  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end,  than  requital,  retri- 
bution, condign  punishment. 

Because  any  negatice  instanet:  that  can  he  pro- 
duced will  only  show  a  delay,  not  an  abrogation  of 
the  sentence.  Infinite  time  is  at  the  disposal  of 
the  Almight}'.  Men  are  impatient,  and  if  retri- 
bution does  not  overtake  the  sinner  speedily, 
are  apt  to  conclude  that  it  will  never  overtake 
him.  But  witli  the  Almighty  ' '  one  day  is  as  a 
thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one 
day."     The   important   thing   to   be   borne  in 


224  KiyoDoyr  of  israel. 


miml  is  the  end  ;  und  the  end  will  not  be 
reiiched  till  "  the  juil,2:iuent  is  set,  and  the  books 
ure  opened."  und  men  are  "judged  out  of 
those  things  whieh  are   written  in  the  books, 


according  to  tlieir  works."  Puuislimeut  may 
be  long  in  ooiniug — the  ungodly  may  continue 
during  tlieir  whole  lifetime  in  prosperity.  But 
there  remains  a  future.     Hammond. 


Section  24. 

REIGN   OF  JEHU  (Conchukd). 
Sl.^ys  Ahab'b  Setentt  Sons,  Ah.\7,iau's  Bkktiiukn,  .\nd  tiik  Worshippers  of  B.val.    His 

DliATll. 

2  Kings  10  : 1-36. 

1  Now  Aliab  had  seventy  sons  in  Samaria.  And  Jehu  wrote  letters,  and  sent  to  Samaria, 
unto  the  rulers  of  Jezreel,  even  the  elders,  and  unto  them  that  brought  up  the  noiia  of  Ahab, 

2  saying.  And  now  as  soon  as  this  letter  coincth  to  you,  seeing  your  master's  sons  are  with 

3  you,  and  there  are  with  )-ou  cliariots  and  horses,  a  fenced  city  also,  and  armour ;  look  j-e  out 
the  best  and  meetest  of  your  master's  sous,  and  set  him  on  his  father's  throne,  and  fight 

4  for  your  nuister's  house.     But  they  weie  exceeiiingly  afraid,  and  said.  Behold,  the  two  kings 

5  stood  not  before  him  :  how  then  shall  we  stand  '?  And  he  that  was  over  the  household,  and 
he  that  was  over  the  city,  the  elders  also,  and  they  that  brought  up  the  child ir/i,  sent  to 
.lehu,  saying,  We  arc  thy  servants,  and  will  do  all  that  thou  shalt  bid  as  ;  wc  will  not  make 

6  any  man  king  :  do  thou  that  which  is  good  in  thine  eyes.  Then  he  wrote  a  letter  the  second 
time  to  them,  saying.  If  ye  be  on  my  side,  and  if  ye  will  hearken  unto  my  voice,  take  ye 
llu^  heads  of  the  men  your  master's  sons,  and  come  to  me  to  Jezreel  by  to-morrow  this  time. 
Now  the  king's  sons,  being  seventy   pereons,  were  with  the  great  men  of  the  city,  which 

7  brought  them  up.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  letter  came  to  them,  that  they  took  the 
king's  sons,  and  slew  them,  even  seventy  persons,  and  put  their  heads  in  baskets,  and  sent 

8  them  unto  him  to  Jezreel.  And  there  came  a  messenger,  and  told  liim,  saying.  They 
have  brought  the  heads  of  the  king's  sons.     And  he  said,  Lay  ye  them  in  two  heaps  at  the 

9  entering  in  of  the  gate  until  the  morning.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  morning,  that  he  went 
out,  and  stood,  and  said  to  all  the  people.  Ye  be  righteous  :  behold,  I  conspired  against  my 

ID  master,  and  slew  him  :  but  who  smote  all  these  '?  Know  now  that  there  shall  fall  unto  the  earth 
nothing  of  the  word  of  the  LoiU),  which  the  Lord  spake  concerning  the  liou.se  of  Ahab  :  for 

11  the  Loud  hath  done  that  which  he  spake  by  his  servant  Elijah.  So  Jehu  smnte  all  that 
remained  of  the  house  of  Ahab  in  Jezreel,  and  all  his  great  men,  and  his  familiar  friends,  and 

12  his  priests,   until  he  left  him  none  remaining.    And  he  arose  and  departed,  and  went  to 

13  Samaria.  And  as  he  was  at  the  shearing  house  of  the  shepherds  in  the  way,  Jehu  met  with 
the  brethren  of  Ahaziah  king  of  Judah,  and  said.  Who  are  ye  1  And  they  answered.  We  are 
the  lirethren  of  Ahaziah  :  and  we  go  down  to  salute  the  children  of  the  king  and  the  chil- 

14  drill  of  the  (lueen.  And  he  said.  Take  them  alive.  And  they  took  them  alive,  and  slew 
them  at  the  pit  of  the  shearing  house,  even  two  and  forty  men  ;  neither  left  he  any  of  them. 

1')  And  when  he  was  departed  thence,  he  lighU'd  on  .Tehonadab  the  son  of  Reclial)  coming  to 
meet  him  :  and  he  saluted  him,  and  said  to  him.  Is  thine  heart  right,  as  my  heart  is  with 
thy  heart  'I     And  Jehonadab  answered.  It  is.     If  it  be,  give  me  thine  hand.     .\nd  he  gave 

Ifi  him  his  hand  ;  and  he  took  him  u]i  to  him  into  the  chariot.     And  he  sai<l.  Come  with  me, 

17  and  .see  my  zeal  for  the  Lord.  So  they  made  him  ride  in  his  chariot.  And  when  he  came  to 
Samaria,  he  smote  all  that  remained  unto  Ahab  in  Samaria,  till  he  had  destroyed  him,  accord- 

18  ing  to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  he  spake  to  Elijah.  And  Jehu  gatheii'd  all  the  people 
together,  and  said  unto  them,  Ahab  served   B;ial  a  little  ;  but  Jehu  shall  .serve  him  much. 

19  Now  therefore  call  unto  me  all  the  prophets  of  Baal,  all  his  worshippers,  and  all  his  priests  ; 
let  none  be  wanting  ;  for  I  have  a  great  saeritice  to  do  to  Baal ;  whosoever  shall  be  wanting, 


SECTION  24.     REION  OF  JEHU. 


225 


he  shall  not  live.     But  Jehu  did  it  in  subtilty,  to  the  intent  that  he  might  destroy  the  wor- 

20  shippers  of  Baal.     And  Jehu  said,  Sanctify  a  solemn  assembly  for  Baal.     And  they  pro- 

21  claimed  it.  And  Jehu  sent  through  all  Israel  :  and  all  the  worshippers  of  Baal  came,  so  that 
there  was  not  a  man  left  that  came  not.     And  they  came  into  the  house  of  Baal  ;  and  the 

23  house  of  Baal  was  filled  from  one  end  to  another.  And  lie  said  unto  him  that  was  over  the 
vestry,  Bring  forth  vestments  for  all  the  worshippers  of  Baal.     And  he  brought  them  forth 

23  vestments.  And  Jehu  went,  and  Jehonadab  the  son  of  Rechab,  into  the  house  of  Baal  ;  and 
he  said  unto  the  worshippers  of  Baal,  Search,  and  look  that  there  be  here  with  you  none  of 

24  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  but  the  worshippers  of  Baal  only.  And  they  went  in  to  offer  sac- 
rifices and  burnt  offerings.  Now  Jehu  had  appointed  him  fourscore  men  without,  and  said, 
If  any  of  the  men  whom  I  bring  into  your  hands  escape,  he  that  letteth  him  go,  his  life  shall 

25  be  for  the  life  of  Mm.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  soon  as  he  had  made  an  end  of  offering  the 
burnt  offering,  that  Jehu  said  to  the  guard  and  to  the  captains.  Go  in,  and  slay  them  ;  let 
none  come  forth.     And  they  smote  them  with  the  edge  of  the  sword  ;  and  the  guard  and  the 

26  captains  cast  them  out,  and  went  to  the  city  of  the  house  of  Baal.     And  they  brought  forth 

27  the  pillars  that  were  in  the  house  of  Baal,  and  burned  them.  And  they  brake  down  the 
pillar  of  Baal,  and  brake  down  the  house  of  Bii;il,  and  made  it  a  draught  house,  unto  this  day. 

28,  29  Thus  Jehu  destroyed  Baal  out  of  Isriiel.  IIow1)eit  from  the  sins  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of  N"e- 
bat,  wherewith  he  made  Israel  to  sin,  Jehu  departed  not  from  after  them,  to  wit,  the  golden  calves 

30  that  were  in  Beth-el,  and  that  were  in  Dan.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Jehu,  Because  thou 
hast  done  well  in  executing  that  which  is  right  in  mine  eyes,  and  hast  done  unto  the  house 
of  Ahab  according  to  all  that  was  in  mine  heart,  thy  sons  of  the  fourth  generation  shall  sit 

31  on  the  throne  of  Israel.  But  Jehu  took  no  heed  to  walk  in  the  law  of  the  Lord,  the  God  of 
Israel,  with  all  his  heart  :  he  departed  not  from  the  sins  of  Jeroboam,  wherewith  he  made 
Israel  to  sin. 

32  In  those  days  the  Lord  began  to  cut  Israel  short  :  and  Hazael  smote  them  in  all  the  coasts 

33  of  Israel  ;  from  Jordan  eastward,  all  the  laud  of  Gilead,  the  Gadites,  and  the  Reubeuites, 
and  the  Manassites,  from  Aroer,  which  is  by  the  valley  of  Arnon,  even  Gilead  and  Ba-jhan. 

84  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Jehu,  and  all  that  he  did,  and  all  his  might,  are  they  not  written 

35  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Israel  ?     And  Jehu  slept  with  his  fathers  :  and 

36  they  buried  him  in  Samaria.  And  Jehoahaz  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead.  And  the  time  that 
Jehu  reigned  over  Israel  in  Samaria  was  twenty  and  eight  years. 


l-2§.  The  revolution  initiated  by  the  de- 
struction of  Joram  and  Jezebel  is  here  traced 
through  its  second  and  its  third  stages.  In 
verses  1-11  is  related  the  action  taken  by  him, 
so  far  as  the  descendants  of  Ahab  were  con- 
cerned, and  his  success  in  ridding  himself  of  all 
rivals  possessed  of  so  strong  a  claim.  Verses 
12-14  relate  his  dealings  with  another  body  of 
Ahab's  relations,  belonging  to  the  neighboring 
kingdom  of  Judah.  In  verses  15-38  an  account 
is  given  of  the  still  more  bloody  and  more 
sweeping  measures  by  which  he  cowed  the 
party  opposed  to  him,  and  firmly  established 
his  dynasty  in  the  Israelite  kingdom.  Ham- 
mond. 

1.  And  Ahab  had  §cvenly  sons  in 
Samaria.  By  "  sous"  we  must  understand 
"  male  descendants."  Most  of  the  "  seventy" 
were  probably  his  grandsons  (see  verse  3)  ;  some 
may  have  been  great-grandsons.  They  lived  iu 
Samaria  ;  since  Samaria  was  the  principal  resi- 
dence of  the  court,  Jezreel  being  simply  a  coun- 
try palace.     Hammond. The  term  "  sons"  is 

evidently  used  for  descendants,  since  there  were 


among  them  children  of  Jehoram.  (See  verses 
2,  3,  6,  13.)     B.  C. 

2-5,  To  the  persons  in  charge  of  the  young 
princes  in  Samaria,  Jehu  terotc — for  we  now 
begin  to  hear  of  written  communications  more 
frequently  than  of  old — a  curious  epistle.  He 
assumed  their  devotion  to  the  house  of  Ahab, 
and  told  them  that,  since  they  had  the  resources 
of  the  capital  at  their  disposal,  the}'  had  better 
set  up  one  of  the  likeliest  of  the  young  princes 
as  king,  and  uphold  his  cause  by  force  of  arms. 
There  was  a  latent  irony  in  this  letter  ;  as  the 
writer  must  well  have  known  the  real  state  of 
the  case,  and  how  little  likely  it  was  that  they 
would  take  up  the  cause  of  a  fallen  house — 
known  to  have  been  doomed  of  God.  It  so 
happened.  The  elders  of  Samaria,  having  con- 
ferred on  the  subject,  sent  in  reply  their 
unreserved  submission  to  Jehu,  declaring  their 
readiness  to  obey  his  orders  in  all  things.    Kitto. 

6,  7,  8.  Kin$;'s  sons.  Some  of  the  royal 
children  were  actual  sons  of  Jehoram,  while 
others  were  probably  his  nephews — are  now 
called  iu  a  general  way  "  the  king's  sons." 


226 


KIXODOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


8.  Tlif  "  tirn"  lieaps  wore  l>nili:ilily  l>liico(i 
one  on  citluT  side  of  the  giitewiiy,  to  strike 
terror  into  tlie  partisuns  of  the  late  dynasty  as 
they  passed  in  and  out  of  the  town. 

9.  A  serious  address  to  those  Je/.reelites  who 
had  gone  out  of  their  town  to  sec  the  siglit. 
"Ye  are  just,"  says  Jehu,  "and  can  jmige 
aright.  Judge  hetween  me  and  the  party  oC 
Ahal)  wlio  accuse  me.  I  indeed  slew  my  mas 
ter,  but  tliey  have  slain  these  seventy  youths." 
Jehu  keejis  back  the  fact  that  they  had  done  it 

at  his  command.     B.  C. He  concealed  the 

orders  to  this  elTect  that  he  had  .sent — and  which 
no  one  else  dared  disclose — desirous  of  making 
it  appear  that  this  slaughter  Iiad  been  the 
spontaneous  act  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
metropolis,  in  testimony  of  tlieir  adhesion  to  his 
cause.     A'itlo. 

II.  Having  killed  Jehoram,  Ahaziah,  and 
Je/.ebel,  having  secured  the  adhesion  of  the 
chief  men  in  Samaria,  and  effected  the  destruc- 
tion of  all  those  who  might  naturally  have 
claimed  the  succession  and  involved  liim  in 
civil  war,  Jehu  proceeded  to  greater  lengths. 
He  "  slew  all  that  remained  of  the  house  of 
Ahab  in  Jezreel" — the  princesses  probably,  as 
well  as  the  princes — and  further  put  to  death 
all  the  leading  partisans  of  the  dethroned 
dynasty,  the  "  great  men,"  perhaps  even  those 
who  had  worked  his  bloody  will  at  Samaria, 
and  the  intimate  friends  and  supporters  of  the 
hotise.     Hammond. 

lit.  Tlie  brctlireii  ofAhaziali.  Xot 
the  actual  brothers  of  Ahaziah,  who  had  all 
been  slain  by  the  Arabs  before  his  accession  to 
the  throne  (2  Chron.  21  :  17  ;  22  : 1)  ;  but  his 
nephews,  the  sons  of  his  brothers,  as  we  learn 
from  2  Chron.  22  :  8.  It  is  remarkable  that 
they  should  have  penetrated  so  far  into  the 
kingdom  of  Israel  without  having  heard  of  the 
revolution.  The  children  of  the  king 
unci  of  the  queen— ('.<■.,  "  the  sous  of 
Jehoram,  and  the  children  (sons  and  grandsons) 
of  the  queen-mother,  Jezebel." 

14.  Alcither  left  he  any  of  liiem. 
These  princes,  it  must  be  remembered,  were 
descendants  of  Ahab  through  Athaliah,  and  so 
included  in  Elijah's  sentence  (1  K.  21  :  21). 
B.C. 

15.  Jeiionaclab,  the  won  of  Recliub. 
Called  Jonadab  (Jer.  3.j  :  6,  14,  16,  19).  It  ap- 
pears from  1  Chron.  2  ;  .5.5  that  this  personage 
belonged  to  the  tribe  of  tlie  Kenites,  one  of  the 
most  ancient  in  Palestine.  Their  origin  is  un- 
known, but  their  habits  were  certainly  those  of 
Arabs.  They  were  constant  nomads,  and  are 
found  in  various  parts  of  Palestine  at  different 


periods — among  the  Midianites  in  the  time  of 
Mo.ses,  who  took  his  wife  from  lliem — in  (lalilee, 
under  the  early  judges  (J udg.  4  :  lO-i;)— mixed 
up  with  Amalek,  in  the  reign  of  Saul  (1  S. 
1.5  :  6).  Owing  to  tlieir  connection  with  Moses, 
they  fonned  a  friendship  with  the  Israelites,  ac- 
companied tlicni  in  their  wanderings,  and 
finally  received  a  location  in  the  wilderness  of 
Judah  (Judg.  1  :  16).  The  character  of  this 
chief,  Jonadab,  is  liest  seen  in  the  rule  which 
he  established  for  his  descendants  (Jer.  3.5  :  6,  7) 
— a  rule  .said  to  be  still  observed  at  the  present 
day  (WoUr.  Pierotti).     B.  C. 

If  it  be,  give  nie  thine  hand.  Jehu 
merely  means  to  say,  "  If  thou  art  heart  and 
soul  with  me  in  tlie  matter,  put  out  thy  hand, 
and  I  will  take  thee  into  mj- chariot."  Jehu 
intended  at  once  to  do  honor  to  the  Kenite 
chief,  and  to  strengthen  his  own  position  by 
being  seen  to  be  so  familiar  with  him.  And 
he — i.e.,  Jehonadab  —  gave  him  his 
hand  ;  and  lie  took  him  up  to  him 
into  the  chariot.  There  was  always  room 
in  a  chariot  for  at  least  three  or  four  persons — 
the  charioteer  and  the  owner  of  the  chariot  in 
front,  and  one  or  two  guards  behind.  Ham- 
mond. 

Doubtless  his  lieart  was  thoroughly  in  accord 
with  Jehu's  lieart  in  the  purpose  of  rooting  out 
the  Baal  worship.  It  is  impossible  that  its 
sensuality  and  effeminacy  (being  joined  with 
that  of  Astarte)  sliould  not  have  been  revolting 
to  a  man  of  Jonadab's  temperament  and  race, 
a  man  of  the  free  open  air,  with  its  necessary 
abstinence  and  scorn  of  luxury.  The  spiritual 
nature  of  such  a  man,  quick  and  responsive 
from  his  constant  communion  with  nature, 
would  be  the  lirst  to  feel  the  power  of  teach- 
ings such  as  Elijah's,  and  it  is  not  surprising 
that  he  wsis  moved  by  them  to  lay  upon  his 
trilje,  in  a  time  when  luxury  and  indulgence 
were  eating  out  tlie  heart  of  the  nation,  the 
laws  of  abstinent  and  simple  living,  which,  as 
we  (ind,  they  obeyed  for  more  than  three  hun- 
dred years  (Jer.  35  :  1-10).     lloughti/n. 

As  a  protest  against  the  corruption  and  lux- 
ury of  his  time,  Jehonadab  had  withdrawn 
from  life  in  cities,  and  had  laid  upon  his  sons  a 
vow  tliat  they  would  drink  no  wine,  neither 
build  houses,  nor  plant  vineyards,  but  would 
dwell  in  tents  all  their  days.  To  get  this  man 
of  ascetic  virtue  on  his  side  would,  Jehu  felt, 
give  color  and  repute  to  his  proceedings.  It  is 
noticeable  how  anxious  men  who  make  no  pre- 
tensions to  godliness  often  are  to  get  the  coun- 
tenance and  approval  of  good  men  for  their 
deeds.    Hypocrisy  has  been  called  the  homage 


SECTION  U-     REION  OF  JEHU. 


227 


which  vice  pays  to  virtue,  and  this  desire  for 
the  apiiroval  of  a  holy  man  is,  in  another  form, 
tlic  tribute  of  worldly  policy  to  the  superior 
power  of  character.     J.  O. 

In  how  many  fields  is  the  anxious  inquiry 
made  by  faithful  pastora,  "  Is  thine  heart 
right  ?"  To  this  the  response  may  l)e  made  liy 
some,  "It  is."  What  more  reasonaiile  tlian 
the  further  demand,  "  Give  me  thy  hand  ?" 
Tlie  Church  of  God  needs  to-day  as  perhaps 
never  t)ef  ore  that  every  one  whose  lieart  is  with 
its  cause  should  pledge  his  fidelity  b}'  open 
confession  and  deliberate  act.  Jehonadab  was 
not  afraid  to  give  hia  hand  to  the  man  who  had 
taken  upon  himself  the  avenging  of  the  honor 
of  God's  mune,  "  and  lie  took  him  up  into  his 
chariot."  Before  the  eyes  of  all  Israel  he 
ideiitifi'd  himsplf  with  this  struggling  cause. 
He  did  not  wait  for  its  complete  triumph.  lie 
did  not  ask  for  its  ideal  perfection.  He  did  re- 
quire that  it  should  renounce  every  doubtful 
follower.  Prompt,  decisive,  unashamed,  the 
man  accepted  the  issue  and  the  challenge,  and 
to  the  loyalty  of  his  heart  he  added  the  open 
pledging  of  his  palm.     Interior. 

Come  Willi  iiic,  and  §ee  my  zeal  for 
the  liord.  Of  Jehu's  "  zeal,"  in  itself  con- 
sidered, there  could  be  no  question.  His  zeal 
is  seen  in  his  eager  liaste  to  attain  his  ends,  in 
liis  scouting  of  difficulties,  in  the  thoroughness 
with  which  each  piece  of  work  is  accomplished, 
in  the  quiclvness  and  skill  of  his  devices.  Such 
zeal  is  in  large  measure  a  natural  endowment 
— a  thing  of  temperament.  Still,  it  is  an  essen- 
tial to  success  in  practical  undertakings, 
spiritual  as  well  as  worldly.  "  It  is  good  to  be 
zealously  affected  always  in  a  good  thing" 
(Gal.  4  :  18).  More  doubtful  is  the  quality  of 
Jehu's  zeal  "  for  the  Lord."  (Ostensibly  it  was 
God's  will  Jehu  was  carrying  out  ;  outwardly 
it  was  God's  work  he  was  doing.  He  may 
even  have  persuaded  himself  into  the  belief 
that  he  was  honestly  and  disinterestedly  serv- 
ing God's  ends.  But  the  result  showed  that  in 
serving  God  it  was  really  his  own  ends  Jehu 
was  serving.  His  zeal  was  impure.  It  was 
largely  inspired  by  selfish  ambition,  by  consid- 
erations of  policy,  by  the  thought  of  the  reward 
to  himself.  It  was  impure  al.so  in  its  admi.vture 
of  craft  and  worldly  expediency.  Similarly, 
how  much  that  passes  for  "  zeal  for  the  Lord" 
in  this  w'Orld  is  of  the  same  impure  nature  ! 
How  much  of  it  is  inspired  by  sectarian  rivalry, 
by  party  spirit,  by  the  desire  to  make  "  a  fair 
show  in  the  flesh"  (Gal.  6  :  12),  by  self-interest 
and  worldly  policy.  How  largely  is  it  alloyed 
with  human  passion  and  intrigue  !    Trulv  we 


do  well  to  examine  ourselves.  Zeal  is  to  be 
tested  not  by  its  passing  and  spasmodic  exhi- 
bitions, but  by  its  power  of  endurance  amid 
good  report  and  evil  report.     J.  O. 

Jehu's  zeal  burned  brightly  and  scorched  up 
everything  before  it  as  long  as  it  was  fanned 
by  the  excitement  of  self-interest  and  a  nat- 
urally storm  J'  temperament  ;  but  the  whole 
heart  was  not  in  it  ;  it  was  "  zealfor  God  when 
it  answers  my  purpose,"  not  "zeal  for  God, 
cost  me  what  it  may."  He  was  a  man  who 
would  serve  God  as  long  as  by  so  doing  he 
could  serve  him.self.  The  truth  which  Jehu 
did  not  see,  and  which  we  ought  to  see,  is  that 
God,  if  He  be  served  at  all,  should  be  served 
with  all  our  heart,  and  .soul,  and  strength  ;  that 
our  service  must  be  complete  and  free,  as  from 
those  who  feel  that  all  they  can  do  must  fall  in- 
finitely short  of  a  jierfect  worship  of  the  infinite 
God.     Bp.  11.  0<iodirin.. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  factitious  zeal  in 
the  active  service  of  religion  ;  and  that  forms  a 
ground  of  high  pretension.  You  may  have 
seen  examples.  Men  in  restless  activity  ;  full 
of  scheme,  and  expedient,  and  experiment,  and 
ostentatious  enterprise  ;  to  promote,  appar- 
ently, the  work  of  God,  the  Christian  cause  ; 
seeming  ready  to  compass  sea  and  land  for  the 
purpose.  But  an  attentive  observer  could 
easil}'  descr}'  that  the  cause  of  God  was  a  very 
secondary  concern  with  them,  even  at  the  best 
interpretation.  Their  grand  object,  whether 
they  were  conscious  of  it  or  not,  was  their  own 
notoriety  ;  and  the  cause  of  religion  happened 
to  be  that  which  would  most  effectually  serve 
this  purpose.  "  Come  see  my  zeal  for  the  Lord 
of  hosts."  The  successes  and  progress,  real  or 
pretended,  of  a  good  cause,  were  recounted 
and  proclaimed  by  them  in  no  other  form  of 
story  than  that  of  their  own  exploits  for  it. 
J.  F. 

There  is  nothing  in  which  men  more  deceive 
themselves  than  in  what  the  world  calls  zeiil. 
There  are  so  many  passions  which  hide  them- 
selves under  it,  and  so  many  mischiefs  arising 
from  it,  that  some  have  gone  so  far  as  to  say  it 
would  have  been  for  the  benefit  of  mankind  if 
it  had  never  been  reckoned  in  the  catalogue  of 
virtues.  Spicteitor. LTnholy  ambition,  a  com- 
pound of  the  love  of  renown  and  the  love  of 
power,  drives  the  ploughshare  of  ruin  over  the 
fairest  portions  of  the  world.  It  turns  men 
into  Ishmaelites.  It  reigns  in  the  human  heart 
from  early  childhood  to  the  extremest  age — from 
the  tinj'  rival  for  maternal  caresses  up  to  the 
contender  for  a  throne.  The  speciality  of  its 
unfitness  for  religious  service  is  not  so  much 


228 


KiyODOAf  OF  ISRAEL. 


that  over  the  whole  face  of  society  it  produces 
s\ich  11  strujrfrlinn;  of  human  spirits  for  mnstery 
and  power  ;  l)ut  tluit  the  whole  conti'st  is 
pushed  without  a  throli  or  a  prayer  for  any- 
thing l)\it  personal  agirnindizenient  ;  that  it  lias 
no  mercy  and  no  fnrjriveness  for  any  man, 
action  or  event  which  obstructs  the  designs 
of  its  inflexible  ambition  ;  that  its  strides  are 
over  that  very  truth  and  equity  and  happiness 
and  oi-dcr,  to  abet  which  God  asks  for  the  heart 
of  humanity.     C.  Wliilf. 

Let  us  take  heed  that  we  do  not  sometimes 
call  that  7.cal  for  God  and  Ilis  Gospel  which  is 
nothing  else  but  our  own  temptations  and 
stormy  passions.  True  zeal  is  a  sweet, 
heavenly  and  gentle  flame,  which  maketh  us 
active  for  God,  but  always  within  tlu'  sphere 
of  love.  It  never  calls  for  fire  from  heaven  to 
consume  those  that  differ  a  little  from  us  in 
their  aiiprehcnsions.  It  is  like  that  kind  of 
lightning  (which  philosophers  speak  of)  that 
melts  the  sword  within,  but  singeth  not  the 
scaliliard  ;  it  strives  to  save  the  soul,  but  it 
hurteth  not  the  body.      Ctiflirorth. 

17.  j^piikc  t«  Elijah.  This  emphatic 
reiteration  (comijare  verse  10|  marks,  first,  how 
in  the  mind  of  the  writer  all  this  history  is  I 
viewed  as  deriving  its  special  interest  from  its 
being  so  full  and  complete  an  accomplishment 
of  Elijah's  prophecies  ;  and,  secondly,  how  at 
the  time  Jehu  carefully  put  forward  the  plea 
that  what  he  did  had  this  object.  It  docs  not 
indicate  that  a  single-minded  wish  to  execute 
GtVl's  will  was  .lehu's  predominant  motive. 
Even  where  he  most  strictly  fulfilled  the  letter 
of  pmphecies,  he  was  working  for  himself,  not 
for  God  ;  and  hence  vengeance  was  denounced 
upon  his  house  even  for  the  very  "  blood  of 
Je/.reel"  (JIos.  1  :4).     B.C. 

18-2S.  Having  thus  obeyed  the  Divine  in- 
junction to  "  avenge  the  blood  of  the  prophets 
and  .servants  of  the  Lord  at  the  hand  of  Jezeliel 
and  Aliab,"  Jehu  next  proceeded  to  crush  out 
the  worsliip  of  Baal  which  Ahab  and  Jezebel 
had  established  in  Israel.     B. 

I**.  The  serving  of  false  gods  was  by  the 
hnv  of  Israel  a  cajiital  otfcnce  (De.  13).  It  was 
right,  tlierefore,  for  Jehu  to  use  his  power  to 
put  an  end  to  the  practice,  and  to  inflict  upon 
the  iierpetrators  of  this  crime  the  penalty  of 
the  law.  But  in  doing  this  he  made  use  of 
falsehooii  and  deceit ;  and  his  efforts  to  ex- 
tinguish the  worship  of  Baal  were  prompted 
not  by  a  sincere  lnyalty  to  Jehovah,  but  with 
th<- view  of  estaJilishing  his  own  power.  The 
adherents  of  Haal  were  naturally  partial  to  the 
family  of  Ahab.     If  Jehu  could  exterminate 


them,  he  would  rid  himself  of  a  party  who  were 
likely  to  be  hostile  to  him,  and  he  would  at  the 
■same  time  secure  the  attachment  of  those  who 
favored  the  old  ortier  of  tilings.     W    11.  G. 

19.  All  tliepro|>lielHorBiwl,all  lii§ 
scrvHiiti,  and  all  liix  |trU>Ni!«.  Wlio- 
Noever  tiliall  he  wnnliiis,  licNhall  not 
live.  His  absence  would  be  regarded  as  an 
act  of  contumacy  verging  c>n  relK-lIion,  and  so 
as  deserving  of  capital  punishment.  But 
Jehu  did  It  in  subtilly,  to  the  Intent 
that  he  might  deMro.v  ihe  worNliip- 
pers  ofBaal.  "  Sulitilly"  was  characteris- 
tic of  Jehu,  who  always  preferred  to  gain  his 
ends  by  cunning  ratlier  than  in  a  straight- 
forward way.  Idolatei's  were  by  the  law  liable 
to  death,  and  Jcliii  would  have  had  a  jierfect 
right  to  crush  the  Baal  worship  throughout  the 
land,  by  sending  his  emissaries  everywhere, 
with  orders  to  slay  all  whom  they  found  en- 
gaged in  it.  But  to  dniw  some  thousands  of 
his  subjects  by  false  pretences  into  a  tr.ip,  and 
then  to  kill  them  in  it  for  doing  wliiit  he  had 
himself  invited  them  to  do,  was  an  act  that  was 
wholly  unjustifiable,  and  that  savored,  not  of 
the  wisdom  which  is  from  above,  but  of  that 
bastard  wisdom  wliich  is  "  earthly,  sensual, 
devilish."  Jehu's  religious  reformation  did 
not  succeed,  and  it  was  conducted  in  such  a 
way  that  it  did  not  deserve  to  succeed.  A  little 
more  honest  boldness  and  a  little  less  frequent 
resort  to  subterfuge  and  craft  might  have  had 
a  different  result,  and  have  been  better  both  for 
liimself  and  for  his  people.      Ilininimnd. 

I  can  commend  the  zeal  of  Jehu  ;  I  cannot 
commend  the  fraud  of  Jehu  ;  we  may  come  to 
our  end  even  by  crooked  ways.  He  that  bade 
him  to  smite  for  Him  did  not  bid  him  to  lie  for 
Him.  Falsehood,  though  it  be  but  tentative,  is 
neither  needed  nor  approved  by  the  God  of 
truth  :  if  policy  have  allowed  officious  un- 
truths :  religion  never  Bp  II. Jehu  in- 
flicted the  merited  punishment  on  these  crim- 
inals, not  by  a  fearless  application  of  the  law  or 
a  conscientious  discharge  of  the  regal  office,  but 
by  perfidious  subtlety  and  idolatrous  hypocrisy. 
Git.hori>e. 

20,  21.  Jeliu  siimmoits  all  the  prophets, 
piitsts,  and  serrants  of  Baal  to  a  great  lutrrifice 
in  the  Tetnple  of  Baal  at  Samaria.  Such  solemn 
a.ssemblics  for  religious  observances  were  com- 
mon among  all  nations  and  under  all  systems 
of  religion.  From  every  part  of  the  land  where 
altars  to  Baal  had  been  erected  all  the  resident 
priests  were  gathered,  until  the  great  "  House 
of  Baal  was  full."  They  came  in  the  expecta- 
tion that    Jehu  was  about  to  inaugurate  his 


SECTION  2Jt.     REION  OF  JEHU. 


229 


reign  by  the  fresh  enthronement  of  tlieir  god 
as  the  supreme  object  of  woi-sliip.  So  had  he 
led  them  to  believe,  in  order  to  entrap  and  de- 
stroy them. 

ti2-24,  Pniiminnry  prejuirationg  for  the 
dniig/itei:  First,  he  decked  the  victims  from 
the  vestry-i^oom  of  tlie  temple  in  gorgeous 
priestly  gai-ments.  This  was  in  seeming  defer- 
ence to  their  sacred  office.  Next,  he,  witli 
Jehonadab  the  Rechabite,  went  among  them 
and  bade  them  search  among  themselves,  that 
no  servants  of  Jehovah  might  remain  in  their 
temple.  His  anxiety  in  this  matter,  too.  seemed 
to  express  his  zealous  desire  to  exclude  all  the 
intruders  from  this  special  sacrifice.  His  real 
purpose  was  to  make  sure  that  no  worshipper 
of  Jehovah  should  be  slain  Lastly,  he  placed 
eighty  armed  men  without  at  the  entrance,  and 
charged  them  with  the  merciless  slaughter  of 
all  within.     B. 

23.  Jehu's  real  object  was  undoubtedly  to 
save  the  lives  of  an}'  "  servants  of  Jehovah" 
who  might  incautiously  have  mixed  themselves 
up  with  the  Baal-worsliippers,  out  of  curiosity, 
or  to  have  their  share  in  the  general  holidaj'. 
That  he  should  have  thought  such  a  thing  pos- 
sible or  even  probable  indicates  the  general 
laxity  of  the  time  and  the  want  of  anj'  sharp 
line  of  demarcation  between  the  adherents  of 
the  two  religions.  He  cleverly  masked  his  de- 
sire for  the  safety  of  his  own  religionists  under 
a  show  of  keen  anxiety  that  the  coming  cere- 
monies should  not  be  profaned  b}'  the  presence 
of  scoffers  or  indifferent  persons.     Uainmond. 

23-2S.  Mamdcrc  nf  tlui  entire  multitude  and 
destruction  of  t/te  imager  of  Baal.  The  temple 
of  Baal,  like  that  at  Jerusalem,  had  outer  courts 
or  enclosures  where  the  altar  Wiis,  and  the  sac- 
rifices were  offered.  It  had  also  an  inner 
fortress-like  sanctuary,  called  here  "  the  citj' 
of  the  house  of  Baal,"  where  stood  the  great 
stone  image  of  Baal,  surrounded  by  smaller 
wooden  images  of  his  fellow-gods.  Into  the 
outer  enclosures,  thronged  with  the  defenceless 
priests  and  people,  at  Jehu's  command  the 
armed  guard  now  entered  and  faithfully  ex- 
ecuted their  work  of  slaughter.  Then,  when 
none  were  left  alive,  they  penetrated  into  the 
inner  court  or  "city"  and  brought  forth  the  im- 
ages of  wood  and  burned  them  amid  the 
heaped-u-p  corpses.  Last  of  all,  the)'  shattered 
the  great  stone  image  f)f  Baal,  and  ra'^ed  the 
entire  structure  to  the  ground,  leaving  the  mass 
of  debris  as  a  sepidchre  of  the  underlying  dead, 
and  a  token  of  the  Divine  judgment  against 
this  impious  and  loathsome  false  worship. 
"Thus  Jehu  destroyed  Baal  out  of  Israel."    B. 


2§,  The  writer,  picturing  the  wild  scene, 
sums  up  with  a  touch  of  exultation:  "Thus 
Jehu  destroyed  Baal  out  of  Israel."  where  note 
the  cmi)hatic  prominence  of  the  three  names  of 
the  king,  the  god  and  the  nation.  That  is 
the  vindication  of  the  terrible   deed.      A.  M. 

The  measures  taken  were  effectual ;  the 

worship  of  Baal  was  put  down,  and  is  not  said 
to  have  been  revived  in  the  kingdom  of  the  Ten 
Tribes,  iloloch  worship  seems  to  have  taken 
its  place  (see  chap.  17  :  17).     Ilammoud. 

The  slaughter  of  that  wicked  house  of  Ahab 
and  of  the  Baal  priests  was  the  act  of  Divine 
justice,  and  the  question  is  simply  whether 
that  justice  was  entitled  to  slay  them.  To  that 
cjuestion  believers  in  a  Divine  providence  can 
give  but  one  answer.  The  destruction  of  Baal 
worship  and  the  annihilation  of  its  stronghold 
in  Ahab'sfiunilj'  were  sufficient  reasons,  as  even 
we  can  see,  for  such  a  deed.  To  bring  in  Jehu 
into  the  problem  is  unnecessary.  He  was  the 
sword,  but  God's  was  the  hand  that  struck.  It 
is  not  for  men  to  arraign  the  Lord  of  life  and 
death  for  Ilis  methods  and  times  of  sending 
death  to  evil-doers.  Granted  that  the  "  long- 
suffering"  which  is  "  not  willing  that  any 
should  perish"  speaks  more  powerfully  to  our 
hearts  than  the  j  ustice  which  smites  with  death, 
the  later  and  more  blessed  revelation  is  possible 
and  precious  only  on  the  foundation  of  the 
former.  Nor  will  a  loose-braced  generation 
like  ours,  which  affects  to  be  horrified  at  the 
thought  of  the  "wrath  of  God,"  and  recoils 
from  the  contemplation  of  His  judgments,  ever 
reach  the  innermost  secrets  of  the  tenderness  of 
His  love.  From  the  merely  human  point  of 
view,  we  may  say  that  revolutions  are  not 
made  with  rose-water,  and  that,  at  all  crises  in 
a  nation's  liistory,  when  some  ancient  evil  is  to 
be  thrown  off,  and  some  powerful  system  is  to 
be  crushed,  there  will  be  violence,  which  easy- 
going people,  who  have  never  passed  through 
like  times,  will  hold  up  their  hands  at  in  horror 
and  with  cheap  censure.  No  doubt  we  have  a 
higher  law  than  Jehti  knew,  and  Christ  has  put 
His  own  gentle  commandment  of  love  in  the 
place  of  what  was  "  said  to  them  of  old  time. " 
But  let  us,  wliile  we  obey  it  for  ourselves,  and 
abjure  violence  and  blood,  judge  the  men  of 
old  "  according  to  that  which  they  had,  and 
not  according  to  that  which  they  had  not." 
Jehu's  bloody  deeds  arc  not  held  up  for  ad- 
miration. His  obedience  is  what  is  praised  and 
rewarded.  Well  for  us  if  we  obey  our  better 
law  as  faitlifully.     A.  M. 

The  idolatrous  defection  in  Israel  imperilled 
at  once  the  nation  and  the  Church.     If  con- 


230 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


tinucfl,  it  wnulii  utterly  destroy  not  only  the 
national  hopes  of  the  Jews,  hut  the  world's 
liope  of  redemption  to  be  developed  along  the 
line  of  the  covenant  people.  All  nations  had  a 
stake  in  brincinj?  Israel  back  to  the  worship  of 
one  God  and  keeping  true  the  words  of  the 
I>ord's  prophets.  Idolatry  must  be  destroyed 
by  the  destruction  of  those  who  had  set  up  its 
altars.  And  therefore,  for  the  salvation  of  the 
nation  and  the  Church,  the  sujjrcme  I-ord  of 
nations  ordered  the  destruction  of  the  idolaters. 
That  it  was  a  just  punishment  of  their  own  sins 
is  also  apparent.  They  htul  carried  on  a  most 
ruthless  and  relentless  persecution  of  the  Lord's 
people,  their  hands  hsid  been  steeped  in  the 
blood  of  the  saints,  and  their  fell  purpose  was 
to  blot  from  the  records  of  Israel  forever  the 
worship  of  the  true  God.  And  that  God,  who 
by  Ilis  providence  is  ever  punishing  sin,  did  it 
in  this  case  by  a  direct  command.  Nor  is  His 
agency  more  real  in  the  one  case  than  in  the 
other.  Therefore,  Jehu  is  not  condenuicd  in 
the  Bible,  and  is  not  to  be  condemned  by  us, 
for  executing  vengeance  on  the  false  prophets. 
Behind  the  king  stands  God,  who  anointed  the 
king  for  tliis  work  of  revolution.  To  say  that 
God  jiermitted  but  did  not  authorize  the  work 
of  Jehu  is  to  solve  no  difficulty  and  to  speak  in 
the  face  of  the  record.  If  the  Bible  nuikes  any- 
thing clear,  it  is  that  in  the  exigencies  of  Old 
Testament  times  God  assumed  the  direct  pun- 
ishment of  people  and  the  protection  of  His 
(•ause  by  methods  which  differ  from  those 
usualh'  accounted  providential  only  in  making 
men  the  declared  and  commanded  instruments 
of  His  justice.     C.  L.  Thompmn. 

Far  God's  work  of  salvation  IlevseH  ronseernted 
men.  Jehu  was  of  use  as  a  destroyer,  as  an 
image  breaker,  but  he  was  no  national  or  moral 
reformer  in  the  true  sense.  He  was  of  no 
spiritual  benefit  toothers.  For  such  work  God 
uses  only  those  who  themselves  have  received 
spiritual  blessing.     C.  II.  I. 

Introduced  by  Ahab  with  his  queen  Jezebel 
froiTi  Phoenicia,  Baal  worship  was  thus  ex- 
tinguished with  his  dynasty.  And  as  this  open 
disjilacing  of  Jehovah  bj'  an  idol  was  the  pre- 
eminent sin  of  Ahab,  by  which  his  wickedness 
was  distinguished  above  even  that  of  Jero- 
boam, so  the  leading  adherents  of  Ahab's 
dynasty  were  specially  characterized  by  this 
form  of  idolatrous  worship.  One,  therefore, 
who  sought  to  obliterate  all  remaining  influ- 
ences of  Ahab's  power  must  eradicate  this 
worship  out  of  the  land.  It  was  not,  then, 
zeal  for  God,  but  a  politic  regard  to  his  own 
interests  that  led  Jehu  to  lav  the  foundation  of 


a  new  dynasty  in  the  destruction  of  the  priests 
and  the  demolition  of  the  temple  of  Baal.  The 
party  of  Baalites  was  small  as  compared  with 
those  who  still  maintjiincd  the  calf  worship  of 
Jeroboam.  Yet  its  power  was  great,  having 
been  so  long  in  po.ssession  of  i)rominent  offices. 
Its  basis  and  rallying  point  being  now  exter- 
minated, Jehu  could  look  for  abiding  support 
from  the  mass  of  the  nation.  Therefore,  hav- 
ing coolly  perpetrated  this  great  slaughter  from 
motives  of  selfish  policy,  from  the  Siunc  motives 

29-31.  J</iii  fitUn  into  the  t.mct  way  of  .Jcro- 
lumnt,  in  worship  and  life.  To  the  law  of  the 
Lord  he  gave  no  heed.  It  liad  no  influence 
over  his  heart,  nor  effect  upon  his  life.  He  re- 
newed the  fir.st  great  breach  that  had  been  made 
by  Jeroboam  in  the  form  and  spirit  of  worehip. 
He  revived  among  the  people  an  utter  disregard 
of  the  second  conuuandment  from  Sinai,  after 
himself  enacting  God's  fearful  judgment 
against  those  who  had  led  the  people  in  impioiw 
disobedience  to  the  first.  The  Baal  worship 
was  the  "  having  other  gods  before  Jehovah." 
The  calf  worship  was  a  professed  worsliip  of 
Jehovah,  but  under  the  form  of  an  image. 
Policy  and  self-interest  led  him  to  fall  back  into 
Jeroboam's  way  of  worship.  The  larger  part 
of  the  people  preferred  this  way.  And  Jero- 
boam's own  reason  for  devising  and  using  it 
still  existed  ;  it  prevented  the  return  of  the 
people  to  worship  at  Jerusalem.  But  Jehu  was 
no  woi-shipper  of  Jehovah  under  an)'  form.  lie 
had  obeyed  special  Divine  commands  in  the 
line  of  his  soldierlike  tastes.  He  had  slain  and 
slaughtered,  and  driven  over  a  pathway  of 
corpses  to  the  throne.  But  sclf-iuterest  had 
prompted  his  obedience  thus  far. 

Yet  (and  it  is  a  strangely  instructive  fact) 
God  expresses  approval  of  his  obedience.  He 
even  rewards  it  with  a  great  and  distinguish- 
ing favor,  prolonging  his  dynasty  upon  the 
throne  of  Israel  beyond  the  period  of  any  other 
familj'.  In  this  approval  there  is  no  commen- 
dation of  the  falsehood  and  treachery  by  wliicli 
the  end  was  reached.  The  destruction  of 
Ahab's  house  and  of  Baal's  worship  was 
"  right  in  His  e3-es,"  and  "  according  to  all 
that  was  in  His  heart."  This,  when  com- 
manded, Jehu  had  zealously  fulfilled.  And, 
without  reference  to  any  wrong  method  or 
selfish  spirit  in  the  doing,  God  shows  Himself 
accurately  just,  anil  more  than  generous,  in 
the  reward  He  gives.  Thus  He  shows  that  He 
will  never  be  in  debt  to  any  man.  With  more 
than  generous  measure  He  will  repay  the  little 
good  that  men  may  do  in  obedience  to  His  com- 
mand. 


SECTION  24.    BEIGN  OF  JEHU. 


231 


And  in  tlie  face  of  such  Divine  promise  and 
reward  Jeliu's  life  was  like  Jeroboam's — self- 
seeking  and  indulgent.  After  this,  we  hear  of 
no  obedience  to  God,  and  of  no  further  ap- 
proval. Enthroned  by  God's  appointment  and 
hand,  he  secures  his  jwwer  by  his  own  iiolicy. 
Receiving  supreme  advancement  and  an  excess 
of  earthly  gifts,  he  intimates  no  grateful  feel- 
ing, manifests  no  faith  iu  God,  no  care  for  His 
will.  Thus  for  twenty-eight  J'eara,  during 
which  "  the  Lord  began  to  cut  Israel  short" 
(verse  32),  on  account  of  their  continued  diso- 
bedience and  counterfeit  worship,  Jehu  led 
them  iu  the  sins  of  Jeroboam.  Untaught  by 
multiplying  calamities  which  gradually  but 
surelly  narrowed  the  confines  of  the  nation,  to 
the  cud  king  and  people  together  bowed  before 
altars  and  images  reared  in  express  violation  of 
God's  commands.     B. 

So  far  as  might  serve  the  elevation  of  Jehu 
to  the  crown  of  Israel,  to  setting  him  on  the 
throne,  so  far  he  goes  in  the  ways  of  God's 
command,  but  no  farther.  So  let  God  com- 
mand anything  that  may  hit  with  a  man's  own 
ends,  and  be  suitable  to  him,  and  he  seems  to 
be  very  obedient  to  God  ;  but  let  God  go  on 
further,  and  require  something  that  will  not 
serve  his  turn,  that  will  not  agree  with  his 
own  ends  ;  and  here  God  may  seek  for  a  ser- 
vant ;  as  for  him  he  will  go  no  farther.  Bur- 
roughs. 

Here  the  motives  which  influenced  Jehu 
stand  displayed.  Though  raised  to  the  throne 
by  the  hand  of  God,  he  now  looked  for  the 
security  of  it  to  his  own  policy.  Destitute  of 
faith  in  Him  to  whom  he  was  indebted  for  all, 
he  trusted  not  to  the  King  of  kings  for  the 
permanence  of  tlie  gifts  which  He  bestowed. 
Destitute  of  gratitude  to  his  gracious  Ben- 
efactor, he  returned  for  unmerited  kindness 
habitual  and  presumptuous  disobedience. 
While  regard  to  the  commandments  of  God 
conducted  him  in  the  path  of  ativancemcnt,  he 
was  eager  to  obey  ;  but  now,  to  his  worldlj' 
.  apprehension,  obedience  and  interest  ceased  to 
coincide.  He  who  had  been  e.xalted  to  sove- 
reign power,  for  the  express  purpose  of  annihi- 
lating idolaters,  converted  his  authority  and 
example  into  instruments  of  upliolding  and 
perpet\iating  idolatr}-  among  his  subjects.  Nor 
was  his  dereliction  of  God  the  crime  of  a  mo- 
ment or  the  error  of  sudden  surprise.  During 
a  reign  of  twenty-eight  years,  unmoved  by 
the  judicial  calamities  with  which  the  Lord 
"cut  Israel  short,"  this  obdurate  monarch 
bowed  down,  together  with  his  people,  before 
the  images  erected  in  violation  of  God's  com- 


mands, before  altars  reared  in  express  opposi- 
tion to  His  holj'  temple.     Oisborne. 

30.  And  Ihe  Lord  Naid  unto  Jcliii. 

Probalily  b}-  the  mouth  of  Elisha.  Jeliu  had 
been  expressly  ordered  to  "  smite  the  house  of 
Ahab"  (2  K.  9:7);  and  thus  to  a  certain  extent 
his  blood}'  measures  were  acts  of  obedience, 
for  which  God  might  see  fit  to  assign  him  a 
temporal  reward.  Thy  children  to  the 
fourth  generation  shall  sit  on  the 
throne  of  Israel,  This  was  accomplished 
in  the  persons  of  Jehoahaz  (2  K.  13  : 1),  Joash 
(zii'rf.,' verse  9),  Jeroboam  (14  :  16),  and  Zachariah 
(15  :  8),  the  son,  grandson,  great-grandson  and 
great-great-grandson  of  Jehu.  It  is  noticeable 
that  no  other  family  sat  upon  the  throne  of 
Israel  so  long.  The  house  of  Omri,  which 
furnished  four  kings,  held  the  crown  for  three 
generations  only  and  for  less  than  fifty  years — 
tliat  of  Jehu  reigned  for  five  generations  and 
for  above  a  hundred  years.     B.  C. 

31.  But  Jeliu  took  no  heed  to 
walk  iu  the  law  of  Jehovah,  the 
Go<I  of  Israel,  with  all  his  heart.  He 
abolished  the  worship  of  Baal,  but  did  not  keep 
up  the  worship  of  God  nor  walk  in  His  law. 
He  showed  great  care  and  zeal  for  the  rooting 
out  of  a  false  religion,  but  in  the  true  religion 
showed  no  care,  took  no  heed,  lived  at  large, 
was  not  at  all  solicitous  to  please  God  and  do 
His  duty  ;  took  no  heed  to  the  Scriptures,  to 
the  prophets,  to  his  own  conscience,  but  walked 
at  all  adventures.  Those  that  are  heedless,  it 
is  to  be  feared,  are  graceless  ;  for  where  there 
is  a  good  principle  in  the  heart  it  will  make 
men  cautious  and  circumspect,  desirous  to 
please  God  and  jealous  of  doing  an3-thing  to 
offend  Him.     H. 

He  contented  himself  with  rooting  out  Baal, 
but  left  the  calves.  That  shows  the  impurity 
of  his  "  zeal,"  which  flamed  only  against  what 
it  was  for  his  advantage  to  destroy,  and  left  the 
more  popular  and  older  idolatry  undisturbed. 
Obedience  has  to  be  "  all  in  all,  or  not  at  all." 
We  may  not  compovmd  for  sins  we  are  inclined 
to,  by  zeal  against  those  we  have  no  mind  to. 
Our  consciences  are  apt  to  have  insensitive 
spots  in  them,  like  witch-marks.  We  often 
think  it  enough  to  remove  the  grosser  evils, 
and  leave  the  less.  But  white  ants  will  eat  up 
a  carcass  faster  than  a  lion.  Putting  away  Baal 
is  of  little  use  if  we  keep  the  calves  at  Dan  and 
Bethel.  Nothing  but  walking  in  the  law  of 
the  Lord  "  with  all  the  heart"  will  secure  our 
walking  safely.     A.  M. 

Personal  ambition  had  been  at  the  bottom  of 
his  heart,  and  he  had  destroyed  that  form  of 


232 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


iiloliitry  whicli  wiis  identified  with  tlie  bouse  of 
Ahub.  B\it  buving  achieved  his  end,  be  took 
no  heed  to  walk  in  the  law  of  the  l-oixl.  His 
zeal  for  righteousness  did  not  turn  iuwanl  and 
burn  up  his  own  sins.  When  tluiv  wsls  noth- 
inj;  left  to  destroy,  his  tK-eupalion  was  gone. 
The  same  tliii'st  for  blood  which  bad  marked 
him  jiassed  down,  a  ghastly  Ijecjueathnient,  to 
liiscbildnn,  and  brought  the  Divine  euree  upon 
them.      W.  Btiiliiuii. 

;l:l.  There  is  other  evidence,  besides  this,  that 
Hazael  was  one  of  the  most  warlike  of  the 
Syrian  kings.  We  find  him,  on  the  Black 
Obelisk  of  Shalmaneser  II.,  mentioned  as  a  stub- 
born adversary  of  the  ^Vssyrian  arms.  In  the 
seventeenth  campaign  of  Shalmaneser  a  great 
battle  Wius  fought  lietwei'n  the  two  monarehs. 
lla/.ael  brought  into  the  field  more  than  twelve 
hundred  chariots,  but  w;ts  defeated  and  obliged 
to  retreat,  his  camp  falling  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy.  Pour  years  later  Shalmaneser  in- 
vaded Hazael's  territory,  and  took,  aceonling  to 
his  own  account,  four  cities  or  fortresses  be- 
longing to  him.  He  does  not  claim,  however, 
to  have  made  him  a  tributary  ;  and  by  his  later 
annals  it  is  evident  that  he  avoided  further 
contest,  preferring  to  turn  his  arms  in  other 

directions.     Ildiiimond. In  Jehu's  reign   we 

are  brought  into  contact  for  the  tii-st  time,  since 
the  mention  of  C'bedorlaomer,  with  the  great 
monarchies  of  Western  Asia.  We  possess  in 
tlie  British  Museum  an  obelisk  of  black  basalt, 
brought  by  Jlr.  Layard  from  Nimroud,  which 
was  set  up  by  Shalmaneser  I.,  king  of  Assyria, 
to  couunenu  irate  his  victories.  It  appears  that, 
while  Bi'uhadad  II.  and  Hazael  were  warring 
against  Israel,  they  had  to  sustain  a  conflict 
with  Assyria  ;  and  among  the  tributaries  to 
Shalmaneser  appears  the  name  of  "  Jehu  (or 
Yahua),  the  son  of  Khumri"  (Oniri).  The 
erroneous  patronymic  is  accoimted  for  by 
Orari's  being  regarded  as  the  founder  of  the 
kingdom  of  Samaria,  the  name  of  the  city  itself 
appearing  (m  the  obelisk  in  the  form  "  Beth- 
\\\i\m\  f\"  (fi'iiinf  of  Oiiiri).     P.  S. 

:tU.  Ill  fiiitinariu  wuh  Iweiity  and 
t'i;;llt  jfJirs.  Twenty-eight  years  -was  a 
long  reign  for  an  Israelite  king,  onl)-  exceeded 
by  one  other  king  in  the  entire  li.st^ — viz., 
Jeroboam  11.,  who  is  s;iid  in  chap.  14:23  to 
have  reigned  forty-one  years.  The  kings  of 
Judah  were  lunger  lived.     Hammond. 


The  stale  of  the  kingdom  under  Jehu,  and 
still  more  under  his  sou  and  successor  .lelioaliaz, 
was,  in  a  piUtical  aspect,  a  very  unfortunate 


one  ;  for  Ilazael,  who  had  been  raised  accord- 
ing to  prophecy  to  the  throne  of  Damascus  as  a 
Divine  scourge  to  Israel  repeatedly  and  success- 
fully invaded  the  land,  treating  with  especial 
harshness  the  part  of  Palestine  east  of  the 
Jordan  (Amos  1  :  3),  whicli  became  for  some 
time  subject  to  the  kingdom  of  Damascus. 
During  this  period  of  distress  the  opjiosiiion 
of  th(^  prophets  was  withdr.iwn  ;  nay.  when 
the  kingdom  was  reduced  to  the  la.st  extremity 
it  \v!us  by  the  mouth  of  the  prophet.s  that  Divine 
deliverance  was  once  more  announced,  the 
dying  Ellsha  first  promising  to  the  dejected 
Joash,  the  son  and  successor  of  Jehoahaz.  vic- 
tory over  the  Syriaas  (3  K.  13  :  14  S(|q.),  and 
Jonah,  the  son  of  Amittai,  sulise(|uently  pre- 
dicting the  restoration  of  the  ancient  boundaries 
of  the  kingdom  (14  ;  25).  Joash  was  succes,sful 
in  his  ware  agairtst  Damascus  and  Judah  ;  but 
the  glorj-  of  the  kingdom  wits  still  funher  en- 
himeed  under  his  valiant  son  Jeroboam  II., 
who  not  only  restored  the  ancient  limits  of  the 
kingdom,  but  even  conquered  a  portion  of 
Syria.  External  success,  however,  effected  no 
internal  clumge  ;  on  the  cimtrarj-,  its  internal 
corruption  continuing  to  inerea.se,  it  was  dur- 
ing the  period  in  which,  to  human  eyes,  it  was 
attaining  a  hitherto  unparalleled  pro.sperity, 
that  the  st;ite,  together  with  its  royal  house, 
was  ha.stening  towiuxl  those  judgments  w  hieh 
the  prophets  Amos  and  Ilosea  were  raised  up 
under  Jeroboam  II.  to  proclaim.  First,  it  was 
the  shepherd  of  Tekoa  w  ho  came  from  Judah 
and  testified  to  the  tyrannical  nobles  of  Samaria, 
ri'velling  in  proud  security,  and  to  the  nudti- 
tude  trusting  in  their  mistaken  and  hypocritical 
Iiiety,  the  approach  of  the  day  of  the  Lord 
(.Vmos  Ty  :  lOsqq.,  6  ;  1-6).  Afterward,  probably 
towanl  the  end  of  Jeroboam  the  Second's  reign. 
Ilosea  appeared  ;  and  when  the  respite  granti-d 
by  the  prophetic  word  (3  K.  10  :  30)  to  the  house 
of  Jehu  had  nearly  expired,  he  announced  first 
to  the  latter,  and  then  to  the  kingdom  of 
Samaria  in  general,  that  judgment  was  now  at 
hand,  and  continued  his  testimony  during  the 
terrible  times  beginning  with  Jeroboam's 
death.     O. 


The  Ji/iii  type  of  (■/(«(■(((■?(•;•  has  always  been 
familiar  in  Church  and  State.  Such  a  n\an  may 
be  zealous,  even  violent,  for  special  reforms 
which  somewhere  touch  personal  interests  or 
stir  personal  feelings.  But  in  no  wise  is  he 
better  than  others  in  reference  to  the  daily 
stringent  demands  of  a  pure  and  an  iinselfish 
life.  Xot  that  his  zeal  is  altogetlier  hypocriti- 
cal, although  it  may  employ  sharp  de\ices.     It 


SECTION  S5.  233 

may  be  genuine  and  right  enougli  as  far  as  it  |  to  add  another  to  tlie  many  living  examples 
goes  ;  but  its  Tightness  is  only  partial,  and  its  !  that  spur  selfish  men  to  self-seeking,  B.- 
reaeh  is  limited.  It  does  not  cover  the  actual 
needs  of  the  spirit's  daily  life.  As  a  general 
result,  such  a  reformer  falls  back  out  of  siglit 
when  the  issue  has  been  reached.  And  when 
the  dust  raised  by  his  apparent  zeal  is  stilled, 
all  can  see  and  rightly   estimate  his    selfish 


His  sin  was  the  sin  of  Jeroboam  ;  he  made 
Israel  to  sin  for  his  own  advantage.  It  is  the 
sin  of  the  present  day,  the  debasing  of  the  ideal 
from  motives  of  policy.  It  is  the  sin  which 
every  one  commits,  who  says  that  it  is  )wt  prac- 
tical to  conduct  business  or  order  conduct  on 


motive.     So  the  ultimate  effect  of  his  acting  is    high  religious  principles.     Houghton. 


Section  25. 

REIGNS  OF  JEHOAHAZ,   17  YEARS,  AND  JEHOASH,  16  YEARS. 
iiSd  of  Joasli  to  15th  of  Amaziali,  of  Judali. 

2  Kings  13  : 1-25. 

1  In  the  three  and  twentieth  year  of  Joash  the  son  of  Ahaziah,  king  of  Judah,  Jchoahaz  the 

2  son  of  Jehu  began  to  reign  over  Israel  in  Samaria,  and  reigned  seventeen  years.     And  he  did 
that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Loud,  and  followed  the  sins  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of 

3  Nebat,  wherewith  he  made  Israel  to  sin  ;  he  departed  not  therefrom.     And  the  anger  of  the 
Lord  was  kindled  against  Israel,  and  he  delivered  them  into  the  hand  of  Ilazael  king  of  Syria, 

4  and  into  the  hand  of  Ben-hadad  the  son  of  Hazael,  continually.     And  Jehoahaz  besought  the 
Lord,  and  the  Lord  hearkened  unto  him  :  for  he  saw  the  oppression  of  Israel,  how  that  the 

5  king  of  Syria  oppressed  them.     (And  the  Lord  gave  Israel  a  saviour,  so  that  they  went  out 
from  under  the  hand  of  the  Sj'rians  :  and  the  children  of  Israel  dwelt  in  their  tents,  as  before- 

6  time.     Nevertheless  thej'  departed  not  from  the  sins  of  the  house  of  Jeroboam,  wherewith  he 
made  Israel  to  sin,  but  walked  therein  :  and  there  remained  the  Ashcrah  also  in  Samaria,) 

7  For  he  left  not  to  Jehoahaz  of  the  people  save  fifty  horsemen,  and  ten  chariots,  and  ten  thou- 
sand footmen  ;  for  the  king  of  Sj'ria  destroyed  them,  and  made  them  like  the  dust  in  thresh- 

8  ing.     Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Jehoahaz,  and  all  tliat  he  did,  and  his  might,  are  they  not 

9  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Israel?     And  Jehoahaz  slept  with  his 
fathers  ;  and  they  buried  him  in  Samaria  :  and  Joash  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 

10  In  the  thirty  and  seventh  year  of  Joash  king  of  Judah  began  Jehoash  the  son  of  Jehoahaz 

11  to  reign  over  Israel  in  Samaria,  and  rdgrisd  sixteen  j'ears.  And  he  did  that  which  was  evil 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  ;  he  departed  not  from  all  the  sins  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat, 
wherewith  he  made  Israel  to  sin  :  but  he  walked  therein. 

Verses  12  and  13  transferred  beloio,  following  verse  25. 

14  Now  Eli.sha  was  fallen  sick  of  his  sickness  where(jf  he  died  :  and  Joa.sh  the  king  of  Israel 
came  down  unto  him,  and  wept  over  him,  and  said,  M3'  father,  my  father,  the  chariots  of 

15  Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof  !     And  Elisha  said  unto  him.  Take  bow  and  arrows  :  and  he 

16  took  unto  him  bow  and  arrows.     And  he  said  to  the  king  of  Israel,  Put  thine  hand  upon  the 

17  bow  :  and  he  put  his  hand  upon  it.  And  Elisha  laid  his  hands  upon  the  king's  hands.  And 
he,  said,  Open  the  window  eastward  :  and  he  opened  it.  Then  Elisha  said,  Shoot  :  and  he 
shot.     And  he  said.  The  Lord's  arrow  of  victory,  even  the  arrow  of  victory  over  S.yria  :  for 

18  thou  shalt  .smite  the  Syrians  in  Aphek,  till  thou  have  consumed  them.  And  he  said,  Take 
the  arniws  :  and  he  took  them.     And  he  said  unto  the  king  of  Israel,  Smite  upon  the  ground  : 

19  and  he  smote  thrice,  and  stayed.  And  the  man  of  God  was  wroth  with  him,  and  said.  Thou 
shouldest  have  smitten  five  or  six  times  ;  then  hadst  thou  smitten  Syria  till  thou  hadst  con- 
sumed it :  where  as  now  thou  shalt  smite  Syria  but  thrice. 


334 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


20  And  Elislia  iliwl,  and  tbcy  buiiiMi  liini,     Now  the  bands  of  the  Moabites  invaded  the  land  at 

21  the  coming  in  of  tlie  year.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  tlicy  were  l)iiryiiig  a  man,  tliat.  beliold, 
tlicy  spied  a  band  ;  and  tliey  cast  the  man  into  tlie  sepiilclire  of  Elislia  :  and  iis  soon  !is  the 
man  touched  the  bones  of  Elisha,  he  revived,  and  stomi  up  on  his  feet. 

22,  23  And  Ha/.acl  king  of  Syria  oppressed  Israel  all  the  days  of  Jehoahaz.  But  the  Lord  was 
gracious  unto  them,  and  had  compa.ssion  on  them,  and  had  respect  imto  them,  because  of  his 
covenant  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  .Jacob,  and  wo\ild  not  destroy  them,  neitliercast  he  them 

24  from  his  presence  sis  yet.     And  Hazael  king  of  Syria  died  ;  and  Ben-liadad  liis  son  reigneii  in 

25  his  stead.  And  Jehoiish  the  son  of  Jelioahaz  took  again  out  of  the  hand  of  Hiii-hadad  the  son 
of  Hazael  the  cities  which  he  had  taken  out  of  the  hand  of  .Jehoahaz  his  father  by  war.  Three 
times  did  Joash  smite  him,  and  recovered  the  cities  of  Israel. 

12  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  .Joash,  and  all  that  he  did,  and  his  might  wherewith  he  fought 
aLrainst  .Vmaziah  king  of  Judah,  are  tliey  not  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the 

13  kin'js  of  Israel'/  And  .Jo.-ish  slept  with  liis  fathers  ;  and  Jeroboam  sat  upon  his  throne  :  and 
.Joash  was  buried  in  Samaria  with  the  kings  of  Israel. 


Ok  the  other  kings  in  Jehu's  dynasty  only 
brief  notices  aiipear.  Mis  son  Jehoahaz  reigned 
seventeen  years  ;  had  wars  with  Syria,  for 
a  while  disastrous,  destructive  ;  but  subse- 
quently, when  he  besought  the  Lord  for  help, 
he  found  deliverance  and  peace  (verses  3-5,  22, 
23).  It  fell  to  his  son  Joash  to  stand  and  weep 
over  the  aged  prophet  Elisha  in  his  last  sick- 
ness, and  to  give  utterance  to  his  emotions  in 
■words  borrowed  from  Elisha's  own  lips  as  he 
saw  Elijah  ascend  :  "  O  my  father,  my  father, 
the  chariot  of  Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof." 
The  dying  prophet  aroused  himself  sufficiently 
to  give  the  king  some  prophetic  announcements 
bearing  on  the  then  pending  issues  of  his  wars 
with  Syria,  in  which  the  mc;tsure  of  the  king's 
success  turned  upon  the  reach  and  compass  of 
his  faith.  At  this  point  the  liistoriau  records 
that  the  bones  of  Elisha  imparted  life  to  a  dead 
body  thrown  in  hastily  upon  them  (verse  20) 
— so  wonderfully  was  the  miraculous  element 
blended  with  his  whole  life,  extending  even  to 
his  decaying  bones.  The  demand  for  miracles, 
resulting  f rum  the  ffrtat  decline  af faith,  especial- 
ly in  the  kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  is  a  point 
worthy  of  special  notice.  The  ministry  of 
prophets,  and  particularly  of  the  miracle- 
working  prophets,  Elijah  and  Elisha,  was  the 
chief  agency  employed  of  God  to  resist  and 
eradicate  Baal-worship  from  the  land  and  to 
bring  the  people  back  to  a  living  faith  in  Israel's 
God.  Other  prophets  in  considerable  inimbcr 
had  important  work  to  do  in  this  special  held  ; 
but  miraculous  agency  seems  to  have  been 
chielly  limited  to  these  two  men. 

Two  prophets  whose  writings  have  come 
down  to  us,  Hosea  and  Amos,  fall  within  the 
long  reign  (forty -one  years)  of  Jeroboam  II., 
son  and  successor  of  this  Joash.  Their  writings 
show  how  solemnly  they  expostulated  with  and 
how  earnestly  they  rebuked  both  the  people 


and  their  king  for  their  sins  ;  how  tiTiderly 
they  entreated  them  to  turn  to  their  compas- 
sionate Father  to  find  mercy  ;  iind  yet  with 
how  little  avail.  If  these  written  exhortations 
fairly  represent  the  oral  preaching  of  the 
prophets  in  Israel,  it  must  have  been  wonder- 
fully pungent,  searching,  thrilling,  and  ought  to 

have  been  full  of  moral  power.    IT.  C. Never 

more  clearly  than  in  this  period,  during  the 
dynasty  of  Jehu,  does  it  ajiiicar  how  the 
prophet,  as  the  messenger  of  God,  combined 
the  twofold  function  of  preaching  to  his  own 
and,  in  a  sense,  to  every  future  generation,  and 
of  intimating  the  wider  purposes  of  God  in  the 
future.  There  is  not  in  the  prophetic  utter- 
ances recorded  any  one  series  of  admonitions, 
warnings,  or  even  denunciations  wliich  does 
not  leatl  up  to  an  announcement  of  the  happy 
prophetic  future  promised.  In  this  respect 
prophecy  has  the  same  fundamental  character- 
istic as  the  Book  of  Psalms,  in  which,  whatever 
the  groundnote,  every  hymn  passes  into  the 
melody  of  thanksgiving  and  praise.  This  sim- 
ilarity is  due  to  the  fact  that,  iu  their  scriptural 
aspect,  the  progress  of  outward  teacliing  and 
the  experience  of  the  inner  life  are  ever  in  ac- 
cordance. On  the  other  hand,  there  is  not  in 
the  prophetic  writings  any  utterance  in  regard 
to  the  future  which  has  not  its  root,  and,  in  a 
sense,  its  starting  point  in  the  history  of  the 
time.  The  prophet,  so  to  speak,  translates  the 
vernacular  of  the  present  into  the  Divine  lan- 
guage of  tlie  future,  and  he  interiirets  the  Di- 
vine sayings  concerning  the  future  by  the  well- 
known  language  of  the  present.  As  between 
his  teaching  and  his  prediction,  so  between  the 
history  of  the  present  and  that  of  the  future 
there  is  not  a  gap  :  they  are  one,  because 
through  both  runs  one  unswerving  purpose 
which  gradually  unfolds  what  from  the  first 
had  been  infolded.     And  so  history  and  proph- 


SECTION  S5.     REIGN  OF  JEHOAHAZ. 


235 


ecy  also  are  one,  because  God  is  one.  And  so 
also,  if  we  would  rightly  understand  them, 
must  we  study  not  so  much  prophecies  as  iso- 
lated utterances,  but  as  prophecy  in  its  grand 
harmonious  historical  unity.     A.  E. 

1-9.  The  biblical  text  seems  here  somewhat 
involved,  in  part  from  the  mixture  of  remarks 
by  the  writer  with  the  historical  notices  ex- 
tracted from  existing  documents.  The  follow- 
ing appeal's  its  real  order.  The  usual  notice 
(verse  1)  of  the  accession  of  .Jehoahaz,  and  of 
the  duration  of  his  reign  is  followed  by  a  gen- 
eral description  of  the  character  of  that  mon- 
arch (in  vei-se  2)  :  as  doing  that  which  was 
evil  in  the  sight  of  Jehovah,  and  continuing 
the  wrongful  religious  institutions  of  Jeroboam. 
Then  we  have  in  verse  3  a  notice  of  the  Divine 
punishment  of  these  sins  in  the  surrender  of 
Israel  to  Hazael,  king  of  Syria,  and  to  Benha- 
dad,  his  son  and  successor.  The  following 
verse  (verse  4)  marks  the  repentance  antl  prayer 
of  Jehoahaz,  occasioned  by  these  calamities, 
and  God's  gracious  answer,  although  not  in 
the  inmiediatc  present  (see  verses  22-25). 
Verses  5  and  6  form  a  parenthesis.  Possibly  it 
may  begin  with  verse  4.  The  reference  to  the 
wars  of  Benhadad  in  verse  3,  which  can  only 
apply  to  the  time  of  Jehoahaz,  may  be  rather 
of  a  general  character  (see  verses  22  and  25). 
In  any  case  the  continuous  historical  notices, 
or  extracts,  recommence  with  verse  7,  which 
describes  the  depressed  condition  of  the  king- 
dom under  Jehoahaz,  while  verees  8  and  9  re- 
cord, in  the  iLSual  form,  the  death  of  Jehoahaz 
and  the  accession  of  his  son,  Jehoash  (or  Joash). 
Thus,  as  already  stated,  verses  5  and  6,  if  not 
also  verse  4,  form  an  intercalated  notice,  telling 
on  the  one  hand  how  God  had  heard  the  prayer 
of  Jehoahaz  by  raising  up  "  a  saviour"  to  Is- 
rael (verse  3),  and,  on  the  other  hand,  how  this 
gracious  interposition  did  not  really  affect  the 
spiritual  state  of  Israel  (verse  6).  They  not 
onl}'  continued  in  the  sins  of  Jeroboam,  but 
"there  .stood  the  Asherah  also  in  Samaria." 
This  parenthetic  notice  must  be  considered  as 
of  a  general  character:  "the  saviour"  raised 
up  being  in  the  first  place  Jehoash  (verse  25), 
and  finally  and  fully  Jeroboam  II.  (2  K. 
14  :  25-27).     Sayce. 

3.  Now  first  were  the  anticipations  of  Ellsha 
on  liis  introduction  to  Hazael  near  Damascus 
full}'  realized  ;  now  first  did  all  those  evils 
which  his  projihetic  soul  had  presaged  come 
on  the  unhappy  Israelites.  Invasions  of  their 
laud  fell  upon  them  year  by  year,  accompanied 
with  all  the  horrors  of  the  most  savage  and 
cruel  warfare.     G.  R. 


4.  A  pra3'er  wrung  from  the  king,  not  by 
the  sense  of  his  sin,  but  by  the  intolerable  pres- 
sure of  affliction,  might  have  been  thought  un- 
deserving of  an  answer.  But  the  Lord  is  very 
pitiful,  and  welcomes  the  faintest  approach  of 
the  sinner  unto  Him.  He  does  not  thrust  the 
suppliant  awa}-,  but  seeks,  by  giving  him 
tokens  of  His  grace,  to  ripen  his  imperfect  de- 
sires into  real  repentance.  Accordingly,  Jeho- 
ahaz met  with  a  gracious  response.  God  prom- 
ised a  saviour  to  the  land,  and  ultimatelj-  raised 
one  up  in  the  person  of  Joash.  who,  but  for  his 
want  of  perseverance,  would  have  completely 
delivered  the  nation  from  the  Syrians.  The 
work  which  he  left  undone  was  finished  lij'  his 
son,  Jeroboam  II.  Thus  God  shows  Himself 
ready  to  hear  the  cries  even  of  the  worst  of 
men.  None  need  despair  in  calling  on  Heaven 
when  Jehoahaz  was  listened  to  in  such  dire 
straits.     J.  O. 

Assuredlj'  no  better  evidence  could  be  afford- 
ed us  that  even  in  our  furthest  decline  we  may 
still  turn  to  God,  nor  yet  that  prayer — even  by 
Jehoahaz,  and  in  that  state  of  Israel — shall  not 
remain  unanswered.  Yet,  though  the  prayer 
was  immediately  heard,  as  In  the  judgment 
pronounced  upon  Ahab  (1  K.  21  :  27-29),  its  im- 
mediate manifestation  was  delayed.  These  are 
precious  practical  lessons  to  all  time,  and  the 
more  valuable  that  they  are  in  such  entire  ac- 
cordance with  God's  dealings  as  declared  in 
other  parts  of  Revelation,  exhibiting  the  har- 
mony and  inward  unity  of  Holy  Scripture. 
Styce. 

As  soon  as  any  relenting  is  shown,  as  soon  as 
the  king  acknowledges  God's  hand  in  His  pun- 
ishment, and  turns  to  Him  and  entreats  His  aid, 
even  althougli  he  does  not  put  a  stop  to  the 
practices  by  which  God's  anger  has  been  pro- 
voked (verse  6),  yet  the  Divine  compassion  is 
stirred.  "  The  Lord  hearkened  unto  him" 
(verse  4).  A  saviour  is  given,  in  the  Divine 
counsels,  if  not  at  once  in  fact.  The  nation's 
fall  is  arrested,  its  life  prolonged.     Ilatiimond. 

O  faithful  Christian,  if  God  heard   Jeho-. 

ahaz,  how  much  more  will  He  hear  thee,  if 
thou  callesc  upon  Him  !  The  Lord  gave  Israel 
a  deliverer,  but  Jehoahaz  did  not  live  to  see 
him.  God  hears  the  cr}'  of  those  who  earnestly 
call  upon  Him,  and  helps  them  ;  but  the  time, 
and  place,  and  manner  of  His  aid  are  retained 
in  His  own  discretion.  Do  not  despair  if  th\- 
prayer  does  not  seem  to  be  heard,  and  the  Lord 
delays  His  assistance.  He  knows  that  fitting 
season  as  well  as  He  knows  what  is  useful  to 
us.     Starke. 

6.  There  roinaiiicd  Ilic  grove.    One 


236 


KINGDOM  OF  ISIiAEL. 


would  hiivc  tlioiight  that,  in  such  ii  reforma- 
tion !us  lliat  of  .Icliu,  there  would  hiive  heen 
11  clean  sweep,  or,  at  any  rate,  that  Aliab's 
pet  idolatries  would  have  gone.  But  no  I  evil 
is  terribly  persistent.  No  reformation  ever 
sweeps  away  at  once  all  that  it  was  intended  to 
sweep  away.  "The  j,novc  remains."  IIow 
many  heathen  superstitions  survived  thesuper- 
8es.sion  of  heathenism  by  Christ ianity  !  IIow 
many  iniiiuitous  law.s  continue  in  all  countries 
after  every  attempt  that  is  made  to  reform  the 
laws  !  The  result  is  partlj'  through  the  fault 
of  the  reformers,  who  cease  their  efforts  while 
much  still  remains  to  be  done;  but  it  is  also 
caused  in  i)art  liy  the  tenacity  of  life  which  the 
things  tliat  need  to  be  swept  away  jiossess  in 
themselves.  And  sis  evil  is  thus  iiersisli'nt  in 
conununilics,  so  is  it  also  in  the  character  of 
individuals.  A  man  makes  a  great  effort  at 
self-reformation,  changes  his  rules  of  conduct, 
his  habits,  the  whole  method  of  his  life,  as  he 
thinks  ;  but  in  some  corner  there  still  lurks  a 
remnant  of  the  old  leaven,  which  shortly  reas- 
serts itself,  and  too  often  leavens  the  whole 
nnuss  with  its  corrupting  influence.  The  lesson 
to  be  learned  is  watchfulness  and  perseverance. 
By  care,  by  consideration,  and  by  constant 
effort,  the  persistency  of  evil  may  be  met  and 
counteracted.  God's  Holy  Spirit  is  always 
ready  to  jissist  our  endeavors  ;  and  whetlier  in 
a  community  or  in  an  individual,  continued 
effort,  divinely  aided,  will  prevail  at  last. 

7.  The  meaning  seems  to  be  that  Hazael 
limited  the  standing  army  of  Jehoahaz  to  fifty 
horsemen,  ten  chariots,  and  ten  thousand  foot- 
men, not  that  he  slew  the  entire  military  popu- 
lation except  this  small  remnant.  The  policy 
of  limiting  the  forces  to  be  maintained  by  a 
subject  king  was  one  known  to  the  Rimians.  and 
has  often  been  adopted  in  the  East.  It  is  still 
a  part  of  our  own  policy  in  the  government  of 
India.  The  limitation  left  the  country  at  the 
mercy  of  all  its  neighbors.     Hammond. 

Jehoahaz  reigned  seventeen  years  (incom- 
•plete),  from  thetwenty-tirst  year  of  .Toash,  king 
of  .ludah,  to  liis  thirty-seventh  year  (verse  10). 
He  lel't  his  crown  to  his  son,  tjehoash.  or  .Jojish, 
to  whom  he  had  given  the  same  name  as  that 
borne  by  the  contemporary  Jewish  sovereign. 
This  act  would  seem  to  impl^'  that  the  friindly 
relations  which  had  subsisted  between  the  two 
kingdoms  during  the  rule  of  the  house  of 
Omri  were  for  a  time  resumed.  But  old  jeal- 
ousies were  allowed  to  prevail  ;  and  the  oppor- 
tunity for  alliance  being  suffered  to  slip,  it  was 
not  long  ere  the  ancient  hostility  once  more 
showed  itself  (3  K.  14  :  8-14),  and  came  to  such 


a  head,  that  henceforth  the  two  sister  nations 
continued  estranged  during  the  remainder  of 
their  joint  existence.     G.  H. 

Reign  ok  Joash,  1G  Yeahs. 
Vemts  10-30. 

The  writer  passes  from  the  reign  of  Jehoahaz, 
Jehu's  son,  to  that  of  Joash,  Jehu's  grandson, 
which  he  seems  to  have  intended  at  tirst  to 
despatch  in  the  short  space  of  four  verses 
(verses  10-13).  He  afterward,  however,  saw 
reason  to  add  to  his  narrative,  first,  an  account 
of  an  interview  between  Joash  and  Elisha, 
shortly  before  the  death  of  the  latter  (verses 
14-19)  ;  secondly,  an  account  of  a  miracle 
wrought  soon  afterward  by  means  of  Elisha's 
corpse  (verses  20,  31)  ;  and  thirdly,  a  brief  no- 
tice of  Joash's  Syrian  war  (verses  23-35). 
Ilitmmcnd. 

Jehoash  (or  Joash),  the  twelfth  king  of  Israel, 
and  the  third  of  the  line  of  Jehu,  began  to 
reign,  in  conjunction  with  his  father  Jehoaliaz 
in  the  thirty -seventh  year  of  Joash,  king  of  Ju- 
dah  (B.C.  841),  and  alone  two  years  later  (B.C. 
839)  ;  his  entire  reign  lasted  sixteen  years. 
There  is  an  apparent  discrepancy  between  his 
character  and  his  actions.  It  woiild  seem  as  if 
the  calf-worship  of  Jeroboam  had  become  so 
inveterate  in  Israel  that  a  king  who  practised  it 
might  yet  be  chosen  sis  a  deliverer  from  foreign 
oppression  if  he  did  not  serve  Biial  ;  or  it  may 
be  that  God  willed  to  give  Israel  a  final  oppor- 
tunity of  restoration,  in-cspective  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  king,  "  and  would  not  destroy  them, 
neither  cast  he  them  from  his  presence  us  ytt" 
(verse  23).  We  find  Jehoash  receiveil  with  favor 
w  hen  he  visited  Elisha  upon  his  death-bed.  and 
he  mourned  over  him  in  his  own  words  when 
he  lost  Elijah,  "  O  my  father  !  my  father  1  the 
chariot  of  Israel,  and  the  horsemen  thereof  I" 
The  prophet  assured  him  of  victory  over  the 
Syrians  by  significant  actions.  He  bade  him 
shoot  an  arrow  from  the  open  window  toward 
Syria,  and  himself  laid  his  hands  with  the 
king's  upon  the  bow,  as  if  to  give  Divine 
power  to  the  shot,  which  he  called  "  the  arrow 
of  Jehovah's  deliverance  from  the  Syrians.  ' 
who  were  to  be  smitten  in  Aphek.  Then  he 
bade  the  king  strike  the  gouiid  with  the  arrows. 
The  three  strokes  signilied  three  victories  ;  and 
the  prophet  wjis  angry  with  the  king  for  not 
striking  five  or  six  times,  as  he  would  then 
have  consumed  them  utterly.  The  whole  was 
a  parable  of  the  co-operation  of  human  effort 
with  the  Divine  counsels.  It  was  fulfilled  by 
three  great  victories  which  Jehoash  gained  over 


SECTION  25.    REION  OF  JEnOASH. 


237 


Benhadad  III.,  the  son  Hazacl,  and  by  which 
he  recovered  the  cities  which  Hazael  had  taken 
from  his  father.  Meanwhile,  Elisha  died,  and  a 
last  miracle  was  wrought  by  his  remains.  A 
man  was  about  to  be  buried  in  the  same  rock 
in  which  the  prophet's  sepulchre  was  hewn, 
when  the  bearers  were  alarmed  by  the  approach 
of  one  of  the  predatory  bands  of  Moabites  that 
now  Infested  Israel.  They  thrust  the  body 
hastily  into  the  first  open  tomb  in  the  face  of 
the  rock.  It  was  that  of  Elisha,  and  upon 
touching  his  remains,  the  dead  man  came  to 
life  and  stood  upon  his  feet.  All  these  events 
happened  in  the  early  years  of  Jehoash.  The 
other  great  event  of  his  rei.cn  was  the  conquest 
of  Jerusalem  which  is  related  under  the  reign 
of  Amaziah,  king  of  Judah.  He  died,  was 
buried  in  the  royal  sepulchre  at  Samaria,  and 
was  succeeded  by  his  son  Jeroboam  II.,  the 
greatest  king  of  Israel.     P.  S. 

10.  In  tlie  thirty  and  sevcntb  year 
of  Joash  kingr  of  Jndah.  Three  years 
before  his  death,  since  he  reigned  fort_v  j'cars 
(chap.  13  ;  1).  The  two  Joashes  were  thus 
contemporary  monarcha  for  the  space  of  three 
j-eara.     Uammond. 

12,  13.  It  is  difficult  to  account  for  the  oc- 
cxirrence  of  these  verses  in  this  place.  They 
recur,  with  little  variation,  in  the  next  chapter 
(verses  15  and  16;.  Keil  rightly  notes  that  they 
are  here  too  early,  since  the  whole  remainder  of 
the  chapter  is  devoted  to  the  acts  of  the  king 
whose  reign  they  bring,  as  it  were,  to  a  close  ; 
while  in  the  next  chapter  they  are  altogether 
out  of  place,  since  they  needlessly  interrupt  the 
history  of  the  Jewi.sh  munarchs.  According  to 
ordinary  laws  of  historical  composition,  they 
should  form  the  closing  paragraph  of  the  pres- 
ent chapter.  B.  C. Hence  they  are  trans- 
ferred to  the  close  in  the  above  text.     B. 

14-19.  Jehu  reigned  twenty-eight  years, 
liis  son  Jehoahaz  seventeen  yeara,  and  his  grand- 
son Joash  sixteen  years.  Because  these  three 
kings  "  departed  not  from  all  the  sins  of  Jero- 
boam, who  made  Israel  sin,"  during  their  three 
reigns  the  Lord  delivered  Israel  "  unto  the 
hand  of  Hazael,  king  of  Syria,  and  of  Benha- 
dad," his  son.  Many  times  through  that  long- 
period  had  God  heard  the  intercession  and  em- 
ployed the  agency  of  Elisha  in  behalf  of  a  peo- 
ple, whom  He  seemingly  "could  not  give  up." 
Once  mv.-re,  upon  tne  prophet's  dying  bed.  He 
heeds  his  hist  intercession  for  the  guilty  nation, 
and  by  Elisha's  act  and  word  gives  another 
pledge  of  "  deliverance  from  Syria." 

14.  Joash  weeps  orer  the  (lying  Elisha.  In 
spirit  resembling    the    disciple    whom    Jesus 


loved,  like  John,  Elisha  lived  to  a  great  age. 
Like  him,  too,  his  ministry  for  the  greater  part 
of  sixty  years  was  a  quieth'  leavening  influ- 
ence. Upon  the  court  and  people  he  had  ex- 
erted a  helpful  and  blessed  force,  year  by  year. 
Beside  his  direct  interposition  for  their  deliver- 
ance from  siege  and  assault,  to  all  these  kings 
he  had  been  as  a  living  conscience,  preventing 
their  utter  lapse  into  defiant  rejection  of  God. 
Now  and  then  they  had  even  been  moved  to  be- 
seech the  Lord  (verse  4).  By  steadfast,  wise 
supervision  of  evangelists,  sent  forth  from  the 
schools  of  the  prophets,  and  by  his  own  per- 
sonal teaching,  he  had  aided  the  people.  Thus 
the  knowledge  of  God  had  been  more  widely 
diffused,  and  the  faith  of  true  worshippers  of 
Jehovah  had  been  strengthened,  confirmed  and 
made  more  fruitful.  It  was  not  strange  then 
that  the  king,  who  knew  what  Elisha  had  been 
to  Israel  for  three-score  years,  should  come 
down  from  his  palace  to  the  prophet's  abode  to 
express  his  grief,  and  to  seek  the  last  counsel 
from  the  man  of  God.  If  there  was  selfishness 
in  his  lament  there  was  sincerity  in  his  respect 
and  veneration.  With  an  intense  feeling  and 
truth  he  repeated  the  affectionate  eulogy  of 
Elisha  over  Elijah's  departure.  Elisha  left  no 
successor  to  whom  he  could  go  for  help  in  his 
need.  No  other  had  been  entrusted  with  the 
power  of  miracle.  No  other  had  such  prev- 
alent might  in  intercession  with  God.  To 
whom,  then,  could  Joash  look  when  Elisha  \a 
taken  from  Israel?  "  Thou,  the  defence  of  Is- 
rael, art  to  take  thy  heavenward  flight  I"     B. 

Now  Elisha  wa,^  fallen  sick  of  lii§ 
sickness  whereof  he  died.  Elisha,  who 
was  grown  to  manhood  before  the  death  of 
Ahab  (1  K.  19  :  19),  must  have  been  at  least 
eighty  years  old  at  the  accession  of  Joash. 
And  Joash  the  king  of  Israel  came 
down  unto  him.  The  visit  of  a  king  to  a 
prophet,  in  the  way  of  sympathy  and  compli- 
ment, would  be  a  very  unusual  occurrence  at 
any  period  of  the  world's  history.  The  act  of 
Joash  certainly  implies  a  degree  of  tenderness 
and  consideration  on  his  part  very  uncommon 
at  the  time,  and  is  a  fact  to  which  much  weight 
should  be  attached  in  any  estimate  that  we 
form  of  his  character.     Hammond. 

The  chariot  of  Israel  and  the 
horsemen  thereof.  It  is  impossible  to 
imagine  that  Joash  now  by  a  mere  coincidence 
spoke  the  exact  words  at  the  deathbed  of  Eli- 
sha, which  Elisha  himself  had  spoken  when  he 
was  about  to  lose  Elijah.  He  must  have 
known  the  circumstances  of  Elijah's  removal, 
which  were   perhaps   already    entered   in   the 


238 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


"book  of  ihi'  Cliroiiiclcs  of  the  kings  of  Is- 
rael ;"  1111(1  lie  must  havu  intended  to  apply  to 
Elisha  his  own  wonls  on  that  solemn  oecasion. 
"  Alas  !"  he  probably  meant  to  say,  "  thou  too 
art  about  to  leave  us,  and  to  follow  Elijah — 
thou  wlio  liast  been  sinee  his  departure  that 
whioh  he  was  while  he  remained  on  earth,  the 
true  defence  of  Israel."     B.  C. 

15-19.  Elishn'K  litut  ministry,  a  pUdge  of 
Ood'n  ddinemnce.  To  tlie  very  last  Elisha's 
heart,  like  Elijah's,  beat  fervently  for  the  honor 
of  God  and  the  welfare  of  his  people.  Ills  la.st 
word  shall  be  an  eneoura.sement.  Partly  by 
symbolical  action  he  declares  that  God  will 
give  Joash  victory  over  the  Syrians.  By  bid- 
ding the  king  "  take  bow  and  arrows,  to  put 
liis  hand  upon  the  bow,"  and  afterward  to 
shoot,  Elisha  intimates  that  God  will  still  work 
for  Israel,  and  through  Joash  himself,  if  only 
he  be  obedient  and  determined.  The  .Syrians 
were  now  masters  of  the  country  east  of  .Jor- 
dan. Therefore  the  course  of  the  arrow  is 
through  a  window  opening  eastward.  Through 
Elisha's  hands  upon  the  king's,  the  act  of  the 
king  derives  its  authority  from  Elisha's  God. 
The  promise  of  success  and  deliverance  is  His. 
And  it  is  explicit :  "  Thou  shalt  smite  the  Sy- 
rians in  Aphek,  till  thou  have  consumed  them. " 

Joa.sh  desired  the  fulfilment  of  God's  prom- 
ise ;  but  he  lacked  that  concentrated  earnest- 
ness of  faith  and  energy  of  will  which  still 
burned  in  the  soul  of  Elisha.  The  sharjiness 
and  decision  of  the  prophet's  whole  symbolic 
action  ought  to  have  roused  an  intensely  eager 
purpose.  But  instead  of  this,  when  he  is  bid- 
den to  hit  the  ground  with  tlie  remaining  ar- 
rows, although  knowing  that  this  sign  also 
meant  conflicts  and  victunes,  he  smites  but 
thrice.  A  half  faith  and  a  half  will  is  all  that 
lie  can  give  back  to  the  old  prophet's  fieiy  eu- 
thusiiism  for  God  and  for  God's  people.  What 
wonder  Elisha  is  vexed  with  his  half-hearted- 
ness.  and  reproves  his  slack  hand  !  Then  Joash 
fully  learns  what  faith  and  determination  have 
to  do  with  success.  Had  he  shot  till  the  ar- 
rows, he  had  smitten  Syria  in  her  strongholds, 
till  Syria's  power  was  finally  broken.  Xow  he 
shall  smite  only  the  army  of  Syria  within  the 
bounds  of  Israel.  This  he  subsequently  did. 
"  Three  times  did  Joash  beat  Benhadad,  the  son 
of  Hazael,  and  recovered  the  cities  of  Israel" 
(verse  25).  But  Syria  remained  as  a  scourge  to 
Israel.     B. 

10.  I'ut  liiN  liandH  upon  the  kiiig'§ 
haiKlw.  So  that  the  shooting  should  be,  or  at 
l:ast  appear  to  be,  the  joint  act  of  himself  and 
the  king.     The  intention  was,  no  doubt,  as  Keil 


says,  "  to  sliow  that  the  power  which  was  to 
be  given  to  the  bow  shot"  was  not  the  king's 
own  power,  but  "  came  from  the  Loni  through 
the  nieiliation  of  His  prophet."     Ilainmontl. 

17.  The  action  declares  :  1.  That  deliverance 
in  trouble  is  from  God  only.  Aa  He  alone  can 
give  it,  so  He  is  the  true  Source  from  which  to 
seek  it.  2.  God  cmjiloys  liuman  agency  in  His 
deliverances.  The  bow  and  arrows  were  the 
symbols  of  the  human  instrumentality.  Joash 
had  to  put  his  hands  upon  the  bow.  It  was  he 
who  shot  the  arrow.  It  was  he  who  was  to 
smite  the  Syrians.  Man  has  his  part  given  him 
in  all  God's  works  of  deliverance  on  earth. 
3.  The  liuman  agent  could  only  succeed  as  God 
strengthened  him.  Elisha  put  his  hands  upon 
Joash's,  signifying  that  the  power  to  gain  the 
predicted  victories  came  from  God.     J.  O. 

18.  And  stayed.  Joash  struck  with  the 
arrows  against  the  floor  three  times  and  then 
paused,  thinking  he  had  done  enough.  He  did 
not  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  .symliolical  act, 
which  represented  the  smiting  and  slaying  of 
enemies.  Perhaps  he  had  not  much  faith  in  the 
virtue  of  the  symbolism. 

19.  Elisha  was  angered  at  the  lukewarmness 
of  Joash,  and  his  lack  of  faith  and  zeal.  He 
himself,  from  his  higher  standpoint,  saw  the 
greatness  of  the  opportunity,  the  abundance  of 
favor  which  God  was  ready  to  grant,  and  the 
way  in  which  God's  favor  was  stinted  and  nar- 
rowed by  Joash's  want  of  rcceptiveness.  Had 
the  king  been  equal  to  the  occasion,  a  full  end 
might  at  once  have  been  m.adc  of  Syria,  and 
Israel  might  have  been  enabled  to  brace  herself 
for  the  still  more  perilous  struggle  with  .Issy- 
ria,  in  which  she  ultimately  succumbed.  If  he 
had  been  earnestly  desirous  of  victory,  and  had 
had  faith  in  the  symbolical  action  as  divinely 
directed,  he  would  have  kept  on  smiting  till 
the  prophet  told  him  it  was  enough.     ILim- 

mond. The  unfaithfulness  of  man  limits  the 

goodness  of  God.  Our  Lord  "  cmild  do  no 
mightj'  work"  in  one  city,  "  becau.se  of  their 
unbelief"  (Mark  6  :  5,  6).  God  had  been  willing 
now  to  give  the  Israelites  complete  victory 
over  Syria — victory  "  even  to  consuming" 
(verse  17) ;  but  Joash  by  his  non-acceptjince 
of  the  Divine  promise  in  its  fidness  had 
checked  the  outflow  of  mercy  ;  and  the  result 
was  that  the  original  promise  could  not  be  ful- 
filled.    B,  C. 

We  learn  :  1.  Very  trivial  actions  often  reveal 
a  great  deal  of  character.  2.  We  often  have  not 
from  God  because  we  ask  not.  These  shoot- 
ings of  the  arrows  were  at  ouce  prayers  for 
victories  from  God   and   pledges  of  victories. 


SECTION  25.    REIGN  OP  JEIIOASIT. 


239 


Joasli,  as  it  were,  asked  for  only  tliree  victo- 
ries, und  he  ouly  got  three.  Hail  he  asked 
for  more,  he  would  have  got  more.  Had 
Abraham  not  ceased  pleading  for  Sodom  when 
he  did,  he  might  have  got  a  j'et  further  exten- 
sion of  grace  for  that  doomed  city.  It  is  never 
in  God  we  are  straitened  in  our  prayers  ;  it  is 
only  in  ourselves.  3.  It  displeases  God  that  we 
do  not  ask  more  from  Him.  His  controversy 
with  us  is  not  that  we  ask  too  much,  but  that 
we  do  not  ask  enough.  Joash  missed  the  full 
blessing  by  stopping  in  his  asking.     J.  O. 

Be  reminded  from  the  story  of  one  great  fact 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  a  fact  on  which  the 
holy  Master  constantly  spoke,  saying,  "  Ac- 
cording to  thj-  faith  be  it  unto  thee" — the  fact 
that  according  to  the  measure  of  our  trust  will 
be  the  measure  of  our  blessing.  There  was  a 
blessing,  foi  Joash  from  the  dying  prophet — 
just  as  there  is  a  blessing  for  you  and  for  me 
from  the  living  Prophet — if  he  could  put  his 
trust  in  him.  Unless  he  could  put  his  trust  in 
him,  the  thing  signified  would  not  accompany 
the  sign.  "  And  Joash  smote  thrice."  That 
was  the  measure  of  the  man's  confidence  in  the 
promise  of  God,  and  so  it  was  the  measure  of 
the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  too.  And  this 
has  been  the  Lord  God's  way  in  dealing  with 
mankind.  He  that  looks  for  great  things  from 
the  hand  of  God — for  great  peace,  for  great 
nearness  to  the  mercj'  seat,  for  great  victory 
over  self — he,  through  the  merit  of  Christ,  and 
he  alone,  shall  do  great  things  ;  but  he  who 
asks  with  an  irresolute  desire  and  a  wavering 
heart,  ' '  let  not  that  man  think  that  he  shall  re- 
ceive anything  from  the  Lord."  Christ's 
mercy,  as  one  well  says,  like  water  in  a  vase, 
takes  the  shape  of  the  vessel  that  holds  it.  On 
the  one  side  the  grace  is  infinite  :  it  is  given 
to  every  man  according  to  the  measure  of 
the  gift  of  Christ,  with  no  limit  but  His 
unlimited  fulness.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
amount  which  we  practically  receive  from 
the  store  is  at  each  successive  moment  deter- 
mined by  the  measure,  and  the  purity,  and  the 
intensity  of  our  faith.  On  Christ's  side  there 
is  no  limit  but  infinity  ;  on  our  side  there  is  no 
limit  but  capacity,  and  the  capacity  of  each  one 
of  us  is  settled  by  our  better  desires.  The 
word  to  us  is,  "  Open  thy  mouth  wide  and  I 
will  fill  it."  "According  to  thy  faith  be  it 
done  unto  thee."     Anon. 

■We  praj'  for  nothing  less  than  Christ's  great 
glory,  and  it  is  possible  to  ask  too  little.  We 
have  prayed  and  have  received  ;  but  have  we 
prayed  or  received  in  any  measure  correspond- 
ing to  the  exceeding  great  and  precious  prom- 


ises of  Him  with  whom  we  have  to  <lo?  the 
merits  and  sufferings  of  Him  whose  death  and 
righteousness  are  our  plea?  or  the  boundless 
compassion  of  Him  who  giveth  to  all  men  lib- 
erally and  upbraideth  not?  We  are  not  strait- 
ened in  God  ;  but  we  are  straitened  in  our  de- 
sires, our  purposes,  our  believings.  Here  all  is 
narrow  ;  there — in  the  heart  of  God — all  is 
wide.  We  have  not,  because  we  ask  not. 
J  W.  A. 

20,  21.  Elisha's  death  and  huriitl,  and  the 
after-miracle.  As  Elisha  had  lived  among  the 
people,  so  he  died  among  them.  King  and  no- 
bles and  people  took  part  in  his  public  and 
honorable  burial.  God  so  ordered  it  that  the 
influence  of  his  stainless  character  and  the 
teaching  of  his  helpful,  ministering  life,  might 
be  thus  recalled  and  freshlj'  impressed.  Two 
generations  had  he  faithfully  served  in  his  sixty 
3'ears  of  ministry  for  God.  And  in  all  his  his- 
tory we  read  no  word  of  reproach  nor  hint  of 
defection,  from  the  mouth  of  God.  Enoch-like 
he  walked  with  God,  3-et  he  was  not  translated. 
For  God  would  add  to  the  witness  of  even  so 
prolonged  a  life  the  testimony  of  a  tranquil  and 
triumphant  death.  No  more  completely-round- 
ed life,  none  more  human  and  more  exemplary, 
do  we  read  in  the  Inspired  Records.  And  after 
death  and  burial,  even  in  his  sepulchred  body, 
God  honored  this  faithful  servant  as  He  never 
honored  any  beside.  Briefly  as  the  incident  is 
narrated,  the  purpose  of  the  record  is  clear ; 
and  its  suggestions  are  grand  and  impressive. 
Within  a  year  the  land  was  invaded  by  raiding 
parties  from  Moab,  on  the  east  of  Jordan.  One 
of  these  bands  was  seen  in  the  distance  by  a 
small  funeral  train  bearing  a  dead  man  to  the 
grave.  They  chanced  to  be  passing  the  hill- 
side tomb  of  Elisha.  Hurricdh-  they  bore  the 
body  into  the  tomb  and  laid  it  down  in  contact 
with  that  of  the  prophet.  Instantly  the  dead 
man  came  to  life  and  rose  to  his  feet.  That 
life  should  come  to  the  dead  from  the  dead  was 
a  marvel  never  heard  of  before,  a  work  clearly 
wrought  by  the  direct  power  of  God.  And 
such  a  miracle  had  a  wortli3'  purpose.  It  man- 
ifestly conveyed  a  posthumous  testimony  to  the 
Divine  mission  and  life-worlv  of  the  departed 
prophet.  By  it  God  authenticated  Elisha's 
teachings  afresh,  as  by  a  voice  from  heaven  ; 
and  intimated  that  He  would  have  them  remem- 
bered and  heeded  by  His  people.  By  it,  too,  He 
substantiated  and  sealed  Elisha's  prophetic 
promises  and  warnings,  with  a  sanction  so  sol- 
emn seeking  to  give  them  vividness  and  per- 
suasive force  over  the  hearts  of  king  and  peo- 
ple.    Further,  while  distinctly  hinting  the  fact 


240 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


of  a  future  resurrection  of  the  body,  this  mira- 
cle vividly  suggested  the  reiility  of  iinother  life 
in  which  God  wixs  still  the  God  of  the  living 
Elisbii.  So  God  would  encourage  the  hopes  of 
helieving  Israelites  by  the  glimpse  of  a  rest  re- 
maining for  His  people  ;  that  they  might  "  en 
dure  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible,"  who 
would  linally  reward  their  fidelity  in  a  future 
immortal  life.  And  upon  the  heedless,  unbe- 
lieving multitude  the  same  stuiiendoiis  reality 
was  solemnly  impressed,  that  they,  too,  nught 
be  led  to  due  care  and  prcparatiim  for  its  expe- 
rience. For  tlu'se  immediate  effects  upon  the 
living  generation,  and  to  convey  these  sugges- 
tions of  a  bodily  resurrection  and  a  future  life 
to  all  generations,  God  added  this  miracle  of 
life  from  Elisha's  lifeless  body  to  His  previous 
testimonies  iu  the  translation  of  Enoch  and  Eli- 
jah.    B. 

'20.  .Ind  FJUlia  died.  The  longest  and 
mo.-it  useful  life  thus  comes  to  its  close.  It  is 
well  when,  on  a  death-bed,  one  can  look  back 
on  a  life  which  has  been  spent  in  the  service  of 
God.  The  certainty  of  removal  by  death  from 
the  scene  of  their  labors  should  animate  those 
who  are  still  in  the  vigor  of  their  powers  to 
work  while  it  is  to-day,  and  should  lead  those 
who  enjoy  the  presence  and  services  of  good 
men  to  prize  and  honor  those  servants  of  God 
while  they  are  here.  From  the  side  of  the 
saint  himself  death  is  not  a  calamity,  but  a 
gain.  "  He  rests  from  his  labors,  and  his  works 
follow  him."     J.  O. 

!il.  He  revived  and  stood  up  on 
his  feet.  To  make  a  dead  corpse  the  source 
out  of  which  vitality  shall  leap  forth  to  fresh 
energj'  is  to  surpass  all  that  the  most  lively 
fancy  could  imagine  of  wonderful,  and  almost 
to  reconcile  contradictions.  God  willed  at  this 
time  to  show  that  He  could  effect  even  this 
marvellous  thing — make  death  give  life  to  that 
which  was  recently  dead — educe  from  one  dead 
in  Him  the  vital  power  that  should  resuscitate 
and  reanimate  another  also  dead,  and  make  a 
tomb — the  place  of  death — the  scene  of  the 
transformation  1     Hammond. 

This  miracle  was  the  immediate  work  of  God, 
and  concurred  with  the  translation  of  Elijah,  to 
keep  alive  and  confirm,  in  a  degenerate  and  in- 
fidel age,  the  grand  truth  of  a  bodily  resurrec- 
tion, which  the  translation  of  Enoch  was  calcu- 
lated to  produce  in  the  antediluvian  world,  and 
which  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  in  a  glorified 

body,  fully  illustrated.     Hides. This  great 

miracle,  though  very  briefly  related,  was  a  de- 
cided proof  of  his  mission,  and  a  confirmation 
of  all  his  prophecies.     It  was  also  a  plain  indi- 


cation of  another  life  after  this  ;  when  Elisha 
died,  there  was  not  an  end  of  him,  for  then  he 
could  not  have  done  this.  From  operation  we 
may  infer  existence.  By  this  it  ai)peared  that 
the  Lord  was  still  the  God  of  Elisha,  therefore 
Elisha  still  lived,  for  lie  is  not  tlie  Ood  of  tlie 
dead,  but  of  t/te  living.  Elijah  was  honored  in 
his  departure,  Elisha  was  honored  after  his  de- 
parture. God  thus  dispenses  honors  as  He 
pleases,  but,  one  way  or  other,  the  rest  of  all 

the  saints  will  be  glorious  (Isa.  11  :  10).     H. 

God  set  the  seal  on  his  prophetic  work  by 
making  life-giving  power  to  issue  even  from 
his  grave.  The  miracle  suggests  to  us  the  fact 
that  from  every  good  man's  grave  there  issues 
in  an  important  sense  a  life-giving  power.  The 
influence  of  men  does  not  die  with  them.  On 
the  contrary,  it  is  often  greater  after  their 
deaths  than  during  their  lives.     J.  O. 

The  gofxi  man's  influence  lives  after  his  body 
dies.  The  illustration  of  this  truth,  with  such 
emphasis  as  even  so  sensuous  a  people  could 
not  resist,  seems  to  have  been  one  chief  object 
of  the  miracle.  The  truths  he  had  taught  them 
and  the  spirit  he  had  manifested  would  have 
more  permanent  effect  because  of  such  demon- 
stration of  God's  interest  even  in  his  dust.  His 
influence  would  have  quickening  power,  as  his 
bones  had  power  to  bring  to  life  the  man  who 
"  revived  and  stood  upon  his  feet"  as  soon  as 
he  touched  these  entombed  relics  of  the  proph- 
et. Our  posthumous  influence  does  not  n  ceive 
enough  of  our  thought.  A  man  may  be  for- 
gotten, his  name  may  be  unknown,  and  stran- 
gers may  tread  upon  his  grave  or  disturb  his 
ashes  to  make  room  for  their  own  dead,  but  the 
works  he  made  in  life  will  be  seen  and  the 
power  he  possessed  will  be  felt  b)"  those  who 

follow  him.    /.  Eells. This  narrative  teaches 

us  that  the  influence  of  faithful  workers  for  the 
kingdom  of  God  extends  beyond  the  grave,  and 
that  frequently  a  cause  for  which  men  have  la- 
bored and  spent  themselves  is  advaneeii  l)y  the 
departure  from  among  us  of  those  who  have 
taken  it  in  hand.  Contact  with  the  death  of 
such  a  worker  not  unfrequently  imparts  life — 
the  life  of  earnestness,  the  life  of  devotion,  the 
life  of  Christian  self-sacrifice — to  those  who  did 
not  possess  it,  or  who  possessed  it  only  imper- 
fectly and  inefliciently  before.     G.  Calthmp. 

22.  The  author,  having  parenthetically  re- 
late<l  the  extraordinary  miracle  wrought  by  the 
instrumentality  of  Elisha's  corpse,  returns  to 
the  subject  of  the  Syrian  oppression.  He  had, 
In  verses  14-19,  dwelt  upon  the  promises  of 
victory  given  by  the  prophet  to  Jo.ish.  lie  is 
now  bent  on  relating  their  fulfilment.     But  be- 


SEGTIOX  25.     REION  OF  JEUOASU. 


241 


fore  doing  so  he  recapitulates.     Verse  33  refers 
back  to  verse  3,  and  verse  33  to  verses  4  and  5. 

23.  And  the  Lord  was  gracious 
unto  tlieni,  and  hafi  eoanpassion  on 
tlieni.  Even  in  His  wratli  God  "  tliinketh 
upon  mercy."  Wliile  He  was  still  punishing 
Israel  by  the  sword  of  Hazael,  he  was  ynt  care- 
ful not  to  make  a  full  end,  not  to  allow  the 
affliction  to  proceed  too  far.  He  still  preserved 
the  nation,  and  kept  it  in  being.     Hammond. 

Because  of  his  covenant  with 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob.  That 
coveiiaut  wa.s  the  main  fact  in  the  history  of 
Israel.  It  underlies  and  governs  all  God's 
dealings  with  them,  past,  present,  and  pro- 
spective. It  w;is  the  remembrance  of  this  cove- 
nant which  led  to  the  deliverance  from  Egypt  ; 
to  the  settlement  in  Caanan  ;  and  to  God's  pa- 
tient dealings  with  the  nation  amid  their  vari- 
ous rebellions,  and  under  their  constant  provo- 
cations. God  saved  them,  not  for  their  right- 
eousness' sake,  but  for  His  own  Name's  sake. 
He  is  the  God  of  unchanging  faithfulness.  He 
bears  long  with  men,  if  hapl}'  thev  will  repent. 
Wherefore  it  is  said,  "  He  would  not  destroy 
them,  neither  cast  He  them  from  His  presence 
as  .yet."  There  is  a  limit,  however,  to  Divine 
forbearance.  The  time  came  when,  still  re- 
maining impenitent,  they  were  cast  away, 
though  even  then  not  forever.     J.  O. 

2S-!J5.  At  its  close  the  narrative  again  re- 
turns to  what  is  its  key-note  (in  verses  4,  5). 
Again  comes  the  record  of  the  Lord's  compas- 
sion, of  His  faithful  rememl)rance  of  the  cove- 
nant with  the  Fathers,  and  of  His  merciful  de- 
lay of  that  final  punishment  of  Isr.ael's  .sin 
which  would  sweep  them  far  from  their  laud. 
It  was  as  God  had  promised.  Hazael  was  dead. 
Once  and  again — naj",  three  times — did  Jehoash 
defeat  Benhadad  (III.),  the  son  and  successor  of 
Hazael,  and  take  from  him  those  cities  which 
had  been  captured  in  the  reign  of  Jehoahaz. 
But  as  from  the  rock-hewn  sepidchre  of  Elisha 
came  attestation  of  his  Divine  mission,  so  comes 
there  to  us  from  the  monuments  of  Assyria 
confirmation  of  this  defeat  of  Benhadad  in  ful- 
filment of  Divine  promise.  For  wheresis  his 
father  is  repeatedly  referred  to  as  a  bold  war- 
rior even  against  the  overwhelming  might  of 
Assyria,  Benhadad  (III.) is  not  even  mentioned. 
This  is  most  significant ;  evidently  his  reign  was 
smitten  with  weakness,  and  his  power  hail  been 
wholly  broken.     A.  E. 

Victory  of  Joash  oivr  Amaziah. 

12.  Fought  against  Amaziah.  Ama- 
ziah, king  of  Judah,  had  defeated  the  Edomites 


with  great  slaughter,  and  returned  victorious 
with  a  large  booty  (2  C'hrou.  35  :  9)  to  Jerusa- 
lem. Then,  in  the  insolence  of  victory,  the 
Jewish  king  sent  a  challenge  to  his  Israelite 
brother,  in  the  curt  but  perfectly  clear  phrase — 
"  Come,  let  us  look  one  another  in  the  face." 
Joash  answered  the  challenger  in  true  Oriental 
fashion,  with  a  parable  :  "  The  thistle  that  was 
in  Lebanon,"  he  said,  "  sent  to  the  cedar  that 
was  in  Lebanon,  saying.  Give  th.v  daughter  to 
my  son  to  wife  ;  and  there  came  by  a  wild 
bciist  that  was  in  Lebanon,  and  tvode  down  the 
thistle"  (3  K.  14  ;  9).  To  his  parable  he  added 
a  few  words  of  advice  :  "  Thou  hnst  indeed 
smitten  Edom,  and  thine  heart  hath  lifted  thee 
up  ;  glory  of  this,  and  tarry  at  home  :  for  why 
shouldest  thou  meddle  to  thy  hurt,  that  thou 
shouldest  fall,  even  thou,  and  Judah  with 
thee?"  But  Amaziah  had  gone  too  far  to  draw 
back.  Instead  of  "tarrying  at  home,"  he 
marched  out  to  attack  his  foe,  and  met  him  at 
Bethshemesh,  not  far  from  Jerusalem,  where 
the  two  kings  ' '  looked  one  another  in  the 
face,"  and  fought  a  bloody  battle.  The  host  of 
Juilah  was  discomfited  before  Israel,  and  fled 
away  in  confusion  ;  Amaziah  himself  being 
taken  prisoner  upon  the  battletield.  Joash 
forthwith  advanced  upon  Jerusalem,  which, 
being  quite  unable  to  resist  the  conqueror,  had 
to  submit  upon  disgraceful  conditions.  A 
space  of  four  hundred  cubits  (two  hundred 
yards)  in  the  northern  wall  was  levelled  (3  K. 
14  :  13).  All  the  treasures  contained  in  the 
Temple  and  in  the  royal  palace,  whether  in 
the  shape  of  bullion  or  of  vessels,  were  consid- 
ered to  be  forfeited,  and  were  seized  and  car- 
ried off  (ibid.,  verse  14).  Hostages  also  were 
demanded  and  given — a  new  feature  in  the 
warfare  of  the  time  ;  after  which  Joash,  having 
j.eleased  Amaziah  and  restored  him  to  his 
throne,  returned  in  triumph,  with  his  victo- 
rious army,  to  Samaria. 

It  would  seem  that  Joash  did  not  very  long 
survive  his  great  victory.  His  entire  reign 
lasted  only  sixteen  years,  and  the  earlier  piirt 
of  it  must  have  been  occupied  with  the  S3'riau 
war.  Amaziah  did  not.  probably,  ascend  the 
Jewish  throne  till  Joash's  fourth  year,  and  then 
must  have  been  for  some  considerable  time  en- 
gaged in  his  preparations  against  Edom  (3 
Chron.  2o  :  5-11).  The  Edomite  campaign  can 
scarcely  have  been  fought  earlier  than  his  tenth 
or  eleventh  year,  which  was  Joash's  thirteenth 
or  fourteenth.  Even  if  the  battle  of  Bethshe- 
mesh took  place  in  the  year  following,  Joash 
can  have  survived  it  onl.y  for  a  vear  or  two. 
He  appears  to  have  died  preacefully  in  Sama- 


242 


KING  DO  X  OF  ISIiAEL. 


rin,  mid  to  have  been  l)urieil  there  in  tlie  sepul- 
chres of  the  kings.  (See  reign  of  Ainiiziiili,  Sec- 
tion 36.)    G.  R. 

Other  Diiitinctice  Practical  Teachings. 

1.  The  measure  of  success  in  Cliristian  con- 
flict orworkilciM'iids  u|>i>n  the  meiusureof  fiiitli, 
of  earnestness  and  perseverance.  Feebleness  of 
faith,  litfulness  and  inconstancy  in  action  bin- 
der eiloctivene.ss  in  warfare,  and  fruitfulness  in 
iichievenient.  Therefore  obediently,  with  all 
the  .soul's  energy,  and  tirelessly,  must  Christ'.s 
soldier  and  toiler  8tru,!fgle  and  endure  to  the 
end,  as  seeing  Ilim  who  is  invisible. 

2.  The  time  and  circumstances  of  death  are 
varied  in  God's  wise  appointment.  Somc'times 
He  allots  a  briefer  terra  of  service,  or  summons 
with  a  sudden  call.  So  He  dealt  witli  Elijah. 
To  others,  as  to  Elisha.  Hi'  ordains  a  protracted 
period  of  usefulness,  and  a  gradual  ai)proach 
to  death.  Each  experience  has  its  advantages, 
and  God  metes  these  out  to  every  believer  in 
His  unerring  wisdom  and  unfailing  love.  But 
His  is  the  ordering,  and  of  each  life  and  of  its 
close  He  makes  the  most  and  the  best. 

3.  To  all  believers,  especially  to  those  who 
are  charged  with  ministry  in  the  Church  of 
God,  the  example  of  Elisha  is  full  of  incitement 


to  single-hearted  fidelity.  Such  fidelity  makes 
every  believer's  life,  like  Elisha's.  a  blessing  to 
his  coramuuity  and  nation.  And  such  a  life  of 
blessing  never  dies  out  of  the  hearts  that  have 
been  blessed.  Through  these  hearts  the  bless- 
ing influence  is  transmitted  to  succeeding  gen- 
erations, and  thus  the  believer  "  being  dead  yet 
speaketh."  even  unto  the  end  of  time.     B. 


In  the  Old  Testament,  we  may  studj'  both 
God  and  man  by  an  "  inductive  method."  We 
nuiy  learn  what  God  is,  and  what  He  will  do 
for  and  with  men,  by  seeing  what  He  was,  and 
what  He  did,  in  the  days  of  patriarclis  and 
prophets.  We  may  discover  what  fate  will 
attend  the  various  forms  of  human  conduct,  by 
seeing  to  what  they  led  in  that  olden  time. 
We  ma)'  know  what  are  the  possiljilities  of 
human  endeavor,  and  what  men.  bj'  the  grace 
of  God,  may  do  and  be,  by  learning  what  the 
ancient  men  of  God,  of  whom  the  world  was 
not  worthy,  became  and  achieved.  We  may 
discover  what  are  the  elements  and  the  fashion- 
ing powers  of  a  noble  and  godly  life  by  study- 
ing the  development  and  the  character  of  the 
grand  and  saintly  souls  of  the  Old  Testament 
age.     S.  Barnham. 


Section  26. 

REIGN  OP  JEROBOAM   11..  41   YEARS. 
15tli  of  Aiiiaziali  to  14(h  or  Uzziali,  ol'  Juduli. 

2  KiNG-s  14  :  2:^29. 


23  In  the  fifteenth  year  of  Araaziah   the  son  of  .Io:ush  king  of  .Judali  Jeroboam  the  son  of 

24  Joash  king  of  Israel  began  to  reign  in  Samaria,  (ind  reigned  forty  and  one  years.  And  he  did 
that  which  wa.s  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  :  he  departed  not  from  all  the  sins  of  Jeroboam 

2.5  the  son  of  Nebat,  wherewith  he  made  Israel  to  sin.  He  restored  the  border  of  Israel  from 
the  entering  in  of  Hamath  unto  the  sea  of  the  Arabah.  according  to  the  wonl  of  the  Loud, 
the  God  of  Israel,  wliich  he  spake  by  the  hand  of  his  servant  Jonah  the  son  of  Amittai.  the 

26  prophet,  which  was  of  Gath-hepher.  For  the  LoHi)  saw  the  affiiction  of  Israel,  that  it  was 
very  bitter  :  for  there  was  none  shut  up  nor  left  at  large,  neither  was  there  any  helper  for 

27  Israel.     And  the  Louusaid  not  that  he  would  blot  out  the  name  of  Israel  from  under  heaven  : 

28  but  he  saved  them  by  the  hand  of  .leroboam  the  son  of  Joash.  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of 
Jeroboam,  and  all  that  he  did,  and  his  might,  how  he  warred,  and  how  he  recovered 
Dama.scus,  and  Mamath.  w/iich  had  belonged  to  Jvnlah,  for  Isniel,  are  they  not  written  in  the 

29  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Israel  ?  And  Jeroboam  slept  with  his  fathers,  even 
with  the  kings  of  Israel  ;  and  Zechariah  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 


SECTION  SG.     REIGN  OF  JEROBOAM  II. 


243 


TiiE  long  reign  of  Joroboam  II.,  the  most  im- 
portant of  those  belonging  to  the  kingdom  of 
Israel  since  that  of  Ahab,  is  treated  with  great 
brevity  by  the  writer,  whose  interest  is  far  more 
in  .Jiidah  than  in  Israel.  Seven  verses  only  are 
devoted  to  him.  The  i-esult  of  his  wars  is  given 
without  any  aceouut  of  the  ware  themselves. 
And  the  great  fact  of  his  ruling  over  Damascus 
only  comes  in  by  a  sort  of  afterthought  (verse 
28).  The  usual  formulas  are  followed  in  in- 
troducing his  reign  and  dismissing  it.  Jero- 
boam II.  was  contemporary  with  Amaziah  dur- 
ing fourteen  years  of  his  reign.     Hammond. 

23.  Jcrobostni.  The  name  is  here  re- 
markable. It  is  the  only  instance,  in  the  liis- 
tory  of  either  kingdom,  of  a  recurrent  royal 
appellation.  We  can  scarcely  doulit  that  Jero- 
boam II.  was  named  after  the  great  founder  of 
the  Israelite  kingdom  by  a  father  who  trusted 
that  he  might  prove  a  sort  of  second  founder. 
B.  C. 

Jeroboam  II.,  the  thirteenth  king  of  Israel. 
and  the  fourth  of  the  house  of  Jehu,  succeeded 
his  father  Jehoash  in  the  fifteenth  year  of 
Amaziah,  and  reigned  forty-one  years  at  Sa- 
maria. His  reign  is  by  far  the  most  prosper- 
ous in  the  annals  of  Israel.  To  him  even  more 
than  to  his  fatlieris  the  statement  applied  that. 
in  Israel's  decline,  God  gave  them  a  saviour, 
in  remembrance  of  His  covenant  with  their 
fathers  ;  though  he  also  followed  the  sins  of 
Jeroboam,  the  son  of  Nebat.  He  not  onljf  re- 
covered from  Syria  the  whole  district  east  of 
the  Jordan  from  Hamath  to  the  Dead  Sea,  and 
reconquered  Amnion  and  Moab,  but  he  attacked 
Damascus  itself  ;  and  if  he  did  not  actually 
take  the  city,  he  regained  a  large  part  of  its  ter- 
ritory for  Israel.  The  ajiparent  ease  of  these 
conquests  may  be  explained  by  the  sufferings 
of  Syria  from  the  constant  attacks  of  the  great 
Assyrian  Empire,  now  at  the  height  of  its 
power.     P.  S. 

We  are  not  able  to  lay  down  on  any  historical 
authority  the  order  of  Jeroboam's  wars.  But 
taking  probability  for  our  guide,  we  shall  not 
be  likely  to  stray  very  far  from  tlie  truth  if  we 
put  his  war  with  Syria  of  Damascus  first,  that 
for  the  recovery  of  Ilamath  second,  and  that 
with  Moab  and  Amnion  in  the  far  south  third. 
Syria  of  Damascus  still  retained  at  Jeroboam's 
accessi<)n  the  whole  territory  east  of  the  Jordan 
— "  all  the  land  of  Gilead,  the  Gadites,  and  the 
Reubenites,  and  tlie  Manassites,  from  Aroer 
which  is  by  the  river  Amon,  even  Gilead  and 
Bashan"  (3  K.  10  :  33),  all  the  tract  conquered 
by  Ilazael  from  Jehu.  Joash  had  recovered 
only  the  cities  taken  by  Benhadad,  the  son  of 


Hazael,  from  Jehoahaz  (2  K.  13  :  25).  It  would 
be  natural  that  Jeroboam  should  seek  first  to 
"  recover  his  border."  Rapid  success  seems  to 
have  attended  him.  Not  only  was  the  entire 
trans-Jordanic  region  recovered,  but  the  Dam- 
ascene kingdom  was  itself  invaded  ;  the  troops 
of  Jeroboam  earrieil  all  liefore  them  ;  and  the 
capital  city,  the  great  and  ancient  "  Damme 
sek,"  was  taken  {ihid.,  verse  28).  When  we 
consider  the  great  power  of  Damascus,  how, 
under  Benhadad  and  Hazael,  it  had  warred  on 
tolerably  even  terms  against  Assyria,  what  a 
strength  of  chariots  it  possessed,  and  how 
nearly  it  had  but  a  little  while  previously  con- 
quere<l  the  kingdom  of  Israel  (2  K.  13  :  7),  the 
change  of  fortune  does  indeed  seem  remarkable, 
and  the  success  of  Jeroboam  extraordinary. 
Then  Jeroljoam  "  recovered  Ilamath  to  Israel" 
(verse  28)  after  it  had  enji  lyed  independence  for 
the  space  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  years,  regain- 
ing thereby  the  sovereigntj'  over  which  it  had 
been  lost  upon  the  death  of  Solomon.  Thus 
victorious  in  tlie  northeast  and  the  north,  Jero- 
boam seems  to  have  turned  his  arms  against  the 
south  He  did  not  indeed  attack  Judah,  which 
was  growing  in  strength  under  the  judicious 
rule  of  Uzziali,  the  son  of  Amaziah,  but  in  re- 
establishing his  southeastern  border  he  could 
not  fail  to  c«me  in  contact  with  the  Ammonites 
and  Moabites,  and  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  he  severely  chastised  both  nations,  and 
even  conquered  them,  or  at  any  rate  made  their 
kings  tributary. 

How  long  it  took  Jeroboam  to  effect  his 
numerous  and  imj^ortaut  conquests  is  uncer- 
tain. He  had  a  reign  of  very  unusual  length, 
extending  over  a  space  of  forty-one  years. 
There  is  reason,  however,  to  believe  that  his 
great  victories  and  successes  belong  to  the 
earlier  rather  than  to  the  later  portion  of  his 
reign,  and  that  after  they  were  completed  the 
people  of  Israel  enjoj-ed  under  Jeroboam's 
rule  a  long  term  of  continually  increasing 
material  prosperity. 

The  prosperity  exhibited  itself  in  magnificent 
buildings  of  various  kinds,  in  a  vast  number  of 
the  most  luxurious  contrivances  for  material  en- 
joyment, and  in  a  general  expeusiveness  and 
softness  of  living  among  the  upper  classes 
which  tended,  as  time  went  on,  to  injure  the 
morals  and  sap  the  physical  vigor  of  the  nation. 
"  Great  houses"  were  built,  "  palaces,"  as  they 
are  called  in  some  places  (Amos  3  :  11  ;  6  ;  8),  of 
hewn  stone  {ibid.,  S  :  11),  and  liberally  adorned 
with  ivory  {ibid.,  3  :  15)  ;  some  were  used  as 
winter,  others  as  summer  residences  {ibid.)  ; 
they  were   richly   and    luxuriously   fitted    up 


244 


KINO  DOM  OF  ISIiAEL. 


with  ivory  beds  (ihiil.,  6  :  4),  (in<l  soft  couches 
(Inipcti  with  Dimiiiscus  dotli  (iliiil.,  ;i  :  13)  ;  the 
hnrp  and  the  viol  rcsoiiiuled  in  them  (ibid., 
6:5);  iind  their  owners  indulged  in  a  continu- 
ous round  of  feasting  and  revelry.  i\a  Ewald 
gays  :  "  The  comfortJible  prosix-rity  of  the  peo- 
ple passed,  in  the  metropolis  of  Samaria  and 
ill  many  otlier  jiarts  of  the  (country,  into  de- 
baucliery  and  excess,  and  then  again  into  such 
pampered  effeminacy  of  inf)rals  that  the  austere 
old  Israel  could  hardly  be  recognized,  and  the 
prophets  could  not  pour  out  thcirdivirie  wrath, 
or  the  moralists  their  ridicule,  abunilantly 
enough.  The  clearest  sign  of  the  degradation 
of  public  morality  was  furnished  then,  as  at 
all  similar  times,  by  the  growing  effrontery 
of  women  and  the  decline  of  domestic  chas- 
tity (IIos.  4  :  13  ;  Amos  2  :  7  ;  4  :  1-8  ;  8  :  13). 
8uch  a  vehement  appetite  for  debauchery  and 
ostentation  created  an  equally  powerful  ten- 
dency to  avarice  and  all  kinds  of  fraudulent 
oppression  of  the  most  defenceless  citizens  : 
and  the  opportunities  for  the.se  perversions  of 
justice  increased  in  proportion  as  the  king 
came  to  be  regarded  simply  as  the  first  among 
a  number  of  similar  potentates  and  military 
chiefs  (llos.  5:1;  Amos 3  :  fl,  etc. J.  And  now, 
too,  as  in  the  time  of  Solomon,  tlie  freer  inter- 
course of  the  ])eople  with  heathen  nations,  who 
had  either  been  coniiuered  or  were  distin- 
guished by  commerces  and  art,  together  with  the 
general  spread  of  looseness  an'l  intemperance 
of  life,  caused  an  extensive  introduction  of 
heathen  religions.  Thus  the  fair  promise  with 
which  the  reign  of  Jeroboam  opened  pa.ssed 
away,  and  was  succeeded  by  a  time  of  general 
corruption  and  depravity.  The  existing  dy- 
nasty was  declared  to  lie  under  the  Divine 
displeasure,  and  was  threatened  with  speedy 
extinction  {Hos.  1:4;  Amos  7  :  9).  The  king- 
dom itself  was  declared  to  be  approaching  its 
dissolution (.Vmos  3  :  12  ;  5  :  27  ;  7  :  17).  Assyria 
wiLS  not  obscurely  indicated  as  the  world-power 
by  which  the  destruction  would  be  accom- 
plished (Hos.  10  :  14).  A  sad  and  dismal  pros- 
pect must  have  lain  before  the  aged  Jeroboam 
in  the  later  years  of  his  life,  when,  denounced 
by  the  prophets  of  Jehovah,  and  at  war  with 
one  of  them  (Amos  7  :  12),  he  must  have  felt 
that  his  dyiiiusty  approached  its  term,  and  that 
even  his  kingdom's  days  were  probably  num- 
beri'd.  At  the  age  of  threescore  years  and  ten, 
or  more,  he  at  length  "  slept  with  his  fathers" 
(5  :  20),  having  reigned  longer,  ami  probably 
having  lived  longer,  than  any  other  king  of 
Israel  ;  having  also  done  more  than  any  other 
king  to  increase  the  glory  and  raise  the  military 


prcn/ir/p  of  his  kingdom,  but  having  greatly 
sapped  its  strength,  and  brought  it  into  a 
condition  which  would  naturally  make  it  an 
easy  l>rey  to  the  first  powerful  enemy  with 
which  it  should  be  brought  into  contact.     G.  R. 

2:t.  Forty  aii<i  one  j'cars.  Many  mod- 
erns (Thenius.  Balir,  and  others)  extend  the 
term  to  fifty-one  years.  Some  suj^jjose  that 
Jeroboam  was  joint  king  with  his  father  in 
Amaziah's  third  year,  sole  king  from  his 
fifteenth. 

'2-i,  Jonah,  the  son  of  Amittai  (cf. 
Jonah  1:1).  Jonah's  <late  is  determined  by  this 
passage.  He  was  conterapomry  with  Ilosea  and 
Amos,  and  earlier  than  Micah.  His  prophecy 
concerning  Jeroboam  is  probably  assigned  to 
the  early  part  of  that  king's  reign. 

26.  For  the  Lord  §aAV  the  affliction 
or  Israel,  that  it  was  very  bitter 
(cf.  chap.  13:4,  23).  The  repetition  is  |)er- 
haps  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  desire  of 
the  writer  to  explain  how  it  came  to  pass  that 
.so  great  a  deliverance  was  granted  to  Israel 
under  a  king  who  maintained  the  worship  of 
the  calves.  He  views  it  as  the  consequence  of 
God's  infinite  compassion,  and  of  the  extreme 
bitterness  of  Israel's  sufferings  under  the 
Sj-rians  (cf.  chap.  13  :  7  and  Amos  1  :  3). 

27.  God's  decision  under  the  circumstances 
was  not,  as  it  well  might  have  been,  consider- 
ing Israel's  ill  desert,  to  blot  out  forthwith  the 
very  name  of  Israel  from  the  earth.  On  the 
contrary.  He  gave  the  nation  a  breathing-space, 
a  gleam  of  light,  a  second  summer  before  the 

j  winter  set  in — a  further  opportunity  of  repent- 
ing and  turning  to  Him  with  all  their  hearts 
if  they  would  only  have  taken  advantage  of  it,  a 

}  chance  of  redeeming  the  past  and  re-establish- 
ing themselves  in  His  favor.  He  might  well 
have  destroyed  them  at  this  time  if  H<'  had 
looked  only  to  considerations  of  justice,  if  in 
His  wrath  lit'  had  not  thought  upon  men'V. 

Hammond. .Vccording    to  the   pnunises  of 

Deut.  33  :  36-43  (which  arc  in  the  writer's 
mind),  God  "repented  Himself  for  His  serv- 
ants," and  was  "  merciful  luito  His  land  and 
to  His  people  :"  He  did  not  send  a  pi-ophet  to 
say  that  He  would  blot  out  the  name  of  Israel 
from  under  heaven  ;  but  on  the  contrary  sent 

!  two  to  announce  that  they  should  be  delivered 
from  their  )iresent  enemies,  and  obtain  tri- 
umphs over  them.  Tliat  ilC  WOllId  blot 
out  tile  name  or  Israel  fVoni  under 
heaven.  This  is  again  a  Mos;iic  phrase 
found  only  hen'  and  in  Deut.   9:14:    29  :  20. 

\  B.  r. By   I  lie    liand  of  Jeroboam, 

!  tlic  son  of  Joasli.    Joash  began  the  salva- 


SECTION  26.    REIGN  OF  JEROBOAM  II. 


245 


tion,  b<it  it  was  reserved  for  Jeroboam  to  com- 
jilete  it.  He  was  the  true  "  saviour"  (chap. 
13  ;  5),  tlie  true  accomplisher  of  tlic  worii,  for 
•whicli  his  fatlier  onlj'  paved  tlie  waj'.  Tluis 
one  Jeroboam  founded  tlie  liingdora  ;  another 
refounded  it,  restored  its  ancient  glories,  and 
gave  it  its  old  dimensions.     Hammond. 

29.  Zccliariaii  his  son  reigned  in 
llis  stead.  By  Zcchariah's  accession  the 
promise  given  to  Jehu  (cliap.  10  ;  30),  that  liis 
"  children  to  the  fourth  generation  .should  sit 
on  the  throne  of  Israel,"  was  literally  fulfilled. 
No  other  ro_yal  house  oc(tupied  the  Israelitisli 
throne  for  more  than  tlu-ee  generations.  Ilam- 
moiid. 


With  this  period  a  new  stage  in  prophecy 
begins.  Hitherto  the  prophets  had  been  chiefly 
God-sent  teachers  and  messengers  to  their  con- 
temporaries— rejiroving,  warning,  guiding,  en- 
couraging. Henceforth  the  prophetic  horizon 
enlarges.  Beyond  their  contemporaries  who 
were  hardened  beyond  hope  of  recovery,  their 
outlook  is  lienceforth  on  the  great  hope  of  the 
Messianic  kingdom.  They  have  despaired  of 
the  present  ;  but  their  thought  is  of  the  future. 
They  have  despaired  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel 
and  of  Judah  ;  but  the  Divine  thought  of  prep- 
aration that  underlay  it  comes  increasingly 
into  prominence  and  clearer  vision.  The  prom- 
ises of  old  acquire  a  new  and  deeper  meaning  ; 
they  assume  shape  and  outlines  which  become 
ever  more  definite  as  the  daylight  grows.  It  is 
the  future,  with  Israel's  Messiah-King  to  rule 
a  people  restored  and  converted,  and  an  end- 
less, boundless  kingdom  of  rigliteousness  and 
peace  which  in  its  wide  embrace  includes,  rec- 
onciles, and  unites  a  ransomed  world,  obedient 
to  the  Lord,  which  is  now  the  great  burden  of 
their  message,  and  the  joyous  assured  hope  of 
their  thoughts.  For  doomed  apostate  Israel 
after  the  flesh,  we  have  Israel  after  the  spirit, 
and  on  the  ruins  of  the  old  rises  the  new  :  a 
Jerusalem,  a  temple,  a  kingdom,  and  a  King 
fulfilling  the  ideal  of  wliich  the  earthly  had 
been  the  type. 

Without  attempting  any  detailed  account, 
the  prophets  of  that  period  and  the  contents 
of  their  writings  may  here  be  liriefly  referred 
to.  Tlie  earliest  of  them  was  probably  Joel, 
"  Jehovah  is  God" — a  Judean  whose  sphere  of 
laboj  was  also  in  his  native  country.  His 
"  propliecy"  consists  of  two  utterances  (1 :  3- 
2  :  18  ;  2  :  19-3  ;  21),  couched  in  language  as 
pure  and  beaiitiful  as  the  sentiments  are  ele- 
vated. From  the  allu.sions  to  contemporary 
events  (3  :  4-8,  19),  as  well  as  from  the  absence 


of  any  mention  of  As.syria,  we  infer  that  his 
ministr}'  was  in  the  time  of  Joasli,  king  of 
Judah,  and  of  the  higli-priest  Jehoiada,  with 
whicli  agree  his  temple-references,  which  in- 
dicate a  time  of  religious  revival.  But  here 
also  we  mark  the  wider  Messianic  references 
in  chapters  2  and  3.  The  prophecies  of  Joel 
seem  already  referred  to  by  Amos,  "  the  bur- 
den-bearer" (cf.  Amos  1:2;  9  :  13  with  Joel 
3  :  16,  18,  20).  Amos  himself  w-as  also  a 
Judean,  originally  a  "  herdman  of  Tekoa" 
(Amos  1:1;  7  :  14).  But  his  ministry  was  in 
Israel,  and  during  Jeroboam's  reign,  after  the 
accession  of  Uzziah  (Amos  1  : 1).  There  in 
Bethel,  where  the  false  worship  of  Israel  was 
combined  with  the  greatest  luxury  and  dissi- 
pation, the  prophet  was  confronted  by  Ama- 
ziah,  its  chief  priest.  Although  apparently 
unsuccessful  in  his  accusations  of  political  con- 
spiracy against  the  prophet,  Amos  was  obligeil 
to  withdraw  into  Judah  (Amos  7  :  10-13).  Here 
he  wrote  (^own  his  prophetic  utterances,  pref- 
acing them  by  an  announcement  of  coming 
judgment  (Amos  1,  2)  through  a  nation,  evi- 
dentlj'  that  verj'  Assyria  on  which  the  confi- 
dence of  Jeroboam  had  rested  (cf .  Amos  3  :  27  ; 

6  :  14).  Yet,  amid  all  his  denunciations,  Amos 
also  looked  forward  to  and  prophesied  of  the 
glorious  Messianic  kingdom  (Amos  9  :  11-15). 
A  third  prophet  of  that  period  was  Ilosea, 
"  help" — the  Jeremiah  of  the  northern  king- 
dom, as  he  has  been  aptly  designated.  From 
certain  allusions  in  liis  book  we  infer  that 
he  had  been  a  native  of  the  northern  king- 
dom (Hos.  1  :  3  ;  6  :  10  ;  cf.  7  :  8).  His  minis- 
try was  probably  toward  the  end  of  the  reign 
of  Jeroboam,  and  extended  to  the  rising  of 
Shallum    and    of    Menahem    (cf.    IIos.    6:8; 

7  : 7).  His  prophecies  give  special  insight 
into  the  imlitieal  relations  and  dangers  of  the 
northern  kingdom,  and  into  the  utter  corrup- 
tion of  all  classes.  Frequent,  too,  are  his 
references  to  Judah.  Yet  liere  also  we  mark 
the  persistence  of  the  outlook  on  the  better 
Davidic  kingdom  (Hos.  3),  with  much  con- 
cerning it  scattered  throughout  his  prophecies. 
Lastly,  as  yet  another  prophet  of  that  period, 
we  refer  to  Jonah,  the  son  of  Amittai,  a  native 
of  Gath-liepher,  in  the  tribal  possession  of 
Zebulun,  and  therefore  in  the  northern  part  of 
Israel.  Without  entering  on  the  critical  ques- 
tions connected  with  the  story  which  forms  the 
burden  of  the  Book  of  Jonah,  a  deep  signifi- 
cance surely  attaches  to  its  association  with  the 
prophet  contemporary  of  Jeroboam  II.  It  ia 
not  only  that  it  points  to  a  preaching  of  re- 
pentance t  >  the  Gentiles  also,  and  to  their  in- 


246 


KINODO.\f  OF  ISRAEL. 


piithcrin^  with  believing  Israel  into  the  family 
of  God,  but  the  eircumstanees  of  tlie  time  give 
it  a  speeial  iiieaiiiiig.  From  apostate,  morallj' 
smiUeu  Israel,  such  as  we  have  leanieil  to  know 
it  from  theileseriiitioiis  of  the  prophets,  Jonah, 
the  very  messenger  who  had  aiinoiineed  com- 
ing deliverance  to  Jeroboam,  turns  by  Divine 
commission  to  the  Gentiles,  to  that  great  world- 
empire  which  was  representative  of  them. 
And  from  this  comes  to  us  a  fresh  and  deeper 
meaning  In  regard  to  the  application  of  this  his- 


tory by  our  Lord  (Matt.  12  :  39-41  ;  16  :  4  ; 
Luke  11  :  29-32).  It  had  been  "  a  wicked  and 
adulterous  genenition"  of  old  that  luul  heanl 
the  prophecy  of  Jonah,  and  unilerstood  not  the 
sign  ;  nor  was  other  sign  to  be  given  to  it.  So 
would  it  be  to  those  who  heard  and  saw  the 
Christ,  yet  craved  after  other  "  sign"  suited  to 
their  unbelief.  None  other  than  the  sign  of 
Jonah  would  be  theirs,  yet  even  this,  "  a  sign" 
sufheient  in  it.sclf.  a  sign  also  not  only  of  judg- 
ment, but  of  wider  mercy  (Matt.  12  :  41).     A.  E. 


Section  27. 


REIGNS  OF  ZECHARIAII,  SlI.\.LLrM,  MENAHEM,  AND  PEKAHIAH. 


Reign  of  Zechariah,,  ZSth  Fear  of  Uzzinh,  Sir  Months.  lieirjn  of  S/iallum,  S9th  Tear  of  Uzziah, 
Om^  Month.  Ueign  of  Mrnnhim,  Wth  to  nMh  Tear  of  Uzziah,  Ten  Teai-n.  Biign  of  Peluihiah, 
5f)th  and  bist  Tears  of  Uzziah,  Tico  Tears. 

3  KiNc.s  l.i  :  8-26. 

8  In  the  thirty  and  eighth  year  of  Azariah  king  of  Judah  did  Zechariah  the  .son  of  Jeroboam 

9  ri'ign  over  Israel  in  Sumaria  six  months.     And   he  did  that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of 
the  LoKH,  as  his  fathers  had  done  :  he  departed  not  from  the  sins  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of 

10  Nebat,  wherewith  he  made  Israel  to  sin.     And  Shallum  the  son  of  Jabesli  conspired  against 

11  him,  and  smote  him  before  the  people,  and  slew  him,  and  reigned  in  his  stead.  Now  the 
rest  of  the  acts  of  Zechariah.  behold,  they  are  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the 

12  kings  of  Israel.  This  was  the  word  of  the  Lord  which  he  spake  unto  Jehu,  saying.  Thy 
sons  to  the  fourth  generation  shall  sit  upon  the  throne  of  Israel.     And  so  it  came  to  pass. 

13  8halhim  the  son  of  Jabesh  began  to  reign  in  the  nine  and  thirtieth  year  of  Uzziah  king  of 

14  .ludah  ;  and  he  reigned  the  space  of  a  month  in  Samaria.  And  Menahem  the  son  of  Gadi 
went   up  from  Tirzah,   and  came  to  Samaria,  and  smote   Shalhmi   the   son  of  Jabesh  in 

15  Samaria,  and  slew  him,  and  reigned  in  his  stead.  Now  the  ri'st  of  the  acts  of  Shallum,  and 
his  conspiracy  which  he  made,  behold,  they  are  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the 

16  kings  of  Israel.  Then  Menahem  smote  Tiplisah.  and  all  that  were  therein,  and  the  borders 
thereof,  from  Tirzah  :  because  they  opened  not  to  him,  therefore  he  smote  it  ;  and  all  the 
women  therein  that  were  with  child  he  ripped  up. 

17  In  the  nine  and  thirtieth  year  of  Azariah  king  of  Judah  began  Menahem  the  son  of  Gadi 

18  to  reign  over  Israel,  and  rcir/ned  ten  years  in  Samaria.  And  he  did  that  which  was  evil  in 
the  sight  of  the  Loijd  :  he  departed  not  all  his  days  from  the  sins  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of 

19  Nebat.  wherewith  he  made  Israel  to  sin.  There  came  against  the  land  Pul  the  king  of 
Assyria  ;  and  Menahem  gave  Pul  a  thousand  talents  of  silver,  that  his  hand  might  be  with 

20  him  to  crntirm  the  kingdom  in  his  hand.  And  Menahem  exacted  the  money  of  Israel,  even 
of  all  the  mighty  men  of  wealth,  of  each  man  fifty  shekels  of  silver,  to  give  to  the  king  of 

21  .iVssyria.  So  the  king  of  Assyria  turned  back,  and  stayed  not  there  in  the  land.  Now  the 
rest  of  the   acts  of  Menahem,  and   all  that  he  did,  are  they  not  written  in  the  book  of  the 

22  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Israel  ?  And  Menahem  slept  with  his  fathers  ;  and  Pckaliiah  his 
son  reigned  in  his  stead. 

28      In  the  fiftieth  year  of  Azariah  king  of  Judah    Pckaliiah   the  son  of  Menahem  began  to 

24  reign  over  Israel  in  Samaria,  and  reigned  two  years.     .\nd  he  did  that  which  was  evil  in  the 

sight  of  the  Lord  :  he  departed  not  from  the  sins  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat,  wherewith 


SECTION  S7.     EEION  OF  ZECHARIAH. 


247 


25  he  made  Israel  to  sin.  And  Pekah  the  son  of  Remaliah,  his  captain,  conspired  against  him, 
and  smote  him  in  Samaria,  in  tlie  castle  of  the  king's  house,  with  Argob  and  Arieh  ;  and 
with  him  were  fifty  men  of  the  Gileadites  :  and  lie  slew  him.  and  reigned  in  his  stead. 

26  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Pekahiah,  and  all  that  he  did,  behold,  they  are  written  in  the 
book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Israel. 


Jei!OBO.\m  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
Zechariah.  This  was  tlie  fourth  generation  of 
the  house  of  Jehu,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  he 
reigned  only  six  months.  From  this  time  Israel 
went  rapidly  to  its  ruin.  Tlie  height  of  pros- 
perity reached  in  the  reign  of  Jeroboam  was 
but  the  last  flicker  of  tlie  light  before  final  ex- 
tinction. A  little  over  thirty  years  after  Jero- 
boam's death — forty  at  most — tlie  words  of  the 
prophets  were  fulfilled,  and  the  kingdom  of 
Israel  was  destroyed,  and  its  people  carried 
away  by  the  Assyrian.  J.  O. In  the  thir- 
teen or  fourteen  years  between  the  death  of 
Jeroboam  II.  and  that  of  Uzziah,  the  northern 
kingdom  saw  no  less  than  four  kings,  of  whom 
each  was  removed  by  violence.  In  the  tliirty- 
eiglith  year  of  Uzziah,  Jeroboam  II.  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son  Zechariah,  the  fourth  and 
last  monarch  of  the  line  of  Jehu.  Holy  Scrip- 
ture here  specially  marks  the  fulfilment  of 
Divine  prediction  (3  K.  10  :  30),  in  the  continu- 
ance of  this  dynasty  "  unto  the  fourth  genera- 
tion." Of  his  brief  reign,  which  lasted  only 
six  months,  we  read  that  it  was  characterized 
by  continuance  in  the  sins  of  Jeroboam.  A 
conspiracy  by  one  Shallum,  not  otherwise 
known,  issued,  not  in  the  private  assassination 
but  in  the  public  murder  of  the  king.  So  ter- 
ribly had  all  bonds  of  society  been  loosened. 
The  regicide  occupied  the  tlirone  for  only  one 
month.  Menahem,  wiiom  J<isephus  describes 
as  the  general  of  Zechariah,  advanced  against 
Shallum  from  Tirzah,  the  ancient  royal  resi- 
dence, and  slew  the  usurper.  The  assumption 
of  the  crown  by  Menahem  seems  to  have  met 
some  resistance.  At  any  rate,  we  read  of  an 
expedition  of  Menahem  against  a  place  called 
Tiplisah("  a  ford"),  which  liad  refused  to  open 
its  gates  to  him.  The  town  and  its  surround- 
ing district  were  taken,  and  Menahem  took 
horrible  vengeance  on  the  population.  The 
reign  of  Menahem,  which,  as  reganis  religion, 
resembled  that  of  his  predecessors,  lasted  ten 
years.  But  it  may  truly  be  characterized  as 
the  beginning  of  the  end,  for  with  it  com- 
menced the  acknowledged  dependence  of  the 
northern  kingdom  upon  Assyria,  of  which  the 
ultimate  outcome  was  the  fall  of  Samaria  and 
the  deportation  of  Israel  into  tlie  land  of  the 
conqueror.  Leaving  aside  questions  of  chro- 
nology, the    Assyrian    monuments  enable  us 


more  clearly  to  understand  the  biblical  account 
of  the  relations  between  Menahem  and  his  east- 
em  suzerain  (verses  19,  20).  Thus  we  learn 
that  after  a  period  of  decadence  which  may  ac- 
count for  the  independent  progress  of  Jeroboam 
II.,  perhaps  even  for  the  occupation  of  Tiphsah 
by  Menahem,  a  military  adventurer  of  the 
name  of  Pul,  apparently  sprung  from  the  lower 
ordei-s,  seized  the  crown  of  Assyria  and 
assumed  the  title  of  Tiglath-pileser  II.  The 
first  monarch  of  that  name,  five  centuries 
earlier,  had  founded  the  power  of  Assyria, 
whicli  was  now  to  be  re-established.  In  the 
very  year  of  his  accession  he  vanquished  and 
impaled  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  henceforth 
himself  assumed  that  title.  Two  years  later  he 
turned  his  armies  to  the  west,  and  after  a  siege 
of  three  years  took  the  Syrian  city  Arpad, 
in  the  neigliborliood  of  Hamath,  and  not  far 
from  Damascus  (cf.  Isa.  10  : 9  ;  36  ;  19  ;  3  K. 
18  ;  34  ;  Jer.  49  :  33).  "Without  following  his 
further  military  expeditions,  it  may  suflice  to 
state  that  three  years  later  (in  the  eighth  year 
of  his  reign),  he  is  described  on  the  monuments 
as  receiving  the  tribute  of  Menahem  of  Israel 
among  those  of  other  vassal  kings.  The  shat- 
tering of  the  power  of  tlie  Syrian  confederacy 
;lud  the  occupation  of  Hamath  fully  explain 
the  biblical  notice  of  the  advance  of  Pul  or 
Tiglath-pileser  II.  into  the  northern  kingdom. 
His  progress  was  for  the  time  arrested  by  the 
submission  of  Menahem,  and  his  payment  of 
an  annual  tribute  of  one  thousand  talents  of  sil- 
ver, or  about  £375,000,  which  the  king  of  Israel 
levied  by  a  tax  of  fifty  shekels,  or  about  £6  5s., 
on  all  the  wealthier  inhabitants  of  his  realm. 
This  would  imply  that  there  were  sixty  thou- 
sand contributors  to  this  tax — a  large  figure — 
indicating  at  the  same  time  the  wide  prosperity 
of  the  country  and  the  extent  of  the  bui-den 
which  tlie  triliute  must  have  laid  on  the  people. 
On  these  hard  conditions  Menaliem  was  "  con- 
firmed" in  "  the  kingdom"  by  the  Assyrian 
conqueror.     A.  E. 

§-I2.  Jieigii  of  Zecluiriah  over  Israel.  Fulfil- 
ment iif  ihe  Promue.  made  to  Jehu.  The  writer 
has  nothing  to  record  of  Zechariah  but  his  mur- 
der by  Shallum  after  a  reign  of  six  months. 
Verses  8.  9  and  11  contain  the  usual  formula. 
Verse  10  gives  the  only  event  that  needed 
record.     Verse  13  recalls  to   the  reader's  attcn- 


248 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


tion  !»  previous  pnssjigp  in  wliioli  a  propliccy 
liiul  been  mcMlioiu'tl,  wIrr'oI'  Zecliariairs  reign 
WHS  the  fiiltilnu-iit.     Iliimniond. 

lO.  Before  tlic  people.  Rather  "  ic- 
fore  piopk."  Openly  and  publiely,  tliat  is, 
us  Jehu,  the  founder  of  the  dyn;Lsty,  liad  slain 
his  own  predeeessor  .lorani  (2  K.  9  :  34).  The 
slaughter  of  Zeehariah  fulfilled  the  prophecy 
of  Amos,  tliat  "  God  would  rise  against  the 
house  of  Jeroboam  with  the  sword"  (Amos 
7  :  9),  and  also  that  of  Hosea,  that  Jehovah 
would  "  avenge  the  blood  of  Jezreel  upon  the 
liouse  of  Jehu"  (IIos.  1  ;  4). 

12.  This  was  the  word  of  the  Lord. 
This  loss  of  the  kingdom  in  the  person  of  liis 
fourth  deseeudant  wsis  in  exact  accordance 
with  the  prediction  of  a  prophet,  probably 
Elisha,  to  Jehu,  that  his  children  should  keep 
the  throne  until  the  fourth  generation.     B.  C. 

And  so  It  eainc  to  pass.    The  house 

of  Jehu  ceased  to  reign  in  the  fourth  genera- 
tion of  the  descendants  of  its  founder.  In 
breaking  off  from  the  divinely  chosen  house  of 
David,  and  choosing  to  themselves  a  king,  the 
Israelites  had  sown  the  seeds  of  instability  in 
their  state  and  put  themselves  at  tlic  mercy  of 
any  ambitious  pretender.  Five  dynasties  had 
already  liorne  rule  in  the  two  hundred  j'cars 
that  the  kingdom  had  lasted  ;  four  more  were 
about  to  hold  the  throne  in  the  remaining  fifty 
years  of  its  existence.  "  Unstable  as  water, 
thou  shall  not  excel,"  though  said  of  Reuben 
only,  fairly  expressed  the  character  of  the  en- 
tire kingdom,  with  which  Reuben  cast  in  its 
lot  at  the  time  of  tlie  separation. 

13-15.  Short  and  Unimportant  Hcign  of 
Shallum.  Three  verses  suffice  for  the  reign  of 
Shalhim,  the  son  of  Jabesh,  who  held  the  throne 
for  only  thirty  days.  Hearing  of  his  con- 
spiracy, Jlenahem,  the  son  of  Gadi— "  the  gen- 
eral," as  Josephus  calls  him — marched  from 
Tirzah  to  Samaria,  got  Shallum  into  his  power, 
and  put  him  to  death  (verse  14).  The  writer 
concludes  with  the  usual  formula.  Ham- 
mond. 

17-22.  Reign  of  Menaliem,  Ten  Tears. 

19.  I>ul,  the  kiiigr  of  AiiNyria.  This  is 
the  lii-st  distinct  mention  which  we  find  in 
Scripture  of  Assyria  as  an  aggressive  power. 
From  the  native  monuments  we  learn  that  she 
had  been  now  for  above  a  century  pushing  her 
conquests  beyond  the  Euphrates,  and  seeking 
to  reduce  under  her  dominion  the  entire  tract 
between  that  river  and  Egypt.  One  great  mon- 
arch hadcontiuered  N'orthern  Syria,  and  forced 
I'bccnicia  to  pay  him  tribute  ;  another,  his  son 


(Shalmane.scr  II.),  had  invaded  Southern  Syria, 
reduced  llamath,  ravaged  the  territory  of 
Damascus,  and  received  tribute  from  Jehu  ;  a 
third,  the  grandson  of  this  last,  had  taken 
DamiLscus  itself,  and  claimed  authority,  not 
only  over  Phcenicia  and  Samaria,  Ijut  over 
Philistia  and  Edom.  It  is  even  doubtful 
whether  Judea  had  not  acknowledged  Assyrian 
suzerainty,  and  consented  that  her  monarchs 
should  receive  their  investiture  from  the  hamis 
of  the  Ninevitc  king.  But  hitherto  there  had 
been  no  hostile  inviision  of  Jewish  or  Israelite 
soil  by  an  Assyrian  army  :  and  so  the  sacred 
historian,  to  whom  we  may  ascribe  the  natural 
feelings  of  a  patriot,  had  allowed  himself  to 
maintain  silence  with  respect  to  the  encroach- 
ments of  tills  hated  and  dreade(i  power.  At 
length,  however,  an  actual  invasion  took  place 
— Pul  "  came  against  the  land" — and  it  would 
have  been  no  longer  honest  to  maintain  silence. 
The  Assyrians  are  therefore  now  at  last  for- 
mally introduced  into  the  liistory.     B.  C. 

The  monarch  who  inaugurated  the  most  brill- 
iant period  of  Assyria's  history  bore  the  two 
names  of  Tigiath-pile.ser  and  Pul.  Proper- 
ly, Tiglath-pileser  (Tiglathi-palzira)  was  the 
throne-name  which  he  bore  in  Assyria,  as 
monarch  of  that  country,  and  Pul  (Pulu)  was 
the  throne-name  whicli  he  bore  in  Babylonia, 
as  king  of  Babylon.  The  double  nomenclature 
was  not  readily  understood  by  foreigners.  We 
are  indebted  for  the  identification  to  a  cuneiform 
document.     G.  R. 

'i'i-'iii.  Short  llign  of  Pihihiah.  The  short 
reign  of  Pekahiah  was  wliolly  undistinguislied. 
He  held  the  throne  for  two  yeai-s  only,  or  per- 
haps for  parts  of  two  years,  and  performed  no 
action  that  any  historian  has  thought  worthy 
of  record.  Our  author  has  nothing  to  relate  of 
him  but  the  circumstances  of  his  death  (verse 
25),  wherewith  he  combines  the  usual  formulse 
(verses  23.  24,  26).     Hammond. 

Of  Pekahiah,  the  son  of  Jlenahcm,  nothing 
is  recorded  except  that  he  maintained  the  calf 
worship,  like  his  predecessors,  doing  "  that 
which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  by  not 
<ieparting  from  the  sins  of  Jeroboam,  the  son  of 
Nebat,  who  made  Israel  to  sin"  (verse  24),  and 
that  he  was  barbarously  mui-dered  by  one  of 
his  captains — Pekah,  the  son  of  Remaliah. 
The  scene  of  his  slaughter  was  the  royal  palace 
in  Samaria,  where  he  was  attacked  by  Pekah 
at  the  head  of  a  band  of  lifty  Gileadite  des- 
peradoes, wlio  slew  him  in  his  harem,  with  the 
two  attendants  wlio  alone  were  faithful  to  him, 
Argob  and  .Vrieh.     G.  R. 


SECTION  28. 


349 


Section  28. 


REIGNS   OF  PEKAH  AND  HOSHEA. 
3  Kings  15  :  37-31  ;  17  :  1-5. 

15  :  37   In  the  two  and  fiftieth  year  of  Azariiih  king  of  Judah  Pekah  the  son  of  Remaliah 

28  began  to  reigu  over  Israel  iu  Samaria,  and  reiijned  twenty  years.  And  ho  did  that  which 
was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  :  he  departed  not  from  the  sins  of  Jeroboam  the  son  of 

29  Nebat,  wherewith  lie  made  Israel  to  sin.  In  the  days  of  Pekah  king  of  Israel  came  Tiglatli- 
pileser  king  of  As.sj'ria,  and  took  Ijon,  and  Abel-beth-maacah,  and  Janoah,  and  Kedesh,  and 
Hazor,  and  Gilcad,  and  Galilee,  all   the  land  of  Naphtali  ;  and  he  carried  them  captive  to 

30  Assyria.  And  Hoshea  tlie  son  of  Elah  made  a  conspiracy  against  Pekah  the  son  of  Remaliah, 
and  smote  him,  and  slew  liim,  and  reigned  in  his  stead,  in  the  twentieth  _vear  of  Jotliara  the 

31  son  of  Uzziah.  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Pekah,  and  all  that  he  did,  beliold,  they  are 
written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Israel. 

17:1    In  the  twelfth  year  of  Ahaz  king  of  Judah  began  Hoshea  the  son  of  Elah  to  reign 

2  in  Samaria  over  Israel,  and  reigned  nine  years.     And  lie  did  that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight 

3  of  the  Lord,  yet  not  as  the  kings  of  Israel  that  were  before  him.  Against  him  came  up 
Shalmaneser  king  of  Assyria  ;  and  Hoshea  became  his  servant,  and  brought  him  presents. 

4  And  the  Iving  of  Assyria  found  conspiracy  in  Hosliea  ;  for  he  had  sent  messengers  to  So 
king  of  Egypt,  and  offered  no  present  to  the  king  of  Assyria,  as  lie  had  done  year  by  3-ear  : 

5  therefore  the  king  of  Assyria  shut  him  uji,  and  bound  him  in  prison.  Then  the  king  of 
Assyria  came  up  throughout  all  the  land,  and  went  up  to  Samaria,  and  besieged  it  three 
years. 

Tlie  brief  text  above,  from  3  Kings,   must   be  supplemented  from  3  Chron.   28  :  3-15  and  Isa. 
7  :  1-9  ;  8  :  1-8  ;  and  tlie  Assyrian  inscriptions.     B. 


Reign  op  Pekah,  Twenty  Ye.\rs. 
Alst  of  Uzziah  to  "iOtU  of  Jotliam. 

3  Kings  15  :  37-31. 

The  short  reign — two  years — of  Pekahiah, 
son  and  successor  of  Menahem,  ended  with  con- 
spiracy and  his  violent  death  ;  one  Pekah,  son 
of  Remaliah,  a  captain  of  his,  being  the  suc- 
cessful usurper.  During  his  reign  of  twenty 
}'ears — religiously  like  his  predecessors,  doing 
only  evil — Tiglath-pileser  came  up  against  him, 
dismembering  his  kingdom  by  wresting  from 
it  the  region  of  Naphtali,  including  several  im- 
portant cities  (mentioned  in  verse  39).  This 
Pekah  became  prominent,  associated  with  Re- 
zin,  king  of  Syria,  in  wars  with  Ahaz,  king 
of  Judah,  witli  various  success  ;  besieging  Je- 
rusalem unsuccessfully  (8  K.  16  :  5),  but  smit- 
ing the  armj^  of  Ahaz  with  immense  slaughter 
(according  to  3  Chron.  38  :  5-8).  To  these  events 
we  refer  more  in  detail  in  tracing  the  history 
of  Judah.     H.  C. 

The  coming  ruin  was  hastened  by  Pekah, 
who,  after  slaying  Pekahiah  the  sou  of  Men- 
ahem, ascended  the  throne  B.C.  759.  He  allied 
himself  with  the  Damascene  kingdom,  the 
liercditary  enemy  of  Israel,  against  Judah, 
probably  with  the  Jiope  of  strengthening  him- 


self by  the  overthrow  of  Judah  and  the  de- 
thronement of  the  house  of  David,  against  the 
encroaching  power  of  Assyria.  The  ancient 
hatred  of  Ephraim  toward  Judah,  wliicli  had 
so  frequently  during  the  last  two  centuries  led 
to  sanguinary  conflicts,  was  now  once  more  to 
burst  forth  with  fury,  and  to  hasten  the  de- 
struction of  Ephraim.  The  Assyrian  monarch 
Tiglath-pileser,  whose  assistance  had  been  in- 
voked by  Ahaz,  having  first  executed  against 
Damascus  the  judgment  predicted  by  Amos 
(chap.  1  :  3  sqq.),  took  the  provinces  east  of  the 
Jordan  and  the  northern  portions  of  those  west 
of  this  river  (Galilee),  and  carried  away  the 
tribes  inhabiting  these  regions  into  the  interior 
of  Asia,  about  740  B.C.  This  was  the  second 
stage  of  thejudgment.  Isaiah  (9  ;  9)  describes  the 
people  of  Samaria,  however,  as  receiving  all 
such  Divine  corrections  with  arrogance  and 
presumption,  and  comforting  themselves  with 
wicked  hopes  of  better  times.     O. 

During  the  lifetime  of  Menahem  Israel  re- 
mained tributary  to  Assyria,  and  the  Assyrian 
king  did  not  again  turn  his  arms  against  the 
west.  After  the  death  of  Menahem  and  the 
murder  of  his  son  Pekahiah,  however,  important 
changes  took  place.  The  usurper,  Pekah,  in 
alliance    with    Rezin    of  Damascus,   attacked 


250 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


Judah  with  the  intention  of  overtlirowing  the 
dynasty  of  David  and  placing  on  tlie  throne 
of  Jerusalem  n  vassal  king  whose  father's 
name,  Taheel,  shows  lliat  he  must  have  hcen  a 
Syrian.  Jothani,  tlie  Jewish  king,  died  shortly 
after  the  war  began,  and  the  youth  and  weak- 
ness of  his  son  and  successor  Ahaz  laid  Judah 
open  to  its  antagonists,  who  were  further  aided 
by  a  disaflected  party  within  the  capital  itself 
(Isa.  8  ;  6).  In  his  extremity,  therefore,  Ahaz 
appealed  to  the  Assyrian  monarch,  who  was 
already  seeking  an  excuse  for  crushing  Damas- 
cus, and  reducing  the  Jewish  kingdom,  with 
its  important  fortress  of  Jerusalem,  to  a  condi- 
tion of  vassalage.  In  B.C.  734,  accordingly, 
Tiglath-pileser  marched  into  Syria.  Rezin  was 
defeated  in  a  pitched  battle,  his  chariots  broken 
in  pieces,  his  captains  captured  and  impaled, 
while  he  himself  escaped  to  Damascus,  when; 
he  was  closely  besieged  by  the  enemy.  The 
territory  of  Damascus  was  now  devastated  with 
Arc  and  sword,  its  sixteen  districts  were  "  over- 
whelmed as  with  a  flood,"  and  the  beautiful 
gardens  by  which  the  capital  was  surrounded 
were  destroyed,  every  tree  being  cut  down  for 
use  in  the  siege.  The  city  itself,  however, 
proved  too  strong  to  be  taken  by  assault ;  so, 
leaving  a  sufficient  force  before  it  to  reduce  it 
by  famine,  Tiglath-pileser  proceeded  against 
the  late  allies  of  the  Syrian  king.  Israel  was 
the  flrat  to  be  attacked.  The  north  of  the  coun- 
try was  overrun,  and  tlie  tribes  beyond  the  Jor- 
dan carried  into  captivity.  Gilead  and  Abel- 
beth-maarhah  arc  mentioned  by  name  as  among 
the  towns  that  were  taken  and  sacked.  The 
Assyrians  then  fell  upon  Ammon  and  Moab, 
which  had  aided  Israel  and  Syria  in  the  attack 
on  Judah,  and  next  msuie  their  way  along  the 
sea-coust  into  the  country  of  the  Philistines, 
who  had  seized  the  opportunity  of  the  late  war 
to  shake  off  the  yoke  of  the  Jewish  king. 
Their  leader,  Khanun  or  Ilanno  of  Gaza,  tied 
into  Egypt  ;  but  Gaza  itself  was  captured  and 
laid  under  tribute,  its  gods  carried  away,  and 
an  image  of  the  Assyrian  king  set  up  in  the 
temple  of  Dagon.  Ekron  and  .(Vshdod  were 
also  punished,  and  Metinti  of  Ashkelon  com- 
mitted suicide  in  order  to  escape  the  vengeance 
of  the  conqueror.  Now  that  all  fear  of  danger 
in  the  south  hiul  been  removed,  Tiglath-pileser 
marched  back  into  the  northern  kingdom  and 
took  Samaria.     Sayce. 

Now,  for  the  first  time  since  the  separation 
of  the  brother-nations,  the  northern  kingdom 
had  entered  into  a  fomial  league  against  Judah 
with  a  heathen  nation,  and  that  its  hereditary 
foe,  Syria.     And  the  significance  of  this  fact 


deepens  as  we  remember  that  the  tinal  object 
was  not  merely  to  conquer  Judah,  but  to  de- 
throne the  house  of  David,  and  substitute  for  it 
a  Syrian,  presumably  a  heathen  ruler.  So  for- 
getful had  Israel  become  of  its  great  hope,  and 
of  the  very  meaning  of  its  national  existence. 
For  the  first  time  also,  at  least  in  the  biblical 
record,  does  the  jVssyrian  power  now  appear 
on' the  scene  of  Palestine,  first  to  be  bought  off 
by  Menahem  (2  K.  15  :  19,  20)  ;  then  to  be  in- 
voked by  Ahaz,  with  the  result  of  rendering 
Judah  tributary,  and  finally  of  overthrowing 
Israel.  The  continuance  of  the  northern  king- 
dom was  now  only  a  question  of  time. and  the  ex- 
ile of  Israel  had  actually  begun.  Judah  had  be- 
come dependent  on  Assyria,  and  henceforth 
was  only  able  fitfully  and  for  brief  periods  to 
shake  off  its  yoke,  till  it  finally  shared  the  fate 
of  its  sister-kingdom.  Lastly,  Syria  ceased  to 
exist  as  an  indeixiident  power,  and  became  a 
province  of  Assyria. 

But  in  the  history  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
every  movement  is  also  a  step  toward  the  great 
goal,  and  all  judgment  becomes  larger  mercy. 
So  was  it  on  tliis  occasion  also.  Henceforth  the 
whole  historical  scene  was  changed.  The 
prophetic  horizon  had  enlarged.  The  falling 
away  of  Israel  had  become  already  initialh-  the 
life  of  the  world.  The  fullest  predictions  of 
the  person  and  work  of  the  Messiah  and  of  Ilis 
universal  kingdom  date  from  this  ijeriod.  Even 
the  new  relations  of  Israel  formed  the  basis  for 
wider  conceptions  and  spiritual  progression. 
Those  petty  wars  with  Syria,  Edom.  Moab, 
Ammon,  and  Philistia,  which  had  filled  the  pre- 
vious history,  now  ceased  to  be  factors  in  it, 
and  Israel  found  itself  face  to  face  with  the 
great  world-power.  This  contact  gave  new 
form  and  .shape  to  the  idea  of  a  universal  king- 
dom of  God,  wide  as  the  world,  which  had 
hitherto  only  been  presented  in  dim  outline, 
and  of  which  only  the  germ  had  existed  in  the 
religious  cons^-iousness  of  the  jicople.  Thus  in 
every  respect  this  was  the  ))cgininiig  of  a  new 
era — an  era  of  judgment  indeed,  but  also  of 
larger  mercy  ;  an  era  of  new  development  in 
the  history  of  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  a  type  also 
of  the  final  hardening  of  Israel  in  the  rejection 
of  their  Messiah,  and  of  the  opening  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  to  all  believers.     A.  E. 

Rkion  op  Hoshea,  Nine  Years. 
13lh  of  Aliaz  to  6tli  ofHezcklah. 

2  KtNos  IT  ;  1-0. 

2.  But  not  as  the  U.U\g»  of  Israel. 

For,  whereas  the  kings  of  Israel  had  hitherto 


SECTION  28.    REIGN  OF  IIOSHEA. 


251 


maintained  guards  upon  their  frontiers,  to  hin- 
der tlicir  subjects  from  going  up  to  worship  at 
Jerusalem,  Hoshea  gave  tliem  all  free  liberty  to 
worship  there,  and  probably  encouraged  them 
in  demolishing  the  higli  places  (3  Chron.  30, 
31).  On  this  account  he  has,  as  to  religion,  the 
best  character  given  him  in  Scripture  of  all  that 
reigned  before  him  over  Israel  after  tlie  division 
of  the  kingdom  ;  for,  although  he  was  hy  no 
means  perfect  in  the  true  worship  of  God,  yet 
his  ways  were  less  offensive  than  the  ways  of 
any  who  liad  preceded  liim  in  that  kingdom. 

Pridcaux. Hoshea's  general  attitude  toward 

Jehovah  was  much  the  same  as  that  of  former 
kings  of  Israel.  He  maintained  the  calf  wor- 
ship, leaned  upon  "  arms  of  flesh,"  and  turned 
a  deaf  ear  to  the  teaching  of  the  prophets — e.(j., 
Hosea  and  Micah,  who  addressed  tlicir  warn- 
ings to  liim.  But  he  was  not  guiltj'  of  axxy 
special  wickedness — he  set  up  no  new  idolatry  ; 
he  seems  to  have  allowed  his  subjects,  if  they 
pleased,  to  attend  the  festival  worship  at 
Jerusalem. 

4.  lie  liad  sent  nies§eii;fers  to  So, 
king  of  Es.vpt.  We  learn  from  the  propliet 
Hosea  that  the  expedienc-y  of  calling  in  Egypt 
as  a  counterijoise  to  Assyria  had  long  been  in 
the  thoughts  of  those  who  directed  the  policy  of 
the  Israelite  State  (see  Hos.  7:11;  13  :  1,  etc.). 
Now  at  last  the  plunge  was  taken.  An  Ethi- 
opian dynasty  of  some  strength  and  vigor  had 
possession  of  Egypt,  and  held  its  court  dur- 
ing some  part  of  the  year  at  Memphis  (Hos. 
9  :  0).  The  king  who  occupied  the  throne  was 
called  Shal)ak.     Hammond. 

The  Ethiojiian  king  Shabaka,  or  Sabako,  is 
the  So  of  the  Old  Testament,  whom  Hoshea  had 
bribed  to  help  him  against  the  Assj'rian  mon- 
arch. But  before  that  help  could  be  sent  the 
Assyrian  had  descended  on  his  rebellious  vas- 
sal, whom  he  detlxroned  and  imprisoned.  Now. 
as  ever,  the  Egyptian  had  proved  to  be  a 
"bruised  reed"  to  those  who  trusted  in  him. 
Sabako,  in  fact,  was  too  much  engaged  in  con- 
solidating his  power  in  Egypt  to  think  of 
foreign  conquests.     Siiyce. 

5.  Went  up  to  Samaria,  and  be- 
sieged it  three  years.  From  some  time 
in  Hoshea's  seventh  j-ear  to  some  time  in  his 
nintli.  According  to  the  Hebrew  mode  of  reck- 
oning, parts  of  years  are  counted  as  years  ;  and 
thus  the_siege  need  not  have  lasted  much  over 
a  year,  though  it  may  liave  been  extended  to 
nearly  three  years.  In  either  case,  there  was 
ample  time  for  Shabak  to  have  brought  \ip  his 
forces,  had  he  been  so  minded  ;  and  hii  failure 
to  do  so,   or  in  any  waj"  to  succor  his  ally. 


showed  how  little  reliance  was  to  be  placed  on 
Egyptian  promises  (cf.  chap.   18:21).     Hdiri- 

mond. From  the  fourth  to  the  sixth  of  Heze- 

kiah,  and  from  the  seventh  to  the  nintli  of 
Hoshea  (3  K.  IS  :  9,  10)  ;  two  years,  therefore, 
according  to  our  reckoning,  but  three,  accord- 
ing to  the  inclusive  reckoning  of  the  Hebrews. 
This  was  a  long  time  for  so  small  a  place  to  re- 
sist the  Assyrians  ;  but  Samaria  was  favorably 
situated  on  a  steep  isolated  hill,  and  was  no 
doubt  defended  with  desperation.     B.  C. 

Hoshea's  revolt  from  Shalmaneser  seems  to 
have  been  no  less  an  act  of  patriotism  than 
Hezekiah's,  though  not  prompted  by  such 
purely  religious  motives.  Hoshea  was,  in  fact, 
the  best  king  in  the  whole  line  from  Jeroboam. 
Nor  ought  we  to  be  surprised  that  the  final 
catastrophe  came  in  his  reign.  Speaking 
humanly,  the  State  was  past  redemption  ;  the 
utter  corruption  and  impenitence  of  the  people 
are  attested  by  the  denunciations  of  Hosea,  and 
confirmed  by  their  scornful  rejection  of  Heze- 
kiah's call  to  repentance  and  union.  Even  ihe 
king  was  only  some  shades  better  than  his  pred- 
ecessors, and  it  was  no  partial  reform  that 
could  save  and  renew  the  State.  Viewing  the 
case  from  the  higher  groiuid  taken  throughout 
the  Scripture  histor}' — the  inseparable  connec- 
tion lietween  national  prosperity  or  adversity 
and  religious  obedience  or  rebellion — we  cannot 
say  that  it  was  too  late  for  Israel  to  be  saved  ; 
as  Nineveh  was,  when  her  people  repented  at 
the  preaching  of  Jonah.  They  had  only  forty 
days  of  grace  ;  Hoshea  and  his  people  had 
three  j'ears  ;  let  us  now  see  how-  tliey  used 
them.  In  the  third  j'ear  of  Hoshea  (n.c.  736) 
Shalmaneser,  who  had  succeeded  Tiglath- 
pileser,  in  B.C.  730  marched  against  Hoshea  to 
enforce  payment  of  the  tribute,  the  refusal  of 
which,  in  the  very  year  of  Hezekiah's  accession, 
is  perhaps  another  proof  of  a  common  feeling. 
Hoshea  submitted  and  became  tributary  to 
Assyria.  His  second  revolt  is  morally  justified 
by  patriotism  ;  and  even  politically,  the  favor- 
ite test  of  success  might  not  have  been  want- 
ing, as  we  see  in  the  case  of  Hezekiah.  But, 
in  the  religious  point  of  view,  it  was  an  utter 
wrong  and  failure.  Had  Hoshea  made  common 
cause  with  Hezekiah,  and  thrown  himself  on 
the  protection  of  Jehovah,  we  have  a  right  to 
believe  that  the  times  of  David  might  have  re- 
turned. But  Hoshea  took  the  very  course  de- 
nounced by  the  law  of  Moses — reliance  upon 
Egypt.  The  long  contest  had  begun  between 
the  sovereigns  of  Egypt  and  Western  Asia  for 
the  frontier  province  of  Palestine,  and  both  had 
their  partisans  at  the  court  of  Samaria.     The 


252 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


king  of  Egji)!,  who  is  called  So  in  the  Scripture 
iiarriitivi'.  was  citliiT  Sliebck  I.,  the  Sabiico  of 
IIinHliitiis,  or  his  son  Shclxk  II.,  the  tScvcchus 
of  Mamtho.  lie  licloiitrc'ii  to  tlic  warlike 
twenty  fifth  (Ethiopian)  dynasty,  wlio  opposed 
tlie  iirogress  of  Assyria  with  all  tluir  force. 
Iloshea  formed  a  secret  league  witli  him,  and 
withheld  the  accustomed  tribute  from  Shal- 
maneser ;  who,  informed  of  the  conspiracy. 
seized  the  king  of  Israel  and  shut  him  up  in 
prison,  where  he  was  bound  with  fetters  and 
treated  witli  cruel  indignity.  His  sudden  de- 
struction is  compared  by  the  prophet  Hosea  to 
the  disapiiearance  of  the  foam  upon  the  water. 
The  imprisonment  of  Ilosiiea  clearly  preceded 
the  siege  of  Samaria  :  it  may  be  that  he  was 
seized  on  a  visit  to  Nineveh  for  tlie  purpose 
of  excusing  his  conduct.  Shalmancser  then 
marched  against  Israel  ;  and  after  overrunning 
the  country,  laid  siege  to  Samaria  in  the  seventh 
year  of  Hoshea,  the  fourth  of  Hezeldah  (B.C. 
723).  Then  followed  one  of  those  memorable 
defences,  the  despairing  efforts  of  dying  na- 
tions. We  have  no  details  of  the  siege  ;  but 
Isaiah  gives  a  glowing  description  of  the  mighty 
instrument  of  .leliovah  smiting  like  a  hailstorm 
the  glorious  beauty  of  the  city,  which  towered 
on  its  hill  like  a  crown  of  pride,  the  liead  of 
the  fat  valleys  of  the  drunkards  of  Ephraim. 
Its  strong  position  enabled  the  city  to  hold  out 
for  three  years,  during  which  we  learn  from  the 
Assyrian  monuments  that  Shalmaneser  died  and 
was  succeeded  by  his  son  Sargon,  a  change  not 
noticed  in  the  Scripture  narrative,  which,  after 
the  first  mention  of  Shalmaneser,  only  speaks  of 
the  "  king  of  Assyria."  The  citj-  was  taken  in 
the  ninth  year  of  Iloshea,  the  sixth  of  Ilezekiah 
Sargon  himself  records  the  capture  of  Samaria 
in  the  following  terms  ;  "  Samaria  I  looked  at, 


I  captured  ;  27,280  men  who  dwelt  in  it  I  carried 
away."  According  to  the  Scripture  narrative, 
he  "  carried  Israel  away  into  Assyria,  and 
placed  them  in  llalah  and  in  llalior  by  the 
river  of  Gozan  and  the  cities  of  the  Jledes. " 
Tills  deportation  of  the  people  extended  to 
Samaria  and  its  dcpciiilent  towns,  a  region 
small  in  comparison  to  the  original  kingdom  of 
the  ten  tribes.  The  region  cast  of  .Ionian  had 
already  been  so  treated  by  Tiglath-pileser,  who 
hiul  also  carried  away  the  northern  tribes,  but 
not  to  the  .same  extent  ;  for  a  remnant  were 
left,  who  form  the  nucleus  of  the  mixed  popu- 
lation of  the  later  Galilee.  The  cities  in  the 
so\ith  of  Ephraim.  which  had  been  attached  to 
Judah  by  conquest,  or  by  the  bond  of  religion 
uiuler  Ilezekiah.  probably  shared  the  fortunes 
of  the  southern  kingdom.     P.  S. 


The  predictions  of  Amos  and  Hosea  a.ssigning 
the  causes  of  the  captivity  of  Israel  convey  in 
substance  the  great  and  comprehensive  truths 
respecting  God's  dealing  with  man.  .iVs  He 
deals  with  His  own  chosen  people,  so  will  He 
deal  with  men.  The  liistory  of  Israel  is  a  his- 
tory and  illustration  of  the  spirit  and  principles 
and  methods  of  God's  government  on  the  earth. 
AVhal  (r'ld  is,  and  what  God  trill  do  in  every 
juncture  of  human  interests  and  affair.^,  and  in 
connection  with  every  form  of  human  conduct, 
is  here  exemplified  by  actual  events.  And 
what  man  is,  and  what  nmii  will  do  in  the  face 
of  multiplied  marvels  of  God's  bounty  and 
grace  and  patience,  is  here  amply  disclosed  in 
the  deeds  of  successive  generations.  And  to 
convi'y  this  knowledge  to  all  the  after  genera- 
tions, to  impress  upon  us  these  supreme  lessons 
for  our  use  and  eternal  profit,  is  tlis  one  design  of 
this  Inspired  Becord  f    B. 


Section  29. 


SAMARIA  FINALLY  TAKEN  ANT)  ISRAEL  CARRIED  TO  ASSTRIA.  REASONS 
ASSIGNED  FOR  THEIR  CAPTIVITY.  SAMARIA  REPEOPLED  BY  ASSYRIAN 
COLONISTS.     THEIR  MIXED   RELIGION. 


2  KtSGS  17  ;  6-41  ;  18  :  9-1-2. 

17:6  In  the  ninth  year  of  Hoshea,  the  king  of  ^Vssyria  took  Samaria,  and  carried  Israel 
away  unto  ^Vssyria,  and  placed  them  in  Halah,  and  in  Habor,  on  the  river  of  Gozan,  and  in 
the  cities  of  the  Medes. 

18 : 0  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  fourth  year  of  king  Ilezekiah,  which  was  the  scveuth 


SECTION  S3.     SAMARIA  FINALLY  TAKEN.  253 

year  of  Hoslica  son  of  Elah  king  of  Israt'l,  tliat  Shalmam-sor  king  of  Assyria  came  up  against 

10  Samaria,  and  besieged  it.     And  at  the  cud  of  three  yeare  they  took  it :  even  in  the  sixth  year 

11  of  Hezeldah,  wliieli  was  the  ninth  year  of  Iloshea  king  of  Israel,  Samaria  was  taken.  And 
tlie  king  of  ^Vssyria  carried  Israel  away  unto  Assyria,  and  put  them  in  Halah,  and  in  Habor. 

12  VII  the  river  of  Gozan,  and  in  the  cities  of  the  Medes  :  because  they  obeyed  not  the  voice  of 
the  LoKD  their  God,  but  transgressed  his  covenant,  even  all  that  Moses  the  servant  of  the 
Loud  connnauded,  and  would  not  hear  it,  nor  do  it. 

17:7  And  it  was  so,  because  the  children  of  Israel  had  sinned  against  the  Loud  their 
God,  which  brought  them  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  from  under  the  hand  of  Pharaoh  king 

8  of  Egj'pt,  and  had  feared  other  gods,  and  walked  in  the  statutes  of  the  nations,  whom  the 
Loud  east  out  from  before  the  children  of  Israel,  and  of  the  kings  of  Israel,  which  thej'  made. 

9  And  the  children  of  Israel  did  secretly  things  that  were  not  right  against  the  Lord  their 
God,  and  they  built  them  high  places  in  all  their  cities,  from  the  tower  of  the  watchmen  to 

10  the  fenced  city.  And  they  set  them  up  pillars  and  Asherim  upon  every  higli  hill,  and  under 

11  every  green  tree  :  and  there  they  burnt  incense  in  all  the  high  places,  as  did  the  nations  whom 
the   Lord  carried  away  before  them  ;  and  wrought  wicked  things  to  provoke  the  Lord  to 

12  anger  :  and  they  served  idols,  whereof  the  Loud  had  said  unto  them.  Ye  shall  not  do  this  thing. 

13  Yet  the  Loud  testified  unto  Israel,  and  unto  Judah,  by  the  hand  of  ever}'  prophet,  and  of 
every  seer,  saying.  Turn  ye  from  j'our  evil  ways,  and  keep  my  commandments  and  my 
statutes,  according  to  all  the  law  which  I  commanded  your  fathers,  and  which  I  sent  to  you 

14  by  the  hand  of  ray  servants  the  prophets.  Notwithstanding  they  would  not  hear,  but  hard- 
ened their  neck,  like  to  the  neck  of  their  fathers,  who  believed  not  in  the  Lord  their  God. 

15  And  they  rejected  his  statutes,  and  his  covenant  that  he  made  with  their  fathers,  and  his 
testimonies  which  he  testified  unto  them  ;  and  they  followed  vanit}',  and  became  vain,  and 
went  after  the  nations  that  were  round  about  them,  concerning  whom  the  Lord  had  charged 

16  them  that  they  should  not  do  like  them.  And  they  forsook  all  the  commandments  of  the 
Lord  their  God,  and  made  them  molten  images,  even  two  calves,  and  made  an  Asherah,  and 

17  worshipped  all  the  host  of  heaven,  and  served  Baal.  And  they  caused  their  sous  and  their 
daughters  to  pass  through  the  fire,  and  used  divination  and  enchantments,  and  sold  them- 

18  selves  to  do  that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  to  provoke  him  to  anger.  There- 
fore the  Lord  was  very  angry  with  Israel,  and  removed  them  out  of  his  sight  :  there  was 

19  none  left  but  the  tribe  of  Judah  only.     Also  Judah  kept  not  the  commandments  of  the  Lord 

20  their  God,  but  walked  in  the  statutes  of  Israel  which  they  made.  And  the  Lord  rejected 
all  the  seed  of  Israel,  and  afflicted  them,  and  delivered  them  into  the  hand  of  spoilers,  until 

21  he  had  cast  them  out  of  his  sight.  For  he  rent  Israel  from  the  house  of  David  ;  and  they 
made  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat  king  :  and  Jeroboam  drave  Israel  from  following  the  Lord, 

22  and  made  them  sin  a  great  sin.     And  the  children  of  Israel  walked  in  all  the  sins  of  Jeroboam 

23  which  he  tlid  ;  they  departed  not  from  them  ;  until  the  Loud  removed  Israel  out  of  his 
sight,  as  he  spake  by  the  hand  of  all  his  servants  the  prophets.  So  Israel  was  carried  away 
out  of  their  own  laud  to  Assyria,  unto  this  day. 

24  And  the  king  of  Assyria  brought  men  from  Babylon,  and  from  Cuthah,  and  from  Avva, 
and  from  Hamath  and  Sepharvaim,  and  placed  them  in  the  cities  of  Samaria  instead  of  the 

25  children  of  Israel  :  and  they  possessed  Samaria,  and  dwelt  in  the  cities  thereof.  And  so  it 
was,  at  the  beginning  of  their  dwelling  there,  that  they  feared  not  the  Lord  :  therefore  the 

26  Lord  sent  lions  among  them,  which  killed  some  of  them.  Wherefore  they  spake  to  the 
king  of  Assyria,  saying.  The  nations  which  thou  hast  carried  away,  and  placed  in  the  cities 
of  Samaria,  know  not  the  manner  of  the  God  of  the  land  :  therefore  he  hath  sent  lions  among 
them,  and,  behold,  they  slay  them,  because  they  know  not  the  manner  of  the  God  of  the 

27  land.  Then  the  king  of  Assyria  commanded,  saying.  Carry  thither  one  of  the  priests  whom 
ye  brotight  from  thence  ;  and  let  them  go  and  dwell  there,  and  let  him  teach  them  the  man- 

28  "iier  of  the  God  of  the  land.     So  one  of  the  priests  whom  they  had  carried  away  from  Samaria 

29  came  and  dwelt  in  Beth-el,  and  taught  them  how  they  should  fear  the  Lord.  Ilowbeit  every 
nation  made  gods  of  their  own,  and  put  them  in  the  houses  of  the  high  places  which  the 

30  Samaritans  had  made,  every  nation  in  their  cities  wherein  they  dwelt.  And  the  men  of 
Babylon  made  Succoth-benoth,  and  the  men  of  Cuth  made  Nergal,  and  the  men  of  Hamatli 

31  made  Ashiraa,  and  the  Avvites  maile  Nibhaz  and  Tartak,  and  the  Sepharvites  burnt  their 

32  children  in  the  fire  to  Adrammelech  and  Auammclech,  the  gods  of  Sepharvaim.     So  they 


254 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


feared  the  Lonn,  and  made  unto  them  from  among  themselves  priests  of  the  high  places, 

33  which  sacriliccd  for  thcin  in  the  houses  of  the  high  places.  They  feared  the  Loud,  and 
served  their  own  gods,  after  the  manner  of  the  nations  from  among  whom  they  had  been 

34  carried  away.  Unto  this  day  they  do  aft</r  the  former  manners  :  they  fear  not  the  Lord, 
neither  ilo  they  after  their  statutes,  or  after  their  ordinances,  or  after  the  law  or  after  the 
commandment  which  the  LoUD  commanded  tlie  children  of  Jacob,  wliom  he  named  Israel  ; 

315  with  wliom  the  Loud  had  made  a  covenant,   and  charged  them,  .saying,  Ye  shall  not  fear 

30  other  gods,  nor  l)ow  yourselves  to  them,  nor  serve  them,  nor  sacrilice  to  them  :  But  the  Loud, 

who  brought  you  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  with  great  power  and  with  a  stretched  out 

arm,  him  shall  ye  fear,  and  unto  him  shall  ye  bow  yourselves,  and  to  him  shall  ye  sacrifice  : 

37  and  the  statutes  and  the  ordinances,  and  the  law  and  the  commandment,  which  he  wrote 

38  for  you,  ye  shall  observe  to  do  for  evermore  ;  and  3-6  shall  not  fear  other  gods  :  and  the 
covenant  that  I  have  made  with  you  ye  shall  not  forget  ;  neither  shall  ye  fear  other  .gods  : 

39  but  the  Loud  your  God  shall  ye  fear  ;  and  he  shall  deliver  you  out  of  the  hand  of  all  your 
40,  41  enemies,     llowbeit  they  did  not  hearken,  but  they  did  after  their  former  manner.     So 

the.se  nations  feared  the  I>()UD,  and  served  their  graven  images  ;  their  children  likcwLse,  and 
their  (-hildreu's  children,  as  did  their  fathers,  so  do  they  unto  this  day. 


S.\M.\UI.V    T.VKEN    AND    IsRAEL    CaRUIED    INTO 

Assyria. 
2  Kings  17  :  6  ;  18:9-11. 

Tuis  occurred  in  the  ninth  year  of  Hoshea, 
the  nineteenth  and  last  king  of  Israel  in  a  period 
of  two  himdred  antl  til'tj'-four  years.  The  di- 
vision of  Solomon's  kingdom  occurred  97,5 
B.C.  The  final  captivity  of  Israel  took  place 
721  B.C.  (or,  718).  The  other  kingdom  (of 
Judah)  lasted  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  years 
longer,  luitil  586  B.C.  Then  Judidi  was  carried 
into  the  same  region  of  country  by  the  Baby- 
Ionian  power,  which  meanwhile  had  succeeded 
to  the  A.ssyrian.  Probably  upon  the  restora- 
tion of  the  .Tudahites,  or  Jews,  after  seventy 
years  of  captivity,  a  proportionate  number  of 
the  northern  kingdom  (of  the  Ten  Tribes)  re- 
turned and  became  incorporated  with  their 
brellireu  of  Judah.  Now,  however,  Sargon 
transported  the  most  energetic  and  useful 
among  the  people  of  Israel  into  his  own  do- 
main, that  he  might  be  the  gainer  by  their 
skill  and  toil,  and  save  the  trouble  and  expense 
of  conquering  them  again.  With  settlers 
from  Assyria  he  replaced  the  removed  Israelites 
from  Samaria.  This  policy  was  repeated  by 
Esarliaddon,  who  substituted  other  Assyrians 
for  the  remnant  of  ellicient  Israelites.  These 
Eastern  strangers  gradually  alliliated  with  the 
remaining  Israelites,  and  the  population  thus 
resulting  took  the  name  of  Samaritans,  from 
the  rebuilt  city  of  Samaria.     B. 

Hoshea,  who  obtjuned  the  throne  by  conspir- 
ing against  and  slaying  Fekah,  and  who,  ac- 
cording to  3  K.  17  ;  2,  was  comparatively  a 
better  king,  became  tributary  to  the  A.s.syrian 
king  Shalmaneser,  but  sought,  by  concluding 
an  alliance  with  So,  king  of  Egypt  (the  Saba- 


kon  of  Herodotus),  to  release  himself  from  this 
dependence.  Shalmaneser,  who  was  then  oc- 
cupied in  Hither  Asia,  immediately  marched 
into  the  land  of  Israel.  Hoshea,  after  being, 
as  it  seems,  summoned  to  the  Assyrian  camp 
to  account  for  his  conduct,  was  imprisoned, 
and  Samaria  attacked.  But  an  heroic  resistance 
must  have  been  made  in  this  as  in  all  the  deadly 
struggles  of  the  Israelites  ;  for  it  was  not  till 
after  a  three  years'  siege  that  it  was  taken,  and 
"  the  proud  crown  of  the  drunkards  of  Ephraim 
trodden  under  foot"  (Isa.  28  :  3),  not,  as  is  now 
settled  by  the  cuneiform  inscriptions,  by  Shal- 
maneser, but  by  his  successor,  Sargon,  men- 
tioned in  Isa.  20  : 1.  The  people  were  led  into 
cuptii'ity  720  B.C.,  and  thus  irun  the  jiulgincnt 
ai-compluhcd.  The  dwelling-places  assigned  to 
the  exiles  were  situatt'd  in  Media  and  the  up- 
per provinces  of  Assyria  (verse  6).  It  has  been 
already  remarked  that  the  continued  existence 
of  the  Ten  Tribes  during  the  subsequent  cen- 
turies is  attested  by  1  Chron.  5  :  26,  "  unto  this 
day,"  and  Josephus  i^Aiit.  xi.  5,  2);  their  res- 
toration is  also  expressly  foretold  bj'  the  proph- 
ets.    Oehler. 

The  recently  exhumed  monuments  of  A.ss}'ria 
illustrate  in  a  remarkable  manner  the  minute 
accuracy  of  the  sacred  narrative.  It  has  just 
been  stated  (verse  5)  that  Shalmaneser  (the 
fourth  of  that  name),  king  of  -Vssyria,  came  up 
against  Hoshea.  But  though  Shalmaneser  com- 
menced the  siege  of  Samaria,  he  did  not  com- 
plete his  work.  That  was  done  by  his  usurping 
successor,  Sargon.  The  siege  began  in  the 
fourth  year  of  Shalmaneser's  reign,  and  lasted 
till  his  sixth,  which  was  his  last  ;  for  in  that 
year  the  usurper  Sargon  seized  the  throne,  and 
continued  his  predecessor's  camjiaigns  against 
Sanniria  and  Tyre.     In    his    inscriptions,    he 


SECTION  S9.     CAPTIVITY  OF  ISRAEL. 


255 


claims  the  conquest  of  Samaria  as  an  event  in 
the  first  year  of  his  reigu.  We  may  note  tlie 
careful  accuracy  of  the  writer  of  Kings,  who 
says  (18  :  10)  Shalmaneser  besieged  Samaria,  and 
that  at  the  end  of  three  years  tlu-y  took  it. 
Sargon  further  tells  us,  in  his  cjiinder,  that  he 
deprived  Samaria  of  its  partial  independence, 
and  appointed  an  Assyrian  governor  over  it, 
further  punishing  it  by  carrying  off  27,280  of 
the  inhabitants,  and  imposing  on  the  impover- 
ished remainder  the  same  tax  to  which  the  city 
had  been  lialjle  before  its  revolt.  Sargon  also 
states  that,  six  years  afterward,  "  he  sul.idued 
the  uncultivated  plains  of  South  Arabia,  which 
had  never  before  given  tribute  to  Assyria,"  and 
carried  captive  some  of  the  Thermodites  (a  well- 
known  Arab  tribe),  and  settled  them  in  Samaria. 
Hence  came  Geshem  and  the  Arabians  whom 
Nehemiah  mentions  among  the  Samaritan  op- 
ponents of  the  rebuilding  of  the  temple.  The 
Sacred  History  tells  us  that  the  Assyrian  king 
placed  the  captives  in  Halah,  and  in  Habor  by 
the  river  of  Gozan  (or,  rather,  "  on  the  Habor, 
the  river  of  Giizau").  and  in  the  cities  of  the 
Medes.  Halah  (or  C/u'durh,  as  it  would  be 
pronounced)  has  been  identified  bj-  Layard  with 
a  remarkable  mound  marking  an  ancient  city, 
and  called  Gla,  in  the  great  plains  of  the 
Khabour  (=  Habor),  a  western  affluent  of  the 
Euphrates,  often  mentioned  in  the  Ass3'rian 
inscriptions,  which  waters  the  wide  district  of 
Gozan,  the  Gauzanitis  of  the  Greeks.  The 
cities  of  the  Medes  (or,  as  the  Septuagint  reads, 
the  mountains  of  the  Medes)  refer  to  the  wild 
highland  region,  east  of  the  Tigris,  north  of  the 
Persian  Gulf.  This  region  the  records  of  Sar- 
gon tell  us  he  overran,  and  annexed  it  to  Assy- 
ria ;  and  "  changed  the  abodes"  of  his  subjects, 
planting  conquered  Ashdod  in  the  extreme  west 
of  his  new  empire  with  captives  from  Media. 
Thus  he  made  room  for  the  Israelites,  whom  he 
transplanted  to  the  extreme  east  of  his  newest 
conquest.  We  may  note  also  that  lie  tells  us 
that  in  his  second  year  he  took  Haniath,  the 
capital  of  the  Ilittites  in  northern  Syria  ;  and 
after  separating  from  the  spoil  two  hundred 
chariots  and  six  hundred  horsemen  as  his  roj'al 
portion,  he  transported  the  remainder  of  the  in- 
habitants to  other  regions  ;  and  his  captives 
from  the  east,  ' '  in  the  midst  of  Hamath  I  settled 
them,"  while  the  Book  of  Kings  tells  us  that 
Samaria  was  resettled  by  men,  among  others, 
from  Hamath.     Tristram. 

The  comparatively  small  number  of  Israelites 
who  were  carried  into  captivity  shows  that 
Sargon  contented  himself  with  removing  only 
those  persons  and  their  families  who  had  taken 


part  in  the  revolt  against  him  ;  in  fact,  Samaria 
was  treated  pretty  much  as  Jerusalem  was  by 
Xebuehadnezzar  in  the  time  of  Jehoiachin. 
The  greater  part  of  the  old  population  was 
allowed  to  remain  in  its  native  laud.  This  fact 
disposes  of  the  modern  theories  which  assume 
that  the  whole  of  the  Ten  Tribes  were  carried 
away.     Sayce. 

The  seed  of  Jacob,  whose  history  we  have 
heretofore  followed  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  were 
now  dispersed  in  four  or  five  different  countries. 
Assyria,  Media,  Chaldea,  Egypt,  and  Palestine 
contained  each  a  section  of  the  chosen  people. 
The  prophecy  of  Moses,  uttered  eight  or  nine 
hundred  ^-ears  before,  received  its  first,  but  not 
its  only  fulfilment  ;  on  account  of  their  sins  and 
provocations,  the  chosen  people,  whom  God 
loved  so  well,  were  scattered  among  the  hea- 
then. Though  a  few  of  the  captive  Israelites 
remained  in  Nineveh,  the  greater  part  were 
placed  in  the  ijrovince  of  Media.  Media  lay  to 
the  east  of  Assyria.  Its  aspect  was  wild  and 
mountainous  ;  thus  forming  a  great  contrast  to 
the  flat  plains  of  Assyria  and  Mesopotamia. 
Its  northern  boundary  was  formed  by  the  great 
chain  of  mountains  that  spread  out  on  either 
side  from  Ararat,  and  that  sometimes  rise  to 
heights  that  are  almost  lost  to  view  in  the 
skies.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  Israelites 
were  thus  brought  back  to  the  neighborhood  of 
the  first  settlements  of  the  human  race.  Some 
of  them  would  drink  from  rivers  cooled  by  the 
snows  of  Ararat.     W.  G.  B. 

Thus  ended  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  after  a 
duration  of  just  two  hundred  and  fiftj'-five 
years,  under  nineteen  kings  and  seven  dynasties, 
not  reckoning  among  the  latter  the  ephemeral 
usurpations  of  Zimri  and  Shallum.  The  last 
two  of  these  dynasties  perished  with  their  found- 
ers, Pekali  and  Hoshea  :  three,  those  of  Jero- 
boam, Baasha,  and  Menahem,  had  two  kings 
each  ;  the  house  of  Omri  numbered  four  kings 
in  three  generations  ;  Jehu's,  the  longest  of  all, 
reigned  for  five  generations  from  father  to  son, 
and  all  its  kings  died  a  natural  death  except  the 
last,  Zechariali.  Of  the  other  kings,  only  Jero- 
boam I.,  Baasha,  Omri,  Aliaziah,  and  Menahem 
had  the  same  lot  ;  the  rest  were  slain  by  traitors 
or  in  battle,  or  died  in  captivity.  Their  char- 
acter was  even  worse  than  their  fate.  Not 
one  in  the  whole  list  is  commended  either  for 
morality  or  piety  ;  all  were  idolaters,  and  trai- 
tors to  Jehovah.  Even  the  zeal  of  Jehu  ended 
in  idol  worship,  and  the  patriotism  of  Hoshea 
was  marred  by  disloj'alty  to  God.  The  sacred 
historian  concludes  their  history  with  an  im- 
pressive and  affecting  summary  of  their  sins,  in 


256 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


which  they  were  followed  by  .luduli,  provoking 
the  aiijrer  of  Juhoviih  till  "  lie  removed  them 
out  of  llis  sight."  Fii-st.  "  there  wsls  none  left 
hut  the  trilie  of  Jiuiiili  only  ;"  but  their  sins 
had  alri'ady  caused  Jehovah  to  "  rend  Israel 
from  the  house  of  David  ;"  and  at  last  "  Jelio- 
vah  rejected  all  the  seel  of  Israel."  But  not 
till  lie  had  given  th-MU  abundant  invitations  to 
return  to  (lod  by  the  long  line  of  prophets,  the 
preachers  of  repentance  and  reformation.  Be- 
sides the  many  whose  names  are  too  often  for- 
gotten befuu.se  tlieir  writings  are  not  extant, 
Elijah  and  Elisha  sliine  amid  tlie  darkest  night 
of  Israel's  idolatry  ;  Zcehariah,  tlie  son  of  .Jehoi- 
ada.  seals  his  testimony  against  tlie  apostasy 
of  Judali  witli  lii.s  martjnlom  ;  and  the  century 
before  the  fall  of  Samaria  is  glorified  by  the 
names  of  JonsUi,  Amos,  and  Hosea  in  Israel, 
and  Joel,  Isaiah,  and  Micah  in  Jiulah.     P.  S. 

Extinction  of  the  Kingdom  op  Israel, 
C.M'sEU  Solely  by  the  N.vtion's  Wilful 
Ke.iecti()n  of  God's  Covenant  Mercy,  and 
Open,  Fi.aijhant,  and  Prolonged  Disobe- 
dience to  His  Co.mmands. 

Verses  7-23. 

Here  the  writer  ceases  to  be  the  mere  histo- 
rian, and  becomes  the  religious  teacher  and 
prophet,  drawing  out  the  lessons  of  historj'  and 
justifying  the  ways  of  God  to  man.  As  Bahr 
Siiys,  he  "  does  not  carry  on  the  narrative  as 
taken  from  the  original  autluirities,  but  him- 
self lure  begins  a  review  of  the  history  and  fate 
of  Israel,  which  ends  with  verse  2:{.  and  forms 
an  independent  section  by  itself."  The  section 
divides  itself  into  four  portions  :  (1)  From 
verse  7  to  verse  13,  a  general  statement  of  Israel's 
wickedness  ;  (2)  from  verse  13  to  verse  15,  a 
special  aggravation  of  their  guilt — viz.,  their 
rejection  of  jirophets  ;  (3)  verses  16  and  17  con- 
tain a  specification  of  their  chief  acts  of  sin  ; 
and  (4)  from  verse  18  to  verse  23,  a  general 
summary,  including  .some  words  of  warning 

to  Judali,     Ilammond. The  Bible  does  not 

simply  relate,  but  draws  aside  the  veil  and 
shows  us  the  innermost  springs  of  God's  provi- 
dence, and  how  they  work.  It  teaches  us  to 
understand  the  deepest  causes  of  the  rise  and 
fall  of  nations.  The  causes  it  insists  on  are  not 
economical,  or  political,  or  intellectual,  but  re- 
ligious, and  its  lessons  are  for  all  time.  AVe 
m.iy  say  of  this  survey  of  Israel'.s  history — these 
things  "  are  written  for  our  admonition,  upon 
whom  the  ends  of  tlie  world  are  come"  (1  Cor. 
]();11).     J.  (). 

The    brevity    of    the   account    of  the   fall  of 


Samaria  contrasts  with  the  long  enumeration  of 
the  sins  whicli  caused  it.  Modern  critics  as- 
sume tliat  verses  7-23  are  "  an  interpolation  by 
the  Deuteronomic  writer,"  ap|)arently  for  no 
rea.soii  but  because  they  trace  Israel's  fall  to  its 
cause  in  idolatry.  But  surely  the  bare  notice 
in  verse  6,  immediately  followed  by  verse  24, 
cannot  have  been  all  that  the  original  historian 
had  to  say  about  so  tragic  an  end  of  so  large  a 
part  of  the  peojjle  of  God.  The  whole  purpose 
of  the  Old  Testament  history  is  not  to  chronicle 
events,  but  to  declare  God's  dealings,  and  the 
fall  of  a  kingdom  was  of  little  moment,  except 
as  revealing  the  righteousness  of  God.  T'liese 
verses,  closely  looked  at,  disclose  a  very  strik- 
ing progress  of  thought.  In  the  centre  stands 
verse  13,  telling  of  the  mis.sion  of  the  prophets. 
Before  it,  verses  7-12  narrate  Israel's  sin,  which 
culminates  in  provoking  the  J^ord  to  anger 
(verse  11).  Afterit,  the  sins  are  reiterated  with 
noticeable  increa.se  of  emphasis,  and  again  cul- 
minate in  provoking  the  Lord  to  anger  (verse 
17).  So  we  have  two  degrees  of  guilt — ^one 
before  and  one  after  the  prophet's  messages  ; 
and  two  kindlings  of  God's  anger — one  which 
led  to  the  sending  of  tlie  prophets,  and  one 
which  led  to  the  destruction  of  Israel.     A.  M. 

Scarcely  on  any  other  occasion  does  the 
sacred  writer  allow  himself  reflections  of  this 
kind.  But  they  are  appropriate,  and  almost 
needful,  at  the  close  of  a  history  wliicli  relates 
events  in  their  bearing  on  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  views  Israel  as  a  nation  called  to  b(^  the 
servants  and  the  messengers  of  the  Lord.  They 
explain  the  inner  meaning  of  God's  dealings  in 
the  past,  and  the  deeper  catises  of  a  rejection 
and  an  exile  whicli  cannot  end  till  Israel  and 
Judah,  no  longer  hostile  nor  separate,  shall  in 
one  common  repentance  turn  to  seek  Jehovah 
their  God  and  the  Son  of  David  their  King. 
A.  E. 

7-17.  Ood'KJudgnwnt  upon  Israel  rindicated. 
Tlie  lessouK  of  the  histori/  rehearsed  in  summary. 
In  the  same  plain,  dispiussionate  style  which 
marks  all  the  inspired  writers,  this  one.  at  a 
time  and  place  most  appropriate'  and  called  for. 
records  what  God  had  done  for  Israel,  what  He 
asked  of  Israid,  and  how  Israel  had  treated  His 
favors  and  re(|uests.  He  had,  first  of  all,  de- 
livered them  from  the  galling  and  debasing 
servitude  of  Egypt  and  the  Pharaohs.  He  had 
assigned  to  their  possession  the  finest  territory 
of  the  Eiust.  From  this,  their  land.  He  hiul  cast 
out  heathen  nations.  Singling  out  the  people 
from  all  others.  He  had  exen-ised  a  peculiar 
personal  rule  and  care  over  them.  Entering 
into  a  special  jiei-sonal  covenant,  he  had  given 


SECTION  39.     CAUSES  OF  ISRAEL'S  EXTINCTION. 


257 


specific  principles  and  detailed  rules  by  which 
they  might  easily  secure  all  the  blessings  and 
promises  of  His  covenant.  Thus  it  would 
seem  that  God  had  done  everything  he  could  to 
attract  their  confidence,  to  win  their  affection, 
and  secure  their  grateful  obedience. 

But  "so  it  was  that  tlw  children  of  Inrael  liad 
dnned  against  (he  Lard  thtir  Ood."  They  wor- 
shipped other  gods,  which  He  had  expressly 
forbidden.  They  carried  out  the  idolatrous 
customs  and  practices  ordained  by  heathen 
nations,  in  place  of  the  prescribed  ceremonials 
of  His  worship.  They  preferred  to  obey  the 
decrees  of  kings  "  which  they  had  made," 
rather  than  the  rightful  commands  of  the  su- 
preme Jehovah.  They  o%'erlaid  the  worship 
and  the  commands  of  God  with  pretences 
and  perversions  (verse  9),  impiously  attempting 
to  nii.\  the  false  and  specious  with  the  true  and 
Divine,  and  so  obscuring  the  nature  and  the 
words,  the  ways  and  works  of  God.  "They 
built  high  places"  or  idolatrous  shrines  (verse 
10)  in  every  hamlet,  town,  and  city.  They  set 
up  idols  in  every  hill,  and  established  their 
abominable  worship  in  every  grove.  Like  the 
heathen  nations,  whom  they  knew  that  God  had 
condemned  and  punished  for  this  very  thing, 
they  burned  incense  and  wrought  exceeding 
wickedness.  In  all  this  they  knowingly  pro- 
voked God  to  anger,  for  He  had  said,  "  Ye 
shall  not  do  this  thing." 

But  even  this  was  not  all.  When,  under 
Jeroboam  and  Ahab,  they  had  thus  trampled  on 
God's  covenant  and  authority  by  shameless  and 
defiant  service  of  idols,  God  had  still  forborne 
with  them.  To  the  laws  and  couns('ls  long  be- 
fore given  through  Moses  and  Samuel,  He  adds 
the  direct  and  special  testimony  of  Elijah, 
Elisha,  Jonah,  Amos,  Hosea,  and  other  prophets 
and  seers.  The  burden  of  this  testimony, 
clearly  authenticated  by  miracles,  was  simply 
a  reminder  His  statutes  and  an  entreaty  to  keep 
them.  Yet  they  neither  heard  nor  heeded. 
They  would  not  hear.  Like  stubborn  o.ven, 
though  themselves  reasoning  creatures  with  a 
conscience,  they  made  their  necks  stiff,  and 
would  not  submit  to  the  easy  yoke  of  Divine 
love.  Ope:ily  they  rejected  His  statutes,  wil- 
fully they  repelled  His  covenant,  defiantly  they 
scorned  His  warnings  and  entreaties.  They 
became  assimilated  to  the  idols  they  wor- 
shipped. As  these  were  vanity  or  nothingness, 
so  they  lost  all  force  of  character,  all  power  to 
know  and  do  that  which  was  right  and  ad- 
vantageous. In  this  senseless  impotence  of 
soul,  the  indictment  declares  in  simiming  up 
the  various  forms  of  idolatry,  they  made  and 


bowed  down  before  molten  calves,  they  estab- 
lished secret  orgies  in  the  groves,  they  wor 
shipped  the  sun,  moon,  stars,  and  the  planets, 
and  they  served  Baal.  It  further  particularizes 
their  burning  of  children  in  sacrifice  to  the  fire 
god,  and  (from  the  connection  here  and  else- 
where with  Moloch)  their  horrid  use  of  these 
human  victims  as  means  of  divination,  or  meth- 
ods of  foretelling  future  events.  By  these  im- 
pious and  inhuman  practices,  long  wilfully 
maintained,  they  "  sold  themselves  to  do  evil 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  to  provoke  Him  to 
anger."     B. 

7.  The  first  characteristic  of  Israel's  sin  was 
ungrateful  departure  from  God.  There  is  a 
world  of  pathos  and  meaning  in  that  "  their 
God,"  which  is  enhanced  by  the  allusion  to  the 
Egyptian  deliverance.  All  sins  are  attempts 
to  break  the  chain  that  binds  us  to  God — a  chain 
woven  of  a  thousand  linked  benefits.  All  prac- 
tically deny  His  possession  of  us,  and  ours  of 
Him,  and  display  the  short  memory  which  in- 
gratitude has.  All  have  that  other  feature 
hinted  at  here — the  contrast,  so  absurd  if  it 
were  not  so  sad,  between  the  worth  and  power 
of  the  God  who  is  left  and  the  other  gods  who 
are  preferred.  The  essential  meanness  and  folly 
of  Israel  is  repeated  by  every  heart  departing 
from  the  living  God. 

9.  Here  the  charge  is  of  covering  idolatry 
with  a  cloak  of  Jehovah  worship.  A  varnish 
of  religion  is  convenient  and  cheap,  and  often 
effectual  in  deceiving  ourselves  as  well  as 
others  ;  but  "  as  he  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is 
he,"  whatever  his  cloak  may  be  ;  and  the  thing 
which  we  count  most  precious  and  long  mo.st 
for  is  our  God,  whatever  our  professions  of 
orthodo.x  religion. 

IO-I2.  The  idolatry  is  then  described,  in 
rapid  touches,  as  universal.  Wherever  there 
was  a  solitary  watchman's  tower  among  the 
pastures  was  a  high  place,  and  they  were  reared 
in  every  city.  Images  and  Asherim  deformed 
every  hill-top  and  stood  under  every  spreading 
tree.  Everywhere  incense  loaded  the  heavy  air 
with  its  foul  fragrance.  The  old  scenes  of  un- 
namalile  abomination,  which  had  been  so  ter- 
ribly avenged,  seemed  to  have  come  back,  and 
to  cry  alotid  for  another  purging  by  fire  and 
sword.  The  terrible  upshot  of  all  was  "  to 
provoke  the  Lord  to  anger."  The  New  Testa- 
ment is  as  emphatic  as  the  Old  in  asserting  that 
there  is  the  capacity  of  anger  in  the  God  whose 
name  is  love,  and  that  sin  calls  it  forth.  The 
special  characteristic  of  sin,  b}'  which  it  thus 
attracts  that  lightning,  is  that  it  is  disobedience. 
As  in  the  first  sin,  so  in  all  others.  God  has  said, 


258 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


"  Ye  shall  not  do  this  thing  ;"  and  we  say, 
■■  Do  it  we  will."  Wluit  ran  the  end  of  that  be 
but  tlie  anger  of  the  Lord  V  "  Beciuise  of  these 
things  eometh  the  wrath  of  God  iii)i>n  the  chil- 
dren of  disobedience."     A.  M. 

13.  (i(h1  had  never  left  Himself  without  liv- 
ing witness.  Besides  the  written  testimony 
of  the  law.  He  had  sent  them  a  continuous  series 
of  i)ropheta,  who  "  repeated  and  enforced  the 
teaching  of  the  law  by  word  of  mouth,  breath- 
ing into  the  old  words  a  new  life,  applying 
them  to  the  facts  of  their  own  times,  urging 
tliem  on  the  eonscienees  of  their  hearers,  and  au- 
thoritatively declaring  to  them  that  the  terrible 
threatenings  of  the  law  were  directed  against 
the  very  sins  which  they  habitually  priutised." 
The  sin  of  Israel  would  not  perhaps  have  been 
quite  "without  remedy"  had  they  not  for  so 
long  a  time  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  warnings 
and  exhortations  of  the  prophets,  and  persist- 
ing in  their  disobedience,  their  wickedness,  their 
greed,  their  cruidty,  their  besotted  idolatry,  de- 
spite the  scathing  denunciations,  the  tender 
pleadings,  the  wise  counsels,  almost  uninter- 
ruptedly addressed  to  them.  "  Stiffnecked  and 
uneircumcised  in  heart  and  ears"  (Acts  7  :  51), 
they  "  resisted  the  Holy  Ghost  ;"  and  their 
doom  had  to  be  pronounced,     lliiiiimnitd. 

14.  15.  The  heavier  sin  followed  the  Divine 
pleading.  That  Divine  voice  leaves  no  man  as 
it  finds  him.  H  it  does  not  sway  him  to  obe- 
dience, it  deepens  his  guilt,  and  makes  him  more 
obstinate.  Like  some  perverse  ox  in  the  yoke, 
he  stiffens  his  neck,  and  stands  the  very  picttire 
of  brute  obduracy.  There  is  an  awful  alterna 
tive  involved  in  our  hearing  of  God's  message, 
which  never  returns  to  Hira  void,  but  ever  does 
something  to  the  hearer,  either  softening  or 
hardening,  either  scaling  the  eyes  or  adding 
another  film  on  them,  either  being  the  savor  of 
life  unto  life  or  of  death  unto  death.  The  mis- 
sions of  the  prophets  changed  forgetfulness  of 
Ood"s  "  statutes"  into  "  rejection"  of  them,  and 
made  idolatry  self-conscious  rebellion.  Alas  ! 
that  men  should  make  what  is  meant  to  be  a 
bond  to  unite  them  to  God  into  a  wedge  to  part 
them  further  from  him.  But  how  constantly 
that  is  the  effect  of  the  Gospel,  and  for  the  same 
n>:ison  as  in  Israel,  that  they  "  did  not  believe 
in  the  Lord  their  trod."     A.  M. 

15.  Tiicrc  was  none  left  but  the 
tribe  of  Jiidnli  only.  The  •  tribe  of 
Judah"  stands  for  the  kingdom  of  the  two  tribes 
of  Judah  and  Benjamin,  into  which  the  greater 
part  of  Dan  and  Simeon  had  also  been  absorbed. 
This  became  now  exclusively  0(xl's  "  peculiar 
people,"  the  object  of  His  love  and  of  His  care. 


.  10.  AUo  Judali  kept  not  the  eom- 
inandnient§  of  the  Lord  llieir  Ood. 

Tlie  .sharp  contrast  wliicli  ilii'  writer  has  drawn 
between  Israel  and  Judah  in  verse  18  reminds 
him  that  the  difference  was  only  for  a  time. 
Judah  followed  in  Israel's  sins,  and  ultimately 
shared  in  her  punishment.  This  verse  and  the 
next  are  parentlictic. 

20.  And  the  Lord  rejected  all  the 
seed  of  Israel.  God  is  no  respecter  of  per- 
sons. As  He  had  rejected  the  Ten  Tribes  on 
account  of  certain  transgressions,  which  have 
been  enumerated  (verses  8-17),  so,  when  Judah 
committed  the  self-same  sins,  and  tran.sgressed 
equally,  Judah  had  equally  to  be  rejected. 
"  All  the  seed  of  Israel"  is  the  entire  nation — 
Israel  in  the  widest  sense,  made  up  of  Judah 
and  of  Israel  in  the  narrow  sense.  And 
afllieted  them  —  by  the  hands  of  Sargon, 
and   Sennacherib,    and   Esarhaddon  (2   Chron. 

33  :  11),  and  Pharaoh-Nechoh,  and  others. 

21.  For  he  rent  ;  rather, /«/•  he  had  rent. 
The  nexus  of  the  verse  is  with  verse  18.  The 
difference  between  the  fates  of  Israel  and 
Judah — the  survival  of  Judah  for  a  hundred 
and  thirty-four  years — is  traced  back  to  the 
separation  under  Hehoboain,  and  to  the  wicked 
policy  which  Jeroboam  then  pursued,  and  left 

as  a  legacy  to  liis  successors.     Hammnnd. 

Jeroboam  drave  Israel  fk-oni  follow- 
ing the  Lord.  The  strong  expression 
"  drave  Israel"  is  an  allusion  to  the  violent 
measures  whereto  Jeroboam  had  recourse  in 
order  to  stop  the  efflux  into  Judea  of  the  more 
religious  portion  of  his  subjects  (3  Chron.  11: 
13-16),  the  calling  in  of  Shishak.  and  the  per- 
manent assumption  of  a  hostile  attitude  toward 
the  southern  kingdom.     B.  C. 

23.  Ill  judgment  agaiiut  their  determined 
■wickedness  God  returnti  them  to  bondage,  from 
which  He  had  originally  rescued  them.  Patiently 
He  had  endured  their  iugnititude  and  evil  ways 
for  many  hundred  years.  Every  possible  means 
he  had  employed  with  the  Ten  Tribes  during 
their  separate  existence  as  a  nation.  But  their 
kings  were  all  idolatrous  and  wicked  rulers. 
And  the  mass  of  the  people  gave  themselves  up 
to  impiety  and  the  most  flagrant  immoralities. 
"  Therefore  the  Lord  removed  Israel  out  of  His 
sight,"  out  of  the  land  which  He  had  hallowed 
by  His  special  indwelling,  out  of  the  land  where 
He  had  established  His  covenant  and  worship, 
where  He  had  revealed  His  word  by  prophets 
and  teachers.  As  a  distinct  people,  they  were 
dispersed  among  heathen  nations. 

Not  only  the  entire  history  of  the  Israelites 
from  the  Exodus,  but  emphatically  the  history 


SECTION  29.     SAMARIA   COLONIZED  BY  ASSYRIANS. 


259 


of  the  separate  kingdom  of  Israel,  is  full  of 
vital  instruction.  Nowhere  else  stands  so 
sharply  revealed  the  deceitf  ulness  and  desperate 
wickedness  of  the  natural  heart  of  man.  No- 
where else  do  we  derive  so  deep  an  imiiression 
of  the  strength  and  tenacity  of  God's  love  to 
sinners.  Yet,  while  plainly  revealing  the  fact 
that  judgment  is  God's  "  strange  work,"  it  as 
plainly  shows  that  His  long-suffering  and  for- 
bearance can  be  overcome  by  the  sinner's  de- 
termination in  disobedience  and  evil-doing.  It 
proves  that  even  the  patience  of  God  has  a  limit 
and  an  end.  Though  sentence  against  the  evil- 
worker  be  long  delayed,  it  will  at  last  lie  surely 
e.tecuted.  His  threatenings,  like  His  promises, 
never  fail  of  accomplishment.  He  will  destroy 
the  wilfully  impenitent  soul  in  his  sins.     B. 

Let  it  be  remembered  this  doom  of  national 
destruction  had  been  predicted  long  before,  even 
by  Moses  (Lev.  26  and  De.  28),  and  this  predic- 
tion the  Lord  through  His  prophets  missed  no 
good  opportunity  to  reaffirm.  Note  also  that 
whereas,  under  the  national  policy  of  Jeroboam, 
they  had  in  the  outset  severed  themselves  from 
the  Mosaic  institutions,  especially  the  temple 
worship  and  the  national  festivals — a  step  which 
seemed  to  Jeroboam  a  necessity  of  their  separate 
national  existence — the  Lord  graciously  sought 
to  supply  this  lack  by  a  specially  vigorous  de- 
velopment of  religious  agency  through  the 
prophets.  It  was  sustained  remarkably  by 
miracle,  as  we  have  seen  particularly  in  the 
case  of  Elijah  and  Elisha  ;  also  by  wonderful 
interpositions  of  God  by  means  of  drought  and 
famine  ;  also  by  various  national  events — wars, 
deliverances.  To  all  this  we  must  add  the 
labors  of  those  prophets  who  wrote  their  mes- 
sages and  scattered  them  among  the  people. 
Of  these,  we  have  among  the  northern  tribes 
Hosea  and  Amos  certainly  ;  and  Micah  seems  to 
have  some  reference  to  this  kingdom.  It  was 
only  after  all  these  efforts  had  proved  unavail- 
ing that  the  Lord  at  length  gave  them  up — 
Hosea  indicates  in  more  passages  than  one  with 
what  wonderful  tenderness  of  emotion  and  after 
what  touching  admonitions  and  warnings.  It 
was  through  his  lips  and  pen  that  the  Lord 
said,  "  How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim  ? 
How  shall  I  deliver  thee,  Israel  ?  How  shall  I 
make  thee  as  Admah  ?  How  shall  I  set  thee  as 
Zeboim  ?  My  heart  is  turned  within  Me  ;  My 
repenlings  are  kindled  together"  (Hos.  11  :  8). 

The  fall  of  the  northern  kingdom  was  pur- 
posely made  admonitory  to  the  southern.  It 
could  not  be  otherwise  than  a  solemn  warning 
to  Judah.  We  cannot  say  definitely  liow  pow- 
erful the  influence  of  this  final  fall  and  captivity 


of  Samaria  was  upon  the  people  of  Judah  in 
promoting  the  great  reform  wrought  by  Heze- 
kiah.  This  reform  he  commenced  in  his  first 
j'ear,  si.x  3'ears  before  the  final  conquest  ;  but 
continued  it  with  efforts  more  or  less  vigorous 
throughout  his  reign  of  twenty-nine  years. 
Consequently,  under  the  "  logic  of  events"  the 
great  fact  was  bearing  upon  his  people  of  God's 
exterminating  judgments  upon  that  apostate 
nation.  It  was  of  yet  more  value  to  them  be- 
cause its  date  (after  this  great  reform  com- 
menced) gave  them  the  opportunity  to  invite 
their  brethren  of  the  north  to  come  in  and  join 
them  in  this  general  turning  to  the  Lord.  In 
our  study  of  that  reform  we  shall  see  how  in- 
timately they  must  have  become  acquainted 
with  the  religious  state  of  the  northern  king- 
dom ;  how  elearl}'  they  must  have  seen  and  felt 
their  fearful  apostasy  from  God,  and  the  incor- 
rigible hardness  of  the  masses  ;  and  how  pow- 
erfully this  must  have  augmented  the  moral 
effect  of  that  terrific  judgment,  which,  almost 
before  this  great  reform  had  culminated,  be- 
came a  fearful  fact  before  their  eyes.  After 
the  fall  of  the  northern  kingdom  ijrophets  be- 
came more  conspicuous  in  Judah.  Relea-sed 
from  service  in  the  north,  they  concentrated 
their  labors  upon  the  only  remaining  kingdom, 
uniting  in  one  grand  effort  to  save  Judah  from 
the  same  threatening  doom.  We  meet  no 
further  notice  of  the  prophet-colleges  at  Bethel, 
Gilgal,  and  Jericho.  They  may  or  they  may 
not  have  continued  in  operation.  Those  locali- 
ties were  not  remote  from  Jerusalem,  but  no 
historic  allusions  to  their  work  or  even  to  their 
existence  have  come  down  to  us.     H.  C. 

Sam.\ria  Repeopled  et  Asstkian  Colonists. 
Their  Mixed  Religion. 

Verms  24-41 . 

The  writer,  before  dismissing  the  subject  of 
the  Israelite  kingdom,  proceeds  to  inform  us  of 
certain  results  of  the  conquest.  Having  re- 
moved the  bulk  of  the  native  inhabitants,  the 
Assyrians  did  not  allow  the  country  to  lie  waste, 
but  proceeded  to  replace  the  population  which 
they  had  carried  off  by  settlers  from  other 
localities  (verse  24).  These  settlers  were,  after 
a  short  time,  incommoded  by  lions,  which  in 
creased  upon  them  and  diminished  their  num- 
bers (verse  25).  The  idea  arose  that  the  visita- 
tion was  supernatural,  and  might  be  traced  to 
the  fact  that  the  new-comers,  not  knowing  "  the 
manner  of  the  God  of  the  land,"  displeased 
Him  by  the  neglect  of  His  rites  or  by  the  intro- 
duction of  alien  worship  (verse  26).     A  remedy 


260 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


for  tliia  was  sought  in  the  sending  to  them  from 
Assyria  one  of  tlie  priests  who  hail  been  carried 
off,  friwa  whom  it  was  thought  they  miglit 
learn  Imw  "  tlie  G<k1  of  tlie  land"  was  to  be 
propitiated.  This  was  the  origin  of  the  "  mixed 
religion"  which  grew  up  in  the  coimtry .  While 
the  nations  who  had  replaced  the  Israelites 
brought  in  their  own  superstitions,  and  sev- 
cniUy  worshipped  their  own  gods  (verses  30,  31), 
tlxere  was  a  general  acknowledgment  of  Jehovah 
by  all  of  them,  and  a  continuance  of  Jehovistic 
worsliip  in  the  various  high  places.  The  na- 
tions l)oth  "  feared  the  Lord,  and  served  their 
graven  images,"  down  to  the  time  when  the 
writer  of  Kings  composed  his  work  (verses 
33-11). 

2-1.  And  placed  them  in  the  cities 
or  §aniuria  in§tead  of  the  children 
of  I^ruel.  Transplantation  of  nations,  com- 
menced by  Tiglath-pileser,  was  practised  on  a 
still  larger  scale  by  Sargon. 

25.  And  §o  it  wiitt  at  the  bc$;inning 
of  tlieir  d^vcliing  there,  that  they 
feared  not  tlie  Lord.  They  were  igno 
rant,  that  is,  of  Jehovah,  and  paid  Him  no  re- 
ligious regard.  They  brought  with  them  their 
own  forms  of  heathenism  (see  verses  30,  31). 
Hamtmtnd . 

2H.  Taiig^ht  them  hoiv  they  should 
fear  the  Lord.  It  must  not  be  supposed 
that  the  priest  sent  to  the  colonists  was  a  true 
Jehovah-priest,  who  instructed  them  in  the  pure 
worship  of  God.  The  whole  conte.'ct  makes  it 
clear  that  He  was  one  of  those  who  had  been 
attached  to  the  calf  worship  at  one  of  the  two 
national  shrines — probably  at  Bethel.  Hence, 
He  would  be  willing  to  wink  at  the  mi.\ed  re- 
ligion, which  a  true  Jehovah-priest  would  have 

unsparingly  condemned.     B.  C. The  priest 

eehcled  by  Sargon's  advisers  was  a  Bethelile 
priest,  and,  returning  thither,  took  up  the  wor- 
ship familiar  to  him.  This  worship  could  only 
be  that  of  the  calf-priests  instituted  by  Jero- 
boam, which  was,  however,  most  certainly  a 
worship  of  Jehovah,  and  an  imitation  or  trav- 
esty of  the  temple  worship  at  Jerusalem. 

32.  So  they  feared  the  Lord— rather. 
and  thry  (nho)  honored  Jelior.ak — i.e..  with  their 
idolatrous  worship  they  combined  also  the  wor- 
ship of  Jehovah  (cf.  verse  28) — and  made 
unto  ihemNelvesi  of  the  lowest  of 
tliein  |>ricsts  of  the  high  places— i.<.. 
followed  the  example  of  Jeroboam  in  taking  for 
priests  persms  of  all  ranlis,  even  the  lowest. 

3:1.  They  fc-arcd  the  Lord,  and 
»crvc«l  their  own  gods.  This  syncretism, 
this  mixed   religion,   is  so  surprising  to    the 


writer,  and  so  abhorrent  to  his  religioiLS  senti- 
ments, that  he  cannot  but  dwell  upon  it,  not 
shrinking  from  repeating  himself  (see  verses  32. 
33,  41),  in  order  to  arre-st  the  reader's  attention, 
and  point  out  to  him  the  folly  and  absurdity  of 
such  conduct.  The  practice  was  still  going 
on  in  his  own  day  (verses  34,  41),  and  may  have 
had  attractions  for  the  descendants  of  the  small 
Isnjelite  population  which  had  been  left  in  the 
land.  The  new  immigrants  "  feared  Jehovah" 
in  a  certain  sense — i.e.,  externally.  They  ad- 
mitted Him  into  their  pantheon,  and  had  ritual 
observances  in  His  honor.  But  they  did  not 
really  fear  Him  in  their  hearts.  Had  they  done 
so,  they  would  have  inquired  what  were  His 
laws,  statutes,  and  ordinances,  and  would  have 
set  themselves  to  obey  them.  This  they  did 
not  think  of  doing. 

40.  HoAvbeitthey  did  not  hearken. 
The  mixed  race,  with  their  mixed  religion, 
though  professing  to  be  worshippei-s  of  Jeho- 
vah, paid  no  attention  to  the  warnings  and 
thrcatcnings  of  the  law  (verse  34),  which  were 
to  them  a  dead  letter.  But  they  did  after 
their  former  manner — i.e.,  they  con- 
tinued to  maintain  the  syncretism  described  in 
verses  28-33. 

41.  So  these  nations — i.e.,  the  Baby- 
lonians, Cuthieans,  Hamathites,  Avites,  and 
Sepliarvites  settled  in  Samaria — feared  the 
Lord,  and  served  their  graven  im- 
ages.    Hammond. 

We  have,  in  the  New  Testament,  a  very  dis- 
tinct picture  of  the  relations  exi.sting  between 
the  Jews  ant)  the  Samaritans  in  the  time  of 
Jesus.  How  did  these  relations  originate  ?  In 
other  words,  how  did  the  Samaritans  come  to 
be  the  people  they  were  ?  Two  elements  enter 
into  the  answer  of  this  question,  one  or  the 
other  of  which  is  apt  to  be  neglected,  in  the  an- 
swers that  are  commonly  given.  First,  Sargon 
and  the  Assyrian  kings  who  followed  him 
largely  repeoplevt  the  regions  around  Samaria 
with  inhabitants  who  were  not  Israelite  in  race 
or  religion,  but  who  superstitinusly  adopted 
something  of  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  as  the 
local  god  of  the  region,  in  addition  to  the  re- 
ligion they  brought  with  them  from  their 
former  seats  (2  K.  17,  etc.).  They  had  a  centre 
of  worship  for  Jehovah  in  Bethel  (17  :  28).  When 
the  Jews  returned  from  the  exile  under  Zerub- 
babcl  and  Jeshua,  being  in  high  favor  with  the 
Persian  king,  these  Samaritnn  worshippers  of 
Jehovah  were  disposed  to  make  common  cause 
with  them,  and  be  regarded  as  of  the  same  rc- 
ligiin.  When  the  Jews  refused  their  overtures 
they  became  hostile.     This  state  of  things  seems 


SECTION  29.     TEN  TRIBES  NOT  LOST. 


261 


to  have  been  kept  up  through  the  century  and 
more  tliat  intervened  between  the  first  j'ear  of 
Cynis  and  the  close  of  the  twelve  years  of  the 
first  administration  of  Nehcmiah.  But  there 
was  a  second  element,  •.vithout  which  tliese 
people  would  never  have  become  the  Samari- 
tans of  the  New  Testament.  The  Books  of  Ezra 
and  Nehcmiah  disclose  the  existence  of  sharp 
differences  of  opinion  and  practice  among  the 
Jews  who  returned  to  Jerusalem  from  the 
Exile,  and  their  descendants.  On  the  one  hand, 
large  luinibcrs  were  disposed  to  intermarry  and 
affiliate  with  their  Samaritan,  Moabite  and  Am- 
monite neighbors  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  Ezra 
and  Nehcmiah  and  those  who  held  with  them 
were  determined  to  break  up  these  practices, 
and  to  preserve  Israel  separate  from  the  other 
peoples.  Among  their  opponents  were  men  of 
high  rank,  including  priests  and  Levites  ;  even 
Eliashib,  the  high-priest,  was  implicated.  The 
last  verses  of  Nehcmiah  indicate  that  this  con- 
test reached  its  crisis  while  Nehcmiah  was  3'et 
governor.  One  of  the  grandsons  or  great- 
grandsons  of  Eliashib  married  a  girl  of  the  fam- 
ily of  Sanballat,  and  Nehcmiah  banished  him. 
The  Bible  does  not  tell  us  what  became  of  him, 
but  we  find  reason  for  holding  that  he  became 
high-priest  at  Mount  Gerizim,  and  that,  with 
his  banishment,  the  contest  between  the  two 
parties  at  Jerusalem  virtuall}',  at  least,  became 
a  schism  ;  those  who  sided  against  Nehcmiah 
drawing  off,  becoming  permanently  affiliated 
with  the  pe0]ile  of  Samaria,  modifying  their 
Judaism  accordingly,  and  thus  producing  the 
new  form  of  religion  known  as  Samaritanism. 
It  may  have  taken  a  generation  or  more  for  the 
new  movement  to  assume  its  distinctive  form. 
W.  J.  B. 

The  Ten  Tribes  not  Lost. 

The  captivities  which  befell  the  kingdom  of 
Israel  are  recorded  in  2  K.  15  :  29  ;  17  :  6  ;  18  ;  11, 
and  1  Clinm.  5  :  26.  These  records  speak  of  two 
deportations  of  the  people  of  the  kingdom  of 
the  Ten  Tribes— the  first  at  the  hand  of  Pul  (or 
Tiglath-pileser  II.)  ;  and  the  second  at  that  of 
Sargon,  after  the  taking  of  Samaria.  The  first 
affected  Reuben,  Gad,  and  the  half  tribe  of 
Manasseh — i.e.,  the  Israelites  of  the  Gilcad,  or 
the  region  beyond  the  Jordan — and  also  the 
Israelites  of  the  Galilee  region — i.e.,  Naphtali, 
Asher,  Zebuluii,  and  Issachar.  The  second  is 
described  as  befalling  the  kingdom  as  a  whole, 
after  the  taking  of  Samaria  ;  but  it  seems  to 
have  fallen  especially  upon  the  tribes  of  Dan, 
Ephraim,  the  other  halt  of  Manasseh,  and  the 
Israelitish  portion  of  Benjamin.     These  tribes 


coincide  as  to  their  areas  with  the  later  province 
of  Samaria.  The  return  from  the  Babylonish 
captivity,  which  we  find  described  in  E/.ra  and 
Nehcmiah,  was  of  the  Jews  of  the  southern  king- 
dom, which,  although  generally  dcscrilicd  as 
consisting  of  two  tribes,  really  included  Judah, 
Levi,  what  was  left  of  Simeon,  and  a  large  part 
of  Benjamin.  We  hear  nothing,  in  either  the 
Bible  or  parallel  sources,  of  the  return  of 
Israelites  from  the  more  northern  region,  to 
which  the  Assyrians  carried  them  captive, 
although  some  think  itnot  improbable  that  part 
of  them  did  come  back  with  the  returning 
people  of  Judah. 

Tlius  far  we  have  the  facts.  But  as  to  the  in- 
ferences which  have  been  drawn  from  these 
facts,  there  is  no  agreement.  The  open  ques- 
tions are  as  follows  :  1.  Did  the  Assyrian  cap- 
tivity of  Israel  mean  the  deportation  of.  the 
bulk  of  the  people  beyond  the  Tigris,  or  only 
that  of  the  heads  of  society  ?  2.  Did  the  Israel 
ites  who  were  carried  captive  lose  their  identity 
among  their  heathen  neighbors,  or  did  they 
maintain  it  by  emigrating  to  a  more  remote 
countrj',  or  are  they  to  be  sought  in  the  general 
body  of  Hebrews  we  afterward  find  in  tlie  re- 
gion between  the  Persian  Gulf  and  the  Black 
Sea  ?  The  generally  accepted  answer  to  these 
questions  is  that  the  Ten  Tribes  were  carried 
captive  as  a  whole,  leaving  a  mere  fragment  in 
numbers  as  well  as  in  importance  in  the  land 
of  Israel  ;  that  the  captives  were  lost  to  their 
nation,  possibly,  by  absorption,  but  more  prob- 
ably by  both  migration  and  absorption  ;  that 
the  Jews  of  later  times,  with  some  exceptions, 
are  the  descendants  of  the  people  of  Judali  ;  that 
the  identity  of  the  posterity  of  the  Ten  Tribes 
is  one  of  the  unsolved  problems  of  historic  eth- 
nology. On  this  basis  of  supposition  have  been 
built  a  multitude  of  theories,  of  which  the  identi- 
fication of  the  Israelites  with  our  North  Ameri- 
can Indians  has  furnished  the  basis  for  the  his- 
torical romance  called  "  The  Book  of  Mormon." 
The  Afghans,  the  Falashas  of  Abj'ssiuia,  the 
Bani-Israel  of  Bombay,  the  Jews  of  China,  and 
the  Mexicans,  have  each  in  turn  been  identified 
with  the  Ten  Tribes.  Last  of  all  comes  the 
Anglo-Israel  theory,  which  identifies  them  with 
the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  and  sees  in  the  extent  and 
influence  of  the  British  Empire  an  accomplish- 
ment of  the  prophesies  made  to  Israel.  To  me 
it  seems  that  the  supponition  of  the  loss  of  the 
Ten  Tribes  is  a  mistake,  and  one  which  cannot 
be  reconciled  with  the  teachings  of  either  the 
Old  or  the  New  Testament.  The  Jews  of  to-day 
are  the  descendants  of  all  the  tribes,  who  were 
settled  in  the  Holy  Land  in  Joshua's  time  ;  and 


203 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


wliilr  llitri-  \vcr<>  some  losses  throiigli  ubsorj)- 
tioii  iiiio  i]agan  iiatioiiiilitics — Syriiin,  Arabic, 
llelknic.  ami  Koinan — ami  still  more  tlirough 
(•onvcrsioiis  to  Christianity  and  to  Islam,  the 
integrity  of  the  nation  has  not  been  impaired 
by  them.  It  probably  has  gained  more  than  it 
lost,  thro\igli  absorbing  Edomites,  Moabites,  and 
the  ])!  oples  settled  in  the  Holy  Land  after  the 
captivities,  by  t lie  proselytism  of  Honian  times, 
and  liy  llie  great  conversion  of  the  Kliozars  of 
what  now  is  Southern  Russia  in  the  ^liddle 
Ages. 

1.  It  is  a  mistake  to  assume  that  an_v  of  the 
four  captivities  meant  the  deportation  of  a 
whole  iieople.  That  would  have  been  an  un- 
dertaking too  great  for  even  a  Nebticliaduezzar. 
Nor  is  such  a  deportation  really  implied  in  the 
biblical  statements,  as  is  seen  when  we  compare 
one  part  of  the  record  with  another.  Thus  we 
read  in  2  K.  1.5  ;  29  and  in  1  Chrou.  5  :  26  of  the 
captivity  of  the  seven  tribes  of  the  Galilean  and 
I'crean  regions  in  terms  which,  if  taken  to  the 
foot  of  the  letter,  woidil  mean  that  all  the  popu- 
lation was  carried  off.  Yet  in  2  Chron.  30  :  1-13 
we  find  Ilezekiah  sending  out  his  messengers 
"  to  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,"  and"  throughout 
all  Israel,  even  from  Dan  to  Beersheba,"  to  in- 
vite the  "  children  of  Israel"  to  keep  the  great 
passover  with  him  at  Jervisalem.  He  speaks  to 
Ihem  as  "  the  remnant  that  are  escaped  of  you 
out  of  the  hand  of  the  kings  of  Assyria,"  and 
beseeches  them  to  turn  to  God,  that  their  breth- 
ren and  children  may  "  find  compassion  before 
them  that  led  them  captive."  Wliile  ino.st  of 
those  who  heard  the  message  only  mocked  at 
it,  "  diversof  Asherand  Manassehand  Zebuluu 
humbled  themselves  and  came  to  Jerusalem. " 
And  this  minority  of  "  the  remnant"  of  the.se 
three  tribes  made  with  the  people  of  Judah  "  a 
very  great  congregation."  It  was  their  pres- 
ence that  moved  Isaiah  to  the  outburst  of  thank- 
ful song  over  the  latter-day  glory  conferred 
upon  ■■  the  land  of  Zebulun  and  the  laud  of 
Naphtali,"  in  which  one  ground  of  exultation 
is,  "  Thou  hast  multiplied  the  nation  ;  thou 
luist  increased  their  joy ' '  (Isa.  9  : 1-3).  I  may  re- 
mark here  that  the  Hebrew  word  shaar,  trans- 
lated "  remnant,"  docs  not  necessarily  mean  a 
mere  fragment,  but  simply  that  which  is  left 
when  something  else  lias  been  taken  away, 
whether  wliat  has  been  taken  is  more  or  less 
than  wliat  is  left.  So,  again,  we  find  E/.ekiel, 
who  was  taken  captive  in  the  first  Babylonish 
captivity,  writing  to  those  who  inhabited 
"  those  waste  places  of  the  land  of  Israel."  and 
who  were  accu.stonied  to  say  ;  "  Abraham  was 
one,    and   he   inherited   the  land  ;  but  we  are 


many;  the  huid  is  given  us  for  inheritance." 
The  message  God  sends  them  through  His 
prophet  is  one  of  rebuke  for  their  sins  and  im- 
purities, and  a  tlireut  of  further  desolation  of 
Israel  :  "  The  pride  of  her  power  shall  cease." 
Thus  Scripture  explains  Scripture  ;  and  so  do 
the  monuments  in  the  same  sense.  In  2  K. 
17  :  6  ;  18  :  11  we  have  the  statement  that  the 
Assyrians  "  took  Samaria  and  carried  Israel 
away  unto  ^Vssyria."  Sargon's  account  of  the 
matter  shows  exactly  wliat  this  means  :  "  The 
city  of  Samaria  I  besieged  ;  it  I  took  ;  27,280 
of  its  inliabitants  I  carried  away  ;  fifty  wagons 
I  took  from  them  ;  their  other  possessions  I 
suffered  to  be  taken  [by  the  soldiere]  ;  my  lieu- 
tenant I  placed  over  them  ;  the  tribute  of  the 
previous  king  I  Imposed  upon  them."  This 
exact  statement  shows  how  little  of  a  clean 
sweep  was  made  ;  and  we  have  no  reason  to 
suppose  that  the  previous  deportation  of  the 
Perean  and  Galilean  tribes  was  on  a  greater 
.scale  than  this,  which  carried  away  but  27,280 
persons  from  the  Samarian  tribes.  At  most  it 
was  a  deportiition  of  the  heads  of  society,  and 
the  whole  number  taken  from  the  northern  king- 
dom cannot  have  been  much  over  sixty  thoasand 
people.  This  left  a  great  body,  who,  in  the 
theocratic  sense,  were  a  headless  "  remnant," 
but,  in  the  view  of  modern  statistics,  were  the 
bulk  of  the  Israelitisli  nation.  "The  most 
numerotis  class — i.e.,  the  poorest,"  to  use  the 
language  of  modern  sociology,  was  left  in  pos- 
session. 

2.  It  is  not  agreed  whether  the  Israelite  cap- 
tives were  all  tmusferred  to  Sledia,  or  part  of 
them  settled  in  the  Assyrian  plain.  From  the 
time  of  the  Babylonian  Talmud  doctors  have 
disputed  as  to  the  location  of  "  Ilalah.  Habor, 
the  riverGozan,  and  Are-Madai{tnmslated  "  the 
cities  of  the  Medes").  The  best  Talmudic 
authority  places  Halah  at  Ilolvan.  whose  Jews 
paid  tribute  to  the  Prince  of  the  Exile,  the  ruler 
of  the  Jews  of  Babylon  ;  Habor  at  Hadyab  in 
Adiabene,  the  seat  of  a  Jewish  school  and  the 
scene  of  the  conversion  of  Queen  Helena  to 
Judaism  ;  Gozan  at  Guinzak,  whose  Jews  in 
the  si'cond  centurj'  were  so  ignorant  that  they 
knew  nothing  of  the  Flood  or  of  Job  ;  and  Are- 
Madai  at  Hanuulan  or  Ecbatana,  the  capital  of 
Media.  What  is  there  to  forbid  our  identilica- 
tion  of  the  Jews  at  the.se  well-known  centres  of 
Jewisli  iiojiulation  and  worship  with  the  de 
.sccndantsof  the  Israelitish  exiles  whom  Tiglath 
pileser  II.  placed  there?  Chiefly  a  Jewish  tra 
dition  that,  instead  of  remaining  where  they 
were  placed,  they  chose  to  migrate  farther  from 
their  own  country.     In  fact,  from  the  Persian 


SECTION  29.     TEN  TRIBES  NOT  LOST. 


263 


Gulf  to  the  Black  Sea  every  province  liad  its 
Jewish  population.  Some  considerable  cities 
were  entirely  in  their  hands.  While  Babylon, 
no  doubt,  was  the  centre  of  the  dispersed  of 
Judah,  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the 
Jews  in  these  other  provinces  were  not  descend- 
ants of  Israelitish  as  well  as  Judean  captives. 
The  farther  north  and  east  we  go  in  that  region, 
the  stronger  is  the  presumption  that  the  Jewish 
population  comes,  at  least  in  part,  from  the 
northern  kingdom. 

When  we  turn  to  the  New  Testament,  we  find 
not  a  hint  of  the  loss  of  the  Ten  Tribes  from 
the  rest.  Our  Lord  is  born  and  labors  among 
the  people  of  the  region  which  suffered  by  the 
first  deportation  of  Israelites  to  Ass}'ria,  and 
whom  even  the  Judeans  owned  as  their  country- 
men. From  this  region  came  all  His  apostles 
except  Judas  Iscariot,  who  was  a  Judean. 
Choice  is  made  of  twelve  apostles  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Church,  with  distinct  reference 
to  the  number  of  the  tribes  among  whom  they 
are  to  labor  (JIutt.  19  :  28  ;  Luke  22  :  30).  At 
the  day  of  Pentecost  we  find  Peter  making  his 
appeal  to  "  all  the  house  of  Israel  ;"  and 
"  Parthians,  Medes,  and  Elamitcs"  from  the 
regions  of  the  Assyrian  cajjtivity  are  the  very 
first  mentioned  as  hearers  of  the  wonderful 
word  of  power  ;  after  them  come  "  the  dwellers 
in  Mesopotamia,"  the  region  of  the  Babylonish 
captivity.  Paul  speaks  to  Agrippa  of  "  the 
promise  made  of  God  unto  our  fathers  ;  unto 
which  promise  our  twelve  tribes,  earnestly  serv- 
ing God  night  and  day,  hope  to  ei:me. "  James 
addresses  his  Epistle  ' '  to  the  twelve  tribes  which 
are  of  the  dispersion."  John  in  the  Revelation 
witnesses  the  sealing  of  twelve  thousand  of  each 
of  the  twelve  tribes,  onlj-  Dan  being  omitted, 
while  Levi  is  included  in  the  number.  In  many 
places  throughout  that  book  "  twelve"  is  used 
with  mystic  reference  to  Jewish  history. 

Still  more  noticeable  is  the  silence  of  the  New 
Testament.  We  may  infer  that  this  notion  of 
a  loss  of  ten  tribes  had  no  recognition  in  the 
New  Testament  age  from  the  fact  that  it  never 
is  alk'ged  by  any  one  in  arguing  with  the  Jews. 
Our  Lord  might  well  have  used  it  in  His  warn- 
ings to  the  Jews  that  mere  descent  from  Abra- 
ham would  not  stand  in  the  way  of  the  rejec- 
tion of  an  unbelieving  people  (John  8),  from 
whom  the  kingdom  would  be  taken  away  and 
given  to  a  people  bringing  forth  the  fruits 
thereof  (Matt.  21  :  43).  Stephen  might  well 
have  urged  it  on  his  murderers  as  right  in  the 
line  of  his  great  argument  from  the  past  of  the 
nation.  Paul  might  have  used  it  witli  telling 
effect  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  Romans,  in  the 


third  of  Galatians,  and  other  passages.  But  not 
one  of  them  refers  to  this  alleged  fact  of  the 
loss  of  the  greater  part  of  the  elect  people  from 
the  national  fellowship.  The  belief  in  the  hjss 
of  the  Ten  Tribes  out  of  the  body  of  the  He- 
brews, and  their  present  existence  in  some  part 
of  the  world,  may  be  traced,  I  think,  to  the 
general  acceptance  of  certain  "  travellers'  tales" 
in  the  mediaeval  literature  of  the  Jews.  A  care- 
ful account  of  this  curious  romancing  is  given 
by  Dr.  A.  Neubauer  in  the  Jewish  Quarterly 
Review  for  1888-89.     i?.  E.  Thompson. 

Israel,  as  a  whole,  is  intact  now,  as  it  was  be- 
fore the  split  into  two  kingdoms.  In  other 
words,  the  Ten  Tribes  are  not  lost.  This  can 
be  confirmed  and  established  by  direct  scrip- 
tural evidence.  Israel  and  Judah  go  into  the 
same  exile  ;  into  various  provinces  of  the  one 
great  power,  which  at  first  constituted  the 
Assyrian,  then  the  Chaldean,  and  afterward  the 
Persian  Empire.  Their  common  misery  brings 
about  a  closer  union  of  the  descendants  of 
Jacob.  Their  oppressors  know  of  no  tribal  dis- 
tinctions ;  and  as  the  great  monarchies  undergo 
their  successive  changes,  the  fact  of  there  hav- 
ing been  two  deportations  of  captive  Israelites 
from  the  petty  kingdoms  of  Israel  and  Judah 
seems  to  have  been  forgotten.  The  Persians 
knew  of  no  distinction  between  Jews  and  Israel- 
ites, for  Ilaman  wished  to  destroy,  not  nil  the 
Judeans  merely,  but  all  the  "  Hebrews."  In 
this  "  fused"  state,  as  the  seventy  years  of  the 
later  Captivity  draw  to  a  close,  the  people  ripen 
for  their  return.  The  reason  why  there  is  no  defi- 
nite promise  of  return  to  the  Ten  Tribes  after  a 
fixed  period  is  because  they  sinned  in  revolting. 
To  have  given  one  promise  to  them  and  another 
to  the  Judeans  would  have  been  contrary  to  the 
Divine  purpose  of  unity.  The  revolters  repent 
in  captivity  ;  in  heart  they  return  to  their 
allegiance  ;  and  when  the  seventy  years  are 
ended,  the  captives  go  back  as  one  nation.  It 
is  not  contended  that  all  went  back  together, 
but  th-.it  some  of  all  the  tribes  returned,  and 
thus  formed  a  representative  Israel.  Besides, 
the  return  is  the  reverse  of  the  captivities. 
Judah  is  the  later  deposit  ;  they  have  not  struck 
so  deep  a  root  in  exile  as  their  brethren,  hence 
they  return  first,  and  in  greater  numbers. 
Whereas  the  captives  from  the  Ten  Tribes  were 
the  earlier  deposit ;  they  liave  been  many  more 
j'ears  in  captivity,  they  have  consequently 
struck  a  deeper  root  ;  many  of  them  have  for- 
gotten their  own  land  (this  is  easy  to  under- 
stand, seeing  these  were  never  the  truer  Israel- 
ites) ;  they  have  formed  new  homes  and  new 
interests  in  their  exile.     Manv,  again,  of  these 


264 


KINGDOM  OF  ISRAEL. 


(lid  not  wniit  to  return,  "  they  mingled  with 
tlie  liratlu'ii  and  learned  tlieir  works."  In 
other  words,  these  wi^re  not  tlie  repentant  and 
faithful  Jews.  They  had  nolieart  loM;^inj;s  for 
Zion  ;  and  as  they  did  not  want  God,  He  diil  not 
want  them.  They  stayed  belnnd  ;  a  few  may 
have  returned  in  later  expeilitious  after  the 
tcmi)le  WHS  rebuilt  and  natiotial  life  was  again 
in  existence.  Besides  these  two  classes  (the 
elect  and  the  apostate),  there  were  others  who 
stayed  iK'hind  in  exile,  and  who,  by  keepinjr  up 
their  distinctive  character  as  Israelites,  and  by 
sending  contributions  to  Jctrusalem,  did  good 
service  amonjj  the  heathen  as  a  witnessing 
people,  preparing  the  way  for  Clirist.  These, 
however,  never  became  a  "  lout"  people  ;  the 
places  of  their  habitation  are  clearly  defined  in 
the  New  Testiunent,  where  they  are  spoken  of 
as  "  the  dispersed  among  the  Gentiles,"  and 
whom  it  is  the  custom  to  call  "  the  Jews  of  the 
Dispersion."  With  these  exceptions,  some  of 
all  the  Tirelre  Tribes  returned,  those  tribes  pre- 
ponderating who  had  the  greatest  reverence  and 
longing  for  the  one  sanctuary  at  Jerusalem,  and 
for  the  preservation  of  the  Israelitish  ideal  of 
unity  ;  and  naturally  these  were  from  the  tribes 
of  Judah,  Benjamin,  and  Levi  ;  but  that  the 
God-fearing  portion  of  the  other  tribes  returned 
with  them  also  there  can  be  no  well-grounded 
doubt.  The  purpose  of  God  in  sending  His 
people  into  captivity  is  otherwise  made  of  none 
effect.  It  is  maintained  that  the  Captivity  was 
intended  as  a  furnace  of  affliction  wherein  the 
disunited  fragments  of  the  nation  would  be 
melted  into  one  again  ;  and  that  on  the  return 
from  captivity  they  did  in  fact  return  as  one 
representative  Israel — with  old  animosities  gone 
with  tribal  distinctions  all  but  obliterated  ;  for 
of  the  combination  of  Ephraim,  Benjamin, 
and  Manasseh,  as  a  powerful  faction,  opposed 
to  Judah,  we  hear  no  more.  They,  like  the 
other  tribes,  after  this  lesson  of  affliction,  be- 
come "  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel, 
whom  the  Good  Shepherd  afterward  came  to 
gather  into  His  fold.  The  scriptural  confirma- 
tion of  this  is  an  easy  task.  It  was  a  matter  of 
prophecy  that  the  Twelve  Tribes  should  return 


and  berj;united.  The  hope  of  this  runs  through 
the  prophets.  Isaiah  chaps.  10  to  14  is  a  chief 
p;ussage,  especially  10  :  20  ;  11  :  la.  13  ;  14  :  1. 
So  Jeremiah  :J:13,  14.  18,  20-25.  Also  chap. 
31  in  its  whole  connection.  Ezekiel,  who  took 
part  in  the  Exile,  37  :  11,  12,  15,  23.  The.se 
selected  passages  show  that  Israel  returned  to 
its  own  land,  after  the  Exile  had  done  its  work 
upon  them,  a  corporate  nation. 

Another  proof  is  to  be  found  in  the  Book  of 
Ezra,  which  is  emphatically  the  book  of  the  re- 
turn and  restoration  of  Israel  (both  of  Jews  and 
Israelites)  from  captivity  ;  the  resettlement  in 
Judah  and  Jerusalem,  the  rebuilding  of  the 
temple,  and  the  ordering  of  the  one  fold,  accord- 
ing to  the  law  of  Moses.  The  edict  of  Cyrus 
for  their  return  is  made  to  "  all  Israel."  Also 
Ezra  1:1-4;  7:13.  The  first  expedition  of  the 
Israelites  to  their  own  country  was  under  the 
conduct  of  twelve  leaders — Zcrubbabel  and 
Joshua  with  ten  others  (Ezra  2:2;  Neh.  7  :  7). 
Twelve  leaders  of  a  returning  band  of  Jewish 
exiles  leads  to  the  inevitable  conclusion  that 
these  twelve  men  were  leading  back  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Twelve  Tribes.  The  remnant 
that  should  be  saved  thus  fulfilling  the  hopes 
of  the  prophets. 

Abundant  liturgical  proofs  also  may  be  found 
in  Ezra  6  :  17  ;  8  :  35,  and  in  Ps.  107-147.  And, 
finally,  all  New  Testament  references  to  the 
tribes  of  Israel  are  to  the  effect  that  the  nation 
in  the  time  of  our  Lord  and  His  apostles  was  a 
united  one.  (See  Luke  2  :  36  ;  Matt.  19  ;  28  ; 
Acts  26  :  7  ;  James  1:1;  Rev.  7  :  4-8.) 

If  the  Ten  Tribes  did  not  go  back  with  the 
other  two,  but  have  remained  all  this  long  time 
in  an  unknown  land  and  unknown,  then  it  must 
be  confessed  "they  have  no  part  in  David," 
and  are  clean  cut  off  altogether.  But  against 
such  a  conclusion  the  purpose  of  G(h1,  the 
prophecies,  the  whole  ttnor  of  Holy  Scripture, 
and  the  nature  of  things  are  clcarlj'  opposed. 
It  only  needs  an  intelligent  acquaintance  with 
the  whole  history,  and  a  spiritual  insight  into 
the  true  significance  of  the  captivities,  to  ri'fute 
the  popular  delusion  about  the  lost  Ten  Tribes. 
Anon. 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


Section  30. 


REIGN  OP  REHOBOAM,  SON  OF  SOLOMON,  17  YEARS. 
1st  to  IStli  of  Jeroboam,  of  Israel. 


2  Chronicles  11  : 1-23  ;  12  : 1-16. 

11:1  And  when  Rehoboam  was  come  to 
Jerusalem,  he  assembled  the  house  of  Judah 
aud  Benjamin,  an  hundred  and  fourscore 
thousand  chosen  men,  which  were  warriors, 
to  fight  against  Israel,  to  bring  the  kingdom 

2  again  to  Rehoboam.  But  the  word  of  the 
Lord  came  to  Shemaiah  the  man  of  God, 

3  saying.  Speak  unto  Rehoboam  the  son  of 
Solomon,  king  of  Judah,  and  to  all  Israel  in 

4  Judah  and  Benjamin,  saying.  Thus  saith 
the  Lord,  Ye  shall  not  go  up,  nor  fight 
against  your  brethren  :  return  every  man  to 
his  house  ;  for  this  thing  is  of  me.  So  they 
hearkened  unto  the  words  of  the  Lord,  and 
returned    from    going    against    Jeroboam. 

5  And   Rehoboam   dwelt   in   Jerusalem,    and 

6  built  cities  for  defencs  in  Judah.     He  built 

7  even  Beth-lehem,  and  Etam,  and  Tekoa,  and 

8  Beth-zur,  and  Soco,  and  Adullam,  and  Gath, 

9  and  Mareshah,  and  Ziph.  and  Adoraim,  and 

10  Lachish,  and  Azekah,  and  Zorah,  and  Aija- 
lon,  and  Hebron,  which  are  in  Judah  and  in 

11  Benjamin,  fenced  cities.  And  he  fortified 
the  strong  holds,  and  put  captains  in  them, 

12  and  store  of  victual,  and  oil  and  wine.  And 
in  every  several  city  Iw  put  shields  and 
spears,  and  made  them  exceeding  strong. 
And  Judah  and  Benjamin  belonged  to  him. 

13  And  the  priests  and  the  Levites  that  were  in 
all  Israel  resorted  to  him  out  of  all  their  bor- 

14  der.  For  the  Levites  left  their  suburbs  and 
their  possession,  and  came  to  Judah  and  Je- 
rusalem :  for  Jeroboam  and  his  sons  east 
them  off,  that  they  should  not  execute  the 

15  priest's  office  unto  the  Lord  :  and  he  ap- 
pointed him  priests  for  the  high  places,  and 
for  the  he-goats,  and  for  the  calves  which  he 

16  had  made.     And  after  them,  out  of  all  the 


1  Kings  12  :  21-24  ;  14  :  31-31. 
12:21  And  when  Rehoboam  was  come 
to  Jerusalem,  he  assembled  all  the  house  of 
Judah,  and  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  an  hun- 
dred and  fourscore  thousand  chosen  men, 
which  were  warriors,  to  fight  against  the 
house  of  Israel,  to  bring  the  kingdom  again 

22  to  Rehoboam  the  son  of  Solomon.  But  the 
word  of  God  came  unto  Shemaiah  the  man 

23  of  God,  saying.  Speak  unto  Rehoboam  the 
son  of  Solomon,  king  of  Judah,  and  unto  all 
the  house  of  Judah  and  Benjamin,  and  to 

24  the  rest  of  the  people,  saying,  Th\is  saith 
the  Lord,  Ye  shall  not  go  up,  nor  fight 
against  your  brethren  the  children  of  Israel  : 
return  every  man  to  his  house  ;  for  this 
thing  is  of  me.  So  they  hearkened  unto  the 
word  of  the  Loud,  and  returned  and  went 
their  way,  according  to  the  word  of  the 
Lord. 

1 4  :  21  And  Rehoboam  the  son  of  Solo- 
mon reigned  in  Judah.  Rehoboam  was 
forty  and  one  years  old  when  he  began  to 
reign,  and  he  reigned  seventeen  years  in  Je- 
rusalem, the  city  which  the  Lord  had 
chosen  out  of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel,  to  put 
his  name  there  :  and  his  mother's  name  was 

22  Naamah  the  Ammonitess.  And  Judah  did 
that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  ; 
and  they  provoked  him  to  jealousy  with 
their  sins  which  they  committed,  above  all 

23  that  their  fathers  had  done.  For  they  also 
built  them  high  places,  and  pillars,  and  Ash- 
erim,  on  every  high  hill,  and  under  every 

24  green  tree  ;  and  there  were  idso  sodomites 
in  the  land  :  they  did  according  to  all  the 
abominations  of  the  nations  which  the  Lord 
drave   out    before    the   children  of    Israel. 

25  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  fifth  year  of  king 


2GG 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


tribes  of  Israel,  sucli  ns  set  their  lieiirts  to 
seek  the  Ia>iii),  the  Gtxl  of  Israel,  eame  to 
Jerusaletn  to  saeritice  unto  the  Lord,   the 

17  G(kI  of  their  fatliers.  So  they  streiiftthened 
the  kingiliim  of  Judah,  and  made  Rehoboum 
the  son  of  Solomon  strong,  three  years  :  for 
they  walked  three  years  in  the  way  of  Da- 

18  vid  and  Solomon.  And  Rehoboam  took  him 
a  wife,  Malmlath  the  daughter  of  Jerimoth 
the  son  of  David,  iiiul  </ Abihail  the  daugh- 

19  ter  of  Elial)  the  son  of  Jesse  ;  and  she  bare 
him  sons  ;  Jeush,    and  Shemariah.  and  Za- 

20  ham.  And  after  her  he  took  JIaacah  the 
daughter  of  Absalom  ;  and  she  bare  him 
Abijali,  and  Altai,  and  Ziza,  and  Siielomitli. 

21  And  Rehoboam  loved  Maaeah  the  daughter 
of  Absalom  above  all  his  wives  and  his  con- 
cubines :  (for  he  took  eighteen  wives,  and 
threescore  concubines,  and  begat  twenty 
and  eight  sons  and  threescore  daughters.) 

22  And  Rehoboam  appointed  Abijah  the  scjn  of 
Miuieah  to  be  chief,  even  the  prince  among 
his  bnthnn  :    for  he  was  minded  to  make 


Rehoboam,   that   Shishak  king   of    Egypt 

26  came  up  against  .Jerusalem  ;  and  he  t(«>k 
away  the  treasures  of  the  house  of  the  Loud. 
and  the  treasures  of  the  king's  house  ;  he 
even  took  away  all  :  and  he  took  away  all 
th(!  shields   of    gold    which    Solomon   had 

27  made.  And  king  Rehoboam  made  in  their 
stead  shields  of  brass,  and  committed  them 
to  the  hands  of  the  captains  of  the  guard, 
which  kept  the  door  of  the  king's  house. 

28  And  it  wits  so,  that  as  oft  as  the  king  went 
into  the  house  of  the  Loud,  the  guard  bare 
them,    and   brought    them    back    into    the 

29  guard  chamber.  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts 
of  Rehoboam,  and  all  that  lie  did,  are  they 
not  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of 

30  the  kings  of  Judah?  And  there  was  war 
between  Rehoboam   and  Jeroboam  contin- 

31  ually.  And  Rehoboam  slept  with  his  fa- 
thers, and  was  buried  with  his  fathers  in  the 
city  of  David  :  and  his  mother's  niinie  was 
Naamah  the  Animouitess.  And  Abijam  his 
sou  reigned  iu  his  stead. 


23  him  king.     And  he  dealt  wisely,  and  dis- 
persed of  all  liis  S(jns  throughout  all  the  lands  of  Judah  and  Benjamin,  unto  every  fenced 
city  :  and  lie  gave  them  victual  in  abundance.     And  he  sought /«;•  t/iem  many  wives. 

12  : 1  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  kingdom  of  Rehoboam  was  established,  and  he  was 

2  strong,  that  he  forsook  the  law  of  the  Loud,  and  all  Israel  with  him.  And  it  came  to  pass  in 
the  fifth  year  of  king  Rehoboam,  that  Shishak  king  of  Egypt  came  up  against  Jerusalem. 

3  because  they  had  trespassed  against  the  Lord,  with  twelve  hundred  chariots,  and  threescore 
thoiLsand  horsemen  :  and  the  people  were  without  number  that  came  with  him  out  of  Egypt  : 

4  the  Lubini,  the  Sukkiim,  and  the  Ethiopians.     And  he  took  the  fenced  cities  which  pertained 

5  to  Judah,  and  eame  unto  Jerusalem.  Now  Shemaiah  the  propliet  came  to  Rehoboam.  and  to 
the  princes  of  Judah,  that  were  gathered  together  to  Jerusalem  because  of  Shishak,  and  said 
unto  them.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Ye  have  foreaken  me,  therefore  have  I  also  left  you  in  the 

6  hand  of  Shishak.     Then  the  princes  of  Israel  and  the  king  humbled  themselves  ;  and  they 

7  said.  The  Lord  is  righteous.  And  when  the  Lord  saw  that  they  humbled  themselves,  the 
word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Shemaiah,  saying,  They  have  humbled  themselves  ;  I  will  not 
destroy  them  :  but  I  will  grant  them  some  deliverance,  and  my  wrath  shall  not  be  poured  out 

8  upon  Jerusalem  by  the  hand  of  Shishak.     Nevertheless  they  shall  be  his  servants  ;  that  they 

9  may  know  my  service,  and  the  service  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  countries.  So  Shishak  king  of 
Egypt  came  uj)  against  Jerusalem,  and  took  away  the  treasures  of  the  house  of  the  Loui),  and 
the  treasures  of  the  king's  house  ;  he  took  all  away  :   he  took  away  also  the  shields  of  gold 

10  which  Solomon  had  made.  And  king  Rehoboam  made  in  their  stead  shields  of  bra.ss.  and 
committed   tlieni  to  the  hands  of  the  captains  of  the  guard,  that  kept  the  door  of  the  king's 

11  house.     And  it  was  so,  that  as  oft  as  the  king  entered  into  the  house  of  the  Lord,  the  guard 

12  came  anil  bare  them,  and  brought  them  back  into  the  guanl  chamber.  And  when  he  hum 
bled  himself,  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  turned  from  him,  that  he  would  not  destroy  him  alto 

13  gether  :  and  moreover  in  Judah  there  were  good  things /wh/«^  So  king  liehoboam  strength- 
ened himself  in  Jerusalem,  and  reigned  :  for  Rehoboam  was  forty  and  one  years  old  wlien  he 
began  to  reign,  and  he  reigned  seventeen  years  in  Jerusalem,  the  city  which  the  Lord  had 
chosen  out  of  all  the  tribes  of  Isriud,  to  put  his  name  there  :  and  his  motlier's  name  was 

14  Naamah  the  Ammonitess.     And  he  did  that  which  was  evil,  because  he  set  not  his  heart  to 
1.1  seek  tlie  Lord.     Now  the  acts  of  Rehoboam.  lirst  and  last,  are  they  not  written  in  the  his- 
tories of  .Shemaiah  the  prophet  and  of  Iddo  the  seer,  after  the  manner  of  genealogies?     And 

16  there  were  wars  between  Rehoboam  and  Jeroboam  continually.  And  Rehoboam  slept  with 
his  fathers,  and  was  buried  in  the  city  of  David  :  and  Abijah  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 


SECTION  SO.     REIGN  OF  REHOBOAM. 


267 


IntrodiiHori/.  Having  fully  treated  the  sepa- 
rate history  of  Israel,  we  proceed  to  present 
a  similar  treatment  of  the  remaining  branch 
of  the  divided  kingdom  of  Solomon.  The  his- 
tory of  the  kingdom  of  Judah  is  most  largely 
given  in  the  Chronicles,  -which  were  probably 
written  by  Ezra  soon  after  the  return  from  the 
Captivity  in  Babylon.  Then  the  newly  gath- 
ered people,  mainly  Judahites  or  Jews,  needed 
a  fresh  reminder  of  their  entire  history,  with  its 
many  impressive  lessons.  In  tracing  the  paral- 
lel progress  of  the  two  kingdoms,  certain  out- 
line facts  should  be  borne  in  mind  from  the 
outset.  1.  They  have  the  same  starting-point — 
B.C.  975.  3.  Israel  lasts  two  hundred  and  tifty- 
four  years  and  Judah  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  years.  3.  Each  kingdom  has  nineteen 
kings.    4.  The  kings  of  Israel  came  from  eleven 


distinct  families.  5.  Those  of  Judah  all  belong- 
ed to  the  family  of  David,  thus  fulfilling  God's 
"  pledge  given  as  if  by  a  covenant  of  salt,  that 
the  house  of  David  should  never  perish."  B. 
The  kingdom  of  Judah  lasted  three  hundred 
and  eighty -eight  j'cars,  B.C.  975-587.  The  his- 
torj'  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah  is  the  history  of 
a  dynasty  rather  than  of  a  nation — of  a  city 
rather  than  of  a  country.  Its  title  reveals  to  us 
ils  strength  as  well  as  its  weakness.  The  tribe 
of  Judah,  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  the  family  of 
David,  had  acquired  too  much  fame  during  the 
preceding  reigns  to  be  easily  lost.  The  lamp 
or  torch  of  David  was  always  burning,  although 
it  seemed  at  times  on  the  verge  of  e.xtinction. 
There  was  a  pledge  given  as  if  by  a  covenant 
of  salt,  that  the  house  of  David  should  never 
perish  (2  Chron.  13  :  5),     Stanley. 


Periods  in  Juuah's  History. 


I.  First  Religious  Decline  | 
and  First  Religious  Ke- ! 
vival— about  8ti  years. . .  \ 


II.  Second  Decline  and  Sec- 
onil  Revival— about  207 
years 


III.  Third  Decline  and  Third  I 
Revival— aboutSS  years,  f 


IV.  Final    Decline— about    23  / 
years \ 


Kings  op  Judah. 


Length  of 
Reigns. 


1  Rehoboara. 

2  Abijara. 

3  Asa. 
4JEnOSIIAPnAT. 

5  Jchorani. 

6  Ahaziah. 
(Athaliah.) 

7  Joash. 

8  Amaziah . 

9  Uzziahfor  Azariah) 

10  .Totham. 

11  Ahaz. 

12  UEZEKIAH. 


'  1.3  Manasseh. 
'  14  Amon. 

ilSJOSIAIL 

ri6  Jehoabaz. 
I  17  -Irlioiakiin. 
I  IS.lrhohirhiu. 
I  111  Zedekiuh. 


17  years. 
3     ... 

41     ... 

25     ... 


Shemaiah,  Iddo. 

Azariah.IIanani 
Jehu,  Jahaziel. 


Zechariah  J 
(son  of  Je-  J- 
hoiada).  \ 
Hosea,  Amos 
3  Joel,  Zecha- 
I  riah  II. 
Isaiah,  Micah. 

Nahum. 


I  Zephaniah, 
Jeremiah. 


Jeroboam. 
Jeroboam. 

)  Nadab,  Baasha,  Elah,  Zimri 

I  Omri . 
Ahab,  Ahaziah,  Jehoram. 

Jehoram. 
Jehoram. 
Jehu. 


Habakkuk. 
Obadiah. 


Kings  of  Israel. 


Jehu,  Jehoahaz. 

Joash,  Jeroboam  11. 
Zechariah,  shailum,  Menahem, 

Pclvahiah,  Pekah. 
Pekah. 

Pekah,  Hoshea. 
Uoshea. 


In  a  religious  jioint  of  view,  the  history  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah  may  be  divided  into  four 
periods,  as  indicated  in  the  above  table.  It  is  remarkable  how  closely  the  religious  character  of 
the  several  periods  corresponded  to  that  of  the  monarelis  who  sat  upon  the  throne.  Under 
Rehoboam  and  Abijam,  religion  underwent  a  decline,  from  which  it  began  to  recover  in  the 
reign  of  Asa  ;  while  under  Jehoshaphat  the  revival  was  decided  and  complete.  A  second  de- 
cline commenced  with  the  reign  of  Jehoram,  the  son-in-law  of  Ahab  and  Jezebel,  and  went  on 
through  a  long  succession  of  reigns — the  spiritual  thermometer  falling  lowest  in  that  of  Ahaz. 
The  darkest  hour  of  night,  however,  was  succeeded  by  the  dawn  ;  under  Hezekiah,  the  son  and 
successor  of  Ahaz,  the  firmament  brightened  again.  With  Manasseh  a  new  decline,  more  terri 
ble  than  any  that  had  preceded,  began  ;  followed,  in  the  days  of  his  grandson,  Josiah,  by  a  new 
and  most  interesting  revival.  The  sons  and  successors  of  Josiah  were  not  like-minded  with  him- 
self ;  the  old  corruptions  broke  out  afresh  ;  and  with  the  awful  catastrophe  of  the  Babylonian 
Captivity,  the  glory  departed  from  the  kingdom  of  Judali.     W.  G.  B. 


The  hiitory  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah  haii  a 
character  essentially  different  from  that  of  tlis 


kingdom  of  Isnwl.     Though  much  smaller,  es- 
pecially  after    Idumea,    the   only   one   of   the 


2G8 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


mountainous  districts  which  at  the  disruption 
fell  to  tlic  sliiirc  of  Judali,  liad  gained  its  inde- 
|H  iKicMcc.  it  WHS  still  superior  to  the  liitigdotn 
of  Israel  in  internal  utrinyth.  This  ri-sult*'d 
partly  from  it-s  possession  of  the  s^enuiiie  sane 
tuary  with  its  legitimate  worship,  its  inlluential 
priesthood,  and  lA;vitical  orders  ;  and  partly 
from  its  royal  house,  which,  unlike  most  of  the 
dynasties  of  the  neighboring  kingdom,  had  not 
been  raised  to  the  throne  by  revolution,  but 
possessed  the  sanction  of  legitimacy  and  a  set- 
tled succession,  and  was  especially  consecrated 
by  the  memory  of  its  illustrious  ancestor  Da- 
vid, and  the  Divine  promises  vouchsafeii  to  his 
rat'e.  Jloreover,  among  the  nineteen  moiiarclis 
(not  counting  Athaliah)  who  occupied  the 
throne  three  hundred  and  eighty-seven  years, 
from  Uehoboara  till  the  fall  of  the  State,  there 
were  at  least  some  individuals  distinguished 
for  high  administrative  talents,  in  whom  the 
ideal  of  the  theocratic  kingship  was  revived, 
such  as  .lehoshaphat,  Ilczekiah,  Josiah.  Thus 
the  kingdom  gained  a  moral  strength  that  pre- 
vented the  wild  s]Mrit  of  insurrection  and  dis- 
cord, by  which  the  other  kingdom  w.us  dis- 
turbed, from  attaining  anj-thing  like  the  same 
proportions.  The  opposition,  indeed,  between 
the  natural  inclinations  of  the  people  and  the 
moral  strictness  of  Jehovisra  could  not  but  lead 
to  conflicts  here  also  ;  nay,  the  contrast  between 
the  two  was  all  the  sharper,  because  a  sj'n- 
cretistic  intermingling  of  heathenism  and  Jeho- 
vism  could  not  be  .so  easily  effected — a  circum- 
stiiiice  which  explains  the  fact,  that  when  the 
former  did  get  the  upper  hand  in  Judah,  it  ap- 
peared in  a  still  grosser  form  than  in  the  king- 
dom of  Israel.  By  reason,  however,  of  the  firm 
foundation  which  the  continuance  of  the  legiti- 
mate theocratic  authorities  afforded  to  Jehovism 
in  the  State,  there  was  no  need  of  bloody  revo- 
lutions to  reinstate  the  latter  in  Its  rights,  but 
only  of  reformations,  and  these  were  effected 
not  so  much  by  the  energetic  efforts  of  the 
proi)hets  as  by  the  kings  themselves.  Besides, 
since  the  preservation  of  the  theocratic  onli- 
nances  diil  not  devolve  in  Judah  exclusively 
upon  the  prophets,  their  position  w:is  different 
from  thill  which  they  occupied  in  the  kingdom 
of  the  Ten  Tribes.  At  times  their  agency  was 
exercised  in  perfect  harmony  with  that  of  the 
two  other  theocratic  powers  ;  and  reformations 
of  worship  being  repeatedly  undertaken  by  the 
kings,  they  were  able  to  limit  themselves  to  the 
ministry  of  the  word.  The  prophets,  finding 
in  Judah  the  basis  afforded  by  existing  theo- 
cratic institutions,  were  not  under  the  necessity 
of  establishing  new  props  ;  and  there  is  no  sort 


of  evidence  that  schools  of  the  pi-opliets,  or  asso- 
ciations such  as  existed  in  the  kingiiom  of  the 
Ten  Tribes,  were  organi/.e<i  in  Judah.  In  the 
historical  notices  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah  we 
meet  only  with  individual  prophets,  a  succes- 
sion of  whom  continues,  with  but  inconsidera- 
ble gaps,  down  to  the  Captivity,  and  it  was 
only  around  eminent  prophets  like  Isaiah  (cf. 
8  :  16),  and  afterward  Jeremiah,  that  small  cir- 
cles of  disciples  were  gathered,  in  whom  the 
word  of  God  fell  upon  good  grotind,  in  the 
midst  of  a  rebellious  nation,  and  was  transmit- 
ted to  future  generatiDns.  With  respect  to  the 
eitiime  of  events  in  the  kingdom  of  Judah,  a  cur- 
sory glance  presents  a  tolerably  uniform  alter- 
nation of  apostasy  from  Jehovah  and  return  to 
lliiu.  Certain  kings  suffer  idolatry  to  spring 
up  ;  this  finds  support  in  the  high  places  exist- 
ing in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  such 
apostasy  is  followed  by  punishment  in  the  ca- 
lamities which  then  overtake  the  nation.  Then 
arises  again  a  pious  king,  who  exerts  himself 
to  keep  the  people  faithful  to  the  legitimate 
sanctuary,  and  vindicates  the  authority  of  the 
legal  worship,  till  at  length,  after  repeated 
reformations,  the  apostasy  and  corruption  be- 
comes so  great  that  judgment  sets  in  without 
intermission.     O. 

2  Ctaroil.  1 1  :  1-4.  Rehoboam's  prepara- 
tion of  a  great  army  to  recover  the  heritiige  of 
Solomon  by  conquest  of  the  revolted  tribes  was 
countermanded  by  the  word  of  the  Lord  at  the 
mouth  of  the  prophet  Shemaiali,  and  the  Divine 
command  was  instantly  heeded  by  king  and 
people.     B. 

4.  The  words  of  the  prophet  were  addressed 
not  only  to  the  king  but  to  the  assembled  war- 
riors, and  were  imperative  upon  the  latter — 
"  Return  every  man  to  his  house  ;"  and,  we 
are  immediately  told,  "  They  hearkened  there- 
fore to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  returned  to 
depart."  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that 
they  would  have  remained  under  arms  after 
such  a  command,  however  much  Rehoboanx 
li;id  wished  them  to  do  so.  They  obeyed  the 
prophet,  and  he  could  not  but  do  the  .same. 
Kitto. 

That  portion  of  the  tribe  of  Dan  which  dwelt 
in  their  original  lot  (Josh.  19  :  40  sqij.),  between 
Benjamin,  Judah  and  Ephraim,  belonged  to 
Judah.  A  few  Danite  cities  are  mentioned  (2 
Chron.  11  :  10  ;  28  :  18)  as  pertaining  to  the  king- 
dom of  Judah  ;  but  since  this  tribe  dwelt  partly 
in  the  north,  it  may  nevertheless  be  reckoned 
among  the  ten.  Thus  Rehoboam's  army  may 
correctly  be  spoken  of  (1  K.  12  :  2!))  as  "  (ill  the 
house  of  Judah  and  Ben/amin,  and  the  rest  of  the 


SECTION  SO.     REIGN  OF  REEOBOAM. 


269 


people."  Among  the  children  of  Israel  who 
dwelt  in  the  cities  of  Judah,  mentioned  (verse 
17)  as  Rehoboam's  subjects,  were  probably  in- 
cluded members  of  other  tribes  also.  And 
when  to  these  are  added  the  numerous  emigra- 
tions from  the  northern  kingdom  into  that  of 
Judah  in  succeeding  centuries  (cf.  2  Chron. 
15  :  9),  it  may  well  be  said  that  among  the  Jews, 
which  name  now  arose  in  the  southern  king- 
dom, all  Isriicl  was  represented.  The  disrup- 
tion of  Israel  was  from  this  time  irremediable  ; 
In  a  short  time,  not  reckoning  the  reigns  of 
Ahab  and  Jehoshaphat  and  their  immediate 
successors,  the  separated  kingdoms  took  hostile 
positions  with  respect  to  each  other,  and  at  last 
consumed  their  strength  in  sanguinary  wars. 
The  external  glory  of  the  kingdom  was  at  an 
end  ;  but  prophecy  never  ceased  to  direct  the 
expectation  of  the  nation  to  the  future  reunion 
of  the  twelve  tribes  under  one  head  of  the  house 
of  David.     Oe/tler. 

11-17.  Three  years  of  peace  followed.  The 
only  notable  occurrence  during  this  tranquil  in- 
terval was  the  gradual  exodus  of  the  Levites 
from  the  northern  kingdom,  where  they  were 
subject  to  indignities,  and  their  concentration 
witliin  the  territorial  limits  of  Judah  and  Ben- 
jamin, where  they  were  respected  and  honored. 
This  exodus  was  followed  by  that  of  many 
pious  Israelites,  who  disliked  Jeroboam's  relig- 
ious innovations,  and  were  attached  to  the  wor- 
ship of  Jehovah,  as  established  by  David  and 
Solomon.  The  northern  kingdom  was  thus 
continually  weakened  and  the  southern  one 
strengthened  (2  Chron.  11  :  13-17).     G.  R. 

Rehoboam's  polic}'  drew  almost  all  the  priest- 
hood into  his  dominions  of  the  nation,  and 
brouglit  in  large  accessions  of  population  from 
the  territory  of  the  revolted  tribes  ;  so  that 
though  his  country,  consisting  only  of  the  two 
southern  tribes,  was  inferior  iu  extent,  and  yet 
more  in  fertility  and  natural  resources,  it 
matched  well  the  sister  kingdom  in  the  north, 
and  during  his  reign  and  the  reigns  of  his  suc- 
cessors, he  successfully  warded  off  its  enmity. 
"  He  fortified  the  strongholds  and  put  captains 
in  them,  and  store  of  victual,  and  of  oil  and 
wine.  And  in  every  several  city  he  put  sliiekls 
and  spears,  and  made  them  exceeding  strong." 
So  much  he  did  for  external  defence.  And  to 
preserve  internal  order  and  tranquillity,  and  to 
prevent  contention  among  his  numerous  sons — 
for  it  is  recorded  of  him  that  he  had  twenty- 
eight — as  well  as  to  avert  the  danger  of  a  dis- 
puted succession  after  his  death,  he  separated 
them,  "  and  dispersed  all  his  children  through- 
out all  the  countries  of  Judah  and   Benjamin, 


unto  every  fenced  city  :  and  he  gave  them 
victual  in  abundance. ' '  Surely,  here  was  some 
good  statesmanship  and  political  sagacity.  And 
thus  it  appears  that  Rehoboam,  through  the 
great  folly  with  which  he  started  in  his  ptxblic 
career,  has  left  on  his  fame  an  indelible  blot — 
was  not  altogether  a  simpleton  or  a  trifler,  nor 
altogether  unworthy  of  his  birth  as  the  son  of 
the  wise  King  Solomon.     li.  ILillam. 

16.  To  his  new  order  of  priests  Jeroboam 
probably  gave  the  consecrated  lands  and  tlie 
right  of  tithes  which  the  Levites  had  previous- 
ly enjoyed,  thus  reducing  the  bulk  of  the  old 
sacerdotal  body  to  absolute  penury.  A  fresh 
impetus  was  in  this  way  given  to  the  exodus 
which  had  already  begun  ;  and  the  example  of 
their  sacerdotal  guides  being  followed  by  many 
of  the  more  godly  among  the  Israelites.  Jero- 
boam found  tlie  number  of  his  own  subjects 
continually  diminishing,  and  the  number  of  his 
rival's  subjects  increasing,  through  an  emigra- 
tion which  it  was  almost  impossible  for  him  to 
stop,  or  even  to  confine  within  moderate  limits 
by  his  own  unassisted  efforts.     G.  R. 

12  :  1.  The  effect  of  prosperity  upon  Relio- 
boam  and  his  people.  He  occupies  the  first  three 
years  of  his  reign  of  seventeen  in  fortifying 
Jerusalem  and  fifteen  walled  cities  ;  in  reor- 
ganizing the  government  over  the  two  tribes  ; 
and  in  assigning  homes  to  the  large  number  of 
priests  and  Levites,  and  of  families,  exiled 
from  the  Ten  Tribes  by  Jeroboam  for  loyalty  to 
the  worship  of  Jehovah.  With  this  estuUish 
ment  of  his  throne  came  a  sense  of  power  and 
security,  shared  alike  by  king  and  people.  In- 
dulgence naturally  followed  with  the  decline  of 
religious  feeling,  soon  reaching  the  point  of 
utter  disobedience  to  the  law  of  the  Lord. 
Groves,  with  their  abominations,  high  places 
and  images,  with  their  idolatries,  were  the  na- 
tural and  speedy  outcome  of  their  apostasy.  Al- 
though forty -one  years  old  when  he  began  to 
reign,  Rehoboam  seems  to  have  been  extremely 
self-ignorant  and  weak.  His  foolish  response 
to  the  representatives  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  by 
which  he  repelled  them  and  divided  the  king- 
dom of  Solomon,  clearly  shows  this.  So  does 
his  ready  yielding  to  the  idolatrous  tendencies 
of  all  surrounding  nations,  though  helped, 
doubtless,  by  his  Ammonite  mother's  training  ; 
while  his  replacement  of  the  golden  shields 
with  those  of  brass,  to  be  used  in  mere  personal 
display  of  kingly  state  and  authority,  also  in- 
dicated a  vain,  v>feak  character.     B. 

2  Cliroii.  12:  1-12.  The  most  important 
event  in  this  history  is  told  in  fullest  detail  in 
the  Book  of  Kings  (14  :  22-24)  ;  its  punishment 


sro 


KINGDO.V  OF  JUDAn. 


at  tlif  hand  of  God  in  the  Book  of  Chronicles 
(13  :  3,  12).  After  the  first  tlirco  years  of  Kcho- 
bonm's  reign  a  great  change  seems  to  liave 
come  over  the  religious  aspect  of  the  country. 
l{eliiibi)am  amlJudahdid  not,  indeed,  openly  re- 
nounce tlie  worsliip  of  Jeliovah.  On  the  con- 
trary, we  jind  tliat  ll>e  Iving  continued  to  attend 
tlie  liouse  of  the  Lord  in  royal  state,  and  that 
after  the  incursion  of  Sliishalv  there  w;is  even  a 
p-irtial  religious  revival  (verses  11,  12).  Still 
the  general  character  of  this  period  was,  that 
"  Uehoboam  forsook  the  law  of  Jehovali,  and 
all  Israel  with  him  ;"  that  "  he  did  evil  in  that 
he  did  not  set  his  heart  on  seeking  Jehovah" 
(verses  1,  14),  and,  lastly,  that  "  Judah  did  the 
evil  in  the  sight  of  Jehovah,  and  provoked  Ilini 
to  jealousy  (viewing  the  relation  between  the 
Lord  and  Israel  sis  one  of  marriage.  Num.  5  :  11 
— more  than  anything  which  their  fathers  had 
done  by  their  sins  which  tliey  sinned"  (1  K. 
14  :  22).  Tliesc  sins  consisted  in  building  Jin- 
moth,  or  "  high  places"- — i.e.,  altars,  on  every 
high  hill,  and  setting  up  in  every  grove  Mm- 
n'hoth,  or  memorial-stones  and  pillara  dedicated 
to  Baal,  and  Asherim,  or  trunks  of-  trees  dedi- 
cated to  Astarte  (with  all  the  vilcncss  which 
tlieir  service  implied).  The  Divine  punishment 
was  not  long  withheld.  Once  more  it  came  in 
the  course  of  natural  causation,  tlirough  the 
political  motives  which  influenco<l  Shishak,  and 
led  him  to  support  Jeroboam.  In  the  fifth  j'ear 
of  Uehoboam 's  reign  Shishak  marched  a  large 
army  of  Egyptians,  Lybians,  Sukkiim  ("  tent- 
dwellers"  ?  Arabs  ?),  and  Ethiopians,  with 
twelve  htmdrcd  cliariots  and  sixty  thousand 
horsemen,  into  Judea,  and  after  taking  the 
fenced  cities  along  his  route,  advanced  upon 
Jerusalem,  whert-  Ilc-hoboam  and  his  army  were 
gathered.  Once  more  the  prophet  Shemaiah 
averted  a  contest,  which  could  only  have  ended 
in  disa-ster.  On  sliowing  them  tliat  the  national 
danger,  though  apparently  arising  from  politi- 
cal causes,  wjis  really  due  to  their  sin  against 
Jehovah  (verse  2),  and  that  It  i\-as  needless  to 
fight,  since,  as  they  had  been  God-forsaking, 
they  were  now  God-forsaken  (verse  5),  the  king 
and  his  princes  humbled  tiiemselvcs.  There- 
upon the  Lord  intimated  through  His  prophet 
that  He  would  "  grant  them  deliverance  for  a 
little  while,"  on  condition  of  their  submitting 
to  Shishak.  The  reason  for  this,  "  that  they 
may  know  Jly  service,  and  the  service  of  the 
kingdoms  of  the  countries,"  as  well  as  the 
terms  by  which  the  promised  deliverance  was 
qualified,  contained  the  most  solemn  warning 
of  the  idtimate  con.sequences  of  apostasy.  Yet 
the  Divine   forbearance  continued  other  three 


hundred  and  seventy  years  before  the  threat- 
ened judgment  burst  upon  the  nation.  But  at 
this  time  Jerusalem  was  spared.  Voluntary 
submission  having  been  made,  Shishak  entered 
the  city,  and  contented  himself  with  carrying 
away  the  treasures  of  the  Temple  and  of  the 
palace,  including  among  the  latter  the  famous 
golden  shields  used  by  Solomon's  body-guard 
on  state  occasions,  for  which  Hehoboam  now 
substituted  shields  of  bra.ss.     A.  E. 

It  is  to  be  carefully  noted  that,  so  long  as 
king  and  people  served  the  Lord,  Shishak  was 
held  back  from  attacking  them.  Hence  we  un- 
derstand why  Judah  receives  earlier  and  greater 
stripes  than  Israel.  It  was  Jerol)f)am  made  Is- 
rael to  sin.  It  was  Judah  made  Hehoboam  to 
sin.  The  guilty  people,  accordingly,  are  pun- 
ished by  the  invasion  of  their  land  and  the  spolia- 
tion of  their  treasure  ;  the  guilty  king  bj'  the 
destruction  of  his  house.  And  here  again,  let 
us  observe,  how  significant  that  the  chastise- 
ment should  come  from  Egypt  !  Time  was 
when  God  had  punished  the  idolatries  of  Egypt 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Jewish  peo- 
ple (E,\.  7-14).  Now  the  tables  are  turned, 
and  Egypt  is  employed  to  avenge  the  idolatries 
of  Judah.  Tills  was  the  first  time  that  an 
Egyptian  army  had  crossed  their  b  irder — the 
first  time,  indeed,  that  the  land  had  sustained 
the  brunt  of  any  invasion.  It  was  the  Sodom- 
ites and  the  like  had  drawn  forth  those  swords 
from  their  scabbards.  What  a  contrast  be- 
tween E.\odus  14  and  1  Kings  14  !  Israel,  who 
then  "  saw  the  Egyptians  dead  upon  the  sea- 
shore, ' '  now  feels  the  grip  of  Pharaoh  at  his 
throat,  and  the  iron  of  Pharaoh  in  his  soul. 
Ilnmmond. 

2-4.  Ood's  dealing  with  tlie  trnn-igressinns  of 
king  and  people.  Shishak,  orSheshonk,  accord- 
ing to  the  monumental  records  inscribed  upon 
the  w;ills  of  the  great  temple  of  Karnak,  was 
tlie  first  king  of  the  twenty -second  dynasty  of 
Egypt.  A  list  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-three 
countries,  cities,  and  tribes  ruled  by  or  tribu- 
tary to  him,  includes  a  large  number  of  the 
cities  of  Palestine.  Some  of  these  were  within 
the  kingdom  of  Jeroboam,  but  tliey  were  cities 
of  the  Levites  or  old  Caananites.  But  the  su- 
preme motive  and  ultimate  impelling  cause  of 
this  Egyptian  invasion,  lay  in  the  mind  of  God. 
Like  all  human  actions,  there  was  connected 
with  this  of  Shishak  a  douhle  Ihrcnd  of  motive 
and  purpose — the  one,  superior  and  overruling, 
because  Divine  ;  the  other  (the  human),  free 
indeed,  but  overruled  in  its  every  detail  of  re- 
sult. No  dearer,  more  conclusive  statement,  in 
illustration  of  au  inexplicable  fact,  can  we  find 


SECTION  30.     REION  OF  REHOBOAM. 


271 


than  this  :  "  Shishak  cnmo  up  against  Jerusa- 
lem, because  they  had  transgressed  against  the 
Lord."  His  army  was  a  vast  one,  drawn  from 
Egypt  and  the  great  countries  on  the  west  and 
south.  And  his  progress  was  unhindered,  his 
triumph  complete.  The  cities  tliat  Rehoboara 
had  wtiUed  for  defence  were  taken  almost  as 
soon  as  their  walls  liad  been  built.  And  .Jeru- 
salem itself  was  occupied  by  the  Egyptian 
host.     B. 

When  David  founded  his  empire  his  two 
powerful  neighbors,  Egypt  and  Assyria,  were 
both  in  a  state  of  decline.  Assyria  had  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  unwarllke  kings,  who  were 
unable  to  retain  the  conquests  of  tlieir  predeces- 
sors, even  upon  their  immediate  frontiers  ;  while 
Egypt  was  divided  among  rival  dynasties  and 
rent  with  civil  wars.  Egypt,  however,  was  the 
first  to  recover  her  strength.  The  monarchs  of 
the  twenty-second  dynasty  once  more  -united 
the  country  under  one  rule,  and  Shishak  or 
Sheshonk  I.  turned  his  arms  against  the  cities 
of  Palestine.  The  brief  account  given  in  1  K. 
14  ;  25,  36.  and  the  fuller  history  in  these  verses 
of  his  invasion  of  Judali  and  his  capture  of 
Jerusalem,  are  supplemented  by  his  own  rec- 
ord of  it  on  the  walls  of  the  ruined  temple  of 
Karnak.     Snyce. 

In  the  Scriptures  Shishak  appears  first  in 
1  K.  11  :  40,  as  then  the  king  of  Egypt  to 
wliom  Jeroboam  fled  for  protection  from  Solo- 
mon. This  fact  indicates  a  decisive  change  in 
the  policy  of  the  Egyptian  court  since  Solomon 
took  to  wife  the  daughter  of  the  reigning  mon- 
arch. It  suggests  another  dynasty,  of  other, 
not  to  say  opposite  sympathies  and  policy.  In 
harmony  with  this  we  lind  that  Shishak  (the 
Sheshonk  of  the  Egyptian  monuments)  was  the 
founder  of  a  new  dynast}',  the  twenty -second. 
He  was  not  on  the  best  terms  with  Solomon, 
and  readily  took  Jeroboam  into  his  confidence 
and  friendship.  Naturallj-,  therefore,  he  only 
waited  for  the  favorable  moment  to  make  this 
formidable  military  campaign  into  Palestine  in 
the  interests  of  his  friend  Jeroboam.     H.  C. 

Shishak,  called  Sheshenk  or  Sheshonk  on  the 
monuments,  and  Sesonchis  or  Scsonchosis  by 
Manetho,  ascended  the  Egyptian  throne  about 
B.C.  980  or  a  little  earlier,  according  to  calcula- 
tions based  upon  exclusively  Egyptian  data. 
He  reigned  twenty-one  years,  and  toward  the 
close  of  his  reign  made  an  expedition,  which  he 
has  commemorated  on  the  external  wall  of  the 
great  temple  at  Karnak.  The  mode  of  com- 
memoration is  by  a  representation  of  himself, 
and  a  list  of  the  various  cities,  countries,  and 
tribes  conquered  by  him,  or  made  tributary. 


during  the  expedition.  The  number  of  the 
names  was  originally  one  hundred  and  thirtj'- 
three  ;  but  of  these  thirty-two  are  wholly  and 
fourteen  others  partly  illegible.  Of  the  re- 
maining eighty-seven,  about  fifty-five  had  been 
identified  with  more  or  less  of  probability, 
wliile  above  thirty  still  defy  the  comparative 
geographer.  From  the  fifty-five  identilieations, 
many  of  which  are  quite  certain,  it  appears  that 
the  list  contains  three  classes  of  names,  mainly 
grouped  together — (1)  Levitical  and  C'anaanite 
cities  of  Israel  ;  (2)  cities  of  Judali  ;  (3)  Arab 
tribes  lying  to  tlie  south  of  Palestine.  Accord- 
ing to  Mr.  R.  S.Poole's  analysis  of  the  inscription 
of  Sheshonk  at  Karnak,  it  appears  tliat  the  expe- 
dition was  directed  not  onl_y  against  the  domin- 
ions of  Rehoboam,  but  also  against  a  number 
of  Levitical  and  Canaanite  cities  within  the 
territory  of  Jeroboam  himself,  and  further 
against  certain  Arab  tribes  of  the  vicinity. 
The  inference  is,  that  Jeroboam  obtained  She- 
shonk's  aid  in  reducing  Israelite  cities  that  had 
declined  to  submit  to  him,  and  also  in  chastis- 
ing Arab  tribes  on  his  borders  which  had  given 
him  trouble.     G.  R. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  1867,  the  writer 
and  some  friends,  in  one  of  their  visits  to  Kar- 
nak,souglit  out  this  sculptured  scene  and  record. 
Passing  from  the  interior  of  the  great  Columnar 
Hall  through  a  break  in  the  south  wall,  the 
sculptures  were  found  near  the  southwest  cor- 
ner. There  were  the  colossal  figures  of  a  con- 
queror and  of  a  divinity,  and  the  Liliputian  fig- 
ures of  a  multitude  of  captives,  sculptured  in 
intftrjUo  on  the  exterior  surface  of  the  wall. 
Accompanying  these  was  an  explanatory  rec- 
ord, containing  the  name  of  the  king  and  the 
names  of  the  various  countries  wliicli  he  had 
subdued.  No  doubt  exists  concerning  this  rep- 
resentation, so  far  as  is  needful  to  identify  it 
with  King  Shishak  and  his  Syrian  expedition 
mentioned  in  the  Scriptures  ;  and,  although  the 
hour  of  our  visit  was  oppressively  warm,  it  was 
no  hardship  to  stand  amid  the  fiery  reflections 
of  the  sun  from  the  temple  wall  and  surround- 
ing debris,  before  an  inscription  which  must  be 
accounted  one  of  the  most  suggestive  ever 
written  by  the  finger  of  man.     N.  C.  Dart. 

5,  6.  God's  admonitory  message,  and  tJie  re- 
sponsiiv  humiliation  of  the  king  and  jjrinecs. 
By  the  same  prophet  (Shemaiah)  who  had  five 
years  before  forbidden  Rehoboam  to  reconquer 
the  ten  rebelling  tribes,  the  word  of  .Jehovah  is 
uttered  to  the  king  and  chief  men  of  Judah. 
The  message  is  brief  and  pointed.  Their  sin 
was  the  cause  of  their  calamities,  and  tiiis  was 
their  sin  :  that  they  had  turned  away  from  God 


272 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAIJ. 


—from  Ilis  worship  find  Ilis  law.  And  tliis  is 
the  substance  of  all  sin.  the  tssince  of  trans- 
gression ill  every  age  and  generation  :  turning 
away  from  Qod,  dUregardiiiy  Ilis  womhip,  dis- 
obey in//  His  law!  The  cliarge  uttered  by  the 
propliet  is  not  denied.  The  conscience  of  the 
leaders  and  people  acknowledged  its  truth. 
And  the  calamities  which  were  already  fallen 
upon  them  lielped  to  make  the  voice  of  con- 
science cUarer  and  its  sting  the  sliarpcrr.  So 
they  humbled  themselves  in  acknowledgment 
as  brief  and  pointed  as  the  charge  :  The  Jx/rd 
is  nghten'is  !  As  their  sin  relates  solely  to  God, 
80  their  penitence  refers  only  to  Him.  David's 
words  of  confession  titly  express  their  mean- 
ing :  Against  Thcc,  Thee  only,  have  I  sinned ; 
that  Tlwu,  mightest  be  justified  when  Thou  speak- 
eat.  This,  too,  is  the  substance  of  all  true  repent- 
ance in  every  age  and  generation  :  the  return 
to  God  with  self-accusation  for  disobedience, 
and  full  justification  of  God's  right  and  merci- 
ful dealing. 

7,  S.  J17(//  and  hotr  God's  yet  severer  disci- 
pline iras  irithlield.  His  wrath  was  not  fully 
"  poured  out  upon  Jerusalem  by  the  hand  of 
Shishak."  By  the  same  prophet  they  learned 
that  God's  mercy  was  interposed  on  account 
of  their  thus  penitently  humbling  themselves 
before  Ilim.  But  God  would  grave  the  lesson 
deeper  on  their  souls,  as  we  know  they  sadly 
needed.  Tlierefore  He  left  the  nation  subject 
to  Shishak,  and  king  and  people  were  com- 
pelled to  pa.y  heavy  tribute,  even  after  the  loss 
of  all  the  treasures  gathered  by  David  anil  Sol- 
omon, stored  in  the  Temple  and  palaces  of  Je- 
rusalem. 

A  point  of  special  instruction  is  suggested  in 
the  reason  assigned  by  the  Lord  for  Judah's 
enslavement  to  Shishak.  It  is  that  Judah  may 
learn  by  actual  experience  whose  is  the  easier, 
most  desirable  service — God's  or  the  Egyptian 
monarch's.  It  was  God's  way,  under  the  old 
and  severer  Covenant,  of  saying  to  Judali,  "  Re- 
turn unto  Me  and  take  My  yoke  upon  you,  for 
it  is  easy  ;  and  My  btirden,  for  it  is  light  I" 
Through  experience  only,  of  the  contrast  be- 
tween sore  bondage  to  a  foreign  tyrant  and 
glad  service  willingly  given  to  Himself,  they 
would  learn  that  obedience  to  God  was  far  bet 
ter.  And  thus  Christ  says  to  all,  who  have 
hiul  enough  of  the  sad  experience  of  bondage 
to  sinful  self-indulgence,  "  Come  unto  Me,  and 
exchange  the  burdening,  wearing  yoke  of  reign- 
ing sin  for  Jly  light  burdens  and  e;isy  re- 
straints !"     R. 

7.  Tlicy  Iiuve  liuinbled  lliemNClve«  ; 
tborcforo  1  will  nut  dcstro}-  tiieui. 


Compare  the  repentance  of  Ahab  (1  K.  21  :  S7- 
29)  and  that  of  tlie  Ninevites  {Jonah  2  :  5-101. 
which  produced  similar  revocations  of  Divine 
decrees  tliat  had  been  pronounced  by  the  mouth 
of  a  prophet.     B.  C. 

§.  May  know  ny  ftcrvice,  und  the 
service  of  the  kinsdom§  of  tliecoun- 
tricit.  The  history  of  life  is  made  up  of  dif- 
ferent services.  Every  man  serves  soinetliing. 
"  Know  yc  not  that  to  whom  y<'  yield  your- 
selves servants  to  obey,  his  servants  ye  are  to 
whom  ye  obey'?"  In  the  service  of  the  world 
you  are  always  dealing  witli  uncertainties. 
The  things  of  God  are  sure  and  forever.  He 
who  gives  is  the  unchangeable  Jehovah,  who 
never  recalls  a  gift,  and  all  His  gifts  have  in 
them  eternity.  In  the  service  of  the  world 
nothing  ever  thoroughly  .satisfies  ;  nothing 
meets  all  the  aspirations  of  a  man.  In  God's 
service  a  man  has  just  what  his  soul  wants. 
The  Christian  service  of  religion  does  not  work 
up  to  get  its  great  objects.  It  has  them.  It 
does  not  work  for  wages,  for  it  has  received 
wliat  it  wants  as  a  gift.  It  works  out  a  salva- 
tion which  it  has.  The  one  service  is  a  service 
of  freedom,  the  other  of  bondage.  It  is  bond- 
age to  serve  where  there  is  no  affection.  It  is 
bondage  to  work  for  what  you  can  get,  and  not 
even  to  be  sure  that  you  shall  ever  got  it.  But 
to  feel  that  you  are  your  Father's  child,  that 
His  eye  is  looking  at  you  and  His  hand  holding 
you  while  you  work — that  is  liberty.  It  is  the 
same  service  with  that  of  those  servants  who 
serve  Him  indeed  in  heaven.     J.   Vnnghnn. 

9-11.  What  Shishak  took  away,  and  Reho- 
boam  substituted.  Five  hundred  shields  of  wood 
overlaid  with  gold,  made  under  Solomon's  di- 
rection, together  with  all  the  treasures  gathered 
in  the  house  of  the  Lord  and  in  the  king's 
hovise,  were  carried  to  Egypt.  The  shields 
were  used  for  display  on  state  occasions  ;  and 
it  would  seem  that  the  treasures  were  kept  or 
used  more  for  show  than  for  actual  advantage 
to  the  nation.  So  that  the  shame  of  the  loss 
would  be  felt  more  than  their  deprivation  of 
the  treasure.  For  the  shields,  as  the  y  were  re 
quired  upon  the  occasional  parade  visitation  of 
Rehoboain  to  the  Lord's  house,  he  had  counter- 
feits made  of  brass,  which  answered  the  pur- 
pose quite  as  well. 

12.  The  sum  of  this  story.  The  outward 
form  of  liumility,  and  the  sincere  though  con- 
strained confession  and  repentance  of  king  and 
people,  for  the  time  turned  away  the  severer 
visitations  of  Gotl's  righteous  indignation.  For 
David's  sake,  and  His  promise'  sake,  the  Lord 
"  would  not  destroy  Rehoboam   allogethei. " 


SECTION  31. 


273 


And  also,  another  equally  strong  good  reason  for 

God's  forbearance,  there  were  good  things  in  ,Tu- 
dah  /  Thire  remained  a  true  spiritual  seed — 
many  loyal  souls  were  dispersed  among  the 
two  tribes.  All  through  the  history  of  God's 
ancient  people  we  see  this  fact  outstanding, 
first  announced  in  principle  to  Abriiliam  plead- 
ing for  the  cities  of  the  plain.  And  ever  since 
the  call  of  the  Gentiles  the  evidence  is  as 
marked.  And  this  is  the  fact  that  magnifies 
God's  personal  love  to  men  :  that  multitudes  of 
the  hardened  and  guilty  receive  tokens  of  His 
prolonged  forhearci nee  by  reason  of  the  few  god- 
ly souls  that  witness  for  Him,  and  seek  the 
coming  of  His  kingdom  upon  eartli.     B. 

1^-16.  The  lesson  seems  not  to  have  been 
lost  on  Rehoboam  and  his  people.  "  There 
were  yet  good  things  in  Judah  ;"  but  the  sum 
of  the  king's  character  is  this  :  "  He  did  evil, 
because  he  fixed  not  his  heart  to  seek  Jehovah" 
(verse  14).  He  died  after  a  reign  of  seventeen 
years  (verse  13),  and  was  buried  in  the  city  of 
David.  His  acts  were  recorded  by  tlie  prophet 
Shemaiah,  by  the  seer  Iddo,  iu  his  book  of 
genealogies,  and  in  the  Chronicles  of  the  kings 
of  .Judah.     P.  S. 

Relioboam's  reign,  after  the  retirement  of 
Sheshonk,  was  uneventful.  He  continued  to 
occupy  the  throne  for  twelve  more  years,  and 
during  this  time  was  engaged  in  frequent  if 
not  in  continual  hostilities  with  Jeroboam  (1  K. 
14  :  30  ;  2  Chron.  13  :  15),  but  no  important  re 
suits  followed,  and  it  can  only  be  said  that  the 
two  kingdoms  maintained  their  relative  posi- 
tions. In  military  strength  they  were  not  ill- 
matched,  since,  if  Israel  could  bring  more  men 
into  the  field,  the  narrower  limits  of  Judah 
made  her  aljle  to  concentrate  her  troops  more 
rapidly,  while  the  personal  qualities  of  the  men 


of  Judah  and  Benjamin  placed  them  in  the 
front  rank  of  Hebrew  warriors.  Thus,  notwith- 
standing the  invasion  of  Sheshonk,  and  the  loss 
of  strength  which  it  must  have  occasioned,  the 
southern  kingdom  held  its  ground  firmly, 
tliough  it  can  scarcely  have  continued  to  main- 
tain any  hold  over  the  alien  States  upon  its  bor- 
ders, such  as  Philistia  and  Edoin,  which  David 
had  subjugated,  but  which,  probably  from  the 
date  of  Sheshonk 's  invasion,  recovered  their  in- 
dependence. 

Rehoboam,  remembering  the  dreariness  of  his 
own  idle  youth,  was  careful  to  give  his  sons 
active  employment.  As  they  grew  to  man- 
hood, he  dispersed  them  among  the  various 
provincial  towns,  assigning  to  each  a  charge, 
and  at  the  same  time  an  establishment.  The 
writer  of  Chronicles  considers  that,  in  so  doing, 
he  acted  wisely  (chap.  11:23).  The  system 
which  he  adopted  was  certainly  calculated  to 
prevent,  or  minimize,  jealousies  among  the 
princes,  and  to  benefit  their  characters  by  giv- 
ing them  duties  to  jierform,  instead  of  making 
them  idle  hangers-on  upon  a  court.  Maachah 
survived  her  husband,  and  was  queen-mother 
during  the  next  two  reigns.  Her  influence 
over  the  kingdom  was  altogether  for  evil,  and 
we  may,  perhaps,  ascribe  much  of  the  wrong 
conduct  of  Rehoboam  to  the  sway  which  she 
exercised  over  him.  Her  leanings  were  alto- 
gether toward  idolatry.  Rehoboam 's  character 
was  weak  and  irresolute.  He  seems  to  have 
hatl  warm  affections,  and  to  have  been  capable 
of  making  good  resolutions  under  good  advice 
(11  :  4  ;  12  :  6)  ;  but  he  had  no  stability  of  pur- 
pose, and  his  last  counsellor  generally  deter- 
mined his  actions.  We  are  told  that  "he  did 
evil,  because  he  fixed  not  his  heart  to  seek  the 
Lord"  (12  :  14).     6.  R. 


Section  31. 

REIGN  OF   ABIJiVH   OR  ABIJAM,  THREE   YEARS. 
IStb  to  31  si  of  Jeroboam,  of  Israel. 


2  Chronicles  13  : 1-22. 
13:1  In  the  eighteenth  year  of  king  Jero- 
boam began  Abijah  to  reign  over  Judah. 
2  Three  years  reigned  he  in  Jerusalem  :  and 
his  motlier's  name  was  Mieaiah  the  daughter 
of  Uriel  of  Gibeah.    And  there  was  war  be- 


1  Kings  15  : 1-8. 
15:1  Now  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  king 
Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat  began  Abijam  to 

2  reign  over  Judah.     Three  _vears  reigned  he 
in  Jerusalem  :  and  his  mother's  name  was 

3  Maaeah  the  daughter  of  Abishalom.     And 


274 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


3  tween  Abijnli  ami  IciolKiam.  And  Abijah 
JDiiifil  battle  with  an  army  of  valiaut  nieu 
of  war,  even  four  hunihvd  thoiisaml  clioson 
incu  :  and  .Iiroboam  set  tlif  battle  in  array 
against  him  with  eij;ht  hundred  thousand 
cUosL'U  men,  wlio  were  misriily  men  of  val- 

4  our.  And  Abijah  stood  up  upon  mount 
Zemaraira,  wliieh  is  in  the  hill  country  of 
Epliraim,  and  said,  Hear  me,  O  Jeroboam 

5  and  all  Israel  ;  ought  ye  not  to  know  that 
the  Loud,  the  God  of  Israel,  gave  the  king- 
dom over  Israel  to  David  for  ever,  even  to 
him  and  to  his  sons  by  a  covenant  of  salt? 

6  Yet  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Xebat,  the  servant 
of  Salomon  the  son  of  David,  rose  uji,  and 

7  rebelled  against  his  lord.  And  tliere  were 
gathered  unto  him  vain  men,  sons  of  Belial, 
which  strengthened  themselves  against  Ue- 
hoboam  the  son  of  Solomon,  when  Ilelioboam 
was  young  and  tender-hearted,  and  could 

8  not  withstand  them.     And  now  j'e  think  to 


he  walked  in  all  the  sins  of  his  father,  wliich 
he  had  done  before  him  :  and  his  heart  was 
not  perfect  with  the  Loud  his  God,  as  the 

4  heart  of  Davi<l  his  father.  Nevertheless  for 
David's  sake  did  the  I.oni)  his  God  give  him 
a  lami)  in  Jerusalem,  to  set  up  his  son  after 

5  him,  and  to  establish  Jerusalem  :  because 
David  did  that  which  was  right  in  the  eyes 
of  the  LoKU,  and  turned  not  aside  from  any 
thing  that  he  commanded  liim  all  the  days 
of  his  life,  save  only  in  the  matter  of  Uriah 

6  the  Hittite.  Now  there  was  war  between 
Rehoboam  and  Jeroboam  all  the  daj-s  of  his 

7  life.  And  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Abijam, 
and  all  that  he  did,  are  they  not  written  in 
the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of 
Judah?     And  there  was  war  between  xVbi- 

8  jam  and  Jeroboam.  And  Abijam  slept  with 
his  fathers  ;  and  they  buried  him  in  the  city 
of  David  :  and  Asa  his  sou  reigned  in  his 
stead. 


withstand  the  kingdom  of  the  Loud  in  the 
hand  of  the  sons  of  David  ;  and  ye  be  a  great  multitude,  and  there  are  witli  you  the  golden 
9  calves  which  Jeroboam  made  you  for  gods.  Have  ye  not  driven  out  the  priests  of  the  i^ouD, 
the  sons  of  Aaron,  and  the  Levites,  and  have  ramie  you  priests  after  the  manner  of  the  peoples 
of  otlwr  lands?  so  that  whosoever  cometh  to  consecrate  himself  with  a  young  bullock  and 

10  seven  rams,  the  same  may  be  a  priest  of  them  that  are  no  gods.  But  as  for  us,  the  Loud  is 
our  God,  and  we  have  not  forsaken  him  ;  and  wc  hare  priests  ministering  unto  the  Loud,  the 

11  sons  of  Aaron,  and  the  Levites  in  their  work  :  and  they  burn  unto  the  Loud  every  morning 
and  every  evening  burnt  offerings  and  sweet  incense  :  the  shew-brcad  also  net  they  in  order 
upon  the  pure  table  ;  and  the  candlestick  of  gold  with  the  lamps  thereof,  to  burn  every  even- 

12  ing  :  for  we  keep  the  charge  of  the  Loud  our  God  ;  but  ye  have  forsaken  him.  And,  behold, 
God  is  with  us  at  our  head,  and  his  priests  with  the  trumpets  of  alarm  to  sound  an  alarm 
against  you.     O  children  of  Israel,  tight  ye  not  against  the  Loud,  the  God  of  your  fathers  ; 

13  for  ye  shall  not  prosper.     But  Jeroboam  caused  an  ambushment  to  come  about  behind  them  : 

14  so  the}'  wer<'  before  Judah,  and  the  ambushment  was  bi'hind  them.  And  when  Judah  looked 
biK-k,  behold,  the  battle  was  before  and  behind  them  :  and  they  cried  unto  the  Loud,  and  the 

15  priests  sounded  with  the  trumpets.  Then  the  men  of  Judah  gave  a  shout  :  and  as  the  men 
of  Judah  shouted,  it  came  to  pass,  that  God  smote  Jeroboam  and  all  Israel  before  Abijah  and 

16  Judah.     And  the  children  of  Israel  fled  before  Judah  :  and  God  delivered  them  into  their 

17  hand.     And  Abijah  and  his  people  slew  them  with  a  great  slaughter:  so  there  fell  down 

18  slain  of  Israel  five  hundred  thousand  chosen  men.  Thus  the  children  of  Israel  were  brought 
under  at  that  time,  and  the  children  of  Judah  prevailed,  because  they  relied  upon  the  Lord, 

19  the  God  of  their  fathers.  And  Abijah  pursued  after  Jeroboam,"  and  took  cities  from  him, 
Beth-el  with  the  towns  thereof,  and  Jeshanah  with  the  towns  thereof,  and  Ejihron  with  the 

20  towns  then'of.    Neither  did  Jeroboam  recover  strength  again  in  the  days  of  Al)ijah  :  and  the 

21  Loud  smote  him,  and  he  died.     But  Abijah  wa.xed  mighty,  and  took  unto  himself  fourteen 
23  wives,  and  begat  twenty  and  two  sons,  and  sixteen  daughters.     And  the  rest  of  the  acts  of 

Abijah,  and  liis  ways,  and  his  sayings,  are  written  in  the  conmientary  of  the  prophet  Iddo. 


Rkiiohoam  reigned  seventeen  years,  n.c.  975- 
958.  His  son  Abijah  (whose  mother  was  Maa- 
chah,  the  granddaughter  of  Absalom)  succeeded 
him  in  a  reign  of  three  years.  AV'itli  four  hun- 
dred thousand  men  he  titterly  defeated  Jero- 
boam, who  had  twice  that  number  on  the 
field.     Ih:t   it  was  not  God's  will  that  the  Ten 


Tribes  .should  be  brought  back  to  their  alle- 
giance to  the  throne  of  David.  Nor  did  Abi- 
jah, though  reproaching  the  Israelites  with 
their  rejection  of  Jehovah's  worship,  himself 
do  anything  toward  restoring  that  worship  in 
Juilah.  The  hritf  reign  of  Abijah.  who.se  pur- 
pose  was   to   reconquer    Israel,    maxj  be   thus 


SECTION  31.     EEION  OF  ABIJAH  OB  ABIJAM. 


273 


accounted  for  in  the  cantrolling  purposes  of 
God.     B. 

Rehoboam's  affection  for  ]\Iaacliah  caused 
him  not  only  to  designate  Abijah,  her  eldest  son 
(2  Chron.  11  :20),  as  his  successor,  but  to  put 
liim  at  a  very  early  age  in  a  position  of  au- 
thority over  his  brethren  (verse  33),  and  to  give 
him  an  establishment  on  a  scale  of  Oriental 
magnificence.  Abijah,  we  are  told  (verse  21), 
"  waxed  mighty,  and  married  fourteen  wives, 
and  begat  twenty  and  two  sans,  and  sixteen 
daughters."  He  was  probably  of  full  age  at 
his  father's  accession.     G.  R. 

Jeroboam  did  not  only  survive  Rehoboam, 
but  he  witnessed  the  accession  of  two  other 
kings  of  Judah,  Abijah  and  Asa.  The  reign 
of  Abijiih  was  very  brief.  Both  in  1  K.  15  :  2 
and  in  2  Chron.  13  :  3  it  is  said  to  have  lasted 
three  years — an  expression  which  must  be  un- 
derstood according  to  this  canon  laid  down  by 
the  rabbis,  that  tlie  commencement  of  a  year  in 
the  reign  of  a  king  is  to  be  reckoned  as  a  full 
year.  Thus,  as  Abijah  ascended  the  throne  in 
the  eighteenth  (1  K.  15  : 1)  and  Asa  in  the 
twentieth  (verse  9)  year  of  Jeroboam's  reign,  it 
follows  that  the  former  actually  i-eigned  only 
somewhat  over  two  years.  It  is  stated  that 
"  he  walked  in  all  the  sins  of  his  father,"  and 
that  "  his  heart  was  not  perfect  with  Jehovah 
his  God,"  These  two  statements  are  not  ex- 
planatorj'  of,  but  supplementary  to,  each  other. 
We  know  that  Rehoboam  had  not  abolished  the 
service  of  Jehovah,  but  that,  by  its  side,  a  spu- 
rious worship  had  been  tolerated,  if  not  encour- 
aged, which,  in  the  view  of  Holy  Scripture, 
was  equal  to  idolatry.  In  this  matter  Reho- 
boam had  not  only  followed  the  example  of  his 
father  Solomon,  during  his  later  j'ears,  but 
greatly  increased  the  evil  wliich  had  then  be- 
gun. A  similar  remark  applies  to  the  reign  of 
Abijah,  as  compared  with  that  of  Rehoboam. 
That  the  idolatr}'  of  the  reign  of  Rehoboam 
had  grown  both  worse  in  character  and  more 
general  in  practice  under  that  of  Abijah,  ap- 
pears from  the  notices  of  the  reformation  insti- 
tuted by  his  successor,  Asa,.  The  former  cir- 
cumstance is  implied  in  the  terms  by  which  the 
idolatry  of  that  period  is  described  (2  Chron. 
14:3,  5),  and  by  the  circumstance  that  "the 
queen-mother"  (Maachah,  Abijah's  mother  and 
Asa's  grandmother),  who  under  Abijali  held  the 
official  rank  of  Gcptrah,  "  Queen"  (the  modern 
Sultana  Valiik),  had  made  and  set  up  "  a  hor- 
ror for  Asherah" — some  horrible  wooden  repre- 
sentation, equally  vile  and  idolatrous  in  its 
character.  Again,  that  idolatry  had  become 
more  widely   spread,    and   that   its   hold   was 


stronger,  we  infer  from  the  fact  that,  despite 
Asa's  example,  admonitions,  and  exertions  (3 
Chron.  14:4,5),  "the  high  places  did  not 
cease"  (1  K.  15  :  14).  This  progressive  spir- 
itual decline  under  the  reigns  of  Solomon,  Re- 
hoboam, and  Abijah  was  so  marked  as  to  have 
deserved  the  removal  of  the  family  of  David 
from  the  throne,  had  it  ::ot  been  for  God's  faith- 
fulness to  His  covenant  promises  ('.  K.  15  :  4,  5). 

a  Chron.  13  :  4-12.  The  two  armies  met 
at  the  boundary  of  the  two  kingdoms,  though, 
as  we  judge,  within  the  territory  of  Israel. 
They  camped  in  close  proximity,  only  separated 
by  Mount  Zcmaraim,  a  height  to  the  cast  of 
Bethel,  and  some  distance  north  of  Jericho, 
forming  part  of  the  ridge  known  as  "  Mount 
Ephraim,"  which  stretched  from  the  plain  of 
Esdraelon  southward.  From  this  height  Abi- 
jah addressed  the  army  of  Israel  just  before  the 
battle  began,  in  the  hope  of  securing  their  vol- 
untary submission,  or  at  least  weakening  their 
resistance.  Ignoring  all  that  told  against  him- 
self, Abijah  tried  to  impress  on  his  opponents 
that  right  was  wholly  on  Ills  side.  In  language 
full  of  irony  he  set  before  them  their  weakness, 
as  the  necessary  result  of  their  apostasj'  from 
Jehovah,  the  God  of  their  fathere,  and  of  their 
adoption  of  a  worship  neither  conformable  to 
their  ancient  faith  nor  even  respectable  in  the 
sight  of  men.  Lastly,  he  loudly  protested  that, 
since  Judtdi  had  gone  to  war  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Jehovah  and  in  the  manner  appointed 
by  Him,  Israel  was  really  fighting  against  Je- 
hovah, the  God  of  their  fathers,  and  could  not 
expect  success.  Whatever  hoUowness  there 
may  have  been  in  this  profession  on  the  part  of 
Abijah,  it  was  at  least  the  true  war-cry  of  Is- 
rael which  he  raised.  It  found  an  echo  in  the 
hearts  of  his  followers.     A.  E. 

Jeroboam,  wholly  untouched  by  it,  made  the 
best  disposition  of  his  troops  that  was  possible  ; 
his  troops  neither  deserted  nor  relaxed  in  their 
efforts  on  account  of  the  invitation  addressed  to 
them.  Such  was  the  Israelite  preponderance 
in  numbers,  that  it  was  found  possible  to  send 
a  large  detachment  to  the  rear  of  the  Jewish 
camp,  and  then  to  make  simultaneously  a 
double  attack,  from  the  front  and  from  behind 
(verses  13,  14).  The  men  of  Judah  resisted 
bravely,  but  were  in  great  distress,  when  the 
aid  of  God  being  implored  with  grejit  earnest- 
ness amid  the  trumpet  blasts  of  the  priests,  sud- 
denly the  tide  of  battle  turned — Judah  w;i3 
successful,  and  Israel  was  put  to  flight  (verses 
15,  16).  A  terrible  carnage  followed.  Accord- 
ing to  the  existing  text,  the  slain  on  the  part  of 
the  Israelites  amounted  to  five  hundred  thou- 


276 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


sand  men  ;  but  it  is  generally  agreed  that  the 
oripiiiid  rending  in  this  place  \va8  probably  fifty 
thousand.  Even  tliis  was  an  euornious  loS8  ; 
and  \vi'  can  -well  understan  1  its  liaving  led  on 
to  the  conquest  of  several  Israelite  towns,  as 
Belhcl,  Jeshaiiah,  and  Ephraim,  w'licli  passed 
for  a  time  under  tlie  dominion  oi  Judah  (verse 
19).    <;.  H. 

17.  AMJali  und  liU  people  nIcw 
lliciii  ivilli  :i  great  6laii;:litcr.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  original  to  indicate  that  this 
slaughter  was  all  on  one  day.  The  writer  is 
l)rol)aliIy  compressing  into  a  few  words  the  eir- 
ciunstancea  of  the  whole  war.  Tlicre  fell 
(l<»\vii  Niain.  The  word  translated  "  slain" 
means  strictly  "  pierced,"  and  will  include 
both  the  killed  and  the  wounded.  It  is  trans- 
lated by  ••  wounded"  in  Lam.  2  :  13.     B.  C. 

19.  Notwithstanding  this  decisive  success, 
Abijah  wils  too  well  advised  to  pursue  his  orig- 
inal design  of  reducing  the  Ten  Tribes,  and  wjis 
content  to  re-establish  his  authority  over  cer- 
t;un  border  towns  and  districts,  which  had  orig- 
inally  belonged   to  Judah  or    Benjamin,   but 


which  Jeroboam  had  fo>ind  means  to  include 
in  his  portion  of  the  divided  kingdom.     KitUi. 

1  K.  IS  :  I.  Abijam.  The  lAXiidds-son 
of  Uehoboam."  The  name  is  Ahijuh  in  St'hron., 
and,  comparing  with  otlier  names  of  like  forma- 
tion, that  appears  the  more  correct.      Luiiihij. 

5.  .^laiiy  sins  are  registered  of  David,  as  well 
as  this  matter  of  Uriah  ;  yet,  as  if  all  these 
were  nothing  in  comparison  of  this  one,  this 
one  alone  is  put  in  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  so 
inserted  as  an  exception  in  the  testimony  which 
we  find  given  of  him  in  the  passage  before  us. 
"  He  turned  not  aside  from  any  thing,"  etc. — 
that  LS,  he  turned  not  aside  so  foidly  and  so 
contemi)tuously,  so  presumptuously  and  so 
provokingly,  in  any  other  thing  as  he  did  in 
that  business  of  Uriah.  All  his  ignorances  and 
negligences,  inconsiderations  and  infirmities, 
are  passed  over  in  silence  ;  only  this  great  pre- 
sumptuous sin  standeth  up  as  a  pillar  or  mon- 
ument erected  to  his  perpetual  shame  in  that 
particular,  by  which  all  succeeding  generations 
might  take  warning  and  example.  Bp.  San- 
derson. 


Section  32. 


REIGN  OF   ASA,  FORTY-ONE   YEARS. 
2Ist  of  Jeroboam  to  3ci  of  Aliab,  of  Israel. 


2  CnuoNici^Ks,  Ch.\ps.  14,  15,  16. 

11:1  So  Abijah  slept  with  his  fathers, 

and  they  buried  him  in  the  city  of  David, 

and  Asa  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead  ;  in  his 

2  days  the  land  was  quiet  ten  years.     And 

Asa  did  that  which  was  good  and  right  in 

8  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  his  God  ;  for  he  took 

away  the  strange  altars,  and  the  high  places. 

and   brake    down   the    pillars,    and   hewed 

4  down  the  Asherim  ;  and  commanded  .Judah 
to  seek  the  Loun,  the  God  of  their  fathers, 
anil  to  do  the  law  and  the  commandment. 

5  Also  be  took  away  out  of  all  the  cities  of 
J\iclali  tlie  high  places  and  the  suu-iraages  : 
and  the   kingdom   was   quiet   before   him. 

6  And  he  built  fenced  cities  in  Judah  :  for  the 
land  was  quiet,  and  he  had  no  war  in  those 
years  ;    because   the  Lord  had  given  him 

7  rest.  For  he  said  unto  Judah,  Let  tis  build 
these  cities,  and  make  about  them  walls,  and 
tower.*,  gati'S,  and  bars  ;  the  land  is  yet  be- 


1  Kings  15  :  9-34. 
9      And  in  the  twentieth  year  of  .Jeroboam 
king  of  Israel  began  Asa  to  reign  over  Ju- 

10  dah.  And  forty  and  one  years  reigned  he  in 
Jerusalem  :    and    his   mother's    name   was 

11  JIaacah  the  daughter  of  Abishalom.  And 
Asa  did  that  which  was  right  in  the  eyes  of 

13  the  Loud,  as  did  David  his  father.  And  he 
put  away  the  sodomites  out  of  the  land,  and 
removed  all   the  idols  that  his  fathers  had 

13  made.  And  also  ^laaeah  his  mother  he  re- 
moved from  being  queen,  because  she  had 
made  an  abominable  image  for  an  Ashenih  ; 
and  Asa  cut  down  her  image,  and  burnt  it 

14  at  the  brook  Kidron.  But  the  high  places 
were  not  taken  away  :  nevertheless  the  heart 
of  Asa  was  perfect  with  the  I/iiti)  all  his 

15  days.  And  he  brought  into  the  house  of  the 
I^OUD  the  things  that  his  father  had  dedieat- 
I'll.   and   the  things  tliat   himself  hail   iledi- 

U>  cated,   silver,   and  gold,   and   vessels.      And 


SECTION  32.     REION  OF  ASA. 


277 


fore  us,  because  we  have  sought  the  Lord 
our  God  ;  we  liave  sought  liim,  and  he  hath 
{liven  us  rest  on  every  side.     So  they  built 

8  and  prospered.  And  Asa  ha<l  an  army  that 
bare  Inielilcrs  and  spears,  out  of  .ludah  three 
hundred  thousand  ;  and  out  of  Benjamin, 
that  bare  sliields  and  drew  bows,  two  hun- 
dred and  fourscore  thousand  :  all  these  were 

9  mighty  men  of  valour.  And  there  came  out 
against  them  Zerah  the  Ethiopian  with  an 
army  of  a  thousand  thousand,  and  three 
hundred  chariots  ;  and  he  came  unto  Mare- 

10  shah.  Then  Asa  went  out  to  meet  him,  and 
they  set  the  battle  in  array  in  the  vallc}'  of 

11  Zephathah  at  Mareshah.  And  Asa  cried 
unto  the  Lord  his  God,  and  said.  Lord, 
tliere  is  none  beside  tliee  to  lielp,  between 
the  mighty  and  him  that  hath  no  strength  : 
help  us,  O  Lord  our  God  ;  for  we  rely  on 
thee,  and  in  thy  name  are  we  come  against 
this  multitude.     O  Lord,  thou  art  our  God  ; 

13  let  not  man  prevail  against  thee.  So  the 
Lord  smote  the  Etliioijians  before  Asa,  and 

13  before  Judah  ;  and  the  Ethiopians  fled.  And 
Asa  and  the  people  that  were  with  him  pur- 
sued tlu'm  unto  Gerar  :  and  there  fell  of  the 
Ethiopians  so  many  that  they  could  not  re- 
cover themselves  ;  for  they  were  destroyed 
before  the  Loud,  and  before  his  host  ;  and 

14  they  carried  away  very  much  booty.  And 
they  smote  all  the  cities  round  about  Q^rar  ; 
for  the  fear  of  the  Lord  came  upon  them  :  and 
the.v  spoiled  all  the  cities  ;  for  there  was 

15  much  spoil  in  them.  They  smote  also  the 
tents  of  cattle,  and  carried  away  sheep  in 
abundance  and  camels,  and  returned  to  Je- 
rusalem. 

15:1  And  the  spirit  of  God  came  upon 

2  Azariah  the  son  of  Oded  :  and  he  went  out 
to  meet  Asa,  and  said  unto  him,  Hear  ye  me, 
Asa,  and  all  Judah  and  Benjamin  :  the  Lord  is  with  you,  while  ye  be  with  him  ;  and  if  ye 

3  seek  him,  he  will  be  found  of  you  ;  but  if  ye  forsake  him,  he  will  forsake  you.  Now  for 
long  seasons  Israel  hath  been  without  the  true  God,  and  without  a  teaching  priest,  and  with- 

4  out  law  :  but  when  in  their  distress  they  turned  unto  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  and  sought 
0  him,  he  was  found  of  them.     And  in  those  times  there  was  no  peace  to  him  that  went  out, 

6  nor  to  him  that  came  in,  but  great  vexations  were  upon  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  lands.  And 
they   were  broken  in  pieces,  nation  against  nation,  and  city  against  city  :  for  God  did  vex 

7  them  witli  all  adversity.     But  be  ye  strong,  and  let  not  your  hands  be  slack  :  for  your  work 

8  shall  be  rewarded.  And  when  Asa  heard  these  words,  and  the  pniphecy  of  Oded  the  prophet, 
he  took  courage,  and  put  away  the  abominations  out  of  all  the  land  of  Judah  and  Benjamin, 
and  out  of  the  cities  which  he  had  taken  from  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim  ;  and  he  renewed 

9-  the  altar  of  the  Lord,  that  was  before  the  porch  of  the  Lord.  And  he  gathered  all  Jiidah 
and  Benjamin,  and  them  that  sojourned  with  them  otit  of  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  and  out  of 
Simeon  :  for  they  fell  to  him  out  of  Israel,  in  abundance,  wlien  they  saw  that  the  Lord  his  God 

10  was  with  him.     So  they  gathered  themselves  together  at  Jerusalem  in  the  third  month,  in  the 

1 1  fifteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  Asa.     And  they  sacrificed  unto  the  Lord  in  (hat  day,  of  the  spoil 
13  which  they  had  brought,  seven  hundred  oxen  and  seven  thousand  sheep.     And  they  entered 


there  was  war  between  Asa  and  Baasha  king 

17  of  Israel  all  their  days.  And  Baa.sha  king 
of  Israel  went  up  against  Judah,  and  built 
Ramah,  that  he  might  not  suffer  any  to  go 

18  out  or  come  in  to  Asa  king  of  Judah.  Then 
Asa  took  all  the  silver  and  the  gold  that 
were  left  in  the  treasures  of  the  house  of  the 
Lord,  and  the  treasures  of  the  king's  house, 
and  delivered  them  into  the  hand  of  his  ser- 
vants :  and  king  A.sa  sent  them  to  Benha- 
dad,  the  son  of  Tabrimmon,  the  son  of  He- 
zion,  king  of  Syria,  that  dwelt  at  Damas- 

19  cus,  saying.  There  is  a  league  between  me 
and  thee,  between  my  father  and  thy  father  : 
behold,  I  have  sent  unto  thee  a  present  of 
silver  and  gold  ;  go,  break  thy  league  with 
Baasha  king  of  Israel,  that  he  may  depart 

30  from  me.  And  Benhadad  hearkened  unto 
king  Asa,  and  sent  the  captains  of  his  armies 
against  the  cities  of  Israel,  and  smote  Ijon, 
and  Dan,  and  Abel-beth-maacah,  and  all 
Chinneroth,  with  all  the  land  of  Naphtali. 

31  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Baasha  heard 
thereof,  that  he  left  off  building  of  Ramah, 

23  and  dwelt  in  Tirzah.  Then  king  Asa  made 
a  proclamation  unto  all  Judah  ;  none  was 
exempted  :  and  they  carried  away  the  stones 
of  R;iniah,  and  the  timber  thereof,  where- 
with Baasha  had  builded  ;  and  king  Asa 
built  therewith  Geba  of  Benjamin,  and  Miz- 

33  pah.  Now  the  rest  of  all  the  acts  of  Asa, 
and  all  his  might,  and  all  that  he  did,  and 
the  cities  which  lie  built,  are  they  not  writ- 
ten in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings 
of  Judah?  But  in  the  time  of  his  old  age  he 

24  was  diseased  in  his  feet.  And  Asa  slept 
with  his  fathers,  and  was  buried  with  his  fa- 
thers in  the  city  of  David  his  father  :  and 
Jehoshaphat  his  son  reigned  in  his  ste;id. 


278 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAII. 


iiiin  tlic  covenant  to  seek  the  Lord,  the  God  of  their  fatliers,  with  all  their  heart  ami  with  all 

13  their  soul  ;  and  that  whosoever  would  not  seek  the  LoiiD,  the  God  of  Israel,  should  be  put  to 

14  death,  whether  small  or  great,  whether  man  or  woman.     And  they  sware  unto  the  Lokd  with 

15  a  loud  voice,  and  with  shouting,  and  with  trumpets,  and  with  cornets.  And  all  .ludah 
rejoiced  at  the  oath  :  for  they  had  sworn  with  all  their  heart,  and  sotight  him  with  their 

16  whole  desire  ;  and  he  was  found  of  them  :  and  the  LoKD  gave  them  rest  round  about.  And  also 
Maaeah  the  mother  of  Asa  the  king,  he  removed  her  from  being  queen,  because  she  had  made 
an  abominable  image  for  an  Asherah  ;  and  Asa  cut  down  her  image,  and  made  dust  of  it, 

17  and  burnt  it  at  the  brook  Kidron.     But  the  high  jilaees  were  not  taken  away  out  of  Israel  : 

18  nevertlieless  the  heart  of  Asa  was  perfect  all  his  days.  And  he  brought  intotli<>  hou.se  of  God 
the  tilings  that  his  fatlier  had  dedicated,  and  that  he  himself  had  dedicated,  silver,  and  gold, 

19  and  vessels.     And  there  was  no  more  war  unto  the  five  and  thirtieth  year  of  the  reign  of  ^Vsa. 

16:1  In  the  six  and  thirtieth  year  of  the  reign  of  Asa,  Baasha  king  of  Israel  went  up 
against  Judah,  and  built  Ramah,  that  he  might  not  suffer  any  to  go  out  or  come  in  to  Asa 

2  king  of  Judiiii.  Then  Asa  brought  out  silver  and  gold  out  of  the  treasures  of  the  house  of 
the  Loud  and  of  the  king's  house,  and  sent  to  Benhadad  king  of  Syria,  that  dwelt  at  I)ama.s- 

8  cus,  saying.  There  is  a  league  between  me  and  thee,  as  there  was  between  my  fatlier  and  thy 
father  :  behold,  I  have  sent  thee  silver  and  gold  :  go.  break  thy  league  willi  Baasha  king  of 

4  Israel,  that  he  may  depart  from  me.  And  Benhadad  hearkened  unto  king  Asa,  and  sent  the 
captains  of  his  armies  against  the  cities  of  Israel  ;  and  they  smote  Ijon,  and  Dan.  and  Abel- 

5  maim,  and  all  tlie  store  cities  of  Naphtali.     And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Baasha  lieanl  (hereof. 

6  that  he  left  off  building  of  Ramah,  and  let  his  work  cease.  Then  Asa  the  king  took  all 
Judali  ;  and  they  carried  away  the  stones  of  Ramah,  and  the  timber  thereof,  wherewith 

7  Baasha  had  builded  ;  and  he  built  therewith  Geba  and  ilizpah.  And  at  that  time  Ilanani  the 
seer  came  to  Asa  king  of  Judah,  and  said  unto  him.  Because  thou  hast  relied  on  the  king  of 
Syria,  and  hast  not  relied  on  the  Loud  thy  God.  therefore  is  the  host  of  the  king  of  Syria 

8  escaped  out  of  thine  hand.  Were  not  the  Ethiopians  and  the  Lubim  a  huge  host,  with  char- 
iots and  horsemen  exceeding  many?  yet,  because  thou  didst  rely  on  the  I^oun,  he  delivered 

9  them  into  thine  hand.  For  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  run  to  and  fro  throughout  the  whole  earth, 
to  shew  himself  strong  in  the  behalf  of  them  whose  heart  is  perfect  toward  him.     Herein 

10  tliou  hast  done  foolishly  ;  for  from  henceforth  thou  shalt  have  wars.  Then  Asa  was  wroth 
with  the  seer,  and  put  him  in  the  prison  house  ;  for  he  was  in  a  rage  with  him  because  of  this 

11  thing.     And  Asa  oppressed  some  of  the  people  the  same  time.     And.  behold,  the  acts  of  Asa, 

12  first  and  last,  lo,  they  are  written  in  the  book  of  the  kings  of  Judah  and  Israel.  And  in  the 
thirty  and  ninth  year  of  his  reign  Asa  was  diseased  in  his  feet ;  his  disease  was  exceeding 

13  great :  yet  in  his  disease  he  sought  not  to  the  Lord,  but  to  the  physicians.     And  A.sa  slept 

14  with  his  fathers,  and  died  in  the  one  and  fortieth  year  of  his  reign.  And  they  buried  him 
in  his  own  sepulchres,  which  he  had  hewn  o>it  for  himself  in  the  city  of  David,  and  laid  him 
in  the  bed  which  was  filled  with  sweet  odours  and  divers  kind  of  spias  prepared  by  the 
apothecaries'  art :  and  they  made  a  very  great  burning  for  him. 


Rkion  op  Asa. 

Forty-one  Tears,  ilst  of  Jeroboam  to  Zd  of  Ahab, 

of  Isrntl. 

a  Chronicles,  Cii.vrs.  14-16  ;  1  Kings  15  : 9-24. 

Kino  Abi.i.mi  reigned  but  three  years  ;  but 
his  son  Asa,  who  succeeded  him,  reigned  forty- 
one  years,  and  beheld  the  close  of  the  reign  of 
Jeroboam  in  Israel,  and  the  commencement  of 
that  of  Ahab — so  that  this  one  reign  in  the 
house  of  David  covered  the  entire  reigns  of  five 
and  parts  of  the  reigns  of  two  kings  in  Isra<l 
— seven  in  all,  including  four  different  fami- 
lies or  dynasties.  Jeroboam  was  on  the  throne 
of  Israel  when  Asa  succeeded  to  that  of  Judah. 


His  son  Xadab  then  became  king  ;  and  in  the 
second  year  of  his  reign  was  put  to  death,  with 
all  his  father's  house,  by  Baasha  of  Issachar. 
who  then  mounted  the  throne,  and  reigned 
twenty-four  years.  He  fixed  his  residence  at 
Tirzah,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Elah, 
who,  in  the  second  year  of  his  reign,  was  mur- 
dered, with  all  his  family,  by  Ziinri.  On  hear- 
ing this,  the  army  elected  their  general,  Omri, 
as  king,  and  marched  to  Tir/.ah  against  Zimri. 
who  had  there  assumed  the  crown.  lie  made 
no  resistance,  but  fled  to  the  harem,  which  he 
set  on  fire,  and  perished  in  the  flames.  In  the 
mean  lime,  some  of  the  peojde  had  made  Tibni 
king  ;  but  this  party  was  at  length  put  down, 
and  Omri  was  generally  recognized  as  king. 


SECTION  32.     REION  OF  ASA. 


279 


He  built  Samaria,  which  henceforth  liccame 
the  capital  of  Israel  ;  and,  after  a  reic'ii  of 
twelve  years,  left  the  throne  to  his  son  Ahab, 
whose  reign  fills  a  large  portion  of  sacred  his- 
tory. There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Asa's  long 
and  main!)'  prosperous  reign,  while  Israel  was 
torn  by  internal  factions  and  revolutions,  and 
stained  with  the  blood  of  fallen  princes  massa- 
cred by  the  successf vil  competitors  for  the  peril- 
ous crown,  tended  much  to  consolidate  the 
strength  of  .Judah,  and  to  raise  it  to  that  equal- 
ity with  the  rival  kingdom,  which  might  not 
in  the  first  instance  have  appeared  feasiblewhen 
the  great  disproportion  of  territory  is  consid- 
ered.    Kitto. 

The  first  ten  years  of  Asa's  reign  were  oc- 
cupied with  the  reformation  of  worship,  and 
the  strengthening  of  defcnced  cities.  Then 
followed  the  invasion  of  Judah  by  Zcrah  and 
the  utter  overthrow  of  the  Egyptian,  through 
the  intervention  of  Jehovah  in  response  to  Asa's 
trustful  prayer.  For  twenty-five  years  king 
and  people  had  the  Lord's  blessing  of  "  rest 
round  about."  Then  A.sa  was  threatened  bj' 
Ba;isha  king  of  Israel.  And  then  Asa's  long 
untried  faith  failed  utterly.  Like  the  failures 
of  all  the  good  or  godly  in  both  Testaments, 
Asa's  defection  occurred  at  the  very  point  of 
his  previous  excellence.  He  had  trusted  in 
God's  power  only,  when  his  kingdom  was  ac- 
tually thronged  by  foes.  Now,  when  merely 
threatened  by  the  comparatively  feeble  power 
of  Baasha.  he  deliberatelv  turns  away  from  his 
Divine  deliverer.  He  forxakcs  God,  and  puts 
liis  trust  in  that  heathen  king  who  was  now  the 
natural  enemy  of  both  Israel  and  Judah,  and 
the  power  most  to  be  dreaded.  And  though 
the  result  of  his  humiliating  appeal  to  Benha- 
dad  wa.s  successful,  yet  that  success  wrought 
only  an  increasing  unbelief  in  Asa's  heart.  So 
when  God's  prophet  came  to  him  with  God's 
warning  reproof,  Asa  dared  to  imprison  the 
messenger  for  his  fi.lelity.  And  this  cloud 
seems  to  settle  upon  Asa's  faith  in  the  six  clos- 
ing years  of  his  reign.  Instead  of  seeking  from 
God  the  healing  of  Ws  disease,  he  resorted  to 
heathen  healers.  But  with  all  these  failures 
and  frailties  of  his  closing  years,  his  character 
and  reign  still  stand  among  the  wisest  and  best 
in  Judah's  history. 

2  Cliroii.  14  :  1.  Am  succeed)*  Ahijah.  We 
meet  for  the  first  tiiue  the  beautiful  expression, 
slept  with  his  fathers.  The,  figure  of  sleep,  a.s 
meaning  death,  is  common  to  both  Testaments, 
and  is  obviously  suggestive  of  resurrection  and 
another  life.  Somewhere  about  Mount  Zion, 
the  loftiest  of  three  or  four  eminences  included 


in  Jerusalem  (on  the  southwest),  were  the  royal 
sepulchres.  All  the  kings  of  Judah,  save  three 
(.\haz,  Jehoram  and  Joash),  were  buiied  here. 
Asa's  reign  lasted  forty-one  years.  For  ten 
years  from  its  commencement  peace  prevailed, 
and  the  people  had  rest  and  prosperity.  And 
the  reason  is  assigned  in  verses  3-5.     B. 

The  land  \va§  quiet  ten  years.  The 
great  blow  struck  by  Aliijah,  his  alliance  with 
Syria,  and  the  rapid  succession  of  sovereigns  in 
Israel  during  the  earlier  jiart  of  Asa's  reign, 
would  naturally  prevent  any  disturbance  of 
the  jieace  on  the  part  of  the  northern  kingdom. 
B.  C. 

2-^5.  Asa  destroys  idul-nltars,  and  restores  the 
law  and  worship  of  Jeliovah.  The  scriptural  ex- 
pressions commonly  employed  respecting  both 
good  and  bad  kings  are  to  be  interpreted  by 
the  recorded  facts  of  their  reigns.  It  is  said  : 
"  Asa  did  what  was  good  and  right,"  etc.  ;  and 
(1  K.  15-14),  "  Asa's  heart  was  perfect  with  the 
Lord."  The  meaning  is,  that,  in  the  main,  and 
as  compared  with  others,  he  was  loyal  to  Jeho- 
vah. Yet  Asa  failed  in  one  vital  matter  that 
demanded  reformation.  He  destroj'ed  idol- 
altars,  brake  down  idol-images  of  metal  and 
stone,  cut  down  the  so-called  sacred  trees,  and 
took  away  the  high  places  (hill-tops)  consecrat- 
ed to  idolatry.  But  he  failed  to  take  away  the 
high  places  disobediently  set  apart  for  the  wor- 
ship of  Jehovah.  He  did  not  require  the  peo- 
ple to  make  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  their  one 
place  of  worship,  and  so  re-enthrone  Jehovah 
in  His  own  dwelling-place.  Yet  he  did  every- 
thing beside  ;  he  "  commanded  Judali  to  seek 
the  Lord,  and  to  do  the  law  and  the  command- 
ment."  And  God  rewarded  him  and  his  com- 
plying people  with  quiet  and  prosperity. 

Suggestions    recurring   at   this    point    are  : 

1.  That  God  only  gives  peace  and  prosperity. 

2.  That  He  notes  and  rewards  even  an  imper- 
fect service  which  proceeds  from  a  heart  in 
the  main  loyal.  3.  That  the  loyal  heart  should 
honestly  search  out  and  prayerfully  seek  to 
have  disclo.sed  its  own  pnints  of  imperfec- 
tion.    B. 

1  K.  15  :  13.  Maachah,  the  granddaughter 
of  Absalom,  had  been  the  leading  spirit  of  the 
court  during  two  reigns.  As  his  favorite  wife, 
she  had  directed  the  religious  policy  of  Reho 
boam  ;  and  as  his  luother,  she  had  exercised  a 
complete  domination  over  his  successor,  her 
son,  Abijah.  A  devotee  of  the  Syro-Phcenician 
religion,  she  had  established  her  own  shrine  of 
Astarte  worship  in  Jerusalem,  and  had  erected 
in  it  an  idolatrous  emblem,  probably  of  a  sensu- 
istic  character  (1  K.  15:13),     Asa  "destroyed 


280 


KINGDOyr  OF  JTTDAH. 


this  iilol  and  burnt  it  by  the  brook  Kidron." 
Mmi<:liah  herself  hi;  deprived  of  all  authority, 
pcrliaps  removing  lier  from  the  court  over 
whicli  slie  had  so  long  exercised  a  baleful  in- 
fluence, lie  in  tliis  way  got  rid  of  a  centre  of 
religious  eonuption  which,  unless  removed, 
would  have  vitiated  all  Iiis  elTorls  after  reform, 
and  have  afforded  a  rallyingiioint  for  the  Ilea- 
theni/ing  party,  against  which  it  would  have 
been  most  dillicult  to  struggle.     G.  R. 

2  Cliroil.  |.|:C-8.  Ana  rebuilds  the  walls 
of  fenced  cities,  and  orr/atiizes  an  army.  He  em- 
ploys the  "  rest  that  the  Lord  had  given"  in 
strengthening  the  defences  of  the  chief  cities  of 
Judah.  These  cities  had  been  taken  and  ren- 
dered defenceless  by  the  occupying  hosts  of  Shi- 
sliak.  They  were  now  open  to  attack  on  the  north 
by  Israel  and  on  the  south  by  Egypt.  Asa's  act 
involved  another  attack  from  the  latter  ;  and 
the  completion  of  his  great  work  of  defence 
was  probably  followed  by  the  withholding  of 
the  tribute  money  to  Egypt.  This  was  doubt- 
less done  with  the  Divine  approval.  Besides 
this,  while  the  land  had  rest  through  God's 
favor,  and  wliile  the  fortifications  were  being 
constructed  around  the  larger  cities,  the  king 
had  constructed  a  vast  military  organization  of 
the  entire  people.  This  was  to  constitute  a  liv- 
ing breastwork  of  defence,  when  needed,  in 
behalf  of  the  nation.  Of  spearmen  there  were 
three  hundred  thousand  in  Judah  ;  and  of  bow- 
men, two  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  in  Ben- 
jamin. This  military  preparation  also  seems  to 
have  been  approved  of  God. 

A  fourth  suggestion  :  That  the  period  of 
health  and  prosperity  is  the  fit  time  to  prepare 
for  sickness  and  adversity — emphatically  the 
period  of  preparation  for  the  end  of  life,  and  for 
that  which  follows,  the  fixed  estate  of  the  en- 
during life  to  come. 

9,  10.  The  host  of  Zerah  set  in  array  against 
the  army  of  Asa.  In  the  tenth  year  of  Asa's 
reign  the  expected  invasion  from  Egypt  took 
place.  By  a  long  career  of  prosperity  had  God 
prepared  His  people  for  the  conflict,  which  He 
Himself  had  delayed.  Zcnih's  host  of  a  million 
men  and  three  himdred  chariots  mainly  con- 
sisted of  mercenaries  of  adjacent  nations  or 
conscripts  taken  from  tributary  peoples — the 
largest  collected  force  of  which  we  read  in 
Scripture.  Mareshah  was  one  of  the  cities  for- 
tified l)y  Hehoboam  and  refortified  by  Asa.  It 
lay  twenty-tivo  to  thirty  miles  southwest  from 
Jerusalem,  in  the  low  country  of  Judah.     B. 

The  Egyptian  monuments  enable  us  to  pic- 
ture the  general  disposition  of  Zerah'a  army. 
The  chariots  formed  the  first  corps,  in  a  single 


or  double  line  ;  behind  them,  massed  in  pha- 
lanxes, were  heavy  armed  troops  ;  probably  on 
the  flanks  stood  archers  and  horsemen  in  lighter 
fonnations.  Zenih  retired  from  before  Mare- 
shah toward  the  plain,  that  he  might  use  his 
chariots  and  horsemen  with  effect,  instead  of 
entangling  them  in  the  narrow  valleys  leading 
toward  Jerusalem.  From  the  prayer  of  \s& 
we  may  judge  that  when  lie  came  upon  the 
invading  army  he  saw  its  hugeness,  and  so 
that  as  he  descended  through  a  valley  it  lay 
spread  out  beneath  him.  Asa  marching  down 
a  valley  must  have  attacked  in  heavy  column. 
His  spearmen  of  Judah  must  have  formed  this 
column.  Each  bank  of  the  valley  would  have 
been  occupied  by  the  Benjamite  archers.  No 
doubt  the  Ethio])ian,  confident  in  his  numbers, 
disdained  to  attack  the  Hebrews,  or  clear  the 
heights,  but  waited  in  the  broad  valley.  R.  S. 
Pool. 

9.  Zerah  tlic  Ethiopian.  Zerah  the 
Ethiopian  is  probablj-  Usarken  (O.sorkon)  II.. 
the  third  king  of  Egypt  aft<'r  Shishak.  accord- 
ing to  the  Egyptian  monuments.  The  three 
root  letters  of  the  Hebrew  name  Zerah,  2,  r,  and 
eh,  represent  fairly  enough  the  three  main  con- 
sonants of  the  Egyptian  word  Usarken.  And 
O.sorkon  II.  may  have  been  by  birth  an  Ethio- 
pian, for  he  was  the  son-in-law,  not  the  son,  of 
the  preceding  monarch,  and  reigned  in  right  of 
his  wife.     B.  C. 

11.  The  trustful  prayer  of  Asa.  This  is  a 
wonderful  praj'er — wonderful  for  its  compre- 
hensiveness and  completeness,  its  boldness  and 
simplicitj' — under  the  circumstances  in  which 
it  was  uttered.  In  it  God  is  everything  and 
man  nothing.  Resting  implicitly  upon  this 
fact,  its  twofold  plea  shows  a  most  absolute 
faith  that  His  omnipotence  is  with  them  and 
for  them.  "  Help  us,  for  in  Thy  name,  resting 
on  thee,  we  go  against  this  multitude  I"  Help 
us,  for  "  Thou  art  our  God  1  Let  not  man  pre- 
rail  against  Thee  1"  Against  Thee,  not  against 
us,  boldly  assuming  that  God's  honor  is  in- 
volved. Nothing  but  honest,  invincible  faith 
would  conceive  or  dare  to  express  such  an  ap- 
peal. And  that  it  teas  faith,  and  that  its  con- 
clusions were  authorized,  is  proven  by  the 
issue.  The  appeal  was  heard  and  answered. 
And  the  very  record  in  its  terms  seems  to  re- 
spond to  the  great  fact  of  the  prayer.  Not 
Asa's  army,  but '  the  Lord  smote  the  Ethiopians 
before  Asa  and  before  Judah."  The  lleeing 
ho3t  were  pursued,  anil  vast  spoil  scattered  in 
their  flight,  for  full  twenty  miles.  For  three 
centuries  Egypt  (the  southern  power  of  Old 
Testament  history  and  prophecy)  attempted  no 


SECTION  33.     REION  OF  ASA. 


281 


further  invasion  into  the  country  of  Jehovah's 
people. 

This  wonderful  prayer  and  its  wonderful 
success  supremely  magnifies  God's  power.  It 
exemplifies  a  supremdi/  and  nttciiy  appropriat- 
ing faith  in  God's  willingness  to  ■use  His  power 
for  those  tlmt,  doing  tlieir  utmost,  still  wholly  rest 
on  Him.  And  the  result  pledges  God's  help 
and  a  successful  issue  in  every  earnest  conflict 
with  spiritual  foes  to  such  implicit  faitli,  to  such 
absolute  casting  upon  Ilim,  as  the  one  whose 
honor  is  chiefly  involved,  the  actual  issue.     B. 

Asa  linew  he  was  in  liimself  helpless,  and  he 
knew  where  to  seek  an  all-sufficient  Helper, 
and  he  desired  to  know  no  more.  In  this  he 
rested — "We  rest  on  Thee."  This  resting  on 
God  was  both  a  cause  and  an  effect.  That  he 
was  enabled  so  to  rest  with  undisturbed  mind 
on  God  was  one  of  the  grounds  on  wliich  lie 
expected  help — "/or  we  rest  on  Thee  ;"  and  so 
far  it  was  a  cause.  But  the  capacity  of  enjoy- 
ing this  rest,  in  leaning  so  entirely  upon  the 
Lord,  was  an  inevitable  effect  of  the  previous 
convictions  which  he  had  reached  of  his  own 
helplessness,  and  of  the  boundless  sufficiency  of 
his  Helper.  These  things  belong  to  the  life  of 
faith,  and  are  essentially  the  same,  whether 
they  liave  regard  to  our  defence  against  the  in- 
numerable adversaries  who  disturb  or  threaten 
our  bodily  repose,  or  the  spiritual  enemies, 
within  us  and  without  us,  that  bring  danger 
to  our  souls.  In  either  case,  perfect  love  to 
God  and  perfect  trust  in  Him,  which  trust  is 
essential  to  love,  gives  rest — casts  out  all  fear 
and  doubt.  Because  Asa  had  attained  to  the 
state  of  "  rest  on  God,"  by  which  all  these 
privileges  became  his — he  could  say,  ' '  In  Thy 
name  we  go  against  this  multitude."  This 
was  his  might.  In  this  might  he  went,  and  he 
overcame.  And  it  was  because,  feeling  his 
own  weakness,  knowing  where  liclp  was  to  be 
found,  relying,  resting  upon  that  help  and  in 
that  reliance,  and  in  no  other,  going  forth  to 
oppose  the  Cushean  host,  that  he  was  entitled 
and  authorized  to  regard  the  caase  as  the  Lord's 
own,  and  to  say,  "  O  Lord,  Thou  art  our  God, 
let  not  man  prevail  against  Thee."     Kitto. 

A  model  of  prayer  in  an  emergency.  It  is 
made  up  of  four  fragments,  each  of  which 
teaches  us  a  fundamental  element  in  the  spirit 
of  prayer  in  such  an  exigency.  First,  prayer 
in  emergencies  should  be  founded  on  a  strong 
faith  in  God's  independence  of  human  resourcAis 
and  7iu'thods  of  judgment.  Hear  the  stricken 
monarch,  as  he  kneels  beneath  the  weight  of  a 
kingtlom  :  "  Lord,  it  is  nothing  to  Thee  to 
help,  whether  with  many  or  with  them  that 


have  no  power."  This  goes  to  the  heart  of  the 
case.  Nothing  else  equals  the  situtition.  Are 
there  not,  in  the  lives  of  us  all,  emergencies  in 
which  our  deliverance  may  depend  on  our  real- 
izing to  our  faith  the  principle  that  God  is  in- 
dependent of  the  resources  which  decide  liuman 
judgment?  In  certain  extreme  hours,  very 
much  may  depend  on  the  depth  of  our  faith  in 
this.  Our  own  courage  may  depend  on  it. 
Our  power  to  energize  others  may  depend  on 
it.  Our  power  with  God  may  depend  on  it. 
We  need  to  feel  that  prayer  may  command  im- 
probable results,  because  it  commands  super- 
natural resources. 

The  example  before  us  suggests,  as  a  second 
element  in  believing  prayer  in  emergencies,  a 
profound  sense  of  the  inadequacy  of  all  other 
sources  of  relief  but  God.  We  need  to  feel  that 
we  are  shut  in  to  God,  and  God  only.  "  Help  us, 
O  Lord  our  God,  for  we  rest  in  Thee."  We  are 
shut  up  to  the  arm  of  God.  Help,  Lord,  or  we 
perish.  This  familiar  element  in  the  spirit  of 
prayer,  emergencies  force  upon  our  thought. 
Often  Divine  providence  seems  to  second  the 
procedure  of  Divine  grace  by  leaving  us  in  a 
great  emergency  till  we  feel  this.  Deliverance 
is  slow  in  coming.  Prayer  is  not  answered  in 
a  breath.  The  trial  gathers  intensity.  The 
crisis  deepens.  The  fire  waxes  hot.  The  ob- 
ject seems  to  be  to  quicken  in  the  soul  the 
sense  of  God  as  a  reality  because  He  is  felt  to 
be  a  necessity.  Ruin  here,  ruin  there,  ruin 
everywhere  except  in  the  one  thought  that 
there  is  a  God.  Intense  conceptions  of  the 
reality  of  God  come  to  some  minds  in  no  other 
way  than  through  this  secret  alliance  of  provi- 
dence and  grace  in  the  discipline.  The  needed 
convictions  have  to  be  burned  in  by  fiery  trial. 
But  when  the  end  is  gained,  when  God  becomes 
an  infinite  fact,  when  we  become  content  to  go 
fearless  into  solitude  with  God,  to  cast  every- 
thing upon  God,  to  rest  in  God,  then  believing 
prayer  wells  up  sweet  and  fresh  from  the  heart, 
and  flows  out  in  glad  assurance  from  the  lips. 
Then  relief,  success,  conquest,  is  not  far  off. 

Prayer  in  emergencies  involves  a  third  ele- 
ment. It  is  a  profound  identification  with  God. 
"  In  Thy  name  we  go  against  this  multitude." 
The  battle  is  not  ours,  but  God's.  Our  inter- 
ests are  lost  in  God's  interests.  This  is  the 
province  of  believing  prayer  in  emergencies,  to 
lift  us  up  and  out  from  our  petty  selves,  and  so 
unite  us  with  God  that  our  interests  are  His 
because  His  interests  have  become  ours.  Our 
will  is  His  because  His  will  has  been  accepted 
as  ours.  Then  prayer  becomes  but  a  prophecy 
of  His  decree.     Its  success  is  a  foregone  con- 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAR. 


elusion.  While  we  are  speaking,  tho  answer  is 
on  our  own  lips.  One  design,  doubtless,  of 
great  and  crushing  emergencies,  is  to  help  us 
up  to  tliis  summit  of  identification  with  God, 
by  driving  us  up  tlie  rocky  steep  that  leads 
thither. 

One  other  phase  of  prayer  in  such  emergen- 
cies, suggested  by  the  fragment  of  biography 
before  us,  is  a  luurtij  rcciKjiiitiim  <if  flod'ncwner- 
thip  of  UK.  "  O  Lord,  Thou  art  our  God  ;  let 
not  man  prevail  against  Thee."  This  concep- 
tion of  prayer  iu  critical  exigencies  fills  up  the 
Christian  idea  of  it  to  the  brim.  We  belon;/ 
to  Ood.  Whatever  concerns  us  concerns  Ilim. 
Our  sorrow  is  His  sorrow.  Our  joy  is  Ilis  joy. 
If  it  is  best  for  us  that  we  be  delivered,  it  is  as 
much  to  God  as  to  us  that  lie  shall  send  deliv- 
erance. No  wedge  ('an  be  driven  between,  to 
separate  Him  from  us,  His  interests  from  ours. 
The  sacredness  and  eternity  of  Divine  owner- 
ship are  pledged  to  our  success.  By  the  right 
of  creation  irc  bdmiq  to  Ood.  By  the  right  of 
faithful  and  undying  friendship  ire  belong  to 
God.  By  the  right  of  eternal  redemption  tee 
belong  to  God.  By  the  right  of  purchase  with 
the  blood  of  Christ  %r,e  belong  to  God.  Will  God 
desert   His  own  with  such    rights  as   these? 

I!2.  The  Faliiopiuns  fled.  The  defeat 
of  Zerah  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  events 
in  th<'  history  of  the  Jews.  On  no  other  occa- 
sion did  they  meet  in  the  field  and  overcome 
the  forces  of  cither  of  tlie  two  great  monarchies 
between  which  they  were  placed.  It  was  sel- 
dom that  they  ventured  to  resist,  unless  be- 
hind walls.  Shishak,  Sennacherib,  Esarhaddon, 
Nebuchadnezzar,  Alexander,  Ptolemy  I.,  were 
either  unopposed  or  only  opposed  iu  this  w&y. 
On  lh(!  one  other  occtusion  on  which  they  took  the 
field — which  was  under  Josiah  against  Necho — 
their  boldness  issued  in  a  most  disastrous  de- 
feat. Now,  however,  under  Asji,  tliey  appear 
to  have  gained  a  complete  and  most  glorious 
victory  over  the  entire  force  of  Egypt,  or  of 
Ethiopia  wielding  the  power  of  Egypt.  The 
results  which  follow  are  most  striking.  The 
southern  power  cannot  rally  from  the  blow,  but 
rapidly  declines,  and  for  above  three  centuries 
makes  no  further  effort  in  this  direction.  As- 
syria grows  in  strengtli,  continually  pu.shes  her 
arms  further,  and  finally,  under  Sargon  and 
Sennacherib,  penetrates  to  Egypt  itself.  All 
fear  of  Egypt  as  an  aggressive  power  ceases  ; 
and  the  Israelite.-;  learn  instead  to  lean  upon  the 
Pharaohs  for  support  (3  K.  17  :  4  ;  18  :  21). 
Friendly  tics  alone  connect  the  two  countries  ; 
and  it  is  not  till  B.C.  609  that  an  Egyptian  force 


again  enters  Palestine  with  a  hostile  intention. 
B.  C. 

l;t.  Such  an  appeal  could  not  be  in  vain. 
In  the  sigiufieant  language  of  Holy  Scripture  it 
was  "  Jehovah"  who  "  smote"  the  Ethiopians, 
and  "  Asa  and  tlie  people  that  were  with  him" 
only  "pursued  them."  Far  away  to  Gerar, 
three  hours  southeast  from  the  border-city, 
Gaza,  continued  the  chase  amid  unuumlKTcd 
slain,  and  still  the  <lestroving  sword  of  .Ichovah 
was  before  Ilis  lio.st,  and  His  fear  fell  iipon  all 
the  cities  round  aliout.  To  wrest  the  hostile 
cities  of  the  Philistines  and  to  carry  away  much 
spoil  was  only  one  sequence.  Henceforth 
Egypt  ceased  to  be  a  source  of  terror  or  of 
danger,  and  ftdl  three  hundred  and  thirty  years 
passed  before  its  army  was  again  arrayed 
against  Judah.     A.  E. 

15:1-15.  Tliese  events  followed  immedi- 
ately upon  the  great  victory  of  ^Vsa's  army 
over  Zerah  and  the  Ethiojuan  invsuiers.  As 
tliat  victory  had  been  preceded  by  prayerful 
trust  in  God,  so  it  is  now  followed  by  the 
obedient  consecration  of  the  people  to  Jehovah, 
who  had  answered  their  prayer  with  so  com- 
plete a  deliverance.  But  in  order  to  secure 
their  renewed  consecration,  God  had  inspired 
the  ])ropliet  Azariah  to  meet  the  returning  vic- 
torious king  and  army  with  His  earnest  exhor- 
tation. In  Jehovah's  name  the  prophet  had 
recalled  their  neglect  of  His  worship,  and  the 
consequent  distress  antl  calamities  which  He 
had  suffered  to  come  upon  the  nation.  But  he 
assures  them  that  the  Lord  would  return  with 
abundant  favors  if  they  would  return  to  Him 
with  sincere  worship  and  faithful  service.  The 
result  of  this  Diviue  exhortation  with  promise 
is  here  recounted.     B. 

Cll.  16,  1-7.  lyw  Spirit  of  God  come  wpon 
the  [irophet  (verse  1).  both  to  instruct  him  what 
he  should  say,  and  to  enable  him  to  say  it  with 
clearness  and  boldness.  The  lyord  u  with  you, 
■while  you  be  with  Jlim.  This  is  both  a  woi-d  of 
comfort,  that  those  who  keep  close  to  God 
shall  always  have  His  presence  with  them, 
and  also  a  word  of  caution,  "  He  is  with  you. 
-tchile  you  be  loith  Him,  but  no  longer  ;  you  have 
now  a  signal  token  of  His  favorable  presence 
with  you,  hut  tlie  continuance  of  it  depends  upon 
your  perseverance  in  the  way  of  your  duty." 
"  If  ye  neek  JJim,  He  will  be  found  of  you.  Sin- 
cerely desire  His  favor  and  aim  at  it,  and  j-ou 
shall  obtain  it.  Pray,  and  you  shall  prevail. 
He  never  said,  nor  ever  will.  Seek  ye  Me  in 
min."  But  (/  yon  forsake  Ilim  and  His  ordi- 
nances. He  will  certainly  foi-sakc  you.  Upon 
this  He  grounded  His  exhortation  to  prosecute 


SECTION  S2.    REIGN  OF  ASA. 


283 


the  work  of  reformation  with  vigor  (verse  7)  ; 
Be  itroiig,  for  ymir  work  shall  be  rewarded.     H. 

S.  Reiiioml  of  idols  and  restoration  of  the 
Temple  worship.  In  the  previous  chapter  wo 
have  an  account  of  Asa's  endeavor  to  take 
away  idolatry  by  the  removal  of  images  and 
high  places.  Afterward,  during  Asa's  reign, 
we  read  of  idolatrous  worship  as  still  contin- 
ued ;  while  his  successors  also  renewed  from 
time  to  time  this  same  work  of  cndcavori:;g  to 
extirpate  the  worship  of  idols.  The  fact  is, 
and  it  needs  to  be  remembered  throughout  this 
history,  that  idolatry  was  already  so  deeply 
rooted  in  the  habits  of  the  people  and  so  strong- 
ly intrenched  in  an  ignorant  conviction  and  an 
instinctive  feeling,  that  it  kept  springing  up 
afresh  all  over  the  land,  in  spite  of  all  efforts  of 
the  best  of  .Judah's  kings  to  extirpate  it.  It 
never  was  destroyed  out  of  Israel  or  Judah  m\- 
til  the  captivities.  But  after  the  Return  from 
Babylon,  idolatry  was  never  known  among  the 
Jews.  That  severe  discipline  of  Jehovah,  the 
exile  and  the  bondage  of  seventy  years,  avowed- 
ly visited  upon  His  people  because  they  would 
have  other  gods  beside  Him,  fully  accomplished 
its  design. 

Asa  now  adds  to  his  fresh  endeavor  to  "  put 
away  the  abominable  idols  of  Judah  and  Ben- 
jamin." the  repair  of  the  great  altar  of  burnt- 
offering,  and  the  renewal  of  worship  to  Jeho- 
vah by  the  appointed  sacrifices  upon  it.  This 
altar,  made  by  Solomon  sixty  years  before, 
stood  before  the  Temple  proper,  immediately  in 
front  of  the  lofty  porch.  And  this  double  act  of 
Asa  suggests  a  point  of  personal  instruction — 
viz.,  that  the  fitting  and  necessary  condition  of 
return  and  right  approach  to  God  is  the  casting- 
down  of  all  idolatry,  of  self,  of  the  world,  or 
of  the  creature  ;  and  the  preparation  of  the 
heart,  God's  altar,  for  every  demanded  sacrifice 
and  service.  But  all  this,  in  us,  demands  the 
joint-working  of  the  Almighty  Spirit,  always 
ready  to  work  in  those  who  seek  to  work  out 
their  salvation.     B. 

■Words  siiicl  propliccy.  Canfully  ex- 
amined, verses  2-7  contain  alike  an  address  and 
a  prophecy.  For  it  were  a  mistake  to  suppose 
that  the  picture  which  Azariah  drew  of  Is- 
rael's sin  and  its  consequence  in  verses  3,  5 
and  G  was  only  that  of  the  far  past  in  the  time 
of  the  Judges,  of  the  religious  decline  under 
Jeroboam  and  Abijah,  or  even  of  their  future 
aposliusy  and  its  punishment.  All  these  were 
included  in  what  the  prophet  .set  before  the 
people.  And  not  only  so,  but  his  words  ex- 
tended beyond  Judah  and  applied  to  all  Israel, 
as  if  the  whole  people  were  viewed   as   still 


united  and  ideally  one  in  their  relation  to  the 
Lord.  Accordingl}',  it  deserves  special  notice, 
that  neither  in  verse  3  nor  in  verse  5  any  verb 
is  used,  as  if  to  indicate  the  general  application 
of  the  "  prophecy."  But  its  present  bearing, 
alike  as  regarded  Judah's  sin  and  repentance, 
and  God's  judgment  and  mere-}',  was  an  earnest 
call  to  carry  on  and  complete  the  good  work 
which  hail  already  been  begun  (verse  7).  And 
king  and  people  hearkened  to  the  voice  of  God 
through  Ilis  prophet.  Again  and  more  ener- 
getically than  before,  the  religious  reformation 
was  taken  in  hand.  The  idol  "  abomination;." 
were  removed,  not  only  from  Judah  and  Ben- 
jamin, but  from  the  conquered  cities  of  the 
north,  and  the  great  altar  of  burnt-oSering 
in  the  Temple  was  repaired.  The  earnestness 
of  this  movement  attracted  the  pious  laity  from 
the  neighboring  tribes  (verse  9),  and  even  led 
those  of  Simeon  (in  the  far  south)  who,  appar- 
ently, had  hitherto  sympathized  with  the  north- 
ern kingdom,  as  they  shared  their  idolatry  (cf. 
Amos  4:4;  5:5;  8  :  14),  to  join  the  ranks  of 
Judah.     A.  E. 

9,  10.  Oathering  of  Judah  and  Benjamin  at 
Jerusalem.  Asa  had  taken  courage  from  the 
words  of  Divine  promise  spoken  by  the  prophet 
of  Jehovah,  following  as  they  did  so  marvel- 
lous an  interposition  of  deliverance  from  the 
Egyptian  host.  He  had  decreed  and  sought  to 
accomplish  the  overthrow  of  idol  worship,  and 
restored  the  great  altar,  worn  by  long  disuse 
and  neglect.  Now  he  gathers  a  great  asseicblj- 
of  the  two  tribes,  and  of  many  besides  from 
the  adjoining  tribes  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel, 
around  the  Temple  of  God  in  Jerusalem.  In 
this  massing  of  the  people  came  representatives 
from  every  family  and  household.  As  the 
whole  history  informs  us,  these  assemblages, 
originally  commanded  by  Mo.5es  in  connection 
with  the  three  great  Feasts,  were  specially  or- 
dered by  the  kings  in  periods  of  national  interest 
or  exigency.  They  were  a  means  of  uniting  the 
whole  people  with  king  and  nobles  in  any  form 
of  national  expression  or  action  that  w;i3  desir- 
able or  necessary.  In  the  mention  of  the 
"  strangers  out  of  Ephraim,  Manasseh,  and 
Simeon"  (the  adjacent  tribes  under  Jeroboam's 
rule),  who  comprised  a  fresh  and  "  abundant" 
migration  from  the  other  kindgom,  the  reason 
of  their  coming  is  assigned.  Thti/  saw  thitt  the 
Lord  was  with  Asa  /  A  second  practical  sug- 
gestion here  :  that  God's  manifest  favor  with 
His  people  has  a  strangely  attractive  power 
with  observant,  thoughtful  men  of  the  world. 

11- 1 4.  2' he  offerings  of  th-e  people,  and  their 
covenant  renewed  with  Je/iovah.     The    burnt- 


284 


KINODO-V  OF  JUDAH. 


offerings,  like  all  other  eeremnnials  of  worship, 
were  symbolic.  The  nieuning  of  each  wsis  dc- 
cliirod  in  the  law  of  Jloses.  The  partial  burnt- 
offcriiipr,  where  tlie  fat  only  was  burned  and  the 
rest  used  for  food,  represented  tliaiih-nrjiriiir/  on 
the  offerer's  part.  The  irhnlc  Imrnt-ofTcrin!?, 
while  ineludinu;  the  ideas  of  substitution  and 
propitiation  for  sin,  also  represented  complete 
nrlf-r-mKirration.  In  both  asiiects.  the  ofTer- 
inirs  now  presented  were  specially  appropriate. 
By  each  of  its  families,  represented  in  tliese 
thousands  of  offerings,  the  nation  symbolically 
expressed  its  gratitude  for  deliverance  and  its 
purpose  of  consecration  ;  at  the  same  time 
recogni/.ing  the  sovereign  merri/  of  Jehovah. 
Very  naturally  followed  a  formal  renewal  of 
covenant  with  "  the  Lord  God  of  their  fathers." 
With  all  the  m.ass  of  ceremonial  observances 
comnianded  under  that  old  covenant,  the  fact 
ought  to  be  always  borne  in  mind  by  us  that 
the  comprehensive,  sublime  demand  of  supreme 
love  and  heart-obedience  to  God  is  declared  in 
the  simplest,  clearest  words,  upon  constantly 
recurring  pages  of  the  history.  No  candid, 
true-hearted  Israelite  could  fail  to  understand 
that  Ibis  personal  love  and  obedience  was  the 
principle  which  underlaid  all  outward  ordi- 
nances and  ceremonies.  So  we  read,  in  this  re- 
newal of  covenant  with  God,  that  the  people 
plcilgcd  themselves,  tiot  to  perform  required 
ccremoiiials,  but  to  seek  the  Liird  God  with  all 
their  heart  and  with  all  their  xotil. 

Two  personal  suggestions  arc  to  be  noted 
here.  1.  Under  the  new  covenant,  not  out- 
ward and  ceremonial,  but  only  inward  and 
spiritual  sacrifices  are  demanded.  Yet  the  sub- 
stance of  those  old  symbolic  ofTerings  is  identi- 
cal in  all  particulars  with  the  new  worship. 
Both  comprise  as  their  essential  elements 
thankxgiring  and  praise,  and  penitent  trust  in 
the  mcrijica  of  the  Lamb  of  Ood's  appointment, 
as  the  substitute  for  the  sinner's  death,  the  pro- 
pitiation for  his  sin,  and  the  means  of  his  puri- 
fication. 3.  The  clear  recognition  of  Gods 
covenant  proffered  through  Christ's  sacrifice 
and  intercession  and  the  hearty  acceptance  of 
it  will  ])ronipt  a  true  response  to  it.  This  re- 
sponse consists  in  a  continuous  self-consecration 
of  the  wliole  heart  and  life  to  Christ  and  His 
service. 

15.  The  result  of  a  renewed  covenant :  glad- 
ness and  prosperity.  Their  oath  was  heartfelt 
and  sincere,  and  was  followed  by  honest  and 
tnic  endeavor  ;  and  God  gave  them  rest,  and 
enriched  them  by  years  of  uninterrupted  pros- 
perity. An  old  lesson  we  here  read  again,  yet 
one  that  is  hardest  to  learn  :  that  Ilis  favor  and 


our  unbroken  prosperity  go  with  the  loving  heart 
and  obedient  life.  While  there  arc  e.vceptions, 
like  the  blind  man  of  Jerusalem  (John  9),  where 
special  trials  arc  permitted  in  order  to  empha- 
size more  manif(!stly  the  glory  of  God.  yet  the 
law  of  God's  liealing  is,  that  the  outward  life 
of  the  Christian  is  prospered  in  proportion  to 
his  truth,  his  trust,  and  his  obedience,  toward 
Ood !    B. 

No  joy  is  equal  to  that  wlvich  accompanies 
this  transaction  of  engaging  ourselves  to  God. 
We  have  never  any  true  joy,  joy  of  a  pure  and 
elevated  nature,  till  we  know  wliat  it  is  to  enter 
into  covenant  with  God  by  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ.  Men  may  have  pleasure  before,  but  not 
joy.  They  may  have  the  satisfactions  of  the 
world,  transient  and  unholy  :  but  the  mind  is 
not  blessed,  the  heart  is  i\ot  filled  with  intellec- 
tual, moral,  substantial  joy.  Tho.se  who  en- 
gage themselves  to  Ilim  have  a  pledge  of  all 
future  blessings.  He  is  pleased  to  pledge  Him- 
self to  them,  as  their  protector,  and  rest,  and 
peace,  and  portion.  Asa  and  his  people,  in  the 
case  before  us,  had  a  pledge  of  the  serene  pos- 
session of  their  own  land.  "  The  Lord  gave 
them  rest  round  about,"  says  the  te.\t.  They 
had  the  secure  continuance  of  good  laws  and 
government,  and  the  a.ssurance  of  being  free 
from  plagues  and  judgment.s.  But  this  en- 
gagement must  be  sincere  and  hearty,  cordial 
and  affectionate.  The  Christian  renounces  all 
other  masters, and  cheerfully  devotes  himself  to 
one  Master,  even  Christ.  He  is  a  volunteer  in 
His  service,  made  willing  in  the  day  of  Christ's 
power,  and  presented  to  Him  in  the  beauty  of 
holiness.     R.  llall. 

17.  Tlie  heart  of  A§a  wa§  perfect 
all  liis  days.  It  is  not  meant  that  .Vsa  was 
sinless,  for  the  writer  soon  aftenvard  records 
some  grievous  transgi'cssions  of  this  king's  ; 
but  only  that  he  was  free  from  the  sin  of  idola- 
try, and  continueil  faithful  to  Jehovah  all  his 
life. 

16  :  1-6.  This  passage  runs  parallel  with 
1  K.  15 :  17-2'3,  and  contains  nothing  addi- 
tional, except  the  date  in  verse  1,  and  the  men- 
tion, in  verse  4,  of  the  "  store  cities"  of  Naph- 

tali.     B.  C. This  general  defection  to  Asa  of 

the  worehippers  of  Jehovah  throughout  the 
kingdom  of  Israel  must  have  added  great 
strength,  especially  moral  strength,  to  Judah. 
It  alarmed  Baaslia,  the  king  of  Israel,  who  re- 
newetl  the  war  with  all  his  forces,  and  fortified 
Itiraah,  as  a  sort  of  blockading  station  on  the 
frontier  of  Judah,  to  prevent  his  stibjects  from 
going  over  to  Asa.  It  was  then  that  the  good 
king  of  Judah  committed  the  one  great  error  of 


SECTION  32.     REIGN  OF  ASA. 


285 


Iiis  life.  He  not  only  resorted  to  the  heathen 
king  of  Duniascus,  Benliadad  I.,  but  he  took 
the  treasures  of  the  house  of  God  to  purchase 
his  alliance.  P.  S.  — Beuhadad  was  only  too 
residy  to  entertain  Asa's  proposals.  On  re- 
ceiving th<'  rich  bribe,  ^^•hieh  made  Judah  vir- 
tually tributary  to  him,  he  broke  his  league 
with  Baasha,  and  immediately  invaded  Israel, 
overrunning  the  northern  territorj',  penetrating 
as  far  as  the  district  of  Chinneroth — which 
gave  its  name  to  the  lake  of  Gennesaret — and 
occup_ving  the  land  of  Naphtali.  This  threaten- 
ing danger  in  the  north  of  his  dominions 
obliged  Baasha  hastily  to  quit  Ramah.  Asa 
now  summoned  all  Judah.  The  materials  ac- 
cumulated for  the  fortress  of  Ramah  were  re- 
moved, and  used  for  building  two  new  forts  : 
Geba  ("  the  height")  and  Mizpab  ("  the  out- 
look") (cf.  Josh.  18  :  24,  26  ;  also  Jer.  41  :  5-9). 
Both  these  cities  lay  within  the  territory  of 
Benjamin,  about  three  miles  to  the  north  of 
Ramah,  in  very  strong  positions,  and  com- 
manded the  two  roads  to  Jerusalem.     A.  E. 

2.  Asa  repaired  Shishak's  plunder  of  the 
Temple  by  rich  offerings  of  gold  and  silver,  in 
addition  to  those  dedicated  by  his  father,  prob- 
ably in  the  early  part  of  his  reign,  but  since 
transferred  to  the  heathen  shrines.  It  is  in- 
deed curious  to  observe  how  soon  the  treasures, 
of  which  the  Temple  was  repeatedly  stripped — 
by  Shishak,  by  Asa  himself  at  a  later  time,  and 
by  other  kings — were  again  supplied.  The 
commerce  established  by  Solomon  with  Arabia 
and  the  East,  and  with  the  silver-producing  re- 
gions of  Western  Europe,  must  have  continued 
to  flourish.     P.  S. 

7-10.  But  however  successful  it  seemed  in 
its  immediate  object,  the  thing  that  Asa  had 
done  displeased  the  Lord.  It  was  a  want  of 
that  reliance  upon  the  Lord,  which  once,  in  a 
really  more  urgent  strait,  had  won  him  so  much 
honor  ;  it  was  the  tempting  of  another  to  do  a 
dishonorable  breach  of  faith  ;  and  it  was  the 
bringing  of  a  heathen  destroyer  into  that  land 
which  was  still  the  Lord's  heritage,  though  it 
belonged  not  to  Judah  ;  and  upon  that  people 
who  were  still  His,  although  they  hud  strayed 
from  Him.  For  this — but  especially  for  his  re- 
lying upon  the  king  of  Syria  more  than  upon 
the  King  of  Heaven — a  prophet  was  sent  to 
rebuke  and  threaten  him.  It  was  intimated 
that  for  this  he  had  not  only  lost  a  great  vic- 
tory over  the  Syrians  which  the  Lord  would 
have  given  to  him,  but  his  future  reign  should 
be  troubled  with  wars.  To  be  thus  rebuked  in 
the  moment  when  his  diplomatic  stroke  seemed 
to  have  fulflUed  its  purpose  so  well,  was  more 


than  one  so  little  used  to  contradiction  could 
bear ;  and  in  his  rage  he  sent  the  faitliful 
prophet  to  prison — adding  to  his  original  fault 
the  grievous  sin  of  persecuting  an  inspired 
messenger  of  Jehovah.  Here  -we  have  the  mel- 
ancholy spectacle  of  a  prophet  of  God  impris- 
oned— not  by  an  idolatrous  or  notoriously 
wicked  king,  but  by  one  who  has  hitherto 
borne  a  noble  character  and  whose  heart  was 
substantially  right  with  God.  Not  so  did  Da- 
vid receive  Nathan's  more  stern  rebuke.  This 
descendant  of  his  does  that,  for  only  attempting 
to  do  which  Jeroboam  had  his  arm  jnilsied. 
But,  as  Bishop  Hall  charitably  remarks  :  "  It 
were  a  pity  that  the  best  man  should  be  judged 
by  each  of  his  actions,  and  not  by  all  ;  the 
couree  of  our  life  must  either  allow  or  condemn 
us,  nut  these  sudden  exceptions."     Kitto. 

8.  The  many  experiences  we  have  had  of  the 
goodness  of  God  to  us  aggravate  our  distrust  of 
Him.  Has  He  not  helped  us  in  six  troubles? 
And  have  we  any  reason  to  suspect  Him  in  the 
seventh?  But  see  how  deceitful  our  hearts 
are  !  We  trust  in  God  when  we  have  nothing 
else  to  trust  to,  when  need  drives  us  to  Him  ; 
but  when  we  have  other  things  to  stay  on  we  are 
apt  to  stay  too  much  on  them,  and  to  lean  to 
our  own  understanding  as  long  as  that  has  any- 
thing to  offer  ;  but  a  believing  confidence  will 
be  in  God  only  when  a  smiling  world  courts  it 
most.     H. 

9.  Let  this  sentence  be  remembered,  and  stay 
by  you  always,  even  from  this  hour  till  your 
last — "  For  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  run  to  and  fro, 
through  the  whole  earth,  to  show  Himself 
strong  in  behalf  of  them  whose  heart  is  perfect 
toward  Him."  This  "  perfect  heart"  means  a 
right  conscience,  a  clean,  simple  intent.  And 
the  substance  of  the  declaration  is,  that  God  is 
on  the  lookout  always  for  an  honest  man — Him 
to  help,  with  Him  and  for  Him  to  be  strong  ; 
and  if  there  be  one,  that  God  will  not  miss  of 
him  ;  for  His  desiring,  all-searching  eyes  are 
running  the  world  through  always  to  find  him. 
And  when  He  finds  him  He  will  show  Himself 
to  him  in  the  discovery  even  of  His  strength. 
Many  a  skeptic  has  He  flooded  with  light,  be- 
cause He  saw  him  willing  at  last  to  be  right, 
and  hungering  for  sometliing  true.  This  per- 
fect heart,  this  soul  of  integrity,  oh,  if  we  had 
but  this,  what  else  could  we  fail  of  ?  Ponder 
then  tliis  word,  put  it  down  to  be  with  you  in 
your  struggles  with  sin,  your  sickness,  your 
poverty,  your  Christian  defects  and  drynesses, 
all  the  mind-clouds,  all  the  guilt-clouds,  of  )-our 
mortal  state—"  For  the  eyes  of  the  Loixl  run  to 
and  fro  through  the  whole  earth  to  show  Himself 


286 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAB. 


strong  in  behalf  of  Hum  whosi-  heart  is  perfect 
towanl  lliin."     Ilimliiutl. 

lO.  Ilaiuuii  had  spoken  as  all  the  prophets 
of  Jcliovali,  fearlessly,  faithfully,  ami  only  too 
truly.  It  was  prohahly  eonvietion  of  this 
whi<h,  in  the  unhuinliled  state  of  the  king, 
kindled  his  anger  against  "  the  seer."  Once 
more  it  might  seem  to  Asa  as  not  implying  re- 
bellion against  Goil,  oidy  a  necessary  precau- 
tion against  dis\inion  and  dissatisfaction  among 
his  own  subjects,  threatening  to  upset  his  po- 
litical calculations  and  combinations,  to  use 
measures  of  severity  against  thc^  projjhet  from 
which  he  would  have  shrunk  at  a  former  period 
of  his  reign.  All  the  more  requisite  might 
these  ajipear,  since  his  unwelcome  monitor  evi- 
dently commanded  the  sympathies  of  an  influ- 
ential part  of  the  conuuiinity.  But  it  was  an 
unheard-of  proceeding,  which  happily  found 
imitation  only  in  the  worst  times  of  Israel,  to 
put  the  prophet  of  the  Lord  "  in  the  house  of 
stocks"  on  account  of  his  faithfulness,  and  by 
a  series  of  persecutions  to  oppress,  and,  if 
possible,  ervisli  those  who  sym])athized  with 
him. 

12.  The  fatal  tendency  which  had  showed 
itself  in  the  Syrian  alliance,  and  still  more  in 
the  measures  against  Hanani  and  his  sympa- 
thizers, continued  and  increased  ^vith  the  lapse 
of  years.  Two  j'ears  before  his  death  Asa  was 
attacked  by  some  disease  in  his  feet.  In  this 
"  also"  "  he  sought  not  Jehovah  but  in  (by)  the 
physicians."  lie  trusted  not  in  the  stipernatu- 
ral,  but  applied  to  the  natural  :  and  in  the  nat- 
ural course  of  events  his  disease  ended  in  death. 
It  was  not  wrong  to  employ  means,  indeed 
such  w-ere  used  in  the  miraculo\is  cure  of  Heze- 
kiiUi  \fi  K.  20  :  7),  just  as  in  the  miraculous  res- 
cue of  St.  Paul's  companions  from  shipwreck 
(Acts  27  :  23,  24,  43,  44).  And  if  one  lesson 
more  than  another  has  been  impressed  on  our 
minds  in  the  course  of  this  history,  it  is  that  of 
the  use  of  natural  means,  in  tlu;  ordinary  and 
rational  succession  of  events,  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  supernatural  and  divinely  an- 
nounced purposes.  But  the  error  and  sin  of 
\&s.  consisted  in  seeking  an  object,  however 
lawful  and  even  desirable,  in,  by,  and  through 


secondary  means,  wilhout  first  seeking  J(^ho- 
vail.  Such  conduct  carried  with  it  its  natural 
result.     A.  E. 

There  is  a  most  remarkable  passage  in  the 
Apocrypha,  which  has  been  nuuh  overlooked 
in  the  consideration  of  the  question.  It  is  in 
EcclesiiLstieus  :  "  Tlonor  a  physician  with  the 
honor  due  unto  him,  for  the  uses  which  ye  may 
have  of  him:  for  the  Lorti  hath  created  him. 
For  of  the  Most  High  cometh  healing,  and  he 
shall  receive  honor  of  the  king.  The  skill  of 
the  physician  shall  lift  up  his  head  [t.c,  raise 
him  to  honor]  :  and  in  the  si,ght  of  great  men 
he  shall  be  in  admiration.  The  Lord  hath  cre- 
ated medicines  out  of  the  earth  ;  and  lie  that  is 
wise  will  not  abhor  them.  Was  not  tlie  water 
made  sweet  with  wood,  that  the  virtue  thereof 
might  be  known?  And  he  giveth  men  skill, 
that  lie  might  be  honored  in  His  marvellous 
works.  With  such  doth  He  heal  [men],  and 
taketh  away  their  pains.  Of  such  tloth  the 
apothecary  make  a  confection  ;  and  of  His 
works  there  is  no  end  ;  and  from  llini  is  peace 
over  all  the  earth.  My  son,  in  thy  sickness  be 
not  negligent :  but  pray  unto  the  Lord,  and  He 
will  make  thee  whole.  Leave  off  from  sin,  and 
order  thine  hands  aright,  and  cleanse  thiue 
heart  from  all  wickedness.  Give  a  sweet  savor  ; 
and  a  memorial  of  line  flour  ;  and  make  a  fat 
offering,  as  not  being.  Then  give  place  to  the 
physician,  for  the  Lord  hath  created  him  :  let 
him  not  go  from  thee,  for  thou  hast  need  of 
him.  There  is  a  time  when  in  their  hands 
there  is  good  success  :  for  they  shall  also  pray 
unto  the  Lord,  thiit  He  would  prosper  that 
which  they  give  for  ease  ami  remedy  to  pro- 
long life."  It  appears  to  us  that  this  pius-sage 
very  exactly  defines  the  position  of  the  physi- 
cian. It  allows  him  honor,  and  gives  due 
weight  to  his  skill  and  the  real  use  of  the  means 
he  employs,  but  admirably  refers  all  to  God. 
The  skill  of  the  physician  is  JTis  ;  the  medica- 
ments are  Ilis  ;  and  the  cure  is  His.  Even  the 
skill  of  the  physician  is  proportioned  to  the 
faculty  he  possesses  of  rendering  God  honor, 
by  his  knowledge  and  emiiloymeiit  of  the  heal- 
ing properties  which  He  has  imparted  to  vari- 
ous productions  of  the  earth.     Kitto. 


SECTION  33. 


287 


Section  33. 


REIGN   OF  JEIIOSHAPHAT,  25  TEARS. 


4tli  of  Aliab  to  5tli  of  Jelioram,  of  Israel. 


2  Chronicles,  Chaps.  17-20. 
17:1  AND.Jcho.sbapbiithis80ii  reigned  in 
his  stead,  and  strengthened  liimself  against 

2  Israel.  And  he  placed  forces  in  all  the 
fenced  cities  of  Judah,  and  set  garrisons 
in  the  land  of  Judali,  and  in  the  cities  of 
Epliraim,  which  Asa  his  father  had  taken. 

3  And  the  Loud  was  with  Jehoshaphat,  be- 
cause be  walked  in  the  first  ways  of  his 
father    David,    and    sought    not   unto    the 

4  Baalim  ;  but  sought  to  the  God  of  liis 
father,  and  walked  in  bis  commandments, 

5  and  not  after  the  doings  of  Israel.  There- 
fore the  LoKD  established  the  kingdom  in 
his  band  ;  and  all  Judah  brought  to  Jehosh- 
aphat presents  ;  and  be  had  riches  and  honour 

6  in  abundance.  And  his  heart  was  lifted  up 
in  the  ways  of  the  Lord  :  and  furthermore 
he    took    away   the   high   places    and    the 

7  Asherim  out  of  Judah.  Also  in  the  third 
year  of  liis  reign  be  sent  bis  princes,  even 
Ben-hail,  and  Obadiah,  and  Zecbariah,  and 
Netahnel,  and  Mieaiah,  to  teach  in  the  cities 

8  of  Judah  ;  and  with  them  the  Levites,  even 
Shemaiab,  and  Netbaniah,  and  Zebadiab, 
and  Asabel,  and  Shemiramoth,  and  Jehona- 
than,  and  Adonijah,  and  Tobijah,  and  Tob- 
adonijab,    the     Levites  ;     and    with    them 

9  Elishama  and  Jehoram,  the  priests.  And 
they  taught  in  Judah,  having  the  book  of 
the  law  of  the  Lord  with  them,  and  they 
went  about   throughout   all   the    cities    of 


1  Kings  22  :  41-50. 

41  And  Jehoshaphat  the  son  of  Asa  began  to 
reign  over  Judah  in  the  fourth  year  of  Ahab 

42  king  of  Israel.  Jehoshaphat  was  thirty  and 
five  years  old  when  he  began  to  reign  ;  and 
he  reigned  twenty  and  five  3'ears  in  Jerusa- 
lem.    And  his  mother's  name  was  Azubah 

43  the  daughter  of  Sbilhi.  And  be  walked  in  all 
the  way  of  Asa  his  father  ;  he  turned  not 
aside  from  it,  doing  that  which  was  right  in 
the  ej-es  of  the  Lord  :  howbeit  the  high 
places  were  not  taken  away  ;  the  people  still 
sacrificed    and    burnt  incense   in  the    high 

44  places.     And  Jehoshaphat  made  peace  with 

45  the  king  of  Israel.  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts 
of  Jehoshaphat,  and  his  might  that  he 
shewed,  and  how  he  warred,  are  they  not 
written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the 

46  kings  of  Judah  1  And  the  remnant  of  the 
sodomites,  which  remained  in  the  days  of 
liis  father  Asa,  he  put  away  out  of  the  land. 

47  And  there  was  no  king  in  Edom  :  a  deputy 

48  was  king.  Jehoshaphat  made  ships  of 
Tarshish  to  go  to  Ophir  for  gold  :  but  they 
went  not  ;  for  the  ships  were   broken    at 

49  Ezion-geber.  Then  said  Ahaziali  the  son  of 
Ahab  unto  Jehoshaphat,  Let  my  servants  go 
with  tliy  servants  in  the  sbijis.     But  Jebosh- 

50  aphat  would  not.  And  Jehoshaphat  slept 
with  his  fathers,  and  was  buried  with  his 
fathers  in  the  city  of  David  his  father  :  and 
Jehoram  his  son  reigned  in  bis  stead. 


10  Judah,  and  taught  among  the  people.     And 
the  fear  of  the  Lord  fell  upon  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  lands  that  were  round  about  Judah,  so 

11  that  they  made  no  war  against  Jehoshaphat.     And  some  of  the  Philistines  brought  Jehosha- 
phat presents,  and  silver  for  tribute  ;  the  Arabians  also  brought  him  flocks,  seven  thousand 

12  and  seven  hundred  rams,  and  seven  thousand  and  seven  hundred  he-goats.     And  Jehosha- 

13  phat  waxed  great  exceedingly  ;  and  he  built  in  Judah  castles  and  cities  of  store.     And  he 
had  many  works  in  the  cities  of  Judah  ;  and  men  of  war,  mighty  men  of  valour,  in  Jerusalem. 

14  And  this  was  the  numbering  of  them  according  to  their  fathers'  houses  :  of  Judah,  the  cap- 
tains of  thousands  ;  Adnah  the  captain,  and  with  him  mighty  men  of  valour  three  hundred 

15  thousand  :  and  next  to  him  Jeliobanan  the  captain,  and  with  him  two  hundred  and  four- 

16  score  thousand  :  and  next  to  him  Amasiah  the  son  of  Zicbri,  who  willingly  offered  himself 

17  unto  the  Lord  ;  and  with  him  two  bimdred  thousand  miglity  men  of  valour  :  and  of  Benja- 
min ;  Eliada  a  mighty  man  of  valour,  and  with  him  two  hundred  thousand  anned  with  bow 

18  and  shield  :  and  next  to  him  Jehozabad,  and  with  him  an  hundred  and  four.seorc  thousand 

19  ready  prepared  for  war.     These  were  they  that  waited  on  the  king,  beside  those  whom  the 
king  put  in  the  fenced  cities  throughout  all  Judah. 


288  KINGDOM  OF  JUDAU. 

Cliap.  18,  giving  the  aeeount  of  tlie  union  of  forces  between  Aliab  and  Jehothaphat,  the  dinfui- 
tro>i»  battle  of  Rttinoth-Gilead,  and  death  of  Ahab,  is  embodied  in  the  latter' »  history,  Section  15. 
19:1  Ami  Jchosliaphat  the  kiug  of  Judali  rtturned  to  his  house  in  peace  to  Jerusali'in. 

2  And  Jehu  the  sou  of  Ilanaiii  tlie  seer  went  out  to  meet  him,  and  said  to  kinfr  .lehoshapliat, 
Shouldest  thou  lielp   the  wicked,  and  love   them  that  hate  the  LoKD  ?  for  this  thin.!;  wrath  is 

:i  upon  thee  from  before  the  Lokd.  Nevertheless  there  are  good  things  found  in  thee,  in  that 
thou  hast  put  away  the  Asheroth  out  of  the  land,  and  hast  set  thine  heart  to  seek  God. 

4  And  .lehoshapliat  dwelt  at  .Jerusalem  ;  and  he  went  out  again  among  the  people  from 
Beer-sheba  to  the  hill  country  of   Ephraim,  and  brought  them  back  unto  the  Louu,  the  God 

5  of  their  fathers.     And  he  set  jvidges  in  the  land  throughout  all  the  fenced  cities  of  Jiidah, 

6  city  by  city,  and  said  to  the  judges,  Consider  what  yc  do  :  for  ye  judge  not  fpr  man,  but 

7  for  the  Lord  ;  and  he  is  with  you  in  the  judgement.  Now  therefore  let  the  fear  of  the  Lord 
be  upon  you  ;  take  heed  and  do  it  :  for  there  is  no  iniquity  with  the  Loud  our  God,  nor  re- 

8  8])ect  of  persons,  nor  taking  of  gifts.  Moreover  in  .Jerusalem  did  .Jehoshaphat  set  of  the 
lA'vites  and  the  priests,  and  of  the  heads  of  the  fathers'  liousm  of  Israel,  for  the  judgement  of 

9  the  Loud,  and  for  controversies.     And  tli<'y  returned  to  .Jerusalem.     And  he  charged  them, 
U)  saying.  Thus  shall  ye  do  in  the  fear  of  the  I^OKD,  faithfully,  and  with  a  perfect  heart.     And 

whensoever  any  controversy  shall  come  to  you  from  your  brethren  tliat  dwell  in  their  cities, 
between  blood  and  blood,  between  law  and  commandment,  statutes  and  judgements,  ye 
shall  warn  them,  that  they  be  not  guilty  towards  the  Loud,  and  so  wrath  come  upon  you 
1 1  and  upon  your  brethren  :  this  do,  and  ye  shall  not  be  guilty.  And,  behold,  Amariah  the 
chief  priest  is  over  you  in  all  matters  of  the  IjOUD  ;  and  Zebadiah  the  son  of  Lshmael,  the 
ruler  of  the  house  of  Judah,  in  all  the  king's  matters  :  also  the  Levites  shall  be  officers  before 
you.  Deal  courageously,  and  the  Loud  be  with  the  good. 
20:1  And   it  came  to  pass  after  this,   that  the  children  of  Moab.  and  the  children  of 

3  Anuuon  and  with  them  some  of  the  Ammonites,  eiune  against  Jehoshajjhat  to  battle.  Then 
there  came  some  that  told  Jehoshaphat,  saying.  There  cometh  a  great  multitude  against  thee 
from  bej-ond  the  sea  from  Syria  ;  and,  behold,  they  be  in  Hazazon-tamar  (the  same  is  En- 

3  gedi).     And  Jehoshaphat  feared,  and  set  himself  to  seek  unto  the  Loud  ;  and  he  iiroclaimed 

4  a  fast  throughout  all  Judah.     And  Judah  gathered  themselves  together,  to  seek  help  of  the 

5  Loud  :  even  out  of  all  the  cities  of  Judah  they  came  to  seek  the  Loud.  And  Jehoshaphat 
stood  in  the  congregation  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  in  the  house  of  the  Lord,  before  the  new 

6  court  ;  and  he  said,  O  Lord,  the  God  of  our  fathers,  art  not  thou  God  in  heaven  ?  and  art 
not  thou  ruler  over  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  nations  ?  and  in  thine  hand  is  power  and  might. 

7  so  that  none  is  able  to  withstand  thee.  Didst  not  thou,  O  our  God,  drive  out  the  inhabitants 
of  this  land  before  thy  people  Israel,  and  gavest  it  to  the  seed  of  Abraham  thy  friend  for 

8  ever  ?     And  they  dwelt  therein,  and  hav(t  built  thee  a  sanctuarj'  therein  for  thy  name,  saying, 

9  If  evil  come  upon  us,  the  sword,  judgement,  or  pestilence,  or  famine,  we  will  stand  before 
this  house,  and  before  thee,  (for  thy  name  is  in  this  house,)  and  cry  unto  thee  in  our  aflliction, 

10  and  thou  wilt  hear  and  save.  And  now,  behold,  the  children  of  Ammon  and  Moab  and 
mount  Seir,  whom  thou  wouldest  not  let  Israel  invade,  i\-hen  they  came  out  of  the  land  of 

11  Egypt,  but  they  turned  aside  from  them,  and  destroyed  them  not  ;  behold,  how  they  reward 

12  us,  to  come  to  cast  us  out  of  thy  possession,  which  thou  hast  given  us  to  inherit.  O  our 
God,  wilt  thou  not  judge  them  ?  for  we  have  no  might  against  this  great  company  that 

18  cometh  against  us  ;  neither  know  we  what  to  do  :  but  our  eyes  are  upon  thee.     And  all 
14  Judah  stood  before  the  Loud,  with  their  little  ones,  their  wives,  and  their  children.     Then 

upon  Jahuzicl  the  son  of  Zeehari;di,  the  .son  of  BenaiiUi,  the  sou  of  .Jciel,  the  son  of  JIattaniah, 
tile  Jjcvite,  of  the  sons  of  Asaph,  came  the  spirit,  of  the  JjOltl)  in  tlie  miflst  of  the  congregation  ; 

].')  and  he  said.  Hearken  ye,  all  Judah,  and  ye  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  and  thou  king  .Jehosha- 
phat :  thus  saith  the  Lord  unto  you.  Fear  not  ye,  neither  be  dismayed  l)y  reason  of  this 

IB  great  multitude  ;  for  the  battle  is  not  yours,  but  God's.  To-morrow  go  ye  down  against 
them  :  behold,  they  come  up  by  the  ascent  of  Ziz  ;  and  ye  shall  find  them  at  the  end  of  the 

17  valley,  before  the  wilderness  of  Jeruel.  Ye  shall  not  nceti  to  tight  in  this  battle  :  set  your- 
selves, stand  ye  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Loud  with  you,  O  Judah  and  Jerusalem  : 
fear  not,  nor  be  dismayed  :  to-morrow  go  out  against  them  ;    for  the  Loud  is  with  you. 

1H  And  J<'h<isha])liat  bowed  his  head  witli  his  face  to  the  ground  :  and  all  Judah  and  the  inhabitants 

19  of  .lerusalcm  fell  <lown  before  the  Loud,  worshipping  the  Lord.     And  the  Levites,  of  the  cliil- 


SECTION  33.     REION  OF  JEHOSHAPHAT. 


289 


dren  of  the  Kohathites  and  of  the  cliildren  of  the  Korahites,  stood  up  to  praise  the  Lord,  the  Gtod 

20  of  Israel,  with  an  exceeding  loud  voice.  And  they  rose  early  in  the  morning,  and  went  forth 
into  the  wilderness  of  Tekoa  :  and  as  they  went  forth,  Jehoshaphat  stood  and  said,  Hear  me, 
O  Judah,  and  ye  inliabitants  of  Jerusalem  ;  believe  in  the  Lord  your  God,  so  shall  ye  be 

21  established  ;  believe  his  prophets,  so  shall  ye  prosper.  And  when  he  had  taken  counsel 
with  the  people,  lie  appointed  them  that  should  sing  unto  the  Lord,  and  praise  the  beauty  of 
lioliness,  as  they  went  out  before  the  army,  and  say.  Give  thanks  unto  the  Lord  ;  for  his 

23  mercy  endareth  for  ever.  And  when  they  began  to  sing  and  to  praise,  the  Lord  set  liers  in 
wait  against  the  children  of  Amnion,   Moab,  and  mount  Seir,   which  were  come  against 

23  Judah  ;  and  they  were  smitten.  For  the  children  of  Amnion  and  Moab  stood  up  again.st 
the  inhabitants  of  mount  Seir,  utterly  to  slay  and  destroy  them  ;  and  when  they  had  made 

24  an  end  of  the  inhabitants  of  Seir,  every  one  helped  to  dcstroj'  another.  And  when  Judah 
came  to  the  watch-tower  of  tlie  wilderness,  they  looked  upon  the  multitude  ;  and,   behold, 

25  they  were  dead  bodies  fallen  to  the  earth,  and  there  were  none  that  escaped.  And  when 
Jehoshaphat  and  his  people  came  to  take  the  spoil  of  them,  they  found  among  them  in 
abundance  both  riches  and  dead  bodies,  and  precious  jewels,  which  they  stripped  off  for 
themselves,  more  than  they  could  carry  away  :  and  they  were  three  days  in  taking  of  the 

26  spoil,  it  was  so  much.  And  on  the  fourth  day  they  assembled  themselves  in  the  valley 
of  Beracah  ;  for  there  they  blessed  the  Lord  :  therefore  the  name  of  that  place  was  called  The 

27  valley  of  Beracah.  unto  this  day.  Then  they  returned,  every  man  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem, 
and  Jehoshaphat  in  the  forefront  of  them,  to  go  again  to  Jerusalem  with  joy  ;  for  the  Lord 

28  had  made  them  to  rejoice  over  tlieir  enemies.     And  they  earner  to  Jerusalem  with  psalteries 

29  and  harjis  and  trumpets  unto  the  house  of  the  Lord.  And  the  fear  of  God  was  on  all  the  king- 
doms of  the  countries,  when  they  heard  that  the  Lord  fought  against  the  enemies  of  Israel. 

30  So  the  realm  of  Jehoshaphat  was  quiet  :  for  his  God  gave  him  rest  round  about. 

31  And  Jehoshaphat  reigned  over  Judah  :  he  was  thirty  and  five  years  old  when  he  began 
to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned  twenty  and  five  years  in  Jerusalem  :  and  his  mother's  name  was 

32  Azubah  the  daughter  of  ShiUii.     And  he  walked  in  the  way  of  Asa  his  father,  and  turned 

33  not  aside  from  it,  doing  that  which  was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord.  Ilowbeit  the  high 
Iilaces  were  not  taken  away  ;  neither  as  yet  had  the  people  set  their  hearts  unto  the  G<xl  of 

34  their  fathers.  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Jehoshaphat,  first  and  last,  behold,  they  are  writ- 
ten in  the  history  of  Jehu  the  sou  of  Hanani,  which  is  inserted  iu  the  book  of  the  Idngs  of 
Israel. 

35  And  after  this  did  Jehoshaphat  king  of  Judah  join  himself  with  Aliaziah  king  of  Israel  ; 

36  the  same  did  very  wiclvedly  :  and  he  joined   himself   with  him   to   make   ships  to   go   to 

37  Tarshish  :  and  they  matle  the  ships  in  Ezion-geber.  Then  Eliezer  the  son  of  Dodavahu 
of  Marcshah  prophesied  against  Jehoshaphat,  saying.  Because  thou  hast  joined  thyself  with 
Ahaziah,  the  Lord  hath  destroyed  thy  works.  And  the  ships  were  broken,  that  they  were 
not  able  to  go  to  Tarshish. 


"i  Chron.  17:  1,2.  Jehonhaphat  atrenqthens 
the  defences  of  Judah.  Son  of  Asa,  fourth  king 
of  Judah,  Jehoshaphat  succeeded  to  the  throne 
B.C.  914,  at  thirty -five  years  of  age.  His  reign 
lasted  twenty-five  years,  to  B.C.  889.  Ahab 
was  now  king  in  Israel  ;  Benhadad  I.  still 
reigned  in  Syria  ;  and  Elislia  abode  in  Israel. 
There  had  been  from  the  division  a  chronic 
state  of  hostility  between  the  kindred  king- 
doms. It  was  the  cities  on  the  frontier  of  Is- 
rael that  Jehoshaphat  first  sought  to  strengthen, 
as  his  f-.ither  had  done  the  cities  on  the  southern 
border.  Walls  were  built  or  rebuilt  :  walled 
towns  were  garrisoned,  and  military  outposts 
and  stations  established. 

II-5.  Ood'a  ample  return  for  faithful  scrricc. 
Two  points  are  here  referred  to  concerning  Je- 


hoshaphat's  conduct  ;  each  one  in  a  double 
form,  positive  and  comparative.  It  is  said  : 
1.  That  he  souglit  not  unto  Baalim,  but  sought 
to  tlie  Lord  God  of  his  father.  Baalim,  the 
plural  form,  refers  to  the  various  names,  im- 
ages or  places  in  which  the  Tyrian  god  Baal, 
already  introduced  widely  into  Israel  and  Judea, 
was  worshipped.  In  the  licentious  practices 
and  cruelties  of  that  abominable  worship  Je- 
hoshaphat took  no  part  ;  nor  had  he  faith  or 
respect  for  any  such  divinity.  Jehovah,  the 
true  God,  the  God  of  his  fathers,  was  the  sole 
object  of  his  trust,  the  Divine  Being  whom  he 
sought  to,  or  worshipped.  2.  He  walked  in  Je- 
hoKah's  commaruiments,  and  not  after  the  doings 
of  Israel.  To  the  seeking,  or  the  trust  and 
worship,  he  added  the  obedient  life,  here  called 


aoo 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDATT. 


"  n-iilkin!;  in  TTis  rommnndmcnts."  The  figure 
is  !is  t'X]>rissivc  ;is  it  is  fiiniiliar.  We  rcsul  of 
the  walli  witli  God  or  before  Him  ;  tlie  walk 
by  faith,  the  upriglit  and  the  disorderly  walk  : 
everywliere  descriittive  of  the  tenor  of  tlie  life, 
whetlier  true  and  sodly,  or  self-seeking,  false, 
and  defiant  toward  God.  This  good  king 
songlit  In  ill)  as  well  as  to  know  the  will  of 
God.  Ho  re-established  more  thoroughly  the 
law  and  worshi])  of  .Teliovah  throughout  his 
kingdom.  And,  it  is  added,  lie  did  imt  walk 
"  after  the  doiii.ss  of  Israel."  We  remember 
that  Jezebel,  Ahab's  impious  queen,  had  just 
enthroned  the  Baal  worehip  as  the  sujireme 
r(!ligion  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel.  And  it  is  to 
this  universal  acceptance  of  that  gigantic  and 
terrible  idolatry  by  the  peojile  of  Israel  that 
reference  is  here  made. 

The  pr.-ietical  susgestions  are  plain  when  we 
read  that  hiniitsr  Jehoshaphat  thus  soiKjht  to  Je- 
Iu>rah  and  trnlked  in  Ilin  ci»iiiiiiiiidtnents,  the 
Lord  itasi  with  him.  If  we  would  secure  the 
only  desirable  favor,  that  of  God.  our  first  and 
cpt'r  foreiimxt  personal  duty  is  a  trustful  seeking 
of  God,  as  revealed  in  Christ.  The  necessary 
condition  and  consequence  of  such  seeking  of 
God  is  tlie  turning  away  from  all  other  seeking 
and  trust,  fmm  any  and  all  other  objects  of 
supreme  attachment  and  interest.  And  second, 
persistent  search  to  know  and  unremitting  en- 
<leavor  to  do  the  revealed  will  of  God  must 
accompanj',  and  prove  as  genuine  the  trustful 
seeking  of  God.  This  doinf/  of  Ifix  will  also 
implies  the  not  doing  our  oten  will  when  iliiler- 
ing  from  His.  In  other  words,  obedience  means 
and  includes  all  necessary  self  denial  and  sac- 
rifice. i7o«' the  Lord's  favor  was  realized  and 
made  manifest  further  appears  in  the  narrative. 
The  kingdom  was  more  firmly  established. 
The  whole  jx'ople  gladly  a<lded  large  volun- 
tary gifts  to  the  ordained  tuxes,  for  use  by  the 
king  in  adding  to  the  strength  and  splendor  of 
the  kingdom.  And.  it  is  addi'd,  "  he  had  riches 
and  honor  in  abundance."  The  prosperity  and 
renown  of  his  reign  far  exceeded  that  of  any 
rule  in  either  of  the  divided  kingdoms.     B. 

3.  lie  walked  in  the  flrwt  '%vay§  of 
hlN  father.  The  purest  W""'/  this  world  has 
ever  known  is  that  of  a  Christian  ancestry.  It 
outranks  all  other  aristocracies.  Descent  from 
kings  and  emperors  bears  no  comparison  with 
it.  There  is  a  law  of  Christian  nurture  by 
which,  through  the  grace  of  God,  everj'  Chris- 
tian family  becomes  a  nursery  of  the  Church 
of  Christ.  Such  is  God's  obvious  design. 
Character  is  not  transferable  from  father  to 
son,   but  the  elements  out  of  which  character 


grows  are  so.  Religion  once  rooted  in  a  Chris- 
tian family  should  achieve  so  much  rjinxerra- 
tinn  of  ("hristian  forces.  A  moral  dike  is  thus 
built  up  against  the  floods  of  depravity,  behind 
which  children  may  be  safe,  as  Holland  is  from 
the  inroads  of  the  sea.  There  is  no  good  rea- 
son why  our  children  should  not  grow  vp  into 
Christian  faith,  instead  of  being  wrenehetl  into 
it  by  moral  convulsions  after  years  of  riot  in 
deiinivity.       PlnljiH, 

Ways  or  Baalim.  By  "  Baalim"  seem 
to  b('  meant  different  forms  of  the  god  Baal, 
such  as  Baal-berith,  Baal-i)eor,  Baal-zebub,  and 
the  like.  .lehoshaphat  was  not  seduced  into 
tills  worship,  though  in  his  day  it  overspread 
almo.st  the  whole  kingdom  of  Israel. 

1.  The  doings  of  Israel.  By  this  we 
arc  to  understand  not  so  much  the  worship  of 
the  calves,  which,  being  anta.sonistic  to  .ludah. 
could  scarcely  possess  attractions  for  a  .Jewish 
king,  as  the  special  idolatrous  doings  of  the 
time — the  introduction  and  establishment  of  the 
worship  of  Baal  and  the  groves.     B.  C. 

6-9.  Ti'ie  nieniorahlc  croirninff  act  of  Jelinnha-- 
phiit'a  reign.  Instead  of  a  heart  lifted  up  with 
pride  because  of  prosperity,  these  proofs  of 
Divine  favor  wrought  in  him  a  grateful  lifting 
of  Ill-art  in  the  wnys  of  tlie  Lord.  Still  more 
thoroughly  he  sought  to  root  out  the  .spirit  and 
)u-aeticc  of  idolatry  from  the  entire  kingdom. 
But  his  greatest  work,  one  which  gave  the  high- 
est distinctive  character  to  his  reign,  is  narrated 
in  verses  7-9.  It  consisted  in  an  organized 
mission  to  instruct  tlio  entire  people  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  then  written  Word  of  God. 
The  Scriptures  of  Sloses  we  know  were  in- 
cluded in  "  the  book  of  the  law  of  the  Lord." 
A  copy  of  this  law  the  king  entrusted  to  a  com- 
mission of  five  princes,  nine  Levites,  and  two 
priests,  whose  tiames  are  here  recorded.  This 
eommissinn  he  sent  throughout  all  the  cities  of 
.ludah,  with  instructions  to  gather  the  people 
together  and  teach  afresh  the  forgotten  Divine 
precepts.  The  princes  directed  the  work  to 
which  their  presence,  as  the  king's  personal 
representatives,  lent  dignity  and  authority. 
The  Levites  and  priests,  as  the  appointed  in- 
terpretei-s,  read  and  expounded  the  written 
Word  of  .Jehovah.  It  was  a  new  and  greatly 
needed  measure,  the  first  endeavor  of  a  prac- 
tical kind  to  diffuse  among  the  people  tlic 
knowledge  of  .lehovah  Himself,  of  His  law, 
and  of  His  previous  dealings  with  His  chosen 
people.  And  it  was  the  conception  and  ex- 
ecution of  this  grand  work  which  eminently 
distinguished  the  reign  of  this  good  and  gentle 
king.     To  realize  how  memorable  and  crown- 


8ECTI0N  33.     REIGN  OF  JEHOSHAPHAT. 


291 


ing  an  act  it  was  we  have  but  to  recall  the  long, 
sad  history  of  the  whole  nation's  declension  in 
the  knowledge  and  service  of  Jehovah,  from  the 
days  of  Solomon  onward.     B. 

It  is,  in  fact,  tlic  first  missionary  effort  on 
record.  For  the  first  time  instruction  in  the 
ways  of  God  was  brought  to  their  homes.  As 
Matthew  Henry  well  writes.  "  lie  dealt  with 
them  as  reasonable  creatures,  and  would  not 
lead  them  blindfold,  no,  not  into  a  reformation, 
but  endeavored  to  have  them  well  taught, 
knowing  that  that  was  the  way  to  have  them 
well  cured."      ir.  Biii/ntm. 

9.  And  had  the  book  of  the  law 
with  tiicni.  There  is  no  rea.sonable  doubt 
that  this  "  book  of  the  law"  was  the  Penta- 
teuch— uearlj',  if  not  quite,  in  the  shape  in 
which  we  now  have  it.  Copies  of  the  whole 
law  were,  no  doubt,  scarce  ;  and  therefore 
Jehoshaphat's  commission  took  care  to  carry  a 
copy  with  them.    B.  C. 

1 0.  The  remarkable  result  of  tlis  king's  fidelity 
to  Jehotali  and  wide  dissemination  of  His  Word. 
It  is  not  said  that  the  people  of  Judah  were 
prospered,  but  that  the  neighboring  hostile 
coimtries  were  so  impressed  by  the  prevalent 
spirit  of  C4od'8  now  obedient  people  that  a  fear 
of  Hi  in  came  upon  those  heathen  nations.  So 
Judah  had  peace  without  and  tranquillity  with- 
in. More  than  this,  on  the  one  side  the  Philis- 
tines, and  the  Arabians  on  the  other,  volunta- 
rily brought  presents  of  silver  and  of  flocks  to 
the  king  of  Judah.  A  great  prosperity  came 
to  king  and  people.  The  business  of  the  cities 
was  vastly  augmented,  and  large  treasures  were 
accumulated.  And  this  was  the  reward  of 
even  imperfect  obedience  and  of  partial  knowl- 
edge and  regard  of  the  Word  of  Jehovah  ! 
How  clear  and  striking  the  lessons  to  us  of  the 
latest  days  !  God's  Word,  now  full  and  com- 
plete, ma}'  be  in  every  hand.  In  every  hand  it 
should  be  placed.  It  may  be  apprehended  by 
every  mind  and  received  by  every  heart.  The 
heart  knowledge  of  and  obedience  to  its  truths 
brings  inward  peace  and  outward  prosperity  to 
the  individual  soul,  an<l  to  the  nation.  Are  not 
these  thoughts  worthy  of  profound  considera- 
tion and  self -application  ?     B. 

12-19.  Throughout  the  whole  country  he 
built  "  cities  of  store,"  or  magazines  of  arms 
and  provisions.  In  Jerusalem  he  collected  a 
lai'ge  military  force,  under  five  chief  captains, 
Adnah,  Jehohanan,  Amasiah  the  son  of  Zichri, 
Eliada,  and  Jehozabad,  who  were  placed  at  the 
head  of  fi  ve  distinct  corps  d'annee.  Over  the  gar- 
risons in  the  other  towns  he  placed  his  own  sons 
as  commandants,  or  else  princes  chosen  out  of 


the  host,  supplying  them  in  abundance  with 
silver  and  gold  (21  :  3).     G.  R. 

Chap.  I§.  In  common  with  the  Book  of 
Kings,  the  accoimt  is  given  of  the  union  of 
Jehnram,  the  son  and  successor  of  Jehoshaphat. 
with  Athaliah,  the  daughter  of  .\hab  and  Jeze- 
bel ;  and  also  of  the  joint  warfare  of  Ahab  and 
Jehoshaphat  with  Benhadad  of  Syria,  with  the 
fatal  issue  of  the  conflict  in  the  death  of  Ahab. 
(See  Section  15.)     B. 

Chap.  19.  This  chapter  is  entirely  addi- 
tional to  Kings,  and  of  great  interest.  It  deals 
with  three  matters  only,  the  rebuke  addressed 
to  Jehoshaphat  by  the  prophet  Jehu  (verses 
1-3),  the  personal  efforts  of  Jehoshaphat  to 
effect  a  religious  reformation  (verse  4),  and  his 
reform  of  the  judicial  system  (verges  5-11). 

1.  Jehoshaphat  returned  to  hiti 
house  in  peace.  With  the  battle  of 
Ramoth-Gilead,  and  the  death  of  Ahab,  the  war 
came  to  an  end.  The  combined  attack  of  the 
two  kings  having  failed,  their  troops  had  been 
withdrawn,  and  the  enterprise  in  which  they 
had  joined  relinquished.  The  Syrians,  satisfied 
with  their  victory,  did  not  press  on  the  retreat- 
ing foe,  or  carry  the  war  into  their  enemies' 
country.     B.  C. 

1-3.  The  reproof  of  .Jehoshaphat  by  the  prophet 
Jehu.  The  best  lives  recorded  in  the  Scripture 
history  are  marred  by  infirmity  and  sin.  At 
some  time  and  in  some  of  its  forms,  self-seeking 
gets  the  mastery,  and  works  its  evil  and 
wretchedness.  So  it  was  with  this  good  king. 
For  his  fidelity  God  gave  him  many  years  of 
great  prosperity — as  He  erer  (jires  to  the  truly 
faithful,  and  continues  so  long  as  they  abide  true 
and  unselfish.  But  his  "abundant  riches  and 
honor,"  helped  by  his  strong  natural  sympathy 
for  a  great  national  league,  if  not  an  ultimate 
reunion  of  the  two  kingdoms,  led  him  into  an 
alliance  with  Ahab  of  Israel.  After  si.\  years 
of  conflict  he  confirms  a  treat}'  of  peace  by  the 
marriage  of  his  youthful  son  Jehoram  with  the 
daughter  of  Ahab  and  Jezebel.  The  point  of 
Jehoshaphat's  offence  was  not  any  direct  self- 
seeking,  but  it  was  a  wrong  aim  in  leaguing 
with  Ahab,  God's  open  enemy  ;  an  aim  pur- 
sued, therefore,  in  disregard  of  God's  will.  He 
would  rearrange  matters  between  the  two  king- 
doms, without  making  the  God  of  both  a  party 
to  the  new  arrangement  ;  without  even  consult- 
ing him.  Practically,  in  making  so  intimate 
an  affiliation  with  Ahab  and  Jezebel,  he  went 
over  from  the  Lord's  side  to  the  ranks  of  the 
Lord's  most  eminent  enemies.  And  he  did  this 
not  only  in  the  ill-starred  marriage  of  his  son, 
but  also  in  joining  forces  with  Ahab  against 


Krxanoyr  of  .run ait. 


the  invadinfr  kinp;  of  Syria.  Nay,  fiirlluT  than 
tliis,  whin  tlic  warning  of  God  was  sent  to  liiin 
by  Micaiali  upon  the  battle  ticld,  .lelioahaphat 
(lisref^anijd  it,  and  went  into  the  battle  at 
Ahub's  side.  After  the  defeat  and  death  of 
Ahab,  he  returned  with  a  disarrayed  army  to 
Jerusalem.  At  the  gate  of  the  city  the  king 
and  army  were  met  by  another  prophet  of 
Jchovali,  Jehu,  the  son  of  Ilanani. 

"  Wrath  is  npon  thee  from  the  Lord!"  Jehu 
f>penly  announeed.  "  Shouldest  thou  lave  tlu-m 
that  /icitc  the  Lord,  and  hilp  the  umjinllyf"  E.\- 
a<-tly  tliis  the  king  luui  done  ;  in  allying  his 
household  with  that  of  Jezebel,  and  in  joining 
his  army  with  that  of  Ahab.  Upon  the  ordinary 
principles  governing  national  alliances  there 
would  be  no  ground  of  objection  to  this  wliole 
procedure  of  Jehoshaphat.  Mere  human  poli- 
ticians would  eoiuit  it  wise.  "  It  were  far  bet- 
ter," they  would  say,  "  that  these  adjoining 
kingdoms  of  the  same  people  should  be  at  peace 
and  in  alliance  ;  and  that  both  should  unite 
tlieir  strength  against  their  most  formidable 
common  enemy."  But  W«rt  God  wsis  ii  kiioini 
and  actire  party  in  all  these  issues.  Ahab  was 
His  open  and  pronounced  enemy  ;  Jehoshaphat 
His  avowed  subject.  Nothing  but  failure, 
loss  and  misery  could  result  to  any,  whether 
foes  or  friends,  whom  God  did  not  aid  and 
favor.  And  He  could  not — Jehoshaphat  well 
knew — succeed  those  who  avowedly  hated  and 
defied  llim,  as  Ahab  and  Jezebel  had  always 
done.  Upon  this  knowledge,  the  good  king 
was  rightly  adjudged  and  condemned  for  his 
alliance  with  and  help  of  Ahab.  The  sentence 
of  wrath  seems  to  have  been  executed,  as  so 
many  Divine  chastisements  are  visited,  not 
upon  the  king  himself  and  his  people,  but  in 
the  way  of  natural  result,  upon  his  son.  and  his. 
people.  It  came  in  the  evil  and  sulleiing  con- 
sequent u[)onthe  i<lolatry  and  crime  introduced 
into  Judah  through  the  marriage  with  tlu^ 
wicked  Athaliah,  daughter  of  the  viler  Jezebel. 

Here  are  practical  suggestions,  wide-reaching 
and  momentous.  They  cover  the  whole  vital 
matter  of  human  alliances — personal,  family 
and  national.  Whatever  nice  questions,  of  ap- 
plication to  details,  may  remain  unsolved,  the 
essential  ])rinciple  is  simple  and  clear.  It  is 
that  we  are  not  to  accept  as  heart  friends,  life 
guides  or  family  counsellors  avowed  enemies 
of  God,  positive  disbelievers  in  the  truths  of 
His  Word,  even  those  who  lack  positively  just, 
pure  princijilcs,  or  who  have  not  measurably 
proved  such  principles  by  a  settled  practice. 

iJut  with  the  very  words  of  reproof  the  great 
mercifulues  J  of  God  appears.     For  with  rebuke 


he  joins  coinmendation  for  the  good  thinfia  Jehosh- 
aphat had  done.  It  is  one  of  the  mullijilied 
])roofs  that  \u\  upon  the  iScrii)ture  l)ages,  of 
God's  full,  glad  recognition  of  everything  He 
can  find  to  approve.  How  unlike  mere  human 
parents  and  friends  is  lie  in  this  ;  that  lie 
uphriiideth  not.  Reproof,  rebuke,  lie  utters  ; 
and  when;  wickedness  is  aggravated  by  intelli- 
gent, defiant  impiety,  He  uses  \.\u-  severest  de- 
nunciation. But  no  approach  or  casting  back 
of  acknowledged  sin  comes  from  Ilim.  Kather 
docs  He  rejoice  in  the  feeblest  pur])o.se  and 
.smallest  fragnu'nts  of  good,  and  own  them 
with  glad  apjiroval.  And  thi>s  is  the  cheering 
truth  which  the  story  further  suggests.  You 
may  read  it  in  the  comforting,  golden  promise 
of  1  Jolin  1:9.     B. 

2.  It  is  wonderful  at  how  many  points  the 
biographies  of  the  Old  Testament  touch  modern 
life.  Jehoshaphat  was  a  representative  man — 
representative  of  a  large  class  of  good  men  in 
every  age,  who  for  selfish  ends  choose  their 
friends  from  among  the  irreligious  and  the 
worldly.  The  friendship  of  wicked  men  is  one 
of  the  moat  dangerous  social  temptations  to  which 
Christians  are  subjected.  A  Christian  who  sub- 
jects liis  Cliristian  faith  to  worldly  policy  in  the 
choice  of  his  associates  in  life  strikes  right 
athwart  the  whole  range  of  scriptural  command 
and  admonition  and  expostulation  and  example. 
No  Christian  can  safely  do  that.  Further, 
Christian  alliances  with  the  wicked  dt>  not  com- 
mand the  respect  of  the  very  men  for  whose  fa  i>or 
they  are  formed.  Men  of  the  world  are  very 
keen  in  their  judgments  of  Christian  character. 
They  know  what  is  consistent  Christian  living 
when  they  see  it,  as  well  as  we  do.  Indeed, 
their  theoretic  ideal  of  a  Christian  life  is  com- 
monly more  exalted  than  that  of  men  who  are 
struggling  to  realize  it.  No  other  class  of  men 
are  so  jiromijt  to  tell  us  what  they  would  do  if 
they  believed  ;is  we  do  as  those  who  l)elieve 
nothing.  An  upright  and  downright  Christian 
they  always  revere.  In  heart  they  make  ol)ei- 
sance  to  him  as  to  no  other  type  of  man.  Do 
you  not  know  a  godless  man  who  professes  to 
have  lost  iiU  faith  in  religion,  but  wlio  makes 
exception  of  some  one  humble  Christian  woman 
— his  mother  perhaps,  or  sister,  or  wife  ?  "  If 
ever  human  being  gets  to  heaven,  she  will,"  is 
his  testimony.  That  one  life  keeps  open  to  his 
faith  the  celestial  gates.  ...  Of  this  trial  of 
Christian  i>rineiplc,  it  should  be  further  said 
that  the  Christian  religion  requires  no  narrow 
or  ascetic  seclusion  from  the  world.  The  thing 
which  ('hristian  principle  fort)ids  is  the  seeking 
of  worldly  friendships  and  alliances  for  selfish 


SECTION  S3.     RETON  OF  JEHOSHAPHAT. 


29;} 


ends,  and  to  the  peril  nf  religious  usefulness 
and  religious  character.     Phdpn. 

As  to  the  sin  itself  with  whicli  Jehoshaphat 
is  charged,  and  the  probable  reasons  or  motives 
of  its  commission,  we  must  seek  an  explanation 
of  his  conduct  rather  in  mistaken  views  of  pol- 
icy than  in  any  considerable  indifference  to  the 
honor  of  God,  or  any  leaning  to  the  defections 
of  apostasy  and  idolatry.  In  his  an.\iety  to 
pacify,  to  conciliate,  and  to  reclaim  he  was 
tempted  to  go  a  little  too  far — even  to  the  sac- 
rificing of  liis  own  high  integrity,  and  the  ap- 
parent countenancing  of  Israel's  corruptions. 
Here  lay  the  errorof  this  good  prince  ;  and  here 
it  was  that  he  suffered  the  subtlety  of  worldly 
wisdom  and  the  spurious  kindness  of  worldly 
liberality  to  interfere  with  the  simplicity  of  an 
upright  and  honorable  faith  in  God,  and  a  godly 
love  toward  men.  To  desire  the  restoration  of 
liis  brethren  of  Israel  to  the  privileges  of  the  cov- 
eu^ult  which  they  bad  renounced  was  natural, 
just  and  right,  in  one  who  himself  valued  these 
privileges  so  highly.  But  with  this  view,  and 
under  this  pretence,  to  make  friendly  advances 
toward  them,  and  show  a  disposition  to  unite 
with  them,  in  their  present  state  of  apostasy  and 
idolatry — this  was  imprudence — this  was  sin. 
Caiullish. 

4.  Jeliosliapliat  went  out  again 
tliroiigli  the  people  and  brougiit 
tbeni  baek.  While  continuing  to  maintain, 
both  Avith  Ahaziah  anil  with  his  successor  Jeho- 
ram,  the  closest  and  most  friendly  relations, 
Jehoshaphat  was  careful  to  show  that  he  had 
no  sympathy  with  idolatry,  and  was  determined 
to  keep  his  people,  so  far  as  he  possibly  could, 
free  from  it.  He  therefore  now  personally  set 
about  a  second  reformation.  Passing  through 
the  whole  land,  from  the  extreme  south  to  the 
extreme  north — from  Becr-shelia  to  the  cities  in 
Mount  Ephraim  which  Abijah  had  taken  from 
Jeroboam  (chap.  13  :  19)— he  once  more  put 
down  by  the  strong  arm  of  authority  all  idola- 
trous worship,  and  brought  his  people  back  to 
Jehovah,  the  God  of  their  fathers.     G.  R. 

5-7.  Appointment  of  judges  throughout  the 
land,  and  charr/e  respecting  their  duties.  God's 
reproof  wrought  a  salutary  effect  upon  the 
"heart  prepared  to  seek"  Ilim.  Through  the 
land  among  all  the  people  the  king  went  again 
on  a_ Christ-like  mission  :  to  "  bring  them  back 
.  unto  the  Lcn-d  God  of  their  fathers. ' '  The  great 
object  of  all  these  kingly  missions  in  Judah 
was  the  extirpation  of  idolatry.  Now,  through 
the  recent  alliance  with  idolatrous  Israel,  the 
evil  had  been  disseminated  with  fresh  power 
and  impetus.     That  the  king  himself  had  re- 


ceived no  taint  is  manifest,  before  by  the 
prophet's  commendation,  and  now  bj'  his  own 
earnest,  self-denjing  work  of  visitation.  Not 
only  the  interests  of  religion,  but  those  of 
righteous  government  were  cared  for  in  this 
self-impo.?ed  beneficent  mission.  Of  two  classes 
of  tribunals  then  instituted,  these  verses  refer 
to  that  which  was  the  inferior,  more  numerous 
and  widespread.  In  all  the  larger  town-,  he  ap- 
pointed new  judges,  with  new  methods  and 
powers  of  .•idministeriug  justice.  The  reason 
for  this  reform  we  can  only  conjecture— that  it 
was  necessitated  by  the  existing  cnrruiition 
which  had  grown  out  of  so  long  unresisted 
idolatry. 

The  charge  to  the  appointed  judges  is  a 
sublime  one.  It  has  special  application  to  all 
who  make,  expound  and  administer,  and  execute 
I  human  laws — i.e.,  to  all  officials  connected  reith 
human  gocernment.  Yet  its  grand  counsels,  witli 
the  reasons  upon  which  they  arc  based,  apply 
to  every  responsible  human  actor  in  e^'cry 
sphere  of  accountable  human  action.  "  Take 
heed  what  you  do,  for  you  act  not  for  man, 
but  for  the  Lord,  who  is  with  you  to  direct  and 
aid  you  in  your  acting  !  Wherefore,  knowing 
this,  take  heed  to  do  whatever  you  do  in  the 
trustful,  prayerful  fear  of  the  Lord.  Act 
justly,  with  truth  and  righteousness  ;  as  Gofl 
Himself  acts,  without  iniquity  in  your  hearts, 
without  respect  of  persons,  without  pervei'siou 
of  the  right  in  return  for  bribe  of  any  sort. 
All  human  conduct,  however  it  affects  our 
fellow-man,  has  supreme  respect  to  the  known 
will  of  God.  All  truth  and  honesty,  all  just 
and  kind  dealing  toward  man,  have  their  vital 
spring  in  the  heart's  homage  and  obedience  to 
God.  And  all  injustice  and  deceit,  all  unkind 
ness  and  wrong  toward  men,  have  their  secret 
source  in  the  heart's  disobedience  and  rejection 
of  God.  Simpl}'  recognizing  this  cardinal  fact 
of  human  action,  in  the  sore  remembrance  of 
his  blood-guiltiness  toward  Uriah,  David  said. 
Against  thee,  tJiee  only,  have  I  sinned.  And  it 
is  this  double  foundation  truth  that  Christ 
asserts  in  the  judgment  allegory  by  the  words, 
Te  did  it,  and  Ye  did  it  not — unto  Me  / 

§,  9.  Estiihlishment  of  a  supreme  court  of  ap- 
peal in  Jeruscdcm,  and  charge  to  it.'<  chosen  judges. 
Beside  the  inferior  courts  in  the  several  cities, 
Jehoshaphat  created  a  supreme  tribunal  with 
original  and  appellate  jurisdiction,  and  located 
it  in  the  capital.  As  its  judges  he  chose  the 
best  and  wisest  of  the  priests  and  Levites,  and 
of  the  heads  of  the  families  of  Judah.  This 
tribunal  had  two  divisions  :  one  presided  over 
(verse  11)  by  Amariah,  the  chief  priest ;  the  other 


^94 


KINGDOM  OF  JVDAn. 


by  Zebadinli.  llio  ruler  of  the  king's  lioase.  The 
former  ail  jiKlicatcd  upon  "nil  mutters  of  the 
liOrd  ;"  all  ([ueslions  pertaining  to  the  cere- 
monial ami  ritual  law  prescribed  by  JehoTah. 
The  latter  linally  determined  all  civil  and  crim- 
inal Ciises  arising  under  the  laws  of  the  land. 
Over  the  doings  of  the  supreme  judicatory  the 
king  himu'lf  could  exercise  general  oversight 
and  tmntrol.  His  charge  to  its  members  was 
simpler  and  more  comprehensive  than  that  to 
the  inferior  judges  in  the  cities  ;  but  its  sub- 
stance was  the  same.  What  they  did  he  en- 
joined them  to  do  faithfully,  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  and  with  a  perfect,  or  imdivided,  heart. 
Thus  this  good  and  wise  king  completed  a  great 
and  needed  reformation  in  Judah.  He  re- 
est^lblishcd  a  pure  worship.  He  instituted  a 
system  of  religious  education  among  the  people, 
(causing  them  to  be  instructed  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  written  Scriptures.  And  he  estab- 
lished these  tril)unals  for  a  wise  and  faithful  ad- 
ministration of  justice  throughout  the  land.      B. 

Cliiip,  SO.  The  narrative  contained  in  this 
chapter,  as  far  as  verse  30,  is  entirely  additional 
to  Kings.  The  remainder,  except  verse  37, 
runs  parallel  with  1  K.  22  ;  41-49.     B.  C. 

1-I!t.  ^Vs  we  have  already  learned,  this  good 
and  wis;'  king  had  taught  his  people  the  writ- 
ten Word  of  Jehovah.  He  had  restored  a  true 
and  pur('  temple  worship  in  Jerusalem.  And 
he  had  established  tribunals  for  the  elVicient  ad- 
ministration of  law  and  justice.  Years  of  quiet 
and  prosperity  followed  these  wise,  right  meas- 
ures. TIku  trouble  arose  from  a  new  ijuartcr. 
The  Ammonites  and  Moabitcs,  descendants  of 
the  t%vo  sons  of  Lot,  who  occupied  the  region 
eastward  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  the  Edomites, 
descendants  of  Esau,  inhabiting  the  mountains 
extending  southward  to  the  Red  Sea,  combined 
in  undertaking  the  stibjugation  of  Judah,  and 
a  iH'rmanent  possession  of  the-  territory.  Hence 
the  immense  midtitude,  and  the  untold  amount 
of  spoil  afterward  gathered  ;  for  not  oidy  all 
the  armed  men,  but  the  msiss  of  the  entire  people 
of  those  three  nations  seem  to  have  migrated  in 
this  hostile  movement.  The  great  combined 
host  had  jKissed  round  the  southern  limit  of 
th2  Dead  Sea,  and  half  way  up  its  western  bor- 
der, and  was  encamped  at  Engedi,  only  thirty 
miles  from  Jerusalem,  when  the  intelligence  of 
the  invasion  first  reached  the  king  and  people. 
Speeilily,  at  the  king's  summons,  came  the 
people  together  at  the  capital.  With  the  light- 
ing men  were  their  wives  and  children,  for  the 
summons  was  to  the  taking  part  in  a  religious 
service  rather  than  in  a  combat.  In  this 
Jchoshaphat  exhibited  his  faith   at   the   very 


outset.  To  the  house  of  God  he  leads  the 
alarmed  people  ;  to  the  temple  where  he  had 
Icuig  before  restored  the  highest  condition  of 
worship.  There,  in  the  great  emergency,  he 
shows  how  fully  he  understood  and  how  deeply 
he  sympathized  with  the  spirit  of  that  i)rayer 
of  dedication  which  God  had  pledged  Himself 
to  answer.  Himself  following  Solomon's  cx- 
amjilc  and  leading  the  people  in  prayer,  he 
makes  bold  and  fervent  appeal  to  Jehovah.  His 
chief  plea  and  reliance  is  ujion  His  covenant- 
relation  and  special  covenant  jiromises  to  His 
l)eople.  But  he  also  i)leads  t  he  gross,  because 
riiiiKiltss,  wrong  of  the  invaders  ;  for  Israel  had 
not  trespassed  upon  their  territory  when  enter- 
ing into  Canaan.  Then  with  the  declaration  of 
utter  inability  to  cope  with  the  vast  advancing 
multitude,  the  royal  stippliant  completes  his 
prayer  with  sublime  words  of  trust :  Our  eyes 
are  upon  Thee  ! 

And  THEN,  iMle  all  Judah  stood  before  the 
hml,  while  these  trustful  words  still  lingered 
upon  the  king's  lips,  came 

14-17,  God's  ansiririitg  message  ht/  Jihaziit, 
(I  prophet-psalmist.  From  the  midst  of  the  gath- 
ered congregation,  a  voice  instantly  responded 
with  the  words  :  Thussnith  the  Lord  unto  you  ! 
The  message  included,  first,  needed  assurance 
of  safety  for  their  encouragement  ;  and  next 
direction  for  their  conduct.  Ye  have  trusted 
in  God  ;  He  will  deliver  you.  Go  down  on  the 
morrow  against  them,  but  not  to  fight.  Set 
yourselves  in  array,  but  stand  still  to  behold 
the  Lord's  deliverance.  And  the  inspired 
speaker  indicated  the  very  place  where,  on  the 
next  da)-,  their  enemies  were  smitten  of  God. 
It  was  at  a  point  only  twelve  miles  from  Jerusa- 
lem, at  the  head  of  the  long  winding  ascent 
from  Engedi,  where  the  ravine  issued  into  the 
tableland  wilderness  of  Judah.     B. 

15.  The  battle  is  Ood's.  Tlie  history 
of  the  Church  is  full  of  instances  of  this  law  of 
Divine  procedure.  An  old  saying  of  the  Ger- 
man Reformers  was  this  :  "  One  with  God  on 
his  side  is  a  majority."  Every  cause  which 
God  originates  starts  with  only  Gideon's  three 
hundred.  From  this  law  of  God's  working  it 
is  clear  that  in  spiritual  affairs  the  balance  of 
power  does  not  depend  on  numbers.  Votes 
have  very  little  to  do  with  it.  It  depends  on 
spiritual  forces.  It  depends  on  insight  into  the 
.spiritual  wants  of  the  world,  on  consecration 
to  God's  service,  on  the  power  of  prayer,  on 
spiritual  discovery  of  the  side  on  which  God 
is,  and  specially  on  intensity  of  Christian  char- 
acter. .  .  .  Minorities  of  honest  and  earnest 
men,  devoted  to  a  great  cause,  should  never  he 


8S0TI0N  S3.     REIGN  OF  JEE08HAPHAT. 


295 


opposed  heedlessly.  Let  us  be  on  the  lookout 
for  such  men.  Let  us  greet  them  with  a  "  God- 
speed" when  they  make  their  Divine  credentials 
clear.  .  .  .  Witlun  the  Church  of  Christ  itself 
is  to  he  found  a  minority  of  believers  whom 
God  regards  with  peculiar  complacency.  As  a 
spiritual  power,  they  are  the  vanguard  of  the 
Church.  They  are  the  spiritual  aristocracy  of 
Christ's  kingdom.     Phelps. 

17.  Siniid  ye  still,  and  8ec  the  sal- 
vation of  tlie  Lord.  The  prophet  used 
words  almost  identical  with  those  which  Moses 
had  addressed  to  the  Israelites  on  the  shores  of 
the  Red  Sea  immediately  before  the  destruction 
of  Pharaoh's  hosts  (Ex.  14  :  13),  thus  indicating 
that  the  deliverance  would,  now  as  then,  be 
wholly  from  God.     B.  C. 

IS,  19.  Uow  Ood's  rcsj)nn.<ie  irris  ivctieed  by 
king  and  people.  It  Was  with  humble  worship 
and  with  grateful  praise.  Jehoshaphat  and  all 
Judah  reverently  prostrated  themselves  before 
the  Lord  ;  while  the  Levite  choirs,  bands  fi-om 
the  special  families  of  the  Kohathites  and 
Korhites  stood  and  chanted  in  their  wonted 
loudly  jubilant  strains  the  high  praises  of  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel.  This  spontaneous  unanim- 
ity, at  once  manifesting  itself  in  worship  and 
song,  indicated  the  people's  faith  in  the  Divine 
assurance  granted  them.  Some  of  the  very 
words  of  the  message  they  had  read  or  heard 
out  of  the  reopened,  restudied  book  of  the  law 
and  the  providence  of  Jehovah  toward  Israel. 
The  battle  is  not  yours,  hut  God's.  Stand  ye, 
and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord  inth  you  !  And 
their  faith  was  helped  by  the  facts  of  the  his- 
tor}',  when  these  words  had  been  made  real  and 
living.  But  even  then  they  needed  the  re- 
eiiforcemeiit  of  their  king's  yet  mightier  and  more 
absolute  faith.  Hence  followed  on  the  next 
day. 

20.  The  grandly  simple,  purely  ernngelieal 
c.rho  rial  ion,  of  Jelioshaphat.  It  occurred  early 
on  the  next  morning,  as  the  armed  hosts  of 
Judah  and  Jerusalem  passed  through  the  great 
gate  of  the  capital.  In  the  gateway  stood  the 
true-hearted  monarch,  and,  as  band  after  baud 
went  by,  he  repeated  the  double  charge  :  Be- 
lieve in  the  Lord  your  God!  Believe  Jlis proph- 
ets/ So,  he  assured  them,  shall  ye  be  estab- 
lished and  prosper.  No  scene  in  Judah's  his- 
tory is  at  once  so  picturesque,  sublime  and  in- 
structive as  this  crowned  preacher  standing  in 
the  archway  of  the  lofty  gate,  and  earnestly  re- 
iterating this  simple  Gospel  command,  "  Only 
believe."  Long  years  of  wise,  good  rule  and 
of  varied  experience  gave  increased  force  to  his 
urgency  with  these  men  of  Judah.     Thev  had 


known  and  trusted  him  ;  therefore  they  would 
be  the  more  willing  to  trust  the  God  he  trusted 
— the  God  who  had  prospered  him  and  the 
people  of  Judah.  We  need  not  pause  to  sug- 
gest the  application  of  this  eoinprcliensive  call 
to  faith.  We  may  refer  to  the  power  for  good 
which  is  accumulated  by  a  long  living  Chris- 
tian experience  ;  and  to  the  effect  of  such  exerted 
power  in  imparting  or  re-enforcing  the  spiritual 
strength,  courage,  or  comfort  of  feeble  or  dis- 
couraged souls. 

21.  T?ie  appointment  of  singers  to  express  t/te 
people's  trust  in  praise.  No  preparation  for 
fighting  was  to  be  made,  though  the  armed  men 
went  in  battle  array.  It  was  for  them  an 
utterly  passive  conflict,  an  inward  fight  of 
faith  ;  for  they  never  saw  a  living  enemy  of  all 
the  host  that  had  come  so  nigh  them.  But  still 
the}'  made  preparation  for  the  expected  victory 
and  triumph.  Jk-iid  the  preparation  was  exactly 
suited  to  the  call  and  promise  of  God.  It  was 
a  preparation  for  precise — for  the  utterance  in 
songful  worship  of  the  people's  assured  trust 
in  God  ;  and  of  their  grateful  acknowledgment 
beforehand  of  His  promised  delivering  mercy. 
Apparelled  in  white  linen  robes,  the  symbols 
(f  holy  beauty,  bands  of  singers  went  before  the 
army,  as  a  vanguard  of  surest  protection.  And 
as  they  went  all  the  way  from  the  city  to  "  the 
watch-tower  in  the  wilderness,"  they  ceased 
not  their  song  of  gratitude  and  trust  :  Praise 
Jehovah  ; /or  iii'«  mercy  enduretJi  forever  ! 

22-30.  The  result  that  accompanied  their 
trustful,  praising  refrain.  Let  the  record  be 
noted:  wlien  they  beg.\n  to  sing  eind  to  praise, 
the  Lord's  work  in  their  deliverance  begem.  And 
as  they  continued,  for  those  long  miles  and 
hours  of  steady  march,  to  sing  and  praise, 
Jehovah's  hand  stayed  not  in  His  destruction  of 
their  enemies  and  His,  till  "  tliey  were  smit- 
ten." And  when  the  still  praising  vanguard 
reached  the  place  of  carnage,  "  behold  the  mul- 
titude were  dead  bodies  fallen  to  the  earth,  and 
none  escaped."  Among  the  three  nations, 
composing  the  vast  horde  of  invaders,  God  had 
stirred  up  dissension.  This  led  to  jealousies 
and  animosities,  which  soon  broke  out  into 
deadly  strife  with  each  other  ;  prolonged  until 
multitudes  were  slain,  and  the  remnant  had  fled 
panic-stricken  to  their  native  hills.  Immense 
spoil  and  treasure  covered  the  wide  camping 
ground,  requiring  three  days'  work  to  gather 
and  prepare  for  removal.  So  the  same  God, 
who  in  the  New  Testament  chai'acterizes  Him- 
self as  rich  in  mercy,  greatly  enriched  the  king 
and  people  who  had  only  asked  for  deliverance. 
And  such  exceeding  abundance  above  all  we  ask 


^^96 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAE. 


or  think  is  Itis  roj-al  wont  to  all  that  thoroughly 
(runt  and  uttirly  nprnw  upon  Ills  promised 
nirrcy. 

The  history  (verses  26-28)  tells  ol'  I  luir  thank- 
ful reeoi^nition  of  both  the  signal  delivcranee 
and  the  lari;e  bounty.  On  the  fourth  day.  be- 
fore their  homeward  journey,  they  assembled 
themselves  for  speeial  praise  upon  the  field 
where  the  dead  and  the  spoil  had  Iain.  And 
their  service  of  blessing  and  thanksgiving 
thenceforward  gave  the  name  of  Berachiah  (or 
bles.sing)  to  the  immediate  region  or  valley. 
"  Then  returned  rnry  iiiirit,  and  Jehoshaphat 
in  the  forefront.  to.Ierusalem  with  joy."  With 
harp  and  song  '"  they  came  unto  the  house  of 
the  Lord."  And  to  the  record  of  their  .solemn 
yet  joyful  gratitude  and  praise,  added  to  that 
of  their  previous  prayerful  trust,  appropriately 
follows  the  statement  :  "So  the  realm  of 
Jehoshaphat  was  quiet  ;  for  his  God  had  given 
him  rest.  The  Lord  had  fought  against  the 
enemies  of  Israel." 

The  story  impressively  discloses  the  relations 
of  faith  and  praise,  and  strongly  emphasizes 
t/ie  high  place  (iiid  importance  of  a  thankful, 
praising  spirit  among  tlie  essentials  of  Christian 
experience  andliriiig.  As  faith  must  show  itself 
by  its  fruits — of  obedience  to  direction  and  ex- 
pectation of  bles.sing — so  faith  and  love  and 
gratitude,  if  they  exist,  must  manifest  them- 
selves by  their  natural  fruit  of  thanksgiving 
and  praise.  So  was  it  here.  The  faith  of  king 
and  people  implicitly  obeyed  th('  Divine  direc- 
tion, and  anticipated  the  fulfilment  of  the 
Divine  promise.  The  assured  <'.\pectation  of 
blessing  wrought  love  and  gratitude,  which 
found  their  expression  in  song  and  praise.  So 
was  it  in  all  the  Old  Testament  worship. 
Always  prominent  as  an  essential  element, 
praise  expressed  the  adoring,  grateful  feeling 
of  true  worshippers.  The  Psalms,  scattered 
through  the  history  and  gathered  in  the 
P.salter,  were  but  the  utterance  of  a  natural  de- 
mand for  such  voiced  expression  of  gratitude 
and  adoration.  And  the  habitual,  fervent  use 
of  these  ins])ired  lyrics  has  maintained  and  in- 
tensified the  feeling  in  all  generations  since. 
Richly,  too,  does  the  New  Testament  respond 
to  this  spirit  of  adoring  praise  and  practice  of 
thinkful  song,  which  so  characterizes  the  Old 
economy.  Throughout,  by  example  and  by 
precept  with  promise,  it  fervently  conmiends 
thankfulness  in  song  and  the  spirit  of  thankful 
praise  in  the  heart.  iVhen  they  had  sung  an 
hymn,  Christ  went  forth  to  Mis  garden-agony. 
And  wc  recall  the  midnight  i)salms,  in  the 
Philippian  prison,  of  the  Lord's  suffering  wit-  | 


nesses.  The  Epistles  abonnd  in  exhortations 
and  thanksgiving.  Study  attentively  Paul's 
inspired  and  inspiring  counsels  on  this  point 
(Eph.  5:10.  20;  Col.  2:7:  3:15-17;  Phil. 
4  :  6.  7  ;  1  The.ss.  5  :  18)  ;  and  trace  out  in  your 
Concordance  the  words  "  thankful,"  "thanks- 
giving," and  their  equivalents,  if  j'ou  would 
realize  tlie  vital  need  of  wore  praise,  more  felt 
and  expressed  thankfulness,  in  your  heart  and  in 
all  Christian  hearts.  No  defect  in  our  practical 
Christianity  to-daj'  is  more  strange  and  signal, 
more  hindering  and  hurtful,  more  deadening  to 
faith,  more  paralyzing  to  loving  obedience  and 
eilort,  more  enfeebling  to  prayer  and  to  Chris- 
tian living,  than  the  lack  of  this  praising  spirit 
in  the  heart,  and  the  withholding  of  its  voice<l 
or  silent  expression  to  God.  As  the  emphatic 
teaching  of  this  lesson,  then,  be  it  noted  :  T/iat 
the  thankful,  praising  spirit  isatonce  the  highest 
proof  and  effect  of  a  living  trust,  and  its  most 
efficient  helper.     B. 

Never  was  army  so  un;iccountabIy  destroyed 
as  that  of  the  enemy  ;  not  by  dint  of  sword, 
or  strength  of  arm.  but  the  Lord  set  ambnsh- 
nients  against  them,  that  they  fell  upon  their 
own  friends  as  if  they  had  been  enemies,  and 
erery  one  heljied  to  dtstroy  another,  so  that  none 
escaped.  This  God  did  irhen  Ifis  people  began  to 
sing  and  to  praise  (verse  22),  for  He  delights  to 
furnish  those  with  matter  for  prai.se  that  have 
hearts  for  it.  Never  was  spoil  so  cheerfully 
divided,  for  Jehoshaphat's  army  had  nothing 
to  do  beside  ;  the  rest  was  done  for  them. 
When  they  came  to  the  view  of  this  vast  army, 
instead  of  finding  living  men  to  fi.ght  with, 
they  fouiul  them  all  dead  men.  .Jehoshaphat 
and  his  i)eoiile  jirayed  to  be  delivered  from 
being  sjioiled  by  the  enemy  ;  and  God  not  only 
did  that,  but  enriched  them  with  the  spoil  of 
the  enemy.  Never  was  victory  celebrated  with 
more  solemn  and  enlarged  thanksgivings.  They 
kept  a  day  of  praise  in  the  canij)  before  they 
drew  their  forces  out  of  the  field.  They  as- 
sembled in  a  valley,  where  they  blessed  God 
with  so  much  zeal  and  fervency  that  that  day's 
work  gave  a  name  to  the  place,  the  valley  of 
Berachah — i.e.,  of  blessing  (vcKv  2fi).  Then  they 
came  in  solemn  procession,  .Iehosha])hat  at  the 
head,  to  Jerusalem,  that  the  country,  as  they 
passed  along,  nng-ht  join  in  their  praises,  and 
that  they  might  give  thanks  for  the  mercy  there 
where  they  had  by  prayer  obtaineil  it,  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord  (verges  27,  28).     H. 


The  pa.ssage  2  Chron.  20  :  35-37  is  luiuiifestly 
out  of  its  elironological  order  here.  This  event 
occurred  within  one,  or  at  most  two,  years  after 


SECTION  S4. 


297 


Ahab's  death  (Ahaziah.  his  successor,  having 
reigned  less  than  two  years)  ;  consequently 
about  the  seventeenth  year  of  Jehoshaphat— 
eight  years  before  his  death.  Hence  the 
vporda  "  after  this"  cannot  mean,  after  the  great 
victory  recorded  in  this  chapter.  With  this 
passage  compare  1  K.  23  :  48,  49.  Ezion-geber 
being  a  port  on  the  Elanitic  branch  of  the  Red 
Sea,  these  ships  were  for  the  Indian,  not  the 
Mediterranean  trade,  and  were  therefore  called 
"  ships  of  Tarshisli"  only  in  the  sense  of  being 
ships  of  the  largest  size — '"  East  IndiaMieii." 
Or  possiblj'  some  place  in  those  waters  bore  this 
name  "  Tarshish."  The  Lord  wisely  baffled 
this  commercial  enterprise  :  for  it  was  not  well 
for  Jehoshaphat  to  be  in  intimate  relations  to 
this  godless  Ahaziah.     H.  C. 


Jehoshaphat  was  a  good  king — one  of  the 
best  of  the  Jewish  sovereigns.  He  was,  too,  a 
prosiXTOus  and  successful  monarch.  His  coun- 
try flourished  under  his  sway.  He  sought  to 
do  his  subjects  good,  and  he  did  them  good. 
God  blessed  and  honored  him  in  his  ways.  He 
died  in  peace  and  in  favor  with  God.  But  he 
leaned  to  his  own  understanding  in  a  matter  of 
great  moment.  He  put  policy  for  principle, 
conciliation  for  frank  dissent,  worldly  ad- 
vantage for  manly  firmness,  and  sow<'d  the 
seeds  of  evil,  that  lived  and  thrived  and  bore 
fruit  centuries  after  his  decease.     R.  llitlhim. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Judea  was  ex- 
tremely prosperous  under  Jehoshaphat's  rule. 
He  was  certainly  the  ablest  and  most  energetic 
king  that  had  reigned  over  Judah  since  the  time 


of  Solomon.  While  it  cannot  be  denied  that 
the  one  fatal  mistake  which  he  made  in  join- 
ing affinity  with  Ahab  had,  in  course  of  time, 
the  most  terribly  disastrous  consequences,  lead- 
ing as  it  did  to  the  desecration  of  the  Temple, 
the  complete  apostasy  of  the  State  during  the 
space  of  six  years,  and  the  almo.st  entire  de- 
struction of  the  seed  of  David,  yet  the  immediate 
results  were,  in  a  worldh'  point  of  view,  ad- 
vantageous, and  a  most  flourishing  condition  of 
aft'airs  seems  to  have  been  temporarilj^  estab- 
lished. Commerce  revived  ;  Jehosha])liat's  re- 
lations with  the  Edomites  enabled  him  to 
resume  possession  of  the  port  of  Ezion-geber 
upon  the  shares  of  the  Red  Sea  ;  and,  although 
on  one  occasion  the  fleet  which  he  had  prepared 
to  sail  to  Ophir  for  gold  was  destroyed  by  a 
storm  almost  before  it  was  well  out  of  harbor 
(3  K.  23  :  48),  yet  there  is  reason  to  believe  that 
the  trade  was,  at  any  rate  to  some  extent,  re- 
stored, and  that  in  .Jehoshaphat's  reign  Jewish 
fleets  were  once  more  seen  upon  the  Red  Sea 
and  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  pursuing  the  peace- 
ful occupations  of  traffic  and  commerce.  Je- 
hoshaphat built  commercial  cities  as  well  as 
fortresses,  and  everywhere  promoted  a  vigor- 
ous commercial  policy.  The  riches  which 
flowed  in  upon  him  (3  Chron.  17:5;  18  : 1) 
were  the  natural  result  of  this  cour.se  of  action, 
though  no  doubt  his  resources  received  large 
accessions  from  various  other  quarters  (ibid., 
17:5,  11  ;  20:25). 

Jehoshaphat  died  at  the  age  of  sixty,  leaving 
behind  him  seven  sons  of  full  age,  the  eldest  of 
whom,  Jehoram,  he  had  designated  as  his  suc- 
cessor (3  Chron.  21  :  2,  3).     G.  R. 


Section  34. 


REIGNS   OF  JEHORAM,  AHAZIAH,  AND  ATHALIAH. 


2  Chronicles,  Chaps.  21,  22,  23. 
21  :  1  And  Jehoshaphat  slept  with  his  fa- 
thers, and  was  buried  with  his  fathers  in  the 
city  of  David  :  and  Jehoram  his  son  reigned 

3  in  his  stead.  And  he  had  brethren  the  sons 
.of  Jehoshaphat,  Azariah,  and  Jehiel,  and 
Zechariah,  and  Azariah,  and  Michael,  and 
Shephatiah  :  all  these  were  the  sons  of  Je- 

8  hoshaphat  king  of  Israel.  And  their  fa- 
ther gave  them  great  gifts,  of  silver,  and 
of  gold,  and  of  precious  things,  with  fenced 


2  Kings  8  :  16-29  ;  11  :  1-16. 

8  :  16  And  in  the  fifth  year  of  Jor.am  the 
son  of  Ahab  king  of  Israel,  Jehoshaphat  be- 
ing then  king  of  Judah,  Jehoram  the  son  of 
Jehoshaphat  king  of  Judah  began  to  reign. 

17  Thirty  and  two  years  old  was  he  when  he 
began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned  eight  years 

18  in  .Jerusalem.  And  he  walked  in  the  way 
of  the  kings  of  Israel,  as  did  the  house  of 
Ahab  :  for  he  had  the  daughter  of  Ahab  to 
wife  :  and  he  did  that  which  was  evil  in  the 

19  sight  of  the  Loud.  Howbeit  the  Lord 
would  not  destroy  Judah,  for  David  his  ser- 


298 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAJT. 


cities  in  Jiulah  :  but  tlic  kingdom  gave  he 
to  Ji'lioiani,  liicausc  he  was  the  firstliorn. 

4  Now  wlicn  Jelioram  was  risen  ii))  over  tlu^ 
kingdom  of  his  father,  and  luul  strengthened 
liiniself,  he  slew  all  his  brethren  with  tlio 
swoi-d,  and  divers  also  of  the  princes  of  Is- 

5  rael.  Jehoram  wjis  thirty  and  two  years  old 
when  he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned 

6  eight  years  in  Jerusalem.  And  lie  walked 
in  I  he  way  of  the  kings  of  Israel,  as  did  the 
house  of  Ahab  :  for  he  had  the  daughter  of 
Ahab  to  wife  :  and  he  did  that  which  was 

7  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Loud.  Howbeit  the 
JiOun  would  not  destroy  the  Iiouseof  David, 
because  of  the  covenant  that  he  had  made 
with  David,  and  as  he  promised  to  give  a 

8  lamp  to  him  and  to  his  children  ahvay.  In 
his  days  Edom  revolted  from  under  the  hand 
of  .ludah,  and  made  a  king  over  themselves. 

9  Then  .lehonun  passed  over  with  his  cap- 
tains, and  all  his  chariots  with  him  •.  and  he 
rose  up  by  night,  and  smote  the  Edomites 
which  compassed  him  about,  and  the  cap- 

10  tains  of  the  chariots.  So  Edom  revolted 
from  under  the  hand  of  Judah,  unto  this 
day  :  then  did  Libuah  revolt  at  the  same 
time  from  under  his  hand  :  because  ho  had 
forsaken  the  Lonn,  the  God  of  his  fathers. 

11  Moreover  he  made  high  places  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Judah,  and  made  the  inhabitants  of 
Jerusalem  to  go  a  whoring,  and  led  Judah 

13  astray.  And  there  came  a  writing  to  him 
from  Elijah  the  prophet,  saying.  Thus  saith 
the  Lord,  the  God  of  David  thy  father,  Be- 
cause thou  hast  not  walked  in  the  ways  of 
Jehoshaphat  thy  father,  nor  in  the  ways  of 

13  Asa  king  of  Judah  ;  but  hast  walked  in  the 
way  of  the  kings  of  Israel,  and  hast  made 
Judah  and  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  to 
go  a  whoring,  like  as  the  house  of  Ahab 
did  ;  and  also  hast  slain  thy  brethren  of  th}' 
father's  hou.se,  which  were  better  than  tliy- 

14  self  ;  behold,  the  Lonn  will  smite  with  a 
great  plague  thy  people,  and  thy  children, 

15  and  tliy  w  ivcs,  and  all  thy  substance  :  and 
thou  shalt  have  great  sickness  by  disease  of 
thy  bowels,  until  thy  bowels   fall   out  by 

16  reason  of  the  sickness,  day  by  day.  And 
the  Loud  stirred  up  against  Jehoram  the 
spirit  of  the  Philistines,  and  of  the  Arabians 

17  which  are  beside  the  Ethiopians  :  and  they 
came  up  against  Judah,  and  brake  into  it, 
and  carried  away  all  the  substance  that  was 
found  in  the  king's  house,  and  his  sons  also, 
and  his  wives  ;  so  that  there  was  never  a 
son  left  him,  save  Jehoahaz,  the  youngest  of 

18  his  sons.     And  after  all  this  the  LoiiD  smote 


vant's  sake,  as  he  promised  him  to  give  unto 

20  him  a  lamp  for  his  (hildren  I'hvry.  In  his 
days  Kdiini  revolted  fi'oMi  under  the  hand  of 
.ludali,  and   made  a  king  over  themselves. 

21  Then  Joram  passed  over  to  Zair,  and  all  hi.s 
chariots  with  him  ;  and  he  rose  up  by  night, 
and  smote  the  Edomites  which  eonipas.sed 
him  about,  and  the;  captains  of  the  chariots  : 

23  and  the  people  lied  to  theirtents.  So  Edom 
revolted  from  uniler  the  haml  of  Judah, 
unto  this  day.     Th<n  did    Lilinah  revolt  at 

23  the  .same  time.  And  thi'  rest  of  the  acts  of 
Jorani,  and  all  tliat  he  did.  are  they  not 
written  in  the  book  of  the  eiironicles  of  the 

24  kings  of  Judah':"  And  J(jram  slept  with  his 
fathers,  and  was  buried  with  his  fathers  in 
the  city  of  David  :  and  Ahaziah  his  son 
reigned  in  his  stead. 

2.5  In  the  twelfth  year  of  Jorani  the  son  of 
Ahab  king  of  Israel  did  Ahaziah  the  son  of 
Jelioram    king    of  Judah    bi'giM   to   reign. 

26  Two  and  twenty  years  olil  was  Ahaziah 
when  he  liegan  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned  one 
year  in  Jernsalein.  And  his  mother's  name 
was  Athaliah  the  daughter  (or.  f/rniKlihiiirjh- 

27  tcr)  of  Oniri  king  of  Israel.  And  he  walked 
in  the  way  of  the  house  of  Ahab.  and  did 
that  which  was  evil  in  the  .--ight  of  the 
Loud,  .as  did  the  hoii.se  of  Ahab  :  for  he  was 

28  the  son  in  law  of  tlie  house  of  Ahab.  And 
he  went  with  Joram  the  son  of  Ahab  to  war 
against  Ilazael  king  of  Syria  at  Hamoth- 
gilead  :    and   the   Syrians  wounded  Joram. 

29  And  king  .loram  returned  to  be  healed  in 
Jezreel  of  the  wounds  which  the  Syrians 
had  given  him  at  Kamali,  when  he  fought 
against  Ilazael  king  of  S_vria.  And  Ahaziah 
the  .son  of  Jehoram  king  of  .ludah  went 
down  to  sec  Joram  the  son  of  Ahab  in  Jez- 
reel. because  he  was  sick. 

11:1  Now  when  Athaliah  the  mother  of 
Ahaziah  saw  that  her  son  was  dead,  she  arose 
3  and  destroyed  all  the  seed  royal.  Hut  Jeho- 
slieba,  the  daughter  of  king  Jorani.  si.ster  of 
Ahaziah.  took  Joash  the  son  of  Ahaziah, 
and  stole  him  away  from  among  thi'  king's 
sous  that  were  slain,  even  him  and  his  nurse, 
(iDii  put  I /win  in  the  bedchamber  ;  and  they 
hid  him  from  Athaliah.  so  that   he  was  not 

3  slain.  And  he  was  with  her  hid  in  the  house 
of  the  Loud  si,\  years  :  and  Athaliah  reigned 
over  the  land. 

4  And  in  the  seventh  year  Jehoiaila  sent  and 
fetched  the  captains  over  hundriMls.  of  the 
Carites  and  of  the  guard,  and  brought  them 
to  him  into  the  house  of  the  Loud  ;  and  he 
made  a  covenant  with  them,  and  took  an 
oath  of  them  in  the  house  of  the  LiuiD,  and 

5  shewed  them  the  king's  son.  .\nil  he  com- 
manded tlieiii,  saying.  This  is  the  thing  that 
ye  shall  do  :  a  third  part  of  you,  that  come 
in  on  the  sabbath,  shall  be  keepers  of  the 

n  watch  of  the  king's  house  ;  and  a  third 
part  shall  be  at  tlie  gate  Sur  ;  and  a  third 
part  at  the  gate  behind  the  guard  :  so  shall 
ye  keep   the   watch  of  the   hou.^e,  and  be  a 

7  liarrier.  And  the  two  companies  of  you, 
even  all  that  go  forth  on  the  s.ililiath,  shall 
keep   the   watch  of  the  house  of  the  Loud 

8  about  the  king.  And  ye  shall  conipa.ss  the 
king  round  about,  every  man  with  his 
weapons  in  his  hand  ;  and  he  that  eometh 


SECTION  34.     REIGN  OF  JEHOBAM. 


299 


him  in  his  bowels  with  an  incumbk'  discnsf. 

19  Anil  it  came  to  pass,  in  process  of  time,  at 
the  end  of  two  years,  that  his  bowels  tell 
out  by  reason  of  his  sickness,  and  he  died  of 
sore  diseases.  And  his  people  made  no 
burning  for  him,  like  the  burning  of  his  fa- 

20  thers.  Thirty  and  two  years  old  was  he 
when  he  began  to  reign,  and  he  reigned  in 
Jerusalem  eight  yeara  :  and  he  departed 
without  being  desired  ;  and  they  buried  him 
in  the  citj'  of  David,  but  not  in  the  sepul- 
chres of  the  kings. 

2!i  :  1  And  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem 
made  Ahaziah  his  youngest  son  king  in  his 
stead  :  for  the  band  of  men  that  came  with 
the  Arabians  to  the  camp  had  slain  all  the 
eldest.  So  Ahaziah  the  son  of  Jchoram 
3  king  of  Judah  reigned.  Forty  and  two 
years  old  was  Ahaziah  when  he  began  to 
reign  ;  and  he  reigned  one  year  in  Jerusa- 
lem :  and  his  mother's  name  w-as  Athaliah 
the  daughter  (or,  r/nindtlaiiff/itcr)  of  Omri. 

3  He  also  walked  in  the  ways  of  the  house  of 
Ahab  :  for  his  mother  was  his  counsellor  to 

4  do  wickedly.  And  he  did  that  which  was 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  as  did  the 
house  of  Ahab  :  for  they  were  his  counsel- 
lors after  the  death  of  his  father,  to  liis  de- 

5  struction.  He  walked  also  after  their  coun- 
sel, and  went  with  Jehoram  the  son  of  Ahab 
king  of  Israel  to  war  against  Hazael  king 


within  the  ranks,  let  him  be  slain  :  and  be 
ye  with  the  king  when  he  goelh  out,  and 
9  when  he  cometh  in.  And  the  cajitains  over 
hundreds  did  according  to  all  that  Jehoiada 
the  priest  conunanded  :  and  they  took  every 
man  his  men,  those  that  were  to  come  in  on 
the  sabbath,  with  those  tliat  were  to  go  out 
on  the  sabbath,  and  came  to  Jehoiada  the 

10  liriest.  And  the  priest  delivered  to  the  caji 
tains  over  hundreds  the  spears  and  shields 
that  had  been  king  David's,  which  were  in 

11  the  house  of  the  Lord.  And  the  guard 
stood,  every  man  with  his  weapons  in  his 
hand,  from  the  right  side  of  the  house  to  the 
left  side  of  the  house,  along  by  the  altar  and 

12  the  house,  by  the  king  round  al)out.  Then 
he  brought  out  the  king's  son,  and  jiut  the 
crown  upon  him,  and  r/niv  liiin.  tlie  testi- 
mony ;  and  they  made  him  king,  and 
anointed  him  ;  and  they  clapped  their  hands, 

13  and  said,  God  save  the  king.  And  when 
Athaliah  heard  the  noise  of  the  guard  (iiitl 
of  the  people,  slie  came  to  the  people  into 

14  the  house  of  the  Loud  :  and  she  looked,  and, 
behold,  the  king  stood  by  the  pillar,  as  the 
manner  was,  and  the  captains  and  the  trum- 
pets by  the  king;  and  all  the  jieople  of  the 
land  rejoiced,  and  blew  with  trumpets. 
Then  Athaliah  rent  her  clothes,  and  C'ried, 

15  Treason,  treason.  And  Jehoiada  the  ]iriest 
commanded  the  captains  of  hundreds  that 
were  set  over  the  host,  and  said  unto  them. 
Have  her  forth  between  the  ranks  ;  and  him 
that  followeth  her  slay  willi  the  sword  :  for 
the   priest  said.  Let  her  not  be  slain  in  the 

16  house  of  the  Lord,  So  they  made  way  for 
her  ;  and  she  went  by  the  wa}'  of  the  horses' 
entry  to  the  king's  house  :  and  there  was 
she  slain. 


ot  Syria  at  Ramoth-gilead  ;  and  the  Syrians 

6  wounded  Joram.  And  he  returned  to  be  healed  in  Jezreel  of  the  wounds  which  they  had 
given  him  at  Ramah,  when  he  fought  against  Hazael  king  of  Syria.  And  Azariah  the  son  of 
Jehoram  king  of  Judah  went  down  to  see  JclK)ram  the  son  of  Ahab  in  Jezreel,  because  he  was 

7  sick.  Now  the  destruction  of  Ahaziah  was  of  God,  in  that  he  went  unto  Joram  :  for  when 
he  was  come,  he  went  out  with  Jehoram  against  Jehu  the  son  of  Nimshi,  whom  the  Lord  had 

8  anointed  to  cut  off  the  house  of  Ahab.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jehu  was  executing  judg- 
ment upon  the  house  of  Ahab,  that  he  found  the  princes  of  Judah,  and  the  sons  of  the  breth- 

9  ren  of  Ahaziah,  ministering  to  Ahaziah,  and  slew  them.  And  he  sought  Ahaziah,  and  they 
caught  him,  (now  he  was  hiding  in  Samaria,)  and  they  brought  him  to  Jehu,  and  slew  him  ; 
and  they  buried  him,  for  they  said.  He  is  the  son  of  Jehoshaphat,  who  sought  the  Lord  with 
all  his  heart.     And  the  house  of  Ahaziah  had  no  power  to  hold  the  kingdom. 

10  Now  when  Athaliah  the  mother  of  Ahaziah  saw  that  her  son  was  dead,  she  arose  and  de- 
ll stroycd  all  the  seed  royai  of  the  house  of  Judah.  But  Jehoshabeath,  the  daughter  of  the 
king,  to(jk  Joash  the  son  of  iVliaziah,  and  stole  him  away  from  among  the  king's  sons  that 
were  slain,  and  put  him  and  his  nurse  in  the  bedchamber.  So  Jehoshabeath,  the  daughter  of 
king  Jehoram,  the  wife  of  Jehoiada  the  priest,  (for  she  was  the  sister  of  Ahaziah,)  hid  him 
13  from  Athaliah,  so  that  she  slew  him  not.  And  he  was  with  them  hid  in  the  house  of  God  six 
years  ;  and  Athaliah  reigned  over  the  land. 

23  :  1  And  in  the  seventh  year  Jehoiada  strengthened  himself,  and  took  the  captains  of 
hundreds,  Azariah  the  son  of  Jehoram,  and  Ishmael  the  son  of  Jehohanan,  and  ,\zariah  the 
son  of  Obed,  and  Maasciah  the  son  of  Adaiah,  and  Elishaphat  the  son  of  Zichri,  into  covenant 
3  with  him.  And  they  %vent  about  in  Judah,  and  gatlicred  the  Levites  out  of  all  the  cities  of 
3  Judah,  and  the  heads  of  fathers'  houses  of  Israel,  and  they  came  to  Jerusalem.  And  all  the 
congretration  made  a  covenant  with  the  king  in  the  house  of  God.  And  he  said  unto  them, 
Behold,  the  king's  son  shall  reign,  as  the  LoiiD  hath  spoken  concerning  the  sons  of  David. 


300 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAII. 


4  This  is  the  thing  that  ye  sliall  do  :  a  thini  part  of  you,  that  come  in  on  the  sabl)atli,  of  the 

5  priests  and  of  the  Lcvitcs,  shall  be  porters  of  the  doors  ;  and  a  third  part  shall  be  at  the 
king's  house  ;  and  a  third  ])art  at  the  gate  of  the  foundation  :  and  all  the  people  shall  be  in 

6  the  courts  of  the  house  of  the  LoKi).  But  let  none  come  into  the  house  of  the  LoitD,  save  the 
priests,  and  they  that  minister  of  the  Lcvitcs  ;  llicy  shall  come  in.  for  they  are  holy  :  but  all 

7  the  pe()i)le  sliall  keep  the  watch  of  the  Loiti).  And  the  Ijcviles  shall  conijiass  the  king  round 
about,  every  man  with  his  weajjons  in  his  hand  ;  and  whosoever  comcth  into  the  house,  let 

8  him  be  slain  :  anil  be  ye  with  the  king  when  he  comcth  in,  and  when  he  goeth  out.  So  the 
Lcvitcs  and  all  ludali  did  according  to  all  that  Jclioiada  the  priest  commanded  :  and  they 
took  every  man  his  men,  those  that  wcr;'  to  come  in  on  the  sabbath,  with  those  that  were  to 

9  go  out  on  the  sabbath  ;  for  Jchoiada  the  priest  dismissed  not  the  courses.  And  Jclioiada  the 
priest  delivered  to  the  captains  of  hundreds  the  spears,  and  bucklers,  and  shields,  that  had 

10  been  king  David's,  which  were  in  the  house  of  God.  And  ho  set  all  the  people,  every  man 
with  his  weapon  in  his  hand,  from  the  right  si<le  of  the  house  to  the  left  side  of  the  house, 

11  along  by  the  altar  and  the  house,  by  the  king  round  about.  Then  they  brought  out  the  king's 
.son.  anil  put  the  crown  upon  him,  and  nnrc  him  the  testimony,  and  made  him  king  :  and 

13  Jchoiada  and  his  sous  anointed  him  ;  and  they  .said,  God  save  the  king.  And  when  Athaliah 
heard  tlic  noise  of  (he  people  running  and  praising  the  king,  .she  came  to  the  people  into  the 

13  house  of  the  Loiii)  :  and  she  looked,  and,  behold,  the  king  stood  by  his  pillar  at  the  entrance, 
and  the  captains  and  the  trumpets  by  the  king  :  and  all  the  people  of  the  land  rejoiced,  and 
blew  with  trumpets  ;  the  singers  also  played  on  instruments  of  music,  and  led  the  singing  of 

14  praise.  Then  Athaliah  rent  her  clothes,  and  said.  Treason,  treason.  And  Jchoiada  the  priest 
brought  out  the  captains  of  hundreds  that  were  set  over  the  host,  and  said  unto  them.  Have 
her  foith  between  the  ranks  ;  and  whoso  foUoweth  her,  let  him  be  slain  with  the  sword  :  lor 

15  the  priest  said.  Slay  her  not  in  the  hoxisi'  of  the  Loud.  So  they  made  waj-  for  her  ;  and  she 
went  to  the  entry  of  the  horse  gate  to  the  king's  house  ;  and  they  slew  her  there. 


Summitry  uf  the  Section.  The  slory  of  Jtlm- 
riim  is  very  sa<l  and  iiainful.  yet  full  of  valua- 
ble suggestions.  On  his  accession  he  niunlercd 
all  his  own  brothera.  As  far  as  he  could  he  ob- 
literated tlie  pure  worship,  the  righteous  laws, 
and  excellent  institutions  established  by  his  fa- 
ther. In  their  place  he  established  the  vile 
Baal-worship,  and  the  foul  institutions  of  Ahab 
and  Jezebel,  and  compelled  the  people  to  fall 
in  with  idolatry  and  its  iniquities.  And  the 
riii.ir/ii  assigned  is,  that  hf  /mil  Ahiib'n  (hiughUf 
ax  his  irifc.  Under  the  influence  of  three  such 
monsters  in  iniquity  as  Ahab,  Jezebel  and 
Athaliah,  it  was  notsurprising  that  "  he  walked 
in  the  way  of  the  kings  of  Isrml,  like  as  did  the 
house  of  Ahab  ;  and  wrought  evil  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Lord."  As  a  written  message  from  Eli- 
jah jircdictcd,  God  punished  his  .sross  and  deli- 
ant  iniquity.  Edom  successfully  revolted  from 
his  sway  ;  and  the  Philistines  and  Arabians  in- 
vaded his  capital,  slew  all  his  .sons  save  one 
(because  "  the  Lord  would  not  destroy  the 
house  of  Pa\id")  anil  carried  away  his  wives 
and  his  substance.  And  then  "  the  Lord  smote 
him  with  an  incurable  and  agonizing  disease." 

A  still  briefer  but  similarly  wicked  reign  was 
that  of  his  son  Ahaziah.  "  He  also  walked  in 
the  ways  of  the  house  of  Ahab  :  for  hin  mothi  r 
(Athaliah)  was  his  nni iixdlor  to  do  irirkidly  !" 
"  To  his  destruction,"  it  is  added.     lie  was  slain 


by  Jehu,  when  he  allied  the  foiccs  of  Judali 
with  those  of  his  uncle  Jehoram  of  Israel. 
Then  his  mother,  Athaliah,  slew  all  ///.v  children 
save  one  (whom  the  covenant  God  kept)  that 
she  might  retain  the  sway  over  Judah.  But  a 
true  and  devout  woman,  daughter  of  Jehoram 
and  sister  of  Ahaziah,  and  wife  of  the  faithful 
priest  Jchoiada,  saved  an  infant  son  of  Ahaziah 
from  the  murderous  grandmother.  Six  years 
she  hid  him  in  the  Temple  precincts — a  place 
where  he  was  safest,  for  God's  house  was  un- 
visited  and  unnoticed  by  Athaliah. 

In  the  seventh  year  of  the  spared  infant's 
life,  the  true-hearted  priest  Jehoiaila  silently 
gathered  the  chiefs  of  the  families  of  the  Lc- 
vitcs into  a  covenant  of  allegiance  to  the  youth- 
ful king  Joash.  The  coronation  speedily  fol- 
lowed ;  and  the  slayin.g  of  Athaliah  in  the  city 
street,  as  her  mother  Jezebel  had  been  slain. 
One  of  the  noblest  and  wisest  characters  of  the 
Old  Testament  history  we  find  in  this  doubly 
loyal  jiriest  Jchoiad.i,  loyal  to  both  Divine  and 
liell)less  human  king,  Aiul  the  interposition  of 
such  characters  as  him.self  and  his  like-hearted 
wife,  with  the  providential  circumstances  at- 
tending the  transfer  of  the  throne  from  Ahaziah 
to  Joash,  are  also  instructive.  We  see  how  the 
natural  flow  of  wickedness,  by  ordinary  descent 
from  father  to  son,  was  checked  by  the  very 
excesses  of  wickedness  itself  ;  and  how  a  new 


SECTION  34.     REIGN  OF  JEHORAM. 


301 


beginning  of  character,  like  tliat  of  Asa  and 
Jehoshapliat,  was  made  possible.     B. 

Reign  of  Jehoram,  Eight  Years. 

Sill  (o  I2tli  of  Jclioram,  of  Israel. 

2  Chronicles  21  ;  2  Kino.s  8  :  16-24. 

On  tlie  death  of  Jehoshaphat  his  son  Jeliorani 
succeeded,  and  thus  we  have  a  prince  of  the 
same  name  on  each  of  tlic  thrones.  In  the  first 
measure  of  Jehoram,  king  of  Judali,  the  fatal 
<'onsequences  of  the  connection  with  tlie  san- 
guinary house  of  Ahab  began  to  appear  ;  all 
his  brethren  were  put  to  death  without  re- 
morse. The  reign  which  began  in  blood  pro- 
ceeded in  idolatry  and  defeat,  till  the  fearful 
doom,  denounced  in  a  letter  sent  by  the  propliet 
Elisha,  was  entirely  fulfilled.  The  kingdom 
suffered  a  fatal  blow  in  the  revolt  of  Edom,  and 
the  loss  of  their  remaining  seaport  on  the  Red 
Sea.  Nor  was  this  the  end  of  Jehoram 's  calam- 
ities ;  the  Philistines  and  Arabians  invaded  the 
country,  surprised  his  palace,  captured  his  se- 
raglio, and  slew  all  his  sons  but  one.  Jehoram 
himself  died  of  a  painful  aud  loathsome  dis- 
ease, so  little  honored  that  he  was  not  buried  in 
the  sepulchre  of  the  kings  ;  Ahaziali,  his  son, 
succeeded.     Milmaa. 

2  Cliron.  21:1.  Jehoshaphat's  son  and 
successor,  Jehoram,  was  made  king  in  conjunc- 
tion with  his  father,  before  Jehoshaphat's  death 
(2  K.  9  :  16).  But  this  could  only  liave  been 
done  just  at  the  close  of  Jehoshaphat's  reign. 
For  it  was  in  the  fourth  year  of  Ahab  that  Je- 
hoshaphat began  to  reign.  Ahab  reigned  twen- 
ty-two years.  So  that  eighteen  years  of  Je- 
hoshaphat's reign  were  over  when  Ahab  died. 
Ahaziah  of  Israel  reigned  two  years,  and  it  was 
in  the  fifth  j-ear  of  Joram,  the  brother  and  suc- 
ces.sor  of  Ahaziah  in  Israel,  that  Jelioshaphat 
joined  his  son  with  him  in  the  kingdom.  So 
tliat,  imless  the  years  are  not  complete  j'ears,  it 
must  have  been  in  tlie  closing  years  of  his  fa- 
ther's reign  that  Jehoram  began  his  joint  reign. 

Lumhy. Jehoram's  sole   rei,gn    now   began. 

He  had  been  previously  associated  in  the  king- 
dom by  his  father.  His  eight  years  (verse  5) 
must  be  counted  from  the  time  of  his  associa- 
tion, in  his  father's  twenty-third  year. 

3.  With  fenced  cities.  Jehoshaphat 
jjursued  the  same  policy  as  Relioboam  in  the 
endowment  and  settlement  of  his  sons  (see  cliap. 
11  :  23),  but  apparently  went  further  by  actual- 
ly making  over  to  them  the  "  fenced  cities"  in 
which  they  dwelt.  This,  it  is  probable,  pro- 
voked the  jealousy  of  Tehoram,  and  induced 


him  to  put  them  to  death.  Athaliah's  influence 
may  also  have  been  used  to  remove  those  who 
might  have  interfered  W'ith  her  ambitioiis  proj- 
ects.    B.  C. 

4.  Jehoshaphat  had  placed  his  si.\  younger 
sons  in  fortified  cities  of  Judah,  besides  giving 
them  large  presents  in  gold,  silver,  and  jewels, 
while  he  gave  the  kingdom  to  Jehoram.  But 
as  soon  as  Jehoshaphat  was  dead,  Jehoram  mur- 
dered all  his  brothers — the  first  example  of  that 
abominable  mode  of  avoiding  a  disputed  suc- 
cession.    P.  S. 

6.  Daugliter  of  Aliab.  Tliis  marriage 
of  Jehoshaphat's  son,  Jehoram,  with  Athaliah, 
daughter  of  Ahab  and  Jezebel,  must  have  been 
early  enough  so  that  Ahaziah,  the  son  of  it, 
could  become  twenty -two  j^cars  old  at  the  time 
of  his  accession  (2  K.  8  ;  18,  25,  26  ;  9  ;  29,  etc.)  : 
and  late  enough  for  Jehoram  and  Athaliah  to 
be  of  suflicient  age  to  marry  ;  it  cannot  have 
been  much  earlier  or  later  than  the  sixth  or  sev- 
enth j-ear  of  Jehoshaphat.     W.  J.  B. 

The  introduction  of  idolatry  into  Israel,  and  its 
open  establishment  by  Ahab  and  Jezebel,  may 
be  regarded  as  the  turning-point  in  the  destiny 
of  that  kingdom.  It  was  the  sin  unto  national 
death.  And  we  may  loolc  upon  the  marriage  of 
Jehoram  of  Judah  with  the  daughter  of  Ahab 
aud  Jezebel,  followed  by  the  establishment  of 
idolatry  in  Judah,  as  a  turning-point  in  its  liis- 
tory.  The  idolatrous  worship  then  publicly  .set 
up  never  afterward  lost  its  hold  upon  a  large  part 
both  of  the  cliiefs  and  people.  Heathen  gods 
were  worshipped  by  royal  authority  in  both  cap- 
itals, Samaria  and  Jerusalem  ;  heathen  priests 
and  prophets  were  protected  and  honored  ;  the 
priests  aud  prophets  of  Jehovah  were  neglected, 
despised,  and  in  some  instances  put  to  death. 
This  was  a  crime  against  the  majesty  of  Jeho- 
vah, both  as  their  God  aud  their  King,  which 
He  did  not  pardon.  From  this  national  apos- 
tasy there  was  not,  in  either  kingdom,  any  real 
recovery.     Andrews. 

10.  The  author  of  Chronicles  adds  nothing 
in  the  way  of  fact,  but,  on  the  contrary,  is 
rather  less  full  than  his  predecessor  in  Kings. 
He,  however,  in  his  favorite  manner,  appends 
the  reflection  that  the  calamities  which  he  re- 
lates in  verses  8-10  befell  Jehoram  "  because 
he  had  forsaken  the  Lord  God  of  his  fathers." 

1 1.  moreover  lie  made  liigii  piaccit. 
The  writer  of  Kings  only  tells  us  in  general 
terms  that  Jehoram  "did  evil  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord,"  and  "  walked  in  the  way  of  the 
house  of  Ahab."  Here,  in  verses  11  and  13, 
we  liave  particulars  of  his  idolatry.  Jehoram, 
it  seems,  seduced  by  the  evil  influence  of  his 


302 


KINGDOM  OP  JUDAII. 


wife — Athaliiil\,  tlip  daughter  of  Aliiib— intro- 
dufcil  iiili)  .ludah  the  Haal-worsliip  wliich  Ahab 
had  introduced  into  Israel.  Idolatrous  altars 
were  establi-;lied  in  various  hi;;h  plaees — frroves, 
imajies  and  Pinal's  were  no  doubt  set  \\\i — and 
the  people  were  not  only  allowed,  but  com 
pellcd  to  take  part  in  the  new  rites.  "  To  com- 
mit forui<'ation"  isacomnion  metaphor,  signify- 
ing idolatry  or  spiritual  unfaithfulness.     15.  ('. 

12.  There  csiiiio  a  writing  to  him 
fyom  Eiijall.  iS'othing  is  more  natural  than 
to  think  that  Elijah,  as  a  prophet,  anticipated 
tlie  character  of  Jehoram  and  the  nature  of  his 
reign  ;  that,  as  the  future  rose  before  him  in 
proplietic  vision,  he  beheld  the  wickedness  of 
that  king,  and  the  evil  that  he  would  do  ;  and 
that  thus  he  was  led  to  address  to  him  a  warn- 
ing which,  preserved  in  the  mean  time  among 
his  prophetic  writings,  or  among  the  other 
writings  in  the  schools  of  the  prophets,  might 
be  handed  to  liim  for  whom  it  was  intended 
when  the  litting  moment  came.     W.  M. 

12-15.  Xo  calamity  can  be  thought  of  which 
did  not  befall  this  wicked  prince  ;  his  kingdom 
being  destroyeil  and  depopul.ated  by  the  fiercest 
nations,  liis  tiviwures  ransacked.  Ids  wives  car- 
ried into  captivity,  his  cliildren  slain,  himself 
laboring  for  two  years  under  a  sore  disease,  and 
deprived  at  his  death  of  the  honor  of  roj-al  se- 
pulture (verse  19).  All  these  calamities  were  de- 
nounced against  him  in  the  writing  sent  to  him 
in  the  name  of  Elijah,  that  lie  might  not  think 
the}'  came  by  chance,  but  by  the  special  direc- 
tion of  Alnughty  God,  as  a  punishment  for  liis 
impieties.     Bp.  Patrick. 

The  former  part  of  the  prophecy  had  its  ful- 
filment at  the  time  of  the  Philistine  and  Arali 
invasion  (verse  17)  ;  and  later  on,  after  he  had 
reigned  six  years  and  reached  the  age  of  thirty- 
eight  (verse  19),  "  the  Lord  smote  him  in  liis 
bowels  with  an  incurable  disease,"  and  for  two 
years  he  suffered  grievously,  dying  at  the  age  of 
forty,  and  "  departing  without  being  desired" 
(vei-se  20).  He  "  was  buried  with  his  fathers  in 
the  city  of  David  ;"  but,  according  to  the  writer 
of  Chronicles,  "  not  in  the  sepulchres  of  the 
kings."  The  usual  honor  of  a  public  funeral 
was  also  denied  him — "  his  people  made  no 
burning  for  him,  like  the  burning  of  his  fa- 
thers" (verse  19).  Altogether  his  reign  was 
cue  of  the  darkest  and  most  unfortunate  in  tlic 
entire  course  of  Judcan  history,  marked  by  dis- 
aster abroad,  irrcligion  at  home,  and  a  combina- 
tion of  weakness  and  wickedness  in  the  mon- 
arch.    G.  R. He  died  in  the  twelfth  year  of 

Jehoram,  king  of  Israel,  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  son  Ahaziah.     P.  S. 


Reign  ok  AiiAZi.\n,  op  Jud.mi,  One  Yeak. 
ISIIi  Year  of  Jelioram,  of  Israel. 

2  Chuonicles  22  : 1-9 ;  2  KiNos  8  :  25-29. 

Outline  iif  liiit  Brief  Career.  The  captivity 
and  death  (2  Chron.  22  : 1)  of  all  his  elder  broth- 
ers gave  the  throne  of  .ludah  to  Ahaziah,  the 
youngest  of  the  sons  of  Jehoram,  who  by  some 
accident  had  escaped  the  danger  of  the  Arab 
incursion.  His  age  at  his  accession  was  no  more 
than  twenty-two.  Nat\irally  he  fell,  even  more 
completely  tlian  his  father,  under  the  influence 
of  the  imperious  Athaliah,  in  whom  the  spirit 
of  her  mother,  Jezebel,  seemed  to  live  again, 
and  who,  as  Queen-Slother,  lielii  a  most  im- 
portant position  at  the  Jewish  court.  "  Hia 
mother,"  we  are  expressly  tokl  (3  Chron.  22  :  3), 
"was  his  counsellor  to  do  wickedly."  The 
Baal-worship,  begun  under  Jehoram,  was,  by 
Athaliah's  iufiuencc,  extended  and  advanced  in 
honor  ;  the  Temple  worsliip  was  suppressed, 
the  Temple  itself  treated  with  violence  (2  Chron. 
24  :  7),  and  precious  ornaments  and  offerings, 
once  dedicated  to  Jehovah,  and  iilaced  reverent- 
ly within  the  Temple  limits,  were  torn  rudely 
from  the  sacred  building,  and  transferred  to 
the  sanctuary  of  Baal,  where  the  court  wor- 
shipped, prostrating  themselves  before  the 
images  of  the  Baalim.  The  sanctuary  was 
committed  to  the  care  of  its  own  high-priest, 
Mattan,  who  probably  took  the  place  of  the 
Aaronic  high-priest  in  the  court  ceremonial  and 
the  national  ceremonies.  In  political  affaii-s 
iVhaziah  allowed  his  uncle,  Jehoram  of  Israel, 
his  mother's  brother,  to  guide  his  conduct.  At 
the  request  of  Jehoram,  he  accompanied  him  in 
his  expedition  against  Ramoth-Gilead,  when 
the  city  was  at  last  captured  and  reoccupicd. 
From  Ramoth-Gilead  he  returned  to  his  capi- 
tal ;  but  subsequently,  on  the  return  of  Jeho- 
ram to  Jezreel  to  be  healed  of  his  wounds, 
Ahaziah  made  the  journey  from  Jerusalem  to 
Jezreel  to  visit  his  sick  relative.  He  had  pro- 
longed his  visit  to  the  time  when  Jehu,  freshly 
anointed  by  Elisha's  mes.senger,  brought  the 
news  of  his  own  rebellion  to  the  Israelite  court, 
and  taking  Jehoram  unawares,  slew  him  with 
his  own  hand  (2  K.  9  :  24).  Ahaziah  had  just 
time  to  turn  and  fly  ;  but  he  was  pursued  by 
Jehu's  orders,  overtaken,  and  wounded  to  the 
death.  His  servants  conveyed  the  dead  body 
to  Jerusalem,  where  it  was  laiil  with  all  due 
honors  in  the  sepulchre  of  the  kings  (/A/(/.,  verse 
28).     G.  R. 

2  Chron.  22:2.  Ahaziah.  the  sixth  king 
of  Judah,  was  twenty-two  years  old  at  his  ac- 


SECTION  34.     REIGN  OF  ATHALIAH. 


303 


cession,  and  reigned  only  one  year.  Being  the 
sou  of  Atlialiah,  daushter  of  Ahab,  he  was 
nepliew  to  Jehoram,  liing  of  Israel,  a  coujune- 
tion  which  threatened  the  establisliment  of 
idolatry  in  both  kingdoms  ;  for  Ahaziah  was 
addicted  to  all  the  evil  practices  of  the  house  of 
Ahab.  But,  as  if  the  presence  of  Ahab's  grand- 
son on  the  throne  of  David  had  filled  up  the 
measure  of  God's  forbearance,  both  kings  were 
cut  off  by  one  stroke.  P.  S.  (See  Reign  of 
Jehoram  of  Israel,  Section  17.) 

Forty  and  two  years.  This  number  is 
impossible,  since  Ahaziah's  father,  Jehoram, 
was  but  fort}'  when  he  died.  We  must  read 
twenty-two  for  forty-two,  and  thus  bring  the 
passage  into  agreement  with  3  K.  8  :  26.  G.  R. 
Current  opinion,  as  represented  in  the  arti- 
cles in  Smith's  Bible  Dictionary,  in  the  Lange 
commentaries,  the  Speaker's  Commentary,  etc., 
regards  the  chronological  numerals  given  in 
this  part  of  the  Bible  as  very  corrupt.  My  own 
studies  lead  me  to  a  different  conclusion.  The 
forty -two  of  3  Chron.  33  :  3  shtnild,  of  course, 
be  twenty-two,  as  it  is  in  Kings.  To  under- 
stand these  numbers,  the  following  points 
should  be  noted  :  1.  The  year,  in  the.se  narra- 
tives, is  not  properly  a  measure  of  time,  but  is 
the  period  between  two  spring  equinoxes.  A 
given  number  of  years  is  the  number  of  such 
periods  wholly  or  partly  covered  by  the  event 
mentioned.  It  may  or  may  not  agree  with  the 
actual  measure  of  the  time.  Jesus  lay  in  the 
grave  three  days,  though  the  whole  time  of  His 
lying  there  was  less  than  the  length  of  two 
days.  2.  When  a  king  died  during  a  year,  the 
whole  year  was  counted  to  his  reign.  Some- 
times the  same  year  was  also  counted  to  his 
successor.  When  it  was  not  so  counted,  the 
successor  might  actually  reign  several  months 
before  his  "  first  year"  began.  3.  When  a  king 
is  said  to  have  come  to  the  throne  in  a  certain 
year  of  another  king,  the  beginning  of  his  first 
year  may  coincide  with  either  tlie  beginning  of 
the  spedfied  j-ear  of  the  other  king,  or  with  the 
close  of  that  year.     W,  J.  B.     (See  Section  3.) 

6.  Azariall.  The  writer  of  Chronicles 
calls  this  prince  indifferently  Jehoahaz  and 
Ahaziah,  In  this  place  the  present  text  has 
Azariah  ;  but  this  is  probably  a  corruption. 
Jehoahaz  and  Ahaziah  are  equivalent  names, 
composed  of  identically  the  same  elements,  the 
only  difference  being  that  the  order  of  the  two 
roots  is  inverted.  A  similar  inversion  is  found 
later  in  the  history,  where  the  same  king  is 
called  indifferently  Jcchon-iah  and  Jeho-iachin. 
Ahaziah  is  the  imly  form  of  the  name  used  by 
the  writer  of  Kings. 


7.  The  destruction  of  Ahaziah  was 
of  God.  It  is  not  meant  that  there  was  any- 
thing supernatural  in  the  cireimistances  of 
Ahaziah's  death,  but  only  that  his  untimely 
end  was  in  fact  a  judgment  upon  him  for  his 
idolatry.  Divine  providence,  working  by  nat- 
ural causes,  brought  it  about  that  his  visit  to 
Jehoram  should  fall  exactly  at  the  time  of 
Jehu's  revolt,  whence  it  came  to  pass  that  he 
was  involved  in  his  uncle's  destruction.     B.  C. 

9.  The  fate  of  the  king  of  Judah  is  variously 
related.  According  to  the  account  in  the  Chron- 
icles, he  fled  to  Samaria  when  Jorara  was  killed, 
was  found  hidden  there,  and  was  brought  to 
Jehu,  who  put  him  to  death,  but  granted  him 
an  honorable  burial  from  respect  to  the  memory 
of  Jelioshaphat.  The  narrative  in  Kings  cer- 
tainly conveys  the  impression  at  first  sight 
that  Jehu,  after  mortally  wounding  Joram, 
turned  to  pursue  the  king  of  Judah  (a  step  im- 
probable in  itself,  and  inconsistent  with  the 
rest  of  the  same  narrative),  and  that  Ahaziah 
was  mortallj'  wounded  at  the  pass  of  Gvir,  near 
Ibleam,  and  died  when  he  reached  Megiddo. 
This  pursuit  may  have  taken  place  in  conse- 
quence of  his  being  pointed  out  to  Jehu  while 
attempting  to  escape  from  Samaria,  but  we 
cannot  expect  to  clear  up  every  difficulty  in 
such  brief  and  ancient  histories.  This  much  is 
clear,  that  his  body  was  carried  to  Jerusalem 
and  buried  in  the  sepulchre  of  the  kings. 
P.  S. 

Reign   of    Athali.^h,  Queen    Mother,   Six 

Years. 

Ist  to  7th  of  Jehu,  of  Israel. 

3  Chronicles  22  :  10-13  ;   33  : 1-15  ;   3  Kings 
11  : 1-16. 

With  the  accession  of  Jehu  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  house  of  Ahab,  and  with  the  ill- 
fated  alliance  between  the  doomed  race  of  Ahab 
and  the  descendants  of  David,  the  last  period  in 
the  history  of  Israel  and  Judah's  national  de- 
cline had  begun.  The  measure  was  not  only 
full,  but  the  Hand  hitherto' lifted  in  threatening 
was  no  longer  stayed.  We  have  reached  a 
period  of  judgments  when  each  follows  the 
other  with  only  brief  intermission.  Of  the 
events  in  Israel  connected  with  the  rebellion  of 
Jehu,  of  the  character  of  the  religious  changes 
introduced  by  him,  and  of  the  troubles  and 
difficulties  of  the  military  monarchy  which  he 
founded,  we  recall  only  these  points  :  1.  The 
literal  fulfilment  of  the  prophetic  predictions 
concerning  the  house  of  Ahab.  3.  The  reac- 
tion from  Baal-worship  to  the  calf -worship  of 


304 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


Jeroboam.  But  the  full  import  of  these  events 
will  only  Iii'  perceived  as  we  murk  their  direct 
and  iudirect  iiilluence  on  the  history  of  Judah. 
The  union  between  Jehoram,  the  son  of  Jjhosh- 
aphat,  and  Athaliah,  the  daughter  of  Ahab 
and  Jezebel,  had  introduced  apostasy,  and 
brousht  calamity  to  the  house  of  David.  If 
the  marriage  luid  bfcn  planned  from  political 
motives,  perhaps  in  the  hope  of  an  ultimate  re- 
union of  the  two  kingdoms,  or  at  least  with  the 
expectation  of  a  lirm  and  close  alliance  between 
them,  the  result  speedily  showed  the  folly  of 
ftttemiiling  to  achieve  imaginary  successes  by 
subordinating  principle  to  so-called  policj'.  In- 
deed, this  is  one  of  the  lessons  which  through- 
out make  the  history  of  Israel  typical  of  that  of 
the  Church,  and  in  a  sense  of  all  history,  and 
which  constitute  its  claim  to  the  designation  of 
"  prophetic."  In  it  events  move,  so  to  speak, 
in  step  with  the  utterances  of  the  God  of  Israel. 
No  direct  or  sudden  interference  seems  neces- 
sary ;  but  in  the  regular  succession  of  events, 
each  deviation  from  Divine  order  and  rule,  each 
attempt  to  compass  results  by  departure  from 
God's  law  and  word,  brings  with  it  not  suc- 
cess, but  failure  and  ruin.  From  her  entrance 
into  her  new  home  in  Judah  to  her  seizure  of 
its  throne  Athaliah  brought  it  only  evil.  She 
was  her  .son's  "  counsellor  to  do  wickedly," 
and  her  influence  for  evil  must  have  commenced 
in  the  previous  I'cign  of  her  husband,  Jehoram. 
To  the  influence  of  "the  house  of  Ah.ib"  are 
expressly  traced,  both  in  the  reign  of  .Tehoram 
and  in  that  of  Ahaziah,  the  revival  of  idol- 
atry, the  desecration  of  the  Temple  of  Jehovah 
(2  Chron.  24 :  7)  and  those  evil  counsellings  (2 
Chron.  23  :  4)  which  brought  such  Divine  judg- 
ments (3  Chron.  13,  14,  16,  17  ;  23  :  7).  To  her, 
we  cannot  doubt,  was  due  not  only  the  slaugh- 
ter of  his  "brethren,"  with  which  Jehoram 
stained  the  beginning  of  his  reign  (3  Chron. 
21  :  4),  but  the  destruction  by  Jehu  of  so  large; 
a  number  of  the  remaining  royal  princes  of  Ju- 
dah (3  Chron.  22  :  7,  8).  And  if  her  murderous 
purpose  on  seizing  the  government  had  been 
wholly  successful,  the  political  union  between 
the  house  of  Ahab  and  that  of  Jchoshaphat 
would  have  ended  in  the  extermination  of  the 
whole  house  of  David.  There  is  not  a  scene  in 
Jewish  history  more  vividly  depicted  than  that 
of  Athaliah's  seizure  of  the  Jewish  crown,  and 
of  her  miserable  end.  It  seems  more  than  like- 
ly that  on  his  ill-fated  exiK'dilion  to  the  court 
of  Israel  Jehoram  ha<l  entrusted  the  govern- 
ment of  the  kingdom  to  his  mother,  who  had 
all  along  exercised  such  determining  influence 
upon  him.    A.  E. 


2  Cbron.  22  :  10.  Athaliah  had  inherited 
the  spirit  of  Jezebel,  her  mother.  As  wife  of 
Jehoram  and  mother  of  Ahaziah  she  had  guided 
both  the  internal  and  the  external  policy  of  the 
Jewish  kingdom  ;  she  had  procured  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  worship  of  Baal  in  Judea  (2  K. 
8  :  18,  27),  and  had  maintained  a  close  alliance 
with  the  sistiT  kingdom  (ibid.,  verse  29  ;  10  ;  13). 
The  revolution  elfectcd  by  Jelni  touched  her 
nearly.  It  struck  away  from  her  the  entire  sup- 
port which  she  derived  from  the  power  and 
grandeur  of  her  relatives  and  their  readiness  to 
help  her  at  need.  It  isolated  her  religious  sys- 
tem, severing  the  communication  with  Phoeni- 
cia. Moreover,  the  death  of  Ahaziah  deprived 
her  of  her  legal  status  in  Judea,  which  was 
that  of  Oebirah,  or  Queen-Mother,  and  trans- 
ferred that  position  to  the  chief  wife  of  her  de- 
ceased son.  Under  these  circimistances,  which 
might  well  have  daunted  even  a  woman  of 
more  than  ordinary  courage,  Atlialiah's  heredi- 
tary spirit  and  energy  asserted  itself.  Instead 
of  yielding  to  the  storm,  or  merely  standing  on 
the  defensive,  she  resolved  to  become  the  as- 
sailant, and  before  any  plans  could  be  formed 
against  her,  to  strike.  In  the  absence  of  her 
son,  hers  was  probably  the  chief  authority  at 
Jerusalem.  She  used  it  to  command  the  imme- 
diate destruction  of  all  the  seed  royal — that  is, 
of  all  Ahaziah 's  sons  and  nephews,  thus  (as  she 
believed)  entirely  exterminating  the  family  of 
David,  which  had  been  already  thinned  by 
previous  ma-ss.icres  (2  Chrtm.  21  :  4,  17  ;  2  K. 
10  ;  14).     She  then  seized  the  throne. 

II,  12.  Jehoiada,  the  high-priest,  was  mar- 
ried to  Jehosheba,  a  sister — probably  a  half- 
sister  only — of  Ahaziah,  who  in  virtue  of  her 
near  relationship  had  free  access  to  the  royal 
palace,  and  was  there  when  Athaliah  made  her 
attempt  to  destroy  the  entire  seed  royal. 
Powerless  to  thwart  the  will  of  the  Queen- 
Mother,  .lehosheba  nevertheless  contrived  to 
prevent  its  full  accomplishment  by  secreting 
one  of  the  children  of  the  late  king,  an  infant 
boy  who  had  received  the  name  of  Joash.  The 
child  remained  concealed  in  the  sacred  edifice 
for  six  entire  years,  without  the  queen  having 
the  slightest  suspicion  of  his  existence. 

2S  :  1-15.  On  a  certain  Sabbath  day,  Jehoi- 
ada, having  first  made  an  arrangement  with 
the  captains  of  the  royal  body-guard,  whom  he 
.secretly  introduced  into  the  Temple,  showed 
the  young  prince,  and  bovmd  by  oath  to  es- 
pouse his  cause,  brought  to  the  Temple  a 
strong  body  of  Levitcs  (3  Chron.  23  :  1-8),  and 
at  the  same  time  concentrated  on  the  spot  four 
out  of  the  five  divisions  of  the  body-guard,  one 


SECTION  35. 


305 


being  left  to  guard  the  palace.  A  stand  or 
platform  was  prepared,  on  which  the  king  wsus 
to  take  his  place,  so  that  he  might  be  visible  to 
all  ;  and  the  soldiers,  to  whom  Jehoiiifla  dis- 
tributed arms  that  had  belonged  to  David  out 
of  the  Temple  armory,  were  ordered  to  kill  an_Y 
one  who  attempted  to  penetrate  their  ranks. 
Everj'thing  being  prepared,  the  high-priest, 
amid  general  expectation,  "  brought  forth  the 
king's  son"  (3  K.  11  :  13),  placed  him  on  his 
pedestal,  and  then  solemnly  put  upon  his  head 
"  the  crown  and  the  Testimony."  The  crown, 
or  diadem,  was  probably  a  gold  band  studded 
with  jewels  ;  the  Testimony  must  have  been  a 
"  Book  of  the  Law" — probably  that  which  was 
kept  ordinarily  in  the  Arlv  of  the  Covenant  (De. 
31  ;  36).  Finally,  the  holy  oil  was  brought  out, 
and  the  young  prince  anointed  with  it  by  Jehoi- 
ada  and  his  sons,  who  at  the  same  time  raised 
the  cry — "Long  live  the  king" — which  was 
taken  up  by  the  bystanders,  guards,  Levites 
and  people,  and  swelled  into  a  shout  that  rent 
the  air  and  was  heard  afar.  Meantime,  the 
trumpets  blared,  the  cymbals  clashed,  the  sing- 
ers raised  liymns  of  praise  ;  the  entire  multi- 
tude that  filled  the  Temple  courts  joined  in  the 
ccleliration,  and  with  loud  acclaim  hailed  the 
Davidie  king.  Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  the 
deafening  roar,  Atbaliah  entered.  At  a  glance 
she  saw  that  all  was  lost,  and  rending  her 
robes,  .she  cried  out,  "  Conspiracy  !  conspir- 
acy !"  and  turned  away.  Jehoiada  bade  the 
soldiers  let  her  retire,  but  follow  her  up,  and 
as  soon  as  she  was  outside  the  Temple,  put  her 
to  death.  His  orders  were  executed,  and  Atba- 
liah, escorted  by  the  body-guard  through  the 
long  array  of  armed  Levites  and  exulting  mul- 


titudes untouched  and  unhanned,  passed  out 
by  the  "  horse  gate"  into  the  Tyropoeon  valley, 
and  there  met  her  death.  Thus  perished  Atha- 
liah,  the  last  survivor  of  the  house  of  Omri,  so 
far  as  we  know — a  bold,  bad  woman,  but  one 
whose  unblenching  courage  compels  our  re- 
spect.    G.  R. 

14,  15.  There  needs  no  formal  seat  of  jus- 
tice in  so  apparent  t)fience.  Jehoiada  passes 
the  sentence  of  death  upon  her  :  "  Have  her 
forth  ;  let  her  not  be  slain  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord  ;  and  him  that  foUoweth  her  kill  with  the 
sword."  Had  not  this  usurpation  been  palpa- 
ble, Jehoiada  would  not  have  presumed  to  inter- 
meddle ;  now,  being  both  the  priest  of  God  and 
uncle  and  protector  to  the  lawful  king,  he  doth 
that  out  of  the  necessity  of  the  state  which  his 
infant  sovereign,  if  he  could  have  been  capable 
of  those  thoughts,  would  have  desired.  How 
like  is  Athaliah  to  her  mother,  Jezebel  ;  as  in 
conditions  and  carriage,  so  even  in  death  ;  both 
killed  violently  ;  both  killed  under  their  own 
walls  ;  both  slain  with  treason  In  their  mouths  ; 
both  slain  in  the  entrance  of  a  changed  govern- 
ment ;  one  trod  on  by  the  horses,  the  other 
slain  in  the  horse  gate  !  Botli  paiil  their  own 
blood  for  the  innocent  blood  of  others.     Bp.  H. 


The  two  accounts  supplement  each  other,  the 
writer  of  Chronicles,  as  usually,  telling  tlie  part 
which  the  priesthood  sustained  in  the  national 
rising,  while  the  writer  of  the  Book  of  Kings 
simply  relates  the  part  taken  by  the  secular 
power.  Thus  the  one  narrates  what  was  spe- 
cially done  by  the  Levites,  the  other  what  by 
the  military  ;  yet  each  also  giving  indicutinus 
of  the  co-operation  of  the  other  actors.     A.  E. 


Section  35. 


REIGN  OF  JOASri    OK  JEIIOASH,  FORTY   YEARS.  ^ 
7tii  of  Jeliu  to  Ist  of  Jelioasli,  of  Israel. 


2  CriRONiCLES  23  :  16-31  ;  24  :  1-27. 

2^ :  16  And  Jehoiada  made  a  covenant  be- 
tween himself,  and  all  the  people,  and  the 
king,  that  they  should  be  the  Lord's  people. 

17  And  all  the  people  went  to  the  house  of 
Baal,  and  brake  it  down,  and  brake  his  altars 
and  his  images  in  pieces,  and  slew  Mattan 

18  the  priest  of  Baal  before  the  altars.     And 


2  Kings  11  :  17-31  ;  13  :  1-21. 

1 1  :  17  And  Jehoiada  made  a  covenant  be- 
tween the  L<iRD  and  the  king  and  the  people, 
that  they  should  be  the  Lord's  people  :  be- 
18  tween  the  king  also  and  the  people.  And  all 
the  people  of  the  laud  went  to  the  house  of 
Baal,  and  brake  it  down  ;  his  altars  and  his 
images  brake  they  in  pieces  thoroughly,  and 


30G 


KINGDOM  OF  Jl'DATI. 


Jphoiada  appointed  the  offlces  of  the  house 
of  the  Loud  under  the  hand  of  the  priests 
till-  Levltes,  whom  David  liad  distributed 
in  the  house  of  tlie  Loud,  to  offer  the  burnt 
offerinjrs  of  tlie  Loud,  as  it  is  written  in  tlie 
law  of  Moses,  with  njiiicinj;  and  with  sing- 

li»  ing,  acoordinir  to  the  order  of  David.  And 
he  set  tlie  ])orters  at  llie  j;>i'es  of  tlic  liouse 
of  tlie  Ijiud,  that  none  whieh  was  unclean 

2(1  in  any  thinj;  should  enter  in.  And  he  took 
the  captains  of  hundreds,  and  the  nobles, 
and  the  governors  of  the  people,  and  al!  the 
people  of  the  land,  and  brought  down  the 
king  from  the  house  of  the  Loud  :  and  they 
came  through  the  upper  gale  unto  the 
knig's   house,    and   set  the  king  upon  the 

2t  throne  of  the  kingdom.  So  all  the  people 
of  the  land  rejoiced,  and  the  city  was  quiet  : 
and  they  slew  Athaliah  with  tlie  sword. 

24  :  1  Joash  -was  seven  years  old  when 
he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned  forty 
years  in  Jerusalem  :  and  his  mother's  name 

2  was  Zibiah  of  Beer-sheba.  And  Joash  did 
that  which  was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Loud   all  the  days  of  Jehoiada  the  priest. 

3  And  Jehoiada  took  for  him  two  wives  ;  and 

4  he  begat  sons  and  daughters.     And  it  came 
.  to  pass  after  this,  that  Joash  was  minded  to 

5  restore  the  house  of  the  Loud.  And  \u- 
gathered  together  the  priests  and  the  Le- 
vites,  and  said  to  them,  Go  out  unto  the 
cities  of  Judah,  and  gather  of  all  Israel 
money  to  repair  the  house  of  your  God 
from  year  to  year,  and  see  that  ye  hasten 
the  matter.     Ilowbeit  the  Ijcvites  hastened 

6  it  not.  And  the  king  called  for  Jehoiada 
tlie  chief,  and  said  unto  him,  Why  hast  thou 
not  required  of  the  Levitea  to  liring  in  out 
of  Judah  and  out  of  Jernsuleni  the  tax  of 
Sloses  the  servant  of  the  Loud,  and  of  the 
congregation  of  Israel,  for  the  tent  of  the 

7  testimony  ?  For  the  sons  of  Athaliah,  that 
wicked  woman,  had  broken  up  the  house  of 
God  ;  and  also  all  the  dedicated  things  of 
the  liouse  of  the  Lord  did  they  bestow  upon 

8  the  Baalim.  So  the  king  commanded,  and 
Ihcy  made  a  chest,  and  set  it  without  at  the 

9  gate  of  the  house  of  the  Loud.  And  they 
made  a  proclamation  through  Judah  and 
Jerusalem,  to  bring  in  for  the  Lonn  the  tax 
that   Muses  the  servant  of  God  laid  upon 

10  Israel  in  the  wilderness.  And  all  the 
princes  and  all  the  people  rejoiced,  and 
brought  in,   and  cast  into  the  chest,  until 

11  Ihcy  had  made  an  end.  And  it  was  so,  that 
al  what  time  the  chest  was  brought  unto 
the  king's  office  by  the  hand  of  the  Levites. 


slew  Mattan  the  priest  of  Baal  before  the 
altars.      And  the  priest  appointed   officers 

19  over  the  house  of  the  Loud.  And  he  took 
the  cajitains  over  hundreds,  and  the  Carites. 
and  the  guard,  and  all  the  jieople  of  the 
land  :  and  they  t)roiiglit  down  the  king  from 
the  house  of  the  Ijoud,  and  came  b}-  the  way 
of  the  gate  of  the  guard  unto  the  king's 
hou.se.     And  he  sat  on   the   throne  of  the 

20  kings.  So  all  the  people  of  the  land  re- 
joiced,  and  the   city  wius  quiet  :    and  they 

ew  Athaliah  with  the  sword  at  the  king's 
liouse. 

21  Jehoash  was  seven  yeai-s  old  when  he  be- 
Vi  gan  to  reign.     In  the  .seventh  year  of  Jehu 

began  Jehoash  to  reign  ;    and   he   reigned 
forty  years  in  Jerusalem     and  his  mother's 

2  name  was  Zibiah  of  IJeer-sheba.  And  Jeho- 
sLsh  did  that  which  was  rii;ht  in  the  eyes  of 
the  Loud  all  his  days  wherein  Jehoiada  the 

3  priest  instructed  him.  Howbeit  the  high 
lilaccs  were  not  taken  away  :  the  people  still 
sacrificed  and  burnt  incense  in  the  high 
places. 

4  And  Jehoash  said  to  the  priests.  All  tin; 
money  of  the  hallowed  things  that  is 
brought  into  the  liou.se  of  the  Loud,  in  cur- 
rent money,  the  money  of  the  persons  for 
whom  each  man  is  rated,  and  all  the  money 
that  it  Cometh  into  an}'  man's  heart  to  bring 

5  into  the  house  of  the  Loud,  let  the  priests 
take  it  to  them,  every  man  from  his  acquaint- 
ance :  and  they  shall  repair  the  breaches  of 
the  house,  wheresoever  any  breach  shall  he 

6  found.  But  it  was  so,  that  in  the  three  and 
twentieth  year  of  king  Jehoash  the  priests 
had  not  repaired  the  breaches  of  the  house. 

7  Then  king  Jehoash  called  for  Jehoiada  the 
priest,  and  for  the  other  priests,  and  said 
unto  them.  Why  repair  ye  not  the  breaches 
of  the  house  ?  now  therefore  take  no  more 
money  from  your  acquaintance,  but  deliver 

8  it  for  the  breaches  of  the  house.  And  the 
priests  consented  that  they  should  take  no 
more  money  from  the  people,  neither  repair 

9  the  breaches  of  the  house.  But  Jehoiada 
the  jiriest  took  a  chest,  and  bored  a  hole  in 
the  lid  of  it,  and  set  it  beside  the  altar,  on 
the  right  side  as  one  comet  h  into  the  house 
of  the  Loud  :  and  the  priests  that  kept  the 
door  put  therein  all   the   money  that  was 

10  brought  into  the  house  of  the  Loud.  And 
it  was  so,  when  they  saw  that  there  was 
much  money  in  the  chest,  tliat  the  king's 
scribe  and  the  high  priest  came  up,  and  they 
put  up  in  bags  and  told  the  money  that  was 

11  found  in  the  house  of  the  Loud.     And  they 


SECTION  35.     REIGN  OP  JOASH. 


307 


and  \\iion  they  saw  Unit  there  was  mucli 
money,  the  king's  scribe  and  the  chief 
priest's  officer  came  and  emptied  the  chest, 
and  took  it,  and  carried  it  to  its  place  again. 
Thus  they  did  day  by  day,  and  gathered 

12  money  in  abundance.  And  the  king  and 
Jchoiada  gave  it  to  sucli  as  did  the  work  of 
the  service  of  the  house  of  the  Loud  ;  and 
tliey  hireil  masons  and  carpenters  to  restore 
the  Iiouse  of  the  Loud,  and  also  such  as 
wrought     iron    and     brass    to   repair    the 

13  house  of  the  Lord.  So  the  workmen 
wrought,  and  the  work  was  perfected  b}- 
them,  and  they  set  up  the  house  of  God  in 

14  its  state,  and  strengthened  it.  And  when 
they  had  made  an  end,  they  brought  the  rest 
of  the  money  before  the  king  and  Jchoiada, 
whereof  were  made  vessels  for  the  house  of 
the  Loud,  even  vessels  to  minister,  and 
to  oiler  withal,  and  spoons,  and  vessels  of 
gold  and  silver.  And  they  offered  burnt 
ofiEerings   in   the   house   of   the  Lohd  con- 

15  tinnally  all  the  days  of  Jchoiada.  But  Je- 
hoia<la  wa.xed  old  and  was  full  of  days,  and 
he  died  ;  an  hundred  and  thirty  years  old 

16  was  he  when  he  died.  And  they  buried  him 
in  the  city  of  David  among  the  kings,  be- 
cause he  had  done    good    in  Israel,    and 

17  toward  God  and  his  house.  Now  after  the 
death  of  Jchoiada  came  the  princes  of  Judah, 
and  made  obeisance  to  the  king.     Then  the 

18  king  hearkened  unto  them.  And  they  for- 
sook the  hou.se  of  the  Lokd,  the  God  of  their 
fatliers,  and  served  the  Asherim  and  the 
idols  :    and  wrath  came   upon  Judah   and 

19  Jerusalem  for  this  their  guiltiness.  Yet  he 
sent  prophets  to  them,  to  bring  them  again 
unto  the  Lord  ;  and  they  testified  against 
them  :  but  they  would  not  give  car.     And 

20  the  spirit  of  God  came  upon  Zechariali  the 
son  of  Jchoiada  the  priest  ;  and  he  stood 
above  the  people,  and  said  unto  them.  Thus 
saith  God,  Why  transgress  ye  the  command- 
ments of  the  Lord,  that  ye  cannot  prosper  '? 
because  ye  have  forsaken  the  Lord,  he  hath 

31  also  forsaken  you.  And  they  conspired 
against  him,  and  stoned  him  with  stones  at 


gave  the  money  that  was  weighed  o>it  into 
the  hands  of  them  that  did  tlie  work,  that 
had  the  oversight  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  : 
and  tliey  paid  it  out  to  the  carpenters  and 
the  builders,  that  wrought  upon  the  house 

12  of  the  Lord,  and  to  the  masons  and  the  hew- 
ers of  stone,  and  for  buying  timber  and 
hewn  stone  to  repair  the  breaches  of  tlie 
house  of  the  Lord,  and  for  all  that  was  laid 

13  out  for  the  house  to  repair  it.  But  there 
were  not  made  for  the  house  of  the  Loud 
cups  of  silver,  snuffers,  basons,  trumpets, 
any  vessels  of  gold,  or  vessels  of  silver,  of 
the  money  that  was  brought  into  the  house 

14  of  the  Lord  :  for  they  gave  that  to  them 
that  did  the  work,  and  repaired  therewith 

15  the  house  of  the  Lord.  Moreover  they 
reckoned  not  with  the  men,  into  whose  hand 
they  delivered  the  money  to  give  to  them 
that  did  the  work  :  for  they  dealt  faithfully. 

16  The  money  for  the  guilt  offerings,  and  the 
money  for  the  sin  offerings,  was  not  brought 
into  the  house  of  the  Lord  ;  it  was  the 
priests'. 

17  Then  Hazael  king  of  Syria  went  up,  and 
fought  against  Gath,  and  took  it  ;  and 
Hazael  set  his  face  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem. 

18  And  Jehoash  king  of  Judah  took  all  the  hal- 
lowed things  that  Jehoshaphat,  and  Jeho- 
ram,  and  Ahaziah,  his  fathers,  kings  of 
Judah.  had  dedicated,  and  his  own  hallowed 
things,  and  all  the  gold  that  was  found  in 
the  treasiu'cs  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and 
of  the  king's  house,  and  sent  it  to  Hazael 
king   of  Syria  :    and  he  went    away  frcm 

19  Jerusalem.  Xow  the  rest  of  the  acts  of 
Joash,  and  all  that  he  did,  are  they  not  writ- 
ten in  the  book   of  the   chronicles   of  the 

20  kings  of  Judah  ?  And  his  servants  arose, 
and  made  a  conspiracy,  and  smote  Joash  at 
the  house  of  Millo.  ojt  the  icay  that  goeth 

21  down  to  Silla.  For  Jozacar  the  son  of 
Shimeath,  and  Jehozabad  the  son  of  Shomer, 
his  servants,  smote  him,  and  he  died  ;  and 
they  buried  him  with  his  fathers  in  the  city 
of  David  :  and  iVmaziah  liis  son  reigned  in 
his  stead. 


the  commandment  of  the  king  in  the  court 

22  of  the  house  of  the  Lord.  Thus  Joash  the  king  remembered  not  the  kindness  which  Jehoiada 
his  father  had  done  to  him,  but  slew  his  son.     And  when  he  died,  he  said.  The  Lord  look 

23  upon  it,  and  require  it.  And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  the  year,  tliat  the  army  of  tht; 
Syrians  came  up  against  him  :  and  they  came  to  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  and  destroyed  all  the 
princes  of  the  people  from  among  the  people,  and  sent  all  the  spoil  of  them  unto  the  king  of 

24  Damascus.  For  the  army  of  the  Syrians  came  with  a  small  company  of  men  ;  and  the 
Lord  delivered  a  very  great  host  into  their  hand,  because  they  had  forsaken  the  Lord,  the 

25  God  of  their  fathers.  So  they  executed  judgement  upon  Joash.  And  when  they  were 
departed  from  him,  (for  they  left  him  in  great  diseases,)  his  own  servants  conspired  against 


:J08 


KIXODOM  OF  JUDAII. 


liiiii  for  the  blood  of  Ihe  sons  of  Jehoiada  the  iiricst,  and  slew  him  on  liis  bi'd.  and  lie  dkd  : 
and  they  biiried  him  iu  tho  city  of  David,  but  they  buried  him  not  in  the  scpulclires  of  the 

26  kini^s.     And  tliesc  are  they  that  conspired  against  liim  ;  Ziibud  the  son  of  Shimeatli  tlie 

27  Ammonitess,  and  .Icliozabad  the  son  of  Shimrith  the  Moabitess.  Now  concerning  Ins  sons, 
and  the  greatness  of  tlie  burdens  Inid  upon  him,  and  tlie  rebuilding  of  the  house  of  (Jod, 
behold,  they  are  written  in  the  commentary  of  the  book  of  the  kings.  And  Amaziah  his  son 
reigned  iu  his  slead. 


Jeuoiada's  Covenant   Hktwkkn'   t\w.  Lord, 
TiiK  King   and  thic  Pkoi'i.k. 

2  Chronicles  •i:i  :  Ui-H  :  2  Kiii(/.H  11  ;  17-20. 

Jehoiada  completed  the  second  part  of  the 
royal  iiistallalion  by  a  twofold  solemn  act,  of 
which  the  liret  consisted  in  a  covenant  by  which 
the  new  king  and  the  people  bound  themselves 
to  renewed  allegiani'e  to  JiOiovah  ;  while  by 
the  second  the  king  similarly  bound  himself  to 
the  people,  no  doubt  to  rule  in  aeeonlance  with 
the  law  as  laid  down  in  the  Book  of  Deuteron- 
omy (2  K.  11  :  17).  The  ancient  God-appointed 
constitution  in  Church  and  State  having  thus 
been  re-established,  the  new  king  was  con- 
ducted in  state'  to  tlie  palace  by  the  principal 
entrance,  and  formally  enthroned.  It  was 
probably  after  this  that  the  people  proceeded 
to  the  hou.se  of  Baal,  wholly  destroying  it  and 
its  altars  and  images,  and  slaying  Mattan,  the 
priest  of  Baal.  The  religious  reformation  thus 
inaugurated  was  completed  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  officials  required  to  superintend 
and  carry  on  the  orderly  worehip  of  the  temple 
as  we  infer  from  2  Chron.  23  :  18,  19,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  arrangements  originally  made 
by  David,  but  which  had  since  fallen  into 
desueludi'.  And  the  whole  account  of  this  re- 
ligious revolution  concludes  with  this  signiti- 
cant  record  :  "  And  all  the  people  of  the  land 
rejoiced,  and  the  city  was  in  quiet."     A.  E. 

After  the  coronation  of  Joash,  described  in 
the  last  section,  Jehoiada,  whose  position  seems 
to  have  given  him  the  regency  without  any 
need  of  formal  appointment,  took  the  oppor- 
tunity of  the  great  gathering  in  the  Temple, 
and  the  general  exaltation  of  feeling  produced 
by  the  events  of  the  day,  to  binil  the  people 
afresh  to  God  by  a  solemn  league  and  covenant, 
so  that  "  the  joyous  festival  of  homage  to  the 
young  king  became  on  this  occiision  identical 
with  that  of  renewed  alU'giance  to  Jehovah." 
Such  a. solemn  covenant  had  been  first  made  by 
the  nation  at  Sinai  (Ex.  24  :  3-8)  ;  but  there  had 
been  a  repetition  of  it  in  the  fifteenth  year  of 
Asa  (3  Chron.  13  :  9-15)  after  the  half  apostasy 
of  Hehoboam  and  Abijam  ;  and  Jehoiada  now, 
( ither  fidlowing  this  example,  or  moved  by  his 
own   feeling   of  what   was   right  and   fitting. 


caused  the  nation  for  the  third  time  to  renew 
the  sacred  engagement.  Later  in  the  history, 
Ilezekiah  (3  Chron.  29:10)  and  Josiah  (///«/., 
34  :  41)  did  the  .same,  regarding  such  solemn 
renewal  of  obligations  as  necessary,  or  at  any 
rate  appropriate,  whenever  the  nation  gen- 
erally had  fallen  away  from  God  and  lap.sed 
into  idolatry.     G.  U. 

Rkign  ok  Joash. 
2  UhronideH  24  :  1-27  ;  2  Kinfis  12  :  1-21. 

The  reign  of  Joash.  king  of  Judah,  extended 
over  the  unusually  long  period  of  forty  years. 
Acceding  to  the  throne  in  the  seventh  year  of 
Jehu,  king  of  Israel,  he  survived  not  only  that 
monarch  and  his  son  and  successor,  Jehoahaz. 
but  also  witnessed  thi^  accession  of  Jehoash  of 
Israel.     A.  E. 

t2.  All  the  days  orJclioindn.  Jehoiada 
lived  after  the  accession  of  .To:ish  at  le:Lst 
twenty -three  years  (2  K.  12  :  6).  juobably 
twenty-live  or  thirty.  Thus  the  idolatries  of 
Joash  were  confined  to  his  last  ten  or  fifteen 
years. 

1  K.  12 : 2.  All  liis  days,  wherein 
Jeliolada  the  |>ric!$t  instructed  liiui. 
Nothing  more  is  told  us  of  the  minority  of  Je- 
hoash. But  we  may  gather  from  this,  that 
Jehoiada  was,  practically  speaking,  regent 
while  it  lasted.  An  increase  of  power  to  the 
priestly  order  was  the  natural  consequence  of 
this  new  position  of  the  chief  priest  of  the  na- 
tion. We  shall  find  Jehoiada  shortly  (see  verso 
10)  bearing  the  revived  and  important  title  of 
"  high  priest ;"  and  the  Levitieal  order  will  be 
seen  from  this  time  to  be  more  mixed  up  with 
public  affairs  and  to  have  greater  influence  than 
previously.  The  title  of  "high"  or  "chief 
priest"  is  passed  on  to  Jehoiada's  successors 
(2  Chrcm.  20  :  2!) :  31  :  10  ;  34  :  9,  etc.),  who  trace 
their  olliee  to  him  rather  than  to  Aaron  (Jer. 
29  :  20).  .lehoiada  must  have  been  regent  for 
at  least  ten  or  twelve  years.  One  of  his  hist 
governmental  acts,  apparently,  was  to  "  take 
for  Jehoash  two  wives,"  Jehoaddau  of  Jerusa- 
lem and  another.  The  marriage  with  Jidioad- 
dan  nuist  have  taken  place  at  least  as  early  as 
Jehoash's  twenty  :irst  year,  since  Amaziah  was 
born  when  his  father  was  twenty -two. 


SECTION 


UEIGN  OF  JOASn. 


309 


3.  Bui  the  bi^h  places  -ivere  not 
taken  away.  Sec  the  same  formula  used 
1  K.  15  :  14  ;  23  :  43  ;  2  K.  14  :  4  ;  15  :  4,  35.  The 
worship  seems  to  have  continued  uninter- 
ruptedly to  the  time  of  Hezekiah,  who  abol- 
ished it  (2  K.  18  ;  4).  It  was,  however,  again 
established  by  Manassch,  his  son  (2  K.  21  :  3). 
The  priests  at  this  time  cannot  have  regarded 
it  as  idolatrous,  or  Jehoiada  would  have  put  it 
down  during  his  regency.     B.  C. 

2  Chron.  24 :  4,  5.  The  first  direction  of  Jo- 
ash  to  the  priests  and  Lerites.  After  the  enthrone- 
ment of  Joash,  Jehoiada  engaged  the  people  in 
the  overthrow  of  Baal's  worship,  and  the  res- 
toration of  the  worship  of  Jehovah.  During 
the  king's  childhood  and  youth,  this  wise  and 
loj'al  uncle  and  priest  pcrmaueuth'  re-estab- 
lished the  temple  service  ;  and  probably  reor- 
ganized the  methods  of  instruction  and  the  tri- 
bunals instituted  bj-  Jehoshaphat.  The  pur- 
pose of  Joash,  here  referred  to,  concerning  the 
repairs  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  was  formed 
some  years  after  his  reign  began  ;  after  his 
marriage  (verse  3).  During  the  three  reigns  of 
Jehoram,  Ahaziah,  and  Athaliah,  the  Temple 
had  been  neglected,  despoiled,  and  in  part  de- 
stroyed to  its  foundations.  "  The  money  col- 
lected to  keep  it  in  repair  had  been  misappro- 
priated to  the  worship  of  Baal."  The  priests 
and  Levites  had  exclusive  care  of  the  Temple 
and  of  worship.  The  king  therefore,  at  the 
outset,  instructed  them  to  collect  special  annual 
revenues  from  the  people  ;  and  themselves  to 
expend  these  moneys  year  by  year  upon  the  re- 
pair of  the  Lord's  house.  But  his  direction 
was  not  regarded.  Up  to  the  tweutj'-third 
year  of  the  king's  reign  nothing  was  done 
(3  K.  13  :  6). 

4.  He  was  minded  to  restore  the 
house  of  the  Lord.  This  restoration  of 
the  Temple  building  and  its  ritual,  furniture  and 
order  seems  to  have  been  the  entire  extent  of 
the  so-called  "  reformation"  of  Joash.  No 
word  is  said  about  spiritual  service,  or  even  of 
any  interest  in  the  external  offerings  of  priest- 
hood and  people.     B. The  notable  act  of  the 

reign  of  Joash  was  the  restoration  of  the  Tem- 
ple. The  need  for  it  arose  not  so  much  from 
the  age  of  the  building,  which  had  only  been 
completed  about  a  hundred  and  thirty  years 
before,  as  from  the  damage  done  to  it  by  the 
family  of  Athaliah,  and  the  forcible  appro- 
priation for  the  service  of  Baalim  of  all  that 
had  been  dedicated  to  the  house  of  Jehovah 
(2  Cliron.  34  :  7).     A.  E. 

6,  7,  Joash  calls  Jehoiada  to  account  for  delay 
in  the  work  of  repair.     We  are  in  ignorance  of 


I  the  reason  for  the  neglect  of  the  priests  and 
Levites  and  the  failure  of  their  "  chief"  in  this 
matter.  The  only  probable  solution  is  that  it 
required  time  and  a  fresh  education  of  the 
people  to  bring  them  up  to  a  necessary  spirit 
of  willingness  to  give  for  such  an  object  ;  and 
that  the  priests  would  not  risk  their  own  sup- 
port by  pressing  an  unwilling  constituency  for 
more  than  this  support  required.  At  least  it  is 
safe  to  make  this  supposition  from  a  similar 
state  of  things  sometimes  appearing  in  these 
later  days.     B. 

The  Bible  represents  the  building  and  repair- 
ing of  the  Lord's  house  as  acts  of  eminent 
piety.  The  historian  says  of  Joash  in  the  eon- 
text  that  he  was  a  godly  man  as  long  as  he  had 
the  guidance  of  the  celebrated  priest  Jehoiada. 
Yet  the  only  thing  thought  worthy  of  mention 
in  that  part  of  his  reign  is  that  "  he  was  minded 
to  repair  the  house  of  the  Lord."  The  asso- 
ciations of  the  Lord's  house  are  an  incalculable 
help  to  the  culture  of  religious  character.  Wo 
are  creatures  of  association.  We  are  moved 
more  profoundl)'  than  we  think  by  our  sur- 
roundings. The  recollection  of  our  experiences 
in  the  house  of  God  ma_y  be  among  the  most 
precious  treasures  that  memory-  hoards. 
A.  Phelps. 

2  Chron.  24  :  S-1 1 .  How  the  irork  of  eollec- 
tion  was  siiccessfuUtj  achieved.  The  king  took  it 
in  hand  now,  and  separated  it  entireh'  from  the 
regularly  gathered  revenues  for  the  support  of 
the  Temple  service.  He  had  a  new  treasure  chest 
made,  and  set  it  at  the  gate,  but  outside  the 
precincts  of  the  Lord's  house.  Proclamation 
was  then  made  through  Judah  and  Jertisalem 
that  the  collection  originally  ordered  by  Moses 
in  the  wilderness  for  the  building  of  the  Lord's 
tabernacle  was  again  required  in  behalf  of  the 
Lord's  house.  The  king  then  appointed  sepa- 
rate collectors  and  custodians  of  the  treasure, 
and  his  own  high  officers,  with  one  of  the  high 
priest's,  emptied  the  chest  in  his  own  palace. 
And  very  speedily,  willingly,  and  joyfully  did 
the  princes  and  all  the  people  cast  into  the 
chest,  until  it  had  been  many  times  filled  and 
emptied,  and  "  money  was  gathered  in  abun- 
dance."   B. 

Spontaneous  gifts  are  implied  by  the  tone  of 
verse  10,  which  lays  stress  on  the  gladness  of 
the  offerers.  That  is  the  incense  which  adds 
fragrance  to  o\ir  gifts.  Grudging  service  is  no 
service,  and  money  given  for  ever  so  religious 
a  purpose,  without  gladness  because  of  the  op- 
portunity of  giving,  is  not,  in  the  deepest 
sense,  given  at  all.  Love  is  a  longing  to  give 
to  the  beloved,  and  whoever  truly  loves  God 


310 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAII. 


will  know  ru)  kceniT  delight  than  surrender  for 
Ills  dciir  sak(!.  IVeiiniary  eonlrilmtioiis  for 
relijrioiis  piirpiises  iilTurd  -a  rough  hut  real  test 
of  the  ileplh  of  a  man's  religion  ;  hut  it  is  one 
available  only  for  himself,  since  the  motive, 
and  not  th<'  amount,  is  the  determining  ele- 
ment. We  all  need  to  bring  our  lu^arts  more 
umhT  the  induencc  of  Gixl's  love  to  us,  that 
our  love  to  Him  may  be  increased,  and  then  to 
ailminister  possessions,  under  the  impulse  of 
giving  gladly  which  enkindled  love  will  always 
excite.  Superheated  steam  has  most  expansive 
power  and  driving  force.  These  glad  givers 
may  remind  us  not  only  of  the  one  condition  of 
Hcci'ptable  giving,  but  also  of  the  need  for  clear 
and  worthy  objects,  and  of  obvious  disinter- 
estedness in  those  who  seek  for  money  to  help 
good  causes.  The  smallest  opening  for  sus- 
picion that  some  of  it  sticks  to  the  collector's 
lingers  is  fatal,  as  it  should  be.     A.  M. 

12,  13.  Jlino  the  money  was  clisbiirned  and  the 
work  done.  As  the  king  and  the  high  priest  re- 
ceived it,  so,  under  their  direction,  it  Wiis  dis- 
bursed to  the  artisans  and  laborers,  through  ap- 
pointed overseers  or  foremen.  And  the  house 
of  God  was  restored  to  its  original  coni])lcteness 
an<l  beauty.  The  excess  of  contributed  treas- 
ure w:is  used  to  provide  vessels  of  geld  and 
silver  for  the  Temple  service.     B. 

2  K.  12:15.  It  is  a  noble  testimony  borne 
concerning  these  men  who  did  the  part  of  over- 
Kcers  in  the  work  of  the  Temple,  that  they  did 
not  need  to  be  reckoned  with,  "  for  they  dealt 
faitlifuUy."  They  were  men  of  probity  and 
honor  who  conscientioasly  looked  after  tlie  men 
set  under  them,  seeing  th.it  the  work  commit- 
ted to  their  care  was  properly  done.  There  is 
a  sphere  for  faithfulness  in  the  discharge  of 
every  kind  of  duty.  Carlyle  says  of  Louis 
XV.,  "  His  wide  France,  look  at  it  from  the 
fixed  stars,  is  no  wider  than  thy  narrow  brick- 
field, where  thou,  too,  didst  faithfully  or  didst 
imfaithfully.  It  is  not  thy  works,  which  are 
all  mortal,  inlinitely  little,  and  the  grejitest  no 
great<'r  than  the  lc;ust,  but  only  the  spirit  thou 
workest  in  that  can  have  worth  or  continu- 
ance." Then  were  faithful  in  their  money  deal- 
ings— so  faithful  that  it  wsis  not  felt  necessary 
to  keep  a  strict  reckoning  with  them  as  to  their 
expenditure  upon  the  workmen.  It  was  onlj' 
a  very  high' degree  of  integrity  which  woxild 
warrant  it.  As  a  rule,  it  is  wise  to  keep  ac- 
count even  with  those  w-hose  integrity  we  do 
not  dispute.  It  is  added  that  the  revenues 
which  properly  belonged  to  the  priests,  the 
trespass  money  an  1  sin  money,  were  not 
touched  for  the  puri)ose  of  the  repairs.     Neither 


was  the  money  given  for  the  restoration  of  the 
building  applied,  until  the  re))airs  were  com- 
I>let(Ml,  to  ])urch!Lsc  new  vessels  for  the  sanctu- 
ary. A  regard  for  justice  is  thus  observable 
throughout  the  whole  of  these  dealings.     J.  O. 

"  Faithful"  work  is  prosperous  work.     As 

verse  13  picturesquely  says,  '  Healing  went  up 
upon  the  work  ;"  and  the  Temple  was  restored 
to  its  old,  fair  proportions,  and  stood  strong  as 
before.  Where  there  is  csnscientious  eflort 
God's  blessing  is  not  withheld.  Labor  "  in  the 
Lord"  can  never  be  labor  "  in  vain."  tliough 
even  a  prophet  may  often  be  t:^>mpted,  in  a 
moment  of  weary  despondency,  to  complain, 
"  I  have  labored  in  vain."  We  may  not  see 
the  results,  nor  have  the  workmen's  joy  of 
beholding  the  Ijuilding  rise,  course  by  course, 
under  our  hands,  but  we  shall  see  one  day, 
though  now  we  have  to  work  in  the  dark. 
A.  M. 

2  Chron.  24  :  15, 16.  As  regards  the  move- 
ment in  the  southern  kingdom  of  .ludah.  Old 
Testament  history  does  not  present  a  nobler  fig- 
ure than  that  of  Jehoiada,  whether  viewed  as 
priest  or  patriot.  Faithful  to  his  religion,  de- 
spite his  connection  with  the  house  of  Jehoram 
and  the  temptations  which  it  would  involve, 
he  dared  to  rescue  the  infant  prince  and  to  con- 
ceal him  for  six  years  at  the  risk  of  liis  life. 
There  cannot  be  doubt  that  the  occupancy  of 
the  throne  by  Athaliah  wiis  not  only  an  usur- 
pation and  a  crime,  but  contrary  to  the  law  and 
constitution  of  the  land.  Yet  in  bringing 
aljout  a  change  which  was  strictly  legal,  Je- 
hoiada acted  in  the  most  careful  manner,  hav- 
ing first  consulted  with,  and  secured  the  co- 
oijeration  of,  all  the  estates  of  the  realm. 
Similarly,  the  execution  of  the  plan  was  en- 
trusted to  those  to  w^hom  action  in  the  matter 
naturally  belonged  ;  and  if  the  high  priest 
marked  the  accession  of  the  new  king  by  a 
covenant  between  him  and  the  people  and  Je- 
hovah, he  was  at  least  equally  careful  to  secure 
the  constitutional  rights  and  liberties  of  the 
people  by  another  covenant  between  them  and 
their  sovereign.  Lastly,  in  the  period  that  fol- 
lowed. Jehoiada  u.sed  his  position  and  influ- 
ence only  in  favor  of  what  was  best,  and  not 
at  any  time  for  lower  or  selfish  purposes.  To 
this  record  of  his  life  we  have  to  add  his  sictiv- 
ity  in  connection  with  the  restoration  of  the 
Temple.  We  do  not  wonder  that  when  he  died 
at  a  patriarchal  age,  the  unparalleled  honiir  was 
aceordid  him  of  a  burial  not  only  in  Jerusalem 
itself,  where,  according  to  tradition,  there  wen- 
no  burying-placcs,  but  "  in  the  city  of  Pivid" 
and  "  among  the  kings,"  because  he  had  done 


SECTION  SB.     REION  OF  JO  ASH. 


311 


good  in  Israel,  and  toward  God  :ind  His  lioiise" 
verse  16).     A.  E. 

lV-22.  A  most  unliappy  change  ensued. 
The  princes  of  Judah,  wlio  had  doubtless  been 
jealous  of  the  high  priest's  unbounded  influ- 
ence, seem  to  have  persuaded  the  king  that  it 
was  time  to  be  his  own  master  ;  and  the  first 
use  that  he  and  they  made  of  this  new  liberty 
was  to  neglect  the  house  of  Jehovah,  and  to 
serve  groves  and  idols.  But  not  without  warn- 
ing and  remonstrance.  At  this  point  of  the 
history  occure  that  remarkable  passage  which 
introduces  the  line  of  prophets  whose  writings 
remain  to  us,  and  who  began  to  appear  about 
this  time,  Elisha  being  still  alive  :  "  Yet  He 
sent  prophets  unto  them,  to  bring  them  again 
unto  Jehovah  ;  and  they  testified  against  them  : 
but  they  would  not  give  ear."  Nay  more,  by 
adding  to  their  sins  the  blood  of  the  martyr 
whom  Christ  names  with  "  righteous  Abel" — 
both  victims  to  the  passion  that  knows  the  truth 
and  hates  it — they  made  themselves  a  type  of 
the  generation  that  slew  the  Lord.  The  Spirit 
of  Jehovah  came  upon  Zechariah  the  son  of  Je- 
hoiada,  and  probably  high  priest,  who  told 
them  that  they  could  not  prosper,  because  they 
had  forsaken  God  ;  and  even  in  the  court  of  the 
sanctuary,  which  they  were  perhaps  attempting 
to  profane  by  a  sacrifice  to  Baal,  they  stoned 
him  to  death,  by  the  king's  order,  between  the 
Temple  and  the  altar.  This  was  the  very  space 
within  which  Joash  had  been  guardcKl  by  Je- 
hoiada  and  his  line  of  Levites  ;  and  the  narra- 
tive lays  stress  on  the  king's  ingratitude  to  the 
son  of  the  man  who  had  saved  his  life.  The 
dying  cry  of  Zechariah,  "  Jehovah,  look  upon 
it,  and  require  it, "  never  ceases  to  echo  through 
the  annals  of  the  Jews,  till  they  "  filled  up  the 
measure  of  their  fathers"  by  invoking  the  guilt 
of  Christ's  blood  upon  their  heads.  Meanwhile, 
it  found  an  immediate  response  in  the  calami- 
ties that  followed.     P.  S. 

The  sanction  of  the  king  to  tlie  introduction 
of  idolatry  in  Judah  soon  brought,  in  the  Divine 
order  of  things,  its  national  punishment.  But 
here  also  Divine  mercy  first  interposed  by  ad- 
monitions and  warnings  sent  through  His 
prophets  (3  Chron.  24  :  19).  Among  these  we 
have  probably  to  include  Joel,  whose  proph- 
ecies were  probably  uttered  in  the  period  of 
hopeful  revival  which  characterized  the  first 
part  of  the  reign  of  Joash.  But  now  the  warn- 
ings of  the  prophets  were  not  only  left  un- 
heeded ;  they  called  forth  violent  opposition. 
Still,  propliets  might  be  borne  with  because  of 
their  extraordinary  mission  and  message.  It 
was  otherwise  when  the  high  priest  Zechariah, 


the  son — or,  rather,  grandson — of  Jehoiada, 
standing  in  his  official  capacity  in  the  court  of 
the  priests,  addressed  the  people  gathered  be- 
neatli  in  the  lower  court  speaking  in  similar 
language,  under  the  overpowering  influence  of 
the  Spirit  of  God.  The  princes  and  people  con- 
spired ;  and  at  the  command  of  the  king,  un- 
mindful not  only  of  his  duty  to  God,  but  even 
of  the  gratitude  he  owed  to  his  former  pre- 
server and  counsellor,  the  grandson  of  Jehoiada 
was  stoned  to  death  "  between  the  Temple  and 
the  altar."  All  things  combined  to  mark  this 
as  a  crime  of  no  ordinary  guilt,  specially 
typical  of  what  befell  the  last  and  greatest 
prophet  of  Israel,  the  Christ  of  God.  The 
death  inflicted  on  Zechariah  was  that  which  the 
law  had  appointed  for  idolatry  and  blasphemy 
(Lev.  30  :  2  ;  24  :  33).  Thus  the  murderers  of 
the  high  priest,  as  those  of  Chri.st,  unrighteously 
inflicu'd  the  punislunent  which  Wiis  due  to 
themselves.  Again,  in  the  one  case  as  in  the 
other,  the  crime  was  provoked  by  faitliful  ad- 
monitions and  warnings  sent  directly  of  God. 
In  both  instances  the  crime  was  national,  the 
rulera  and  people  having  equal  part  in  it ;  in 
both,  also,  it  was  connected  with  the  Temple, 
and  yet  the  outcome  of  national  apostasy. 
Lastly,  in  both  instances  the  punishment  was 
likewise  national.  Yet  there  is  marked  differ- 
ence also.  For,  as  Zechariah  died,  "he  said, 
Jehovah,  look  upon  it,  and  require  it  ;"  while 
our  Lord,  when  referring  to  this  event  as  par- 
allel to  what  was  about  to  befall  Him,  implied 
no  personal  resentment  when  He  uttered  this 
prediction  :  "  Behold  your  house  is  left  unto 
you  desolate."  And  yet,  further,  unlike  the 
words  of  Zechariah,  those  of  Christ  ended  not 
with  judgment,  but  with  the  promise  of  His 
return  in  mercy  and  the  prospect  of  Israel's 
repentance  (Matt.  23  :  39).     A.  E. 

'11.  In  the  court  of  Itae  house  of  tiie 
Lord.  "  Between  the  altar  and  the  Temple," 
or  directly  in  front  of  the  Temple  porch,  if  it  be 
this  Zechariah  of  whom  our  Lord  speaks  (Matt. 
23  :  35).  A  horror  of  their  impious  deed  long 
possessed  the  Jews,  who  believed  that  the  blood 
was  not  to  be  effaced,  but  continued  to  bubble 
on  the  stones  of  the  court,  like  blood  newly 
shed,  until  the  Temple  was  entered,  just  prior 
to  its  destruction,  by  Nebuzaradau.     B.  C. 

We  conclude  that  our  Lord  (Luke  11  :  51)  re- 
ferred to  Zechariah,  the  son,  of  Jehmada  (which 
is  the  reading  in  the  Gospel  used  by  the  Naza- 
renes),  who  was  stoned  by  order  of  Joash  "in 
the  court  of  the  house  of  the  Lord."  That  he 
is  referred  to  is  clear,  because  (1)  this  murder, 
in  the  order  of  the  Jewish  books,  stood  last  in 


;U2 


KiyCIDOM  OF  Jl'DAir. 


the  Old  Testament ;  (2)  in  dyins,  Zechariah  Iiad 
exeliiiriicd.  ' '  T/it:  Lord  look  iipnii  it  mid  reqiiirc 
it  ;"  (3)  the  Jews  theniselvos  had  many  most  re- 
markable legends  about  this  murder,  whieh 
made  a  deep  impression  on  them,  and  wliich 
they  specially  believed  to  have  kindled  God's 
wrath  against  them  (3  Chron.  24  :  18).  Con- 
sequently "  son  of  Hereehiah"  (which  is  not 
found  except  in  I))  in  Luke  11  :  51  is  a  very 
early  and  erroneous  gloss  which  has  crept  into 
the  text.     Fnrrnr. 

The  Lord  did  look  upon  it  ;  lie  did  rcijuire 
it.  With  that  deed  ended  the  peace  and  pros- 
perity of  Jehoashs  reign.  The  Syrian  kinjr. 
Ilazael,  invaded  the  land — the  tirst  time  this 
power  had  appeared  in  the  southern  kingdom 
— and  threatened  Jerusalem.  The  force  was 
small — much  less  than  Jehoash  had  at  his  com- 
mand ;  but  the  king  and  his  large  army  .sus- 
tained a  most  disgraceful  defeat  ;  and  he  then 
thought  that  he  had  no  alternative  but  to  buy 
off  the  Syrians  by  the  .saeritiee  of  the  treasures 
and  precious  vessels  of  the  Temple,  as  well  as 
of  the  accumulations  in  the  royal  treasury.  He 
seems  to  have  been  wounded,  for  it  is  stated 
that  "  they  left  him  in  sore  diseases."  But  his 
bed  screened  him  not  from  the  popular  indig- 
nation, insomuch  that  two  of  his  servants,  reck- 
oning upon  impunity,  if  not  applause,  from  the 
people,  murdereii  him  upon  his  sick-couch. 
That  they  were  nearly  right  in  this  is  sliown 
by  the  fact  that  his  son  Ama/.iah,  who  suc- 
ceeded, dared  not,  until  some  time  after, 
■■  when  his  kingdom  was  established,"  call  the 
mui'derers  to  account.  Indeed,  the  nation  gave 
its  solemn  posthumous  judgment  upon  the  de- 
merits of  this  king's  reign  by  refusing  his 
corpse  a  place  in  the  sepulchres  of  the  kings, 
although  he  was  allowed  a  tomb  within  the 
city.     Kit  to. 

2  K.  12:17,  18.  There  was  probably  a 
considerable  interval  between  the  conclusiim  of 
the  arrangement  for  the  repairs  and  tlie  Syrian 
expedition  related  in  these  verses.  The  death 
of  Jehoiada,  the  apostasy  of  Joash  and  the 
"  princes,"  the  warnings  of  the  prophets,  and 
the  murder  of  Zechariah,  the  son  of  Jehoiada, 
all  fell  into  this  space.     B.  C. 

a  Cliron.  21  :  2S,  21.  Although  the  Syrian 
force  wiis  numerically  much  inferior  to  that  of 
Judah,  the  army  of  Joash  was  defeated  with 
heavy  losses.  These  notably  included  the  de- 
struction of  those  "  princes"  who  had  been 
leaders  in  the  movement  that  ended  in  the  mur- 
der of  Zechariah.  The  Book  of  Chronicles  is 
carefvd  to  mark  the  hand  of  God  in  a  defeat 
which  formed  so  striking  a  contrast  to  the  vic- 


tory whieh  the  Lord  had  given  to  Asa  with  an 
army  greatly  inferior  to  his  enemi(;s  (2  (/'hron. 
14  :  9,  etc.).  And  yet  this  was  only  the  begin- 
ning of  judgment  upon  Joash.  According  to 
the  account  in  the  Book  of  Kings  (12  :  18), 
Josish  bought  off  the  capture  of  his  capital  by 
handing  to  the  conqueror  all  the  hallowed 
things  of  the  Temple  and  the  treasures  of  the 
palace.     A.  E. 

2K.12:17-21.Witliin  less  than  a  year,  Ila- 
zael. the' brave  and  warlike  kingof  Syria,  not  con- 
tent with  the  damage  which  he  had  intlieted  on 
th(^  northern  kingdom  (3  K.  10  :  82,  88i,  invaded 
the  south.  His  main  attack  was  on  the  Philis- 
tine town  of  Gath  (ilrid.,  12  :  17) ;  but  having 
been  successful  there,  he  suddenly  resolved  to 
make  a  dash  upon  Jerusalem.  Here  plunder, 
rather  than  conquest,  W!us  his  object  ;  and  when 
Joash.  after  a  battle  in  wliich  h(^  was  severely 
defeated  (2  Chron.  24  :  24),  offered  to  buy  off 
his  hostility  by  the  sacrifice  of  the  Temple  and 
])alace  treasures,  Hazael  readily  consented. 
All  the  stores  accumulated  since  Asa  bribed 
Benhadad  (1  K.  15  :  18)  were  made  over  oy  the 
Jewish  to  the  Syrian  monarch  as  the  piiee  of 
peace,  were  brought  to  Hazael  in  Daniiiscus. 
Jerusalem  was  allowed  to  escape ;  but  the 
wretclicd  king,  humiliated  and  disgraced,  fell 
into  a  sick  condition,  and  had  to  take  to  his  bed 
in  the  castle  of  Millo,  which  lie  had  i^erhaps 
made  liis  residence  in  expectation  of  a  siege. 
Here,  advantage  was  taken  of  his  illness  by 
some  of  his  attendants,  who  formed  a  con- 
sjiiracy  against  him  among  tho.se  of  his  house- 
hold, and  slew  him  on  his  sick-bed.     G.  R. 

2  C'lir»n.  24  :25.  "  And  they  buried  him 
in  the  city  of  David,  but  they  buried  him  not 
in  the  sepulchres  of  the  kings."  The  slayer  of 
the  son  might  not  sleep  with  that  father  whose 
memory  he  bad  so  ungratefully  and  atrociously 

I  dishonored.  So  did  the  fair  morning,  for  the 
want  of  depth  and  steadfastness  of  [)rincii)le, 

I  give  place  to  an  evening  of  darkness  and  storm  ; 
and  the  hopeful  signs  of  early  youth  led  into 
apostasy,  crime,  misery,  disgrace,  and  ruin 
Ilallam. 

Suggestions  of  this  Uistorg. 

There  are  not  many  biographies  more  dra- 
matically interesting  and  more  practically  in- 
structive. He  seems  to  have  had  the  ordinary 
proclivities  to  evil,  and  nothing  more.  But  he 
was  destitute  of  any  tixed  religicMis  i)rineiple, 
and  he  wanted  constitutional  firmness.  lie  was 
one  of  those — and  their  name  is  legion — whose 
course  is  determined  almost  entirely  by  the  cir- 
cumstances in  which  they  are  placed  and  the 


SECTION  36. 


313 


hands  into  which  they  fall.  He  had  not  that 
firmness  of  will  which  bends  circumstimces  to 
itself,  nor  that  decision  of  character  which 
makes  a  man  self-centred  and  resolute.  Hence 
we  find  that  so  long  as  his  uncle  Jehoiada  lived 
he  did  remarkably  well,  just  because  he  was 
then  in  good  hands.  But  no  sooner  was  Je- 
hoiada removed  by  death,  and  counsellors  of 
another  stamp  came  about  him,  tlian  (I)eing  as 
plastic  in  their  hands  as  he  had  been  in  those  of 
his  uncle)  he  began  to  diverge  from  the  path 
of  duty,  and  ultimately  brought  himself  to  a 
violent  and  untimely  death. 

Zeal  about  the  outwards  of  religion  is  not  nec- 
essarily religion  itself.  Joash  had  the  one,  but 
he  never  had  the  other.  Perhaps  he  had  a  feel- 
ing of  interest  in  the  Temple  from  early  associa- 
tions, and  the  fact  that  it  had  been  the  means 
of  saving  his  life  ;  but  that  is  but  a  poor  sub- 
stitute for  the  grace  of  God.  And  yet  there  are 
many  whose  religion  is  no  better  than  this — a 
vague  sentiment  which  has  come  up  from  the 
impressions  of  their  early  days,  having  no  root 
of  faith  in  the  heart,  and  no  fruit  of  holiness  in 
the  life.  Nothing  can  be  trusted  to  keep  a  man 
right,  even  in  this  world,  but  religious  princi- 
ple. A  man  may  have  a  firm  will,  and  a  keen 
sense  of  the  unprofitableness  of  sin,  and  these 
may  help  to  keep  him  from  open  criminalit)'  ; 
but  even  then  he  is  not  safe.  His  passions  may 
get  the  better  of  him  at  some  unguarded  mo- 
ment, and  may  ruin  all.  But  when,  on  the 
other  hand,  as  in  the  case  of  Joash,  there  is  a 
facility  of  temperament — and  a  weakness  of 
will — without  the  grace  of  God  failure  seems  all 
but  inevitable.     The  temptations  are  so  numer- 


ous in  a  world  like  this  ;  the  flatterers  are  so 
many  and  so  busy,  that  where  there  is  not  a 
strong  constitutional  power  of  resistance,  a 
y(mng  man  is  much  to  be  felt  for.  But  here  is 
his  refuge — he  cannot  change  his  mental  and 
physical  constitution,  but  he  can  bring  into  it 
the  strength  of  God,  and  that  will  be  more  than 
a  balance,  that  will  uphold  him  in  every  tempta- 
tion, and  give  him  the  victory  over  every  foe. 
Like  Joseph,  he  will  say,  "  Shall  I  do  this  great 
wickedness,  and  sin  against  God  '!"  or  like 
Nehemiah,  "  But  so  did  not  I,  because  of 
the  fear  of  God."  Beware  of  the  beginnings 
of  evil.  You  cannot  tell  where  they  will  end. 
Beware  what  companions  j'ou  choose,  and  what 
counsellors  you  follow.  Make  the  Bible  your 
guide  and  heaven  will  be  your  home.  A.  L. 
Simpson. 

All  of  God's  institutions  rightly  demand  eflB- 
cient  maintenance  by  God's  people.  First  the 
house  of  worship,  and  next  the  various  edifices 
wherein  Christ  is  effectually  ministered  to  in 
the  persons  of  His  poor  and  sorely  afllicted. 

Single-eyed  earnest  purpose  and  effort  for 
real  good,  wisely  directed,  will  evoke  a  re- 
sponsive spirit  and  attain  the  requisite  means 
whereby  to  achieve  success. 

Yle-Avi-giting  or  hesxi-doing  always  produces 
heart-rejoicing.  Generous  acting,  the  free,  glad 
imparting  to  others  of  thought,  of  toil,  of 
means,  in  the  Christ-like  spirit  of  unselfish  sac- 
rifice, brings  of  necessity  a  Christ-like  joy  to 
the  Christ-loving  man  or  woman  or  child. 
This  is  the  interpretation  of  Christ's  ninth 
beatitude,  posthumously  given  by  Paul  :  It  is 
more  blessed  to  give  !     B. 


Section  36. 


REIGN  OP  AMAZIAH,  TWENTY-NINE  YEARS. 
2d  of  Joasli  to  S7tli  of  Jeroboam  II.,  of  Israel. 


2  Chronici.es  25  ;  1-28. 

25  : 1  Amaziah  was  twenty  and  five  years 

old  when  he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned 

twenty  and  nine  years  in  Jerusalem  ;  imd 

his  mother's  name  was  Jchoaddan  of  Jeru- 

2  salem.     And  he  did  that  which  was  right  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  but  not  with  a  perfect 

3  heart.     Now  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  king- 
dom was  established  unto  him,  that  he  slew 


2  Kings  14  : 1-22. 

14:1  In  the  second  year  of  Joash  son  of 

Joahaz  king  of  Israel  began  Amaziah  the  son 

2  of  Joash  king  of  Judah  to  reign.     He  was 

twenty  and  five  years  old  when  he  began  to 

reign ;    and    he  reigned  twenty   and   nine 

years  in  Jerusalem  :  and  his  mother's  name 

8  was  Jchoaddin  of  Jerusalem.     And  he  did 

that  which  was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the 


314 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAII. 


his  servants  which  had  killed  tlic  king  his 

4  fiitlior.  But  he  put  not  their  children  to 
deatli,  but  did  according  to  that  which  is 
written  in  the  law  in  tlie  book  of  Moses,  as 
the  Loud  commanded,  saying,  Tlie  fathers 
shall  not  die  for  llic  children,  neither  shall 
the  cliildren  die  for  the  fathers  ;  but  every 

5  man  sludl  die  for  Ids  own  sin.  Moreover 
Ama/.iah  gathered  .ludah  together,  and  or- 
dered them  according  to  their  fathers'  liouses, 
under  captains  of  thousands  and  captains  of 
hundreds,  even  all  Judah  and  Benjamin  : 
and  he  numbered  them  from  twenty  years 
old  and  upward,  and  found  them  three  liun- 
dred  thousand  chosen  men,  able  to  go  forth 
to  war.  tliat  could  handle  spear  and  slneld. 

6  lie  hired  also  an  hundred  thousand  ndghty 
men  of  valour  out  of  Israel  for  an  hundred 

7  talents  of  silver.  But  there  came  a  man  of 
God  to  him,  saying,  O  king,  let  not  the  army 
of  Israel  go  with  thee  ;  for  the  Lokd  is  not 
with  Israel,  to  wit,  with  all  the  children  of 

8  Kpliraim.  But  if  thou  wilt  go,  do  valiantly, 
be  strong  for  the  battle  :  God  shall  cast  thee 
down   before    the    enemy  ;    for   God    hath 

9  power  to  help,  and  to  cast  down.  And 
Amaziali  said  to  the  man  of  God,  But  what 
shall  we  do  for  the  hundred  talents  which  I 
have  given  to  the  army  of  Israel?  And  the 
man  of  God  answered.  The  Loud  is  able  to 

10  give  thee  much  more  than  this.  Then 
Amaziah  separated  them,  to  wit,  the  army 
that  was  come  to  him  out  of  Ephraim,  to  go 
home  again  :  wherefore  their  anger  was 
greatly  kindled  against  Judah,  and  they  re- 

11  turned  home  in  fierce  anger.  And  Amaziah 
took  courage,  and  led  forth  his  people,  and 
went  to  tlie  Valley  of  Salt,  and  smote  of  the 

12  children  of  Seir  ten  thousand.  And  other 
ten  thousand  did  the  children  of  Judah  cany 
away  alive,  and  brought  them  unto  the  to]) 
of  the  rock,  and  cast  them  down  from  the 
top  of  the  rock,  that  thej'  all  were  broken  in 

13  pieces.  But  the  men  of  the  army  which 
Amaziah  sent  back,  tliat  they  should  not  go 
with  him  to  battle,  fell  upon  the  cities  of 
Judali.  from  Samaria  even  unto  Bcthhoron, 
and  smote  of  them  three  tliousand,  and  took 
much  spoil. 

14  Now  it  came  to  pass,  after  that  Amaziah 
was  come  from  the  slaughter  of  the  Kdom- 
ites,  that  he  brought  the  gods  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Seir,  and  set  them  up  to  be  his  gods, 
and  bowed  down  himself  before  them,  and 

15  burned  incense  unto  them.  Wlierefore  the 
anger  of  the  Loud  was  kindled  against 
Amaziah,  and  he  sent  unto  him  a  orophet, 


Loud,  yet  not  like  David  his  fatlier  :  he  did 
according  to  all  that  Joash  liis  father  had 

4  done.  Howbeit  the  high  places  were  not 
taken  away  :  the  people  still  sacrificed  and 

5  burnt  incense  in  the  Iiigli  places.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  as  soon  as  the  kingdom  was 
cstal)lished  in  his  hand,  that  he  slew  Ids  ser- 
vants which  had  slain  tlie  king  his  father  : 

6  but  the  children  of  the  murderers  he  put  not 
to  death  :  according  to  that  which  is  written 
in  the  book  of  the  law  of  Moses,  as  the  Lord 
commanded,  saying.  The  fathers  shall  not 
be  put  to  death  for  the  children,  nor  the 
children  be  put  to  death  for  the  fathers  ; 

7  but  every  man  shall  die  for  his  own  sin.  He 
slew  of  Edoni  in  the  Valley  of  Salt  ten  thou- 
sand, and  took  Sela  by  war,  and  called  the 
name  of  it  Joktliecl,  unto  this  day. 

8  Then  Amaziah  sent  messengers  to  Jeho- 
ash,  the  son  of  .lehoahaz  son  of  Jehu,  king 
of  Israel,  saying.  Come,  let  us  look  one  an- 

9  other  In  the  face.  And  Jehoash  the  king  of 
Israel  sent  to  Amaziah  king  of  Judah.  say- 
ing. The  thistle  that  was  in  Lebanon  sent  to 
the  cedar  that  was  in  Lebanon,  saying.  Give 
thj'  daughter  to  my  son  to  wife  :  and  there 
passed  by  a  wild  beast  that  was  in  Lebanon, 

10  and  trode  down  the  thistle.  Thou  hast  in- 
deed smitten  Edom,  and  thine  heart  hath 
lifted  thee  up  :  glory  thereof,  and  abide  at 
home  ;  for  why  shouldest  thou  meddle  to  thy 
hurt,  that  thou  shouldest  fall,  even  thou, 
and  Judah  with  thee?     But  Amaziah  would 

11  not  hear.  So  Jehoash  king  of  Israel  went 
up  ;  and  he  and  Amaziah  king  of  Judah 
looked  one  another  in  the  face  at  Beth-she- 

13  mesh,  which  belongeth  to  Judah.  And  Ju- 
dah was  put  to  the  worse  before  Israel  ;  and 

13  they  lied  every  man  to  his  tent.  And  Je- 
hoash king  of  Israel  took  Amaziah  king  of 
Judah,  th?  son  of  Jehoash  the  son  of  Aha- 
ziah,  at  Beth-shemesh,  and  came  to  Jerusa- 
lem, and  brake  down  the  wall  of  Jerusalem 
from  the  gate  of  Ephraim  unto  the  corner 

14  gate,  four  hundred  cubits.  And  he  took  all 
the  gold  and  silver,  and  all  the  vessels  that 
were  found  in  the  house  of  the  LoiU),  and  in 
the  tresisures  of  the  king's  house,  the  hos- 

li)  tages  also,  and  returned  to  Samaria.  Now 
the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Jehoash  which  he  did, 
and  his  might,  and  how  he  fought  with 
Amaziah  king  of  Judah,  are  they  not  writ- 
ten in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings 

16  of  Israel?  And  Jehoash  slept  with  his  fa- 
thers, and  was  buried  in  Samaria  with  the 
kings  of  Israel  ;  and  Jeroboam  his  son 
reigned  in  his  st<^d. 


SECTION  SU.     REIGN  OF  AMAZIAH. 


315 


which  said  unto  him,  Why  hast  thou  sought 
after  the  gods  of  the  people,  which  liavc  not 
delivered   their  own   people   out  of    thine 

16  hand?  And  it  caine  to  pass,  as  he  talked 
with  him,  that  the  king  said  unto  him.  Have 
we  made  thee  of  the  king's  counsel?  for- 
bear; why  shouldest  thou  be  smitten? 
Then  the  prophet  forbarc,  and  said,  I  know 
that  God  hath  determined  to  destroy  thee, 
because  thou  hast  done  this,  and  hast  not 
hearkened  unto  my  counsel. 

17  Then  Amaziah  king  of  Judah  took  ad- 
vice, and  sent  to  Joash,  the  son  of  Jehoahaz 
the  son  of  Jehu,  king  of  Israel,  saying. 
Come,  let  us  look  one  another  in  the  face. 

18  And  Joash  king  of  Israel  sent  to  Amaziah 
king  of  Judah,  saying.  The  thistle  that  was 


17  And  Amaziah  the  son  of  Joash  king  of 
Judah  lived  after  the  death  of  Jehoiish  son 
of  Jehoahaz   king   of   Israel   fifteen  years. 

18  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Amaziah,  are 
they  not  written  in  the  book  of  the  chroni- 

19  cles  of  the  kings  of  Judah?  And  they  made 
a  conspiracy  against  him  in  Jerusalem  ;  and 
he  fled  to  Lachish  :  but  tliey  sent  after  him 

20  to  Lachish,  and  slew  liim  there.  And  they 
brought  him  upon  horses  :  and  he  was  buried 
at  Jerusalem  with  his  fathers  in  the  city  of 

21  David.  And  all  the  people  of  Judah  took 
Azariah,  who  was  sixteen  j'ears  old,  and 
made  him  king  in  the  room  of  his  father 

22  Amaziah.  He  built  Elatli,  and  restored  it 
to  .Iud;di,  after  that  the  king  slept  with  his 
fathers. 


in  Lebanon  sent  to  the  cedar  that  was  in 

Lebanon,  saying.  Give  thy  daughter  to  my  son  to  wife  :  and  there  passed  by  a  wild  beast 

19  that  was  in  Lebanon,  and  trode  down  the  thistle.  Thou  saj'est,  Lo,  thou  hast  smitten  Edom  ; 
and  thine  heart  lifteth  thee  up  to  boast  :  abide  now  at  home  ;  why  shouldest  thou  meddle  to 

20  thy  hurt,  that  thou  shouldest  fall,  even  thou,  and  Judah  with  thee?  But  Amaziali  would 
not  hear  ;  for  it  was  of  God,  that  he  might  deliver  them  into  the  hand  of  tJieir  enemies,  because 

21  they  had  sought  after  the  gods  of  Edom.  So  Joash  king  of  Israel  went  up  ;  and  he  and 
Amaziah  king  of  Judah  looked  one  another  in  the  face  at  Beth-shemesh,  which  belongeth  to 

22  Judah.     And  Judah  was  ])ut  to  the  worse  before  Israel  ;  and  they  fled  every  man  to  his  tent. 

23  And  Joash  king  of  Israel  took  Amaziah  king  of  Judah.  the  son  of  Joash  the  son  of  Jehoahaz, 
at  Beth-shemesh,  and  brought  him  to  Jerusalem,  and  brake  down  the  wall  of  Jerusalem  from 

24  the  gate  of  Ejihraim  unto  the  corner  gate,  four  hundred  cubits.  And  he  tuok  all  the  gold  and 
silver,  and  all  the  vessels  that  were  found  in  the  house  of  God  with  Obed-edom,  and  the 
treasures  of  the  king's  house,  the  hostages  also,  and  returned  to  Samaria. 

25  And  Amaziah  the  son  of  Joash  king  of  Jndah  lived  after  the  death  of  Joash  son  of  Jeho- 

26  ahaz  king  of  Israel  fifteen  years.     Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Amaziah,  first  and  last,  behold, 

27  are  they  not  written  in  the  book  of  the  kings  of  Judah  and  Israel?  Now  from  the  time  that 
Amaziah  did  turn  away  from  following  the  Lord  they  made  a  conspiracy  against  him  in 
Jerusalem  ;  and  he  fled  to  Lachish  ;  but  they  sent  after  him  to  Lachish,  and  slew  him  there. 

28  And  they  brought  him  upon  horses,  and  buried  him  with  his  fathers  in  the  city  of  Judah. 


2  Cliron.  25  : 1.  Amaziali  wae  twen- 
ty and  five  years  old.  Joash  died  at  the 
a.ge  of  forty-seven  (Chron.  24  :  1).  Amaziah 
must  therefore  have  been  born  when  his  father 
was  twenty -two  ;  and  the  marriage  of  Joash 
with  Jehoaddan  must  have  been,  at  the  latest, 
when  he  was  just  twenty-one.     B.  C. 

2.  When  he  came  to  the  throne  he  was  un- 
doubtedly attached  to  the  worship  of  Jehovah, 
and  if  not  of  a  "  perfect  heart,"  yet  at  any  rate 
an.xious  to  maintain  true  religion,  and  observe 
the  Law  in  his  own  person.  Like  his  father, 
Joash,  he  seems  to  have  fallen  away  in  later 
life;  and  at  best  the  lacked  the  earnest  zeal  of 
a  true  religious  reformer.     G.  R. 

2.  A  perfect  heart.  Religion  is  some- 
thing within  you,  woiking  outward  from  the 
centre,  and  that  centre  a  heart  possessed  by  the 
grace  of  God.     It  is  not,  as  too  many  imagine 


it,  a  reformation  commencing  in  the  outer  cir- 
cumference of  one's  life  and  habits,  and  then 
working  its  way  to  the  core,  till  the  heart  is 
reached  and  changed  ;  it  takes  its  start  in  the 
innermost  recesses  of  our  being,  and  from 
thence  reaches  outward,  till  the  whole  charac- 
ter and  conduct  are  brought  under  its  blissful 
sway.     J.  T.  DdHdson. 

3,  4.  Though  the  succession  naturall_v  de- 
volved upon  Amaziah,  the  late  king's  eldest 
son,  and  no  one  ventured  to  contest  it  with 
him,  yet  it  was  some  time  before  his  authority 
was  generally  acknowledged  and  his  rule  "  es- 
tablished" (verse  5).  When  disturbance  sub- 
sided the  first  step  that  he  took  was  to  arrest 
the  murderers  of  his  father,  and  to  punish  their 
crime  with  death.  But,  while  thus  vindicat- 
ing law  and  right,  he  exhibited  also  what  was 
regarded  as  extraordinary  clemency,  since  he 


316 


KINGDOM  OP  JUDAH. 


punislu'il  only  llic  guilty  parties  tlicmselvcs, 
and  did  not  visit  their  frime  upon  tlieir  sons,  as 
was,  in  spite  of  the  Law  of  Moses  (I)e.  24  :  16), 
the  ordinary  Jewish  custom. 

5-13.  Mis  first  great  undertaking  was  the 
reconquest  of  Edom.  Kdom,  since  its  revolt 
from  Jehoram,  the  son  of  Jehoshaphat  (2  K. 
8  :  20),  had  been  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  .ludea, 
causing  perpetual  trouble  and  annoyance. 
Edom  "  did  pursue  liis  brother  with  the  sword, 
aud  did  cast  olT  all  pity,  and  his  anger  did  tear 
perpetually,  and  he  kept  his  wrath  forever" 
(Amos  1  :  11).  Southern  Judea  was  subject  to 
continual  ravages.  Towns  and  villages  were 
burned  ;  crops  carried  off  or  destroyed  ;  trees 
cut  down  ;  good  land  marred  :  iirisoners  car- 
rie<l  into  slavery.  To  subdue  Kdoni,  to  put  an 
end  to  these  losses,  was  worth  a  great  and  sus- 
tained effort,  an  effort  which  needed  very  care- 
ful preparation.  Aniaziah  began  with  his  own 
subjects.  Having  numbered  the  men  capable 
of  bearing  arms  through  all  Judah  and  Benja- 
min, from  twenty  years  old  and  upward,  and 
found  them  to  amount  to  three  hundred  thou- 
sand, he  proceeded  to  organize  and  discipline 
this  vast  host.  An  Israelite  contingent  was 
hired,  and  was  on  the  point  of  setting  out  in 
company  with  the  .ludcan  troops  to  invade 
Edom,  when  a  prophet,  whose  name  is  not 
given,  interfered,  and  representing  to  Amaziah 
the  wickedness  of  making  common  cause  with 
an  idolatrous  people,  threatened  him  with  God's 
anger  and  the  failure  of  his  enterprise  unless 
he  sent  the  army  of  Israel  awa}'  (7,  8).  "  But 
what,"  exclaimed  the  monarch,  "  shall  we  do 
for  the  hundred  talents" — the  amount  of  their 
hire — "  which  I  have  given  to  the  army  of  Is- 
rael?" How  shall  I  recoup  myself  for  this  ex- 
penditure? "  The  man  of  God  answered — The 
Lord  is  able  to  give  thee  much  more  than  this." 
Then,  w-e  are  told,  "  Amaziah  separated  them, 
to  wit,  the  army  that  was  come  to  him  out  of 
Ephraim,  to  go  home  again"  (10) ;  and  they 
returned  home,  while  he  went  on  to  the  Edom- 
ite  war  without  them.  Naturally  they  were 
indignant  ;  and  on  their  way  back  through 
Judea  to  their  own  country  vented  their  wrath 
in  petty  plundering  of  Jewish  towns  and  vil- 
lages, which  was  sometimes  resisted,  with  the 
result  that  as  many  as  three  thousand  Jews  fell 
in  the  tumults  and  skirmishes  (13).  It  was  now 
the  turn  of  the  Judeans  to  feel  provoked  and 
indignant,  and  to  cherish  a  grudge  which  they 
would  be  sure  to  take  the  first  opportunity  of 
venting.  Meanwhile,  Amaziah  had  pushed 
forward  through  southeastern  Judea  toward 
the  Edomite  country,  and  passing  the  border  at 


the  southwestern  angle  of  th.^  Dead  Sea,  found 
the  troops  of  Edom  drawn  uj)  to  meet  him  in 
the  "  Valley  of  Salt,"  or  plain  of  the  Sabkah, 
an  open  space  between  the  southern  shore  of 
the  sea  and  the  high  ground  that  .sei)arates  be- 
tween the  Jordan  depression  and  the  Arabah. 
Here  a  decisive  battle  was  fought,  in  which  the 
Edomites  suffered  complete  defeat,  losing  ten 
thousand  men,  while  .Vmazinh's  victorious  host 
pressed  upon  the  flying  colimins,  and  chased 
them  to  Selah,  or  Petra,  the  strange  Idumican 
capital  amid  the  mountains.  Selah  was  be- 
sieged and  taken  (3  K.  14  :  7),  and  its  name 
contemptuously  changed  to  Joktheel,  "  the 
subdued  of  God."  Numerous  prisoners  were 
made,  roughly  reckoned  at  ten  thousand  ;  and 
these  unfortunates  were  dragged  to  the  brink 
of  the  cliffs  for  which  Petra  is  noted,  and  pre- 
cipitated from  them  into  the  gulf  below.  Edom 
was  for  the  time  completely  cowed  and  subdued, 
while  Amaziah  was  greatly  elated  at  his  suc- 
cess.    G.  R. 

14-16.  In  obedience  to  the  command  of  God 
(verses  7-10),  Amaziah  resigned  the  hundred 
talents  ;  yet  he  lived  in  calamity  and  died  by 
violence  and  treason.  Did  the  Lord  God,  the 
God  of  goodness  and  truth,  forsake  His  servant? 
No  ;  the  Lord  forsook  Amaziah  because  Ama- 
ziah drew  back  from  being  His  servant.  Ama- 
ziah, when  he  had  destroyed  the  Edomites, 
brought  with  him  to  Jerusalem  their  idols  ;  and 
with  the  infatuation  which  belongs  to  presump- 
tuous wickedness  set  them  up  to  be  his  gods, 
and  burned  incense  to  them,  and  worshipped 
them  :  j-et  the  sword  of  Divine  justice  paused 
in  its  scabbard.  "  Where  sin  abounded,  grace 
did  much  more  abound."  The  Lord,  instead 
of  immediately  cutting  off  the  king  in  the  midst 
of  his  ingratitude  and  impiety,  wa.s  mercifully 
pleased  to  send  a  prophet  to  rebuke  him  and 
call  him  to  repentance  (verse  15).  How  did  the 
king  receive  the  message  from  God?  When 
the  former  prophet  had  delivered  his  message 
Amaziah  obeyed  his  command.  But  he  now 
refused  to  humble  himself  before  his  JIaker. 
His  heart  was  obstinately  fixed  in  apostasy. 
He  charged  the  prophet  with  insolent  obtru- 
sivenessfor  daring  to  reprove  him.  and  ordered 
him  to  be  silent  on  pain  of  punishment  (verse 
16).  Then  the  prophet,  perceiving  him  not  to 
be  reclaimed,  pronounced  his  doom  :  "  I  know 
that  God  hath  determined  to  destroy  thee,  be- 
cause thou  hast  done  this,  and  hast  not  heark- 
ened unto  my  counsel."  Hence  followed  the 
disastrous  residue  of  his  life  and  his  miserable 
end.  And  we  may  learn  from  his  example, 
that  no  former  acts  of  righteousness,  uo  former 


SECTION  36.     REIGN  OF  AMAZIAH. 


317 


sacrifices  of  present  interest  for  conscience'  sake, 
will  aviiil  us  as  an  excuse  fur  iudul!,'ing  after- 
ward in  sin.     Gishonie. 

17.  Aniaziah,  flushed  with  his  conquests 
over  Edoni,  sent  a  defiance  to  the  king  of  Israel. 
Jehoash,  who  now  filled  that  throne,  was  a 
politic  and  successful  prince  ;  after  the  death 
of  the  formidable  Hazael,  he  had  reinstated  liis 
kingdom  in  its  independence,  and  reconquered 
great  jiart  of  his  territory  b}-  three  victories 
over  the  Syrians,  which  took  place  according 
to  the  prediction  of  the  dying  Elislia.     MUihuii. 

IS,  19.  Joash  perfectly  took  the  measure  of 
his  ehallenger,  and  answered  him  according  to 
his  folly.  First,  he  replied  by  a  parable.  He 
told  how  the  briar  (or  thistle)  of  Lebanon  sent 
to  the  cedar  of  Lebanon,  demanding  that  the 
daughter  of  the  cedar  should  be  given  in  wife 
to  his  son.  But  a  wild  beast  of  the  forest  passed 
by,  and  trode  down  the  briar.  It  was  meant  to 
sting  and  insult  the  Jewish  king  by  intimating 
to  him  that  in  Joash's  eyes  he  was  no  more 
than  a  contemptible  briar  in  comparison  with 
the  majestic  cedars.  Joash  cannot  be  acquitted 
of  overweening  arrogance.  It  is  a  scornful, 
haughty  spirit  whicli  breathes  in  his  parable. 
Fi'om  the  Israelitish  point  of  view  the  Ten 
Tribes  were  the  Ivingdom  of  Israel  ;  Judah  was 
the  isolated  tribe.  But  the  state  of  Israel  at 
this  time,  and  in  the  recent  past,  did  not  war- 
rant these  boastful  metapliors.  The  cedar,  as 
well  as  the  briar,  had  been  pretty  well  trodden 
down  by  the  wild  beast  of  the  forest.  This 
arrogant  spirit,  moreover,  is  apt  to  lead  its  pos- 
sessor into  the  error  of  despising  things  simply 
because  they  are  outwardly  weak.  In  this  case 
tlio  liing  of  Israel  very  justly  took  the  boastful 
Amaziah's  measure.  But  it  does  not  always 
follow  that  the  cedar  has  the  right  to  lord  it 
over  the  briar.  Nevertheless,  the  parable  was 
just  in  so  far  as  Amaziah  was  matching  him- 
self against  one  who,  as  the  event  showed,  was 
greatly  his  superior.  Joash  was  by  far  the 
abler  soldier,  and  had  larger  forces.  Amaziah 
wished  to  show  himself  his  equal,  but  lacked 
the  power  of  taking  a  just  estimate  of  his  own 
capabilities.  This  is  one  of  tlie  first  conditions 
of  a  man's  strength — to  know  himself.  "  IIow 
many  men  may  you  meet  in  middle  life  whose 
career  has  been  marked  by  bitter  disappoint- 
ments !  They  began  witli  hopes  which  have 
never  been  realized  ;  and  so  they  blame  what 
they  call  their  adverse  fate.  But  they  have 
never  sought  to  know  themselves.  They  began 
in  a  fool's  paradise,  and  they  have  never  made 
their  esctqie  from  it.  A  more  e.\aet  and  modest 
estimate  of  their  own  powers,  a  clear  aod  honest 


apprehension  of  their  own  capacity,  a  readiness 
to  do  the  work  within  their  limits,  the  work 
they  were  meant  to  do,  and  they  hail  been 
spared  many  bitter  hours."  Following  up  his 
parable,  Joash  gave  the  king  of  Judah  a  piece 
of  advice,  scornfully  and  contemptuously  ex- 
pressed, but  such  advice  as,  on  the  whole, 
Amaziah  would  have  done  well  to  take.  He 
touched  truly  enougli  the  motive  of  his  foolish 
challenge.  "  Thou  hast  indeed  smitten  Edom, 
and  thine  heart  is  lifted  up."  A  measure  of 
success  turns  the  heads  of  some  people,  inflates 
their  ideas  of  themselves,  and  incapacitates  them 
for  sober  calculation  of  the  future.  lie  bids  him 
content  himself  with  what  he  has  achie\'ed  and 
tarry  at  home.  The  tone  is  most  insulting,  im- 
plying the  most  perfect  contempt  for  Amaziah's 
threatened  attack  ;  but  the  advice  was  wise. 
Amaziah  was  a  fool  to  provoke  a  needless  war, 
and  run  himself  and  his  kingdom  into  danger 
from  a  mere  motive  of  vain-glory.  He  predicts 
to  him  what  will  happen  if  he  persists  in  his 
foolish  couree.  "  Why  sliouldest  thou  meddle 
to  thy  hurt,  that  thou  shouldest  fall,  even  thou, 
and  Judah  with  thee  ?"  It  perhaps  was  not  to 
be  expected  that  Amaziah  should  take  advice 
so  unpalatable,  so  tauntingly  conveyed,  so 
wounding  to  his  pride  and  royal  honor.  But 
the  result  showed  that  Joash  had  not  overstated 
his  case.  Amaziah  meddled  truly  to  his  hurt, 
and  he  fell,  even  he  and  Judah  with  him.  It  is 
the  fatality  of  a  foolish  mind  that  it  is  impreg- 
nable to  considerations  which  would  show  it  its 
folly.     J.  O. 

Although  he  reigned  fifteen  years  afterward, 
Amaziah  never  recovered  the  prestige  which  he 
had  lost  in  his  war  with  Joash.  At  last  the 
long-smothered  discontent  broke  out.  A  con- 
spiracy formed  against  him  in  Jerusalem  as- 
sumed such  dimensions  that  he  was  led  to  re- 
gard resistance  as  iiopeless,  and  to  seek  safety 
in  flight.  Ilis  place  of  refuge  was  Lachish, 
now  Um-Lakis,  on  the  southwestern  border  of 
Judah.  This  was  a  city  of  considerable  strength 
(2  Chron.  11:9;  2  K.  19  :  8),  and  had  the  king 
been  accompanied  by  even  a  snuill  body  of 
faithful  troops,  he  would  probably  have  been 
able  to  maintain  himself  against  his  revolted 
subjects  for  months,  or  even  years  ;  but  Ama- 
ziah had  made  himself  generally  unpopular 
and  seems  not  to  have  had  even  a  knot  of  ad- 
herents. When  the  conspirators  "sent  after 
him  to  Lachish"  (2  K.  14  :  19),  hj  succumbed 
to  them  without  a  struggle.  Those  who  seized 
his  person  put  him  to  death,  l)ut  offered  him 
no  further  indignity.  On  the  contrary,  they 
placed  the  corpse  in  the  royal  chariot  in  which 


318 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAII. 


Am;i/iiih  li:i<l  rcuclicd  Lacliish.  and  so  Irmor- 
iibly  ronveyeti  it  to  Jcnisalfiii  and  huricd  it  in 
the  royal  st'imlcUrcs.  Amaziali  had  n.igned 
altogether  twenty-nine  years,  and  had  reached 
the  llftyfonrth  year  of  his  age.     G.  R. 

The  great  failing  of  Amaziah  seems  to  have 
been  a  weak  hut  restless  ambition.  He  was  al- 
ways aiming  to  do  grand,  brilliant  things  be- 
yond his  power,  and  neglecting  to  do  the  sim- 
ple, ordinary  tilings  within  his  reach,  in  the 
faithful  performance  of  which  lay  his  jjlain 
duty,  his  true  usefulness,  and  his  real  honor  ; 
ami  the  meiusure  of  success  which  attended  liis 
efforts  in  this  direction  led  him  on  to  new  un- 
dertakings which  involvcil  him  in  defeat  and 
disgrace. 

The  king  of  Israel  warned  liirTi  of  bis  folly, 
but  he  would  not  listen.  Thou  hast  con((uered 
Kdom.  Be  content.  Tarrj-  at  home,  and  ndnd 
thine  own  business.  Take  care  of  thy  king- 
dom, and  the  welfare  of  thy  people.  Why  wilt 
thou  meddle  to  thy  hurt?    It  was  good  coun- 


sel, but  it  was  not  heeded.  The  bold,  bad  spirit 
that  unsanctilied  success  luul  jiroduced  would 
not  be  quiet.  Tlie  fire  of  revenge  and  ambition 
must  find  fuel  to  feed  upon.  This  is  not  Ama- 
ziah,  it  is  human  nature.  There  is  nought  in  it 
peculiar  to  him,  we  share  it  with  him.  Let  a 
man  in  whom  religion  has  not  its  proper  a.s- 
cendency  have  his  way,  and  he  always  grows 
bold,  arrogant,  rapacious.  His  desire  rapidly 
increases.  There  is  nothing  that  he  will  not 
aspire  after,  nothing  that  he  will  not  essay  to 
achieve.  "  He  is  a  proud  man.  neither  keepeth 
at  home,  who  enlargeth  his  desire  as  hell,  and 
is  as  death,  and  cannot  be  satisfied."  Alexan- 
der conquers  the  world,  and  weeps  for  other 
worlds  too.  Ah,  there  is  nothing  that  will  stil! 
conquer  and  satisfy  the  heart  but  God  and  His 
service.  A  restless,  insatiable  craving,  that 
grows  with  success,  and  is  hungrier  the  more  it 
is  fed — this  is  the  fruit  of  ungodly  prosperity. 
Is  it  not  a  destruction?  Beware  I  surely  tho 
prosperity  of  I'ools  destroys  them,     Maila/m. 


Section  37. 


REIGNS  OP   UZZIAII  (jV^AKIAII)  AND  .JOTHAM, 


2  Chronicles  26  : 1-23  ;  27  :  1-9. 

2G  :  1  And  all  the  people  of  Judah  took 
Uz/.iah,  who  was  sixteen  years  old,  and 
made  him  king  in  the  room  of  his  father 

2  .Viuiiziali.  He  built  Eloth.  and  restored  it  to 
.ludah,  after  that  the  king  slept  with  his  fa- 

3  thcrs.  Sixteen  years  old  Wius  Uzziah  when 
he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned  fifty  and 
two  yeare  in  .Jerusalem  :  and  his  mother's 

4  name  was  .lechiliah  of  .lerusalem.  And  lie 
did  tliat  which  was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the 
L()K[>,  according  to  all  that  his  father  Ama- 

5  ziah  liad  done.  And  he  set  himself  to  seek 
God  in  the  days  of  Zechariah,  who  liad  un- 
derstanding in 'the  vision  of  God:  and  as 
long  as  he  sought  the  LoiiD,  God  made  him 

6  to  prosper.  .\nd  he  went  forth  and  warred 
against  the  Philistines,  and  brake  down  the 
wall  of  Gath,  and  the  wall  of  .labncli,  and 
the  wall  of  Ashdod  ;  and  he  built  cities  in 
Ihf  riiuntrji  (if  \ii\u\iK\,  and  among  the  I'hil- 

7  istines.  And  God  helped  him  against  the 
I'hilistines,  and  against  the  Arabians  that 

H  dwelt  in  Gur-baal,  and  the  Mcunim.     And 
,  the  Ammonites  gave  gifts  to  Uzziah  :  and 


2  KlXGS  l.j  :  1-7  ;  32-38. 

15  :  1  In  the  twent}'  and  seventh  year  of 
•Teroboam  king  of  Israel  began  Azariah  son 

2  of  Amaziah  king  of  Judah  to  reign.  Six- 
teen years  old  was  he  when  he  began  to 
reign  ;  and  he  reigned  two  and  fifty  years  in 
Jeru-ialem  :  and  his  mother's  name  was  Jc- 

3  colinhof  .Jerusalem.  And  he  did  (hat  which 
was  right  in  the  c^es  of  the  Loisd.  accord- 
ing to  all  tliat  his  fatner  Amaziah  had  done. 

4  Howbeit  the  high  places  were  not  taken 
away  :  the  people  still  sacrificed  and  l)urnt 

.5  incense  in  the  high  places.  And  the  Lord 
smote  the  king,  so  that  Ite  was  a  leper  unto 
the  day  of  his  death,  and  dwelt  in  a  several 
house.  And  .Jotham  the  king's  son  was  over 
the  household,  judging  the  people  of  the 

G  land.  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Azariah, 
and  all  that  he  did.  are  they  not  written  in 
the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of 

7  .ludah?     And   Azariah  slept   with    his  fa- 
thers ;  and  they  buried  him  with  his  fathers 
in  the  city  of  David  :  and  Jotham  his  son 
nigned  in  his  stead. 
32      In  the  second  vear  of  Pekali  the  son  of 


SECTION  37.     REIGN  OP  UZZIAH. 


319 


34 


35 


Remaliah  king  of  Israel  began  Jotham  the 
33  son  of  Uzziah  king  of  Judah  to  reign.  Five 
and  twenty  years  old  was  lie  when  he  began 
to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned  sixteen  years  in 
Jerusalem  :  and  his  mother's  name  was  Je- 
rusha  the  daughter  of  Zadok.  And  he  did 
that  which  was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Loud  :  ho  did  according  to  all  that  his  fa- 
ther Uzziah  had  done.  Howbeit  the  high 
places  were  not  taken  away  :  the  people  still 
sacrificed  and  burned  incense  in  the  high 
places.  He  built  the  upper  gate  of  the  house 
36  of  the  Loud.  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of 
Jotham,  and  all  that  he  did,  are  they  not 
written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the 
kings  of  Judah?  In  those  days  the  Lord 
began  to  send  against  Judah  Rezin  the  king 
of  Syria,  and  Pekah  the  son  of  Remaliah. 
And  Jotham  slept  with  his  fathers,  and  was 
buried  with  his  fathers  in  the  city  of  David 
his  father  ;  and  Ahaz  his  son  reigned  in  his 
stead. 


37 


38 


his  name  spread  abroad  even  to  the  entering 

in    of    Egypt ;    for    he    waxed    exceeding 

9  strong.     >Iorcover  Uzziah  built  towers  in 

Jerusalem  at  the  corner  gate,  and  at  the  val- 
ley gati',  and  at  the  turning  of  the  trail,  and 

10  fortified  them.  And  he  built  towers  in  the 
wilderness,  and  hewed  out  many  cisterns, 
for  he  hid  much  cattle  ;  in  the  lowland  also, 
and  in  the  plain  ;  and  he  had  husbandmen 
and  vinedressers  in  the  mountains  and  in  the 
fruitful   fields  ;    for    he   loved    husbandry. 

11  Moreover  Uzziah  had  an  army  of  fighting 
men,  that  went  out  to  war  by  bands,  ac- 
cording to  the  nmnber  of  their  reckoning 
made  by  Jciel  the  scribe  and  JIaaseiah  the 
ofllcor,  under  the  hand  of  Ilauauiah,  one  of 

13  the  king's  captains.     The  whole  number  of 
the  heads  of  fathers'  houses,  even  the  mighty  | 
men  of  valour,  was  two  thousand  and  six 

13  hundred.  And  under  their  hand  was  a 
trained  army,  three  hundred  thousand  and 
seven  thousand  and  five  hundred,  that  made 
war  with  mighty  power,  to  help  the  king 

igainst  the  enemy.  And  Uzziah  prepared  for  them,  even  for  all  the  host,  shields,  and  spears, 
and  helmets,  and  coats  of  mail,  and  bows,  and  stones  for  slinging.  And  he  made  in  Jerusa- 
lem engines,  invented  by  cuiming  men,  to  be  on  the  towers  and  upon  the  battlements,  to 
shoot  arrows  and  great  stones  withal.  And  his  name  spread  far  abroad  ;  for  he  was  marvel- 
lously helped,  till  he  was  strong. 

But  when  he  was  strong,  his  Iieart  was  lifted  up  so  that  he  did  corruptly,  and  he  tres- 
passed against  the  Lord  his  God  ;  for  he  went  into  the  temple  of  the  Loud  to  burn  incense 

17  upon  the  altar  of  incense.    And  Azariah  the  priest  went  in  after  him,  and  with  him  fourscore 

18  priests  of  the  Lord,  that  were  valiant  men  :  and  they  withstood  Uzziah  the  king,  and  said 
unto  him,  It  pertaineth  not  unto  thee,  Uzziah,  to  burn  incense  unto  the  Loud,  but  to  the 
priests  the  sons  of  Aaron,  that  are  consecrated  to  burn  incense  :  go  out  of  the  sanctuary  ;  for 

19  thou  hast  trespassed  ;  neither  shall  it  be  for  thine  honour  from  the  Lord  God.  Then  Uzziah 
was  wroth  ;  and  he  had  a  censer  in  his  hand  to  burn  incense  ;  and  while  he  was  wroth  with 
the  priests,  the  leprosy  brake  forth  in  his  forehead  before  the  priests  in  the  house  of  the  Lord, 
beside  the  altar  of  incense.  "  And  Azariah  the  chief  priest,  and  all  the  priests,  looked  upon 
him,  and,  behold,  he  was  leprous  in  his  forehead,  and  they  thrust  him  out  quickly  from 
thence  ;  yea,  himself  hasted  also  to  go  out,  because  the  Lord  had  smitten  him.  And  Uzziah 
the  king  was  a  leper  unto  the  day  of  his  death,  and  dwelt  in  a  several  house,  being  a  leper  ; 
for  he  was  cut  off  from  the  house  of  the  Lord  :  and  Jotham  his  son  was  over  the  king's 

32  house,  judging  the  people  of  the  land.     Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Uzziah,  first  and  last,  did 

23  Isaiah  the  prophet,  the  son  of  Anioz,  write.     So  Uzziah  slept  with  his  fathers  ;  and  they 

buried  him  with  his  fathers  in  the  field  of  burial  which  belonged  to  the  kings  ;  for  they  said, 

He  is  a  leper  :  and  Jotham  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 

27  :  1  Jotham  was  twentj-  and  five  j'ears  old  when  he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned  six- 

3  teen  years  in  Jerusalem  ;  and  his  mother's  name  was  Jerushah  the  daughter  of  Zadok.     And 

he  did  tliat  which  was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  Loud,  according  to  all  that  his  father  L'zziah 

had  done  :  howbeit  he  entered  not  into  the  temple  of  the  Lord.     And  the  people  did  yet  cor- 

3  ruptly.     He  built  the  upper  gate  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  on  the  wall  of  Ophel  he  built 

4  much.     Moreover  he  built  cities  in  the  hill  country  of  Judah,  and  in  the  forests  he  built 

5  castles  and  towers.  He  fought  also  with  the  king  of  the  children  of  Ammon,  and  prevailed 
against  them.  And  the  children  of  Ammon  gave  him  the  same  year  an  hundred  talents  of 
silver,  and  ten  thousanrl  measun.'S  of  wlicat,  and  ten  thousand  of  barle_y.     So  much  did  the 

6  ehildien  of  Ammon  render  unto  liim,  in  the  second  year  also,  and  in  the  third.     So  Jotham 

7  became  mighty,  because  he  ordered  his  ways  before  the  Lord  his  God.     Now  the  rest  of  the 


14 
l") 


16 


20 


31 


320 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


nets  of  Jotham,  and  all  liis  wars,  and  his  ways,  luliold,  they  arc  writtrn  in  the  book  of  ihe 

8  kinjrs  of  Israel  and  .ludali.     He  was  Jive-  and  twenty  years  old  when  he  besian  to  reij^n,  and 

9  reigned  sixteen  years  in  Jerusalem.     And  .lotliarn  slej)!  with  his  fathers,  and  they  buried  him 
in  the  city  of  David  :  and  Aha/,  liis  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 


HkKJ.N"    of    UzZIAII    UK    .\/.AinAII. 

I-'ilTly-livo  Yt-ars,  -ifxXx  of  Ji-robouin 
II.  to  l!tt  ul' I'ekali,  ot  Israel. 

2  CiiitoNici.Es  2()  :  1-2H  ;  2  Kings  15  : 1-7. 

On  the  murder  of  -Vina/.iali.  king  of  .ludah, 
by  conspirators  at  l.acliish.  the  pmjM'  are  stilted 
to  have  taken  Azariali  or  Uzziah,  one  of  Ama- 
ziah'ssons,  a  youth  of  sixteen  years  of  age,  and 
ma<lc  him  king  in  his  father's  room  (2  K. 
14  :  21).  There  seems  to  be  an  indication  of  his 
having  already'  won  the  i)opular  favor,  in  the 
exjiression  used  by  the  v.-riter  of  Cln\)nicles 
(2  C'hron.  26  :  1),  that  "  all  the  people  of  Judali 
took  him  and  made  him  king."  Uzziah,  as 
Ewald  says,  "'  was  equally  great  in  the  arts  of 
Iieacc  and  in  those  of  war."  His  reign  was,  as 
Dean  .Stanley  remarks,  "  the  most  prosperous, 
excepting  that  of  Jehoshaphat,  since  the  time 
of  Solomon."     G.  R. 

Uzziah  was  contemporary  with  nearly  half 
the  reign  of  Jeroboam  II.,  with  Zechariah, 
Shalluni,  Menahem,  and  Pekahiah,  and  the  last 
year  of  his  reign  was  the  tirst  of  Pekah's.  He 
was  at  first  under  the  intluence  of  Zechariah,  a 
proi)hct  "  who  had  imderslanding  in  the  vis- 
ions of  God."  lie  began  his  reigu  by  recover- 
ing and  rebuilding  Kloth  (^lana  :  Akabuk),  the 
old  port  of  Solomon  and  Jehoshaphat,  at  the 
eastern  liead  of  the  Red  Sea,  His  successful 
wars  restored  Judah  nearly  to  the  power  she 
had  possessed  under  the  latter  king.  He  re- 
ceived tribute  from  .Vmmon,  ami  subdued  the 
Philistines,  r.-izing  the  fortilications  of  Gath  and 
Ashdod,  and  building  fortresses  throughout 
their  country.  The  Arabs  of  the  southern  des- 
ert, whom  we  have  seen  with  the  Philistines, 
lirst  as  tributaries  and  then  as  enemies  of  Ju- 
dah, were  reduced  to  tlie  former  condition. 
Towers  were  built  and  wells  were  dug,  both  in 
the  marilim;'  plain  {S hffiiah)  and  the  Idumiean 
desert  (.l)V(4o/(),  for  the  king's  numerous  flocks  : 
and  he  Iiad  husbandmen  and  vinedressers  in 
the  plains  about  C'armcl  (in  the  south)  and  in 
the  mountains.  While  thus  improving  the  re- 
sources of  his  country,  Uzziah  made  prepara- 
tion', for  its  defence,  whether  against  Israel, 
Syria,  or  .Vssyria.  lie  repaired  the  wall  of  Je- 
rusalem, whiili  had  l)een  broken  down  after  his 
fath<'r':j  defeat  by  Jcboash,  building  towers  at 
the  corner  gate,  and  the  valley  gate,  and  the 


angh^  of  the  wall.  He  armed  the  fortifications 
with  newly  invented  military  engines,  the  first 
of  which  we  read  in  Jewish  history,  like  the 
balista  and  catapult,  for  shooting  arrows  and 
great  stones.  He  kept  on  foot  an  army  of 
307,.5()0  men  "  that  made  war  with  mighty 
power,"  under  2G00  captains.  "  the  chief  of  the 
fathers  of  the  might  men  of  valor,"  with  llana- 
uiah  iis  commander-in-chief.  They  went  forth 
to  war  by  bands,  the  roll  of  which  was  kept  by 
the  king's  scribe,  Jeiel,  and  the  ruler  of  his 
liousR,  Maaseiah.  By  the  care  of  Uzziah,  all 
the  soldiers  were  armed  with  spears  and  shields, 
helmets  and  coats  of  mail,  bows  and  slings. 
"  And  his  name  sjiread  f.ir  abroad,  for  he  was 
marvellously  helped,  till  he  Wius  strong."  But 
tleprived  probably  of  the  counsel  of  Zechariah, 
he  coidd  not  bear  his  prosperity.  In  his  arro- 
gance, he  claimed  the  fuiu-tions  of  the  priests  ; 
not  those  which  we  have  seen  always  exercised 
by  judges  and  kings,  of  offering  burned  sacri- 
fices, but  those  which  belonged  exclusively  to 
the  sons  of  Aaron.  He  entered  into  the  Holy 
Place  to  burn  incen,sc  on  the  golden  altar.  Hi; 
was  followed  bj-  the  high  priest  Azariali,  «  illi 
eighty  of  the  most  courageous  of  the  ])riesls, 
preiiared  to  resist  the  profanation  by  force. 
The  high  priest  reproved  the  king  with  all  the 
lioldness  of  his  oflice,  and  warned  him  to  leave 
the  sanctuary,  predicting  that  dishonor  would 
befall  him.  What  reply  or  deed  Uzziah  medi- 
tated in  his  rage,  we  are  not  told  ;  but  iis  he 
stood,  censer  in  hand,  there  rose  with  the  flush 
of  anger  to  his  forehead  the  spot  of  leprosy, 
the  sign  of  his  exclusion  even  from  the  cotirt  of 
the  house  of  God.  When  the  priests  saw  it 
they  thrust  liim  out  ;  nay,  he  himself  was  so 
struck  with  the  judgment  that  he  hastened 
from  the  sanctuary.  Ik^  remained  a  leper  to 
the  day  of  his  death,  secluded  in  a  separate 
house,  according  to  the  directions  of  the  law, 
while  the  government  was  committed  to  his 
son,  Jotham.  W'hen  he  died  he  was  not  re- 
ceived into  the  .sepulchre  of  the  kings,  but 
buried  in  a  field  attached  to  it.  His  life  wius 
written  by  tlie  prophet  Isaiah,  as  well  as  in  the 
Chronicles  of  Judah.     P.  S. 

Uzziah,  in  the  Second  Book  of  Kings  and 
once  in  (.'hronicles  called  .Vzariah.  itscended  the 
throne  at  a  time  of  great  disorder.  But  from 
this  time  the  kingdom  of  Judah  attained,  dur- 
ing the  sixty -eight  years  which  comprise  the 


SECTION  37.    REIGN  OF  UZZIAIL 


321 


reigns  of  Uzziah  and  his  son  Jotham,  a  degree 
of  power  such  as  it  had  not  possessed  since  the 
disruption  ;  while  the  sister  kingdom  enjoyed 
under  Jeroboam  II.  but  a  short  period  of  pros- 
perity. On  the  soutli  Edoni  was  subdued,  and 
the  territory  of  Judah  again  extended  to  the 
Gulf  of  Aliabah  ;  in  the  west  the  Philistines 
were  compelled  to  submit  ;  on  the  cast  the 
Sloabites  and  Ammonites  became  tributaries  to 
Judah  instead  of  the  northern  kingdom.  A 
powerful  military  force  was  raised,  the  coun- 
try defended  by  fortresses,  the  fortifications  cf 
Jerusalem  itself  were  strengthened,  and  trade 
and  agriculture  flourished.  Still,  notwithstand- 
ing the  general  adherence  of  Uzziah  and  Jotham 
to  the  theocratic  ordinances,  the  moral  and  rc- 
liyions  eonditiou  of  (he  people  icas  not  satisfac- 
tory. Luxury,  pride  and  oppression  of  the 
poor  increased  together  with  power  and  riches, 
while  heathen  superstitions  and  other  foreign 
customs  were  at  the  same  time  disseminated. 
See  the  characteristics  of  the  times  described 
(Isa.  3  :  .5-8,  16  sqq.  ;  5  :  18-23).  Idolatry,  too, 
probably  of  the  same  kind  as  the  image-wor- 
ship at  Bethel,  was  tolerated,  if  not  at  Jerusa- 
lem, in  other  parts  of  the  land — at  Beersheba 
(Amos  .5  :  5  ;  8  :  14)  ;  and  Lachish  (Mic.  1  :  13)— 
according  to  the  probable  meaning  of  this  pas- 
sage. Hence  Isaiah,  in  spite  of  the  scoficra  in 
high  places  (5  ;  19  sqq.),  announced  in  the  days 
of  Jotham  the  coming  of  the  da}-  of  the  Lord 
upon  all  who  were  proud  and  lofty,  that  they 
might  be  brought  low  (2  :  12).  The  judgment 
already  in  process  of  infliction  upon  the  north- 
ern kingdom  was  to  overtake  Judah  also  (see 
especially  6  : 9-13)  ;  but  here,  where  all  was 
not  as  yet  corrupt,  it  was  to  be  accomplished 
by  slower  degrees.     O. 

2  Clirou.  2e  :  1.  Vzziah.  This  form  of 
the  name  is  found  uniformly  in  Chronicles, 
with  the  single  exceiJtion  of  1  Chron.  3  ;  12, 
where  Azariah  occui-s.  Uzziah  is  likewise  the 
only  form  used  by  the  prophets.  The  writer 
of  Kings  prefers  the  form  Azariah,  but  lias 
Uzziah  in  four  places  (2  K.  15  ;  13,  30,  33,  34). 
B.  C. 

3.  The  summary  of  L'zziah's  reign,  both  in 
Kings  and  Chronicles,  declares  him  to  have 
been  a  good  king— "  He  did  that  which  was 
right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  according  to  all 
that  his  father  Amaziah  had  done."  There  is, 
of  course,  the  usual  reservation,  that  under  him 
"  the  high  places  were  not  removed  ;  the  peo- 
ple sacrificed  and  burned  incense  still  on  the 
high  places"  (verse  4) ;  and  the  writer  of 
Chronicles  adds  the  qualifying  statement,  that 
he  "  sought  God  in  the  days  of  Zcchariah,  who 


had  understanding  in  the  visions  of  God" 
(verse  5),  by  which  it  would  appear  that  Uz- 
ziah, like  Joash  his  grandfather,  was  in  the 
earlier  part  of  his  reign  faithful  to  Jehovah  and 
the  national  religion  under  the  influence  of  a 
Jehovistic  prophet,  but  afterward,  when  this 
influence  was  removed,  fell  away  and  became 
irreligious.  Still,  no  act  of  .sin  is  recorded 
against  him  until  nearly  the  close  of  his  long 
life.  Then,  we  are  told,  he  became  puffed  up 
with  pride  on  account  of  his  continuous  and 
extraordinary  prosperity — "  his  heart  was  lift- 
ed up  to  his  destruction,  and  he  transgressed 
against  the  Lord  his  God."     G.  R. 

16.  Ussiah's  transffresdon.  A  very  long 
period  of  comparative  fidelity  had  produced 
long  prosperity,  but  this  prosperity  filled  his 
heart  with  pride,  and  pride  led  him  to  wrong- 
doing. Xot  content  with  his  kingly  preroga- 
tive, he  also  aspired  after  the  priestly  dignity. 
The  offering  of  incense  upon  the  altar  within 
the  Hoi}"  of  Holies  was  exclusively  the  office  of 
the  priests.  This  altar  derived  special  impor- 
tance from  the  daily  burning  of  sweet  incense 
upon  it  morning  and  evening,  and  from  the 
sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  atonement  upon  it 
by  the  high  priest  once  every  year.  Prayer  by 
the  body  of  the  people  without  accompanied 
the  offering  of  the  incense,  and  hence  it  came 
to  be  associated  with  prayer  as  its  natural  sym- 
bol. This  altar  had  a  connection  with  the  altar 
of  burnt  offering,  in  the  fact  that  its  fire  was 
taken  from  that.  As  the  one  altar — that  of 
burnt  offering — signified  the  fact  of  Christ's 
expiation,  so  the  other,  within  the  veil — the 
altar  of  incense — symbolized  in  its  office  the 
intercession  of  Christ.  He  nee  there  was  a  pecul- 
iar sacredness  in  the  offering  of  incense,  as 
representing  the  Saviour's  own  act.  Therefore 
the  priest  alone,  in  his  representative  office  as 
mediator,  was  privileged  to  perform  this  ser- 
vice ;  and  this  Uzziah  well  knew,  yet  his  am- 
bition led  him  to  undertake  so  defiant  a  trans- 
gression against  the  law  of  his  God.     B. 

Prolonged  and  uniform  prosperity,  especially 
when  united  with  high  place  and  the  ostenta- 
tion and  subserviency  tha*.  inevitabl)'  cling  to 
its  skirts,  is  a  severe  trial  which  none  but  a  ro- 
bust and  hardy  virtue  can  long  endure.  Uz- 
ziah's  goodness  gave  way  under  it.  Not  con- 
tent with  his  kingly  honors,  he  will  fain  be  a 
priest  also.  He  is  unwilling  to  admit  that  tliere 
is  any  important  thing  in  his  kingdom  that  he 
cannot  do,  any  honorable  function  that  he  may 
not  discharge.  It  seemed  a  disparagement  and 
limitation  of  his  supremacy.     Hallam. 

17,  18.    Faithful   opposition  of  the  priests. 


322 


KimiDOM  OF  JUDAII. 


I'niicr  the  Iciulersliip  of  Azariiili,  the  chief 
|ini'St.  a  liiuicl  i)f  brave  priest*  withstood  the 
(•mnin<-e  of  the  kiiij;  aud  the  royal  guard. 
With  remonstrance  first  they  asserted  tlie  ex- 
clusive rifilit  of  tlie  consecrated  priest  to  liurn 
incense  \into  tlie  Lorf.  And  they  bade  him  de- 
l)art  from  the  sanctuary  upon  whose  precincts 
he  had  already  trespassed  ;  and  they  intimated 
that  God  would  susttun  Ilis  own  honor  against 
the  royal  trespasser. 

Ift.  G'id's  iiiterjxtsition  of  judgment  upon 
I'zziiili.  The  opposition  of  the  priests  only 
stirred  the  wrath  of  the  king.  It  stayed  not 
his  sacrilegious  purpose.  He  dared  to  lift  the 
censer,  when  suddenly  God  struck  him  with 
leprosy.  Visibly  to  the  priests  broke  forth 
upon  his  forehead  the  white  scourge,  as  he 
stood  with  lifted  censer.     B. 

20.  It  was  Heaven's  laws  that  Azariah  was 
defying,  and  it  was  from  heaven  the  blow 
came  which  struck  his  pride  low.  While  yet 
he  stood  at  God's  altar.  otTering  unhallowed  in- 
cense, the  Icpnnis  spot  began  to  burn  in  his 
forehead,  and  in  presence  of  the  priests,  whose 
protestations  he  despised,  he  felt  himself  a 
leper.  The  priests,  in  horror,  thrust  him  out 
from  the  holy  place.  But  it  needed  not  their 
violence  :  "Yea,  himself  hasted  also  to  go  out, 
because  the  Lord  had  smitten  him."  How 
{juickly  God  can  bring  the  haughtiuess  of  men 
low  !  He  is  a  jealous  God.  and  wliat  touclies 
the  honor  of  His  sanctuary  and  worship  is  of 
special  concern  to  Him.  We  are  warned  against 
will-worship  in  God's  service  (Col.  3  :  33  ;  cf. 
Xum.  10  :  1,  3).  The  leprosy  was  but  the  out- 
ward token  of  the  invisible  sin  of  pride  ;  yet 
how  little  shame  the  reality  of  sin  occasions,  as 
compared  with  that  caused  by  an  outward  sym- 
bol of  it  like  this  !  We  may  believe  that  in  the 
cud  inward  character  will  somehow  stamp  it- 
self upon  the  outward  appearance,  and  then 
men  will  see  sin  in  its  real  loathsomeness. 
J.  O. 

Leprosy  is  a  chronic,  hereditary,  malignant 
vampire,  slowly  eating  up  its  victim  in  one 
long,  momentary  meal.  It  eats  hair,  nails, 
flesh,  bones,  exposing  heart  and  lungs  through 
gnawed  and  ghastly  ribs.  There  is  no  poison 
that  can  pall  this  appetite,  for  it  is  virulence 
itself.  But  Jesus  had  compassion,  put  His 
hand  on  the  leper,  in  dcflauce  of  all  sanitary 
and  civil  law  ;  and,  with  a  word,  the  Lord  of 
life  changed  that  festering  mass  of  corruption 
into  the  sweetness  of  the  Hesh  of  a  little  child. 
Measureless  mercy  !  Marvellous  power  !  It  is 
as  easy  to  make  sweetness  out  of  putrescence 
as  lilies  out  of  the  river  slime.    Leprosy  is  God's 


language  to  describe  sin  ;  hereditary,  eating 
like  a  canker,  horrible,  to  be  qiuirautiued  against 
here  and  hereafter,  unmedicable  by  man,  in- 
stantly curable  by  power  Divine.  II.  It'.  War- 
ren. 

20-23.  As  a  leper  thrunl  forth  from  tlie  Tem- 
ple ;  theneeforth  eeclutkd  for  life,  and  in  his 
burial.  No  defence  was  attempted  by  the  king 
or  his  guard  against  the  act  of  expulsion  by 
the  iiriests.  The  king  himself  felt  that  which 
was  apparent  to  the  priests,  that  the  hand  of 
God  had  been  interposed  in  judgment.  The 
king  was  now  doublj'  a  trespasser  iu  the  holy 
place,  for  the  Law  excluded  the  leper  utterly 
from  the  Temple  precincts.  He  went  forth, 
and  to  the  day  of  his  death  dwelt  apart,  cut  off 
not  only  from  the  house  of  the  Lord,  but  sev- 
ered from  all  association  with  his  own  house- 
hold, and  virtually  dethroned  by  his  own  guilty 

act.     B. We  are  not  told  whether  during 

his  incarceration  he  repented  of  the  sin  that  he 
had  committed  ;  but  we  may  assume  that  he 
did  so,  since  he  certainly  left  behind  hiiu  the 
character  of  a  good  king.     G.  R. 

Three  kings  of  Judah  iu  succession  begin  well, 
serve  God  for  a  time  and  prosper,  yet  stumble 
and  fail  at  last.  We  have  seen  the  fates  of 
Joash  and  Amaziali  ;  and  Azariah  furnishes  a 
third  example.     J.  O. 

21,23.  Cut  off  from  access  to  the  house  of 
the  Lord,  where  he  had  impiously  sought  to 
command,  and  deV)arred  from  all  intercouree 
with  men,  the  kingdom  was  administered  bj- 
Jotham,  his  son — for  how  long  a  period  before 
the  death  of  Uzziah  it  is  impossible  to  deter- 
mine. His  punishment  followed  him  even  into 
the  grave.  For,  although  he  was  ''  buried  with 
his  fathers,"  it  was  "  iu  the  field  of  the  burial 
which  belonged  to  the  kings,"  probably  the 
burying-ground  of  the  members  of  the  royal 
family  ;  he  was  not  laid  in  the  sepulchre  where 
the  kings  of  Judah  rested.     A.  E. 


Tlu'  case  of  Uzziah  is  one  of  the  few  instances 
recorded  in  the  Scriptures  of  instant  and  severe 
punishment  of  the  sin  of  irreverence  and  pre- 
sumpti<m.  God  docs  not  always  punish  sin  in 
the  same  way.  The  sin  is  the  same,  age  after 
age.  It  is  marvellous  how  human  nature  re- 
peats itself,  but  God's  treatment  of  the  wrong  is 
infinitely  diversified.  That  irreverent  wor- 
shippei-s  are  not  all  lepm-s  is  no  proof  tliat  they 
are  more  jilea-sing  to  God  now  than  when  the 
Judean  king  was  rebuked  by  that  loathsome 
disease.     Phelps. 

As  prosperity  genders  jiridc,  and  pride  leads 
to  the  out-acting  of  self-will,  so  it  goeth  before 


SECTION  37.     REIOJSr  OF  JOTUA.V. 


323 


destruction.  God  will  not  be  mocked.  He 
will  be  liiul  in  reverence  by  all  them  that  are 
round  about  Him.  And  none  can  contend 
against  Him. 

A  faithful  stand  for  truth  and  duty,  even 
boldness  in  reproof  of  -svrong -doing,  is  suggest- 
ed by  the  attitude  of  these  priests  of  God. 

A  just  and  noble  life  like  Uzziah's,  ending  in 
evil  and  sorrow,  stronglj-  emphasizes  the  New 
Testament  exhortations  to  steadfastness  and  en- 
durance to  the  cad.  Hold  on  in  the  way  of 
obedience  and  trust,  of  humility  and  truth,  that 
you  may  be  enabled  to  hold  out  to  the  comple- 
tion of  a  Christian  life.  The  whole  Epistle  to 
the  Hebrews  has  this  counsel  as  one  of  its  main 
thoughts  ;  and  the  whole  Hebrew  history  em- 
phatically illustrates  this  counsel.     B. 

Reign  of  Jotham. 

Sixteen  Year§,  1st  to  17tli  of  Pekali, 
of  Israel. 

3  Chronicles  27  : 1-9  ;  2  Kings  15  :  32-38. 

Another  good  reign  followed  that  of  Uzziah. 
His  son  Jotham,  the  eleventh  king  of  Judah, 
succeeded  to  the  throne  at  twenty-five  years  of 
age,  and  reigned  sixteen  years.  He  Wiis  a  wise, 
energetic,  and  devout  ruler,  faitliful  to  God 
and  mindful  of  the  interests  of  his  subjects. 
He  maintained  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  al- 
though idolatry  was  still  practised  to  some  ex- 
tent among  the  people.  He  strengthened  the 
defences  of  Jerusalem,  and  of  the  other  walled 
cities  of  Judah.  He  added  to  the  wealth  and 
the  adornment  of  the  Temple.  He  reduced  the 
Ammonites  to  complete  subjection,  and  retained 
supremacy  over  the  other  adjacent  nations. 
Thus  true  to  Jehovah,  the  realm  of  Judah  en- 
joyed peace  and  prosperity  during  the  entire 
period  of  his  reign.  "  So  Jotham  became 
mighty,  because  he  prepared  his  ways  before 
the  Lord  God."     B. 

Fuller  Outline  of  his  Ikign. 

Jotham,  who  became  regent  when  his  father, 
Uzziah,  was  stricken  with  leprosy,  is  said  to 
have  held  the  throne  of  Juilah  for  sixteen  years 
(2  K.  15  :  33)  ;  but  it  is  questionable  whether 
the  space  mentioned  does  not  also  include  the 
period  of  his  regency.  He  is  reckoned  a  good 
princes-one  who  "  did  right  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,  according  to  all  that  his  father  Uzziah 
had  done"  (ibid.,  verse  34),  but  who  avoided 
Uzziah's  sin — "  howbeit  he  entered  not  into  the 
Temple  of  the  Lord"  (2  Chron.  27  ;  2).  In  his 
general  policy,  he  simply  trod  in  the  footsteps 


of  his  father.  First  of  all,  he  further  improved 
the  defences  of  tlie  country.  He  also  "  built 
cities" — i.e.,  fortres.ses,  ''in  the  mountains  of 
Judah,  and  in  the  fore.-its  he  built  castles  and 
towers"  («/«■(?.,  verses  3,  4).  The  Ammonite  na- 
tion, subdued  by  his  father  (3  Chron.  26  :  8), 
rebelled  against  him,  and  refused  to  pay  him 
tribute,  whereupon  Jotham  invaded  their  coun- 
try, defeated  the  Ammonite  monarch,  reiniposed 
the  tribute,  and  increased  it  for  the  first  three 
j'ears,  as  a  punishment.  Toward  the  close  of 
his  reign  he  had  to  sustain  attacks  on  the  part 
of  Pekah  and  Rezin,  who  had  already  formed 
their  alliance  ;  but  these  attacks  do  not  seem  to 
liave  become  formidable  until  the  reign  of  his 
sou  (2  K.  15  ;  37  ;  16  :  5).  The  internal  condi- 
tion of  J\ulali  did  not  improve  under  Jotham. 
Notwithstanding  his  own  faithfulness  to  the 
Jehovistic  worship,  "the  people  did  yet  cor- 
ruptly" (2  Chron.  27  :  2).  The  high-place  wor- 
ship, as  a  matter  of  course,  still  continued  (2  K. 
15  :  35)  ;  and  with  it  were  joined  a  number 
of  base  and  degrading  foreign  superstitions. 
The  opening  chapters  of  Isaiah  depict  the 
Judea  of  Jotham's  time.  "  The  whole  head 
was  sick,  and  the  whole  heart  faint"  (Isa.  1  :  5). 
The  rulers  were  no  better  than  ' '  the  rulers  of 
Sodom  ;"  the  people  were  like  the  "  people  of 
Gomorrah"  (verse  9).  A  "  form  of  godliness, 
without  the  power, ' '  prevailed.  Sacrifices  were 
offered  ;  incense  was  burned  ;  new  moons  and 
Sabbaths  were  carefully  observed  ;  the  ap- 
pointed feasts  were  kept ;  assemblies  were 
called  ;  solemn  meetings  were  held  ;  hands 
were  spread  forth  ;  "  many  prayers"  were  even 
put  up  (verses  11-15).  But  all  this  was  a  mere 
sliow  of  religion,  worthless — nay,  abominable — 
in  the  sight  of  God.     G.  R. 

Chap.  87.  This  short  chapter  runs  parallel 
with  2  K.  15  :  32-38,  and  is  taken  mainly  from 
the  same  source  or  sources.  It  is  ampler  than 
the  narrative  in  Kings,  containing  all  the  facts 
of  that  narrative  except  the  notice  of  the  Syrian 
war  (verse  37),  and  adding  besides  a  much 
fuller  account  of  Jotham's  buildings  (verses  3 
and  4),  and  the  entire  account  of  the  Ammonite 
war  (verse  5).  The  writer  inserts  also,  after  his 
manner,  certain  religious  reflections — as  that 
Jotham,  warned  by  his  father's  fate,  did  not 
attempt  to  enter  the  Temple  (verse  2)  ;  and 
that  he  became  mighty  because  he  established 
his  way  before  the  Lord  his  God  (verse  6). 

8.  lie  did  rigiit  according  to  all 
that  his  father  Uzziah  did.  Uzziah's 
single  act  of  impiety  is  not  regarded  as  destroy- 
ing the  generall}'  good  character  of  his  reign. 
"  Howbeit  he  entered  not  into  the  Temple  of 


324 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAIT. 


the  Lord"— 1.«.,  he  imitated  his  father  in  all  rc- 
spi'ots,  txci'ptinjr  in  his  impious  usurpation  of 
the-  priestly  functions.     B.  C. 

0.  Be(-au)«o  lie  prepitred  hiN  waytt 
before  tlie  l..<»r«l.  Bcchusl'  Ik-  dii-cctcd  his 
counsels  and  aetions  aeeording  to  the  rule  of 
GchI's  word.  It  has  been  observed  that  .lothani 
is  the  only  one  of  the  kings  of  Judah  who  has 
not  some  evil  laid  to  his  eliarge.  David,  Solo- 
mon, Rehoboam,  Abijnh,  Jehoshaphat,  all  eom- 
mitted  some  trespass  of  greater  or  less  magni- 
tude ;  but  of  Jotham  no  fault  or  error  is  rc- 

cortled.     Bp.    Patrick. This    text   takes   us 

behind  the  scenes,  and  admits  us  into  those 
privacies  of  the  king's  mind  and  habit  where 
the  real  clues  of  every  one's  character  are  to  be 
found.  We  arrive  at  the  secret  of  all  strength, 
"preparation,"  and  that  prei)aration  made 
"  before  the  Lord  his  God."  When  a  man  pre- 
pares his  ways  before  the  Lord  his  God,  the 
consequence  is  sure  :  he  will  grow  mighty. 
He  will  do  what  he  does  strongly.  And  both 
his  work  and  his  own  soul  are  sure  to  grow. 
This  is  just  what  we  all  want  ;  we  ought  never 
to  rest  till  we  reach  it — to  be  mighty  in  prayer, 
mighty  in  influence,  might)'  in  good  works, 
mighty  in  grace.     J.   Vaiif/liaii. 

*2  K.  15  :  37.  In  ihOKe  days  the  Lord 
began  lo  send  against  Judali  Kezin 
tllc  King  of  Syria.  Rezin's  name  occurs 
in  the  Assyrian  inscriptions  early  in  the  reign 
of  Tiglathpileser,  probably  in  the  year  B.C. 
743.  At  that  time  he  pays  to  the  Assyrians  a 
heavy  tribute,  consisting  of  eighteen  talents  of 
gold,  three  hundred  talents  of  silver,  two  hun- 
dred talents  of  copper,  and  twenty  talents  of 
spices.  Subsequently,  about  the  year  li.c.  734, 
he  is  found  in  revolt.  His  alliance  with  Pekah, 
here  imijlied,  is  directly  stated  by  Isaiah  (7  ;  2). 
Begun  in  Jotham's  reign,  it  continued,  and 
came  to  a  head,  iu  the  reign  of  Ahaz.     Ham- 


mond.  The    alliance    between    Pekah    and 

Rezin  was  made  in  the  reign  of  .Jotham.  It 
had  for  its  object  in  all  probability  the  eonsoh- 
dation  of  a  power  in  Syria  which  might  be 
strong  enough  to  resist  the  further  progR-ss  of 
the  Assyrian  arms.  The  recent  invasions  of 
Tiglathpileser  had  effectually  alarmed  the  two 
northern  monarchs,  and  had  induceti  them  to 
put  aside  the  traditional  jealousies  which  natu- 
rally kept  them  apart,  and  to  make  a  league 
offensive  and  defensive.  Into  this  league  they 
were  anxious  that  Judea  slioukl  enter  ;  but 
they  distrusted  the  house  of  David,  which  had 
been  so  long  hostile  both  t(j  Danuuscus  and  to  Sa- 
maria. They  consequently  formed  the  design 
of  transferring  the  Jewish  crown  to  a  certain 
Ben-Tabeal  (Isa.  7  :  6),  prol)al)ly  a  Jewish  noble, 
perhaps  a  refugee  at  one  of  their  courts,  whom 
they  could  trust  to  join  heartily  in  their 
schemes.  Hostilities  apparently  broke  out  be- 
fore the  death  of  Jotham  ;  but  nothing  of  im- 
portance was  effected  until  the  first  year  of  his 
successor.     B.  C. 

Holy  Scripture  simply  informs  us  that  "  in 
those  days  Jehovah  began  to  send  against  Ju- 
dah Rezin,  the  king  of  Syria,  and  Pekah,  the 
son  of  Remaliah."  It  is  a  majestic  and  truly 
prophetic  mode  of  viewing  events,  thus  to  rec- 
ognize iu  such  a  league  as  that  of  Rezin  and 
Pekah  the  divinely  appointed  judgment  upon 
Judah.  It  is  to  pass  from  the  secoudarv  and 
visible  causes  of  an  event  straight  to  Him  who 
overrules  all,  and  who  with  Divine  skill  weaves 
the  threads  that  man  has  spun  into  the  web  and 
woof  of  His  dealings.  In  point  of  fact,  the 
Syro-Israelitish  league  against  Judah  ultimate- 
ly embraced  not  only  the  Ammonites,  who  re- 
fused to  continue  their  triliute,  but  also  the 
Edomites,  the  Philistines,  and  all  the  southern 
tribes  lately  reduced  to  subjection  (3  Chron. 
28  :  17,  18)."    A.  E. 


Section  38. 


REIGN  OF  AHAZ,  SIXTEEN  YEARS. 
irtli  of  Pekali  to  3d  of  Hosea,  of  Israel. 


2  CirnONiCLEs  28  : 1-27. 

Ahaz  was  twenty  years  old  when  he  be- 
gan to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned  sixteen  years 
in  Jerusalem  ;  and  he  did   not  that  which 


2  Kings  16  ;  1-20. 

1  In  the  seventeenth  year  of  Pikah  the  son 
of  Remaliah  .Vhaz  the  son  of  Jcitham  king 

2  of  Judah  began  to  reign.    Twenty  years  old 


SECTION  3S.     REION  OF  AIIAZ. 


325 


■was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  Loud,  like  Da- 

2  vid  his  father  :  but  he  wallced  in  the  ways 
of  the  kings  of  Israel,  and  matie  also  molten 

3  images  for  the  Baalim.  Moreover  he  burnt 
incense  in  the  valley  of  the  son  of  Hinnnm, 
and  burnt  his  children  in  the  fire,  according 
to  the  abominations  of  the  heathen,  whom 
the  Lord  cast  out  before  the  cliildren  of  Is- 

4  rael.  And  he  sacrificed  and  burnt  incense 
in  the  high  places,  and  on  the  hills,  and  un- 

5  der  every  green  tree.  Wherefore  the  Lord 
his  God  delivered  him  into  the  hand  of  the 
king  of  Syria  ;  and  they  smote  him,  and 
carried  awaj-  of  his  a  great  multitude  of 
captives,  and  brought  them  to  Damascus. 
And  lie  was  also  delivered  into  the  hand  of 
the  king  of  Israel,  who  smote  him  with  a 

6  great  slaugliter.  For  Pekah  the  son  of  Re- 
maliah  slew  in  Judah  an  hundred  and  twen- 
ty thousand  in  one  day,  all  of  them  valiant 
men  ;  because  they  had  forsaken  the  Lord, 

7  the  God  of  their  fathers.  And  Zichri,  a 
mighty  man  of  Ephraim,  slew  Maaseiah  the 
king's  son,  and  Azrikam  the  rider  of  the 
house,  and  Elkanah  that  was  next  to  the 

8  king.  And  the  children  of  Israel  carried 
away  captive  of  their  brethren  two  hundred 
thousand,  women,  sons,  and  daughters,  and 
took  also  away  much  spoil  from  them,  and 

9  brought  the  spoil  to  Samaria.  But  a  proph- 
et of  the  Lord  was  there,  whoso  name  was 
Oded  :  and  he  went  out  to  meet  the  host 
that  came  to  Samaria,  and  said  unto  them, 
Behold,  liecause  the  Lord,  the  God  of  your 
fathers,  was  wroth  with  Judah,  lie  hath  de- 
livered them  into  your  hand,  and  j-e  have 
slain  them  in  a  rage  whicli  hath  reached  up 

10  unto  heaven.  And  now  _ve  purpo.se  to  keep 
under  the  children  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem 
for  bondmen  and  bondwomen  unto  you  : 
but  are  there  not  even  with  you  trespasses 
of  your  own  against  the  Lord  your  God? 

11  Now  hear  me  therefore,  and  send  back  the 
captives,  which  ye  have  taken  captive  of 
j'our  brethren  :  for  the  fierce  wrath  of  the 

12  Lord  is  upon  you.  Then  certain  of  the 
heads  of  the  children  of  Ephraim,  Azariah 
the  sou  of  Jolianan,  Bereeliiah  the  son  of 
Meshillemoth,  and  Jehizkiah  the  son  of 
Sliallum,  and  Amasa  the  son  of  Hadlai, 
stood  up  against  them  that  came  from  the 

13  -^var,  and  said  unto  them.  Ye  shall  not  bring 
in  the  cajitix'es  hither  :  for  ye  purpose  that 
which  will  bring  upon  us  a  trespass  against 
the  Lord,  to  add  unto  our  sins  and  to  our 
trespass  ;  for  our  trespass  's  great,  and  there 

14  is  fierce  wrath  against  Israel.    So  the  armed 


was  Ahaz  when  he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he 
reigned  sixteen  years  in  Jerusalem  :  and  he 
did  not  that  which  was  right  in  the  eyes  of 
the  Lord  his  God,  like  David  his  father. 

3  But  he  walked  in  the  way  of  the  kings  of 
Israel,  j'ea,  and  made  his  son  to  pass 
through  the  fire,  according  to  the  abomina- 
tions of  the  lieathcn,  whom  the  Lord  cast 

4  out  from  before  the  children  of  Israel.  And 
he  sacrificed  and  burnt  incense  in  the  high 
jjlaces,  and  on  the  hills,  and  under  every 

5  green  tree.  Then  Rezin  king  of  Syria  and 
Pekah  son  of  Remaliah  king  of  Israel  came 
up  to  Jerusalem  to  war  ;  and  they  besieged 

6  Ahaz,  but  could  not  overcome  him.  At  that 
time  Rezin  king  of  Syria  recovered  Elatli  to 
Syria,  and  drave  the  Jews  from  Elath  :  and 
the  Syrians  came  to  Elath,  and  dwelt  tlierc, 

7  unto  this  day.  So  Ahaz  sent  messengers  to 
Tiglath-pileser  king  of  Assyria,  saying,  I 
am  thy  servant  and  thy  son  :  come  up,  and 
save  me  out  of  the  hand  of  the  king  of 
S3'ria,  and  out  of  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Is- 

8  rael,  whicli  rise  up  against  me.  And  Ahaz 
took  the  silver  and  gold  that  was  found  in 
tlie  house  of  the  Lord,  and  in  the  treasures 
of  the  king's  house,  and  sent  it  for  a  present 

9  to  the  king  of  ^Vssyria.  And  the  king  of 
Assyria  hearkened  unto  him  :  and  the  king 
of  Assyria  went  up  against  Damascus,  and 
took  it,  and  carried  the  people  of  ii  captive  to 

10  Kir,  and  slew  Rezin.  And  king  Ahaz  went 
to  Damascus  to  meet  Tiglath-iiileser  king  of 
Assj'ria,  and  saw  the  altar  that  was  at  Da- 
mascus :  and  king  Ahaz  sent  to  Urijah  the 
priest  the  fashion  of  the  altar,  and  tlie  pat- 
tern of  it,  according  to  all  the  workmanship 

11  thereof.  And  Urijah  the  priest  built  an 
altar  :  according  to  all  that  king  Ahaz  had 
sent  from  Damascus,  so  did  Urijah  tlie  priest 
make  it  against  king  Ahaz  came  from  Da- 

12  mascus.  And  when  the  king  was  come 
from  Damascus,  the  king  saw  the  altar  : 
and  the  king  drew  near  unto  the  altar,  and 

13  offered  thereon.  And  he  burnt  his  burnt 
offering  and  liis  meal  offering,  and  poureil 
his  drink  offering,  and  sprinkled  tlie  blood 

14  of  his  peace  offerings  upon  the  altar.  And 
the  brasen  altar,  which  was  before  the 
Lord,  he  brought  from  the  forefront  of  the 
house,  from  between  his  altar  and  the  house 
of  the  Lord,  and  put  it  on  the  north  side  of 

15  his  altar.  And  Iving  iUiaz  commanded  Uri- 
jah the  priest,  saying.  Upon  the  great  altar 
burn  the  morning  burnt  offering,  and  tlie 
evening  meal  offering,  and  the  king's  burnt 
offering,   and  his  meal  offering,   with   the 


326 


KINODOir  OF  Jl'DAIT. 


men  lift  the  cuplivcs  and  the  spoil  before 

15  tlic  iirinccs  iinii  all  the  eongregation.  And 
tlie  men  which  have  been  expressed  by 
name  rose  up,  and  took  tlie  captives,  and 
with  the  spnil  clothed  all  that  were  naked 
among  tliim,  and  arrayed  them,  and  shod 
them,  aid  gave  them  to  oat  and  to  drink, 
and  anointed  them,  and  carried  all  the  feeble 
of  tliem  npon  iusses,  and  brought  them  to 
Jericho,  the  city  of  palm  trees,  unto  their 
brethren  :  then  lliey  returned  to  Samaria. 

16  At  that  time  did  king  Aha/,  send  unto  the 

17  kings  of  Assyria  to  help  him.  For  again 
the  Edoraites  had  come  and  smitten  Judah, 

18  and  ei'.rried  away  captives.  The  Philistines 
also  had  invaded  the  cities  of  the  lowland, 
and  of  the  South  of  Judah,  and  had  taken 
Betli-shemesh,  and  Aijalon,  and  Gederoth, 
and  Soeo  with  the  towns  thereof,  and  Tim- 
nah  with  the  towns  thereof,  Ginizo  also  and 
the  towns  thereof  :  and  they  dwelt  there. 

19  For  the  Lokd  brought  Judah  low  because 


burnt  offering  of  all  the  people  of  the  land, 
and  their  meal  offering,  and  their  drink 
offerings  ;  and  sprinkle  upon  it  all  the  blood 
of  the  burnt  offering,  and  all  the  blood  of 
the  sacrifice  ;  l)Ut  the  bnusen  altar  shall  be 

16  for  me  to  incjuire  by.  Thus  did  Urijah  the 
priest,  accordin.ir  to  all  that  king  Aliaz  com- 

17  manded.  And  king  Aha/,  cut  off  the  bor- 
ders of  the  biises,  and  removed  the  laver 
from  off  them  ;  and  took  down  the  sea  from 
off  the  brasen  oxen  that  were  under  it,  and 

18  put  it  upon  a  pavement  of  stone.  And  the 
covered  way  for  the  sabbath  that  fliey  had 
built  in  the  house,  and  the  king's  entry 
without,  turned  he  unto  the  house  of  the 

19  LoiiD,  because  of  the  king  of  Assyria.  Now 
the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Ahaz  which  he  did, 
are   they   not  written   in  the  book  of   the 

20  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Judali?  And 
Ahaz  slept  with  his  fathers,  and  was  buried 
with  his  fathers  in  the  citj'  of  David  :  and 
HezekiaU  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 


of  Ahaz  king  of  Israel  ;  for  he  had  dealt 

20  wantonly  in  Judah,  and  trespassed  sore  against  the  Loud.     And  Tilgath-pilneser  king  of 

21  Assyria  came  unto  him,  and  distressed  him,  but  strengtliened  him  not.  For  ^Uiaz  took  away 
a  portion  out  of  the  house  of  the  Lokd,  and  out  of  the  house  of  the  king  and  of  the  princes, 

23  and  gave  it  unto  the  king  of  Assyria  :  but  it  helped  him  not.     And  in  the  time  of  his  distress 

23  did  he  trespass  yet  more  against  the  Loud,  this  same  king  Ahaz.  For  he  saeritice<l  unto  the 
gods  of  Damascus,  which  smote  him  :  and  he  saiil,  Hecause  the  gods  of  the  kings  of  Syria 
helped  them,  tlievefnre  will  I  sacrifice  to  them,  that  they  may  help  mc.     But  they  were  the  ruin 

24  of  him,  and  of  all  Israel.  And  Ahaz  gathered  together  the  vessels  of  the  house  of  God,  and 
cut  in  pieces  the  vessels  of  the  bouse  of  God,  and  shut  up  the  doors  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  ; 

25  and  he  made  him  altars  in  every  corner  of  Jerusalem.  And  in  every  several  city  of  Jiidah 
he  made  high  places  to  burn  incense  unto  other  gods,  and  provoked  to  anger  the  Lohd,  the 

26  God  of  his  fathers.     Now  the  rest  of  his  acts,  and  all  his  ways,  first  and  last,  behold,  they  are 

27  written  in  the  book  of  the  kings  of  Judah  iiud  Israel.  And  Ahaz  slept  with  his  fathers,  and 
thej'  buried  him  in  the  city,  even  in  Jerusalem  ;  for  they  brou.srht  him  not  into  the  sepulchres 
of  the  kings  of  Israel  :  and  Ilezekiah  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 


AiiAZ,  who  succeeded  his  father,  Jotham, 
upon  the  throne  of  Judah  at  the  age  of  twent}-, 
had  neither  courage,  nor  patriotism,  nor  energy, 
nor  prudence,  nor  piety,  nor  even  a  decent  re- 
gard for  the. traditions  of  his  house  and  nation. 
He  found  the  nation  far  advanced  in  corrup- 
tion— the  nobles,  and  even  the  members  of  his 
own  family,  attaf^hed  generally  to  the  hea- 
thenizing party — his  kiugdmn  menaced  by  a 
combination  of  two  powerful  states,  which 
threatened  its  destruction,  or  at  least  his  own 
deposition  (Isa.  7  : 6) — and  his  only  hope  of 
efficient  support  the  interposition  and  protec- 
tion of  some  powerful  heathen  sovereign.  His 
two  deadly  enemies,  Pekah  of  Israel  and  Rezin 
of  Syria,  who  had  commenced  the  war  in  the 
lifetime  of  his  father  (2  K.  15  :  37),  came  up  to- 
gether against  Jerusalem,  and  laid  siege  to  it 


(2  K.  16  :  5  :  Isa.  7:1).  A  horrible  fear  fell  upon 
both  king  and  people — "  the  heart  of  Aliaz  was 
moved,  and  the  heart  of  his  people,  as  the  trees 
of  the  wood  are  moved  with  the  wind"  (Isa. 
7  :  2).  Nevertheless,  encouraged  by  Isaiah,  who 
scoffed  at  his  assailants  and  bid  him  feel  no 
dread  of  such  mere  "  tails  of  smoking  fire- 
brands" (iln(L,  verse  4),  Ahaz  resisted,  and  after 
a  while  forced  his  anta.sonists  to  raise  the  siege, 
and  attempt  the  subjugation  of  Judea  by  a 
different  niethcd.  Rezin  drew  off  his  troops, 
and  proceedin.g  southward  fell  upon  the  south- 
ern Judean  territory,  overran  the  whole  of  it, 
and  pushed  his  conquests  to  the  shore  of  the 
Red  Sea,  where  he  "  dnive  the  Jews  from 
Elath"  (2  K.  16  :  6),  and  restored  to  the  Idurae- 
ans  the  city  and  mljacent  territory.  Pekah 
also  gave  up  the  siege,  and  set  to  work  to  rav- 


SECTION  3S.     REIGN  OF  AIIAZ. 


3-27 


age  the  territory,  ■where  he  slew,  we  arc  told 
(3  Chron.  38  :  6),  a  hundred  and  twcut}'  thou- 
sand men,  and  took  two  liundred  thousand  wom- 
en and  children  prisoners  (verses  7,  8).  In  this 
deep  affliction  of  the  Jewish  nation  her  old 
foes,  moreover,  rose  up  against  her.  The 
Edoniites  on  the  southeast  and  the  Philistines 
on  the  southwest  poured  in  their  troops  upon 
the  devoted  land,  and  added  to  its  calamities. 
Edoni  was  c  intent,  apparently,  with  a  single 
desolating  raid,  in  which  numerous  captives 
were  carried  off  (verse  17)  ;  but  the  Philistines 
were  bolder  in  their  aggression  and  more  bitter 
in  their  hostility.  They  "  invaded  the  cities  of 
the  low  country,  and  of  the  south  of  Judah, 
and  took  Betlishemesh,  and  Ajalon,  and  Gede- 
roth,  and  Shocho  with  the  villages  thereof,  and 
Timuah  with  the  villages  thereof,  Gimzo  also 
and  the  villages  thereof  ;  and  they  direlt  there" 
(verse  18).  Judah  was  indeed  "  brought  low, 
and  made  naked."  Her  "country  was  deso- 
late, her  cities  burned  with  fire  :  her  land, 
strangers  devoured  it  in  her  presence  ;  it  was 
desolate,  as  overthrown  by  strangers"  (Isa. 
1  :  7).  The  territory  that  remained  to  her  was 
truly  but  "  a  very  small  remnant"  {ibid.,  verse 
9),  and  even  this  was  threatened.  Pekah  and 
Rezin  might  be  expected  at  any  moment  to  re- 
sume their  attacks.  It  is  not  surprising  that 
under  these  circumstances  Ahaz  thought  liim- 
self  entitled  to  call  in  foreign  aid,  and  judged 
that  the  power  from  which  he  was  most  likely 
to  obtain  effectual  aid  was  Assyria.  This  great 
empire  had  reached  well-nigh  the  zenith  of  her 
power  ;  and  just  at  this  time  it  was  her  special 
desire  to  extend  her  influence  toward  the  south- 
west, and  round  off  her  dominion  in  that  quar- 
ter, by  absorbing  into  it  the  Palestinian  region. 
Ahaz,  therefore,  having  collected  all  the  treas- 
ure on  which  he  could  lay  his  hand,  sent  a 
humble  embassy  with  the  rich  gift  to  the  court 
of  Tiglath-pileser(3  K.  16  :  7  ;  3  Chron.  28  :  16). 
Tiglath-pileser  responded  at  once  to  this  ap- 
peal by  a  sudden  march  against  Damascus  and 
subsequent  capture  of  the  city.  Rezin  lost  his 
life  and  Damascus  its  separate  existence.  Then 
the  conqueror  advanced  against  Samaria,  and 
finding  a  party  friendly  to  him  within  the 
walls,  who  undertook  to  remove  Pekah,  nego- 
tiated with  tliem,  and  appointed  their  chief, 
Iloshea,  to  be  tributary  king  oi  Israel.  Ahaz 
was  tluis  effectually  relieved  from  the  enemies 
whose  attack  he  had  feared  ;  but  to  obtain  this 
relief  he  had  been  forced  to  sacrifice  the  inde- 
pendence of  his  countr}-.  As  Ewald  says — 
"  The  price  paid  for  the  Assyrian  aid  was 
much  more  than  the  treasures  of  the  Temple 


and  of  his  palace  ;  it  was  the  independence  and 
honor  of  the  realm  itself."  Ahaz  became,  by 
his  compact  with  Tiglath-pileser,  a  mere  sub- 
ject— almost  a  mere  nominal — king  ;  his  posi- 
tion was  no  better  than  that  of  Hoshea.  Sub- 
jection to  Assyria  involved  not  only  the  con- 
tinual payment  of  tribute  year  \>y  year  and  the 
occasional  sending  to  the  monarch  of  rich  pres- 
ents besides,  but  appearance  before  him  to  do 
him  homage  whenever  he  was  in  the  ncigh- 
borliDod.  Ahaz,  we  are  told,  humbly  paid  his 
court  to  Tiglath-pileser  at  Damascus,  before 
that  monarch  returned  to  Ninevah.  This  is 
probably  the  occasion  of  which  Tiglath-iiileser 
has  left  an  account,  when  he  says  that  tribute 
was  brought  him  by  twenty -two  kings,  among 
whom  we  find  those  of  Ammon,  Moab,  Edom, 
Askelon,  Gaza,  and  also  "  Jehoahaz  of  Judah.  ' 
True  religion  was  almost  wholly  extinguished 
under  this  wicked  king.  In  vain  did  Isaiah 
warn  him,  rebuke  him,  offer  him  signs,  tlireaten 
liim,  lu'ge  him  to  rely  on  Jehovah  (Isa.  7  ;  4-17  ; 
8  ;  1-4)  ,  he  doggedlj'  pursued  his  own  course, 
sought  help  in  ever}'  quarter  but  the  right  one, 
put  his  trust  in  arras  of  flesh,  or  in  the  gods  of 
the  nations — As.syrian,  Syrian  (3  Chron.  28  :  23), 
Phoenician  {ibid.,  verse  2),  Ammonite  (2  K. 
16  :  3) — cared  not  how  he  degraded  his  countrj- 
or  disgraced  his  noble  lineage,  persisted  in  evil, 
ever  trespassed  more  and  more  (3  Chron.  38  ;  33), 
till,  at  the  age  of  thirt3'-six  (3  K.  16  :  2),  when 
he  was  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  God  cut  him 
off,  called  him  to  his  account,  and  so  stopped 
the  further  degradation  of  Ills  people.  Ahaz 
seems  to  have  died  in  the  same  3'ear  with  his 
patron,  Tiglath-pileser,  B.C.  727.  He  was 
buried,  like  his  fathers,  in  the  city  of  David 
(ibid.,  verse  20)  ;  but,  according  to  the  writer  of 
Chronicles  (2  Chron.  28  :  27),  "  not  in  the  sep- 
ulchres of  the  kings."     G.  K. 

He  made  himself  notorious  for  his  wicked- 
ness, surpassing  iu  crime  and  downright  de- 
pravity all  the  kings  of  Judah  ;  he  was  sur- 
passed in  sin  b}'  few  if  any  of  the  most  wicked 

liings  of  Israel.     II.  C. From  the  very  first 

he  gave  himself  to  idolatry  of  all  kinds.  He 
even  consecrated  his  children  by  baptism  of 
fire  to  Molcch,  the  hideous  god  of  Moab.  In 
the  valley  of  Hinuom,  in  a  spot  known  bj'  the 
name  of  Tophet,  the  brazen  statue  of  Jlolech 
was  erected,  witli  the  furnace  within,  into 
which  the  children  were  thrown.  To  this 
dreadful  form  of  human  sacrifice,  Ahaz  gave 
the  highest  sanction  liy  the  devotion  of  one  or 
more  of  his  sons.  He  removed  the  great  brazen 
altar  of  burnt  offerings  from  the  court  of  the 
Temple,  and  set  it  up  elsewhere,  as  an  adjunct 


328 


KTXOnO.V  OF  Jl'DAIT. 


of  a  heathen  altar.  He  despoiled  the  Temple 
of  some  of  its  finest  ornaments.  He  took  its 
treiusures  and  ent  in  pieees  and  m(lte<i  all  its 
vessels  of  precious  metal  ;  and  finally  closed  its 
doors  and  caused  its  worship  to  cease.     Todd. 

The  moral  darkness  became  thicker  than 

ever  durinjr  the  sixteen  years  of  his  reign. 
Open  apostasy  was  now  the  order  of  the  day. 
Imajres  of  Baal,  altars  and  high  jilaees  conse- 
crated to  idolatry  did  not  suffice  Kinjr  Ahaz  : 
he  crowned  his  abominable  practices  by  burn- 
injr  his  children  in  the  valley  of  Ilinnom.  The 
visitation  of  Divine  wrath  upon  guilt  so  flagrant 
was  swift  and  terrible.  Against  the  remon- 
strances of  Isaiah,  he  applied  for  help  to  the 
king  of  Assyria  ;  and  in  answer  to  his  request, 
Tiglath-pileser  attacked  and  destroyed  Damas- 
cus. King  Ahaz  went  to  that  ancient  capital 
to  meet  him  ;  but  when  the  king  of  Assyria 
came  to  him  "  he  distressed  him,  and  helped 
him  not."  The  influence  of  this  king  seems  to 
have  been  most  perniciinis.  Calamity  only 
served  to  blind  his  eyes  and  harden  his  heart. 
The  thickening  aftlictions  of  the  sister  kingdom 
had  no  effect  on  him  ;  and  had  his  reign  not 
been  cut  short  by  his  earlv  death  at  the  age  of 
thirty-six.  a  similar  catastrophe  could  hardly 
have  been  averted  from  Judah.     W.  G.  B. 

2  K.  16:  I.  As  throughout  this  liistory,  it 
is  emphatically  indicated  that  just  as  former 
successes  had  come  from  the  help  of  the  Lord, 
so  now  the  real  cause  of  Judah's  reverses  lay  in 
their  apostasy  from  God.  From  the  first,  and 
throughout,  Ahaz  "  did  not  the  right  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord."  Nor  should  we  omit  to 
mark  how  the  sacred  text  when  describing  each 
successive  reign  in  Judah  brings  its  religious 
character  in  comparison  with  that  of  David, 
which  should  have  been  the  type  for  that  of  all 
his  successors,  even  as  Jeroboam's  became  that 
for  the  kings  of  Israel.     A.  E. 

2.  Aliuz  did  not  tliat  wliicli  was 
rigllt  in  tiic  §igiit  of  tlie  Lord.  Ahaz's 
ap"sta.sy  seems  to  have  commenced  with  the 
very  first  year  of  his  reign.  He  was  the  woret 
of  all  tlie  kings  of  Judah.  We  need  not  sup- 
pose that  all  the  idolatrous  practices  enumerat- 
ed in  verses  3  and  4  preceded  the  invasion  of 
his  territory  by  Rezin  and  Pekah  (verse  5)  ;  but 
it  is  plain  from  2Chron..  verse  5,  that  some  were 
anterior  to  it. 

:t.  lie  ivalkcd  in  liie  ivaf  of  the 
liiiitf<t  of  Israel.  'I'hc  meaning  is  not  that 
he  set  uj)  calves,  which  we  can  scarcely  suppose 
him  to  liavedone  :  but,  as  the  writer  of  Clironi- 
des  explains,  "  lie  made  molten  images  for 
Baalim."     He  imitated — i'.f.,  the  worst  of  the 


Israelite  kings — Ahab  and  Ahaziah — by  a  rein- 
troduetion  of  the  Baal-worship,  which  liad  been 
rooted  out  of  Israel  l)y  Jehu,  and  of  Judah  by 

Jehoiada.     B.  C. He  began  with  the  high 

places  ;  thence  he  descends  to  the  calves  of  Dan 
and  Bethel ;  from  thence  he  falls  to  a  Syrian 
altar — to  the  Syrian  god  ;  then,  from  a  partner- 
shij),  he  falls  to  an  utter  exclusion  of  the  true 
God,  and  lilocking  up  His  Temple  :  and  then 
to  the  sacrifice  of  his  own  son  ;  and  at  last,  as 
if  hell  were  broken  loose  upon  God's  inheri- 
tance, every  several  city,  every  high  i)lace  of 
Judah  hath  a  new  god.     lip.  II. 

In  the  opening  chapters  of  Isaiah  we  have  an 
account  of  the  condition  of  the  kingdom  of  Ju- 
dah at  the  time  that  Ahaz  succeeded  to  the 
throne.  The  prosperity  which  the  country  had 
enjoyed  under  Uzziah  had  been  continued  and 
increased  under  the  righteous  reign  of  his  son 
Jotham.  And  now  the  grandson,  Ahaz,  a 
young  man  of  twenty,  finds  the  countr}'  abound- 
ing in  wealth,  full  of  silver  and  gold.  Isaiah 
says  there  was  no  end  fif  their  treasure  ;  their 
land  also  was  full  of  horses,  neither  was  there 
any  end  of  their  chariots.  Their  commerce, 
too,  was  in  a  thriving  condition.  But  before 
Ahaz  died,  all  this  was  changed.  Enemy  after 
enemy  invaded  his  country.  The  land  became 
desolate.  The  king  was  reduced  to  great  ex- 
tremities to  obtain  money.  Instead  of  the  sun- 
shine of  prosperity,  there  was  on  every  side  the 
dark  shadow  of  desolation  and  decay.  We 
have  the  explanation  of  it  all  in  the  thin!  and 
fourth  verses.  Ahaz  began  badly,  and  every 
fresh  movement  in  his  life  was  a  step  from  bad 
to  worse.  His  history  is  a  further  illustration 
of  how  one  sin  leads  to  another.  It  was  a  con- 
tinuoiisly  downward  path.     C.  H.  I. 

The  fact  which  seems  to  be  certain  is.  that 
Ahaz  adopted  the  Jloloch  worship  of  the  Am- 
monites and  Moabites,  and  sacrificed  at  least 
one  son,  probably  his  first-born,  according  to 
the  horricd  rites  of  those  nations.  A  king  of 
Moab  had  once  done  the  same  wlien  he  found 
himself  in  a  sore  strait  (3  K.  3  :  27).  Another 
had  expressed  his  willingness  so  to  appease  his 
god  (Mic.  6  :  7).  Hitherto,  apparently,  the  Jews 
had  been  guiltless  of  the  abomination.  They 
had  been  warned  against  it  by  Closes  (Lev. 
18  :  21  ;  De.  18  :  10).  Now,  however,  as  the 
time  of  more  searching  trial  apjiroachcd,  as 
<langers  thickened,  and  the  national  existence 
was  seen  to  be  in  peril,  the  awful  rite  seems  to 
have  exercised  a  fatal  fascination  upon  them. 
L'nnoticed  among  the  national  sins  by  tlie  earlier 
prophets,  it  comes  in  Jeremiah  and  Ezekicl  to  be 
one  of  the  offences  most  frequently  protested 


SECTION  SS.     REION  OF  AHAZ. 


329 


against.  Another  king  besides  Aliaz  sacrifices 
tlie  licir-apparent  to  the  throne  (3  K.  21  :  6). 
The  people  follow  the  example  with  fatal  eager- 
ness, and  the  Hinnom  valley  swims  with  the 
blood  of  luiraan  victims.  The  cruel  custom  is 
practised  in  both  kingdoms  (2  K.  17  :  17). 

5.  Tlicu  Reziii  and  Pckali  came 
up.  Kezin  and  Pekah  had  begun  their  attacks 
upon  Judea  in  the  reign  of  Jothara.  The 
earlier  scenes  of  the  war,  omitted  ^ay  the  writer 
of  Kings,  are  given  at  some  length  in  Chroni- 
cles (28  :  .5-15).  The  confederates,  it  appears, 
acted  seiiaratel)'.  Rezin  in  one  quarter,  Pekah 
In  another,  invaded  the  kingdom.  A  great 
battle  was  fought  with  each.  In  both  engage- 
ments the  Jews  were  defeated,  and  lost  numer- 
ous prisonei's.  In  the  battle  with  Pekah  the 
slain  numbered  (if  the  text  be  correct)  one  lum- 
dred  and  twenty  thousand.  The  country  was 
then  ravaged  by  Pekah,  and  women  and  chil- 
dren to  the  number  of  two  hundred  thousand 
were  carried  off.  These,  however,  were,  by 
the  advice  of  the  prophet  Oded.  restored.  Siege 
was  then  laid  to  Jerusalem  by  the  allies  in  com- 
mon, as  related  in  the  present  passage  (cf.  Isa. 
7:1);  but  the  siege  was  unsuccessful,  the  de- 
fences raised  by  Uzziah  (2  C'hron.  26  :  9)  and 
Jotham  {ibid.,  27  :  3)  proving  too  strong  for  the 
besiegers,  who,  probably  at  the  close  of  the 
military  season,  retired.     B.  C. 

It  was  the  purpose  of  Pekah  and  Rezin  to 
depose  the  house  of  David  and  place  on  the 
throne  of  Judah  a  person  of  low  origin  (Isa. 
7  ;  6).  Not  only  would  their  plan  not  "  come 
to  pass"  (Isa.  7  :  7),  but  looking  beyonil  the  un- 
belief and  the  provocations  of  an  Ahaz  (Isa. 
7  :  13),  the  Divine  promise  would  stand  fast. 
"  The  house  of  David"  could  not  fail.  For  be- 
yond the  present  was  the  final  goal  of  promised 
salvation  in  Immanuel  the  Virgin-born  (verse 
14).  And  this  was  God's  answer  to  the  chal- 
lenge of  Rezin  and  of  the  son  of  Remaliah — Hia 
"  sign"  as  against  their  plans  :  a  majestic  dec- 
laration also  of  His  object  in  maintaining  "  the 
house  of  David,"  even  when  represented  by 
an  Ahaz.  And  when  the  hour  of  judgment 
came,  it  would  be  not  b_v  placing  a  Syrian  king 
on  the  throne  of  David,  but  by  carrying  prince 
and  people  into  a  banishment  which  would 
open  a  new — the  last — period  of  Israel's  God- 
destined  history.     A.  E. Their  attack  upon 

Jerusalem  itself  was  unsuccessful,  chiefly  in 
consequence  of  the  spirit  infused  into  the  peo- 
ple by  Isaiah.  To  this  epoch  belongs  the  cele- 
brated iiro])hecy  in  which  the  birth  of  the  child 
Innnanuel,  whose  very  name  expressed  the  de- 
vout confidence,  "  Ood  is  icith  us,"  was  a  sign 


of  the  speedy  overthrow  of  both  the  hostile 
kings  by  Assyria.  A  second  sign  was  given 
by  the  birth  of  a  child  who  received  the  sig 
niflcant  name  of  Maher-shalal-ha.sh-baz,  "  Make 
speed  to  the  spoil  !  hasten  to  the  prey  !"  And 
in  that  exalted  style  of  pregnant  meaning, 
which  has  given  Isaiah  the  name  of  "  the  evan- 
gelic prophet,"  these  passing  wars  are  dignified 
by  the  most  glowing  prophecies  of  the  Mes- 
siah's kingdom.     P.  S. 

While  the  fate  of  Judah  was  trembling  in  the 
balance,  the  prophet  Isaiah  was  commissioned 
to  go  with  his  son,  Shear  Yashub,  to  meet  the 
king  "  at  the  end  of  the  conduit  of  the  upper 
pool,  at  the  highway  of  the  fuller's  field"  (Isa. 
7  :  3).  Prom  the  manner  in  which  the  locality 
is  mentioned,  we  infer  that  the  king  was  wont 
to  pass  that  way,  possiblj'  on  an  inspection  of 
the  northwestern  fortifications.  The  prophet's 
commission  to  Ahaz  was  threefold.  He  was  to 
admonish  him  to  courage  (Isa.  7  :  4),  and  to  an- 
nounce that,  so  far  from  the  purpose  of  the 
allies  succeeding,  Ephraim  itself  should,  within 
a  given  time,  cease  to  be  "  a  people."  Lastly, 
he  was  to  give  "  a  sign"  of  what  had  been  said, 
especially  of  the  continuance  of  the  house  of 
David.  This  was,  in  contrast  to  the  king's  un- 
belief, to  point  from  the  present  to  the  future, 
and  to  indicate  the  ultimate  object  in  view — 
the  birth  of  the  Virgin's  Son,  whose  name,  Im- 
manuel, symbolized  all  of  present  promise  and 
future  salvation  connected  with  the  house  of 
David.  The  result  was  what  might  have  been 
expected  from  the  character  of  Ahaz.  As  with 
ill-disguised  irony  he  rejected  the  "  sign,"  im- 
plying that  his  trust  was  in  the  help  of  Assyria, 
not  in  the  promise  of  God,  so  he  persevered  in 
his  course,  despite  the  prophet's  warning.  Yet 
it  scarcely  required  a  prophet's  vision  to  fore- 
tell the  issue,  although  only  a  prophet  could  so 
authoritatively,  and  in  such  terms,  have  an- 
nounced it  (Isa.  7  :  17-8).     A.  E. 

2  Cliron.  28 :  17,  18.  The  retreat  of 
Pekah  and  Rezin  gave  Ahaz  no  permanent  re- 
lief. In  the  words  of  Isaiah,  God  had  raised 
up  against  him  the  Syrians  in  front  (the  East), 
and  the  Philistines  behind  (the  West).  They 
overran  the  whole  maritime  plain  (Shefdah) 
and  the  highlands  that  border  it,  taking  Betli- 
shemesh,  Ajalon,  and  other  cities.  The  Edom- 
ites,  set  free  by  the  Syrians,  invaded  Judah 
and  carried  off  many  captives,  while  the  Syri- 
ans and  Israelites  threatened  to  return.  Aliaz 
now  applied  for  helii  to  Tiglath-pileser,  king 
of  Assyria,  against  Syria  and  Israel.     P.  S. 

2  K.  16  :  9.  Rezin  was  slain  and  Damascus 
destroyed.     Damascus  now    disappears    from 


330' 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAII. 


the  Old  Tcstnmcnt  history  ;  but  by  the  fourth 
CTiitiiry  D.c.  it  liuil  liwii  rehuilt,  and  lias  main- 
tained its  prospirity  down  to  the  prcst'nt  day. 
It  is  situati'd  in  a  fertile  ])lain  watered  I>y  the 
river  Barada,  whieli  is  i^robably  the  Abana  of 
Scripture,  to  the  east  of  the  great  mountain 
chain  of  the  Anti-Libanus,  on  the  edge  of  the 
desert.  Travellers  describe  it  as  "  embosomed 
in  a  wide  forest  of  fruit  trees,  intersected  and 
surroiinde<l  by  sparkling  streams,  in  the  niiilst 
of  unearthly  paradise."  This  natural  beauty 
and  fertility,  combined  with  its  imiwirtance  as  a 
centre  of  tra  ie,  have  secured  the  pennanence 
of  its  prosperity  for  nearly  four  thousand  years. 
A.  F.  K. 

With  the  capture  of  Damascus,  the  Damasco- 
Si'riau  empire,  which  had  liitherto  been  a 
scourge  for  the  punishment  of  Israel,  came  to 
an  end.  Ilcnct  forth  it  was  onl}'  a  province  of 
Assyria.  It  is  in  the  light  of  all  these  events 
that  we  have  t)  read  such  prophecies  as  those 
in  Isa.  7  and  the  first  part  of  chapter  8.  The 
majestic  Divine  calm  of  these  utterances,  their 
lofty  defiance  of  man's  seeming  jHiwer,  their 
grand  certitude,  and  the  withering  irony  with 
which  what  seemed  the  irresistible  might  of 
these  two  "  smoking  firebrands"  is  treated — all 
find  their  illustration  in  the  history  of  this  war. 
Such  prophecies  warrant  us  in  climbing  the 
heights  of  faith,  from  whi-h  Isaiah  bids  us 
look,  to  where,  in  the  dim  distance,  the  morn- 
ing glow  of  the  new  Jlessiauic  Aa.y  is  seen  to 
fill  the  sky  with  glorj'.  But  in  Damascus  the 
conquered  did  Tiglath-pileser  gather,  as  for  an 
Eastern  diirhur,  the  vanquished  and  subject 
princes.  Thither  also  did  King  Ahaz  go  "  to 
meet"  the  king  of  As.syria  ;  and  thence,  as  the 
outcome  of  what  he  luid  learned  from  prophecy 
and  seen  as  its  fulfilment  in  history,  did  this 
king  of  Judah  send  the  pattern  of  the  heathen 
altar  to  .Jerusalem  (2  K.  16  ;  10,  11).     A.  E. 

lO-lS.  The  altar  at  Daiiia«cu§  (verse 
10).  He  sent  its  pattern  to  Jerusalem,  where 
Urijah  the  high]  riist  prepared  an  altar  of  the 
same  form  against  the  kings  return  from  Da- 
mascus, when,  with  a  profanitj-  on  which  Atha- 
liah  even  had  not  ventured,  Ahaz  put  it  in  the 
place  of  the  brazen  altar,  and  commanded  Urijah 
to  offer  on  it  all  the  burnt  offerings  and  other 
sacrifices.  Superstition  led  him,  however,  to 
preserve  the  brazen  altar  for  oracular  uses,  and 
he  placed  it  on  the  north  of  his  great  altar. 
The  great  lirass  .sea  of  Solomon  was  dismounted 
from  its  suiqiorting  oxen,  and  the  lavers  from 
their  bases,  which  were  sent  to  the  king  of  As- 
syria, tiigellier  with  the  coverings  which  had 
been  built  for  the  king's  entry  to  the  house  and 


for  the  shelter  of  the  worshippers  on  the  Sab- 
bath. The  golden  vessels  of  the  house  of  God 
were  cut  in  jiieees  and  sent  with  the  rest,  and 
the  sanctuary  itself  was  shut  up  ;  while  idol 
altars  were  erected  in  every  corner  of  .Jeru.salem, 
and  high  places  in  every  city  of  Judah.  It  wsis 
not  for  want  of  provocation  to  Jehovah  that 
Judah  did  not  at  once  share  the  captivity  of  Is- 
rael ;  but  for  the  sake  of  "  the  sure  mercies  of 
David"  another  respite  was  given,  and  a  new 
era  of  godlin<'Ss  throws  its  light  over  the  reign 
of  Ilezekiah.  amid  all  the  pressure  of  invasion 
and  the  threats  of  approaching  captivity. 
P.  S. 

By  the  side  of  the  notice,  that  Ahaz  "  broke 
up  the  vessels  of  the  house  of  God,"  we  find  it 
stated  that  he  "  shut  up  the  doors  of  the  house 
of  Jehovah."  This  implies  that  the  services 
within  the  Holy  Place  were  now  wholly  dis- 
continued. Thus  the  worship  would  be  con- 
fined to  the  sacrificial  services  at  the  new  altar  ; 
while  the  transference  into  the  Temple  porch  of 
the  king's  stand  and  of  the  entry  to  it  would 
not  only  bring  them  close  to  the  new  altar,  but 
also  assign  to  them  a  more  prominent  and  ele- 
vated jiosition  than  that  previouslj-  occupied. 
After  this  we  do  not  wonder  to  read  that  Ahaz 
' '  made  him  altars  in  every  corner  of  Jerusa- 
lem," nor  yet  that  "In  every  several  city  of 
Judah  he  made  high  places  [hamoth}  to  burn 
incense  unto  other  gods."  What  influence  all 
this  must  have  had  on  a  people  already  given 
to  idolatry  will  readily  be  perceived.  Indeed, 
Holy  Scripture  only  gives  us  a  general  indica- 
tion of  the  baneful  changes  made  in  the  public 
religious  institutions  of  the  country.  To  close 
the  doors  of  the  Holy  and  Most  Holy  Places 
was  to  abolish  what  set  forth  Israel's  fellowship 
with  their  Lord,  His  gracious  acceptance  of 
them,  and  His  communication  of  pardon,  light, 
and  life.  The  temple  of  Ahaz  was  no  longer 
that  of  Jehovah,  and  the  attempt  to  attach  the 
old  services  to  the  new  altar  would  only  aggra- 
vate the  sin,  while  it  exhibited  the  folly  of  the 
king.  Even  more  strange  seems  the  mixture 
of  heathen  rites  which  it  was  sought  to  intro- 
duce by  the  side  of  the  perverted  Temide  rit- 
ual. It  consisted  of  the  worship  of  the  Syrian 
deities,  of  Baalim,  of  ^Vshtoreth,  of  the  host  of 
heaven,  and  of  Molcch — in  short,  it  combined 
Syrian,  Pluenician,  and  -Vjssyriau  idolatry.  Yet 
in  all  this  Ahaz  found  a  servile  instrument  in 
the  high-priest  Urijah  (3  K.  16:11-10).  As- 
suredly the  prophet's  description  of  Israel's 
"watchmen"  as  "ignorant,"  "dumb  dogs 
.  .  .  loving  to  slumber,"  "  greedy  dogs," 
"  insatiable  shepherds,"  only  bent  on  gain  and 


SECTION  38.     REIGN  OF  AIIAZ. 


331 


steeped  in  vice,  was  true  to  the  letter  (Isa. 
56  :  10-12).  And  with  this  corresponds  tlie  same 
prophet's  account  of  tlie  moral  and  religious 
condition  of  the  people  (Isa.  2:6-9;  5  :  7-23). 
In  view  of  this,  King  Ahaz  can  only  be  regard- 
ed as  the  outcome  of  his  time  and  the  repre- 
sentative of  his  people.  Accordingly  tlie  judg- 
ments announced  in  these  prophecies  of  Isaiah 
read  only  as  the  logical  sequence  of  the  state  of 
matters.  The  account  of  these  judgments  comes 
to  us  equally  from  the  Books  of  Kings  and 
Chronicles,  whicli  here  supplement  one  an- 
other, and  especially  from  the  prophecies  of 
Isaiah,  which  in  chapter  7  give  the  most  vivid 
description  of  the  condition  of  things.     A.  E. 

19.  Rt'iiMni  of  tJiu  calnndties  hrouyht  upon  Ju- 
dah.  The  record  is  ever  the  same.  It  is  the 
Lord  that  brings  Judah  low.  It  is  the  sin  of 
Ahaz,  the  king,  that  brings  upon  the  nation 
the  judgment  of  Jcliovah.  The  one  great  truth 
standing  out  upon  ever}'  page  of  this  inspired 
history,  is  this,  that  the  nation  is  dealt  with 
according  to  its  treatment  of  Him.  Neglect  of 
His  worship  and  commandments  is  invariably 
attended  with  sore  calamities  upon  the  king 
and  people. 

20,  21.  The  result  of  the  appeal  of  Ahaz  to 
tlie  king  of  Amyria.  Beside  the  offer  to  make 
his  kingdom  tributary  to  the  king  of  Assyria, 
Ahaz  sent  that  monarch  large  amounts  from 
the  stores  of  the  Temide  and  the  national  treas- 
ury. Tiglath-pileser  came  with  a  large  army, 
conquered  Syria  (one  of  the  foes  of  Judah), 
overcame  Pekah,  the  king  of  Israel,  and  depop- 
ulated the  eastern  tribes  of  Israel.  lie  also 
conquered  the  Philistines  and  took  their  capital. 
Although  Ahaz  was  thus  relie\'ed  from  the  op- 
pression of  these  hostile  kingdoms,  the  record 
declares  that  the  king  of  AssjTia  neither 
strengthened  nor  helped  him,  but  made  his 
condition  the  more  trying.  "  His  interposition 
did  not  replace  Aliaz  in  an  independent  or  safe 
position  ;  it  merely  substituted  an  actual  for  a 
threatened  subjection.  It  straitened  Ahaz's  re- 
sources by  depriving  him  of  all  his  accumu- 
lated treasure,  and  left  him  subject  to  a  heavj' 
annual  impost. ' '  Thus  by  his  rejection  of  God, 
and  his  defiant  impietj',  the  great  dominion  in- 
herited by  Aluu!  from  Uzziah  and  .lotham  was 
broken  up,  large  numbers  of  the  people  of  Ju- 
dah were  enslaved,  the  treasures  of  the  Temple 
and  tlie  capital  were  wasted,  and  Ahaz  himself 
made  a  subject  of  the  king  of  Assyria.     B, 

23.  Tliey  w^crc  the  riiiii  of  liiiii  »ii<l 
of  all  I§rael.  lie  was  not  content  with  the 
paganism  which  he  fcmnd  already  in  the  king- 
dom.    He  imported  new  shapes  of  idol  wor- 


ship. For  when  "  King  Ahaz  went  to  Damas- 
cus to  meet  Tiglath-pileser,  king  of  Assyria, 
and  saw  an  altar  that  was  at  Damascus,  King 
Ahaz  sent  to  Urijah,  the  priest,  the  fashion  of 
the  altar  and  the  pattern  of  it,  according  to  all 
the  workmanship  thereof."  .  .  .  Thus  "he 
sacrificed  unto  the  gods  of  Damascus  which 
.smote  him."  "  They  were  the  rtrin  ef  him," 
says  the  historian,  "  and  of  all  hrael."  Mean- 
while, the  true  God  and  His  Temple  and  wor- 
ship he  treated  with  scorn.     Ilallam. 

26,  27.  The  burial  of  Ahaz.  Though  his 
remains  were  brought  into  the  city,  they  were 
not  buried  in  the  sepulchres  of  the  kings.  This 
was  an  expression  of  judgment  upon  the  char- 
acter of  the  dead  king.  His  great  and  manifold 
iniquities  prevented  his  interment  in  the  royal 

burial-place.    B. His  subjects  complain  that 

he  died  so  late  ;  and,  as  repenting  that  he  ever 
was,  deny  him  a  room  in  the  sepulchres  of 
kings  ;  as  if  they  said,  "  The  common  earth  of 
Jerusalem  is  too  good  for  him  that  degenerated 
from  his  progenitors,  marred  his  kingdom,  de- 
praved his  people,  forsook  his  God."     Bp.  H. 


In  the  foolish  persistence  of  Ahaz  in  extreme 
impiety,  we  learn  that  true  relief  from  trouble 
or  distress  is  found  nowhere  but  in  God  ;  and 
only  from  disobedience  to  God  come  trouble 
and  suffering  that  can  find  no  alleviation.  And 
we  have  in  this  king  an  illustration  and  em- 
phatic confirmation  of  the  utterance  of  Solo- 
mon, The  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard.     B. 

This  the  legitimate  ending  of  a  long  career 

of  alternate  chastisement  and  sin  without  re- 
pentance. A  Cornish  proverb  says,  "  He  that 
will  not  be  ruled  bj'  the  rudder  must  be  ruled  by 
the  rock."  This  is  the  rock  on  which  haughty 
and  defiant  guilt  is  wrecked.  It  is  simply  left 
to  itself,  to  become  what  it  has  chosen  to  be — • 
such  a  demon  of  iniquitj'  as  to  be  abhorred  of 
God  and  man.  God  save  us  from  ourselves  I 
We  carry  within  us  the  elements  of  hell  if  we 
but  choose  to  make  them  such.  Ahaz,  Judas, 
Nero,  Borgia,  Alva — all  were  once  prattling  in- 
fants in  happy  mothers'  arms.  The  first  babe 
of  our  race — a  mai'vel  of  joy  to  the  first  mother 
— was  the  first  murderer.  Who  shall  dare  to 
encounter  the  possibilities  of  human  guilt  with- 
out the  grace  of  God  ? 

King  Ahaz  is  one  of  the  stupendous  monu- 
ments of  guilt  in  Israelitish  history.  He  is  one 
of  the  few  men  in  any  history  of  whom  not  one 
good  thing  is  recorded.  His  career  was  one 
uniform  and  unmitigated  stream  of  iniquity 
from  beginning  to  end.  Not  one  virtue  or 
virtuous  act  is  thought  worthy  of  mention  in 


aaa 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


his  whole  life.  So  black  and  disgraceful  was 
his  reign,  that  when  he  died,  the  indignant  and 
revolted  conscience  of  the  nation  refused  him 
burial  in  tlie  royal  sepulchre.  Ilis  career  illus- 
trates thiit  liiw  of  ehiinietir  by  wliicli  the  irichd- 
ninH  t)f  a  until  is  j>rojMrlioiu'd  to  Hie  amount  of 
holy  influence  irliirh  he  Inis  eonijnered.  We  find  a 
reason  for  his  extreme  depravity  in  the  extreme 
facilities  which  lie  had  for  being  a  saint.  lie 
W!is  the  son  of  a  godlj'  father.  Ilis  youth  was 
passed  under  the  restraints  of  holy  example. 
He  was  one  in  a  royal  line  which  had  been  dis- 
tinguished for  examples  of  illustrious  piety. 
He  knew  that  he  alone,  of  all  the  nionarchs  of 
the  world,  held  his  crown  and  kingdom  by  Di- 
vine right  as  king  of  God's  chosen  people.  He 
knew  that  a  sjilendid  history  lay  behind  him, 
and  that  a  more  splendid  future  was  before 
him.  In  the  line  of  regal  descent,  in  which  he 
was  a  connecting  link,  One  was  to  appear  in 
whom  all  the  nations  of  the  world  were  to  be 
blessed.  Tliat  ancient  promise  of  God  to  Abra- 
ham sjianned  like  a  rainbow  the  royal  family 
of  Judah.  Mysterious  as  its  meaning  was,  it 
must  have  been  a  power  of  moral  restraint  and 
moral  stimulus  to  a  man  called  of  God  to  sit  on 
the  throne  of  Judah.  Such  a  combination  of 
holy  intluence  this  Judean  king  broke  through  ; 
and  tlieriforc  he  became  the  man  he  was. 

The  career  of  this  apostate  prince  illustrates 
also  the  f(iithfuliu»s  of  God  in  chastidiig  wicked 
men  for  their  good.  "  The  Lord  brought  Judah 
low  because  of  Ahaz."  From  the  beginning  to 
the  end  of  his  reign,  he  experienced  the  truth 
that  the  way  of  transgressors  is  hard.  In  war  he 
was  whipped  all  around.  In  alliances  he  was 
cheated  and  checkmated.  His  people  were 
made  captives  by  thousands.  Nothing  went 
well  with  him.  His  public  life  was  one  long 
career  of  defying  God,  yet  of  God's  persistent 
efforts  to  save  him  by  chastising  him.  This  is 
repeated  over  and  over  again  in  the  experience 
of  wicked  men.  Such  men  often  think  it  a 
great  mystery  that  they  suffer  so  much.  They 
do  not  luiderstand  why  it  is  that  misfort\ine 
pursues  them  .so.  "Just  my  luck, "  says  one, 
when  ill-success  attends  his  business.  Yet  often 
the  secret  reason  is  that  God  is  trj'ing  to  save  the 
man.  He  is  c.jntending  with  God  in  one  way, 
and  God  is  contending  with  him  in  another. 
There  is  no  luck  about  it.  It  is  God's  faithful- 
ness to  the  soul.  The  sufferings  of  this  world 
are  not  in  the  strict  sense  retributive.  They  are 
disciplinary.  The  world  of  retribution  lies  far- 
ther on.  In  hire  God  holds  the  rod  over  many 
a  bad  man.  He  strikes  him  here,  and  He 
strikes  him  there.     God's  Hail  threshes  him  like 


wheat.  He  surrounds  him  with  trouble.  He 
heaps  up  misfortunes.  This  is  His  way  of 
striving  to  save  men  from  eternal  death.  Some- 
times He  pursues  it  to  the  very  last,  till  the 
grave  closes  over  the  incorrigible  sinner,  and 
he  passes  on  to  a  world  where  the  retributive 
decisions  of  eternity  displace  the  benign  disci- 
pline of  time. 

The  life  of  this  depraved  prince  illustrates 
further  the  extreme  which  sin  reaches  wften  men' 
fi'jht  successfully  against  God's  chastisements. 
"  In  the  time  of  his  distress  did  he  trespass  yet 
more  against  the  Lord."  This  is  the  fearfitl 
phenomenon  sometimes  witnessed  in  the  de- 
velopments of  sin  in  this  world.  Some  men 
are  not  subdued  by  suffering.  They  refuse  to 
bow  to  chastisement.  The  more  they  suffer, 
the  more  they  sin.  Trouble  angers  them  against 
God. 

The  reign  of  this  wicked  monarch  illustrates 
the  disiippointments  which  wicked  men  cxjierieiiee 
in  their  hopes  of  happiness  in  sin.  The  historian 
relates  of  him  :  "  He  said,  Because  the  gods  of 
tlie  kings  of  Syria  help  them,  therefore  will  I 
sacrifice  to  them,  that  they  may  lielp  me.  But 
they  were  the  ruin  of  him."  True  to  the  life, 
everj'  word  of  it  !  In  no  more  truthful  figure 
can  we  express  the  experience  of  many  young 
men  who  enter  on  a  career  of  worldliness. 
They  see  other  men  living  for  this  world  alone, 
as  it  seems  to  a  looker-on,  on  the  top  of  the 
wave  of  human  felicity.  A  rich  man  seems  to 
them  a  supremely  happy  man.  A  successful 
statesman  appears  to  have  all  that  an  aspiring 
man  can  ask  for.  A  man  who  has  gained  the 
summit  of  social  rank  and  splendor  liecomes, 
to  many  who  are  below  him,  the  model  of 
earthly  bliss.  Any  man  at  the  to]>  of  the  lad- 
der seems  verj-  high  up  to  a  man  at  the  bottom. 
So  a  young  man  is  apt  to  look  on  the  world  to 
which  he  proposes  to  devote  his  being.  "  The 
world  makes  these  men  happy,"  he  says  ;  "  and 
I  will  try  it,  that  it  may  make  me  hai>py  too." 
This  is  the  secret  cxperienci',  probably,  of  all 
who  give  themselves  deliberately  to  a  life  of 
irreligiou.  They  are  allured  liy  the  glamour  of 
irreligio\is  prosperity.  But  when  the}"  try  the 
experiment  for  themselves,  "  it  is  the  ruin  of 
them."  The  fruit  turns  to  ashes.  Xo  such 
young  man  ever  finds  the  world  to  be  what  it 
looked  to  be  when  he  surveyed  it  from  afar. 
It  is  a  beautiful  mirage.  The  testimony  of  ex- 
perience is  proverbial,  that  the  richest  men  are 
not  the  happiest  men.  The  most  successful 
ambitious  men  are  not  the  happiest  men.  The 
seikci's  of  pleasure  who  find  the  most  are  not 
the  happiest  men.     One  woitl  expresses  the  is- 


SECTION  S9. 


333 


sue  of  all  such  experiments — disappointment. 
This  world  is  full  of  soured  and  disappointed 
men.  The  more  irreligious  men  are,  the  more 
profoundly  they  experience  tiiis  inward  con- 
sciousness oi  failure  in  their  life's  plans.  The}' 
have  "  hewed  out  to  themselves  broken  cisterns 
that  can  hold  no  water." 

In  one  of  Hawthorne's  thrillingly  fearful  fic- 
tions, he  represents  a  wretched  man  going  about 
with  a  serpent  in  his  bosom.  Every  now  and 
then  he  clutches  at  his  breast  with  his  fingers, 
crying,  "  It  gnaws  me  ;  it  gnaws  me  1"  As 
he  walks  the  streets  among  his  kind,  he  thinks 
he  finds  that  every  man  he  meets  is  cursed  with 


the  same  snaky  guest  in  his  bosom.  Each 
man  at  intervals  seems  to  thrust  his  hand  up 
to  throttle  the  reptile.  MX  alike  are  doomed  to 
the  hideous  companionship.  "  It  gnaws  me  ; 
it  gnaws  me  !"  is  the  universal  confession. 
The  whole  world  seems  to  his  crazed  fancy  to 
be  at  the  mercy  of  vipers,  each  man  warming 
and  cherishing  his  own.  Such  a  world  is  any 
world  of  beings  given  over  to  seeking  happi- 
ness in  itself.  Such  is  this  world,  except  as  its 
fearful  consciousness  is  relieved  by  the  grace 
of  God.  Such  is  self  in  any  man  or  woman, 
when  turned  away  from  God  and  turned  in- 
ward.    Phelps. 


Section  39. 

REIGN  OF  HEZEKIAH,  TWENTY-NINE  YEARS    (.Begun). 
From  3d  of  Hoshca,  of  Israel. 

Hezekiau's  Religious  Reform.\tion. 


3  Chronicles,  Chaps.  29,  30  and  31. 

29  : 1  Hezbkiah  began  to  reign  when  he 
was  five  and  twenty  years  old  ;  and  he 
reigned  nine  and  twent}'  years  in  Jerusa- 
lem :  and  his  mother's  name  was  Abijah  the 
3  daughter  of  Zechariah.  And  he  did  that 
wliich  was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  Loud, 
according  to  all   that  David  his  father  had 

3  done.  He  in  the  first  year  of  his  reign,  in 
the  first  month,  opened  the  doors  of  the 
house  of  the    Lord,   and    repaired    them. 

4  And  he  brought  in  the  priests  and  the  Le- 
vitt's, and  gathered  them  together  into  the 
broad  place  on  the  east,  and  said  unto  them, 

5  Hear  me,  3'e  Levites  ;  now  sanctif}'  your- 
selves, and  sanctify  the  house  of  the  toRD, 
the  God  of  your  fathers,  and  can-y  forth  the 

6  filthiness  out  of  the  hoi}'  place.  For  our 
fathers  have  trespassed,  and  done  that  which 
was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  our  God, 
and  have  forsaken  him,  and  have  turned 
away  their  faces  from  the  habitation  of  the 

7  Lord,  and  turned  their  backs.  iVlso  they 
have  shut  up  the  doors  of  the  porch,  and 
put  out  the  lamps,  and  have  not  burned  in- 
cense nor  offered  burnt  offerings  in  the  holy 

8  place  unto  the  God  of  Israel.  Wherefore 
the  wrath  of  the  Lord  was  upon  Judah  and 
Jerusalem,  and  he  hath  delivered   them  to 


3  Kings  18  :  1-8. 

1  Now  it  came  to  pass  in  the  third  year  of 
Hoshea  son  of  Elah  king  of  Israel,  that  Heze- 
kiah  the  son  of  Ahaz   king  of  Judah  be- 

3  gan  to  reign.  Twenty  ancl  five  years  old 
was  he  when  he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he 
reigned  twenty  and  nine  years  in  Jerusalem  : 
and  his  mother's  name  was  Abi  the  daugh- 

3  ter  of  Zechariah.  And  he  did  that  which 
was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  according 

4  to  allthat  David  his  father  had  done.  He 
removed  the  high  places,  and  brake  the  pil- 
lars, and  cut  down  the  Asherah  :  and  he 
brake  in  pieces  the  brasen serpent  that  Moses 
had  made  ;  for  unto  those  days  the  children 
of  Israel  did  burn  incense  to  it ;  and  he  called 

5  it  Nehushtan.  He  trusted  in  the  Lord,  the 
God  of  Israel  ;  so  that  after  him  was  none 
like  him  among  all  the  kings  of  Judah,  nor 

6  among  them  th^it  were  before  him.  For  he 
clave  to  the  Lord,  he  departed  not  from 
following  him,  but  kept  his  commandments, 

7  which  the  Lord  commanded  Moses.  And 
the  Lord  was  with  him  ;  whithersoever  he 
went  forth  he  prospered  :  and  he  rebelled 
against  the  king  of  Assyria,  and  served  him 

8  not.  He  smote  the  Philistines  unto  Gaza 
and  the  borders  thereof,  from  the  tower  of 
the  watchmen  to  the  fenced  city. 


he  tossed  to  and  fro,  to  be  an  astonishment, 
9  and  an  hissing,  as  ye  see  with  your  eyes.     For,  lo,  our  fathers  have  fallen  by  the  sword,  and 

10  our  sons  and  our  daughters  and  our  wives  are  in  captivity  for  this.     Now  it  is  in  mine  heart 
to  make  a  covenant  with  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  that  his  fierce  anger  may  turn  away 

11  from  us.     My  sons,  be  not  now  negligent ;  for  the  Lord  hath  chosen  you  to  stand  before 
him,  to  minister  unto  him,  and  that  ve  should  be  his  ministers,  and  burn  incense. 

12  Then  the  Levites  arose,  JIahath  the  son  of  Amasai,  and  Joel  the  son  of  Azariah,  of  the 
sons  of  the  Kohathites  ;  and  of  the  sons  of  Merari.  Kish  the  son  of  Abdi,  and  Azariah  the 


334  KTXODO.V  OF  J  CD  AH. 

son  of  .It'hallclpl :  and  of  the  Gcrslionitcs,  Joali  the  son  ot  Zimmah,  and  Eden  the  son  of  Joah  : 

13  nml  of  tlic  sons  of  Elizai)liiui,  SShimri  and  Jeuel  :  and  of  tlic  sons  of  Asaph,  Zechariah  and 

14  Mattaniiih  :  ami  of  the  sons  of  Heman,  Ji'huel  and  .Shimei :  and  of  the  sons  of  Jediithun, 

15  .Shi'Miiiiiili  and  L'zziel.  »\ud  they  patherud  their  hretliren,  and  sanctified  tliemseives,  and 
went  in.  aec-onlinir  to  tlie  commandment  of  tlie  l^ing  by  tlie  words  of  the  Loun.  to  cleanse 

16  tlie  house  of  the  I.oiti).  And  the  priests  went  in  unto  the  inner  part  of  tlie  house  of  the  Lokd, 
to  cleanse  it,  and  brought  out  all  the  uncleanHness  that  they  found  in  the  temple  of  the  Loud 
into  the  court  of  the  house  of  the  Loud.     And  the  Levites  took  it,  to  carry  it  out  abroad  to 

17  the  brook  Kidron.  Xow  they  began  on  the  first  ilai/ot  the  first  month  to  .sanctify,  and  on 
the  eighth  dav  of  the  month  came  they  to  the  jiorcli  of  the  Loud  ;  and  they  .sanctified  the 
house  of  tlie  Loud  in  eight  days  :  and  on  the  sixteenth  da}'  of  the  first  month  they  made  an 

18  end.  Then  they  went  in  to  Hezekiah  the  king  within  the  judnci',  and  said.  We  have  cleansed 
all  the  house  of  the  Lnuii,  and  the  altar  of  burnt  olTering,  with  all  the  vessels  thereof,  and  the 

19  table  of  shewbread,  with  all  \.\.^  i-essels  thereof.  Moreover  all  the  vessels,  which  king  Aliaz 
in  his  reign  did  cast  away  when  he  trespassed,  have  we  prepared  and  sanctified  ;  and,  behold, 
they  are  before  the  altar  of  the  Loud. 

20  1  hen  Ilezekiali  the  king  arose  early,  and  gathered  the  princes  of  the  city,  and  went  xip 

21  to  the  house  of  the  Loud.  And  they  lirought  seven  bullocks,  and  seven  rams,  and  seven 
lambs,  and  seven  he-goats,  for  a  sin  oiTering  for  the  kingdom  and  for  the  sanctuary  and  for 
.ludah.     And   he  eirnmanded   the  priests  the  sons  of  Aaron  to  oiler  them  on  the  altar  of  the 

22  Lord.  So  they  killed  the  bullocks,  and  the  priests  received  the  blood,  and  sjirinkled  it  on 
the  altar  :  and  they  killed  the  rams,  and  sju-inkled  the  blood  upon  the  altar  :  they  killed  also 

23  the  lambs,  and  sprinkled  the  blood  ujion  tlu^  altar.  And  they  brought  near  the  he-goats 
for  the  sin  offering  before  the  king  and  the  congregation  ;  and  they  laid  their  hands  upon 

24  them  :  and  the  priests  killed  them,  and  they  made  a  sin  offering  with  their  blood  upon  the 
altar,  to  make  atonement  for  all  Israel  :  for  the  king  commanded  thut  the  burnt  offering  and 

25  the  sin  olTering  slmuldbc  mitde  for  all  Israel.  And  he  set  the  Levites  in  the  house  of  the  Loud 
with  cymbals,  with  psalteries,  and  with  harps,  according  to  the  commandment  of  David, 
and  of  tiad  the  king's  seer,  and  Xathan  the  prophet  :  for  the  commandment  was  of  the  Loud 

26  by  his  prophets.     And  the  Levites  stood  with  the  instruments  of  David,  and  the  priests  with 

27  the  trumpets.  And  Hezekiah  commanded  to  offer  the  burnt  offering  upon  the  altar.  And 
when  the  burnt  offering  began,  the  song  of  the  Lord  began  also,  and  the  trumpets,  together 

28  with  the  instruments  of  David  king  of  Israel.  And  all  the  congregation  worshipped,  and 
the  singers  sang,  and  the  trumpeters  sounded  ;  all  this  continued  until  the  burnt  offering  was 

29  finished.     And  when  they  had  made  an  end  of  offering,  the  king  and  all  that  were  ])resent 
80  with  him  bowed  themselves  and  worshipjjed.     Moreover  Hezekiah  the  king  and  the  princes 

commanded  the  Levites  to  sing  praises  unto  the  Loud  with  the  words  of  David,  and  of  Asaph 
the  seer.     And  the}' sang  praises  with  gladness,  and  they  bowed  their  heads  and  worshipped. 

31  Then  Hezekiah  answered  and  said,  Now  ye  have  consecrated  yourselves  unto  the  Loud, 
come  near  and  bring  sacrifices  and  thank  offerings  into  the  house  of  the  Loud.  And  the 
congregation  brought  in  sacrifices  and  thank  offerings  ;  and  as  many  as  were  of  a  willing 

32  heart  hroiKjId  burnt  offerings.  And  the  number  of  the  burnt  offerings,  which  the  congrega- 
tion brought,  was  threescore  and  ten  bullocks,  an  hundred  rams,  and  two  hundred  lambs  : 

33  all  these  were  for  a  burnt  offering  to  the  L(U{d.     And  the  consecrated  things  were  si.K  hun- 

34  dred  o.xen  and  three  thousand  sheep.  But  the  priests  were  too  few,  so  that  they  could  not 
flay  all  the  burnt  offerings  :  wherefore  their  brethren  the  Levites  did  help  them,  till  the  work 
was  ended,  and  until  the  priests  had  sanctified  themselves  :  for  the  Levites  were  more  up- 

35  right  in  heart  to  sanctify  themselves  than  the  priests.  And  also  the  burnt  offerings  were 
in  abundance,  with  the  fat  of  the  peace  offerings,  and  with  the  drink  offerings  for  every  burnt 

36  offering.  !So  the  service  of  the  house  of  the  LtiuD  was  set  in  order.  And  Hezekiah  rejoiced, 
and  all  the  people,  because  of  that  which  God  had  prepared  for  the  people  :  for  the  thing  was 
done  suddenly. 

30  :  1  AikI  Hezekiah  sent  to  all  Israel  and  Judah.  and  wrote  letters  also  to  Ephraira  and 
Mauassch,  that  they  should  come  to  the  house  of  the  Lord  at  Jerusalem,  to  keep  the  passover 

2  unto  the  1>ord,  the  God  of  Israel.     For  the  king  had  taken  counsel,  and  his  princes,  and  all 

3  the  congregation  in  Jerusalem,  to  keep  the  passover  in  the  second  month.  For  they  could 
not  keep  it  at  that  time,  because  the  priests  had  not  sanctified  themselves  in  sufflcieiit  num- 

4  ber,  neither  had  the  people  gathered  themselves  together  to  Jerusalem.     And  the  thing  was 

5  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  king  and  of  all  the  congregation.  So  they  established  a  decree  to 
make  proclamation  throughout  all  Israel,  from  Beer-shebacven  to  Dan,  that  they  shoukl  come 
to  keep  the  jiassover  unto  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  at  Jerusalem  ;  for  they  had  not  kept 

6  it  in  great  numbers  in  such  sort  as  it  is  written.  So  the  posts  went  with  the  letters  from  the 
king  and  his  princes  throughout  all  Israel  and  Judah,  and  according  to  the  commandment  of 
the  king,  saying.  Ye  cliildfen  of  Israel,  turn  again  unto  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Israel,  that  he  may  return  to  the  remnant  that  are  escaped  of  you  out  of  the  hand 

7  of  the  kings  of  Assyria.  And  be  not  ye  like  your  fathers,  and  like  your  brethren,  which 
trespassed  against  the  Lord,  the  God  of  their  fiithers,  so  that  he  gave  them  up  to  desolation, 

8  as  ye  sec.  Xow  be  ye  not  stiffueeked,  as  your  fathers  were  ;  but  yield  yourselves  unto  the 
Loud,  and  enter  into  his  sanctuary,  whieli  he  hath  sanctified  forever,  and  serve  the  Loud 

9  your  God,  that  his  fierce  anger  may  turn  away  from  you.  For  if  ye  turn  again  unto  the 
Loud,  your  brethren  and  your  children  shall  find  compassion  before  them  that  led  them  cap- 
tive, and  shall  come  again  into  this  laud  :  for  the  Louu  your  God  is  gracious  and  merciful, 


SECTION  39.     REION  OF  UEZEKIAH.  335 

10  and  will  not  turn  away  his  face  from  you,  if  ye  return  unto  him.  So  the  posts  passed  from 
city  to  city  throu.eh  the  country  of  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  even  unto  Zebulun  :  but  they 

11  laughed  tiiem  to  scorn,  and  mocked  them.     Nevertheless  divers  of  Ashcr  and  Manasseh  and 
13  of  Zebulun  humbled  themselves,  and  came  to  Jerusalem.     Also  in  Jutlah  was  the  hand  of 

God  to  give  them  one  heart,  to  do  the  commandment  of  the  king  and  of  the  princes  by  the 

13  word  of'  the  Lord.     And  there  assembled  at  Jerusalem  much  people  to  keep  the  feast  of 

14  unleavened  bread  in  the  second  month,  a  very  great  congregation.  And  thej'  arose  and 
took  away  the  altars  that  were  in  Jerusalem,  and  all  the  altars  for  incense  took  they  awa}', 

15  and  cast  them  into  the  brook  Kidron.  Then  the}-  killed  the  passover  on  the  fourteenth  day 
of  the  second  niontli  :  and  the  priests  and  the  Levitcs  were  ashamed,  and  sanctified  them- 

16  selves,  and  brought  burnt  offerings  into  the  house  of  the  Lord.  And  they  stood  in  their 
place  after  their  order,  according  to  the  law  of  Moses  the  man  of  God  :  the  priests  sprinkled 

17  the  blood,  tchieh  then  receired  of  the  hand  of  the  Levites.  For  there  were  many  in  the  con- 
gregation that  had  not  sanctified  themselves  :  therefore  the  Levites  had  the  charge  of  killing 

18  thepassovcrs  for  every  one  that  was  not  clean,  to  sanctify  them  unto  the  Lord.  For  a 
multitide  of  the  people,  even  many  of  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  Issachar  and  Zebulun,  had 
not  cleansed  themselves,  yet  did  they  cat  the  passover  otherwise  than  it  is  written.  For 
Hezekiah  had  i)ra}'ed  for  them,  saying.  The  good  Lord  pardon  every  one  that  setteth  his 

19  heart  to  seek  God,"  the  Lord,  the  God'of  his  fathers,  though  he  be  not  demised  according  to 

20  the  purification  of  the  sanctuary.     And  the  Lord  hearkened  to  Hezekiah,  and  healed   the 

21  people.  And  the  children  of  Israel  that  were  jiresent  at  Jerusalem  kept  the  feast  of  unleav- 
ened bread  seven  days  with  great  gladness  :  and  the  Levites  and  the  priests  praised  the  Lord 

22  day  by  day,  siiigiiig'-n-jth  loiid  instruments  unto  the  Lord.  And  Hezekiah  spake  comfort- 
ably unto  all  the  Levites  that  were  well  skilled  in  the  service  of  the  Lord.  So  they  did  eat 
throughout  the  feast  for  the  seven  days,  offering  sacrifices  of  peace  offerings,  and  making 

23  confession  to  the  Lord,  the  God  of  their  fathers.     And  the  whole  congregation  took  counsel 

24  to  keep  other  seven  days  :  and  they  kept  other  seven  days  with  gladness.  For  Hezekiah 
king  of  Judali  did  give  to  the  congregation  for  offerings  a  thousand  bullocks  and  seven 
thousand  sheep  ;  and  the  princes  gave  to  the  congregation  a  thousand  bullocks  and  ten 

25  thousand  sheep  :  and  a  great  number  of  priests  sanctified  themselves.  And  all  the  congre- 
gation of  Judah.  with  the  priests  and  the  Levites,  and  all  the  congregation  that  came  out  of 
Israel,  and  the  strangers  that  came  out  of  the  land  of  Israel,  and  that  dwelt  in  Judah,  re- 

26  joiced.     So  there  was  great  joy  in  Jerusalem  :  for  since  the  time  of  Solomon  the  son  of  David 

27  king  of  Israel  there  was  not  the  like  in  Jerusalem.  Then  the  priests  the  Levites  arose  and 
blessed  the  people  :  and  their  voice  was  heard,  and  their  prayer  came  up  to  his  holy  habita- 
tion, even  unto  heaven. 

'A\ :  1  Now  when  all  this  was  finished,  all  Israel  that  were  present  went  out  to  the  cities 
of  Judah,  and  brake  in  pieces  the  pillars,  and  hewed  down  the  Asherim,  and  brake  down  the 
high  places  and  the  altars  out  of  all  Judah  and  Benjamin,  in  Ephraim  also  and  Manesseh, 
until  they  had  destroyed  them  all.     Then  all  the  children  of  Israel  returned,  every  man  to  his 

2  possession,  into  their  own  cities.  And  Hezekiah  appointed  the  courses  of  the  priests  and 
the  Levites  after  their  courses,  everj'  man  according  to  his  service,  both  the  priests  and  the 
Levites,  for  burnt  offerings  and  for  peace  offerings,  to  minister,  and  to  give  thanks,  and  to 

3  praise  in  the  gates  of  the  camp  of  the  Lord.  He  appointed  also  the  king's  portion  of  his 
substance  for  the  burnt  offerings,  to  wit,  for  the  morning  and  evening  burnt  offerings,  and 
the  burnt  offerings  for  the  sabbaths,  and  for  the  new  moons,  and  for  the  set  feasts,  as  it  is 

4  written  in  the  law  of  the  Lord.  Moreover  he  commanded  the  people  that  dwelt  in  Jerusa- 
lem to  give  the  portion  of  the  priests  and  the  Levites,  that  they  might  give  themselves  to  the 

5  law  of  the  Lord.  And  as  soon  as  the  commandment  came  abroad,  the  children  of  Israel  gave 
in  abundance  the  flrstfruits  of  corn,  wine,  and  oil,  and  honey,  and  of  all  the  increase  of  the 

6  field  ;  and  the  tithe  of  all  things  brought  they  in  abundantly.  And  the  children  of  Israel 
and  judah,  that  dwelt  in  the  cities  of  Judah,  they  also  brought  in  the  tithe  of  oxen  and 
sheep,  and  the  tithe  of  dedicated  things  which  were  consecrated  unto  the  Lord  their  God, 

7  and  laid  them  by  heaps.     In  the  third  month  they  began  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  heaps, 

8  and  finished  them  in  the  seventh  month.     And'when  Hezekiah  and  the  princes  came  and 

9  saw  the  heaps,  they  blessed  the  Lord,  and  his  people  Israel.     Then  Hezekiah  questioned 

10  with  the  priests  and  the  Levites  concerning  the  heaps.  And  Azariah  the  chief  priest,  of  the 
house  of  Zadok,  answered  him  and  said.  Since  the  2^eople  began  to  bring  the  oblations  into 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  we  have  eaten  and  had  enough,  and  have  left  plenty  :  for  the  Lord 

11  hath  blessed  his  people  ;  and  that  which  is  left  is  this  great  store.     Then  Hezekiah  com- 

12  manded  to  prepare  chambers  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  ;  and  they  prepared  them.  And  they 
brought  in  the  oblations  and  the  tithes  and  the  dedicated  things  faithfully  :  and  over  them 

13  C'onaniah  the  Levite  was  ruler,  and  Shimei  his  brother  was  second.  And  Jchiel,  and 
Azaziah,  and  Nahath,  and  Asahel,  and  Jerimoth,  and  Jozabad,  and  Eliel,  and  Ismachiah, 
and  Mahath,  and  Benaiah,  were  overseers  under  the  hand  of  Couauiah  and  Shimei  his 
brother,  by  the  appointment  of  Hezekiah  the  king,  and  Azariah  the  ruler  of  the  house  of  God. 

14  And  Kore  the  son  of  Imuah  the  Levite,  the  porter  at  the  east  r/atc,  was  over  the  freewill 

15  offerings  of  God.  to  distribute  the  oblations  of  the  Lord,  and  the  most  holy  things.  And 
under  him  were  Eden,  and  Miniamin,  and  Jeshua,  and  Shemaiah,  Amariah,  and  Shecaniah,  in 
the  cities  of  the  priests,  in  their  set  office,  to  give  to  their  brethren  by  courses,  as  well  to  the 

16  great  as  to  the  small  :  beside  them  that  were  reckoned  by  genealogy  of  males,  from  three 
years  old  and  upward,  even  everj-  one  that  entered  into  the  house  of  the  Lord,  as  the  duty 


336 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


17  of  every  diiy  required,  for  their  serviee  in  tlieir  cliarges  aecordins;  to  their  courses  ;  and  them 
tlmt  were  reckoned  by  geneiiloijy  of  tlie  priests  by  their  fatliei-s'   houses,  and   the  Levites 

18  from  twenty  years  old  and  upward,  in  tlieir  charges  liy  Iheir  courses:  and  them  that  were 
reckoned  by  f;eneal(if;y  of  all  tlu'ir  little  ones,  their  wives,  and  their  sons,  and  their  daugh- 
ters, through  all  the  congregation  :   for  in  their  .set  otHce  they  sanetiticd  themselves  in  holi- 

19  ness  :  also  for  the  sons  of  Aaron  the  priests,  which  were  in  tlie  tields  of  the  suburbs  of  their 
cities,  in  every  several  city,  then'  were  men  that  were  exjiressed  l)y  name,  lo  give  portions  to 
nil  the  malcsamong  the  priests,  and  to  all  that  were  reckoned  by  geneiilogy  among  the  Levites. 

20  And  thus  did  ilezekiah  throu.ghout  all  .ludah  ;  and  he  wrought  that  wliicli  was  good  and  right 
31  anil  faithful  before  the  Loiti)  his  God.     And  in  every  work  that  he  began  in  the  service  of  the 

house  of  Goil.  and  in   the  law,  aud  in  the  commandments,  to  seek  his  God,  he  did  it  with  all 
his  heart,  and  prospered. 


Events  of  Hezeki.^h's  Reign. 
(For  Dates,  see  Section  3,  page  51.) 

Hezikiiih'a  Accesnon  Tear.  The  first  of  his 
twenty-nine  years  :  (1)  2  K.  16  :  2,  20  ;  17  : 1  ; 
18  : 1,  2,  sixteenth  of  Ahaz,  following  the  third 
of  Hoshea  ;  (2)  1  Chron,  5  :  26  ;  2  K.  15  :  29  ; 
17:3;  2  Chron.  30  : 6-9,  relations  of  Israel  to 
Assyria,  at  the  time  ;  (3)  2  K.  16  :  8,  10  ;  18  :  7, 
relations  of  Judah  to   Assyria  ;    (4)  2  Chron. 

28  :  18,    to    Philistia  :     (5)    2   Chron.    28  :  19  ; 

29  : 8,  9,   condition   of  Judah    (captivity,   not 
exile). 

His  First  Tear  (not  counted  as  in  2  K., 
but  beginning  the  new  year  after  liis  accession 
—the  fifth  of  Hoshea).  (1)  2  K.  18  :  3-6,  etc., 
religious  policy  of  Hezekiah  ;  (2)  17  :  2,  re- 
ligious policy  of  Hoshea  ;  (3)  2  K.  16  :  10,  14-18  ; 
2  Chron.  28  :  21,  24  ;  29  :  3,  5,  7,  16,  19,  condition 
of  the  temple  :  (4)  2  Chron.  29  : 3-36,  cleansing  of 
the  temple  ;  (o)  3  Chron.  30,  the  great  pa.ssover, 
the  second  month  :  (6)  31  :  1,  breaking  down  the 
altars  of  false  worship  in  Ephraim,  Manasseh, 
etc.  ;  (7)  2  Chron.  31,  provisions  for  the  service 
at  Jerusalem  ;  31  :  7,  third  to  seventh  month. 

HezekiaJi's  Prosperity.  (1)  Rebellion  against 
Assyria,  18  :  7  ;  (2)  smiting  of  Philistines, 
18  :  8  ;  (3)  his  riches  and  power,  2  Chron  31  :  20, 
21  ;  32  :  27-29  ;  2  K.  20  :  13  ;  (4)  connected  with 
the  rebellion  of  Hezekiah,  Hoshea's  refusal  of 
tribute,  and  sending  messengers  to  So,  2  K. 
17  :  4  ;  (5)  connected  with  this,  the  breaking  of 
the  rod  that  smote  "  Philistia,  all  of  it,"  Isa. 
14:28,  29. 

Up  to  TIezckiah's  Fourth  Tear,  2  K.  17  :  4  ; 
the  king  of  Assyria  imprisons  Hoshea  for  refus- 
ing tribute,  etc. 

Fourth,  Fifth  and  Sixth  Tears  of  Ilezekiah. 
2  K.  17  ;  18  :  9-12,  the  siege  and  overthrow  of 
Samaria. 

Hezekiah' s  Illness,  2  K.  20  : 1-11  ;  Isa.  38. 
(1)  2  K.  18  :  13,  2  ;  20  :  6,  the  date  of  it ;  (2) 
2  K.  20  : 1-7,  the  prayer  and  healing  ;  (3)  20  :  6, 
the  promise  of  deliverance  from  Assyria  ;  (4) 
2  K.  20  :  8-11,  the  shadow  on  the  dial";  (5)  Isa. 
88  :  9-20,  Uczekiah's  "  writing." 


Tlezekiah  and  Merodach-baladan,  2  K.  20  :  12- 
19  ;  Isa.  39. 

Scmiaclterih' s  Great  Invasion.  (1)  2  Chron. 
32  : 1,  2,  his  coming  ;  (2)  2  Chron.  32  :  3,  4, 
30  ;  2  K.  20  :  20,  Hezekiah's  waterworks  ;  (3) 
2  Chron.  32  :  5-8,  his  other  arrangements  for  de- 
fence ;  (4)  2  Chron.  32  :  9-15  ;  2  K.  18  :  17-35  ; 
Isa.  36  : 2-20,  Sennacherib's  message  from 
Lachish  :  (5)  2  K.  18  :  36-19  :  7,  resulting  acts 
of  the  oftieers,  the  king,  and  Isaiah,  noting  es- 
pecially the  form  of  the  promise  (verse  7)  ;  (6) 

19  :  8,  9,  Tirhakah  ;  (7)  3  Chron.  32  :  10,  17,  13, 
14  ;  2  K.  19  :  9-13,  Sennacherib's  written  mes- 
sages ;  (8)  3  Chron.  32  :  20,  19  ;  2  K.  19  :  14-34, 
the  prayer  over  these  messages,  and  its  answer  ; 
(9)  19  :  35-37  ;  3  Chron.  32  :  21,  Jehovah's  ven- 
geance on  Sennacherib. 

Death  of  Ileztkiak,  2  Chron.  32  :  32,  33  ;  2  K. 

20  :  20,  31. 

The  biblical  literature  connected  with  this 
reign  is  not  limited  to  the  accounts  contained 
in  the  historical  books,  but  includes  also  many 
of  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah.  Micah,  and  Xahum, 
some  Psalms,  and  the  last  chapters  of  Proverbs. 
The  known  Assyrian  literature  for  this  period 
is  even  more  voluminous  than  the  biblical  ;  and, 
at  some  points,  quite  as  full  in  its  details  of 
Palestinian  history.  In  a  very  large  number 
of  instances  the  two  literatures  mention  or 
allude  to  the  same  persons,  events,  or  customs. 
W.  J.  B. 

2  Chron.  29.  The  history  of  Hezekiah's 
reign,  which  is  here  commenced,  and  carried 
through  four  chapters,  stands  in  marked  con- 
trast with  the  corresponding  portion  of  Kings 
(2  K.  18-30).  'While  the  writer  of  Kings  fixes 
his  eye  mainlj'  on  civil  affairs — on  the  two  in- 
vasions of  Sennacherib  and  on  the  embassy  of 
Merodach-baladan,  which  he  relates  at  length, 
passing  lightly  and  hastily  over  Hezekiah's  re- 
ligious reformation  (chap  18  :  4-7),  the  author 
of  Chronicles  sets  himself  to  give  a  full  account 
of  this  latter,  which  he  does  in  three  chapters 
(29-31),  compressing  into  the  compass  of  one 
(chap.  32)  the  whole  that  he  has  lo  say  of  the 
civil  history  of  the  reign.     Thus  chaps.  29-31 


SECTION  39.     REIGN  OF  EEZEKIAH. 


337 


of  3  Chron.  contain  matter  which  is  almost 
wholly  new  ;  wliile  chap.  32  is  little  more  than 
a  brief  summary  of  what  the  writer  of  Kings 
has  related  fully  in  the  three  chapters  which  he 
has  devoted  to  this  reign.     B.  C. 

29:  1,2.  Dumtion  and  character  of  Ileze- 
kinh's  reirjn.  It  began  when  he  was  five  and 
twenty  years  old,  and  continued  twenty-nine 
years.  It  would  seem  that  a  good  mother  had 
counteracted  the  evil  influence  of  a  bad  father, 
in  the  formation  of  the  character  of  Hezekiah. 
Her  name  is  given,  and  her  parentage.  Zecha- 
riah,  her  father  or  grandfather,  may  have  been 
the  "faithful  witness"  of  Isaiah  (13:2).  In 
his  character,  Hezekiah  stands  with  David  and 
Josiah.  Tliese  were  counted  the  perfect  kings, 
and  furnished  the  standard  models  by  which 
other  kings  were  tstimattd.  He  did  that  which 
was  right  in  the  .sight  of  Jehovah.  He  blended 
a  thorough  affection  with  a  thorough  devotion 
to  Jehovah,  and  to  the  interests  of  His  worship 
and  His  authority  over  the  people.  And  this 
fidelity  to  Jehovah  in  His  worship  and  authority 
furnishes  the  great  test  by  wliich  the  character 
of  the  kings,  both  of  Israel  and  Judah,  is  esti- 
mated. Here  we  find  a  supreme  principle,  ap- 
plicable to  all  judgments  of  human  character. 
Every  one  stands  or  falls  by  this  test.  Every 
one  who  rightly  worships  and  truly  obeys  God 
possesses  a  character  that  is  acceptable  in  His 
sight.     B. 

Hezekiah,  the  thirteenth  king  of  Judah,  suc- 
ceeded his  father  Ahaz  in  the  third  year  of 
Hoshea,  the  nineteenth  and  last  king  of  Israel. 
In  the  very  first  year,  perhaps,  of  his  reign,  he 
began  the  reformation  of  religion  by  reopening 
and  repairing  the  doors  of  the  Temple,  which 
had  been  closed  by  Ahaz.  His  character  is 
marked  by  the  commendation  which  has  not 
been  repeated  since  Jehoshapliat,  "  He  did  that 
which  was  right  in  the  sight  of  Jehovah,  ac- 
cordinfj  to  all  thtt  Duridhisfatlicrhad  done." 
P.  S. 

Of  all  themonarchs  who  ruled  over  the  king- 
dom of  Judah  after  its  separation  from  Israel, 
Hezekiah  is  the  most  remarkable,  and  the  in- 
terest which  attaches  to  the  history  of  the  sepa- 
rate kingdom  culminates  in  him.  He  was  a 
statesman,  a  warrior,  a  poet,  an  antiquarian, 
an  engineer,  and  the  leader  of  a  most  important 
religious  movement.  Judca  in  his  day  seemed 
to  be  at  the  point  of  dissolution  ;  it  was  to  him 
that  she  owed  a  recovery,  which  gave  her  a 
fresh  lease  of  life,  and  enabled  her  to  outlive  her 
sister  kingdom  by  nearly  a  century  and  a  half. 
Hezekiali's  political  position  when  he  ascended 
the  throne  was  that  of  a  tributary  to  Assyria. 


His  father's  voluntary  compact  with  Tiglath- 
pileser  (2  K.  16  :  7)  involved  his  own  subjec- 
tion ;  and  nothing  could  set  him  free  from  this 
obligation,  or  restore  his  countr}'  to  indepen- 
dence, but  an  open  and  avowed  revolt.  To  this 
height  of  audacity  he  does  not  seem  to  have 
lifted  himself  at  once.  It  rather  appears  that 
he  paid  his  tribute,  as  it  became  due,  regularly, 
both  to  Shalmaneser  and  to  Sargon,  deferring 
his  open  rebellion  to  the  time  of  Sennacherib, 
Sargon's  .son  and  successor.  Meanwhile,  all 
the  energies  of  his  powerful  and  active  mind 
were  devoted  to  the  internal  condition  of  his 
country,  and  especially  to  the  removal  of  those 
impious  innovations  which  his  father,  Ahaz, 
had  introduced  into  the  aiTangements  of  the 
Temple,  and  into  the  religious  ceremonial  gen- 
erality, to  the  rooting  out  of  idolatrj',  and  to 
the  re-establishment  of  the  religion  of  Jehovah 
in  its  pristine  purity  and  splendor.     G.  R. 

2  K.  I8:G.  He  clave  to  the  Lord. 
Other  good  kings  had  fallen  away  in  their  later 
years.  Hezekiah  remained  firm  to  the  last. 
The  phrase  "cleaving  to  God"  is  frequent  in 
Deuteronomy,  rare  elsewhere. 

7.  The  Lord  was  with  him.  This 
liad  been  said  of  no  king  since  Daviel  (2  Sam. 
5  :  10),  not  even  of  Solomon,  of  whom  we  are 
only  told  that  the"  wisdom  of  God  was  in  him" 
(IK.  3:28).    The  phrase  is  very  emphatic.    B.C. 

Hezekiah  trusted  in  the  Lord  ;  he  clave  to 

the  Lorel ;  he  departeel  not  from  following  Him  ; 
he  kept  His  commandments  as  given  to  Moses. 
Trust,  fidelity,  obedience,  and  perseverance — in 
all  these  were  his  distinctive  characteristics. 
Some  kings  hail  trusteil,  but  not  with  so  entire 
a  heart ;  some  had  been  obedient,  but  not  so 
full}'  ;  some  haei  been  faithful  for  a  time,  but 
had  failed  to  persevere.  Hezekiah  had  tlie  bet- 
ter reeoi'd.  God  puts  special  hemor  on  whole- 
hearted service.  We  are  to  see,  however,  that, 
exceptional  as  his  goodness  was,  Hezekiah  was 
not  perfect.  He  had  his  sins,  his  failures  too. 
The  intention  of  the  text  is  not  to  represent  him 
as  sinless,  but  only  as  pre-eminently  great  and 
good.     J.  O. 

2  Chroil.  29  :  S-5.  His  first  good  vork,  the 
reopeniiirj  and  cleansing  of  the  Temple,  and  the 
re-cstidilishment  of  t/ie  priesthood  and  tfwir  minis- 
try in  it.  This  was  conmienced  at  the  very 
outset  of  his  reign.  His  first  thought  was  of 
the  worship  of  God,  and  his  first  purpose  anel 
effort  was  the  restoration  of  thnt  worship.  The 
closed  doors  of  the  Sacred  Porch  were  openeel 
and  repaired.  The  priests  and  Levites  to  whom 
was  committed  the  care  and  the  service  of 
the  Temple  were  gathered  together  from  the 


:):}8 


KTXOI)0.}f  OF  Jl'DAH. 


various  portions  of  the  lanfl.  First,  Ili/.ckiah 
liado  tliem  "  sanctify"  thfiiuelecs,  and  tlien  to 
cloansc  tlie  liouse  of  tlio  Lord.  We  may  re- 
mind our  readci-s  tliat  tlie  priests  were  descend- 
ants of  the  family  of  Aaron,  and  were  among 
the  I..evites,  or  descendants  of  Levi.  Tlie 
priests  were  charged  with  the  religious  minis- 
tries of  the  Temple  :  the  offering  of  sacrifices, 
and  the  burning  of  incense.  The  Levites  aided 
the  priests  in  their  preparatory  work.  They 
also  formed  the  great  choir  of  singers,  and  ful- 
tilled  the  functions  of  gatekeepers  and  guards 
of  the  Temple.  Like  the  priests,  they  were  a 
carefully  educated  class,  and  aided  in  the  in- 
struction of  the  people.  The  aauHififatimi  re- 
ferred to  hero  included  a  ceremonial  washing 
with  water,  as  well  as  a  cleansing  with  sacrifi- 
cial blood.  It  was  applied  to  the  vessels,  the 
floor,  and  the  walls  of  the  building,  after  the 
accumulations  of  dust,  and  po.ssibly  of  remain- 
ing idolatrous  objects,  had  been  removed.     B. 

We  can  never  begin  good  things  too  early, 
and  when  we  come  into  new  positions,  it  is 
easier  to  take  the  right  standing  at  first  than  to 
shift  to  it  afterward.  Hczekiah  might  have 
been  excused  if  he  had  tliought  that  the 
wretched  state  of  political  affairs  left  by  Ahaz 
needed  his  first  attention.  Edomites  on  the 
east,  Philistines  on  the  west  and  south,  Syrians 
and  Assyrians  on  tlie  north,  compassed  him 
about  like  bees,  and  worldly  prudence  would 
have  said,  "  Look  after  these  enemies  to-day, 
and  the  Temple  to-moiTow."  He  was  wiser 
than  that,  knowing  that  these  were  effects  of 
the  religious  corruption,  and  so  he  went  at  that 
first.     A.  M. 

6-9.  I'he  exceeding  guilt  of  i/teir  fathers,  and 
hnir  God  hid  punislu'd  it.  It  was  Ahaz  and  the 
people  of  the  preceding  reign  whom  Ilezekiah 
charged  with  tliis  impious  trespass  against  God. 
The  particulars  of  his  cliarge  are  instructive. 
They  hail  done  evil  in  God's  sight  by  wilfully 
forsaking  Him,  and  insultingly  tHrniiir/  the  bnc/c 
>ipon  Iliiii.  They  had  barred  up  the  doors  of 
Ilis  sanctuary,  after  extinguishing  its  lights. 
And  above  all,  they  had  despised  the  sacrifice 
and  the  incense,  the  double  offering  which 
symbolized  the  atonement  for  sin,  and  the  in- 
tercession for  the  sinner.  In  a  woni  they  had 
closed  the  Temple  doors,  they  had  banished 
the  Temple  servitors,  they  had  deliberately 
rejected  the  divinely  appointed  means  of  ap- 
l>roa<li  to  .Tehovah,  and  virtually  outlawed  G(h1 
from  Ilis  own  hou.se  and  His  own  supreme 
right  over  them.  To  this  apostasy  from  Go<l 
as  its  sufficient  cause,  Hczekiah  ascribed  all  the 
Bufferings  of  the  people  and  the  calamities  that 


had  befallen  the  kingdom.  Invasions  of  other 
nations,  resulting  in  the  draining  of  resources, 
the  laying  waste  of  cities,  the  destrnetion  of 
life,  the  breaking  up  of  families,  and  the  im- 
mense numbers  taken  captive — all  these  humili- 
ating and  calamitoas  consequences  they  Iiad 
witnessed.  And  the  king  declares  that  these 
events  were  the  manifest  tokens  of  the  wrath  of 
God  upon  Juilah  and  Jerusalem.  In  the.se  He 
has  only  fulfilled  the  threatening  side  of  His 
ancient  covenant  with  His  people. 

iO,  II.  Ilczikiah'n  piirpoHcd  Covenant  with 
God,  and  him  chiirrje  to  the  miniiitfrs  of  the  Tcin- 
ple.  He  would  restore  prosperitj'  by  renewing 
the  fulfilment  of  the  conditions  of  God"s  mercy 
contained  in  His  covenant.  lie  declares  this 
his  purpose  to  the  priests  and  Levites,  in  order 
that  they  might  unite  with  him  in  its  execu- 
tion. This  declaration  was  the  more  needful 
to  thepriestsand  the  people  l)e('ause  it  involved 
an  utter  reversal  of  his  father's  policy.  It  in- 
dicateil  a  new  and  lofty  aim  as  characterizing 
the  reign  that  was  now  commenced.  There 
was  courage  as  well  lus  faith  in  God  evinced  by 
Hczekiah  in  this  announcement  and  its  subse- 
quent execution.  A  point  of  practical  sugges- 
tion is  here  presented.  In  the  beginning  of 
every  great  life-change,  and  frequentl}'  in  the 
progress  of  the  ordinary  spiritual  life,  courage 
as  well  !W  faith  is  essential  in  the  taking  and 
the  keeping  of  a  stand  tor  God  and  truth.  The 
king's  iiddress  indicates  his  kingly  spirit. 
Though  but  a  young  man  he  addresses  these 
older  and  more  experienced  men  as  children. 
He  charges  them  in  a  tone  of  authority  and 
tenderness  to  make  faithful  efforts  to  fulfil  the 
ministry  now  assigned  them.  And  he  reminus 
them  of  their  own  special  appointment  of  God 
to  stand  in  His  presence,  and  to  serve  Him  b}' 
the  offering  of  sacrifice,  incense  and  praise. 
Let  them  unite  with  him  in  the  great  prepara- 
tory work  by  whicli  Jelmvah  should  be  brought 
back  to  His  Temple  and  prosperit_v  restored  to 
His  people.  ...  A  practical  suggestion. 
Since  all  believers  are  priests  under  the  Cliristian 
system,  all  are  needed  in  the  ministry  of  truth 
among  men,  in  order  to  the  bringing  of  Grod's 
presence  and  His  blessing  upon  men.     B. 

Hczekiah  wtis  in  earnest,  and  his  n'solvo  was 
none  the  less  riglit  because  it  was  moved  by  a 
di'sire  to  turn  away  the  fierce  anger  of  the 
Lord.  Dread  of  sin's  cimseiiuences  and  a  de- 
sire to  csca])e  these  is  no  unworthy  motive, 
however  some  superfine  moralists  nowadays 
may  call  it  so.  It  is  becoming  unfashionable 
to  preach  "  the  terror  of  the  Lord."  The  more 
is  the  pity,  and  the  less  is  the  likelihood  of  per- 


SECTION  39.     REION  OF  nEZEKIAH. 


339 


suading  men.  But,  however  excited,  the  firm 
determinatiou  (which  does  not  wait  for  others 
to  concur)  that  "  as  for  nie,  I  will  serve  tlie 
Lord,"  is  the  grand  thing  for  us  all  to  imitate. 

A.  M. 

17,  The  work  of  purification  began  on  the  first 
day  of  the  first  mouth,  immediately  after  Heze- 
kiali  called  the  priests  and  Levites  together  and 
addressed  them  (verses  3-11).  It  commenced 
with  the  repair  of  the  doors  (verse  3),  with  the 
self-purification  of  the  collected  priests  and 
Levites  (verse  15),  and  probably  with  the  cleans- 
ing of  the  courts.  This  occupied  eight  days. 
By  the  close  of  the  eighth  day  they  had  reached 
the  porch  of  the  Temple.  It  took  them  then 
eight  days  to  cleanse  the  Temple  itself,  and, 
consequcutly,  the  whole  work  was  not  finished 
till  the  sixteenth  day. 

!24.  To  make  an  aloneinent  for  all 
Israel.  The  words  "  all  Israel" — twice  re- 
peated in  this  verse — appear  to  be  emphatic. 
HezeUiah  aimed  at  reuniting  once  more  the 
whole  people  of  Israel,  if  not  into  a  single  state, 
yet,  at  any  rate,  into  a  single  religious  com- 
munion. The  northern  kingdom  was  in  a  con- 
dition approaching  to  anarchy.  Since  the 
downfall  of  the  house  of  Jehu  a  succession  of 
usurpers  had  borne  rule  for  short  terms.  Four 
Assyrian  invasions  had  swept  over  the  country 
within  the  space  of  thirty-five  years.  The 
Syrian  kingdom,  hitherto  a  barrier  against  the 
Assyrian  power,  had  been  aljsorbed.  and  Sa- 
maria had  been  laid  completely  open  to  the 
assaults  of  her  great  adversary.  The  end  was 
evidently  approaching.  Hoshea,  the  king  con- 
temporary with  Hezekiah  (3  K.  18  :  1),  ruled, 
not  as  an  independent  monarch,  but  as  an 
Assyrian  feudatory  {ibid.  17  :  3).  Under  these 
circumstances  Hezekiah  designed  to  invite  the 
revolted  tribes  to  return,  if  not  to  their  old  tem- 
Jioral,  at  least  to  their  old  spiritual  allegiance. 
(See  chap.  30  :  5-10.)  In  order,  therefore,  to 
prepare  the  way  for  this  return,  he  included 
"  all  Israel"  in  the  expiatorj' sacrifice,  by  which 
lie  prefaced  his  restoration  of  the  old  worship. 

27.  Hezekiah  commanded  to  offer 
tlie  burnt  offering^.  All  had  hitherto  been 
preparatory.  Now  Hezekiah  gave  orders  that 
"  tte  burnt  offering" — i.e.,  the  daily  morning 
sacrifice — should  be  oilered  upon  the  brazen 
altar  in  front  of  the  porch,  thus  restoring  and 
reinstituting  the  regular  Temple  service.  A 
burst  of  music  gave  notice  to  the  people  of  the 
moment  when  the  old  worship  recommenced. 

B.  C. 

When  llic  burnt  offering-  beg^an, 
the  song  of  the  Lord  began  also.    The 


lesson  is  clear.  We  all  want  happiness — that 
our  joy  may  be  full.  But  we  cannot  have  it  by 
aiming  at  it  directly.  Begin  to  sacrifice,  to 
give  to  God  what  you  really  value  ;  say,  "  I 
will  not  offer  unto  the  Lord  my  God  that  which 
doth  cost  me  nothing."  Give  your  money,  in- 
terest, time,  effort.  Copy  the  example  of  Him 
who  "  went  about  doing  good,"  and  "  pleased 
not  Himself."  Try  to  make  lives  brighter, 
homes  happier,  business  more  pure.  Take  up 
the  cross.  Then  this  bit  of  Old  AVorld  history 
.shall  record  your  experience:  "When  the 
burnt  offering  began,  then  the  song  of  the  Lord 
began  also" — a  song  which  grew  louder  and 
mightier  as  the  sacrifice  went  on,  and  never 
ended  until  the  sacrifice  itself  came  to  an  end. 

J.  Ogle. -The  words,  however  strangely  they 

sound  at  first,  are  literally  true  as  the  history 
of  many  a  man's  life.  From  the  moment  that 
it  began  to  live  for  other  people,  the  nature 
which  had  no  song  in  it  before  became  jubilant 
with  music.  The  soul  that  trifles  and  toys  with 
self-sacrifice  never  can  get  its  true  joy  and 
power.  Only  the  soul  that,  with  an  over- 
whelming impulse  and  a  perfect  trust,  gives 
itself  up  forever  to  the  life  of  other  men,  finds 
the  delight  and  peace  which  such  complete  self- 
surrender  has  to  give.  There  is  another  reason 
whj'  it  would  seem  to  be  absolutely  necessary 
that  man  should  have  the  power  of  finding 
pleasure  in  his  self-sacrifices,  in  the  actual  ful- 
filment of  his  completed  tasks,  the  actual  doing 
of  the  necessary  duties  of  his  life,  and  that  is 
found  in  the  fact  that  joy  or  delight  in  what 
we  are  doing  is  not  a  mere  luxury  ;  it  is  a 
means,  a  help,  for  the  more  perfect  doing  of 
our  work.  Joy  in  one's  work  is  the  consum- 
mate tool  without  which  the  work  may  be  done 
indeed,  but  without  which  the  work  will  always 
be  done  slowly,  clumsily,  and  without  its  finest 
perfectness.  The  man  who  really  lives  in  the 
world  of  Christ's  redemption  claims  his  self- 
sacrifices.  He  goes  up  to  his  martyrdom  witli 
a  song.  To  live  in  this  world  and  do  nothing 
for  one's  own  spiritual  self,  or  for  fellow-man, 
or  for  God  is  a  terrible  thing.  There  is  no 
happy  life  except  in  self-consecration.  Phil- 
lips Brudks. 

2  Chron.,  Chap.  30.  The  central  fact  of 
this  portion  of  Ilezekiah's  history  is  the  cele- 
bration of  the  first  Passover;  and  I  he  most 
touching  portion  of  the  historj'  we  fiad  in  the 
letters  of  the  king,  sent  throughout  all  Israel  as 
well  as  Judah,  inviting  the  return  of  all  the 
people  of  God  remaining  in  the  entire  land  to 
the  service  of  Jehovah.     B. 

30:1.  Hezekiah  sent  to  all  Israel 


340 


KiyODOif  OF  JUDAn. 


and  Judith,  aiul  wrote  letter*  altio 
to    Kpliraiin     and    9lana§NCh,      The 

"  K]ilirailii  :irul  Muniisscll"  nf  tllC  second  clause 
must  be  tivkwi  iiff  (((llivalcnt  10  tlic  "  all  Israel" 
of  the  flfst  ;  since  it  is  evident  that  the  letters 
were  sent  to  the  remoter  tribes  as  well  as  to  the 
nearer  ones.     (See  verses  10  and  11.) 

!2.  In  the  Kooond  month.  The  law 
allowed  individuals  to  keep  the  Passover  on 
the  fourteenth  day  of  the  second  month,  in- 
stead of  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  first,  in  case 
of  absence  on  a  jouniey  or  temporary^  defile- 
ment (Xiiin.  9  :  10,  11).  llezekiah  and  his 
counsellors  considered  that  this  permission 
mi<rht.  tnider  the  circumstances,  be  extended 
to  the  whole  people.  It  had  been  found  im- 
possilile  Ui  complete  the  clcunsinir  of  the  Tem- 
ple till  the  fourteenth  da}'  of  the  first  month 
•was  pa-st  (chap.  29  :  17)  ;  and  even  then  the 
purification  of  the  priests  was  far  from  com- 
plete (ibid. ,  34) ;  moreover,  if  the  Passover  had 
been  held  at  once,  few.  comparatively  speak- 
ing, would  have  been  gathered  to  it.  It  was. 
therefore,  determined  to  defer  it  to  the  14th  of 
the  second  mmith.  which  allowed  time  for  the 
priests  generally  to  purify  themselves,  and  for 
proclamation  of  the  festival  to  be  made  through- 
out all  Israel.     15.  C, 

5.  Proclamation  throngliout  all 
I§rael.  Wc  may  reasonablj'  suppose  that 
this  took  place  with  the  consent  of  Iloshea,  king 
of  Israel  ;  for  he  has  the  best  character  given  of 
him  of  all  the  kings  of  Israel  ;  and,  though 
"  he  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord"'  (2  K. 
17  :  2),  yet  it  is  added  in  the  next  words,  "  but 
not  as  the  kings  of  Israel  that  were  before 
him  ;"  which  probably  implies  that  he  did  not 
prevent  his  subjects  from  attending  their  Divine 
worship  at  .lerusalem,  as  other  kings  had  done. 
Wdh. 

8.  Yield  yourselves  unto  the  Lior«l. 
Before  you  can  come  into  communion  with  Him 
you  must  come  into  covenant  with  Him." 
Girc  the  /iitnil  to  the  Lord  ;  so  the  wortl  is — i.e.. 
"  Consent  to  take  Ilim  for  your  God  :"  a  bar- 
gain is  confirmed  by  giving  the  hand  :  "  Strike 
this  bargain.  .Join  yourselves  to  Him  in  an 
everlasting  covenant.  Sitliscribf  iril/i  the  liitnd 
to  be  His.  Give  Him  j-our  hand  in  token  of 
giving  Him  your  heart ;  devote  yourselves  to 
His  service,  to  work  for  Him.  Yield  to  Ilitn" 
— 1.<^.,"  Come  to  His  terms;  come  nnder  His 
government  ;  stand  it  not  out  any  longer 
against  Him.  Yield  to  Him,  to  be  absolutely 
and  univei-sally  at  His  conuiiand,  at  His  (lis- 
pos;d  ;  lobe  and  do  and  htiveand  suffer  whatever 
He  pleases.     In  order  to  this,  be  not  stiffiiecked 


n»  yourfathen  were  ;  let  not  your  wicked  wills 
rise  up  in  rebellion  against  the  will  of  God. 
Say  not  that  you  will  do  what  you  please,  but 
resolve  to  do  what  He  pleases."     H. 

IO-I3.  The  response  nuide  to  this  appeal 
was  not  very  hearty  nor  very  gcnend  :  but  still 
the  appeal  succeeded  to  a  certain  e.\tent.  As 
He/.ekiah's  messengers  "  passed  from  city  to 
city  through  the  country  of  Kphraim  and 
Jlanasseh  even  unto  Zebulun,"  they  were  for 
the  most  part  treated  with  derision — the  people 
"  laughed  them  to  sconi.  and  mocked  them" 
(verse  10):  but,  nevertheless,  there  were  "  di- 
vers of  Asher  and  of  Slanasseh  and  of  Zebu- 
lun" (verse  11),  and  likewise  of  "  Ephraim  and 
Issachar"  (verse  18) — amounting  altogether  to 
"  a  great  multitude"  (ibid.),  who  "  humbled 
themselves,"  and  accepted  the  royal  invitation, 
and  "  came  to  Jerusalem"  (verse  11).  In  .ludah 
all  were  of  "  one  heart  to  do  the  commandment 
of  the  king  and  of  the  princes,"  and  there 
"  assembled  much  people  to  keep  the  feast  .  .  . 
a  verj'  great  congregation"  (verses  12,  13). 
G.  R. 

15.  The  symbolic  character  of  the  Passover 
revealed  the  heart  nf  God  in  all  the  riches  of  its 
I'lve.  It  proclaimed,  in  the  most  graphic  way, 
the  great  fundamental  truth,  that,  boundless  as 
God's  willingness  is  to  save  sinners,  yet  Sidva- 
tion  can  only  rest  upon  the  firm  foundation  of 
perfect  righteousness.  There  can  be  no  mani- 
festation of  love  at  the  cost  of  justice  and  holi- 
ness. The  Passover  was  a  sacrifice.  God  ex- 
pressly called  it  by  that  name  (Ex.  12  :  27).  It 
was  a  bloixly  sacrifice,  in  which  the  blood  occu- 
pied not  a  secondary,  but  the  very  first  place  ; 
it  was  the  conditio  sine  fjiiii  iioii  of  the  redemp- 
tion. Whatever  may  have  been  the  spiritual 
lirivileges  which  Israel  possessed  as  God's 
chosen  people,  none  of  these  could  have  saved 
them  from  the  sword  of  the  angel  of  death.  It 
is  difficult  to  conceive  how  the  truth  that  with- 
out sacrificial  blood  there  is  no  salvation  could 
have  been  proclaimed  more  emphatically.  This 
was  the  manifestation  of  the  great  truth  of 
God's  eternal  and  unchangeable /'"x/av.  But, 
at  the  same  time,  there  was  as  emphatic  a  man- 
ifestation of  God's  eternal  and  unchangeable 
lore  to  His  people.  It  wjis  not  t/nir  blood 
which  God  desired  to  sec.  He  provided  another 
blood  to  be  shed  in  the  place  of  theirs.  This 
fact  could  not  fail  to  set  the  spirituallj'  minded 
a-thinking  seriously  over  grave  questions. 
That  the  l)lood  of  lambs  could  not  save  indeed 
must  have  been  perceived  by  such  men  as 
David  and  Isaiah.  They  must  have  been  look- 
ing out  for  a  Lamb  which  God  Himself  was  to 


SECTION  SO.    REIGN  OF  UEZEKIAK 


341 


provide.     At  length  tliis  Lamb  appeared  in  the  j 
flesh.     And  with  ashoutof  joyful  surprise  John 
cried,   "  Beliold  tlie  Lamb  of  Gtxi,  that  taketh 
away  the  sins  of  tlie  world."     J.  de  Licfih. 

17.  There  were  many  In  the  con- 
gregation that  \vere  not  sanctified. 
Who  these  were  is  explained  in  the  next  verse. 
The  greater  number  of  the  Israelites  who  had 
come  to  keep  the  feast  were  involved  in  some 
ceremonial  or  moral  defilement,  from  whieh 
there  was  no  time  for  them  to  purify  them- 
selves. As  the  Passover  was  being  held  in  the 
second  month,  and  tliere  could  consequently 
be  no  "  little  Pa.s80ver"  for  these  (see  Num. 
9  :  6-12),  Hezekiah  decided  that  they  should  be 
admitted  to  the  feast,  notwithstanding  their 
legal  uncleanness  (see  verse  19).  But,  on  ac- 
count of  this  uncleanness,  they  were  not  to  slay 
their  own  lambs,  but  to  delegate  the  office  to 
the  Levites.     B.  C. 

18.  Hezekiah's  prayer  to  God  for  the  for- 
giveness of  this  irregularity.  It  was  his  zeal 
that  had  called  them  together  in  such  haste, 
and  he  would  not  that  any  should  fare  the 
worse  for  being  straitened  of  time  in  their 
preparation  ;  he  therefore  thought  himself  con- 
cerned to  be  an  intercessor  for  those  that  ate 
the  passowr  ot/ierwise  than  it  was  written,  that 
there  might  not  be  wrath  upon  them  from  the 
Lord.  His  prayer  was  short  but  to  the  pur- 
pose. The  good  Lord  pardon  every  one  in  the 
congregation  that  has  fixed,  engaged  or  pre- 
pared his  heart  to  those  services,  though  the 
ceremonial  preparation  be  wanting.  The  great 
thing  required  in  our  attendance  upon  God  in 
solemn  ordinances,  is,  that  we  prepare  our  hearts 
to  seek  Him  ;  that  we  be  sincere  and  upright  in 
all  we  do,  that  the  inward  man  be  engaged  and 
employed  in  it,  and  that  we  make  heart  work 
of  it ;  it  is  all  nothing  without  this.  BeJiold, 
thou  desirest  truth  in  the  inward  part.     H. 

If  we  were  to  analyze  the  influences  that 
blended  in  this  great  religious  movement,  we 
might  say — the  ritual  services  of  sacriflees, 
altars,  Temple,  were  present  in  their  full 
strength  ;  perhaps  the  stronger  for  having  been 
long  remitted.  Coupled  with  those  were  the 
outpouring  of  song  ;  the  teaching  of  the  good 
knowledge  of  the  Lord  ;  the  social  power  of  an 
immense  congregation  ;  the  services  protracted 
till  the  hearts  of  the  people  were  profoundly 
impressed  ;  and  not  least,  the  immediate  his- 
toric antecedents — that  fearful  scourging  of 
war  and  captivity  which  had  sent  death  into  so 
many  households,  and  borne  away  so  many 
loved  ones  into  a  captivity  from  whieh  nothing 
but    national    repentance    could    move    the 


Almighty  to  restore  them.  Nor  let  us  forget 
the  intluenceof  the  noble  king,  leading  on  with 
his  whole  heart  ;  consecrating  treasure  without 
stint,  and  |)romptly  foremost  in  eveiy  point 
where  his  hand  could  touch  the  springs  of  a 
great  movement.  All  in  all  it  was  a  scene  of 
moral  sublimity  rarely  equalled. 

31.  When  this  great  Passover  scene  was 
flnished,  the  people  were  in  heart  prepared  for 
one  more  service  imperatively  demanded — 
viz.,  the  destruction  of  idol-images,  altars  and 
groves  throughout  all  the  cities  and  high  places 
of  both  Judah  and  Israel.  That  they  should 
go  forth«»Hirtsse  throughout  Judah  on  this  mis- 
sion was  to  be  expected.  Such  a  reformation 
would  have  been  wretchedly  superficial  and 
shallow  without  it.  But  that  thej'  should  have 
gone  forth  over  all  the  kingdom  of  Hoshea  »S 
if  there  were  no  such  king  there  ;  that  tbey 
should  go  where  they  would  with  no  appiare^nt, 
resistance — this  is  truly  a  wonderful  prooj  of 
the  zealous  enthusiasm  and  of  the  wioral  power 
of  this  great  reformation.  Recalling  to  mind 
the  fact  that  this  great  revival  and  this  break- 
ing down  of  idols  in  the  northern  kingdom  pre- 
ceded the  invasion  under  Shnlmaneser  by  only 
three  years,  and  the  total  destruction  of  Samaria 
and  the  entire  northern  kingdom  by  not  n\oiF©, 
than  six  years,  we  shall  see  reason  to  j>jg<ifd^ 
this  as  not  only  Grod's  last  call  of  ffiBr<JJ'-  tp, 
thousands  in  the  northern  kingdom,  \sv^  ^fe^i^j 
grand  providential  agency  for  5tft{ng.  9ut(i||ai. 
own  chosen  ones;  gathering  in  (tH  whpm,,thei 
most  efficient  agency  could  ftviul,  togav^e  before 
the  final  storm  should  Sweep  th^.t|atipn,frii:eycc 
into  ruin.     H.  C.  ^' 

2  K.  IS  :4.  The  l^vasen  serpent  tliat 
mioses  had  niad^  On,  the  ipaking  of  this 
serpent,  sec  Num^  ^\  :%.  Its. history  from  the 
time  when  it  was  set  up.  to  the  date  of  Heze- 
kiah's reforTOattoii  is  a  blank.  Some  suppose 
that  it  had  always  been  preserved  in  the  tabtr-. 
nacle,  and  hail  been  brought  by  Solomon  f(X)rn 
Gibeou  and  placed  in  the  Temple,  The  present 
passjige  favors  this  supposition  ;  for  it  implies 
a  long-continued  worship  of  the  serpent  by  the 
Israelites  generally,  and  not  a  mere  recent  wor- 
ship of  it  by  the  Jews.  The  children  of 
Israel  did  burn  incense  to  it.  We  need 
not  suppose  tbit  this  idolatry,  though  ancient 
and  long  eontiuued,  wim  tuoro  than  ocoasloual. 
The  remembrance  of  the  old  cures  wrought 
might  induce  those  bitten  by  venomous  reptiles 
to  seek  help  in  this  quarter,  A  leaning  to 
ophiolatry,  sv.ch  as  is  found  widely  spread 
through  the  East,  ma)'  have  led  others  to  turn 
their  devotion  hitherward,    B,  C, 


/ 


342 


kingdom:  of  judak 


This  serpent,  which  was  appointed  for  cure 
to  Israel,  at  last  stings  them  to  death  by  idola- 
trous abuse.  What  poison  there  is  in  idolatry, 
that  makes  even  antidotes  deadly  !  As  Moses 
therefore  raised  the  serpent,  so  IIe7.ekiah  pulled 
it  down  :  God  commanded  the  raising  of  it, 
God  approved  the  demolishing  of  it.  Supersti- 
tious use  can  mar  tlie  very  institutions  of  God  ; 
how  much  more  the  most  wise  and  well- 
grounded  devices  of  men  !  Dp.  II. That  im- 
age of  brass,  instead  of  rendering  an  important 
spiritual  service,  became  the  occasion  of  idola- 
trous homage.  Instead  of  leading  the  thoughts 
of  men's  minds  <«  God,  it  drew  them /;•«;«  Him  ; 
and  instead  of  reverencing  Him,  they  wor- 
shipped (7.  So  the  brave  and  wise  king,  daring 
all  reproach  and  rejecting  all  half  measures, 
brake  it  up  before  the  eyes  of  the  people,  and. 
in  the  actof  destruction,  called  it  "  Isehushtan" 
— i.e.,  a  bit  of  brass.  This  he  did  that  he  might 
impress  on  their  minds,  by  word  as  well  as  deed, 
that  this  image,  which  they  had  turned  into  an 
idol,  was  nothing  but  a  piece  of  workmanship, 
miKle  of  man's  hands,  and  to  be  unmade  of  him 
at  his  will.  The  principle  wliieh  lies  at  the 
root  of  this  somewhat  daring  and  very  decisive 
act,  is  tills — tliKt  no  good  thing,  Iwiwrer  good  it 
be,  must  he  allowed  to  come  between  our  souls  and 
God,  to  rob  Ilim  of  His  service;  that,  if  any- 
thing does  so  come,  a  strong  hand  must  be  used, 
if  need  be,  a  destructive  one — to  take  it  away  ; 
or,  to  put  the  truth  in  a  more  positive  form, 
that  whatever  means  we  use  for  worship  or  in- 
struction must  not  be  turned  into  an  end,  but 
must  be  resolutely  and  determinedly  employed 
aji  a  menns  to  bring  tlie  mind  into  the  presence 
of  God's  truth  and  the  heart  into  communion 
witli  Himself.      TT''.  Clnrkson. 

To  the  description  of  the  reformation  inaugu- 
rated by  the  piety  of  Hezekiah,  it  seems  desir- 
able to  add  some  f  urtlier  particulars,  eitlier  illus- 
trative of  the  text  or  derived  from  other  notices 
in  Holy  Scripture.  .iVs  regards  the  trustworthi- 
ness of  the  account  of  the  sacrificial  worship  in 
the  restored  Temple — that  it  was  not  of  later 
invention,  and  designed  to  bear  out  the  priestly 
institutions  first  enforced  in  the  time  of  Ezra— 
we  have  to  point  to  the  important  fact  that  the 
number  of  sacrifices  and  sin  offerings  in  the 
time  of  Hezekiah  notably  differs  from  that  at 
the  dedication  of  the  Temple  in  llie  time  of  Ezra 
(cf.  2  Chron.  29  :  21,  32  with  Ezra  8:17).  This, 
considering  especially  the  symbolism  of  num- 
bers, shows  tliat  the  one  account  could  not  have 
been  framed  upon  the  other.  It  follows  that 
tlie  Mosaic  institutions  must  have  existed  in  and 
before  the  time  of  Hezekiah,  and  could  not,  as 


a  certain  school  of  critics  contends,  have  orig- 
inated with  the  priesthood  at  a  mucli  later 
period.  Indeed,  as  we  follow  the  present  line 
of  argument  by  a  comparison  of  the  services  in 
the  time  of  Hezekiah  with  the  Mosaic  in.slitn- 
tions  to  which  tliey  bear  reference,  the  convic- 
tion grows  upon  us  not  only  of  tlie  existence  of 
the  latter,  but  of  their  general  acknowledgment, 
since,  keeping  in  view  the -c-ircumstances  of  the 
previous  reign,  it  is  impossible  to  suppose  that 
all  this  could  have  been  "  invented"  in  the  first 
year  of  Hezekiah's  reign.  And  as  connected 
with  this  we  mark  that  not  only  were  the 
liturgical  services  conformed  to  a  previous 
model — the  Davidic — but  that  the  hymns  chant- 
ed were  in  "  the  words  of  David  and  of 
Asaph  the  seer"  (2  Chron.  29  :  'i'^).  This  seems 
not  only  to  imply  the  existence  at  the  time  of 
Davidic  and  Asaphite  Psalms — the  absence  of 
any  mention  of  other  Psalm  collections  here  de- 
serving special  notice — but  even  to  indicate  some 
orderly  collection  of  these  Psalms  in  books.  In 
short,  it  casts  light  on  the  beginning  of  the 
present  arrangement  of  the  Psalter  in  five  books. 
It  may  well  have  been  that,  subject  to  later  re- 
vision, the  former  collection  of  Psalms  consist- 
ing, roughly  speaking,  of  the  two  firet  books  of 
Psalms  (now  Ps.  1-41  ;  -12-72),  was  now  en- 
riched by  the  addition  of  a  further  collection — 
roughlj-  speaking,  the  present  third  Book  of 
Psalms  (Ps.  73-89),  which  in  its  present  form 
begins  with  an  Asaphite  Psalm  (Ps.  73),  and 
has  in  succession  eleven  Psalms  of  the  same 
authorship  (Ps.  78-83).  But  whatever  our 
view,  or  more  accurately  our  conjectures,  on 
this  subject,  there  cannot  at  least  be  doubt 
that  Hezekiah  actively  busied  himself,  under 
competent  guidance,  with  the  collection  and 
arrangement  of  the  existing  sacred  literature 
of  Israel.  This  is  expressly  mentioned  as  re- 
gards a  part  of  "  the  Proverbs  of  Solomon, 
which  the  men  of  Hezekiah  collected."     A.  E. 


The  narrative  before  us  illustrates  the  fact 
that  when  God  converts  men  from  amid  sur- 
roundings of  great  depravity,  He  often  has  some 
great  and  signnl  service  for  thou  ti>  do  for  Him. 
Such  was  the  case  with  King  Hezekiah.  God 
summoned  liim  to  the  refovmation  of  a  king- 
dom. He  trained  him  for  it  by  permitting  him 
to  see  the  guilt  and  the  ruin  of  his  father's 
reign.  When  the  critical  time  came.  He  lifted 
him  out  of  the  slough  of  iniquity,  and  made  him 
one  of  the  signal  examples  of  a  godly  prince, 
whose  name  should  give  lustre  to  the  Jewish 
throne  forever  after. 


SECTION  JfO. 


343 


The  work  of  King  Hezekiah  illustrates  the 
moral  pouter  ofons  man  in  effeeting  a  great  work 
to  lohich  Ood  has  called  him.  From  the  narrative 
in  the  lesson  it  appears  that  the  reformation  of 
the  kingdom  was  at  first  the  idea  of  Hezekiah 
alone.  "  Itis  in  my  heart, "  hesaj-s,  "  to  make 
a  covenant  with  the  Lord."  The  movement 
grew  up  silently  in  his  own  heart.  God  and  he 
planned  it  alone.  Prohably  he  had  been  brood- 
ing over  it  and  praying  over  it  for  years.  Jlen 
do  not  spring  into  such  honor  at  a  bound.     At 


last  he  was  the  soul  of  the  reform.  The  idea 
was  his  ;  the  measures  were  his  ;  the  execution 
was  his.  So  it  often  is  in  other  great  works  of 
God.  Some  one  man  heads  it ;  puts  his  soul 
into  it  ;  gives  his  life  to  it  ;  rouses  other  men, 
and  energizes  them  in  it.  There  is  almost  no 
limit  to  the  power  of  a  live  man  called  of  God 
to  a  great  life's  work.  Other  men  fall  back  to 
the  right  and  to  the  left,  and  let  such  a  man  go 
up  the  highway  of  the  King,  wliile  they  fall  in 
at  the  rear  and  acknowledge  His  lead.     Phelps. 


Section  40. 


REIGN  OF  HEZEKIAH     (ContinneiT). 

Hezekiah's  Sickness  and  Recovery.    His  Psalm  op  Gratitude.    Embassy  of  Merodach- 
Baladan.     Hezekiah's  Sin  and  Isaiah's  Prediction  op  Punishment. 


Isaiah  38  :  1-22  ;  39  :  1-8. 
Isa.  38  : 1  Ix  those  days  was  Hezekiah 

sick  unto  death.  And  Isaiah  the  prophet 
the  son  of  Amoz  came  to  him,  and  said  unto 
him,  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Set  thine  house  in 

2  order  ;  for  thou  shaltdie,  and  not  live.  Then 
Hezekiah  turned  his  face  to  the  wall,  and 

3  prayed  unto  the  Lord,  and  said,  Remem- 
ber now,  O  Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  how  I 
have  walked  before  thee  in  truth  and  with  a 
perfect  heart,  and  have  done  that  which  is 
good   in   thy   sight.     And   Hezekiah   wept 

4  sore.     Then  came  the  word  of  the  Lot!D  to 

5  Isaiah,  saj'ing.  Go,  and  say  to  Hezekiah, 
Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of  David  thy 
father,  I  have  heard  thy  pra}'er,  I  have  seen 
thy  team  :  behold,  I  will  add  unto  thy  days 

6  fifteen  years.  And  I  will  deliver  thee  and 
this  city  out  of  the  hand  of  the  king  of 

7  Assyria  :  and  I  will  defend  this  city.  And 
this  shall  be  the  sign  unto  thee  from  the 
Lord,  that  the  Lord  will  do  this  thing  that 

8  he  hath  spokeu  :  behold,  I  will  cause  the 
shadow  on  the  steps,  which  is  gone  down 
on  the  dial  of  Ahaz  with  the  sun,  to  return 
backward  ten  steps.  So  the  sun  returned 
ten  steps  on  the  dial  whereon  it  was  gone 
down. 

&      The  writing  of  Hezekiah  king  of  Judah, 
when  he  had  been  sick,  and  was  recovered 
of  his  sickness. 
10      I  said,  In  the  noontide  of  ray  days  I  shall 
go  into  the  gates  of  the  grave  : 


2  Kings  20  : 1-19  ;  2  Chronicles  32  :  24-31. 
ti  K.  20  : 1  In  those  days  was  Hezekiah 
sick  unto  death.  And  Isaiah  tlie  prophet 
the  son  of  Amoz  came  to  him,  and  said  unto 
him.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Set  thine  house 
in  order  ;  for  thou  shalt  die,  and  not  live. 

2  Tlien  he  turned  his  face  to  the  wall,  and 

3  prayed  unto  the  Lord,  saying.  Remember 
now,  O  Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  how  I  have 
walked  before  thee  in  truth  and  with  a  per- 
fect heart,  and  have  done  that  which  is 
good   in  thy   sight.     And   Hezekiah    wept 

4  sore.  And  it  came  to  pass,  afore  Isaiah  was 
gone  out  into  the  middle  part  of  the  city, 
that  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  him,  say- 

5  ing.  Turn  again,  and  say  to  Hezekiah  the 
prince  of  my  people.  Thus  saith  the  Lord, 
the  God  of  David  thy  father,  I  have  heard 
thy  prayer,  I  have  seen  thy  tears  :  behold,  I 
will  heal  thee  :  on  the  third  day  thou  shalt 

6  go  up  tinto  the  house  of  the  Lord.  And  I 
will  add  unto  thy  days  fifteen  years  ;  and  I 
will  deliver  thee  and  this  city  out  of  the 
hand  of  the  king  of  Assyria  ;  and  I  will  de- 
fend tills  city  for  mine  own  sake,  and  for 

7  mj-  servant  David's  sake.  And  Isaiah  said. 
Take  a  cake  of  figs.     And  they  took  and 

8  laid  it  on  the  boil,  and  he  recovered.  And 
Hezekiah  said  unto  Isaiah,  What  shall  be  the 
sign  that  the  Lord  will  heal  me,  and  that  I 
shall  go  up  unto  the  house  of  the  Loud  the 

9  third  day?  And  Isaiah  said.  This  shall  be 
the  sign  unto  thee  from  the  Loud,  that  the 


344 


KiyODOM  OF  JUDAII. 


I  nm  deprived  of  the  residue  of  m\-  years. 

11  I  said,  I  shall  not  see  the  Li)i(i).  tnn  the 

Lord  in  the  land  of  the  living  : 
I  shall  luhohl  man  no  more  with  the  in 
habitants  of  the  world. 

12  Mine  ajre  is  removed,  and  is  carried  away 

from  me  as  a  sliei)herd's  tent  : 
I  liave  rolled  up  like  a  weaver  my  life  ; 

lie  will  cut  me  off  from  the  loom  : 
From  day  even  to  night  wilt  thou  make 

an  end  of  me. 
\'A      I  quieted  w//*//"  until  morning  ;  as  a  lion, 

so  he  brcaketh  all  my  bones  ; 
From  day  even  to  night  will  thou  make 

an  end  of  rae. 
1 4       Like  a  swallow  ar  a  crane,  so  did  I  chatter  ; 
I  did  mourn  as  a  dove  :  mine  c.ves  fail 

with  looking  upward  ; 

0  Lord,   I   am  oppressed,  be  thou  my 
surety. 

IJ)      What  shall  I  say?  he  hath  both  spoken  unto 
me,  and  himself  hath  done  it  : 

1  shall  go  softly  all  my  years  because  of 
the  bitterness  of  my  soul. 

Ki       O  Lord,  tiy  these  things  men  live. 

And  wholly  llierein  is  the  life  of  my  spirit: 
AVherefore  recover  thou  me,  and  make  me 
to  live. 
IT      Behold,  it  was  for  my  peace  tJixf  I  had 
great  bitterness  : 
But  thou  lia.st  in  love  to  in}'  soul  deliv- 
ered it  from  tlie  pit  of  corruption  ; 
For  thou  hast  ciist  all  my  sins  behind  thy 
back. 
IM      For  the  grave  cannot  praise  thee,  death 
cannot  celebrate  thee  : 
Tliey  that  go  down  into  the  pit  cannot 
hope  for  thy  truth. 
li>      The   living,    the   living,    he   shall   praise 
thee,  as  I  do  this  day  : 
The   father  to   the   children   shall   make 
known  thy  truth. 

30  The  Loitn  is  ir'iili/  to  save  me  : 
'I'herefore  we  will  sing  my  smgs  to  the 

stringed  instruments 
All  the  days  of  our  life  in  the  house  of 
the  Loito. 

31  Now  Isaiah  had  said.  Let  them  take  a  cake 
of  tigs,  and  lay  it  fora  plaister  \ipon  the  boil, 

22  and  he  shall  recover.  Ilezekiah  also  had 
said.  What  is  the  sign  that  I  shall  go  up  to 
the  liouse  of  the  Loud? 

;j»  :  1   At  that  time  Merodarh-baliulan  the 

son  of  Haliulan,  king  of  Babylon,  sent  letters 

and   a  present  to  He/.ekiah  :  for  he  heard 

that  lie  had   l)een  sick,  and   was  recovered. 

2  And    Ilezekiah    was    glad    of    them,    and 


LoHi)  will  do  the  thing  that  he  hath  spoken  : 
shall  the  shadow  go  forward  ten  steps,  or  go 

10  back  ten  steps?  And  He/.ekiah  answered, 
It  is  a  light  thing  for  tlie  shadow  to  decline 
ten  stc'ps  :  nay,  but  let  the  shadow  return 

11  backward  t*'n  steps.  And  Isaiah  tlie  prophet 
cried  unto  tlie  LoitD  :  and  he  brought  the 
shadow  ten  steps  backward,  by  wliieh  it  had 
gone  down  on  the  dial  of  Ahaz. 

12  At  that  time  Berodach-baladan  the  son  of 
Baladan,  king  of  Babylon,  sent  letters  and  a 
])resent  unto  Ilezekiah  :  for  he  had  heard 

13  that  Ilezekiah  liad  been  sick.  And  Heze- 
ki.ah  hearkened  unto  them,  and  shewed  them 
all  the  house  of  his  precious  things,  the  sil- 
ver, and  the  gold,  and  the  spices,  and  the 
precious  oil,  and  the  house  of  his  armour, 
and  all  that  was  found  in  his  treasures  : 
there  was  nothing  in  his  house,  nor  in  all  his 
dominion,  that  Ilezekiah  shewed  them  not. 

14  Then  came  Isaiah  the  prophet  unto  king 
Hezekiah,  and  said  unto  him.  What  s;iid 
these  men?  and  from  whence  came  they 
unto  thee?  And  Ilezekiah  said.  They  are 
come  from  a  far  country,  even  from  Baby- 

15  Ion.  And  he  said.  What  have  they  seen  in 
thine  house?  And  Hezekiah  answered.  All 
that  is  in  mine  house  have  they  seen  :  there 
is  nothing  among  my  treasures  that  I  have 

16  not  shewed  them.     And   Isaiah  said   unto 

17  Hezekiah,  Hear  the  word  of  the  Lonn.  Be- 
lioid,  the  days  come,  that  all  that  is  in  thine 
house,  and  that  which  thy  fathers  have  laid 
up  in  store  unto  this  day,  shall  be  carried  to 
Babylon  :  nothing  shall  be  left,   saith  the 

18  Loud.  And  of  thy  sons  that  shall  issue 
from  thee,  which  thou  shalt  beget,  shall 
they  take  away  ;  and  they  shall  be  eunuchs 

19  in  the  palace  of  the  king  of  Babylon.  Then 
said  Hezekiah  unto  Isaiah,  Good  is  the  word 
of  the  Loud  which  thou  hast  spoken.  He 
said  moreover.  Is  it  not  so,  if  peace  and 
truth  shall  be  in  my  days? 

2  Chronicles  32  :  24-31. 

24  In  those  days  Hezekiah  was  sick  even 
unto  death  :  and  he  i)rayed  unto  the  Loud  ; 
and  he  spake  unto  him,   and  gave  him  a 

25  sign.  But  Hezekiah  rendered  not  again  ac- 
cording to  the  benetit  done  unto  him  ;  for 
his  heart  was  lifted  up  :  therefore  there  was 
wrath  upon  him,  and  upon  .ludah  and  Jeni- 

20  salem.  Notwitlistanding  Hezekiah  hum- 
l)led  liiniself  for  the  pride  of  his  heiu't,  both 
he  and  the  inhabitants  of  .lerusalem,  so  that 
the  wrath  of  the  Lord  came  not  upon  them 

27  in  the  days  of  Ilezekiah.     And  Hezekiah 


HECTION  iO.    REION  OF  IlEZEEIAH. 


345 


shewed  them  the  house  of  liis  precious 
things,  the  silver,  and  the  gold,  and  the 
spices,  and  the  precious  oil,  and  all  the  house 
of  his  armour,  and  all  that  was  found  in  his 
treasures  :  there  was  nothing  in  his  house, 
nor  in  all  his  dominion,  that  Hezekiah  sliewed 

3  them  not.  Then  came  Isaiah  the  prophet 
unto  king  Hezekiah,  and  said  unto  him. 
What  said  these  men?  and  from  whence 
came  they  unto  thee?  And  Hezekiah' said. 
They  are  come  from  a  far  country  unto  mc, 

4  even  from  Babylon.  Then  said  he,  What 
have  thej'  seen  in  thine  house?  And  Heze- 
kiah answered,  All  that  is  in  mine  house 
have  they  seen  :  there  is  nothing  among  my 
treasures   that  I    have   not    shewed   them. 

5  Then  said   Isaiah   to   Hezekiah,    Hear    the 

6  word  of  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Behold,  the 
da_Nl?  come,  that  all  that  is  in  thine  house, 
and  that  which  thy  fathers  have  laid  up  in 
store  until  this  day,  shall  be  carried  to  Baby- 

7  Ion  :  nothing  shall  be  left,  saith  the  Lord. 
which  thou  shall  beget,  shall  they  take  away 

8  king  of  Babylon, 
thou  hast  spoken. 


had  exceeding  much  riches  and  honour : 
and  he  provided  him  treasuries  for  silver, 
and  for  gold,  and  for  precious  stones,  and 
for  spices,  and  for  shields,  and  for  all  man- 

28  ner  of  goodly  vessels  ;  storehouses  also  for 
the  increa.se  of  corn  and  wine  and  oil  ;  and 
stalls  for  all  manner  of  beasts,  and  flocks  in 

29  folds.  Moreover  he  provided  him  cities, 
and  possessions  of  flocks  and  herds  in  abun- 
dance ;  for  God  had  given  Iiim  very  much 

30  substance.  This  same  Hezekiah  also  stopped 
the  upper  spring  of  the  waters  of  Gihon,  and 
brought  them  straight  down  on  the  west 
side  of  the  city  of  David.     And  Hezekiah 

81  prospered  in  all  his  works.  Howbeit  in  the 
business  of  the  ambassadors  of  the  princes  of 
Babylon,  who  sent  unto  him  to  inquire  of 
the  wonder  that  was  done  in  the  land,  God 
left  him,  to  trj*  him,  that  he  might  know  all 
that  was  in  his  heart. 


And  of   thy  sons  that  shall  issue  from  thee, 
and  they  shall  be  eunuchs  in  the  palace  of  the 
Then  said  Hezekiah  unto  Isaiah,  Good  is  the  word  of  the  Lord  which 
He  said  moreover.  For  there  shall  be  peace  and  truth  in  my  daj'S. 


Tire  reader  will  note  the  transposition  of  the 
chapters  in  this  and  the  next  Sections.  The 
simple  and  sufficient  reason  is  that  Hezekiah 's 
sickness  and  restoration,  and  the  embassy  of 
Baladan  occurred  some  j'ears  before  the  great 
invasion  of  Sennacherib  and  the  miraculous 
destruction  of  his  host.  The  evidence  of  this 
may  be  found  in  the  notes  immediately  fol- 
lowing.    B. 

2  K.  20  :  1.  In  those  days.  This  note 
of  time  is  rury  ambiguous.  As  it  stands,  it 
should  (apparently)  refer  to  the  period  of  the 
death  of  Sennacherib  and  accession  of  Esar- 
liaddon,  or  b.c.  680.  But  Hezekiah  seems  to 
have  died  b.c.  697  ;  and  his  illness,  if  the  num- 
ber fifteen  is  correct  in  verse  6.  must  really  be- 
long to  B.C.  713  or  714,  a  date  which  falls  early 
in  the  reign  of  Sargon.  We  may  conjecture 
that  the  writer  of  Kings  found  the  narrative 
of  this  chapter,  v.'hich  has  a  unity  of  its  own, 
altogether  separate  from  the  other  records  of 
Hezekiah,  and  added  it  in  the  state  in  which 
he  found  it,  without  intending  to  fix  its  date 
by  the  opening  words.  Its  true  chronological 
place  in  the  narrative  is  prior  to  all  the  other 
facts. related  of  Hezekiah  except  his  religious 
reforms.     B.  C. 

The  narrative  of  Hezekiah 's  sickness  and  of 
the  embassy  of  Merodach-baladan,  which  in  an 
abbreviated  form  is  also  given  in  the  Book  of 
Isaiah,  must,  on  literary  grounds  and  from  its 


position  in  this  history,  be  regarded  as  an  ap- 
pendix similar  to  that  added  to  the  account  of 
David's  reign  in  the  closing  chapters  of  the 
Second  Book  of  Samuel.  Whether  or  not  it 
was  taken  from  a  special  and  distinct  record,  or 
else  inserted  in  this  place  in  order  not  to  break 
the  continuity  of  a  narrative  which  had  a  spir- 
itual meaning  and  object  of  its  own,  it  is  cer- 
tain that  the  events  which  it  records  could  not 
have  been  posterior  to  the  final  departure  of 
Sennacherib  from  the  soil  of  Palestine.  After 
that  there  could  not  have  been  occasion  for 
such  anxiety  in  reference  to  the  king  of  Assyria 
as  to  be  met  by  the  Divine  promise  in  2  K. 
20  :  6  ;  nor  yet,  from  what  we  know  of  the 
history  of  ^Merodach-baladan.  ciuld  he  then 
have  sent  such  an  embassy  with  the  manifest 
purpose  of  an  alliance  against  Assyria,  nor, 
finally,  would  Hezekiah  then  have  encouraged 
such  overtures.     A.  E. 

The  important  data  are  that  Hezekiah  reigned 
twenty-nine  years  (3  K.  18  :  3)  ;  that  after  hi.s 
sickness  he  lived  (and  reigned)  fifteen  years 
(Isa.  38  :  5  and  2  K.  30  :  6),  and  consequently 
had  reigned  fourteen  already.  There  being  no 
important  counter  testimony,  it  is  safe  to  ac- 
cept the  promise  made  to  Hezekiah  (chap. 
38  :  6)  as  practically  deciding  in  favor  of  the 
priority  of  the  sickness,  since  the  Lord  couples 
with  the  promise  of  fifteen  more  years,  that  of 
deliverance  from  Assyria.    "  And  I  will  deliver 


340 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


tliee  and  this  city  out  of  tlic  hand  of  the  Iving 
of  Assyria,  and  I  will  defend  this  city."  It  is 
scarcely  supposalile  tliat  this  would  have  been 
said  lifter  the  great  cat^istrophc.  Assuming 
that  the  sickness  was  [Mior  to  the  fall  of  the 
Assyrian,  the  latter  may  have  been  put  flret  in 
order  as  being  naturally  connected  with  the  an- 
tecedent prophecies  ;  and  on  the  other  hand, 
the  sickness  last  in  order  as  being  in  like  man- 
ner connected  with  the  visit  of  the  embassy 
from  Babylon,  and  that,  with  the  allusions  to 
the  restoration  of  the  Jews  from  Babylon 
through  the  aid  of  Cyrus  !is  set  forth  in  chaps. 
44  and  4.5.     H.  C. 

Isa.  3S  :  I ;  2  K.  20  : 1.  Thou  §Iialt 
die,  and  not  live.  Here  we  see  the  differ- 
ence between  a  simple  prediction  and  a  pro- 
phetic warning.  A  message,  thus  addressed  to 
a  person,  not  spoken  of  him  to  others,  is  a  call 
to  repentance  and  prayer,  not  the  revelation  of 
a  fixed,  tinulterable  decree.  Such  was  the  mes- 
sage of  Jonah  to  Nineveh  ;  and  such  the  ad- 
dress to  Shebna  (22  :  15-19).  The  last  mention 
of  him  as  a  suppliant  before  Isaiah  in  sackcloth, 
side  by  side  with  Eliukim,  makes  it  likely  that 
the  sentence  on  him,  while  in  part  fulfilled,  was 
in  part  repealed,  as  the  whole  is  here  in  the 
case  of  Ilczekiah.  In  Jer.  18  :  7-9,  the  law  of 
such  conditional  warnings,  in  form  resembling 
prophecies,  is  clearly  laid  down.     Birks. 

This  message  was  not  a  Divine  decree  that 
he  should  die,  but  an  announcement  from  Je- 
hovah to  Hezekiah  that  his  malady  was  deadlj', 
and  that  under  the  laws  of  nature  he  should 
surel)-  die.  Escape  for  the  king  by  the  use  of 
human  remedies  was  hopeless  ;  his  sickness,  in 
the  regular  course  of  nature,  was  unto  death, 
and  unless  the  God  above  nature  and  above  dis- 
ease should  interpose  to  recover  Ilis  servant, 
Hezekiah,  the  king  must  surely  die.  The  mes- 
sage of  Isaiah  was  intended  to  turn  the  thoughts 
of  the  king  away  from  all  human  physicians 
and  earthlj-  remedies,  and  to  fix  his  attention 
on  the  God  who  not  only  had  power  over 
health  and  disesise,  but  also  over  life  and  death  ; 
and  it  was  therefore  one  of  the  divinely  or- 
dained means  to  the  accomplishment  of  the 
divinely  ordained  end — viz.,  the  recovery  of 
Hezekiah  from  the  sickness  which  was  other- 
wise unto  death.  It  was  the  will  of  God  that 
the  king  should  not  die,  but  live.  But  this  will 
of  God  was  unknown  to  Hezekiah,  and  as  he 
had  been  informed  by  the  Lord  through  the 
prophet  that  human  remedies  would  be  in  vain, 
lie  turned  his  face  to  the  wall  and  addressed  him- 
self to  God  as  the  only  Being  in  the  universe  who 
could  save  him  from  going  down  to  the  grave. 


There  was  no  vital  force  in  the  king  to  over- 
come the  power  of  the  disease  ;  there  wits  no 
remedy  known  to  his  physicians  that  could  ar- 
rest the  progres.s  of  his  malaily  ;  there  was  no 
m  m/'diriitru  mitiirte  that  could  bring  restora- 
tion and  health.  Uidess  a  personal  God,  above 
nature  and  with  power  over  disea.se  and  death, 
should  interpose,  Hezekiah  must  die.     Pitzer. 

The  natural  repugnance  to  death  in  the  midst 
of  the  vigor  of  life  ;  the  peculiar  circumstances 
of  the  land,  as  j'et  not  delivered  from  the  domin- 
ion of  Assj-ria  ;  the  probable  absence  as  yet  of 
a  legitimate  successor  to  the  throne — all  these 
things  combined  make  the  tears  and  prayers  of 
Hezekiah  perfectly  intelligible.  It  is  certain, 
at  least,  that  his  prayer  for  the  lengthening  out 
of  his  days  may  be  termed  in  our  mouths  both 
niiturid  and  permissible,  when  we  see  ourselves, 
or  those  dear  to  us,  brought  apparently  to  the 
verge  of  the  grave.  The  petition,  "  Lord,  take 
me  not  away  in  the  midst  of  ray  days"  (Ps. 
102  :  24),  is  legitimate  from  a  Christian  stand- 
point. Although  we  have  long  known  that 
there  is  an  infinitely  higher  life  than  that  on 
earth,  still  this  is  to  the  Christian  a  treasure  ; 
and  perfect  indifference  on  this  point,  especial- 
ly in  our  best  years,  is  not  a  healthy,  but  a 
sickljf  sign.  Like  Hezekiah,  we  have  also  here 
below  an  important  task  to  fulfil.  Above  all, 
our  own  preparation  for  eternity  may  be  fur- 
thered by  tlie  prolonging  of  our  stay  on  earth  : 
the  longer  in  the  summer  the  sickle  is  kept 
back  from  the  grain,  the  more  time  has  it  to 
become  fully  ripe.  Even  of  itself,  the  quiet 
prayer  in  days  of  sickness  and  distress  relieves 
the  oppressed  soul  :  even  before  Isaiah  re- 
turned, the  suffering  prince  was  unquestion- 
ably brought  nearer  to  God.  And  when  now 
the  man  of  God  came  to  announce  to  him,  not 
that  God's  counsel  had  altered,  but  that  the 
trial  of  his  faith  was  turned  into  a  crowning 
mercy  and  that  fifteen  years  were  added  to  his 
life,  assuredly  then  the  surprised  Hezekiah  re- 
ceived abundant  material  to  frame  therefrom  a 
thankful  song  of  praise  to  God.     Vitn  0. 

No  solemn  message  from  the  imscen  world 
comes  to  us,  as  it  once  came  to  Hezekiah,  "  Set 
thine  house  in  order,  for  thou  shalt  die  and  not 
live."  Before  the  work  of  death  begins,  we 
know  not  which  of  our  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances will  pass  away  soonest.  It  may  be  the 
old  and  gray -haired,  who  have  nothing  left  to 
live  or  hope  for  in  the  world  ;  it  maj'  be  the 
sick  who  have  lingered  long  on  the  perilous 
edge  of  death,  and  whose  life  lias  been  endur- 
ance, not  enjoyment  ;  or  it  may  be  the  young 
and  healthy,  to  whom  death  is  a  far-off  cloud. 


SECTION  40.     REIGN  OF  HEZEKIAH. 


347 


no  bigger  than  a  man's  hand,  casting  no 
shadow  on  their  sunny  liorizon.  It  may  be  tlie 
fruitful  vine  or  the  barren  fig-tree,  the  heaven- 
ly minded  Christian  or  the  worldly-hearted  pro- 
fessor. Who  is  to  be  the  first  to  receive  the 
message  to  pass  hence?    We  know  not.     Mac- 

millan. We  live  in  a  universe  of  death.     The 

phenomenon  is  common  to  us,  but  no  familiari- 
ty can  rob  it  of  its  dreadfulness  ;  for  the  dead, 
who  are  the  more  in  number,  have  kept  their 
awful  secret  unrevealcd,  and  the  child  who 
died  yesterday  knows  more  than  can  be  guessed 
at  by  the  thousand  millions  of  living  men. 
Yet  this  death  is  the  least  and  the  least  dreaded 
part  of  that  other,  second,  spiritual  death. 
Farrar. 

There  is  nothing  more  certain  than  death- 
nothing  more  uncertain  than  the  time  of  dying. 
I  will  be  therefore  be  prepared  for  that  at  all 
times  which  may  come  at  any  time,  and  must 
come  at  one  time  or  another.  I  shall  not  hasten 
my  death  by  being  still  ready,  but  sweeten  it. 
It  makes  me  not  die  the  sooner,  but  the  better. 

Warwick. We   cannot  see    before  us.     No 

hand  can  tear  one  leaf  from  the  sealed  book 
where  the  recording  angel  has  written  against 
all  our  names  the  day  of  our  great  change.  A 
veil  shuts  close  down  before  our  eyes  on  the 
very  spot  where  we  stand.  This  year,  or  an- 
other ;  yourself  first,  or  one  you  love  better 
than  j'ourself  ;  by  slow  decline,  or  swift  de- 
struction ;  these  are  secrets.  But  there  is  no 
dimness  over  the  command  that  points  us  to 
the  open  way  of  life  ;  no  uncertainty  in  the  im- 
mortal promise,  "  Set  thy  house  in  order  ;" 
and  then,  though  "  absent  from  the  body," 
thoushalt  be  present  with  the  "  Father  of  Jesus 
Christ,  our  Lord,  of  whom  the  whole  family, 
in  heaven  and  earth,  is  named."     F.  D.  H. 

Willing  or  unwilling,  fit  or  unfit  to  die,  vo}'- 
agers  to  a  land  of  bliss  or  bound  to  misery, 
man}'  have  entered  on  their  last  year.  Like 
time  and  tide,  death — regardless  of  his  con- 
venience and  deaf  to  his  prayers — will  wait  on 
no  man.  Since  death  is  gain  to  the  Christian, 
and  through  faith  in  Christ  may  be  so  to  all, 
we  should  familiarize  our  minds  with  that 
event  :  beginning  every  year,  and  indeed  every 
day,  as  if  it  were  to  be — what  it  may  be — our 
last.  To  be  prepared  for  death,  so  prepared 
that  it  may  be  the  happiest  event  that  ever  be- 
-fell  us,  so  prepared  that  we  may  confront  this 
king  of  terrors  without  the  shadow  of  a  doubt 
or  any  sense  of  fear,  so  prepared  that  we  shall 
bo  better  pleased  to  go  than  to  stay — let  us 
work  out  our  salvation  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling ;  looking  to  Jesus  for  pardon,  and  to  God 


to  work  in  us  by  His  Holy  Spirit  both  to  will 
and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure.     Outhrie. 

In  every  earthly  enterprise  we  anticipate  its 
bearings  and  results  ;  we  weigh,  before  we 
meet  them,  every  obstacle,  every  interest  which 
may  come  in  conflict  with  our  purpose  ;  we 
count  every  cost  of  advantage  or  disadvantage, 
we  reach  forward  our  thoughts  to  contemplate 
every  feature,  promising  or  unpromising,  of 
the  probable  result.  And  this  is  universally 
admitted  to  be  the  course  of  true  wisdom.  Not 
le,is  surely  is  it  the  part  of  a  wise  and  thinking 
man  to  pursue  a  similar  course  with  reference 
to  the  life  to  come.  Not  less  wise  is  his  con- 
duct who  anticipates  by  careful  thought  the 
consequences  of  his  departure,  the  ties  that 
must  then  be  broken,  the  ofliice  and  influence 
that  must  be  resigned,  the  possessions  that 
must  be  relinquished,  the  pause  that  must 
ensue  to  all  his  schemes.  Above  all,  not  less 
wise  is  his  course  who  solemnly,  deeply  pon- 
ders the  more  positive,  momentous  results  of  the 
change  of  state,  the  scenes  upon  which  he  must 
enter,  the  abiding  character  he  must  bear,  the 
irreversible  judgment  he  must  meet,  and  the 
unalterable  destiny  he  must  experience  in  the 
sphere  of  an  eternal  being.  A»,  compared  with 
these  stupendous  themes,  all  other  subjects  of 
thought  are  mean  and  insignificant,  so  iiicotn- 
jiarably  wise  is  he  who  habitually  ponders  these, 
who  gives  all  the  strength  of  his  mind  and  the 
energy  of  his  heart  to  their  frequent,  deliberate, 
prayerful  contemplation.  Knowing  that  death 
is  to  finish  his  works,  to  fix  his  character  and 
place  him  forever  and  irremovably  in  paradise 
or  perdition,  incomparably  wise  is  he  who 
makes  his  daily  life  one  prolonged  act  of  prepa- 
ration and  readiness  for  his  one  great  and 
changeless  change  of  existence.     B. 

The  fact  that  there  is  a  time  as  surely  ap 
pointed  to  us  as  to  Hezekiah,  although  we  are 
not  allowed  that  knowledge  of  the  fact  which 
he  possessed,  ought  to  teach  us  patience  in 
quiet  waiting ,  upon  God.  It  is  not  in  man, 
whatever  be  his  rage,  to  take  one  hour  of  our 
appointed  life  from  us,  or  to  add  one  moment 
to  the  time  of  our  sorrow.  If  our  very  hairs 
are  all  n\mibered,  much  more  are  all  our  days. 
Let  us,  therefore,  honor  God  by  having  good 
thoughts  of  Him,  knowing  that  whether  our 
times  be  short  or  long,  calm  or  stormy,  they 
are  appointed  times  ;  appointed  by  One  who 
loves  us  with  exceeding  love,  although  He  well 
remembers  that  we  are  but  dust.     Kitto. 

Christianity  is  as  needful  to  lite  by  as  to  die 
by.  It  is  quite  as  solemn  a  thing  to  say,  "  This 
year  thou  shalt  Ki'c,"  as  to  say,  "This  year 


348 


KIXGDOM  OF  JUDAJl. 


thou  sbiilt  die."  We  have  a  Gospel  to  preach 
thiit  claims,  indeed,  to  be  the  only  thing  tliat 
can  make  a  man  die  risrhtly  ;  but  which  claims 
a  higher  glory  than  tliat — to  be  tlie  only  thing 

tliat  can  make  him  live  rightly.     A.  M. To 

be  really  alive  in  some  sincere  work  is  to  have 
solved  the  mystery  of  life  and  mastered  the 
fear  of  death.  Then  to  die  is  only  one  of  the 
accidents  and  incidents  of  our  unending  life, 
and  no  evil.  To  die  out  and  even  anticipate 
the  body's  dying  is  what  we  have  to  dread — to 
come  to  the  end  of  earth  with  a  sense  of  empti- 
ness and  exhaustion,  a  broken  cistern,  a  worn- 
out  piece  of  mechanism,  a  candle  burned  to  the 
socket,  a  ball  spent  before  the  mark  was 
reached.  "  It  is  as  natural,"  says  Lord  Bacon, 
"  to  die,  as  to  be  born  ;  and  to  the  little  infant, 
perhaps,  the  one  is  as  jiainfid  as  the  other.  He 
that  dies  in  an  earnest  pursuit  is  like  one  that 
is  wounded  in  hot  blood,  who  for  the  time 
scarce  feels  the  hurt  ;  and  therefore  a  mind 
fixed  and  bent  upon  somewhat  that  is  good 
doth  avert  the  dolors  of  death."     H.  Ellis. 

IIow  often  has  lie  succored  me,  when  na- 
ture and  art  have  failed  ?  How  has  He  eased 
my  pained  limbs,  and  upheld  an  emaciated 
skeleton?  I  have  had  .^//^  ymra  added  to  my 
daj's,  though  I  expected  not  to  live  one  of 
them :  and  what  strange  deliverances  have 
been  wrought  for  me,  upon  the  importunate 
requests  of  many  hundreds  of  my  praying 
friends?  IIow  have  I  been  kept  in  ordinary 
health  and  safety,  when  the  raging  pcstihnrc 
came  near  my  habitation,  and  consumed  an 
hundred  (hdiiHiind  citizens?  And  how  was  mj' 
dwelling  preserved,  when  I  saw  {London)  the 
glory  of  the  land  in  flames?  These  and  many 
more  are  my  crperiences  of  that  wonderful  mercy 
which  has  measured  my  pilgrimage  and  filled 
up  my  days.  Never  did  God  break  His  prom- 
ise witli  me.  Never  did  He  fail  me,  or  forsake 
me.  And  shall  I  now  distrust  Him  at  last? 
"  To  Thee,  O  Lord,  '  as  to  a  faithful  Creator,  I 
commit  my  soul.'  I  know  that  Thou  art  '  the 
faithfid  God,  which  keepeth  covenant  and 
mercy  with  them  that  love  Thee,  and  keep 
Thy  commandments.  Thou  art  faithful,  who 
has  called  me  to  the  fellowship  of  Thy  Son 
Jesus  Christ  our  Loi-d.'  Thy  faithfulness  has 
saved  me  from  temptation,  and  kept  me  from  pre- 
vailing evil,  and  will '  preserve  my  whole  spirit, 
and  soul  and  body,  unto  the  coming  of  Christ.' 
It  is  '  in  faithfulness  Thou  hast  afflicted  me  ;' 
and  shall  I  not  trust  Thee  to  save  me?"  Bax- 
ter. 

3.  And  lie  mid,  Ah  Jehovah,  remember,  I  he- 
aeeeh  2' lux,  how  I  hace  icalked  before  Thee  in 


truth  and  with  a  whole  heart,  and  that  which  is 
good  in  Thine  eyes  I  hate  done.  Tlie  figure  of 
walking  before  (rod  includes  the  ideas  of  com- 
munion with  Him  and  subjection  to  Him,  and 
is  therefore  more  comprehensive  than  the  kin- 
dred phrase  of  waHciug  with  Him.  Bj-  truth 
we  are  here  to  understand  sincerity  and  con- 
stancy. This  verse  is  not  an  expostulation  nor 
self-praise,  but  an  appeal  to  the  only  satisfac- 
tory evidence  of  his  sincerity.     A. Ilezekiah 

does  not  demand  a  reward  from  God  for  his 
good  services,  but  begs  that  God  would  re- 
member, not  how  he  had  reformed  the  king- 
dom, taken  away  the  high  places,  cleansed  the 
Temple  and  revived  neglected  ortlinances  ;  but, 
which  was  better  than  all  burnt  offeringn  and 
sacrifices,  how  \w  had  approved  himself  to  God 
with  a  single  eye  and  an  honest  heart,  not  only 
in  these  eminent  performances,  but  in  an  even, 
regular  course  of  holy  living  ;  /  have  walked 
before  The4i  in  truth  and  sincerity,  and  icith  a 
perfect,  that  is,  an  upright  heart  ;  for  upright- 
ness is  our  Gospel  perfection.     H. 

5.  Ilezekiah  had  been  a  second  David,  fol- 
lowing more  closely  in  his  steps  than  any  other 
royal  son  of  his.  This  prominent  fact  of  liis 
life  had  been  involved  in  Ilezekiah's  prayer: 
"  I  have  walked  before  Thee  with  a  perfect 
heart,"  and  is  here  tacitly  admitted  in  the  Lord's 
gracious  answer.  The  tenderness  of  the  reply 
is  precious  :  "  I  have  heard  thy  prayer  ;  I  have 
seen  thy  tears."  Oh.  truly,  God  does  hear  the 
imploring  cry  of  pressing  want  and  strong  de- 
sire. Not  a  tear  ever  fell  in  His  sight  unheed- 
ed. There  are  thousands  of  prayers  for  pro- 
longed life  which  God  cannot  wisely  grant  ; 
but  He  loves  to  grant  them  when  He  wisely 
can.  This  case  stands  a  witness  to  the  loviug- 
kindness  of  His  heart.     II.  C. 

2  K.  20  : 9.  It  is  not  difficult  to  perceive 
the  symbolical  significance  of  this  sign.  As 
Isaiah  had  been  commissioned  to  offer  to  Ahaz 
"  a  sign"  of  the  promised  deliverance,  and  to 
leave  him  the  choice  of  it,  "  either  in  the  depth 
or  in  the  height  above"  (Isa.  7  :  11),  so  here  a 
similar  alternative  was  presented  to  Ilezekiah. 
As  Ahaz  in  his  trust  in  natural  means  and  his 
distrust  of  Jehovah  had  refused,  so  Ilezekiah 
in  his  distrust  of  natural  means  and  trust  of  Je- 
hovah asked  for  a  sign.  And  lastly,  even  as 
Ilezekiah  had  feared  that  his  life-day  would 
have  ended  in  its  midday  hour,  so  now,  when  it 
was  to  be  lengthened,  did  the  falling  shadow 
climb  up  again  tlie  ten  steps  to  its  midday 
mark.  But  there  are  also  deeper  lessons  to  be 
h'arned  from  this  history.  The  change  in  the 
announcement  of  what  was  to  befall  Uezekiah, 


SECTION  Jfi.     REION  OF  UEZEKIAH. 


349 


in  answer  to  his  prayer,  is  of  eternal  meaning. 
It  encourages  us  "always  to  pray" — not  ex- 
cluding from  the  range  of  our  petitions  what 
are  commonly  called  "  things  temporal, "  And 
yet  the  veiy  idea  of  prayer  also  excludes  any 
thought  of  the  absolute  certainty  of  such  an- 
swer as  had  been  primarily  contemplated  in  the 
prayer.  For  prayer  and  its  answer  are  not  me- 
chanically, they  are  morally  connected,  just  as 
between  Isaiah's  promised  sign  and  its  bestowal 
the  pra3'er  of  the  prophet  intervened  (verse  11). 
As  miracle  is  not  magic,  so  prayer  is  not  neces- 
sitarianism ;  and  on  looking  back  upon  our 
lives  we  have  to  thank  God  as  often  for  prayers 
unanswered  as  for  prayers  answered.  Further, 
the  lessons  taught  the  king  first  by  his  danger 
and  then  by  his  restoration  were  precisely  those 
which  Hezekiah  needed  to  learn  if,  obedient  to 
the  admonitions  of  Isaiah,  and  believing  the 
promise  of  the  Lord,  he  was  consistently  to 
carry  out  the  will  of  Jehovah  amid  the  temp- 
tations and  difHculties  of  the  Assyrian  invasion. 
This  not  only  because  he  had  had  experience  of 
the  truth  of  prophetic  promise,  but  because  he 
had  learned,  as  he  could  not  otherwise  have 
been  taught,  that  God  answered  prayer  ;  that 
He  was  merciful  and  forgiving,  and  able  to 
turn  aside  the  most  threatening  danger,  even 
at  the  extreme  moment.  In  truth,  what  was 
afterward  witnessed  in  the  deliverance  of  Jeru- 
salem was  on  a  large  scale  the  same  that  Heze- 
kiah himself  had  experienced  in  his  healing. 
Thus  the  lessons  of  his  recover}'  were  intended 
as  spiritual  preparation  for  what  was  so  soon 
to  follow.     A.  E. 

1 1 .  The  fact  here  announced  is  an  optical  or 
sensible  miracle,  the  reversed  motion  of  the 
sun's  shadow  in  the  sun-dial  of  Ahaz.  The 
words  themselves  leave  it  open,  whether  there 
was  a  change  in  the  sun's  apparent  and  earth's 
real  motion,  a  general  change  by  unusual  re- 
fraction, or  one  local  only.  But  the  last  seems 
more  likely  for  several  reasons.  First,  the  spe- 
cial mention  that  it  was  "  in  the  sun-dial  of 
Ahaz."  Next,  the  envoj-s  from  Babylon  had 
heard  of  it  as  a  local  sign  (3  Chron.  33  :  31). 
It  could  not,  then,  have  extended  to  Babylon. 
Birks. 

Some  stippose  that  the  phenomenon  might 
have  been  produced  by  the  simple  refraction  of 
the  rays,  through  the  sudden  interposition  of  a 
different  medium.  That  such  refraction  takes 
place  when  rays  of  light  pass  through  a  denser 
medium  is  a  well-known  physical  fact.  The 
most  striking  illustration  is  perhaps  found 
in  the  observation  made,  on  March  37th, 
1703,  by  P.  Romatdd,  prior  of  the  cloister  of 


Mctz,  that,  owing  to  such  refraction  in  the 
higher  regions  of  the  atmosphere,  in  connection 
with  the  appearance  of  a  cloud,  the  shadow  of 
his  dial  deviated  an  hour  and  a  half.  However 
produced,  the  retrogression  of  the  shadow  upon 
the  dial  of  Ahaz  was  certainly  of  a  miraculous 
nature.     Kitto. 

The  shiftings  of  shadows  on  the  dial  that 
Isaiah  pi-edicted  to  sick  Hezekiah  are  liable  to 
occur  at  any  place,  when  these  two  circum- 
stances concur  :  (1)  That  the  upper  atmosphere 
is  in  that  condition  which  causes  two  bright 
parhelia  or  mock  suns  to  appear  on  opposite 
sides  of  tlie  sun  ;  and  (3)  that  the  lower  air  con- 
tains drifting  clouds,  massive  enough  to  hide 
often  two  of  the  three.  When  the  real  sun  and 
eastern  mock  sun  are  hidden,  there  is  only  the 
western  to  cast  shadows,  which  then  coincide 
with  what  the  sun  will  cast  an  hour  and  a  half 
later  ;  but  if  the  clouds  shift  so  as  to  hide  the 
west  parhelion,  and  disclose  the  eastern,  the 
shadows  instantly  become  such  as  the  sun  cast 
an  hour  and  a  half  earlier.  The  parhelia  being 
alwa3-s  caused  by  rays  refracted  through  two 
faces  of  equilateral  triangular  prisms  or  fibres 
of  ice,  their  angular  distance  from  the  sun  is 
alwa3-s  the  minimum  deviation  that  such  a 
prism  of  ice  produces  on  the  brightest  or  yellow 
rays,  which  is  very  near  a  fourth  of  a  right 
angle  ;  so  that  if  Hezekiah 's  diallers  divided 
the  quadrant  into  forty,  than  which  no  number 
is  more  likely,  considering  how  constantl}-  it 
recurs  in  the  Hebrew  laws  and  historj'  (oftener, 
indeed,  than  any  other  above  ten),  the  ailvance 
or  recession  of  the  shadow  woidd  have  to  be 
ten  of  these  parts.  On  March  39th,  1848,  these 
effects  occurred,  had  any  one  been  looking,  on 
everj'  dial  in  the  Isle  of  Portsea,  and  very  prob- 
ablj'  of  much  of  Hampshire  besides.  The  par- 
helia were  present  and  bright  enough  at  about 
11  P.M.,  and  still  better  between  1  p.m.  and  1.30 
P.M.  (not  between  11  p.m.  and  1  p.m.,  because, 
though  the  atmospheric  conditions  were  right, 
the  sun  had  risen  above  the  reqiurcd  limits  of 
altitude),  and  the  drifting  clouds  below  were 
present.  Considering  how  much  steeper  is  the 
sun's  dailj'  path  in  the  latitude  of  Jerusalem 
than  in  England,  it  seems  more  likely  that  the 
pair  of  parhelia  were  of  the  rarer  kind,  over 
and  under  the  sun,  which  I  certainly  have  seen 
described  (or  possibly  even  oblique),  than  the 
commoner  ones  that  I  saw,  and  Descartes,  Hal- 
ley,  Folkes,  and  the  other  Ro_yal  Societj-  observ- 
ers. From  the  account  in  Isaiah,  speaking  of 
bringing  back  the  sim,  but  the  fuller  one  in 
Kings  of  only  bringing  back  the  shadow,  I 
gather  the  Book  of  Kings  to  be  the  earlier  docu- 


350 


KmODO.V  OF  JUD.Xn. 


mcnt,  and  more  likely,  in  tliis  place,  to  preserve 
that  prophet's  own  words.  E.  L.  Garbctt,  Letter 
to  R.  A.  Proctor,  1883. 

Ilezekiah's  Psalm  of  Gratitude. 

Ion.  38  :  1O-20.  This  psiilm  or  ode  written 
by  Ili'zekiiih  is  a  sort  of  memorial  recoitl  of  his 
tlioughts  and  emotions  durinac  those  solemn 
days  when  the  Lord  brought  him  so  near  the 
gates  of  death.  It  may  have  been  written  in 
part  for  his  own  personal  benefit ;  in  part  to 
cherish  the  social  sympathy  of  his  friends  and 
people.  We  may  su]ipose  it  to  have  been  sung 
or  chanted  in  social  worship.  The  original 
might  as  well  be  read,  "  When  he  was  sick  and 
was  recovering  from  his  sickness" — i.e.,  during 
the  process  of  recovery,  while  his  experiences 

were  yet  fresh  in  his  mind.     II.   C. That 

lle/.ekiah  should  conipasc  a  psalm  is  not  more 
strange  than  that  he  should  make  a  collection 
of  proverbs  (Prov.  35  ;  1).  It  would  have  been 
far  more  strange  if  one  so  much  like  David  in 
character  and  spirit  had  not  followed  his  exam- 
ple in  the  practice  of  devotional  composition. 
The  inspiration  and  canonical  authority  of  this 
jM-oduetion  are  clear  from  its  having  been  in- 
coriiorated  liy  Isaiah  in  his  prophecies,  although 
ondtted  in  the  Second  Book  of  Kings.  The 
questions  raised  by  some  interpreters,  as  to  its 
antiquity  and  geiiiuneness,  are  founded  on  the 
mei'C  possibility  that  tlic  passage  may  be  of 
later  date  and  by  another  writer.  So  far  as  we 
have  evidence,  either  external  or  Internal,  there 
is  not  the  slightest  ground  for  critical  misgiv- 
ing. There  is  nothing  in  the  psalm  itself  at  all 
inconsistent  witli  tlie  supposition  that  it  was 
conceived,  and  perhaps  composed,  if  not  re- 
duced to  writing,  before  the  complete  fulfil- 
ment of  the  i>roiiiise  in  the  king's  recovery. 
A. 

1 1 .  The  sacred  name  J.\n,  here  repeated 
with  emphasis,  is  fidl  of  meaning.  It  is  a  sim- 
pler form  of  Jehovah,  meaning  simply,  He  is, 
or,  I  A.M.  Its  repetition  is  meant  to  place  in 
full  relief  the  relation  between  the  living  God 
and  living  men.  Hence  it  seems  best  to  trans- 
late it  in  its  second  occurrence.  The  bust  word 
some  render  "  the  iinder-woi'ld" — i.e.,  the  state 
of  the  departed.  But  the  structure  and  paral- 
lelism conlinn  the  received  version.  The  af- 
llicted  king  made  a  double  complaint  ;  that  he 
would  be  cut  oil  from  the  presence  of  the  liv- 
ing God,  who  had  placed  his  name  in  His 
Temiile  among  living  men  ;  and  also  that  he 
woidd  be  slint  out  from  the  society  of  all  that 
dwell  upon  earth.  The  word  "  no  longer"  im- 
plies that  these  things  for  the  present  would 


cease,  but  neither  excludes  continued  being  in 
Hades,  nor  the  sure  hope  of  a  resurrection. 
Dir/,11. 

112.  My  (hrelling  is  pliielrd  vp  and  tincotered 
by  me  (cir  atriiy  from  me)  like  a  shepherd's  tent. 
I  hare  rolled  up,  like  the  treatrr,  my  life  ;  from 
the  thrum  he  trill  cut  nw  off ;  from  day  to  niyht 
thou  irilt  finish  me.  The  same  thing  is  here 
represented  by  two  figures.  The  first  is  that  of 
a  tent,  the  stakes  of  which  are  pulled  up,  and 
the  covering  removed,  with  a  view  to  depart- 
ure. The  second  figure  is  that  of  a  web  com- 
pleted and  removed  by  the  weaver  from  the 
loom. 

15.  What  .shall  I  say  f — i.e.,  how  shall  I  ex- 
press my  gratitude  and  wonder?  lie  hath  said 
and  done  it.  He  hiis  promised  and  performed, 
perhaps  with  an  implication  that  the  promise 
was  no  sooner  given  than  fulfilled.  The  recol- 
lection of  this  signal  mercv  he  is  resolved  to 
cherish  all  his  years — i.e.,  throughout  his  life, 
by  yoinc]  softly,  solemnly  or  slowly,  on  account 
of  the  bitterness  of  Ms  soul — i.e.,  in  recollection 
of  his  sufferings.     A. 

15.  Sickness,  sorrow  or  suffering  of  any 
kind,  when  sanctified,  has  this  softening  effect. 
In  remembrance  of  what  we  have  felt  and 
learned,  we  want  to  go  softly,  tenderly,  gently. 
He  who  has  been  shaken  by  the  hand  of  God, 
either  physically  or  morally,  must  have  learned 
a  larger,  tenderer  charity  for  the  weaknesses  of 
others,  for  their  doubts  and  wanderings.  Sick- 
ness almost  always  brings  something  of  this 
softening  effect  into  the  heart  and  life  for  a 
time.  It  chastens  and  subdues  the  angles  and 
roughness  of  character.  Sanctified  sickness  will 
produce  softness  of  spirit  before  God.  Our 
thoughts  of  Him  will  be  more  loving,  more 
grateful,  more  personal.  We  shall  tiiink  of 
Him  not  as  the  great  Ruler,  the  general  Bene- 
factor, but  as  the  Friend,  my  Ilealer,  the  One 
who  has  lifted  me  up  from  the  gates  of  <leath. 
My  voice  as  I  utter  His  name  will  be  tremulous 
with  feeling,  and  soft  with  intensity  and  ten- 
derness of  love.     S.  S.  T. 

16.  "  O  Lord,  by  these  things" — Tliy  prom- 
ised anil  jierformed  mercies — such  blessings  as 
Tliou  ha.st  kindly  granted  to  me,  "  do  men 
live  ;"  hmuan  life  is  full  of  such  manifested 
goodness  from  God  :  "  And  in  reference  to  all 
these  things  my  spirit  lives,"  or,  "  there  is  life 
to  my  spirit.'  In  the  last  clause,  the  word 
"so"  should  rather  be  and.  "And  Thou  wilt 
still  restore  and  save  me" — i.e.,  through  the 
years  of  life  that  yet  remain  for  me. 

17.  Probably  his  thouglit  is  of  the  change 
from  the  great  bitterness  of  his  sickness  to  the 


SECTION  40.     REION  OF  EEZEKIAH. 


351 


peace  that  succeeded,  -which  ]3e;icc  is  in  the  last 
cUxuse  expanded  and  refciTcd  to  God's  love 
toward  him,  as  if  God's  love  became  Itself  the 
power  tliat  lifted  him  up  from  the  pit.  God 
liad  frcel.y  forgiven  all  his  sins,  and  therefore 
had  heard  his  prayer  for  recovery.  This  is 
forcibly  <'xprcssed  in  the  phrase  "  cast  them  all 
behind  thy  back."  The  Hebrew  conception  of 
pardon  is  usually  that  of  corering  one's  sins  ; 
hiding  them  from  view;  seeing  and  remember- 
ing them  no  more.     II.  C. 

18.  For  the  grate  uluill  not  confess  Thee  (nor) 
death  praise  Thee  ;  they  that  go  doien  to  the  pit 
shall  not  hope  for  Thy  truth.  Here,  as  often  in 
the  Psalms,  the  loss  of  the  opportunity  of 
praising  God  is  urged  as  a  reason,  not  only  why 
he  should  be  loath  to  die,  but  why  God  should 
preserve  him  (see  Ps.  6  :  6  ;  88  :  11,  12).  It  does 
not  follow  from  these  words  either  that  Heze- 
kiah  had  no  expectation  of  a  future  state  or 
that  the  soul  remains  unconscious  till  the  resur- 
rection. The  true  explanation  of  the  words  is 
given  by  Calvin — viz.,  that  the  language  is 
that  of  extreme  agitation  and  distress,  in  which 
the  prospect  of  the  future  is  absorbed  in  con- 
templation of  the  present,  and  also  that  so  far 
as  he  does  think  of  futurity,  it  is  upon  the  sup- 
position of  God's  wrath.  Regarding  death,  in 
this  case,  ius  a  proof  of  the  Di\-ine  displeasure, 
he  cannot  but  look  upon  it  as  the  termination 
of  his  solemn  praises.  The  truth  mentioned 
in  the  last  clause  is  the  truth  of  God's  promises, 
to  hope  for  which  is  to  expect  the  promised 
blessing. 

19.  The  limng,  the  tiring,  he  shall  thank 
Thee  like  me  (or  as  I  do)  to-day  ;  father  to  sons 
shall  make  known,  loith  respect  to  Thy  truth — i.e. , 
the  truth  of  Thy  pronnses,  as  in  the  verse  pre- 
ceding. Onlj'  the  living  could  praise  God  in 
that  way  to  which  the  writer  was  accustomed, 
and  on  which  his  eye  is  here  fixed,  with  special 
reference,  no  doubt,  to  the  external  ser\ice  of 
the  Temjile.  The  last  clause  must  be  taken  in 
a  general  sense,  as  Ilezekiah  was  himself  still 
childless.  A. His  language  here  is  account- 
ed for  by  supposing  that  his  mind  is  absorbed 
with  the  interest  and  the  blessedness  of  prais- 
ing God  in  His  earthly  Temple,  and  of  testify- 
ing before  all  his  people  to  the  great  things 
God  had  wrought  for  him.  These  modes  of 
recognizing  and  praising  God's  goodness  and 
of  bearing  his  joyful  testimony  for  God  before 
the  wide  world,  he  appreciates  deeply,  hence  he 
says  :  I  cannot  do  this  in  the  grave  ;  if  I  had 
died  in  my  sickness,  I  should  have  been  cVit  off 
from  this  most  precious  privilege  of  witness- 
ing for  God  here  among  His  people.     H.  C. 


How  the  believer  watches  the- sun  as  its  ris- 
ing or  declining  measures  the  course  of  a  Chris- 
tian workday  !  How  vast  seems  the  task,  and 
how  short  the  time  !  What  Divine  opportuni- 
ties, and  we  shall  be  here  only  once  through  all 
eternity  to  use  them  !  What  places  meet  for 
kindling  up  in  them  the  lamp  of  true  knowl- 
edge, and  for  shedding  abroad  through  them 
the  warmth  of  true  love  ;  they  know  us  now, 
but  presently  they  shall  know  us  no  more  for- 
ever. We  arc  working  the  work  of  Him  that 
sent  us  while  it  is  daj',  when  we  are  demon- 
strating and  illustrating  and  cmbodj'ing  the  re- 
ligion of  this  world's  life,  the  integrity,  mere)', 
diligence,  purity,  patience  which  belong  to 
earth  and  man,  following  in  the  footsteps  of 
our  divinely  human  Master.  We  want  to  bring 
all  our  Christianity  to  bear  upon  this  world 
while  we  are  in  it,  that  with  the  help  of  our 
Clu'istianity  we  may  make  the  best  of  the  world, 
and  make  it  the  best,  and  win  the  blessing 
which  is  boimd  up  with  it.  Because  we  be- 
lieve that  there  is  a  God,  and  an  immortality 
for  God's  children,  an  infinite  justice  and  an 
infinite  love  ;  because  these  great  disclosures 
have  been  made  to  us  now,  in  the  time  of  our 
mortal  life  ;  because  our  Lord  was  found  in 
fashion  as  a  man,  and  had  a  man's  work  to  do, 
we  see  that  there  can  be  no  better  thing  for  us 
now,  nothing  which  should  more  engage  us 
now,  than  to  be  on  earth,  striving  to  fashion  it 
according  to  heavenly  patterns,  to  advance  the 
ever-deepening  purpose  of  good  which  runs 
through  its  ages,  to  nurse  into  vigor  and  beauty 
and  fragrance  and  fruitfulness  the  trees  of  the 
Lord  which  spring  from  what  seems  mire  and 
rubbish.  It  is  good  to  be  here,  trying  again 
and  again,  though  amid  mauy^  discouragements 
and  after  repeated  failures,  to  make  this  hu- 
man life  a  grand,  blessed  and  gracious  thing. 
It.  Ellis. 

2  Chron.  32  :  30.  Tlie  sign  given  him  was 
fulfilled  to  Hezekiah's  entire  satisfaction,  and 
his  recovery  was  rapid  and  complete.  In  three 
days  he  was  able  to  make  his  appearance  in  the 
Temple,  and  to  sing  this  song  of  thanksgiving. 
In  a  short  time  he  resumed  the  active  duties  of 
his  station,  bent  upon  utilizing  to  the  utmost 
the  fresh  lease  of  life  which  had  been  granted 
him.  It  was  probablj'  now  that  many  of  those 
works  were  undertaken  which  kept  his  memory 
so  long  in  good  odcn'  among  the  Jewish  people, 
as  the  collection  of  Proverlis  of  Solomon  hitherto 
not  put  upon  record  (Prov.  35  : 1),  and  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  water  supply  of  Jerusalem 
on  a  new  system  (3  Chron.  32  :  30  ;  Isa.  22  :  9, 
11).     Research  is  still  busy  with  these  remark- 


352 


KINODOM  OF  JUDAK 


iibU"  coustruotions,  the  extent  of  wliich  is  only 
now  beginning  to  be  fairly  estiinuteil.  Evi- 
dently !i  long  term  of  years  was  requisite  for 
the  elaboration  of  so  vast  a  scliemc,  involving 
the  excavation  in  the  solid  rock  of  numerous 
sliafts,  tunnels  and  acjueducts.     G.  K. 

Ilezekiah  w!is  not  only  a  religious,  he  was 
also  a  civil,  restorer  ;  and  liis  name  lias  been 
handed  down  even  to  the  present  day  in  con- 
nection with  the  ingenious  system  of  the  an- 
cient water  supply  of  .Jerusalem,  the  remains 
and  fragments  of  which  still  may  be  traced, 
and  are  noble  engineering  works,  worthy  of 
good  King  Ili'zekiah.  In  the  highest  piu-t  of 
Mt.  Zion  is  a  large  tank,  slill  full  of  water,  sur- 
rounded by  houses,  and  still  liearing  the  Uiuiie 
of  the  "  Pool  of  Ilezekiah."  It  is  fed  by  the 
drainage  from  the  upper  valley  of  Gihon,  ccm- 
veyed  by  a  subterranean,  and  as  yet  luiexplorcd, 
channel,  at  some  depth  underneath  the  city 
walls.  There  is  no  absolute  proof  that  this 
great  tank  is  the  work  of  Ilezekiah  ;  but  when 
wc  remember  how,  both  in  Chronicles  and  in 
Isaiah,  the  arrangement  of  watercourees  is  men- 
tioned as  Ilezekiah 's  work,  there  is  every  rea- 
souible  probability  that  the  traditional  name 
emljodies  a  historical  fact.  We  are  told  (3 
Chron.  33  :  3J)  that  "Ilezekiah  stopped  the 
ujipcr  watercourse  of  Gihon,  and  brought  it 
straight  down  to  the  west  side  of  the  city  of 
David."  iStill  we  can  see  on  the  west  side  of 
Jit.  Zion,  outside  the  walls,  the  two  pools,  the 
upper  and  lower,  of  Gihon,  with  the  broken 
embankment,  which  once  intercepted  the  water 
and  drained  it  into  the  upper  pool.  All  the 
surface  channels  liave  long  since  been  broken 
and  destroyed,  but  the  underground  work  of 
Ilezekiah  still  remains  to  fill  the  pool  which 
continues  to  bear  his  name.  There  is  also  a 
very  recent  discovery  which  may  throw  light 
on  the  works  of  "  the  good  king."  Down  the 
valley  of  the  Kedron,  below  the  southeiust  cor- 
ner of  Mt.  Jloriah,  crowned  by  Solomon's 
Temple,  there  is  a  long  underground  tunnel, 
pierced  through  the  rock,  which  conveys  the 
water  of  what  is  called  the  Virgin's  Foimtain 
to  the  Pool  of  Siloam.  It  is  only  in  our  own 
day  that  this  tunnel,  through  which  there  is  a 
peri)etually  llowing  stream,  h:is  been  exjdored. 
In  the  year  1881  a  long  inscription,  without 
name  or  date,  wius  discovered  about  the  middle 
of  this  tunnel,  recording  the  fact  of  the  meet- 
ing of  the  workmen  who  were  excavating  from 
the  one  end  with  those  who  were  working  from 
the  other.  Though  without  name  or  date,  as 
we  have  said,  this  inscription,  from  the  shape 
of  the  letters,  has  been  decided,  by  areha'olo- 


gists,  aided  by  the  style  of  the  characters  of  the 
Moabite  Stone,  to  belong  to  the  period  of  Ahaz 
or  Ilezekiah.  Whatever  be  the  exact  date,  it 
is  one  of  the  only  two  known  inscriptions  of 
the  period  of  the  Jewish  monarchy,  and  throws 
much  light  on  the  civilization  and  engineering 
knowledge  of  that  age,  illustrating  the  minute 
accuracy  of  the  ;:criptural  record.     Trintram. 

Ixa.  3^:21,  22.  The  last  two  verses  of 
this  chapter  in  Isaiah  arc  evidently  out  of  their 
chronological  order.  The  obvious  and  simple 
supposition  is  that  the  pas.sage  before  us  is  the 
lirst  draught  or  original  form  of  Isaiah's  narra- 
tive, in  which  the  facts  recorded  in  these  two 
least  verses  were  added  by  a  kind  of  after- 
thought, and  that  in  rewriting  the  account,  as 
a  part  of  the  national  history,  he  naturally 
placed  them  in  their  chronological  order.  It 
woidd  probably  be  easy  to  produce  many  par- 
allel e;ises  from  the  correspondence  of  volumi- 
nous letter- writers,  or  from  other  cases  of  re- 
peated composition  on  the  same  subject  by  the 
saiue  writer.  However  this  may  be,  it  seems 
clear  that  the  explanation  now  proposed  is  sim- 
pler in  itself,  and  requires  less  to  be  imagined 
or  supposed  than  any  other,  and  is  therefore, 
even  on  the  strictest  principles  of  criticism,  en- 
titled to  the  preference.     X. 

Thk  Embassy  of  Mekodach-Baladan. 

3  Kiiiffs   30  :  13-19  ;    Zw.    39  :  1-8  ;    3   Chron. 
33  :31. 

Soon  after  his  recovery,  Ilezekiah  received  an 
embassy  from  a  new  quarter.  Hitherto  Baby- 
lon and  Judea  had  been  Isolated  from  one  an- 
other, and  had  [lerhaps  scarcely  known  of  each 
other's  existence.  Assyria  had  stood  between 
them,  and  Babylonia  had  been  for  the  most 
part  an  Assyrian  dependency.  But  recently 
Babylonia  had  asserted  herself.  In  B.C.  723,  on 
the  death  of  Shalmaneser,  a  native  Chaldean 
named  Slerodach-baladan  had  made  hiiuself 
king  of  the  country,  and  maintained  his  inde- 
pendence against  all  the  efforts  of  Sargon  to  re- 
duce him.  His  position,  however,  Wiis  precari- 
ous, and  it  was  probably  in  the  hope  of  con- 
cluding an  alliance  with  Ilezekiah — also  an 
enemy  of  Sargon's  (sec  the  comment  on  verse 
C) — that  he  sent  his  embassy.  He  had  two  ex- 
cuses for  it.  A  neighboring  king  might  well 
congratvilate  his  brother  monarch  on  his  recov- 
ery ;  and  a  Chaklean  prince  might  well  inquire 
into  an  astronomical  marvel  (3  Chron.  33  :  31). 
The  date  of  the  embassy  appears  to  have  been 
ii.c.  713,  the  year  following  on  Hezekiah's  ill- 
ness.    Ilammoitil, 


8EC1I0N  40.     THE  EMBASSY  OF  MERODACH-BALADAN. 


353 


Isa.  39;1,  2.  "At  that  time  Merodach- 
bahidan,  tho  son  of  Baladaii,  king  of  Babylon, 
sent  k'ttc'i's  and  a  present  to  Ilezekiah  ;  for  he 
had  lieard  that  he  liad  been  sick,  (tiid  was  recov- 
ered. And  Ilezekiali  iras  r/lnd  of  them,  and 
showed  them  tlie  lionse  of  liis  precious  things, 
tlie  sil  ver,  and  the  gold. ' '  (The  words  in  italics 
are  additional  to  the  text  of  3  K.  20  :  12.  13). 
The  author  of  Chronicles,  without  relating  the 
circumstance,  makes  a  short  comment  upon  it. 
After  describing  the  riches,  honor  and  pros- 
perity of  Hezekiah,  he  adds  :  "  Howbeit  in  the 
business  of  the  ambassadors  of  tlie  princes  of 
Babylon,  who  sent  unto  him  to  inquire  of  the 
wonder  that  was  done  in  the  land,  God  left  him 
to  try  him,  that  He  might  know  all  that  was  in 
his  heart"  (3  Chron.  33  ;  31). 

The  reign  of  a  Babylonian  monarch,  called 
Merodach-baladan,  at  about  the  period  indicat- 
ed— the  latter  part  of  the  eighth  century  B.C. — 
is  recorded  in  the  famous  "  Canon  of  Ptolemy," 
which  assigns  him  the  years  between  B.C.  723 
and  B.C.  710.  That  the  same  monarch,  after 
being  deprived  of  his  throne,  was  restored  to 
it,  and  had  a  second  reign  of  six  months'  dura- 
tion, is  rehited  by  Alexander  Polyhistor,  the 
friend  of  Sulla.  Tliis  latter  reign  appears  to 
have  belonged  to  the  year  B.C.  703.  So  much 
is  known  to  us  from  the  classical  writers. 
From  the  Assyrian  monuments  we  learn  that 
the  relations  between  Babylonia  and  Assyria, 
during  the  reign  of  Merodach-baladan,  were 
hostile.  Sargon  relates  that  he  attacked  this 
king,  whom  he  viewed  as  a  rebel,  in  his  tirst 
year,  defeated  his  ally,  the  king  of  Elam,  and 
ravaged  his  territory,  but  without  coming  into 
(contact  with  the  Babylonian  monarch  himself. 
After  this,  trouliles  elsewhere  forced  him  to 
leave  Merodach-baladan  in  peace  for  eleven 
years  ;  but  in  his  twelfth  year  he  again  invaded 
Babylonia,  took  Babylon,  and  made  Merodach- 
baladan  a  prisoner.  Five  years  after  this,  as 
we  learn  from  Sennacherib's  annals,  on  the 
death  of  Sargon,  Babylonia  revolted.  Mero- 
dach-baladan, escaping  from  the  custody  in 
which  he  was  held,  liastened  to  Babylon,  and 
re-established  his  authority  over  the  whole 
soutliern  kingdom.  But  Seimacherib  at  once 
marched  against  him,  defeated  his  forces,  re- 
covered Babylon,  and  drove  him  to  take  refuge 
in  the  marshes  of  Southern  Chaldca ;  whence, 
after  a  short  time,  lie  fled  across  the  Persian 
Gulf  to  Southern  Elam,  where  he  died  in  exile. 
The  embassy  of  Merodach-baladan  to  Hezekiah 
falls,  by  Archbishop  Usher's  chronology,  wliicli 
is  here  founded  upon  Ptolemy's  Canon,  into  the 
year  B.C.  718.     It  would  thus  have  taken  place 


between  Sargon's  first  and  second  attack,  very 
short!}'  before  the  latter.  The  monuments  do 
not  mention  it  ;  but  they  show  that  at  this  tim<- 
Merodach-baladan  was  expecting  the  Assj'rians 
to  invade  his  country,  was  looking  out  for  al- 
lies, and  doing  his  best  to  strengthen  his  posi- 
tion. Under  tliese  circumstances  it  would  be 
natural  that  he  should  seek  the  alliance  of 
Hezekiah,  who,  at  the  opposite  end  of  tlie  As- 
syrian dominions,  had  "  rebelled  against  the 
king  of  Assyria,  and  served  him  not"  (2  K. 
18  :  7).  That  be  should  cloak  his  design  undei- 
the  double  pretext  that  his  object  was  to  con 
gratulate  the  Jewish  king  on  his  recovery  from 
a  dangerous  illness  (Isa.  39  :  1),  and  to  inquir<! 
concerning  the  astronomical  "  wonder  done  in 
the  land"  (2  Chron.  33:31),  is  intrinsically 
probable,  being  consonant  with  diplomatic 
practice  both  in  tlie  East  and  in  the  West.  An 
astronomical  marvel,  such  as  that  of  the  going 
back  of  the  shadow  on  the  dial  of  Ahaz  (3  K 
20  :  11  ;  Isa.  38  :  8),  would  naturally  attract  at 
tention  in  Babylonia,  where  the  phenomena  of 
the  heavens  were  observed  with  the  utmost 
diligence  from  a  very  remote  period.     G.  R. 

In  the  fourteenth  year  of  Hezekiah's  reign 
(B.C.  711),  accordinglj',  ambassadors  came  from 
the  court  of  Babylon,  under  the  pretext  of  con- 
gratulating the  Jewish  king  on  his  recovery 
from  sickness.  Their  real  object,  however, 
was  to  concert  measures  with  Hezekiah  for  a 
general  uprising  in  the  West,  and  for  the  for- 
mation of  a  league  against  Sargon,  which 
should  embrace  at  once  Babylonia,  Palestine  and 
Elam.  Hezekiah  was  flattered  bv  such  a  proof 
of  his  own  importance.  He  opened  the  gates 
of  his  armory  and  treasure-house,  and  showed 
the  ambassadors  the  accmnulated  stores  of 
wealth  and  arms  which  he  was  read}'  to  lavish 
on  the  war.     Sayce. 

3-8.  It  was  a  disingenuous  device  when 
Hezekiah,  in  answer  to  the  questioning  of 
Isaiah,  sought  to  divert  him  by  a  reference  to 
the  "  far  country"  whence  the  ambassadors  had 
come,  as  if  flattering  to  Jewish  national  pride, 
and  implying  the  acknowledged  supremacy  of 
Jehovah's  power.  Such  had  not  been  the  object 
of  the  prophet  in  asking  about  the  country  of 
these  strangers.  By  eliciting  that  they  had 
come  from  Babylon,  he  would  indicate  to  Heze- 
kiah that  his  inmost  purpose  in  showing  them 
all  his  treasures  had  been  read.  But  to  know 
it  was  to  pronounce  the  Divine  disapprobation 
of  any  such  alliance  against  Assyria.  This  ex- 
plains the  severity  of  tlie  punishment  after 
ward  denounced  upon  Hezekiah  for  an  offence 
which  otherwise  might  have   seemed   trivial. 


354 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


But  this  limi  clearly  uppcared,  that  Hezekiah 
had  not  learned  the  lessons  which  his  late  dan- 
ger and  God-granted  recovery  were  intended  to 
teach  ;  nor  did  he  learn  them  otherwise  than 
in  the  school  of  extreme  anguish,  after  all  liis 
worldly  policy  had  ended  in  defeat,  his  land 
been  desolated,  and  the  victorious  host  of  Assy- 
ria laid  .siege  to  .Jerusalem.  And  this  seems  to 
bo  the  meaning  of  the  reference  in  3  C'hron. 
82  :  2.5,  26,  to  the  ungratefulness  and  the  pride 
of  the  king  after  his  minictilous  recovery,  as 
well  as  of  this  other  notice  (verse  31),  that  in 
tlie  matter  of  the  ambassadors,  God  had  left 
Hezekiah  to  himself,  to  try  him,  and  "  know  all 
that  was  in  his  heart. "  But  with  God  there  was 
not  any  changeableness.  As  afterward  Isaiah 
denounced  the  alliance  with  Egypt,  so  now  he 
spoke  the  Divine  judgment  on  the  hoped-for 
treaty  with  Babylon.  So  far  from  help  Ijeing  de- 
rived from  such  alliance,  Israel's  future  doom 
and  misery  would  come  from  Babylon,  and  the 
folly  of  Hezekiah  woidd  alike  appear  and  be  pun- 
ished in  the  exile  and  servittide  of  his  descend- 
ants. Thus  in  the  sequence  of  God  this  sowing 
of  disobedience  should  be  followed  by  a  har- 
vest of  j  udgment.  Yet  for  the  present  would 
there  be  "peace  and  continuance" — till  the 
measure  of  iniquity  was  filled.  And  Hezekiiih 
acquiesced  in  the  sentence,  owning  its  justice 
and  grateful  for  its  delay.  Yet  here  also  we 
perceive  shortcoming.  Hezekiah  did  not  reach 
up  to  the  high  level  of  his  father  David  in  cir- 
cumstances somewhat  similar  (3  Sam.  34  :  t"), 
nor  was  his  even  the  humble  absolute  submis- 
sion of  Eli  of  old  (1  Sam.  3:18).  But  as  through- 
out this  history  Isaiah  appeared  as  the  true 
prophet  of  God  by  the  consistency  of  his  utter- 
ance of  the  Divine  Will  against  all  heathen  alli- 
ances, by  His  resistance  to  all  worldly  policy. 
8o  did  he  now  rise  to  the  full  height  of  his 
office.  Never  before  had  there  been  so  unmis- 
takable a  prediction  of  the  future  as  when 
Isaiah  in  the  full  height  of  Assyria's  power  an- 
nounced that  the  world-empire  of  the  future 
would  not  belong  to  it,  but  to  vanquished 
Babylonia,  and  that  Judah's  judgment  would 
not  come  from  their  present  dreaded  enemies, 
but  from  those  who  now  had  sought  their  alli- 
ance.   A.  E. 

3,  4.  It  is  noticeable  that  Hezekiah  did  not 
at  first  answer  both  th(!  questions  put  by 
Isaiah.  But  the  prophet  had  his  mission  from 
God  and  knew  where  to  place  his  finger  to 
touch  the  sin  of  his  king  and  friend.  This 
must  have  been  to  him  a  heavy  message,  borne 
with  a  sad  heart,  yet  a  heart  true  and  faithfid 
to  his  God.     No  hint  is  dropped  as  to  his  emo- 


tions however  ;  we  only  know  that  h<"  did  not 
shrink  in  any  wise  from  this  ]iaiiifiil  duty. 
H.  C. 

It  was  not  for  a  mere  yielding  to  vanity  that 
Isaiah  so  severely  rebuked  him.  His  offence 
was  of  a  graver  kind.  The  ambassatiors  had 
come  with  proposals  for  an  alliance,  and  in 
hearkening  to  them  on  this  subject  Hezekiah 
had  really  been  unfaithful  to  his  position  as  a 
theocratic  king.  He  was  departing  from  the  ex- 
ample set  him  by  David.  As  king  of  the  holy 
nation,  it  wius  his  duty  to  keep  himself  free 
from  entangling  worldly  alliances,  to  make 
God  his  boast,  to  rely  on  Him  for  defence  and 
help,  and  to  resist  solicitations  to  worldly  pride 
and  vanity.  From  this  ideal  he  had  fallen. 
In  displaying  his  treasures,  he  was  practically 
placing  them  before  God,  as  the  glory  and  de- 
fence of  his  kingdom.  In  reciprocating  the 
friendship  of  the  foreigners,  accepting  their 
gifts,  and  encouraging  their  advances,  he  wjw 
taking  a  first  step  in  that  direction  of  forming 
worldly  alliances,  which  afterward  brought 
such  trouble  on  the  state.  It  was  this  policy, 
indeed,  which  ultimately  led  to  the  Captivity, 
as  already  a  similar  policy  had  wrought  the 
ruin  of  Israel.  The  lessons  for  the  Christian 
are  obvious.  "  The  friendship  of  the  world  is 
enmity  with  God"  (James  4  ;  4).  It  is  his  duty 
to  avoid  worldly  display,  to  guard  against  be- 
ing ruled  by  worldly  motives  and  ambitions, 
and  to  avoid  ensnaring  worldly  alliances.  He 
who  gives  way  to  these  things  is  laying  the 
foundations  of  his  own  spiritual  overthrow. 
J.  O. 

In  his  memorial  song  he  had  expressed  a  very 
earnest  desire  to  live  that  he  might  praise  God 
among  the  living  and  testify  to  all  the  world 
his  gratitude  to  his  gracioiLs  Benefactor  ;  and 
yet  when  this  admirable  opportunity  came 
providentially  to  his  hand,  his  vanity  swamped 
his  piety,  made  him  forget  his  solemn  vow  to 
walk  softly  before  God  all  his  days,  and  drove 
out  of  his  mind  (apparently)  every  thought  of 
bearing  a  grateful  testimony  for  the  God  of  Is- 
rael before  these  heathen  ambassadors.  Alas 
for  human  frailty  when  God  leaves  a  man  to 
try  him  that  He  may  know  what  is  in  his 
heart  !  This  is  the  discriminating  and  philo- 
sophical explanation  given  by  the  author  of 
3  Chron.  (33  :  2,5)  of  this  sad  dereliction  in 
Christian  duty.     II.  C. 

2  Cliron.  32::tl.  Ood  left  htm  to 
try  him.  God  rules  men  on  large  principles, 
bvit  proves  them  by  specific  tests.  His  law  is 
great  and  equitable  ;  the  trial  of  obedience  to 
it  is  sometimes  quite  minute.     In  the  garden 


SECTION  40.     THE  EMBASSY  OF  MERODACH-BALADAN. 


355 


within  the  land  of  Eden  man  and  woman  were 
put  under  a  rule  of  universal  obedience  to  the 
voice  of  tlie  Lord,  and  they  were  tested  by  this 
specific  requirement,  to  abstain  from  the  fruit 
of  one  of  the  trees  in  the  garden.  Lot,  his  wife 
and  daughters  were  rescued  by  angels  from  a 
doomed  city,  and  enjoined  to  flee  to  the  moun- 
tains ;  "  but  his  wife  looked  back  from  behind 
him,  and  she  became  a  pillar  of  salt."  Heze- 
kiah,  devoutlj'  referring  everything  to  God, 
had  great  deliverances  and  a  prosperous  reign  ; 
but  failing  to  consult  the  Lord  when  a  flatter- 
ing embassy  came  to  him  from  Babylon,  he  re- 
vealed vainglory  lurking  in  his  heart,  and 
broke  down  the  wall  of  defence  which  his 
previous  piety  had   reared   round  his   throne. 

D.   F. When  Sennacherib  threatens,  when 

his  messengers  blaspheme,  the  Jewish  monarch 
remains  firm  ;  his  faith  is  imshaken  ;  he  casts 
his  care  upon  God,  looks  to  Him  and  Ilim  only  ; 
believes  in  Him,  trusts  in  Him,  regards  prayer 
as  the  only  door  of  safety.  Similarly,  when 
disease  prostrates  him,  and  the  prophet  is  com- 
missioned to  bid  him  "  set  his  house  in  order  ; 
for  he  shall  die,  and  not  live,"  his  faith  fails 
not,  in  God  is  still  his  refuge,  to  God  alone  he 
betakes  himself,  and  prays  and  weeps  sore. 
But  the  danger  past,  health  restored,  the  ad- 
miration of  foreign  kings  attracted,  his  ear  be- 
sieged 1)3'  congratulations  and  flatteries,  his 
court  visited  by  envoys  from  "  a  far  country," 
and  at  once  his  grasp  relaxes,  the  thought  of 
God  fades  from  his  heart,  his  faith  slips  from 
him,  and  he  is  a  mere  worldling,  bent  on  win 
ning  to  himself  a  great  alliance,  and  obtaining 
the  aid  of  an  "  arm  of  flesh"  again.st  his  enemies. 
And  so  it  is  and  will  ever  be  with  most  of  us. 
We  can  bear  the  buffets  of  fortune,  resist  them, 
defy  them,  and  still  maintain  our  integrity  ; 
but  let  the  world  smile,  let  fortune  favor  us,  let 
riches  increase,  let  friends  spring  up  on  all 
sides,  and  how  few  of  us  can  stand  the  sunshine  ! 
Hammond. 

The  Scripture  history  faithfully  exhibits  the 
temptations  that  have  charms  for  us  all,  and 
the  failures  of  God's  most  favored  children. 
The  whole  Bible  breathes  the  same  tone  of  no- 
ble frankness.  One  is  constantly  reminded  of 
God,  who  "cannot  lie."  Not  a  lurking  pas- 
sion is  suffered  to  remain  undetected  in  its  liv- 
ing pictures.  Motives  which  we  should  be 
ashamed  to  avow  are  dragged  before  our  con- 
science in  the  history  of  another  ;  and  while 
his  sentence  is  passed  we  feel  a  personal  con- 
demnation. This  is,  indeed,  the  true  and  high- 
est use  of  history  ;  to  speak  to  the  heart  through 
the  understanding  ;   to  make  every  character 


that  is  brought  before  us  promote  the  forma- 
tion and  consolidation  of  our  own.  Ertcyc. 
Metrop. 

Isa.  39 : 5-7.  This  prophecy,  delivered 
while  yet  Babylon  was  scarce!}'  an  independent 
power,  received  (a  full  hundred  years  later)  a 
very  specific  fulfilment.  This  message  must 
be  dated  about  n.c.  713.  The  first  considerable 
deportation  of  captives  occurred  B.C.  606  ;  the 
last  B.C.  588.  H.  C. To  those  who  are  un- 
der no  unhappy  necessity  of  explaining  away 
the  clearest  proofs  of  inspiration  and  prophetic 
foresight,  this  passage  affords  a  striking  in- 
stance of  the  gradual  development  of  pro])hecy. 
The  general  threatening  of  expatriation  had 
been  uttered  seven  htmdred  j'cars  before  by 
Jloses  (Lev.  26  :  33  ;  De.  28  ;  64-67  ;  30  :  3). 
Five  hundred  years  later,  Ahijah  had  declared 
that  Israel  should  be  rooted  up  and  scattered 
beyond  the  ricer  (1  K.  14  :  15).  Within  a  hun- 
dred years  they  had  been  threatened  by  Amos 
with  captiiity  beyond  Damascus  (Amos  5  ;  27). 
Isaiah  himself  had  obscurely  intimated  a  future 
connection  between  the  fortunes  of  Israel  and 
Babylon  (chaps.  14  :  1  ;  21  :  10).  But  here,  for 
the  first  time,  the  Babylonish  exile  is  explicitly 
foretold,  unless  the  similar  prediction  of  the 
contemporary  prophet  Slicah  (4  :  10)  be  consid- 
ered earlier.  The  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy 
began  in  the  deportation  of  Manasseh  (2  Chron. 
33  ;  11),  but  was  described  as  something  still 
prospective  by  Jeremiah  (20  :  5),  in  whose  days, 
and  the  reign  of  Zcdekiah,  it  was  at  length 
fully  accomplished  (2  Chron.  36  :  18).     A. 

7.  Now  he  was  told,  that  of  the  sons  which 
should  issue  from  him,  which  he  should  beget, 
there  would  be  captives  taken,  who  would  be 
carried  to  Babylon.  The  curse  of  childlessness 
was  therefore  to  be  removed  from  him  ;  his 
wife,  Hephzibah — happily  named  (Isa  63  :  4) — 
was  to  bear  him  at  least  one  son  ;  his  seed  was 
to  sit  upon  the  throne  of  David  ;  and  the  Mes- 
siah might  be,  as  in  fact  He  was,  among  his 
posterity.  And  within  the  space  of  a  year  or 
two  the  implied  promise  received  fulfilment. 
Hephzibah  brought  forth  her  first-born,  and  it 
proved  a  "  man  child. "  No  doubt  the  joy  of 
the  parents  was  great,  and  overshadowed  by 
no  prevision  of  his  future  apostasj'.  They 
called  their  child  Manasseh,  implying,  that 
nov/  all  their  domestic  troubles  were  forgotten 
(Gen.  41  :  51),  and  perhaps  anticipating  that  the 
name  might  prove  attractive  to  the  remnant  of 
the  Israelites.     6.  R. 

§.  A  feeling  of  relief  and  satisfaction  that 
the  evil  is  not  to  come  in  his  day  would  be  but 
natural,  and  though  not  according  to  the  stand- 


356 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


;inl  of  Christ iiin  ipcrfoctncsa,  would  imply  no 
viTV  firciit  (ii'fecl  of  th;inicl('r  in  oiiu  who  lived 
under  the  old  dis|)ensation.  .Moileriis  are  too 
npt  to  rejiiird  the  <)1<1  Teslainont  saints  as  per- 
fect, and  to  justify  all  they  did  or  said,  which 
the  profoundest  reverence  for  the  old  Scriptures 
and  the  truest  sympathy  with  the  saints  does 

not  require  us  to  do.     H.   C. But  we  can 

hardly  see  in  this  reply  only  a  selfish  cfrotism. 
Two  feelinss  are  plainly  expiesseil.  Innnblc 
submission  to  the  justice  of  God's  sentence, 
and  Ihaidifulncss  for  the  merciful  limitation, 
llis  sinful  pride,  of  which  he  Wius  now  made 
conscious,  was  not  snllcn-d  to  reverse  the 
earlier  promise.  His  faith,  prayers  and  zeal, 
in  si)ite  of  his  sin,  had  availed  t )  turn  back  for 
his  lifetime  the  dcepeninj^  shadow  on  the  dial- 
plate  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah  ;  and  he  saw  in 
this  suspense  of  coming  judgments,  long  de- 
served by  the  nation,  a  clear  token  of  the  good- 
ness of  the  Lord.  He  owned  the  goodness  of 
the  Lord  in  a  threatening  which  might  have 
seemed  severe  ;  and  there  follows  iircsently 
(Isa.  40)  a  glorious  series  of  fuller  jiromises 
than  ever  before,  with  their  gracious  preface — 
"  Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  jieople,  saith 
your  God."     liirks. 

"  I  have  deserved  a  present  payment ;  O 
God,  Thou  defcrrest  it :  I  have  deserved  Wiir 
and  tumult ;  Thou  favorest  me  with  peace  ;  I 
have  deserved  to  be  overrun  with  superstition 


an<i  idolatry  ;  Thou  blessest  me  with  truth  : 
shouldst  Thou  continue  truth  unto  me  though 
upon  the  most  uncjuiet  terms,  the  blessing 
were  too  good  for  me  ;  but  now  Thou  hast 
promised,  and  wilt  not  reverse  it,  that  both 
truth  and  peace  shall  be  in  my  daj's  :  Lord,  1 
adore  Thy  justice,  I  bless  Thy  mercy."  God's 
children  arc  neither  wasjiish  nor  sullen  when 
they  are  chid  or  beaten  ;  but  jniticntly  hold 
their  backs  to  the  stripes  of  a  disidcased  mercy  ; 
knowing  how  much  more  God  is  to  be  magni- 
lied  for  what  He  might  have  done,  than  repined 
at  for  what  He  hath  done  ;  resigning  them- 
selves over  into  the  hand  of  that  gracious  jus- 
tice which  in  their  smart  seeks  their  reforma- 
tion and  glory.     l}p.  II. 

Viewed  in  whole  his  character  is  not  un- 
blemished, yet  is  in  the  main  that  of  a  man  of 
prayer  and  of  both  favor  and  power  with  God, 
whose  reign  bore  a  glorious  testimony  to  Jeho- 
vah's presence  with  His  people,  and  to  th<! 
nught  of  His  arm  for  their  salvation  Tlie  im 
pulses  of  those  memorable  sci'iies  live  and  are 
borne  down  through  all  time  in  the  sublime 
faith  and  the  glorious  visions  of  Isaiah  th(^ 
prophet.  His  eye  saw  them  ;  his  soul  felt 
their  utmost  thiilliug  power.  The  spirit  of 
prophecy  availed  itself  of  those  present  mani- 
festations of  God  to  exalt  Ms  conceptions  of 
the  glorious  future  of  the  real  Zion — the  city 
and  kingdom  of  the  Great  God.     H.  C. 


Section  41. 

REIGN   OF  HEZEKIAH   (Gmduded). 
Sennacheuib's  Aumv  Destroyed.     Death  of  Hezekiait. 


2 Kings  18  :  13-37  ;  19  : 1-37  ;  20  :  20,  21  ;  Isaiah 
30.  37  (inENTiCAi,  WITH  Kings). 

18:13  Now  in  the  fourteenth  year  of  king 
He/.ekiah  ditl  Sennacherib  king  of  Assyria 
come  up   against   all   the  fenced  cities  of 

14  Judah,  and  took  them.  And  Hezekiah 
king  of  Judah  sent  to  the  king  of  Assyria  to 
Lachish,  saying,  I  have  ofTcndcd  ;  return 
from  me  :  that  which  thou  puttest  on  me 
will  I  bear.  And  the  king  of  Assj'ria  ap- 
pointed unto  Hc/,ekiah  king  of  Judah  three 
hundred  talents  a(  silver  and  thirty  talents 

15  of  gold.  And  Hezekiah  gave  him  all  the 
silver  that  was  found  in  the  house  of  the 


2  Chronicles  33  :  1-23,  32,  33. 

1  Aftkk  these  things,  and  this  faithfulness, 
Sennacherib  king  of  Assyria  came,  and  en 
tered  into  Judah.  and  encamped  against  tlu^ 
fenced  cities,  and  thought  to  win  them  for 

2  himself.  And  when  Hezekiah  saw  that 
Sennacherib   was  come,   and   that  he  was 

3  purposed  to  fight  against  Jerusalem,  he  took 
counsel  with  his  princes  and  his  mighty  men 
to  stop  the  waters  of  the  fountains  which 
were   without  the  city  ;    and   they   helped 

4  him.  So  there  was  gathered  much  people 
together,  and  they  stopped  all  the  fountains, 
and  the  brook  that  flowed  through  the  midst 


SECTION  il.     liEIGN  OF  UEZEKIAH. 


357 


Lord,    and  in  the  treasures  of  the   king's 

16  liouse.  At  tliat  time  did  Ilezekiah  cut  off 
the  gold  from  tlie  doors  of  tlie  tcinjile  of  the 
Lord,  and  from  the  pillars  which  IlezeUiah 
king  of  Judah  had  overlaid,  and  gave  it  to 
the  king  of  Assyria. 

17  And  the  king  of  Assyria  sent  Tartan  and 
Rab-  saris  and  Rabsliakeli  from  Lachish  to 
king  Ilezekiah  with  a  great  army  unto  Je- 
rusalem. Anil  they  went  up  and  came  to 
Jerusalem.  And  when  they  were  come  up, 
they  came  and  stood  by  the  conduit  of  the 
upper  pool,  which  is  in  the  high  way  of  the 

18  fuller's  field.  And  when  thej'  had  called  to 
the  king,  there  came  out  to  them  Eliakim 
the  son  of  Hilkiah,  which  was  over  the 
household,  and  Shebnah  the  scribe,  and  Joah 

19  the  son  of  Asaph  the  recorder.  And  Kal> 
shakehsaid  unto  them,  Saj'  ye  now  to  Ileze- 
kiah, Thus  saith  the  great  king,  the  king  of 
Assyria,   What  confidence  is  this   wherein 

30  thou  trustest  ?  Thou  sayest,  but  they  are 
but  vain  words,  There  is  counsel  and 
strength  for  the  war.  Now  on  whom  dost 
thou  trust,  that  thou  hast  rebelled  against 

31  me  ?  Now,  behold,  thou  trustest  upon  the 
staff  of  this  bruised  reed,  even  upon  Egypt ; 
whereon  if  a  man  lean,  it  will  go  into  his 
hand,  and   pierce  it  :  so  is  Pharaoh  king  of 

22  Egypt  imto  all  that  trust  on  him.  But  if 
ye  say  unto  me.  We  trust  in  the  Lord  our 
God  :  is  not  that  he,  whose  liigh  places  and 
who.se  altars  Ilezekiali  hath  taken  away,  and 
hath  said  to  Judah  and  to  Jerusalem,  Ye 
shall  worship  before  this  altar  in  Jerusalem  ? 

33  Now  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  give  pledges  to 
ray  master  the  king  of  Assyria,  and  I  will 
give  thee  two  thousand  horses,  if  thou  be 
able   on  thy  part  to  set  riders  upon  them. 

24  How  then  canst  thou  turn  away  the  face  of 
one  captain  of  the  least  of  my  master's  ser- 
vants,   and    put    thy   trust  on   Egypt   for 

25  chariots  and  for  horsemen  ?  Am  I  now  come 
up  without  the  Lord  against  this  place  to 
destroy  it  ?    The  Lord  said  unto  me.  Go 

36  up  against  this  land,  and  destroy  it.  Then 
said  Eliakim  the  son  of  Hilkiah,  and  Sheb- 
nah, and  Joah,  unto  Rabshakeh,  Speak,  I 
pray  thee,  to  thy  servants  in  the  Syrian 
language  ;  for  we  understand  it  :  and  speak 
not  with  us  in  the  Jews'  language,  in  the 

37  ears  of  the  people  that  are  on  the  wall.  But 
Rabshaki'h  said  unto  them.  Hath  my  mas- 
ter sent  me  to  thy  master,  and  to  thee,  to 
speak  these  words  ?  hath  he  not  sent  me  to 
the  men  which  sit  on  the  wall,  to  eat  their 
own  dung,  and  to  drink  their  own  water 


of  the  land,  saying.  Why  should  the  king.s 
of  Assj'ria  come,   and   find   much   water  ? 

5  And  he  took  courage,  and  built  up  all  the 
wall  that  was  broken  down,  and  raised  it  up 
to  the  towers,  and  the  other  wall  without, 
and  strengthened  Millo  (';»  the  city  of  David, 
and  made  weapons  and  shields  in  abundance. 

6  And  he  set  captains  of  war  over  the  people, 
and  gathered  them  together  to  him  in  the 
broad  place  at  the  gate  of  the  city,  and  spake 

7  comfortably  to  them,  saying.  Be  strong  and 
of  a  good  courage,  be  not  afraid  nor  disnuyed 
for  the  king  of  Assyria,  nor  for  all  the  mul- 

8  titude  that  is  with  him  :  for  there  is  a  greater 
with  us  than  with  him  :  with  him  is  an  arm 
of  flesh  ;  but  with  us  is  the  Lord  our  God  to 
help  us,  and  to  fight  our  battles.  And  the 
people  rested  themselves  upon  the  words  of 
Hezckiah  king  of  Judah. 

9  After  this  did  Sennacherib  king  of  Assyria 
send  his  servants  to  Jerusalem,  (noAv  he  was 
before  Lachish,  and  all  his  powerwith  him,) 
unto  Ilezekiah  king  of  Judah,  and  unto 
all  Judah,  that   were  at  Jerusalem,  saying, 

10  Thus  saith  Sennacherib  king  of  Assyria, 
Whereon  do  ye  trust,  that  ye  abide  the  siege 

11  in  Jerusalem  ?  Doth  not  Hezekiah  per- 
suade you,  to  give  3'ou  over  to  die  by  fam- 
ine and  by  thirst,  saying.  The  Lord  our  God 
shall  deliver  us  out  of  the  hand  of  the  king 

12  of  Assyria  ?  Hath  not  the  same  Hezekiah 
taken  away  his  high  places  and  his  altars, 
and  commanded  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  say- 
ing. Ye  shall  worship  before  one  altar,  and 

13  upon  it  shall  ye  burn  incense  ?  Know  ye 
no.;  what  I  and  my  fathers  have  doue  unto 
all  the  peoples  of  the  lands  ?  Were  the  gods 
of  the  nations  of  the  lands  any  ways  able  to 

14  deliver  their  land  out  of  mine  hand  ?  Who 
was  there  among  all  the  gods  of  those  na- 
tions which  my  fathers  utterly  destroyed, 
that  could  deliver  his  people  out  of  mine 
hand,  that  your  God  should  be  able  to  deliver 

15  you  out  of  mine  hand  ?  Now  therefore  let 
not  Hezekiah  deceive  you,  nor  persuade  you 
on  this  manner,  neither  believe  ye  him  :  for 
no  god  of  any  nation  or  kingdom  was  able 
to  deliver  his  people  out  of  mine  hand,  and 
out  of  the  hand  of  my  fathers  :  how  much 
less  shall  your  God  deliver  you  out  of  mine 

16  hand  ?  And  his  servants  spake  yet  more 
against  the  Lord  God, and  again.st  his  servant 

17  Hezekiah.  He  wrote  also  letters,  to  rail  on 
the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  and  to  speak 
again.st  him,  saying,  As  the  gods  of  the  na- 
tions of  the  lands,  which  have  not  delivered 
their  people  out  of  mine  hand,  so  shall  not 


358 


KINODOir  OF  JUDATT. 


28  Willi  yo\i  1  Then  Rabshakch  stood,  and 
cried  with  a  loud  voice  in  the  Jews'  Ian- 
gua;ri',  and  spake,  saying.  Hear  ye  the  word 

2fl  of  the, sreatkin;;,  the  king  of  Assyria.  Thus 
saith  Uie  king.  Let  not  Ilezekiah  deceive 
you  ;  for  he  shall  not  be  able  Ui  deliver  you 

80  out  of  his  hand  :  neither  let  lle/.ekiah  make 
yo\i  trust  in  the  Loud,  saying.  The  Loud 
■will  surely  deliver  us,  and  this  city  shall 
not  be  given  into  the  hand  of  the  king  of 

81  Assyria.  Hearken  not  to  Hezckiah :  for 
thus  saith  the  king  of  Assyria,  JIake  your 
peace  with  nie,  and  conic  out  to  me  ;  and  eat 
ye  every  one  of  his  vine,  and  every  one  of 
his   tig   tree,   and   drink  ye   every  one  the 

32  waters  of  his  own  cistern  ;  until  I  come  and 
take  you  away  to  a  land  like  your  own  land. 
a  land  of  corn  and  wine,  a  land  of  bread  and 
vineyards,  a  land  of  oil  olive  and  of  honey, 
that  ye  may  live,  and  not  die  :  and  hearken 
not  unto  Hczekiah,  when  he  persuadeth  you, 

33  saying,  The  Loud  will  deliver  us.  Hath 
any  of  the  gods  of  the  nations  ever  delivered 
his  land  out  of  the  hand  of  the  king  of  As- 

34  Syria  ?  Where  are  the  gods  of  Hamatli, 
and  of  Arpad  ?  wliere  are  the  gods  of  Scp- 
harvaim,  of  Hena,   and  Ivvah  ?   have  they 

35  delivered  Samaria  out  of  my  hand  ?  Who 
are  they  ammg  all  the  gods  of  the  countries, 
that  have  delivered  their  country  out  of  my 
hand,  that  the  Lord  should  deliver  Jerusa- 

36  lem  out  of  my  hand  ?  But  the  people  held 
their  peace,  and  answered  him  not  a  word  : 
for  the  king's  commandment  was.  saying. 

37  Answer  him  not.  Then  came  Eliakim, 
the  son  of  Hilkiah,  which  was  over  the 
hou.sehoUl,  and  Shebna  the  scribe,  and  Joali 
the  son  of  Asaph  the  recorder,  to  Hezckiah 
with   their  clothes   rent,  and    told    him  the 


the  God  of  Hczekiah  deliver  his  people  out 

18  of  mine  hand.  And  they  cried  with  a  loud 
voice  in  the  Jews'  language  unto  the  people 
of  Jerusalem  that  were  on  the  wall,  to 
alTright   them,   and  to  trouble    them  ;  that 

19  they  might  take  the  city.  And  they  spake 
of  the  God  of  Jeru.salem.  as  of  the  gods  of 
the  peoples  of  the  earth,  which  are  the  work 

20  of  men's  hands.  And  Hczekiah  the  king,  and 
Isaiah  the  prophet  the  son  of  Amoz.  prayed 

21  because  of  this,  and  cried  to  heaven.  And 
the  Loud  sent  an  angel,  which  cut  off  all  the 
mighty  men  of  valour,  and  the  leaders  and 
captains,  in  the  camp  of  the  king  of  Assyria. 
So  he  returned  with  shame  of  face  to  his  own 
land.  And  when  he  was  come  into  the  liou.se 
of  his  god.  they  that  came  forth  of  his 
own  bowels  slew  him  there  with  the  sword. 

22  Thus  the  Loud  saved  Hczekiah  and  the  in- 
habitants of  Jerusalem  from  the  hand  of 
Sennacherib  the  king  of  A.ssyria.  and  from 
the  hand  of  all  other,  and  guided  them  on 

23  every  side.  And  many  brought  gifts  unto 
the  Loud  to  Jeru.salem.  and  precious  things 
to  Hczekiah  king  of  Judah  :  so  that  he  was 
exaltfd  in  the  sight  of  all  nations  from 
thenceforth. 


2  Chronicles  32  :  82,  83. 


32 


Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Hezckiah,  and 
his  good  deeds,  behold,  they  are  written  in 
the  vision  of  Isaiah  the  prophet  the  son  of 
Amoz,  in  the  book  of  the  kings  of  Judah  and 
33  Israel.  And  Hczekiah  slept  with  his  fathers, 
and  they  buried  him  in  the  ascent  of  the 
sepulchres  of  the  sons  of  David  :  and  all 
Judah  and  the  inhabitants  of  .Teriisalem 
did  him  honour  at  his  death.  And  Mauasseh 
his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 


words  of  Uabshakeh. 

19 :  1  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  king  Hczekiah  heard  it,  that  he  rent  his  clothes,  and 

2  covered  himself  with  sackcloth,  and  went  into  the  house  of  the  Lord.  And  he  sent 
Eliakim,  wdiich  was  over  the  household,  and  Shebna  the  scribe,  and  the  elders  of  the  priests, 

3  covered  with  siickchith,  unto  Isaiah  the  prophet  the  son  of  Amoz.  And  they  said  unto  liim. 
Thus  saith  Hezckiah,  This  day  is  a  day  of  trouble,  and  of  rebuke,  and  of  contumely  :  for 

4  tlie  children  are  come  to  the  birth,  and  there  is  not  strength  to  bring  forth.  It  may  be  the 
liOUD  thy  God  will  hear  all  the  words  of  Uabshakeh.  whom  the  king  of  Assyria  his  master 
hath  sent  to  reproach  the  living  God,  and  will  rebuke  the  words  which  the  Loud  thy  God 

5  hath  heard  ;  wherefore  lift  up  thy  jirayer  for  the  remnant  that  is  left.     So  the  servants  of 

6  king  Ilezekiah  came  to  Isaiah.  And  Isaiah  said  unto  them.  Thus  shall  ye  say  to  your  master. 
Thus  saith  the  Loud,  lie  not  afraid  of  the  words  that  thou  hast  heard,  wherewith  the  ser- 

7  vants  of  the  king  of  ^Vssyria  have  blasphemed  me.  Behold,  I  will  put  a  spirit  in  him,  and  he 
shall  hear  a  rumour,  and  shall  return  to  liis  own  land  ;  and  I  will  cause  him  to  fall  liy  the 
sworil  in  his  own  land. 

8  So  Itibshakeh  returned,  and   found  the  king  of  Assyria  warring  a.gainst  Lil)nah  :  for  he 

9  had  heard  that  he  was  departed  from  Lachish.  And  when  lie  heard  say  of  Tirliakali  king 
of  Ethioiiia.  Behold,  he  is  come  out   to  light  agaiiLst  thee:  he  sent  messengers  again  unto 


SECTION  41.     REIQN  OF  BEZEKIAU.  359 

10  Hczekiah,  saying,  Thus  shall  ye  speak  to  Hezekiah  king  of  Judah,  saying,  Let  not  thy  God 
in  whom  thou  trustest  dceeive  thee,  saying,  Jerusalem  shall  not  be  given  into  the  hand  of  the 

11  king  of  Assyria.     Behold,  thou  hast  heard  what  the  kings  of  Assyria  have  done  to  all  lands, 

12  by  destroying  them  utterly  :  and  shalt  thou  be  delivered  ?  Have  the  gods  of  the  nations 
delivered  them,  which  my  fathers  have  destroyed,  Gozan,  and  Haran,  and  Rezeph,  and  the 

13  children  of  Eden  which  were  in  Telassar  ?     Where  is  the  king  of  Ilamath,  and  the  king  of 

14  Arjiad,  and  the  king  of  the  city  of  Sepharvaim,  of  Ilena,  and  Ivvah  ?  And  Hezekiah  re- 
ceived the  letter  from  the  hand  of  the  messengers,  and  read  it  :  and  Hczekiah  went  up  unto 

15  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  spread  it  before  the  Lord.  And  Hezekiah  prayed  before  the  Lord, 
and  said,  O  Lord,  [of  hosts,]  the  God  of  Israel,  that  sittest  upon  the  cherubim,  thou  art  the 
God,  even  thou  alone,  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  ;  thou  hast  made  heaven  and  earth. 

16  Incline  thine  car,  O  Loud,  and  hear  ;  open  thine  eyes,  O  Lord,  and  see,  and  hear  the  words 

17  of  Sennacherib,  wherewith  he  hath  sent  him  to  reproach  the  living  God.  Of  a  truth.  Lord, 
the  kings  of  Assyria  have  laid  waste  the  nations  and  their  lands,  and  have  cast  their  gods 

18  into  the  fire  :  for  they  were  no  gods,  but  the  work  of  men's  hands,  wood  and  stone  ;  there- 

19  fore  they  have  destroyed  tliem.  Now  therefore,  O  Loud  our  God,  save  thou  us,  I  beseech 
thee,  out  of  his  hand,  that  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  may  know  that  thou  art  the  Lord 
God,  even  thou  only. 

20  Then  Isaiah  the  son  of  Amoz  sent  to  Hezekiah,  saying.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of 
Israel,  Whereas  thou  ha-st  prayed  to  me  against  Sennacherib  king  of  Assyria,  I  have  heard 

21  thee.  This  is  the  word  that  the  Lord  hath  spoken  cimcerning  him  :  The  virgin  daughter  of 
Zion  hath  despised  thee  and  laughed  thee  to  scorn  ;  the  daughter  of  Jerusalem  hath  shaken 

22  her  head  at  thee.  Whom  hast  thou  reproached  and  blasphemed  ?  and  against  whom  hast 
thou  exalted  thy  voice  and  lifted  up  thine  eyes  on  high  ?  even  against  the  Holy  One  of 

23  Israel.  By  thy  messengers  thou  hast  reproached  the  Loud,  and  hast  said.  With  the  multitude 
of  my  chariots  am  I  come  up  to  the  height  of  the  mountains,  to  the  innermost  parts  of  Leba- 
non ;  and  I  will  cut  down  the  tall  cedars  thereof,  and  the  choice  fir  trees  thereof  :  and  I  will 

24  enter  into  his  farthest  lodging  place,  the  forest  of  his  fruitful  field.     I  have  digged  and  drunk 

25  strange  waters,  and  with  the  sole  of  my  feet  will  I  dry  up  all  the  rivers  of  Egypt.  Hast 
thou  not  heard  how  I  have  done  it  long  ago,  and  formed  it  of  ancient  times  ?  now  have  I 
brought  it  to  pass,  that  thou  shouldest  be  to  lay  waste  fenced  cities  into  ruinous  heaps. 

26  Therefore  their  inhabitants  were  of  small  power,  they  were  dismayed  and  confounded  ;  they 
were  as  the  grass  of  the  field,  and  as  the  green  herb,  as  the  griiss  on  the  housetops,  and  as 

27  corn  blasted  before  it  be  grown  up.     But  I  know  thy  sitting  down,  and  th)'  going  out,  and 

28  thy  coming  in,  and  thy  raging  against  me.  Because  of  thy  raging  against  me,  and  for  that 
thine  arroganey  is  come  up  into  mine  ears,  therefore  will  I  put  my  hook  in  thy  nose,  and 

29  my  bridle  in  thy  lips,  and  I  will  turn  thee  back  by  the  way  by  which  thou  camest.  And  this 
shall  be  the  sign  unto  thee  :  ye  shall  eat  this  year  that  which  groweth  of  itself,  and  in  the 
second  year  that  which  springeth  of  the  sam2  ;  and  in  the  third  year  sow  ye,  and  reap,  and 

30  plant  vineyards,  and  eat  the  fruit  thereof.     And  the  remnant  that  is  escaped  of  the  house  of 

31  Judah  shall  again  take  root  downward,  and  bear  fruit  upward.  For  out  of  Jerusalem  shall 
go  forth  a  remnant,  and  out  of  mount  Zion  they  that  shall  escape  :  the  zeal  of  the  Lord  shall 

32  perform  this.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  concerning  the  king  of  Assyria,  He  shall  not 
come  uato  this  city,  nor  shoot  an  arrow  there,  neither  shall  he  come  before  it  with  shield,  nor 

33  cast  a  mount  against  it.     By  the  way  that  he  came,  by  the  .same  shall  he  return,  and  he  shall 

34  not  come  unto  this  city,  saith  the  Lord.  For  I  will  defend  this  city  to  save  it,  for  mine 
own  sake,  and  for  my  servant  David's  sake. 

35  And  it  came  to  pass  that  night,  that  the  angel  of  the  Lord  went  forth,  and  smote  in  the 
camp  of  the  Assyrians  an  hundred  fourscore  and  five  thousand  :  and  when  men  arose  early 

36  in  the  morning,  behold,  they  were  all  dead  corpses.     So  Sennacherib  king  of  Assyria  de- 

37  parted,  and  went  and  returned,  and  dwelt  at  Nineveh.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  was 
worshipping  in  the  house  of  Nisroch  his  god,  that  Adrammelech  and  Sharezer  his  sons  smote 
him  with  the  sword  ;  and  they  escaped  into  the  land  of  Ararat.  And  Esar-haddon  his  son 
reigned  in  his  stead. 

2  Kings  20:20,  21. 

20  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Hczekiah,  and  all  his  might,  and  he  made  the  pool  and  the  con- 
duit and  brought  water  into  the  city,  are  they  not  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of 


360 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


21  tlic  kings  of  Judah  1     And  Ilezekiah  slijit  with  his  futhi-rs  :  and  Manasseh  his  son  reigned  in 
his  stead. 


OltKilN  AMI  AlTIIOHSIIir  OK  2  KiNUS  18  AND  19, 

AND  Isaiah  36  and  37. 

TiiK  simple,  cominoii-seiisc  view  of  the  mat- 
ter is.  that  since  tlie  traditional  position  of 
these  chapters  anion,!;  the  writings  of  Isaiah 
corresponds  exactly  to  the  known  fact  of  liis 
having  written  a  part  of  tlie  history  of  Jiidah, 
the  presumption  in  favor  of  liis  having  written 
botli  the  passages  in  question  cannot  be  sliakcn 
by  the  mere  possibility,  or  even  tlie  intrinsic 
probability,  of  other  liypotheses,  for  which 
tliere  is  not  tlie  least  external  evidence.  Tlie 
specific  end  for  which  the  narrative  is  here 
apjiendcd  to  the  foregoing  prophecies  appears 
to  be  that  of  showing  the  fulfilment  of  certain 
propliecies  whicli  had  relation  to  a  proximate 
futurity,  and  thereby  gaining  credence  and 
authority  for  those  which  had  a  wider  scope 
and  a  remoter  consummation.     A. 

It  is  well  known  that  Isaiali  wrote  portions 
of  tlie  historic  records  of  his  nation — cr;.,  the 
life  of  U/ziah  (2  Chrcm.  26  :  22)  and  of  Ileze- 
kiali  (2  Chron.  33  :  22).  None  can  doubt  that 
he  wrote  these  historic  chapters.  Both  the 
resemblances  and  the  differences  of  these  two 
narratives  are  easily  accounted  for  upon  this 
highly  probable  supposition.  The  narrative 
In  2  Chron.  32  differs  very  considerably  from 
cither  of  these,  omitting  much  ;  condensing 
•some  of  the  points  wliicli  it  introduces,  yet 
bringing  out  some  new  matter.  It  can  scarcely 
be  doubted  that  this  account  is  of  later  date 
and  purposely  supplementary  to  the  other 
two.  There  is  abundant  reason  to  conclude 
that  the  books  of  Chronicles  were  chiefly  com- 
piled by  Ezra  and  his  associates,  the  matter, 
whether  original  or  selected,  bting  adapted  to 
certain  moral  purposes  which  were  then  of 
paramount  importance  to  the  recently  restored 
exiles.     II.  0. 

FiusT  Assykian  Inv.vsion  of  .IiiDAn. 

2    KiiKj^    18  ;  13-16  ;     2     Chronicles    32  :  1-8  ; 
haiah  36  : 1, 

'i  K.    ■§:■:{.    «In    tlie  fourteentli 

year  of  Kin;;  llcxekiah."  This  note  of 
time,  uhicli  jiluccs  the  invasion  of  h'ennaclierib 
eight  years  only  after  the  capture  of  Samaria, 
is  hopelessly  at  variance  with  the  Assyrian 
dates  for  the  two  events,  the  first  of  which  falls 
into  the  first  of  Sargon,  and  the  second  into  the 
fourth  of  Sennacherib,  twenty -one  yeai-s  later. 
We  have  therefore  to  choose  between  an  entire 


rejection  of  the  jV.ssyrian  chronological  data, 
preserved  to  our  times  in  the  original  contem- 
porary documents,  and  confirmed  in  numerous 
minute  points  by  the  Canon  of  Ptolemy,  and 
an  emendation  of  the  present  jiassage.  The 
knot  may  be  cut  by  a  substitution  of  "  seven 
and  twentieth"  for  "  fourteenth"  in  the  pres- 
ent psissage.     B.  C. 'I'he  evidence  in  support 

of  this  solution  is  clearly  given  in  the  follow- 
ing historical  detail  by  Canon  I{;iwlinson.     B. 

13-10.  The  Assyrian  annals  place  the  ac- 
cession of  Sennacherib  in  the  seventeenth  year 
after  the  capture  of  Samaria  by  Sargon,  which 
was  the  twenty-third  year  of  Hezekiah.  He 
was  the  eldest  son  of  Sargon,  and  succeeded 
liis  father,  without  interregnum  or  difliculty, 
in  the  summer  of  n.c.  70.5.  He  calls  himself 
"  the  great  king,  the  powerful  king,  the  king 
of  the  Assyrians,  of  the  nations,  of  th(r  four 
regions,  the  diligent  ruler,  the  favorite  of  the 
great  gods,  the  observer  of  sworn  faith,  the 
guardian  of  law,  the  establisher  of  monuments, 
the  noble  hero,  the  strong  warrior,  the  first  of 
kings,  the  punisher  of  unbelievers,  the  de- 
stroyer of  wicked  men."  He  was  niightj'  both 
in  war  and  peace.  No  more  energetic  soldier 
ever  eonimaiided  an  army  eager  for  battle  ;  no 
more  vigorous  administrator  ever  commanded 
the  resources  of  a  vast  empire.  Sennacherib, 
on  mounting  the  throne,  found  the  condition 
of  affairs  in  Babylf)nia  more  critical,  and  more 
requiring  his  immediate  presence,  than  those 
of  any  other  portion  of  his  dominions.  Mero- 
dach-Baladan,  who  had  been  driven  from  Baby- 
lon by  Sargon,  had  returned  thither  as  soon  as 
Sargon  was  dead,  and  had  succeeded  in  estab- 
lishing himself  as  king  for  a  second  time. 
Sennacherib  was  engaged  for  some  years  in 
recovering  Babylonia  to  the  Assyrian  Empire, 
and  it  was  not  till  his  fourth  year,  u.c.  701, 
that  he  was  able  to  turn  his  attention  to  the 
western  provinces,  and  set  liimself  to  the  task 
of  placing  matters  there  on  a  satisfactory  foot- 
ing. He  found  that  on  all  sides  intri,gues  were 
afoot  to  organize  a  powerful  combination 
against  Assyrian  influence  in  .southwestern 
Asia.  PliQMiicia  unilcr  Elulieus.  king  of  Sidon, 
.Judea  under  Hezekiah,  Pbilistia  under  Ziihpi, 
king  of  Ascalon,  and  Eg.vpt  under  Tirhakah, 
who  held  his  court  at  Meroe,  were  banded  to- 
gether, and  bent  on  checking  Assyrian  progress 
by  all  the  means  in  their  power.  But  in  most 
of  tlie  States  there  appear  to  liave  been  divided 
counsels,  two  parties,   one  for  submission,  the 


SECTION  U-     FIRST  ASSYRIAN  INVASION  OF  JUDAH. 


361 


other  for  resistance  ;  one  leaning  on  Egypt, 
the  other  anxious  to  make  the  best  terms  pos- 
sible with  Assj'ria.  Unwisdom  and  unreadi- 
ness, as  was  natural,  showed  themselves.  No 
general  union  of  the  confederates  tooli  place. 
Sennacherib  was  allowed  to  fall  upon  his  ad- 
versaries separately,  and  crush  them  one  by  one. 
In  the  spring  of  B.C.  701  he  marched  his  troops 
into  Syria,  and  directing  his  attack  upon 
Phoenicia  first  of  all,  proceeded  to  take  "  Great 
Sidou,  the  lesser  Sidon,  Sarepta,  Hosah, 
Ecdippa,  Accho,"  and  other  towns,  forcing 
EluUeus  to  flee  before  him,  and  establishing  in 
his  place  another  king.  Thence  he  marclied 
southward,  along  the  coast,  to  Ascalon,  taking 
Beth-Dagon,  Joppa,  Benc-berak,  and  Azor 
upon  his  way,  and  compelled  Ascalon  to  sub- 
mit, and  receive  another  monarch  instead  of 
Zidqa.  Tirhakah  had  by  this  time  sent  an 
army  to  assist  his  confederates.  This  force 
Sennacherib  fell  in  with  at  Eltekon,  and  com- 
[iletely  defeated,  or  (as  he  says)  "  accomplished 
its  overthrow."  He  next  reduced  Ekron  ;  and 
having  thus  carried  all  before  him,  and  left 
Hezekiah  without  an  ally,  he,  last  of  all, 
turned  upon  Judea.  AVith  an  army  of,  prob- 
ably, at  least  two  hundred  thousand  men, 
he  swept  over  the  land,  especially  on  the 
west  and  on  the  south,  ravaging  the  ter- 
ritory, besieging  and  taking  the  fortified 
places,  and  gathering  spoil  and  captives  at 
every  step.  His  own  account  of  his  invasion 
is  the  following  :  "  Because  Hezekiah,  king  of 
Judali,  would  not  submit  to  my  yoke,  I  came 
up  against  him,  and  by  force  of  arms  and  by 
the  might  of  my  power  I  took  forty-six  of  his 
strong-fenced  cities  ;  and  of  the  smaller  towns 
which  were  scattered  about,  with  the  marching 
of  a  host  and  surrounding  of  a  multitude,  with 
attack  of  ranks,  and  force  of  battering-rams, 
and  mining  and  missiles,  I  besieged  and  cap- 
tured a  countless  number.  From  these  places 
I  took  and  carried  off  200,150  persons,  old  and 
young,  male  and  female,  together  with  horses 
and  mules,  asses  and  camels,  oxen  and  sheep, 
a  countless  multitude.  And  Hezekiah  himself 
I  shut  up  in  Jerusalem,  his  capital  city,  like  a 
bird  in  a  cage,  building  towers  round  the  city 
to  hem  him  in,  and  raising  banks  of  earth 
against  the  gates,  so  as  to  prevent  escape. 
Then  upon  this  Hezekiah  there  fell  the  fear  of 
the  power  of  my  arms,  and  he  sent  out  to  rae 
the  chiefs  and  the  elders  of  Jerusalem,  witli 
thirty  talents  of  gold,  and  eight  hundred  tal- 
ents of  silver,  and  divers  treasures,  a  rich  and 
immense  booty.  All  these  things  were  brought 
to  me  at  Nineveh,   the  city  of  my  dominion, 


flezekiah  having  sent  them  by  wa)^  of  tribute, 
;uid  as  a  token  of  his  submission  to  my  jiower. ' ' 
The  author  of  Kings  ct)mpresses  tliis  history 
into  verses  13-16.     G.  R. 

The  entire  passage  in  Chron.  33  :  1-8  is 
almost  wholly  supplementary,  being  concerned 
witli  the  preparations  made  by  Hezekiah  for 
resistance,  whereas  in  3  Kings  we  are  informed 
only  of  what  he  did  when,  after  a  time,  he  de- 
termined to  make  his  submission. 

a  Chron.  '.iH  :  S-§.  Hezekiah  had  taken  all 
the  measures  for  his  defence  that  circumstances 
permitted.  He  had  "  stopped  the  waters  of  the 
fountains  which  were  witliout  the  city,"  con- 
cealing the  sources  and  conducting  the  pre- 
cious fluid  to  the  reservoirs  and  conduits  be- 
neath the  Holy  City  (Isa.  33:9,  11),  thus  at 
once  improving  his  own  supplies  and  straiten- 
ing the  enemy.  He  had  "  strengtliened  him- 
self, and  built  up  all  the  wall  that  was  broken, 
and  raised  it  up  to  the  towers,"  using  as  ma- 
terial the  houses  in  the  vicinity  ;  and  he  had 
built  "  another  wall  without,  and  repaired 
Millo,  and  made  darts  and  shields  in  abun- 
dance." He  had  also  done  his  best  to  raise  the 
spirits  of  the  besieged  by  addressing  them  with 
words  of  encouragement. 

S.  With  us  is  the  Lord  our  Ood. 
The  faith  which  these  words  express  would, 
one  might  have  thought,  not  have  wavered. 
But — alas  !  for  human  infirmity — we  learn,  both 
from  Kings  (3  K.  18  :  14)  and  from  the  inscrip- 
tions of  Sennacherib,  that  within  a  little  while 
this  noble  confidence  died  away,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  despair  and  submission.  Like  Keho- 
boam,  like  Joash,  Hezekiah  was  content  to  pur- 
chase his  safet)'.  The  narratives  of  Kings  tells 
us  at  what  price  (3  K.  18  :  15,  16).  Hezekiah 
stripped  the  temple  and  emptied  his  treasuries 
to  obtain  what  proved  a  mere  temporary  re- 
lief.    B.  C. 

One  of  the  most  striking  illustrations  of  Scrip- 
ture, which  the  profane  records  of  the  world 
furnish,  is  that  supplied  by  the  earlier  portion 
of  the  annals  of  Sennacherib  in  its  bearing  upon 
3  K.  18  :  13-16  ;  3  Chron.  33  :  1-8  ;  and  Isa. 
36  :  1.  The  agreement  of  these  two  narratives 
cannot  but  be  admitted  to  be  most  striking. 
In  both  we  have  the  same  pair  of  adversaries, 
Tsin-akh-irib  (Sankherib),  king  of  Asshur,  and 
Khizliiyahu,  king  of  Judah  ;  in  both  the 
Assyrian  is  the  assailant  ;  in  both  the  first 
brunt  of  his  attack  falls  upon  the  strong  fenced 
cities  of  Judah,  which  are  successively  taken 
and  plundered  ;  in  both  he  then  proceeds 
against  Jerusalem,  where  Hezekiah  is  for  a 
time  shut  up,  while  the  siege  is  jiressed  ;  in 


3G2 


KINODOM  OF  JUDAn. 


both  lifter  nwliilp  sulimission  is  maih',  an  em- 
bassy is  si'iit,  tribute  is  agreed  oil,  and  consists 
of  a  certain  definite  amount  of  oadi  of  tlie 
precious  metals,  gold  and  silver  ;  in  both  the 
amount  of  the  gold  is  identical.     G.  R. 

Second  Invasion  op  Judah  by  Sennacheuii!. 

2  Kiiiqx  IS  ;  17-37  ;  19  :  1-37.  (  Text  almost 
Imiah  30  :  2-22  ;  37  :  1-38.      f       identical. 
2  Chronicles  32  :  9-23. 

The  narrative  includes  the  embassy  of  Rab 
shakch  and  its  effect  in  the  message  of  Heze- 
kiah  to  Isaiah,  witli  Isaiah's  brief  response  of 
encouragement  ;  the  letter  of  Sennacherib, 
with  the  ])rayer  of  llezekiali  and  the  response 
of  Jehovah  conveyed  through  Isaiali,  announc- 
ing His  ijurpo.sed  defence  of  Jerusalem  :  and 
the  (lestniction  of  the  Assyrian  host  and  final 
departure  ami  subsequent  murder  of  Sen- 
nacherib.    IJ. 

Uaush.vkeh's  Insulting  Address. 

2  Kinga  18  :  17-35  ;  2  Chronicles  32  ;  9-16. 

Tlu  impious,  proud  demand  of  Sennacherib  for 
the  surrender  of  Jerusalem.  The  Assyrian  king 
while  besieging  the  town  of  Lachish,  distant 
forty  miles  southwest,  sent  three  messengers, 
with  a  considerable  force,  to  Jerusalem.  In 
2  1\.  18  ;  17,  tliesc  persons  arc  referred  to  under 
their  ollieial  names  :  Tartan,  or  Commander  ; 
Halisaiis,  the  Court  Chamberlain  ;  and  Uab- 
shakeh,  (!hief  Cup-bearer — the  chief  civil  and 
military  oflicers  of  the  empire.  Their  mission 
was  not  a  military  one,  but  was  designed  to 
summon  tlic  king  and  the  people  to  a  complete 
surrender.  The  Assyrian  officers  were  not  ad- 
mitted into  tlie  city,  nor  did  the  king  himself 
go  out  to  meet  them.  Instead  of  this  he  sent 
three  of  his  chief  officers,  who,  standing  on  the 
wall,  received  tlie  message  of  the  Assyrians. 
"  The  chief  cupbearer  was  the  spokesman. 
He  spoke  in  Hebrew.  The  Jewish  chiefs  en 
treated  him  to  speak  in  his  own  Aramaic  ;  but 
his  purpose  was  directly  to  address  the  spec- 
tators as  they  sat  on  the  houses  along  the  city 
wall,  and  his  speech  breathes  the  spirit  which 
pervades  all  the  representations  of  Assyrian 
power"  (Stiinle!/).  Egypt  was  the  great  enemy 
of  Assyria,  and  had  been  for  centuries. 
Assyria  was  the  "  north"  kingdom,  and  Egypt 
the  ' '  south"  of  Daniel's  prophecy.  Judah  was 
in  alliance  with  Egypt.  The  first  appeal  of 
I{;il)sh:ikeh  referred  to  this  alliance.  His 
8(^;irnful  (juestion,  "  Whereon  do  ye  trust  '/" 
had  reference  to  thi!  impotence  of  the  Egyptian 
king  to  resist  the  inroail  of  Sennacherib.     This 


might  be  well  enough.  But  the  messenger 
undertook  to  counteract  the  persuasions  of 
Ilezekiah,  wherein  the  king  had  sought  to  lead 
his  people  to  trust  alone  in  God.  The  mes.sen- 
ger  aimed  to  stir  afresh  their  prejudices  against 
the  king,  who  had  destroyed  the  high  places 
and  altars  where  the  people  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  worsliip.  Not  only  did  he  strive  to 
undermine  the  faitli  of  the  people  in  their  king, 
and  in  Jehovah,  but  he  inipiously  exalted  the 
idol  gods  alwve  Jehovah  ;  nay,  further,  he  ex- 
pressly boasted  that  the  power  of  Jehovah  was 
not  adequate  to  deliver  them  frcm  the  hand  of 
Sennacherib.  He  placed  this  boast  upon  the 
ground  that  the  gods  of  other  nations  had  not 
been  able  to  deliver  them  from  the  Assyrian 
jiower.  Thus  he  eompared  Jehovali  with  other 
gods,  and  assumed  that  the  gods  of  Assyria 
were  mightier  tliau  Jehovah.  Tlie  three  mes- 
sengers also  sought  to  terrify  the  people  on  the 
wall,  so  that  they  might  open  the  gates  of  the 
city  to  the  Assyrian  forces.     B. 

Rarely,  perhaps,  was  there  an  occasion  on 
which  faith  In  the  unseen  was  put  to  severer 
test  than  in  the  conference  between  the  leaders 
of  the  Assyrian  army  and  the  representatives 
of  King  Hezekiah.  What  gave  special  point 
to  the  message  wliich  the  Rabshakeh  ad<lri.ssed 
to  the  king  of  Judah  was  the  deep  sense  of  past 
inconsistency  ;  that,  as  regarded  the  matter  in 
hand,  it  had  not  always  been  with  Judah  as 
at  present,  and  that  in  measure  their  present 
evil  was  the  outccme  of  their  wrong-doing. 
But  there  comes  to  us  also  for  all  time  this 
precious  lesson  :  that  even  where  we  have  been 
utterly  misUxken,  if  only  we  turn  in  repentance 
to  our  God,  we  may  look  for  His  help  and  de- 
liverance in  the  new  and  better  course  on  which 
we  are  entering,  however  we  may  have  to  suffer 
for  past  sin.  For  God  rcmaiiuth  faithful,  how- 
ever we  may  have  erred  and  strayed  from  His 
ways.  It  was  only  too  true,  as  the  Hat)shakeh 
said,  that  in  rebelling  against  Assyria  Heze- 
kiah's  confidence  had  been  in  Egypt  ;  too  true 
also,  as  even  the  experience  of  the  past  might 
have  taught  him,  that  this  was  to  trust  in  "  the 
staff  of  a  bruised  reed"  (cf.  Isa.  33  :  1-7).  But 
in  the  second  point  which  the  Rabshakeh  urged 
lay  the  weakness  of  his  cau.se  and  the  strength 
of  Hezekiah's  position.  Addressing  himself  to 
Hezekiah's  adlieri'iits,  he  argued  fr.nn  the  hea- 
then point  of  view  that  since  II  zekiah  had 
abolished  all  the  altars  on  the  heights,  and  con- 
fined public  religious  worship  to  that  in  the 
Temple,  he  hail  not  only  forfeited  any  claim 
upon  Jehovah,  whom  he  regarded  as  the  Jew- 
ish national  Deity,  but  provoked  Him  to  judg- 


SECTION  Jfl.     SECOND  INVASION  BY  ASSYRIA. 


363 


ment.  Accordingly,  as,  on  the  one  hand,  he 
had  taunted  Hezekiah  with  want  of  all  means 
for  resisting  the  power  of  his  master,  so,  on  the 
other  hand,  he  now  boldly  claimed  for  the  inroad 
of  Assyria  and  its  success  not  oulj'  the  approba 
tion  of,  but  even  a  mandate  from  Jehovah. 
Alike  politically  and  in  its  religious  misrepre- 
sentations, the  speech  was  well  calculated  to 
appeal  to  such  a  populace  as  that  of  Jerusa- 
lem. Hence  the  representatives  of  Hezekiah  re- 
quested the  Kabshakeh  to  communicate  with 
them,  not  in  "  Jewish"  {i.e.,  in  Hebrew),  as  he 
hail  done,  but  in  "  Aramean,"  wliicli,  althoiigh 
the  commercial  language  of  Syria  and  Pales- 
tine, would  not  be  understood  by  the  common 
people.  The  suggestion  was  haughtily  re- 
jected, and  the  Assyrian  openly  avowed  that 
his  object  Wiis  not  to  negotiate  with  the  king 
nor  his  representatives,  but  to  produce  a  reac- 
tion among  the  besieged,  whom  he  represented 
as  reduced  to  the  utmost  straits.  To  Ihem  he 
now  directly  appealed.  They  were  not  to 
allow  themselves  to  be  deceived.  Hezekiah 
would  not  be  able  to  deliver  them — viz.,  by  the 
aid  of  Egypt — nor  yet  was  this  other  pretension 
well  founded,  that  Jehovah  would  deliver 
them.  Rather  was  it  their  wisdom  to  ignore 
the  king  and  make  a  treaty  of  submission  to 
Assyria,  in  virtue  of  which,  instead  of  their 
present  misery,  they  might  continue  to  enjoy 
undisturbed  possession  of  tlieir  land  till  they 
could  be  transported  into  districts  equally  fer- 
tile witli  their  own.  It  was  an  argument  cal- 
culated, indeed,  to  influence  heathens,  to  whom 
the  question  was  as  to  the  comparative  power 
of  gods,  to  be  decided  by  outward  results.  But 
the  very  essence  of  Hebrew  conviction  lay  in 
this  :  that  there  was  none  other  God  than  Je- 
hovah. It  is  this  which  constitutes  the  victory 
over  that  which  is  seen,  but  on  which  the  men 
of  the  world  ever  deceive  themselves  in  their 
ignorance  of  the  power  of  a  faith  which  is  based 
on  personal  experience.  And  thus  what  in 
their  view  would  seem  the  strongest  argument 
in  their  appeal  to  "  common  .sense"  is  in  reality 
its  refutation.  It  was  in  this  spirit  that  the 
people  on  the  wall  of  Jerusalem  obeyed  the 
injunction  of  Hezekiah,  and  answered  not  a 
word  to  the  Assyrian.     A.  E. 

2  K.  IS:  IS.  Eliakim  was  a  man  of  high 
character.  God  terras  him,  by  the  mouth  of 
Isaiah,  "  His  servant"  {ibid.,  verse 30).  Hejvas 
to  be  "  a  father  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem 
and  to  the  hoiise  of  Judah"  {ihirl.,  verse  21); 
and  "  a  glorious  throne  to  his  father's  house" 
{ibid.,  verse  23).  His  deportment  in  the  scene 
now  described  well  betits  his  reputation. 


21.  The  "tall  reed  of  the  Nile  bulrush" 
fitly  symbolized  the  land  where  it  grew.  Ap^ 
parentiy  strong  and  firm,  it  was  quite  unworthy 
of  trust.  Let  a  man  lean  upon  it,  and  the  rot- 
ten support  instantly  gave  way,  wounding  the 
hand  that  stayed  itself  so  insecurely.  So  it  was 
with  Egypt  throughout  the  whole  period  of 
Jewish  history.  Hoshea  leaned  upon  Sabaco, 
and  in  consequence  lost  his  kingdom  (2  K. 
17  :  4-6).  without  receiving  the  slightest  help. 
Hezekiah  obtained  no  real  relief  from  Tirhakah. 
Nor  did  Apries  strike  a  blow  for  Zedekiah. 
The  true  policy  of  Egypt  would  have  been  to 
support  with  all  her  power  the  gallant  struggles 
of  the  little  Syrian  States.  Her  actual  practice 
was  to  pretend  friendship,  to  hold  out  hopes  of 
support,  and  then  to  fail  in  time  of  need. 

27.  "  Hath  not  my  master  sent  me,"  Rab- 
shakeh  says,  "  to  these  men,  whom  I  see  sta- 
tioned on  the  wall  to  defend  the  place  and  bear 
the  last  extremities  of  a  prolonged  siege — these 
men  on  whom  its  worst  evils  will  fall,  and  who 
have  therefore  the  greatest  interest  in  avoiding 
it  by  a  timely  surrender?"  He  expres.ses  the 
evils  by  a  strong,  coaree  phrase,  suited  to  the 
rude  soldiery,  and  well  calcidated  to  rouse  their 
feelings.  The  author  of  Chronicles  (verse  11) 
has  softened  down  the  words  to  "  dying  bj' 
famine  and  thiret. " 

33.  Hatli  any  of  the  ifods  ofllie  na- 
tions delivered  at  all  liis  land?  This 
boast  is  natural.  The  Assyrians  had  had  an 
uninterrupted  career  of  success,  and  might  well 
believe  that  their  gods  were  more  powerful  than 
those  of  the  nations  with  whom  they  had 
warred.  Nor  was  there  anything  in  the  history 
of  the  Jews,  so  far  as  they  knew  it,  to  induce 
them  to  separate  this  people  in  their  minds  from 
others.  They  had  utterly  overrun  and  de- 
stroyed the  kindred  tribes  of  Galilee,  Gilead. 
and  Samaria.  They  had  for  years  exercised 
lordship  over  Judea  ;  and,  on  the  recent  occa- 
sion of  a  rebellion,  they  had  easil}'  enforced 
submission,  and  the  very  king  who  now  defied 
them  had  purchased  his  safety  by  the  payment 
of  a  heavy  fine.  It  is  not  surprising  that  they 
did  not  understand  that  their  successes  hitherto 
had  been  allowed  by  the  very  God.  Jehovah, 
against  whom  they  were  now  boasting  them- 
selves.    (Cf.  Isa.  10  :  5-19.)     B.  C. 

Result  of  RAUSHAKrni's    Blasphemous    Ap- 
peal. 

3  Kings  18  ;  36,  37  ;  19  :  1-7. 

The  populace  were  neither  terrified  by  the 
threats  nor  seduced  by  the  promises  of  liab- 


364 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAIT. 


sliakcli,  but  silently  lipid  to  thoir  allcsiniici;  to 
Hc/.c'ki:ili.  Ami  the  kins.  wIkii  lie  lieanl  from 
Kliukiin  what  luul  traiispirid  without,  went  sub- 
missively into  the  Lord's  housf.  From  thence 
he  sent  ii  message  to  Isaiah  entreating  the 
prophet's  intercession  in  behalf  of  the  people  in 
I  heir  great  peril.  The  instant  response  of  Isaiah 
conveyed  the  Divine  assurance  that  Jehovah 
Himself  would  interpose  for  the  eomplete  de- 
liverance of  king  and  people  by  enforcing  the 
return  of  Sennacherib  to  his  own  land.  The 
"  rumor  that  lie  should  heal"  was  realized  in 
the  statement  of  chap.  19  :  9.     B. 

10:2.  Isaiali  lliv  prophet,  the  son 
of  Amoz.  Isaiah  is  here  for  the  first  time 
introdw'cd  into  the  history.  His  own  writings 
show  us  how  active  a  part  he  had  taken  in  it 
for  many  3'ears  previously.  This  was  the 
fourth  reign  since  he  began  his  prophesyings. 
and  during  two  reigns  at  least — those  of  Aliaz 
and  llezekiah — he  had  been  a  familiar  counsellor 
of  the  monarch.  But  the  necessary  brevity  of 
the  narrative  in  Kings  has  prevented  his  ap- 
pearing before.     G.  R. That  next  after  God, 

the  king  thought  of  Isaiah  and  turned  to  him 
for  s3-rapathy,  counsel  and  prayer,  puts  the 
mutual  relations  of  the  king  and  the  prophet  in 
a  very  interesting  light.  Plainly  the  prophet 
enjoyed  the  full  contidence  of  the  king,  and  was 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  before  all  the  jieople. 
They  knew  and  honored  him  as  the  messenger 
of  God  to  the  throne  and  to  the  nation.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  Isaiah  had  borne  a  leading 
part  in  the  great  reformation  upon  which  Heze- 
kiah  entered  when  he  came  to  the  throne. 
Hence  naturally  all  eyes  were  turned  to  him  in 
this  emergency,  in  which  the  question  came  so 
suddenly  to  a  practical  issue  whether  the  God 
they  had  sought  to  serve  would  indeed  protect 
them  and  pluck  their  city  and  kingdom  from 
the  open  jaws  of  ruin.     II.  C. 

There  was  a  strong  party  in  favor  of  an  alli- 
ance with  Egypt,  th('  help  of  which  the)'  seem 
to  have  sought  only  to  be  repulsed  with  con- 
tempt. Isaiah  vehemently  denounces  this 
party,  and  lays  down  the  law — "  Their  strength 
is  to  sit  still;"  "In  quietness  and  confidence 
shall  be  your  strength" — in  a  .series  of  his  most 
magnificent  prophecies,  describing  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Assyrian  by  supernatural  means 
when  he  should  encamp  against  Ariel  (Lion  „f 
Gml),  \\u:  city  of  David,  the  establishment  of 
Messiah's  kingdom,  and  the  jirivileges  of  his 
people.  These  chapters  (29-:55)  stand  in  the 
Book  of  Isaiah  immediately  before  the  history 
of  Sennacherib's  invasion,  for  which  they  were 
evidently  designed  to  prepare  the  minds  of  king 


and  people.  The  king  proved  worthy  of  such 
a  prophet.  Though  hi'  may  have  tamiiered 
with  Kgypt — a  point  on  which  we  have  no  cer- 
tain knowledge — and  though  ho  was  driven  to 
one  act  of  disgraceful  submission,  his  faith  re- 
vived in  the  supreme  crisis.  Encouniged  by 
Isaiah,  he  committed  his  own  and  his  people's 
safety  to  Jehovah,  who  wrought  for  Iheiii  a  de- 
liverance assi.irnal  as  the  destruction  of  Pharaoh 
and  his  army  in  the  Red  Sea.     P.  S. 

The  Second  Scmmoxs  to  Sihuendek  Con- 
veyed IN  A  Letter  from  Sennacherib  to 
IIezekiaii. 

3  Kinf/s  19  ;  8-13  ;  2  Chrotndtn  32  :  17. 

2   K.    I9:S-I;j.  The  Rab.shakeh  retunied 

from  his  bootless  expedition  to  his  master, 
leaving,  as  we  suppo.se,  his  army  before'  .Jerusa- 
lem. He  found  Sennacherib  not  at  Ltichish, 
but  at  Libnah,  to  which  he  had  retreated  prob- 
ably on  hearing  of  the  advance  of  Tirhakah, 
the  king  of  Ethiopia.  As  we  have  seen,  Sen- 
nacherib gained  indeed  the  victory  of  .Vltaku. 
But  it  was  a  virtual  defeat,  which,  with  the 
failure  to  gain  possession  of  Jerusalem,  deter- 
mined the  final  retreat  of  Sennacherib  from 
Palestine.  Ills  circumstances  must  have  made 
him  most  anxious  t;i  obtain  the  surrender  of  the 
Judean  capital.  Accordingly,  a  second  sum- 
mons was  despatched  to  demand  it — probably 
before  the  battle  of  Altaku,  although  after  the 
approach  of  the  Ethiopian  army.  This  second 
summons  was  embodied  in  a  letter  addressed  to 
Hezekiah,  and  was  in  terms  similar  to  those 
previously  used,  although  it  naturally  con- 
tained no  longer  any  reference  to  Egyjit.  and 
was  also  perhaps  more  directly  challenging  to 
the  God  of  Israel.     A.  E. 

Sennacherib  seems  to  have  been  iadiieed  to 
write  to  Hezekiah  by  the  fact  that  he  could  not 
march  against  him  at  once.  A  forwanl  move- 
ment on  the  part  of  Tirhakah  was  reported  to 
him  (verse  9),  and  he  thought  it  necessary  to 
meet,  or  at  least  watch  it.  He  sends  a  letter, 
therefore,  as  more  weighty  and  imjiressive  than 
a  mere  message.  He  warns  llezekiah  against 
being  himself  deceived  by  Jehovah  (vei-se  10). 
and  he  expands  his  inductive  argument  in  proof 
of  the  irresistible  mi.irht  of  Assyria,  by  an 
enumeration  of  four  more  recent  comjuests 
(vui-se  12).  Otherwise,  he  does  little  but  repeat 
what  Rabshakeh  had  already  urged.  Ham- 
mond. 

9.  Tirhakah  was  one  of  the  most  jiowerful 
monarchs  of  ancient  times.  According  to 
JIanetho,  he  was  the  last  king  of  the  twenty- 


SECTION  41.     THE  PRAYERS  OF  EEZEEIAH  AND  OF  ISAIAH. 


365 


fifth  Egyptian  dynasty,  which  was  an  Ethio- 
pian house.  He  ruled  not  only  Upper  Egypt 
(Thebais),  but  also  Ethiopia.  Ills  name  ap- 
pears in  hieroglyphic-phonetic  chiu-acters  in  one 
of  the  temples  of  Egypt.  This  rumor  of  his 
approach  (predicted  in  verse  7)  startled  Sen- 
nacherib. His  first  effort  was  to  urge  nezekiah 
to  surnmdcr.  He  must  Iiave  assumed  that 
Hezekiah  had  not  heard  the  news  from  Egypt. 
H.  C. 

The  historj'  of  Tirhakah,  king  of  Ethiopia, 
receives  illustration  both  from  the  monuments 
of  Egyjjt  and  from  those  of  Assyria.  The 
monument.^  of  Egypt  place  before  us  a  king 
whom  they  call  Tehrak,  or  Taharuka,  at  ex- 
actly the  time  wlien  the  Tirhakah  of  Scripture 
alarms  Sennacherib.  This  monarch  appears  in 
the  Egyptian  records,  first  of  all,  as  a  hostile 
Idng  of  Ethiopia,  whose  power  is  unacknowl- 
edged in  Egypt.  Later  he  is  found  to  have 
established  his  dominion  over  the  lower  coun- 
try, and  to  be  lord  of  the  two  Egypts,  no  less 
than  of  the  Ethiopian  highland.  The  point  of 
time  whereto  the  narrative  of  Isaiah  belongs 
seems  to  be  just  when  one  of  these  two  condi- 
tions was  merging  into  the  other.  It  does  not 
appear  that  the  two  great  rivals,  Tirhakah  and 
Sennacherib,  ever  came  into  contact.  The 
miraculous  destruction  of  the  Assyrian  host 
paralyzed  the  aggressor,  and  forced  him  to  re- 
turn hastily  to  his  own  land  before  his  troops 
came  into  collision  with  those  of  his  powerful 
antagonist.  But  that  antagonist  profited  by 
his  withdrawal.  All  the  extant  records  show 
that  Sennacherib's  great  failure  was  followed 
by  the  retirement  of  Assyria  from  the  position 
of  an  assailant  of  Egypt  ;  and  that,  as  that 
country  was  too  weak  to  stand  alone,  Ethiopia, 
in  the  absence  of  Assyria,  obtained  an  undis- 
puted supremacy.  Hence  the  great  name  which 
Tirhakah  obtained  among  the  Greeks  and 
Romans.  The  Assyrian  records  show  us  that 
the  eminence  of  Tirhakah  was  maintained  for 
nearly  thirty  years,  and  that  it  was  only  for- 
feited after  a  severe  struggle  with  the  Assyrians 
under  Esarhaddon.  the  son  of  Sennacherib,  who 
reduced  all  Egypt  under  his  authority,  and 
forced  Tirhakah  to  retire  upon  Mcroe,  his  cap- 
ital. Egypt  then  passed  under  Assyria  for  a 
space  of  some  two  or  three  years  (B.C.  671-669), 
during  which  period  there  was  "  a  pathway  out 
of  Egypt  to  Assyria,  and  the  Assyrian  came  into 
Egypf,  and  the  Egyptian  into  Assyria,  and 
the  Egyptians  served  with  the  Assyrians" 
(Isa.  19  ;  2!J).  Esarhaddon  vaingloriously  styled 
himself  during  these  years  '  King  of  Assyria, 
Babylon,  Egypt,  Meroe,  and  Ethiopia."     But 


even  then  the  spirit  of  the  great  Ethiopian  was 
not  crushed.  Tirhakah  bided  his  time,  and  in 
B.C.  609,  learning  that  the  Assyrian  monarch 
had  fallen  ill  and  partially  abdicated  his  throne, 
he  once  more  issued  from  his  Ethio|)ian  fast- 
nesses, and  burst  upon  the  Nile  valley  with 
overwhelming  force.  Expelling  the  governors 
whom  Esarhaddon  had  set  up  in  the  various 
towns,  he  established  his  court  at  Jlcmphis,  and 
reigned  undisturbed  for  two  (or  perhaps  three) 
years,  Assyria  making  no  effort  against  him. 
At  length,  however,  in  B.C.  667  (or  606),  Sar- 
danapalus  (Assurbanipal),  having  succeeded 
his  father,  Esarhaddon,  took  in  hand  the  recov- 
ery of  Egypt,  and  in  the  course  of  a  couple  of 
years  succeeded  in  re-establishing  the  Assyrian 
suzerainty.  Tirhakah  was  once  more  compelled 
to  fall  back  upon  his  native  dominions,  B.C. 
665  (or  664) ;  and  his  death  happening  about 
the  same  time,  the  Assyrian  power  was  soon 
firmly  established  in  Egypt,  Ethiopian  ascen- 
dency was  repressed,  and  henceforth  no  "  king 
of  Cush"  was  ever  able  to  subject  Egypt  or 
even  seriously  trouble  it.     G.  R. 

Tete  Prayers  op  Hezekiah  and  of  Isaiah. 
2  Eing»  19  :  15-19  ;  2  Chronicles  32  :  20. 

Hezekiah  received  the  letter  of  the  king  of 
Assyria,  and  "  went  into  the  house  of  the  Lord, 
and  spread  it  before  the  Lord."  The  prayer, 
which  is  given,  is  one  of  exceeding  sublimity, 
simplicity,  and  directness.  It  recognizes  the 
God  dwelling  between  the  cherubim  as  the 
only  God  of  the  kingdoms  of  earth,  and  the 
maker  of  heaven  and  earth.  It  beseeches  Je- 
hovah to  hear  the  reproachful  words  of  the 
Assyrian  king.  It  appeals  to  God's  own  honor, 
puts  the  trust  of  himself  and  his  people  for 
deliverance  alone  in  Jehovah  ;  and  asks  that 
His  interposition  in  saving  Judah  may  be  so 
signal,  "  that  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  may 
know  that  Thou  art  the  Lord  God,  even  Thou 
onl}'. "  The  chronicler  alone  (verse  20)  states 
that  Isaiah,  too,  "  prayed  and  cried  to  heaven." 
B. 

Do  by  thj-  slander  as  Hezekiah  did  \>j  the 
railing  lines  of  Rabshakeh.  Spread  them  be- 
fore the  Lord,  and  leave  thy  quarrel  in  the  just 
hands  of  that  great  Arbiter  of  heaven  and 
earth,  who  will  be  sure  in  His  good  time  to  re- 
venge thy  wrong  and  to  clear  thine  innocence, 
and  will  requite  thee  good  for  their  causeless 
curses.     Ahp.  Tillotsnn. 

Having  heartened  himself  and  pleaded  with 
God  by  all  these  names,  Hezekiah  comes  to  his 
petition.     It  is  but  the  putting  into  words  of 


366 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


the  symbol  of  sprcadin;;  llin  letter  before  God. 
Ho  asks  Go'l  to  behold  aiul  to  bear  tbe  defiant 
words.  Prayer  telLs  (iod  wbal  it  knows  that 
He  knows  already,  for  it  relieves  the  burdened 
heart  to  tell  Ilim.  It  asks  llim  to  see  and  hear 
what  it  knows  that  lie  does  see  and  hear.  But 
the  prayer  is  not  for  mere  observanee  followed 
by  no  Divine  act,  but  for  taking  knowledge  as 
the  prceursorof  the  appropriate  help.  Of  such 
seeing  and  hearing  believing  prayer  is  the  ap- 
pointed condition.  "  Your  Father  knoweth 
what  things  ye  have  need  of  before  ye  ask 
Him  ;"  but  that  is  not  a  reason  for  silence,  but 
for  supplication.  Ilezekiah  rigl)tly  regarded 
Sennacherib's  words  as  meant  to  reproach  the 
living  God,  for  the  point  of  the  letter  was  to 
dissuade  from  trust  in  Hira,  as  no  more  power- 
ful than  the  petty  deities  of  already  conquered 
cities.  The  praj'er,  therefore,  pleads  that  God 
would  take  care  of  His  own  honor,  and,  by 
delivering  Jerusalem,  show  His  sole  sov- 
ereignt)'.  It  is  a  liigh  and  wonderful  level  for 
faith  to  reach,  when  it  regards  personal  deliv- 
erance mainly  in  its  aspect  as  vindicating  God 
and  warranting  faith.  It  was  noble  that  this 
man  should  have  no  word  to  say  about  self  but 
"  save  us,  that  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth 
may  know  that  Thou  art  God  alone."  Like 
him,  we  may  each  feel  that  our  defence  is  more 
God's  affair  than  ours,  in  proportion  as  we  feel 
we  are  His  rather  than  our  own.  That  siege  of 
Jerusalem  was  indeed  as  a  duel  between  faith 
and  unbelief,  on  the  one  hand,  and  between 
Jehovah  and  the  gods  who  were  "  no  gods"  on 
the  other.  Sennacherib's  letter  was  a  defiant 
challenge  to  Jehovah  to  do  His  best  for  this 
people,  and  when  faith  repeated  in  prayer  the 
insolence  of  unbelief  only  one  result  was  possi- 
ble.    It  came.     A.  M. 

Liberty  of  access  to  the  throne  of  grace  and 
liberty  of  speech  there  are  the  unspeakable 
privilege  of  the  Lord's  people  at  all  times,  es- 
pecially in  times  of  distress  and  danger.  Heze- 
kiah  took  Sennacherib's  letter  and  spread  it  be- 
fore the  Lord,  not  designing  to  make  any  com- 
plaints against  him  but  those  grounded  upon 
his  own  handwriting.  Let  the  thing  speak  it- 
self, here  it  is  in  black  and  white.  Open  thine 
eyes,  0  Lord,  and  see.  God  allows  His  praying 
people  to  be  humbly  free  with  Him,  to  utter 
all  their  words  before  Him,  to  spread  the 
letter,  whether  of  a  friend  or  an  enemy,  before 
Him,  and  leave  the  contents,  the  concern  of  it, 
witii  Him.  The  great  and  fundamental  princi- 
ples of  our  religion,  applied  by  faith  and  im- 
proved in  prayer,  will  be  of  sovereign  use  to  us 
in  our  particular  exigencies  and  distresses,  what- 


ever they  are  ;  to  them,  therefore,  we  must  have 
recourse,  and  abide  by  them  ;  so  Ilezekiah  did 
here.  He  encouraged  himself  with  this,  that 
the  God  of  Israel  is  the  Lord  of  hosts,  of  all 
hosts  ;  of  the  hosts  of  Israel,  to  animate  them  ; 
of  the  hosts  of  their  enemies,  to  dispirit  and  re- 
strain them  ;  that  he  is  God  alone,  and  there  is 
none  that  can  stand  in  competition  with  Him  ; 
that  He  is  the  God  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth  and  disposes  of  them  all  as  He  pleases,  for 
He  nuule  heaven  and  earth  ;  and  therefore  both 
can  do  iinytbing  and  does  everything.     H. 

Thai  all  llic  kingdoms  ortlie  earth 
may  know.  If  tlie  mighty  army  of  the 
great  Assyrian  king  were  successfully  defied 
by  a  petty  monarch  like  Hezekiah,  it  could  not 
but  draw  the  attention  of  the  sun-ouuding 
nations,  who  would  be  forced  to  confess  that 
the  escape  was  owing  to  the  protecting  hand 
of  Jehovah,  and  would  thus  be  taught,  in  spite 
of  themselves,  that  He,  and  He  alone,  was  the 
true  God.  The  sentiment  is  exactly  paralU-l  to 
that  uttered  by  David  on  occasion  of  the  great 
confederacy  against  him  (Ps.  83  :  2  Sam. 
10:6-16):  "Let  them  be  confounded  and 
troubled  forever  :  yea,  let  them  be  put  to  shame 
and  perish  ;  that  men  may  knoio  that  Thou, 
whose  name  alone  is  Jehovah,  art  the  Most 
High  over  all  the  earth."  Thus  Hezekiah,  the 
true  follower  of  David,  rises  in  his  distress  to 
the  same  height  of  self-abnegation,  desiring  the 
Divine  help,  not  for  his  own  sake,  not  even  for 
the  sake  of  his  people,  but  for  the  glory  of  God 
— that  His  honor  may  be  vindicated  among  sur- 
rounding nations.     B.  C. 

Faith  instinctively  turns  to  God  when  any- 
thing goes  wrong,  because  it  has  been  accus- 
tomed to  turn  to  Him  when  all  was  right,  ac- 
cording to  the  world's  estimate  of  right  and 
wrong.  Whither  should  the  burdened  heart 
betake  itself  but  to  Him  who  daily  be:irs  our 
burdens  ?  The  impul.se  to  tell  God  all  troubles 
is  as  truly  a  mark  of  the  faithful  soul  as  the  im- 
pulse to  tell  everything  to  the  beloved  is  the 
life  breath  of  love.  Our  faith  is  of  little  power 
to  bless  unless  it  impels  us  to  take  God  into  con- 
fidence in  regard  to  everything  which  troubles 
us.  If  the  letter  is  not  grave  enough  to  be 
spread  before  Him,  it  is  too  small  to  annoy  us. 
If  we  truly  live  in  fellowship  with  God,  we 
shall  find  ourselves  in  His  house,  with  the  cause 
of  our  trouble  in  our  hands,  before  we  have 
time  to  think.  Instinct  acts  more  quickly  than 
reason,  and,  if  our  faith  be  vital,  it  will  not  need 
to  be  argued  into  speaking  to  God  of  all  that 
weighs  upon  us.     A.  M. 

The  whole  trouble  must  be  spread  before 


SECTION  41.   ANSWER  OF  JEHOVAH  BY  THE  MOUTH  OF  ISAIAH.      3C7 


Him  ;  God  loves  minuteness  ;  there  is  no  spread- 
ing without  minuteness.  To  spealc  out  loud  a 
sorrow  or  a  care  even  to  a  thing  inanimate  is  a 
help  to  definitcness,  to  clearness  of  thought,  to 
manfulness,  to  duty  ;  how  much  more  so  when 

we  confide  in  God.     J.   Vnughnn. Nothing 

that  dulls  me,  nothing  that  makes  a  danger,  or 
a  difficulty,  or  a  trial,  or  a  temptation,  but 
should  be  at  once  spread  out  before  the  Lord. 
Test  your  lives,  your  thoughts,  your  affairs, 
your  purposes,  by  this — "  Will  they  stand  car- 
riage before  the  Lord  ?"  If  not,  the  sooner  you 
get  rid  of  them  the  better.  And  then.  "  Be 
anxious  for  naught,  but  in  ererytliinrj  by  prayer 
and  supplication  and  thanksgiving  make  your 
requests  known  unto  God."     A.  M. 

The  Answer  of  Jeiiov.\ii  by  the  mouth  op 

Is.'VI.iH. 

a  Kings  19  :  20-34. 

God  is  the  Hearer  of  prayer.  As  in  the  case 
of  Daniel  (9  :  20),  while  Hezekiah  was  still 
speaking,  an  answer  was  sent  to  him  through 
Isaiah  the  prophet.  Thus  also  answers  to 
prayer  were  sent  in  the  cases  of  Paul  (Acts 
»  ;  10-18)  and  Cornelius  (Acts  10  : 1-8).  Isaiah 
was  the  one  person  whose  faith  had  remained 
unshaken  through  all  this  crisis.  But  it  is  not 
merely  Isaiah's  (-onfidence  which  speaks  in  this 
composition.  He  brought  to  the  king  a  direct 
"  word  of  God."  His  oracle  is  one  of  surpass- 
ing beauty,  grand  and  sustained  in  style,  and 
e.\pressing  the  greatest  truths.  J.  O. Heze- 
kiah spread  the  letter  before  God  with  a  solemn 
prayer  to  Him  to  prove  the  difference  between 
Jehovah,  the  only  God,  and  the  "  no  gods" 
whom  the  Assyrian  had  justly  reproached  ;  and 
the  answer  was  given  by  the  mouth  of  Isaiah 
in  a  sublime  prophecy  of  the  destruction  of  the 
Assyrian  and  the  future  glory  of  the  remnant 
of  Judah.     P.  8. 

First  of  all,  Hezekiah  is  assured  that  liis 
prayer  has  been  "heard."  God  has  "bowed 
down  His  ear"  to  it  (verse  16) — has  taken  it  into 
His  consideration,  and  has  sent  a  reply.  Then 
the  reply  follows,  in  fourteen  verses  arranged 
in  four  strophes  or  stanzas.  The  first  (verses  21- 
24)  and  second  (verses  25-28)  are  addressed  to 
8ennacherib,  and  breathe  a  tone  of  scorn  and 
contempt.  The  third  (verses  29-31)  is  addressed 
to  Hezekiah,  and  is  encouraging  and  consola- 
tory.' The  f ourl  h  (verses  32-34)  is  an  assurance 
to  all  whom  it  may  concern,  that  Jerusalem  is 
safe,  that  Sennacherib  will  not  take  it,  that  he 
will  not  even  commence  its  siege.     Hammond. 

22.  The  Holy  One  of  Israel.    This  is 


a  favorite  phrase  with  Isaiah,  in  who.iie  proph- 
ecies it  is  found  twenty-seven  times,  while  it 
occurs  five  times  only  in  the  rest  of  Scripture 
(Ps.  71  :  22  ;  78  :  41  ;  89  :  18  ;  Jer.  50  :  29  ;  51  : 5). 
Its  occurrence  here  is  a  strong  proof — one 
among  mauj' — of  the  genuineness  of  the  pres- 
ent passage,  which  is  not  the  composition  of  the 
writer  of  Kings,  but  an  actual  prophecy  deliv- 
ered at  'this  time  by  Isaiah,  bearing  all  the 
characteristic  marks  of  that  prophet's  fervent 
and  highly  poetic  style. 

23.  And  hast  said.  Isaiah  clothes  in 
words  the  thoughts  of  Sennacherib's  heart — the 
real  thoughts  that  were  present  there  when  he 
wrote  or  dictated  his  letter,  and  which  underlay 
the  letter  itself.  These  thoughts  are  thoughts 
of  the  extremest  self-confidence.  Sennacherib 
believes  that  by  his  own  power  and  might  he 
can  trample  down  all  opposition,  overcome  all 
obstacles,  and  conquer  whatever  countries  he 
pleases.     B.  C. 

25.  Hast  thou  not  heard  long:  ago 
hoiv  I  have  done  it  f  The  strain  suddenly 
changes — the  person  of  the  speaker  is  altered. 
It  is  no  longer  Sennacherib  who  reveals  the 
thoughts  of  his  own  heart,  but  Jehovafi  who 
addresses  the  proud  monarch.  "  Plast  thou  not 
heard,  how  from  long  ago  I  have  acted  thus  ? 
Hast  thou  never  been  taught  that  revolutions, 
conquests,  the  rise  and  fall  of  nations,  are  God's 
doing,  decreed  by  Him  long,  long  ago — ay, 
from  the  creation  of  the  world  ?  Art  thou  not 
aware  that  this  is  so,  either  from  tradition  or  by 
listening  to  the  voice  of  reason  within  thine  own 
heart?"  It  is  implied  that  such  knowledge  ought 
to  be  in  the  possession  of  every  man.  Kow 
have  I  brought  it  to  pass,  that  thou 
shouldest  be  to  lay  waste  fenced 
eitics  into  ruinous  heaps.  The  idea  was 
very  familiar  to  Isaiah  and  his  contemporaries. 
Years  before,  when  Assyria  first  became  threat- 
ening, Isaiah,  speaking  in  the  person  of  Je- 
hovah, had  exclaimed,  "  O  Assyrian,  the  rod  of 
mine  anger  and  the  staff  in  their  hand  is  mine 
indignation.  I  will  send  him  against  an  hypo- 
critical nation,  and  against  the  people  of  my 
wrath  will  I  give  him  a  charge,  to  take  the 
spoil,  and  to  take  the  prey,  and  to  tread  them 
down  like  the  mire  of  the  streets"  (Isa.  10  :  5, 
6).  But  the  heathen  kings  whom  God  made 
His  instruments  to  chasten  sinful  nations  im- 
agined that  they  conquered  and  destroyed  and 
laid  waste  by  their  own  strength  (see  Isa. 
10  :  7-14).     Hammond. 

28.  Put  my  hook  In  thy  nose,  and 
my  bridle  in  thy  lips.  The  imagery  is 
most  striking.     Captive  kings  were  actually  so 


308 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAU. 


treated  by  tlio  Assyrians  llicmsclvcs.  A  }iook 
orsplit-ring  was  llinist  tlir()Uj;li  llir  cartilage  of 
the  ixisc,  or  the  tlesliy  part  of  the  under  lip, 
Willi  a  rope  or  tliong  attached  to  it,  and  in  this 
guise  they  were  led  into  the  monarch's  pres- 
ence, to  receive  their  final  sentence  at  his 
hands.  In  the  sculptures  of  Sargon  at  Khorsa- 
bad  we  see  three  prisoners  brought  before  him 
in  this  fashion,   one  of  whom  he  seems  to  be 

about  to  kill   with  a  spear.       ILniiiiiuml. 

Forbearanc-  is  not  forgiveness,  and  patient 
longsulTeringis  not  oblivion.  The  same  great 
lesson  runs  through  the  whole  course  of  human 
history,  from  tlie  roul  of  Chedorlaomer  to  the 
Moscow  campaign.  No  leviathan  is  so  power- 
fid  but  the  King  of  nations  can  put  a  hook  in 
his  nose  and  a  bridle  in  his  lips  at  the  most 
fitting  s<'ason.    Birks. 

■ii>.  And  llii§  kliali  be  a  sign  unto 
tlU'C.  'J'lic  prtjphet  now  once  more  addresses 
lli/ckiah,  and  gives  him  a  "  sign"  or  token, 
whereby  he  and  his  may  be  assured  that  Sen- 
naclieril)  is  indeed  bridled,  and  will  not  trouble 
tludca  any  more.  His  people,  whose  land  has 
been  devastated  by  the  march  of  the  Assyrian 
army,*  shall  find  enough  to  eat  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  current  year  from  the  grain 
which  has  sown  itself  ;  in  the  ensuing  (probably 
sabbatical)  year  thcj-  shall  also  be  nourished 
sufficiently  by  the  same  means  ;  in  the  third 
year,  when  they  resimie  their  agricultural 
labors,  they  shall  be  undisturbed  in  them,  and 
reap  their  fruits  in  peace.  This  promise  could 
not,  of  course,  be  a  sign  of  the  inunediate  relief 
of  the  city  from  the  threatened  attack,  which 
relief  took  place  before  the  promise  began  to  be 
fullilled  (see  verse  35)  ;  but  it  was  a  sign  of 
what  was  of  far  greater  importance — viz.,  the 
continued  freedom  of  the  land  from  attack  dur- 
ing the  whole  of  the  remainder  of  Sennacherib's 
reign,  a  space  of  seventeen  years.     B.  C. 

We  cannot  fail  to  recognize  the  internal  con- 
nection between  this  and  the  former  utterance 
in  Isa.  7  in  regard  to  the  Syro-Israelilish  inva- 
sion in  the  time  of  Ahaz.  Once  more  we  have 
"  a  sign"  of  the  certainty  of  promised  deliver- 
ance in  an  event  as  yet  future.  The  absolute 
deliverance  of  Judah  from  the  invasion  of  As- 
syria is  guaranteed  by  this  sign,  that  in  the 
present  year,  when  the  ordinary  operations  of 
sowing  had  been  interrupted,  they  would  have 
suflicient  for  their  support  in  that  which  sprang 
from  thegraius  that  had  accidentally  fallen  out 
of  the  corn  reaiJed  at  the  former  harvest.  Sim- 
ilarly, as  regarded  the  next  year's  harvest,  for 
which  it  was  impossible  to  make  preparation, 
partly  from  the  presence  of  the  Assyrian  army 


and  i)artly  from  the  depopulation  of  the  country, 
there  wouM  be  sufficiency  from  the  corn  which 
sprang  of  it.-elf  (either  on  the  old  stems  or  from 
what  dropjied  from  unrcaped  cars).  Lastly,  in 
the  third  year,  the  ordinar}'  agricultural  opera- 
tions would  be  resumed,  because  the  Assyrian 
host  would  be  gone  without  retaining  occupa- 
tion of  the  land,  and  because  such  as  were  left 
of  the  popidation  would  have  returned  to  their 
homes  from  .lerusalcm  and  the'  other  fenced 
cili(!s  where  they  had  sought  refuge.  Thui  "  the 
sign"  lay  in  the  ])romised  certainty  of  their 
support  through  the  Divine  blessing  on  the 
land  which  Assyria  boasted  to  have  laid  waste 
(verses  2ii,  24).  Thus  the  provision  for  their 
present  wants,  and  that  for  the  agrieidtural 
year  on  which  they  had  already  entered,  would 
in  those  two  years  be  a  constant  sign  that  the 
relation  between  Jehovah  and  Sennacherib  was 
what  had  been  told,  and  that  they  had  not  to 
fear  any  return  of  the  enemy.  And  so  would 
this  prophetic  "  sign" — "natural"  by  thcsi)ecial 
blessing  of  God,  but  "  supernatural"  when 
viewed  hy  itself — be  alike  for  comfort  anil  the 
strengthening  of  faith,  but  also  for  the  constJint 
exercise  of  it.     A.  E. 

32,  33.  Ilezekiah  receives  four  clear  prom- 
ises, each  one  more  comforting  than  the  last. 
1.  Sennacherib  .shall  not  ' '  enter  into  the  city" 
— i.e.,  it  shall  not  be  taken.  2.  He  shall  not 
' '  shoot  an  arrow  there" — i.e.,  he  shall  not  order 
the  assault.  3.  He  .shall  not  ' '  come  before  it 
with  shield,  nor  cast  a  bank  against  it" — i.e., 
there  shall  not  even  be  the  commencement  of  a 
siege.  And  4.  "By  the  way  that  he  came,  by 
the  same  shall  he  return" — i.e.,  he  shall  not 
even  approach  the  city,  but  shall  return  to 
Assyria  by  the  same  route  by  which  he  came, 
through  the  low  country  of  the  Shcphelnh,  thus 
avoiding  not  only  Jerusalem,  but  even  Judea. 
B.  C. 

32.  Nor  slioot  an  arrow  llivre,  nor 
come  berore  it  with  siiioldK,  nor  cast 
a  bank  a;;ain<>t  It.  We  have  here  an  ex- 
act picture  of  an  ancient  siege,  such  as  is  por- 
trayed on  the  sculptures  of  Nineveh,  in  the  pict- 
ure of  the  siege  of  Lachish.  The  final  means 
of  capture  was  the  mound  raised  against  the 
wall  of  the  beleaguered  place.  But  for  the 
erection  of  this  the  archers  were  indispensable. 
While  the  slaves  and  laborers  of  the  army  were 
heaping  materials  for  the  mound,  the  archers 
were  continuously  employed  in  shooting  at 
every  defender  who  appeared  on  the  ramparts, 
galling  them  with  their  arrows,  and  thus  pro- 
tecting their  workmen,  or  drawing  off  the  at- 
tention of  the  enemy.     The  archers,  as  we  see 


SECTION  41.     DESTRUCTION  OF  SENNACHERIB'S  HOST. 


369 


from  the  Assj'rian  soiilpturcs,  were  protected  I 
by  the  shicldman.  The  shield  was  a  strong 
wooden  frame,  as  high  as  a  man,  covered  with 
leather,  resting  on  the  ground,  and  held  by  its 
bearer  in  front  of  the  archer,  who  under  its 
protection  was  not  only  safe,  but  was  able  to 
take  deliberate  aim.  The  mound  was  made  of 
any  materials  that  came  to  hand,  with  a  gradual 
slope  upward,  till  it  almost  reached  the  wall, 
and  was  not  much  inferior  to  it  in  height. 
When  comiileted.  battering-rama  were  plied 
from  it  against  the  upper  part  of  the  wall  and 
the  battlements,  until  a  breach  was  effected. 
The  mound  was  employed  even  to  the  later 
times  of  the  Roman  Empire.     Tristram. 

34.  The  two  reasons  assigned  for  defending 
the  city  were  His  "  oicri  sake" — the  honor  and 
glory  of  His  name,  now  fully  implicated  by  the 
blasphemies  and  boasts  of  the  Assyrian  king  ; 
and  tlie  promises  He  had  made  to  David  re- 
specting his  royal  seed.  (See  3  Sam.  7  :  12.) 
This  promise  looks  not  only  to  his  pious  suc- 
cessors, like  Hezekiah,  but  pre-eminently  to 
his  greater  Son,  the  promised  Messiah.  For 
the  sake  of  all  the  interests  embosomed  in  this 
royal  seed  and  this  future  kingdom,  God  would 
surely  protect  Jerusalem  against  this  proud, 
blasphemous  foe.     H.  C. 

God  intended  all  along  to  teach  the  Jews  that 
the  earth  and  heaven  belonged  to  Him  and 
obeyed  Him.  He  taught  them  and  the  proud 
king  of  Assyria  once  and  for  all  that  He  was 
indeed  the  Lord,  Lord  of  all  nations  and  King 
of  kings,  and  also  Lord  of  the  earth  and  all  that 
therein  is.  Those  who  really  trust  in  Him  shall 
never  be  confounded.  Those  who  trust  in  them- 
selves are  trying  their  paltry  strength  against 
the  God  who  made  heaven  and  earth,  and  will 
surely  find  out  their  own  weakness,  just  when 
they  fancj'  themselves  most  successful.  If  man 
dare  not  light  on  the  Lord's  side  against  sin  and 
evil,  the  Lord's  earth  will  fi^ht  for  Him.  Earth- 
quakes and  burning  mountains  will  do  His 
work,     C.  Kingdcy. 

Never,  it  has  been  justly  remarked,  had  a 
prophet  predicted  more  boldly,  never  was  a 
prediction  more  brilliantly  fulfilled.  The  blow 
which  fell  upon  Sennacherib's  army  in  time  to 
save  the  Jewish  State  was  acoincidcnce  which  no 
political  forecast  could  have  anticipated,  no  esti- 
mate of  probabilities  calculated.  Yet  Isaiah's 
foreknowledge  of  it  was  of  long  standing,  cer- 
tain, and  precise.  Not  once,  but  repeatedly, 
even  before  Sennacherib's  army  had  appeared  on 
the  north  of  Palestine,  and  while  all  seemed  calm 
on  the  political  horizon,  he  had  announced,  not 
merely  the  distress  in  which  before  long  Jeru- 


salem would  find  herself,  but  the  unexpected 
and  startling  interposition  by  which  she  would 
be  released  from  it.     Driver. 

35-37.  The  iJestniction  of  the  Amyriaii  host, 
and  subsequent  (uisassination.  of  Sennacherib.  On 
the  same  night  came  upon  the  great  army  of 
Sennacherib,  far  distant  from  Jerusalem,  a 
supernatural  slaughter.  One  hundred  and 
eighty-four  thousand  Assyrians  were  in  some 
way  destroyed  by  Divine  power.  Of  the 
agency  of  the  destruction  we  know  nothing  ; 
the  fact  and  the  author  only  are  given  in  the 
narrative.  The  number  of  the  slain  and  the 
greatness  of  the  disaster  compelled  the  king  of 
Assyria  to  return  from  his  campaign  against 
Egypt.  Through  the  remainder  of  Hezekiah's 
reign,  no  further  attempt  was  made  against 
Judah  by  Sennacherib.  Seventeen  years  after 
this  miraculous  overthrow  of  so  large  a  portion 
of  his  army,  the  king  was  slain  by  two  of  his 
sons  while  he  was  worshipping  in  his  tem- 
ple.    B. 

35.  Here  in  fewest  words  is  the  grand,  sub- 
lime event  which  vindicated  the  dishonored 
name  of  Jehovah  ;  brought  down  just  retribu- 
tion on  the  haughty,  impious  Assyrian  ; 
plucked  God's  praying  people  from  the  open 
jaws  of  ruin,  and  gave  a  glorious  testimony  to 
the  faithfulness,  the  power  and  the  presence  of 
Israel's  God.  It  became  a  night  to  be  ever 
remembered  of  the  Lord's  ancient  people  ;  a 
fountain  of  religious  impulse  ;  a  theme  of  fresh 
and  grateful  praise  for  ages  to  the  escaped 
of  Israel.     II.  C. 

Wiien  tlicy  arose  early  in  tlie 
morning',  belioid,  etc.  These  words  form 
the  only  trustworthy  data  that  we  possess  for 
determining  to  any  extent  the  manner  of  the  de- 
struction now  wrought.  They  imply  that  there 
was  no  disturbance  during  the  night,  no  alarm, 
no  knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  living  that 
their  comrades  were  djnng  all  around  them  by 
thousands.  Hence  we  may  at  once  put  aside 
several  of  the  conjectures  of  commentators — as 
those  of  a  nocturnal  attack  by  Tirhakah  (Ussher, 
Preiss,  Michaelis),  of  a  terrible  storm  (Vitringa, 
Stanley),  of  the  plague  (Gesenius,  Dathe,  Man- 
rer,  Winer,  etc.),  of  1he  simoom  (Prideaux, 
Milman) — none  of  which  would  have  left  the 
survivors  wholly  unconscious  of  evil  till  morn- 
ing came.  On  the  whole,  it  would  seem  that 
all  mere  natiu'al  causes  must  be  rejecteil,  and 
God  must  be  regarded  as  having  slain  the  men 
in  their  sleep  without  causing  distiu-bance, 
either  by  a  peculiar  pestilence  called  into  being 
for  the  occasion,  or  by  that  "  visitation"  of 
which  English  law  speaks.     The  most  nearly 


370 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAIf. 


parallel  case  is  the  destruction  of  tlie  first-born, 
which  (it  may  be  observed)  is  also  luicribcil  to 
iidistroying  angel  (Ex.  12  :  28).     B.  C. 

There  is  no  need  of  departins;  from  the  strict 
sense  of  the  words,  or  of  disputing  whether  by 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  we  are  to  iinderstjind  a 
storm,  a  hot  wind,  or  a  pestilential  fever.  The 
terms  used  can  naturally  signify  nothing  but 
a  single  instantaneous  stroke  of  Divine  ven- 
geance. The  parallel  narrative  in  2  Chron. 
32  :  21.  in.stead  of  numbering  the  slain,  says  that 
all  the  mighty  men  of  valor,  and  the  leaders,  and 
the  captains  in  the  camp  of  tlie  A.ssyrian  were 
cut  off.  Where  this  terrific  overthrow  took 
place  has  been  disputed  and  can  never  be  de- 
terniint  d,  in  the  absence  of  all  data,  monumental 
or  historical.  Throughout  the  sacred  narrative 
it  seems  to  be  intentionally  left  uncertain 
whether  Jerusalem  was  besieged  at  all,  whether 
Sennacherib  in  person  ever  came  before  it, 
wliethcr  his  army  was  divided  or  united  wlien 
tlie  stroke  befell  them,  and  also  wliat  proportion 
of  tlie  host  escaped.  It  is  enough  to  know  that 
one  hundred  and  eighty  five  thousand  men 
perished  in  a  single  night.  A. These  un- 
answered questions  do  not  invalidate  the  great 
facts  of  the  narrative,  nor  in  any  wise  abate 
from  the  moral  force  of  the  great  lessons  which 
it  teaches.  Perhaps  it  was  the  Lord's  special 
design  to  foreclose  our  critical  and  historical 
inriuiries  in  order  to  shut  us  up  the  more  closely 
to  the  consideration  of  these  great  moral  les- 
sons. Be  this  as  it  may,  it  behooves  us  to 
account  these  moral  lessons  the  main  thing,  and 
to  give  them  our  chief  and  very  earnest  atten- 
tion.    H.  C. 

36.  Dwelt  at  Nineveh.  The  meaning 
seems  to  be,  not  that  Sennacherib  made  no 
more  expeditions  at  all,  which  would  be  untrue, 
for  his  annals  show  us  that  he  warred  in  Ar- 
menia, Babylonia,  Susiana,  and  Cilieia,  during 
his  later  years  ;  but  that  he  confined  himself  to 
his  own  part  of  Asia,  and  did  not  invade 
Palestine  or  threaten  Jerusalem  any  more. 
Nineveh  appears  liere  unmistakably  as  the  As- 
syrian capital. 

S7.  And  itcume  to  pa!i.«.  The  death  of 
Sennacherib,  which  took  place  many  years  af- 
terward (B.C.  680),  is  related  here,  as,  from  the 
Divine  point  of  view,  the  sequel  to  his  Syrian 
expeditions.  The  arrogant  blaspliemer  is  pun- 
ished doubly — first,  by  the  destruction  of  his 
host,  and  then  by  death  at  tlie  hands  of  his 
sons.  B.  C. — —lie  was  murdereil  in  the  tem- 
ple of  Nisroch  by  two  of  his  sons,  Adrammelech 
and  Share/.er,  who  lied  into  Armenia,  and  was 
succeeded  by  another  son,  Esarhaddon,  one  of 


the  most  powerful  of  the  Assyrian  monarchs. 
P.  S. 

a  Cliron.  34  :  22,  23.  The  fame  of  Ileze- 
kiah's  deliverance  brought  liim  congralulalions 
and  presents  from  all  the  surrounding  nations  ; 
and  the  remainder  of  the  days,  which  God's 
special  grace  had  added  to  his  life,  were  spent 
in  prosperity  and  wealth.  Like  Uzziah,  he 
possessed  numerous  flocks  and  herds,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  trea.sures  that  he  collected  at  Jeru- 
salem. When  he  died,  he  was  honored  with 
the  chief  place  in  the  sepulchres  of  the  kings 
(n.c.  698).  The  glorious  promi.se  of  his  reign 
was  terribly  eclipsed  under  his  successor.    P.  8. 


The  contrast  between  the  devout,  God-fear- 
ing, God-trusting  Hezekiah,  and  the  proud, 
self-trusting,  self-a.sserting  [Sennacherib  is  one 
of  the  most  striking  and  instructive  in  Scrip- 
ture. The  two  are  set  one  over  against  the 
other  in  the  most  gra)ihic  way.     llinuinond. 

Hezekiah  "  went  unto  the  house  of  the  Lord," 
and  found  Ilim  a  very  present  help  in  trouble. 
Sennacherib  was  slain  in  the  hou-se  of  his  god. 
The  two  pictures  of  th(!  worshippers  and  their 
fates  are  symbolic  of  the  meaning  of  the  whole 
story.  Sennacherib  had  dared  Jehovah  to  try 
his  strength  against  him  and  his  deities.  The 
challenge  was  accepted,  and  that  bloody  corpse 
before  the  idol  that  could  not  help  preaches  a 
ghastly  sermon  on  the  text,  "  They  that  make 
them  are  like  unto  them  ;  so  is  every  one  that 
trusteth  in  them.  O  Israel,  trust  thou  in  the 
Lord  :  He  is  their  help  and  their  shfeld." 
A.  M. 

Yet  other  thoughts  come  to  us — how  the 
worldly  policy  of  even  a  Hezekiah  in  forming 
alliances  against  Assyria  was  rebuked,  and  he 
learned  in  the  school  of  affliction  and  humilia- 
tion to  turn  from  all  such  help  to  God,  and 
then  obtainetl  mercy  ;  and  how  from  the  first 
Isaiah  stood  forth  faithful  in  his  warnings,  and 
calm  and  unshaken  in  his  confidence,  the  true 
prophet  and  representative  of  the  Lord.  And 
yet  beyond  these  lessons,  which  arc  to  all 
times,  comes  to  the  Church  and  to  every  member 
of  it  the  conviction  t  hat  He  w  ho  supernaturally , 
although  by  what  we  call  natural  means,  once 
swept  away  the  host  of  Egypt  and  again  laid 
dead  the  proud  warriors  of  Assyria,  also  watches 
with  ever-mimif  111  can^  over  the  meanest  of  His 
creatures,  so  that  not  a  sparrow  can  fall  to  the 
ground  without  His  knowledge,  nor  yet  any 
harm  befall  His  people,  nor  earthly  might  over- 
throw His  cause.  For  He  of  old  is  the  living 
and  the  true  G<xl.     A.  E. 


SECTION  41.     DIFFERINO  POLICIES  OF  ISAIAH  AND  JEREMIAH.       371 


Parties  in  Judah  during  Reigiu  of  Ahaz  and 
Uezekiah. 

The  Egyptian  party  was  numerous  in  Jeru- 
salem. Opposed  to  the  Egyptian  was  the  As- 
syrian party,  which  advocated  submission  to 
the  all-powerful  empire  of  Assyria.  A  party, 
which  we  may  call  national,  was  headed  by 
Isaiah.  It  drew  its  policy  and  its  existence 
from  the  words  of  Divine  counsel  which  the 
prophet  uttered,  and  the  message  he  was  com- 
missioned to  deliver.  Its  watchword  was 
"  quietness  and  rest  :"  "  in  returning  and  rest 
shall  ye  be  saved,  in  quietness  and  confidence 
shall  be  your  strength."  It  was  a  policy  of 
non-intervention,  that  was  opposed  to  an  alli- 
ance with  Assyria  or  Egypt  ;  Judah  had  gained 
nothing  but  evil  from  intermeddling  with  the 
politics  of  its  heathen  neighbors,  its  religion 
and  morality  had  been  corrupted,  and  calamity 
after  calamity  had  fallen  on  the  nation.  God 
had  marked  it  out  as  "  a  peculiar  people,"  and 
its  safety  lay  in  the  national  recognition  of  the 
fact.  It  was  He  who  had  permitted  the  Assy- 
rian to  be  the  rod  of  His  anger,  and  had  al- 
lowed him  to  chastise  and  chasten  the  sins  of 
His  people  ;  but  the  chastisement  was  not  to 
be  utter  destruction,  and  a  bound  had  been 
set  beyond  which  the  violence  of  the  invader 
was  not  to  go.  A  remnant  was  yet  to  escape 
from  Zion,  and  the  Assyrian  should  be  beaten 
down  "  which  smote  with  a  rod."  Isaiah 
preached  for  long  to  deaf  ears.  Ahaz  turned 
for  help  to  the  Assyrian,  Hezekiah  to  the 
Egj'ptian.  King  and  people  alike  could  not 
believe  that  the  Lord  would  interfere  on  behalf 
of  His  city,  and  overthrow  the  foe  in  the  very 
moment  of  his  success.  Hezekiah  might  ac- 
cept the  rebuke  of  the  prophet  for  his  pride  of 
heart  in  showing  the  ambassadors  of  Babylon 
the  treasures  of  his  house,  but  he  did  not  for- 
sake the  iiolicy  he  was  following,  and  cease  to 
plot  with  Egypt  and  Babylonia  against  the 
Assyrian  king.  It  needed  tlie  campaign  of  Sen- 
nacherib and  the  signal  deliverance  of  Jerusalem 
from  the  victorious  enemy  to  convince  Hezekiah 
that  Egypt  .should  indeed  "  help  in  vain,"  and 
tliat  the  true  policy  of  himself  and  his  country 
was  that  whicli  had  so  long  been  pressed  upon 
tliem  by  Lsaiah.  If  lie  and  his  people  would  trust 
in  the  Lord,  and  abstain  from  all  intrigues  with 
foreign  powers,  they  might  rest  in  peace  and 
safety,  for  tlie  Lord  Himself  would  defend 
them  in  the  hour  of  need.  And  though  with 
the  death  of  Ilezekiali  evil  days  came  again 
upon  Judah — days  which,  we  may  gather, 
Isaiah  was  privileged  never  to  see — the  effect 


of  the  prophet's  policy  continued  to  be  felt. 
The  house  of  David  and  the  national  existence 
of  the  people  over  whom  it  ruled  were  pre- 
served until  a  new  king  arose  in  Assyria  and 
inaugurated  new  principles  of  government. 
The  Temple  and  kingdom  of  Jerusalem  were 
saved  till  the  time  was  ripe  for  the  chosen  peo- 
ple to  pass  through  the  fiery  ordeal  of  the  Baby- 
lonish exile.     Sayce. 

Differing  Policies  of  Iminh  and  Jeremiah  Ex- 
plained and  Justified. 

The  position  occupied  by  Isaiah  was  necessi- 
tated by  tlie  age  to  wliieh  he  belonged.  The 
message  he  communicated  was  in  accordance 
with  tlie  conditions  of  his  time.  Hence  arises 
the  striking  contrast  between  the  policy  of 
which  he  was  the  mouthpiece,  and  that  which 
Jeremiah  was  called  upon  to  urge.  While 
Isaiah  advocated  resistance  to  the  invader,  in 
confident  security  that  God  would  defend  His 
Temple  and  city,  Jeremiah  declared  that  no 
buildings  made  with  hands  could  save  the  peo- 
ple, and  that  submission  to  the  Chaldean  was 
their  only  hope  of  safety.  Isaiah,  in  other 
words,  was  the  prophet  of  national  indepen- 
dence, Jeremiah  of  national  subjection.  But 
between  the  time  of  Isaiah  and  that  of  Jere- 
miah a  total  change  had  come  over  the  face  of 
the  Eastern  world.  Nebuchadnezzar  was  a 
more  dangerous  enemy  than  Sennacherib  ; 
Egypt  had  risen  afresh  from  its  ashes,  and  was 
prepared  to  reassert  its  ancient  rule  over  Pales- 
tine, and  Judah  itself  had  sunk  into  the  deep- 
est degradation  and  decay.  Its  princes  were 
idolatrous  and  corrupt,  and  Nebuchadnezzar 
himself  was  a  more  reverent  observer  of  the 
moral  law  than  they.  The  measure  of  Judah's 
iniquities  was  full  ;  the  period  of  God's  long- 
suffering  had  drawn  to  a  close,  and  there  waa 
no  king  on  the  throne  like  Hezekiah  to  follow 
loyally  the  teachings  of  the  prophet,  no  minis- 
ter like  Eliakim  to  carry  them  out.  The  Lord 
would  fight  no  longer  for  His  city  and  the 
earthly  throne  of  David  ;  His  people  were  to 
be  disciplined  b_v  suffering,  and  to  be  taught 
that  the  Most  High  dwelleth  not  in  temples 
made  with  hands,  but  requires  truth  and  up- 
rightness, not  correctness  of  ritual  or  stately- 
shrines. 

The  policy,  then,  which  Isaiah  was  empow- 
ered to  press  upon  liis  countrymen,  tlie  jirom- 
ises  he  was  commissioned  to  hold  out,  were 
adapted  to  other  circumstances  and  other  needs 
than  those  which  confronted  Jeremiah.  The 
object  and  end  of  both  prophets  was  tlie  same, 
but  the  means  for  effecting  the  end  were  ueces- 


3:3 


KlXdDO.V  OF  JUDAn. 


Biirily  (lilTi'rcnt.  .Icremiali  lived  wliun  the  old  I  and  licathi'n  arrogance,  of  promisins  success  to 
naliiiiial  indi'pcmkncc,  willi  its  OriiiiUil  court  !  liis  countrymen  in  tlitir  supreme  hour  of  peril, 
and  for<ign  alliances,  lia<l  ceased  to  be  possible  and  of  seeing  that  promise  fullilled.  The  hosts 
or  desirable  ;  Isaiah's  lot  was  cast  in  a  haiipicr  of  the  Assyrian,  which  none  had  yet  been  able 
age,  when  the  safe-keeping  of  Jerusalem  was  I  to  resist,  were  shattered  against  the  walls  of 
needful  to  the  Divine  education  of  the  people  '  Jerusalem,  and  Isaiah's  had  been  the  voice  of 
of  the  IjotiX.  lie  had  the  privilege  of  leading  I  the  herald  which  announced  the  doom  of  the 
the  national  struggle  against  foreign  oppression  ,  eucnues  of  Israel.     Sayce. 


Section  42. 

REIGNS   OF  MANASSEH   AND  AMON. 


2  Chronicles  33  : 1-35. 

1  Manasseh  was  twelve  years  old  when  he 

began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned  fifty  and  five 

2  years  in  Jerusalem.  And  he  did  that  which 
was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  after  the 
abominations  of  the  heathen,  whom  the  Lokd 

3  cast  out  before  the  children  of  Israel.  For 
he  built  again  the  high  jilaccs  which  Heze- 
kiah  his  father  had  broken  down  ;  and  he 
reared  up  altars  for  the  Biialim,  and  made 
Asheroth,  and  worshipped  all  the  host  of 

4  heaven,  and  served  them.  And  he  built 
altars  in  the  house  of  the  Loud,  whereof  the 
LoisD  said,  In  Jerusalem  shall  my  name  be 

5  forever.  And  he  built  altars  for  all  the  host 
of  heaven  in  the  two  courts  of  the  house  of 

6  the  Loud.  Ho  also  made  his  children  to 
pass  through  the  tire  in  the  valley  of  the  son 
of  llinnom  :  and  he  prsK-tised  augury,  and 
used  enchantments,  and  practised  sorcery, 
and  dealt  with  them  that  had  familiar 
spirits,  and  with  wizards  :  he  wrou.ght  much 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Loud,  to  provoke  him 

7  to  anger.  And  he  set  the  graven  image  of 
the  idol,  which  be  had  made,  in  the  house  of 
God,  of  which  God  said  to  David  and  to  Solo- 
mon his  son.  In  this  house,  and  in  Jerusa- 
lem, which  1  have  chosen  out  of  all  the  trilies 
of  Israel,   will  I   put  my  name   for  ever  : 

8  neither  will  I  any  more  remove  the  foot  of 
Israel  from  off  the  hmd  which  I  have  ap- 
pointed for  your  fathers  ;  if  only  they  will 
observe  to  do  all  that  I  have  commanded 
them,  even  all  the  law  and  the  statutes  and 

9  the  ordinances  by  the  hand  of  Mo.ses.  And 
Manasseh  made  Judali  and  the  inhabitants 
of  Jerusalem  to  err.  so  that  they  <lid  evil 
more  than  did  the  nations,  whom  the  Loud 

10  destroyed  before  the  children  of  Israel.     And 
the  LoKi>s|)ake  to  Manasseh.  and  to  his  peo- 

11  pie  :  but  they   gave   no   heed.     Wherefore 


2  Kings  21  : 1-26. 

1  Manasseh  was  twelve  years  old  when  he 

began  to  reign  ;   and  he  reigned  live  and 
tifty  years  in  Jerusalem  :  and  his  mother's 

2  name  was  Hephzi-bah.  And  he  did  that 
which  was  evil  in  tli(!  sight  of  the  Loud. 
after  the  abominations  of  the  heathen, 
whom  the  Loud  cast  out  before  the  children 

3  of  Israel,  For  he  built  again  the  high 
places  which  Ilezekiah  his  father  had  de- 
stroyed ;  and  he  reared  up  altars  for  Baal, 
and  made  an  Asherah,  as  did  Ahab  king  of 
Israel,    and    worshipped    all    the    host    of 

4  heaven,  and  served  them.  And  he  built 
altars  in  the  house  of  the  Loun,  whereof 
the  Loud  said.  In  Jerusalem  will  I  put  my 

5  name.  And  he  built  altars  for  all  the  host 
of  heaven  in  the  two  courts  of  the  house  of 

6  the  LoitD.  And  he  made  his  son  to  pass 
through  the  tire,  and  practised  augury,  and 
used  enchantments,  and  dealt  with  them 
that  had  fauuliar  spirits,  and  with  wizards  : 
he  wrought  much  evil  in  the  sight  of  the 

7  Loun,  to  provoke  him  to  anger.  And  he 
set  the  graven  image  of  Asherah.  that  he 
had  made,  in  the  house  of  which  the  Loui) 
said  to  David  and  to  Solomon  his  son.  In 
this  house,  and  in  JeriLsalem,  which  I  have 
cho.sen  out  of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel,  will  I 

8  put  my  name  for  ever  :  neither  will  I  cans/ 
the  feet  of  Israel  to  wander  any  more  out  of 
the  land  which  I  gave  their  fathers  ;  if  only 
they  will  observe  to  do  according  to  all  that 
I  have  commanded  them,  and  aecoitiing  to 
all  the  law  that  my   servant    Moses  com- 

9  manded  them.  Hut  they  hearkeneil  not  : 
and  Mana.s.seh seduced  them  to  do  that  which 
is  evil  more  than  ilid  the  nations,  whom  the 
Loud  destroyed  before  the  chililrcn  of  Is- 

10  rail.     And  the  Loun  spake  by  his  servants 

11  the    prophets,   saying,    Because    Manasseh 


SECTION  42.     REIGNS  OF  MANASSEH  AND  AMON. 


373 


the  Lord  brought  upon  them  the  enptains 
of  the  host  of  the  king  of  Assyria,  wliicli 
tooli  Mauasseh  in  cliains,  and  bound  him 
with  fetters,  and  carried   him  to  Babylon. 

12  And  when  he  was  in  distress,  he  besought 
the   Lord   his  God,  and   humbled   himself 

13  greatly  before  the  God  of  his  fathers.  And 
he  prayed  unto  him  ;  and  he  was  intreated 
of  him,  and  heard  his  supplication,  and 
brought  him  again  to  Jerusalem  into  his 
kingdom.  Then  JIanasseh  knew  that  the 
Lord  he  was  God. 

14  Now  after  this  he  built  an  outer  wall  to 
the  cit}'  of  David,  on  the  west  side  of  Gihon, 
in  the  valle}',  even  to  the  entering  in  at  the 
fish  gate  ;  and  he  compassed  about  Opbel, 
and  raised  it  up  a  very  great  height  :  and  he 
put  valiant  captains  ih  all  the  fenced  cities 

15  of  Judah.  And  he  took  away  the  strange 
gods,  and  the  idol  out  of  the  house  of  the 
Lord,  and  all  the  altars  that  he  had  built  in 
the  mount  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  in 
Jerusalem,  and  cast  them  out  of  the  city. 

16  And  he  built  up  the  altar  of  the  Lord,  and 
offered  thereon  saerilices  of  peace  offerings 
and  of  thanksgiving,  and  commanded  Ju- 
dah to  serve  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel. 

17  Nevertheless  the  people  did  sacrifice  still  in 
the  high  places,  but  only  unto  the  Lord 

18  their  God.  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Ma- 
nasseh,  and  his  prayer  unto  his  God,  and  the 
words  of  the  seers  that  spake  to  him  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  be- 
hold, they  are  written  among  the  acts  of  the 

19  kings  of  Israel.  His  prayer  also,  and  how 
God  was  intreated  of  him,  and  all  his  sin  and 
his  trespass,  and  the  places  wherein  he  built 
high  places,  and  set  up  the  Asherim  and  the 
graven  images,  before  he  humbled  himself  : 
behold,  they  are  written  in  the  history  of 

20  Hozai.  So  Manasseh  slept  with  his  fathers, 
and  they  buried  him  in  his  own  house  :  and 
Amon  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 

21  Amon  was  twenty  and  two  years  old  when 
he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned  two  years 

22  in  Jerusalem.  And  he  did  that  which  was 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  as  did  Manas- 
seh his  father  :  and  Amon  sacrificed  unto 
all  the  graven  Images  which  Manasseh  his 

23  father  had  made,  and  served  them.  And  he 
humbled  not  himself  before  the  Lord,  as 
Manasseh  bis  father  had  humbled  himself  ; 
but  this  same  Anion  trespassed   more  and 

24  more.  And  his  servants  conspired  against 
him,  and  put  him  to  death  in  his  own  house. 

25  But  the  people  of  the  land  slew  all  them 
that  had  conspired  against  king  Amon  ;  and 
in  his  stead. 


king  of  Judali  hatli  done  these  abomina- 
tions, and  hath  done  wickedly  above  all  that 
the  Amorites  did,  which  were  before  him, 
and  hath  made  Judah  also  to  sin  with  his 

12  idols  :  therefore  thus  saith  the  Loud,  the 
God  of  Israel,  Behold,  I  bring  such  evil 
upon  Jerusalem  and  Judah,  that  whosoever 
hcareth   of   it,   both   his  ears  shall   tingle. 

13  And  I  will  stretch  over  Jerusalem  the  line 
of  Samaria,  and  the  plummet  of  the  house 
of  Ahab  :  and  I  will  wipe  Jerusalem  as  a 
man  wipeth  a  dish,  wiping  it  and  turning  it 

14  upside  down.  And  I  will  cast  off  the  rem- 
nant of  mine  inheritance,  and  deliver  thent 
into  the  hand  of  their  enemies  ;  and  they 
shall  become  a  prey  and  a  spoil  to  all  their 

15  enemies  ;  because  they  have  done  that  which 
is  evil  in  my  sight,  and  have  provoked  me 
to  anger,  since  the  day  their  fathers  came 
forth  out  of  Egypt,   even   unto   this   day. 

16  Jloreover  Manasseh  shed  innocent  blood  very 
much,  till  he  had  tilled  Jerusalem  from  one 
end  to  another  ;  beside  hi.^  sin  wherewith  he 
made  Judah  to  sin,  in  doing  that  which  was 

17  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  Now  the 
rest  of  the  acts  of  Manasseh,  and  all  that  he 
did,  and  his  sin  that  he  sinned,  are  they  not 
written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of  the 

18  kings  of  Judah?  And  Manasseh  slejit  with 
his  fathers,  and  was  buried  in  the  garden  of 
his  own  house,  in  the  garden  of  Uzza  :  and 
Amon  his  son  reigned  in  his  steiKl. 

19  Amon  was  twenty  and  two  years  old 
when  he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned 
two  years  in  Jerusalem  :  and  his  mother's 
name  was  Meshullemeth  the   daughter  of 

20  Haruz  of  Jotbah.  And  he  did  that  which 
was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  as  did 

21  Manasseh  his  father.  And  he  walked  in  all 
the  way  that  his  father  walked  in,  and 
served  the  idols  that  his  father  served,  and 

23  worshipped  them  :  and  he  forsook  the  IjOud, 
the  God  of  his  fathers,  and  walked  not  in 

23  the  way  of  the  Lord.  And  the  servants  of 
Amon  conspired  against  him,  and  put  the 

24  king  to  death  in  his  own  house.  But  the 
people  of  the  land  slew  all  them  that  had 
conspired  against  king  Amon  ;  and  the  peo- 
ple of  the  land  made  Josiah  his  son  king  in 

25  his  stead.  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Amon 
which  he  did,  are  they  not  written  in  the 
book  of  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Ju- 

26  dah?  And  he  was  buried  in  his  sepulchre 
in  the  garden  of  Uzza  :  and  Josiah  his  son 
reigned  in  his  stead. 

the  people  of  the  land  made  Josiah  his  son  king 


374 


KINODOM  OF  Ji'DAII. 


The  fifty -five  years  of  Mnnasseh  were  prob- 
ably (i'J.'")-()41  n.c'.  Tlie  two  years  of  Anion  were 
probably  B40  and  03U  is.c. 

Coiitemiioniry  History.  During  Manasseh's 
reign,  the  Assyrian  kings  were,  counting  from 
the  "  first  year"  of  eaeh  :  Sennacherib,  n.c. 
704  081  ;  Esarhaildon,  680-608  ;  Assurbauipal 
(Sardanapalus),  007  to  some  unknown  date  ; 
his  "  first  year"  us  king  of  Babylon  was  647 

B.C. 

liefciences  in  the  Pniphets  to.  the  Riigns  i>f 
Ma iKimh  and  Anion.  1.  Manasseh's  shedding 
innocent  blood  (Jer.  15  :  4  ;  3  :  80,  34,  etc.  ; 
perhaps  Isa.  1  :  15,  etc.).  2.  To  Manasseh's  re- 
form, followed  by  the  relapse  under  Amon, 
perhaps  Jer.  3  :  10  and  context,  and  Zeph. 
1  ;  4-0,  with  many  like  passages  in  Zephaniah 
and  the  early  parts  of  Jeremiah,     W.  J.  B. 

The  account  in  Clironicles  differs  chiefly  from 
Kings  in  omitting  (1)  the  names  of  the  two 
queen-mothers,  (2)  the  sliedding  of  innocent 
blood  by  Manasseh,  (3)  the  words  of  warning 
addressed  to  him,  and  (4)  the  circumstances  of 
the  burial  of  Amon  ;  and,  more  importantly,  in 
adding  (1)  the  account  of  Manasseh's  captivity, 
(2)  of  his  repentance  and  restoration  to  his  king- 
dom, (3)  of  his  buildings,  (4)  of  his  abolition  of 
idolatry,  and  (5)  of  the  ample  records  that  ex- 
isted of  his  reign.  The  central  part  of  the 
chapter,  from  verse  11  to  verse  19,  is  thus  al- 
most entirely  new  matter,  while  the  earlier  and 
the  later  portions  correspond  closely  with 
Kings,  and  are,  on  the  whole,  less  ample. 
B.  C. 

Reign  of  M.^nasseh,  Fifty-five  Years. 

2  Chronicles  33  :  1-19  ;  2  Kings  21  :  1-18. 

Tlic  longest  and  worst  reign  has  the  briefest 
record  ;  chiefly  because  of  the  slaughter  of 
God's  prophets,  who  arc  the  principal  histo- 
rians. Eighteen  verses  in  the  Book  of  Kings 
and  twenty  verses  in  the  Chronicles  (many  of 
which  are  identical  in  the  two  accounts),  with 
liints  elsewhere,  comprise  the  written  history 
of  a  reign  of  fifty-five  j'ears.  But  what  is 
lacking  in  amplification  is  made  up  in  concise- 
ness. The  monstrous  details  of  JIanasseh's 
manifold  iniquities  and  fearful  guilt  are  smn- 
marily  condensed  in  the  first  nine  verses.  Xo 
clew  is  given  by  the  historian,  here  or  in  the 
Kings,  of  the  influences  which  so  utterly  trans- 
formed the  son  of  a  good  father  into  a  signal!)' 
destructive  agent  of  Satan.  Both  at  the  outset 
of  his  reign  and  afterward  he  was  wholly  un- 


like Joasli  and  Josiah,  whose  rule  also  began 
in  childhood,  and  at  even  an  earlier  age.  The 
case  of  Joash  we  understand  e!carly,  and  that 
of  Josiah  we  can  readily  conjecture.  Both 
of  these  were,  in  the  providence  of  God,  rescued 
from  an  evil  parentage  and  trained  under  godly 
influence.  The  reasonable  inference  is,  that 
Manasseh's  childhood  was  subjected  to  ungod- 
ly teaching  from  kindred  and  courtiers.  The 
extreme  contrast  in  character  and  reign  be- 
tween the  two  former  and  JIana.s.seh,  suggests 
the  vital  and  always  needeil  lesson  of  the  tre- 
mendous obligation  resting  upon  parents  and 
friends  in  the  forming  and  training  of  youth- 
ful character.  Living  illustrations  abound  in 
these  days  to  emphasize  this  lesson — a  lesson 
found  in  every  reign  of  the  kings  of  Judah  and 
Israel  ;  found,  too,  in  almost  every  other  per- 
sonal history  of  the  sacred  records. 

Manasseh's  wickedness  was  pre-eminently 
shameless  and  God-defying.  All  the  particu- 
lar iniquities  of  previous  evil  reigns  he  re-en- 
aeted  and  surpassed.  Nay  more,  he  equalled 
the  lieathen  in  his  abominations,  and  far  outdid 
them  in  his  guilt.  They  sinned  in  comparative 
ignorance  ;  he  with  full  knowledge  of  God, 
and  of  His  dealings  with  the  kings  and  nations 
of  Israel  and  Judah.  A  marvel  of  hardness  of 
soul  is  he  presented  to  us.  A  monster  of  in- 
iquity, exceeding  in  daring  impiety  not  only 
his  grandfather,  Ahaz,  but  even  the  two  kings 
of  Israel,  Jeroboam  and  Ahab.  lie  presents, 
perhaps,  the  foremost  illustration  of  the  extent 
and  magnitude  of  possible  human  iniquity  in 
all  history,  sacred  or  profane.  Even  a  Nero 
had  not  the  knowledge  of  God.  According  to 
the  sacred  record,  Manasseh  introduced  into 
Judah  every  form  of  idolatrous  worship  and 
abominable  vice  that  had  been  practised  by 
heathen  nations.  lie  delilierately  undid  all  the 
good  work  of  his  father.  He  restored  the  high 
places  and  the  Idolatrous  altars  which  Ilezekiah 
had  removed.  He  re-established  the  foul  wor- 
ship of  Baal,  "  and  added  to  the  obscene  rites 
of  Ashtaroth  those  unutterable  abominations 
which  made  princes  and  subjects  '  rulers  of 
Sodom,  and  people  of  Gomorrah.'  "  Nor  this 
only.  His  daring  went  fuither  than  Ahaz, 
who  had  only  closed  the  sanctuary,  and  dis- 
missed the  priesthood.  Manasseh  signalized 
his  iniquity  by  a  fearful  desecration  of  the 
Holy  Place,  the  very  chamber  dedicated  to 
Jehovah  and  long  cfinsecrated  by  the  symbol 
of  His  presence.  In  this  chamber  he  set  up  a 
carved  image  as  an  object  of  supreme  worship. 
and  upon  the  very  spot  once  illumined  by  the 


SECTION  Jfi.     REION  OF  MANASSEH. 


375 


Shekinah.  In  the  courts  of  the  Temple  lie 
reared  altars  for  the  Bab}'lonish  worship  of  the 
heavenly  bodies.  He  erected  in  the  valley  of 
Hinnom  a  temple  to  the  fire-god  Moloch,  and 
offered  his  own  children  in  sacrifice.  "  He 
dealt  with  wizards  and  necromancers,  and  '  se- 
duced the  people  to  do  mnre  wickedness  than 
the  nations  whom  Jehovah  destroyed  before 
them.'  "  And  his  was  the  fearful  pre-emi- 
nence of  inaugurating  the  persecution  to  the 
death  of  God's  saints.  He  made  Jerusalem  the 
arena  of  the  first  of  those  martyrdoms  to 
which  Paul  refers  in  the  eleventh  of  Hebrews. 
He  shed  the  innocent  blood  of  multitudes  of 
devout  worshippers  and  religious  teachers. 
That  most  illustrious  prophet,  who  had  been 
the  foremost  teacher  of  God's  people  and  coun- 
sellor of  kings  through  four  reigns  ;  he  whose 
chapters  contain  the  richest  treasure  of  evan- 
gelical truth  found  in  the  Old  Testament  ;  he 
whose  inspired  vision  of  Christ's  suffering 
and  glory  was  so  wonderfully  fulfilled  in  the 
Messiah's  trial,  crucifixion  and  burial — Isa- 
iah, the  aged,  the  inspired  seer  and  faithful 
saint,  was  the  chief  object  of  this  monster's 
cruelty,  tlie  signal  victim  of  his  murderous  tor- 
ture.    B. 

So  far  as  foreign  enemies  were  concerned, 
Judea  enjoyed  an  interval  of  profound  peace. 
Sennacherib,  from  the  date  of  the  destruction 
of  his  host,  carefully  avoided  all  contact  with 
the  nation  of  the  Jews  ;  and  thus  Manasseh  had 
reigned  for  nearly  twenty  years  before  any  ne- 
cessity arose  for  him  to  consider  whether  he 
should  follow  the  example  of  his  father  in  his 
defiance  of  the  Assyrian  power,  or,  like  his 
grandfather,  should  tamely  submit  to  it.  Ahaz 
was  his  model  in  the  internal  conduct  of  his 
kingdom  ;  why  should  he  not  follow  him  also 
in  its  external  management?  Therefore,  when 
Esarhaddon,  Sennacherib's  son  and  successor, 
about  the  year  B.C.  680,  made  an  expedition 
into  Palestine  with  the  object  of  re-establishing 
Assyrian  Influence  in  the  southwest,  Manasseh 
seems  to  have  submitted  to  him  without  a  mur- 
mur, and  to  have  resumed  that  position  of  As- 
syrian tributary  which  Hezckiah  had  succeed- 
ing in  throwing  off.  On  a  broken  c.ylindcr  of 
Esarhaddon 's,  containing  a  notice  of  his  second 
year,  we  find  "  Manasseh,  king  of  Judah," 
mentioned,  together  with  the  kings  of  Tyre, 
Edem,  Moab,  Gaza,  Askelon,  Ekron,  Gcbal, 
Arva<l,  Ammon,  Ashdod,  and  ten  Cyprian 
monarchs,  in  a  connection  that  implies  his  sub- 
jection to  the  empire  of  Assyria.  Later  on, 
however,  the  Jewish  monarch  seems  to  have 
repented  of  his  tame  submission,  and  to  have 


been  guilty  of  acts  which  his  Assyrian  suzerain 
regarded  as  rebellious.  About  the  year  B.C. 
673  an  army  was  sent  against  him  under  Assy- 
rian captains,  which,  according  to  Josephus, 
ravaged  his  territory,  and  got  possession  of  his 
person  by  stratagem.  His  captors  led  him 
away  prisoner,  and  brought  him  into  the  pres- 
ence of  Esarhaddon  at  Babylon.  There  for 
some  time  he  remained  in  captivity,  but  at 
length,  in  answer  (as  he  believed)  to  the  fervent 
prayers  which  in  his  aflliction  he  addressed  to 
Jehovali,  the  royal  clemency  was  shown  to 
him.  Not  only  was  he  released  from  prison, 
but  Esarhaddon  once  more  received  him  into 
favor,  and  even  sent  him  back  to  Jerusalem  to 
reign  again  as  tributary  monarch.  Such  clem- 
ency is  not  wholly  unexampled  in  Assyrian 
iiistory  ;  but  we  may  fairly  assume  that  Esar- 
h:«ldon  was  actuated  in  the  business  by  policy 
rather  than  by  compassion.  He  was  contem- 
plating a  serious  struggle  for  supremacy  with 
Egypt,  and  it  was  of  great  importance  to  him 
to  have  so  strong  a  fortress  as  Jerusalem,  and 
one  situated  so  near  the  Egyptian  frontier,  lield 
for  him  by  a  trusty  adherent.  He  must  have 
believed  in  gratitude  as  a  powerful  constrain- 
ing motive,  and  have  thought  tliat  a  forgiven 
enemy  would  be  the  surest  friend.  Manasseh, 
as  far  as  is  known,  did  not  disappoint  him. 
The  only  Palestinian  power  which  deserted  As- 
syria in  its  struggle  with  Egypt  seems  to  have 
been  Tyre.  According  to  the  author  of  Chron- 
icles, the  repentance  of  Manasseh  in  his  captiv- 
ity at  Babylon  was  a  true  repentance,  and  was 
fully  maintained  after  his  return  to  his  king- 
dom. But  Manasseh,  though  he  might  repent 
of  the  past,  could  not  undo  it.  He  had  slain 
many  of  the  more  godly  among  the  people, 
and  had  left  the  profane  and  the  idolatrous. 
He  had  made  havoc  of  the  prophetical  order, 
silenced  the  warning  voices,  and  let  a  genera- 
tion grow  up  without  any  sound  religious 
teaching.  After  the  murder  of  Isaiah  no  new 
prophet  seems  to  have  been  raised  up  until 
the  reign  of  Josiah  had  begun.  Hence  his  ref- 
ormation failed  to  reach  the  hearts  of  the  na- 
tion. In  spite  of  his  persuasions  and  commands, 
the  people  could  not  be  weaned  from  the  high 
place  worship  which  he  had  at  one  time  en- 
couraged, but  "  did  sacrifice  still  in  the  high 
places,"  swore  by  the  name  of  Jlalcham  (Zeph. 
1  :  5),  and  worshipped  the  host  of  heaven  upon 
the  housetops  (ibid).  There  was  no  genuine 
reaction  from  the  idolatry  of  Manasseh  as  there 
was  from  that  of  Ahaz,  no  real  turning  of  the 
people  to  God  with  true  and  unfeigned  re- 
pentance.    Manasseh  died  after  a  reign  of  fifty- 


:\7G 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAIT. 


five  years,  at  the  npp  of  sixty-seven,  and  was 
buried  in  Jerusakm  ;  but,  ils  there  was  no 
more  room  in  I  lie  luirialplaee  of  Daviil,  a  tomb 
was  made  for  liim  in  liis  own  palat-e  jranien, 
in  a  portion  of  it  l<nown  as  "  the  garden  of 
Uzzah."  He  left  liis  throne  to  his  son,  Amon. 
O.  K. 

2  K.  21  :  IO-18.  Here  is  the  doom  of  Ju- 
ilali  anil  .lerusalem  read,  and  it  is  a  heavy 
(loom.  The  prophets  were  sent,  in  the  first 
place,  to  teach  them  the  knowledge  of  God,  to 
remind  them  of  their  duty,  and  direct  them  in 
it  ;  if  they  sueeeech^d  not  in  that,  their  next 
work  was  to  reprove  them  for  their  sins,  and  to 
set  them  in  view  before  them,  that  they  might 
repent  and  reform  and  return  to  their  duty  ;  if 
in  this  they  prevailed  not,  but  sinners  went  on 
frovvardly,  their  next  work  was  to  foretell  the 
judgments  of  God,  that  the  terror  of  them 
might  awaken  those  to  repentance  who  would 
not  be  made  sensible  of  the  obligations  of  His 
love,  or  else  that  the  execution  of  them  in  their 
si^ason  might  be  a  demonstration  of  the  Divine 
mission  of  the  prophets  that  foretold  them. 
The  prophets  were  deputed  judges  to  those 
that  would  not  hear  and  receive  them  as  teach- 
ers,   n. 

Ewald  sums  up  the  state  of  things  as  fol- 
lows :  "  The  atmosphere  of  the  age  was  poi- 
soned from  above  ;  antl  the  leaders  of  the  people 
of  (!very  class,  whose  moral  decline  had  already 
become  a  subject  of  lament  in  the  preceding 
century,  sank  into  an  almost  incredible  degen- 
eracy. The  prophets,  who  ought  to  have  been 
ever  the  most  loyal  guardians  of  the  truth, 
were  for  the  most  part  like  dumb  and  greedy 
dogs  ;  many  of  the  priests  allowed  themselves 
to  be  seduced  into  offering  heathen  sacrifices  ; 
the  judges  and  nobles  paid  little  heed  to  the 
eternal  right.  Equivocation  and  hj'pocrisy 
spread  among  those  who  ought  to  have  minis- 
tered most  austerely  to  public  truthfulness  of 
life  ;  while  those  who  were  engaged  in  com- 
merce and  trade  sank  into  the  harshest  indiflfer- 
<mce  to  every  higher  aim,  and  thought  only  of 
the  acquisition  and  enjoyment  of  wealth.  So 
terrible  was  the  demoralization  which  set  in 
under  Manasseh,  that  those  who  remained  faith- 
ful to  the  ancient  religion  were  either  scoffed  at 
as  fools,  or  allowed  to  perish  in  cold  contempt 
without  any  effort  being  made  to  save  them, 
and  were  even  den<led  after  their  death. "  The 
moral  and  spiritual  depravity  of  .Judah,  though 
it  i>nly  came  to  a  head  in  the  time  of  Manasseh, 
had  its  roots  in  a  long-distant  past.  As  Ste- 
phen pointed  out  to  the  Sanhcdrin  (Acts  7  :  39- 
43),  it  begau  in  the  wilderness  with  the  wor- 


ship of  the  golden  calf,  and  went  on  to  the 
worship  of  the  host  of  heaven,  of  Moloch,  and 
of  Rcniiihan  ;  it  was  shown  markedly  in  the 
terrible  sin  of  Peor  (Num.  25:1-3);  it  stinted 
God's  hand  when  the  nations  had  to  be  driven 
out  from  Caanan  (Judges  2  :  1-5) ;  it  provoked 
God's  anger  greatly  during  the  whole  period  of 
the  Judges  (Judges  2  :  11-19)  ;  checked  under 
David  and  Solomon,  it  broke  out  afresh  on  the 
accession  of  Relioboam  (1  K.  14  :  22-24).  and 
showed  itself,  more  or  less,  under  every  subse- 
quent king,  culminating  at  last  in  that  fearful 
condition  of  things  wliich  has  been  described 
above.      lIiiiiiiiKind. 

2  Cliron.  33:10,  II.  God's  mnndhvi 
forbearance  and  mfrriful  chnMening  exercised 
ercn  toward  this  sacHlcgimm  blasphemer,  and  per- 
secutor of  the  saints.  This  was  manifest,  first,  in 
warnings  by  the  prophets  uttered  to  JIanasseh 
and  his  people.  These  warnings  we  read  in 
2  K.  21  :  10-15.  The  warning  voices  of  the  Di- 
vine messengers  were  silenced  in  their  blood. 
The  sacred  history  (helares  that  this  was  the 
crowuing  sin,  which  sub.sequcntly  brought  the 
doom  of  destruction  upon  the  nation.  Then 
the  Lord  sent  reverses  upon  the  nation.  The 
Philistines,  Moabites  and  Ammonites  success- 
fully revolted.  Next  Sennacherib's  successor, 
Esarhaddon,  destroyed  Jerusalem,  took  Manas- 
seh captive,  bound  him  with  chains,  and  caused 
him  to  be  led  to  Babylon.  Here  Ik;  was  im- 
prisoned for  an  indetinitc  period.  But  God  did 
not  destroy  him.  He  gave  him  a  period  for 
reflection,  and  ;m  opportunity  for  repentance. 
B. 

Manasseh  is  carried  captive  to  a  king  of  As- 
syria, not  in  Nineveh,  but  in  Babylon,  which 
when  last  heard  of  was  the  capital  city  of 
Merodach-baladan,  an  enemy  of  Assyria.  Evi- 
dently by  some  great  change  a  new  state  of 
things  has  been  brought  about.  Here  the  in- 
scriptions of  Assyria,  especially  those  of  Esar- 
haddon and  his  son  Assurbanipal  (Sardana- 
palus),  make  what  was  otherwise  obscure  per- 
fectly plain.  Sennacherib  tells  us  that  he 
conquered  Babylon,  and  established  a  son  as 
viceroy  there.  Esarhaddon  takes  from  the  very 
beginning  of  his  reign  the  double  title,  "  king 
of  Assyria  and  king  of  Babylon."  Bricks 
bearing  his  name  have  been  found  at  Babylon, 
and  indicate  that  he  built  himself  a  palace 
there.  Assurbanipal,  his  son,  tells  us  that 
Esarhaddon,  toward  the  close  of  his  life,  hav- 
ing become  infirm,  relinquished  the  govern- 
ment of  ^Vssyria  altogether,  and  retiring  to 
Babylon,  made  it  his  constant  residence,  and 
contented  himself  with  ruling  that  portion  of 


SECTION  ^2.     REION  OF  MANASSEIT. 


377 


his  dominions.  Thus  the  presentation  of  a 
captive  prince  to  an  Assyrian  monarcli  at  Bain/- 
Ion,  whicli  would  have  been  strange  and  inex- 
plicable at  any  earlier  period,  is  natural  in  the 
time  of  Esarhaddon,  with  whom  JIanasseh  was 
contemporary.  Manasseh  mij^lit  without  any 
strangeness  have  been  brought  to  Esarhaddon 
at  .the  southern  capital  during  any  period  of 
his  reign.  If  his  capture  fell,  as  it  probably 
did,  late  in  Esarhaddon's  reign,  Babylon,  which 
had  then  become  that  monarch's  permanent 
residence,  would  necessarily  be  the  scene  of 
the  interview.     G.  R. 

12,  God's  yet  more  ■wonderful  mercy  in  re- 
sponse to  the  prayer  of  this  royal  penitent.  Mark 
the  impressive  recoid.  Manasseh  "  came  to 
himself."  He  "  humbled  himself  greatly,  and 
prayed  unto  the  God  of  his  fathers  ;  and  He 
was  entreated  of  him  and  heard  his  supplica- 
tion." God  made  of  this  kingly  blasphemer 
and  persecutor  a  distinguished  "  pattern  of  his 
long-suffering  to  men."  As  if  to  show  the 
greatness  of  His  grace.  He  singles  him  out, 
among  the  many  evil  kings  of  Israel  and  Ju- 
dah,  for  forgiveness.  He  restored  him  again 
to  his  kingdom.  Then,  the  record  declares, 
Manasseh  knew  tltnt  Jehorah  was  the  true 
God.     B. 

VVIioii  lie  ivas  in  affliction,  lie  be- 
soilg^lil  tisc  Lord.  Manasseh  might  now 
say  with  his  grandfather  David,  "  It  is  good 
for  me  that  I  have  been  afflicted. "  His  prison 
was  now  a  more  happy  place  for  him  than  his 
palace  ;  Babylon  a  better  school  than  Jerusa- 
lem. What  fools  are  we  to  frown  on  our  afflic- 
tions !  These,  how  severe  soever,  are  our  best 
friends.  They  are  not  indeed  for  our  present 
pleasure,  but  they  are  for  our  lasting  profit. 

13.  And  He  Avas  entreated  of  lilin. 
We  wonder  not  at  JIanassch  sinning  or  repent- 
ing ;  we  wonder  at  the  goodness  of  God,  who 
thus  graciously  called  him  to  repent  and  re- 
ceived him  repenting  ;  that  as  he  had  before 
been  a  most  loathsome  and  monstrous  spectacle 
of  wickedness,  he  now  became  a  pleasing  and 
iiseful  pattern  of  conversion.  Who  can  despair 
of  the  mercy  of  God  that  sees  the  tears  of  a 
Manasseh  accepted?  The  wickedness  of  men 
can  never  equal  the  goodness  of  God.  Then 
llanas^eh  knew  that  the  Lord  He 
was  Ciiod.  Till  his  own  smart  and  cure, 
Vlamisseh  knew  not  that  the  Lord  was  God. 
The  Almighty  will  be  sure  to  be  known  for 
what  He  is,  if  not  by  His  kindness,  at  least  by 
His  severity.  If  our  prosperity  and  peace  and 
sweet  experience  of  His  mercy  can  win  us  to 
ii;knowledge  Him,  it  is  more  for  our  ease  ;  but 


if  we  will  needs  be  taught  by  stripes,  it  is 
more  for  His  .glory.     Bp.  II. 

The  pardon  extended  by  Esarhaddon  to  Ma- 
nasseh, little  consonant  as  it  is  with  general 
Oriental  practice,  agrees  well  with  the  charac- 
ter of  this  particular  monarch,  whose  rule  was 
remarkably  mild,  and  who  is  proved  by  his 
inscriptions  to  have  been  equally  merciful  on 

other  occasions.     G.  R. While  Sargon  and 

Sennacherib  were  employed  in  extending  the 
empire  and  carrying  out  the  dreams  of  Tig- 
lath-pileser  by  brute  force,  it  was  reserved  for 
Esarhaddon  to  consolidate  their  conquests  by 
a  milder  administration  and  fuller  permission 
for  the  development  of  the  national  life.  The 
vanquished  nations  were  no  longer  compelled 
to  become  Assyrians  and  to  acknowledge  Assur 
as  their  god  ;  they  were  allowed  to  retain  their 
old  habits  and  customs,  their  old  ri'ligion,  even 
their  old  form  of  government.  In  place  of  the 
satraps  the  native  kings  were  allowed  to  pre- 
serve their  sway  over  the  subject  populations  ; 
Manasseh  of  Judah  was  as  much  a  servant  of 
"  the  great  king"  as  the  Assyrian  governor  of 
Samaria,  but  so  long  as  he  acknowledged  the 
supremacy  of  Nineveh  and  paid  the  annual 
tribute  he  was  allowed  to  govern  his  people 
after  the  fashion  of  liis  fathers.  It  was  only 
where  the  older  lines  of  rulers  had  been  re- 
placed by  satraps  before  the  change  took  place 
in  the  imperial  policy  that  the  order  of  things 
established  by  Sennacherib  and  his  predecessors 
continued  to  prevail  ;  elsewhere,  in  Judah,  in 
Edom,  in  the  pett)'  principalities  of  Egypt,  the 
government  was  left  in  the  hands  of  the  native 
princes.     Sayce. 

14-10.  The  evidence  of  Manasseh' s  true  re- 
pentance. He  sought  to  undo  all  his  evil  Avork. 
He  took  away  the  idol  image  from  the  holy 
place,  and  cast  out  the  strange  gods  and  altars 
from  the  whole  city.  He  further  sought  to  re- 
move the  high  places  of  idolatrous  worship 
throughout  the  land.  He  reared  anew  the  altar 
of  sacrifice,  and  restored  the  Temple  worship. 
Upon  the  great  altar  he  sacrificed  peace  offer- 
ings and  thank  offerings,  "  and  commanded 
Judah  to  serve  the  Lord  God  of  Israel."  But 
we  learn  from  verse  17  that  Manasseh  found  it 
impossible  to  undo  his  own  previous  evil  work. 
The  people  retained  many  of  the  high  places. 
The  associations  of  habit  had  made  these  places 
too  familiar  and  dear  to  be  given  up.  Nomi- 
nally professing  to  worship  Jehovah  in  them, 
they  3'et  retained  much  of  the  spirit  of  the  idol- 
atrous worship.  It  was  easy,  therefore,  for 
Amon,  the  son  of  Manasseh,  to  restore  the  whole 
system  of  idolatrous  worship  in  the  land. 


378 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAO. 


We  recall  three  prominent  points,  illustrated 
more  sigiuiUy  lure,  perhaps,  than  elsewhere  in 
the  whole  Hihle.  1.  A  more  eminent  type  even 
than  I'aiil  was  Manasseh  of  the  longsuilering 
of  God  ;  for  Paul  was  not  such  a  transgressor. 
lie  sinned  igiioranlly  against  his  Lord,  whom 
he  knew  not.  His  life  was  blameless.  His 
persecuting  spirit  proceeded  from  a  conscien- 
tious though  wrongly  taught  conviction  of 
duly.  In  all  these  points  Manasseh's  evil-doing 
ij  sharply  contrasted.  His  sin  was  committed 
with  full  knowledge,  and  in  the  face  of  clear 
warnings.  He  practised  and  encouraged  im- 
purity and  blasphemy,  notwithstanding  the 
plaia  record  of  God's  dealings  with  his  fathers  ; 
dealings  of  goodness  and  merc\'  toward  the 
obedient  and  faithful  kings,  and  of  judgment 
upon  the  disobedient  and  unfaithful.  That 
God  should  have  shown  mercy  to  Manassch, 
therefore,  signally  illustrates  His  forbearance 
and  long-suffering. 

2.  The  same  facts,  in  God's  dealing  with  Ma- 
nas.seh,  teach  us  the  greatness  of  His  grace  to 
men,  in  His  positive  exercise  of  that  grace  in 
Manasseh's  behalf.  Not  only  did  He  forbear 
with  this  guilty  king,  not  only  did  He  refrain 
from  visiting  extreme  judgment  upon  his  iu- 
iquiiies,  but  by  the  visitation  of  His  Spirit  did 
He  actually  seek  and  persuade  this  transgressor 
to  repentance  and  return  to  Himself.  He  con- 
vinced him  of  his  sin,  and  renewed  in  him  the 
spirit  of  trustful  obedience.  Manasseh  was  a 
sinner  saved  by  grace.  Who,  then,  may  de- 
spair of  God's  mercy  with  such  an  instance  of 
the  greatness  of  His  grace  as  is  here  recorded  ? 

3.  When  the  goodness  of  God  fails  of  its 
purposed  effect  in  leading  to  repentance.  He 
sends  aflliction  for  this  end.  When  chastening 
fails,  God  uses  no  further  agency  of  mercy. 
Transgressors  are  then  abandoned  to  their  own 
wav,  the  end  whereof  is  perdition.  And  this 
perdition  is  their  own  work.     B. 

We  are  taught  by  the  story  of  Manasseh's 
repentance  :  1.  The  »cc(U  of  early  instruction 
may  blosmm  after  many  clays.  Who  can  doubt 
but  that  it  was  the  impressions  received  in 
early  days  which  at  last  revived  and  brought 
Manasseh  back  to  Jeiiovali?  2.  There  ia  hope 
for  tltc  xrnrst  sinners.  After  Manasseh,  surely 
any  one.  Nor  did  his  conversion  take  place 
till  hl.s  course  was  nearlj'  run.  We  should  de- 
spair of  none.  Miracles  of  grace  as  great  as 
this  have  perhaps  rarely  been  witnessed,  but 
they  have  been  witnessed.  3.  God  suhdiirs  men 
to  Iliimilf  by  atjlirtion.  It  waswhile  a  prisoner 
in  Babylon — taken  there  by  the  captains  of  the 
king  of  .iVssyria — that  Manasseh  found  the  Lord. 


4.  Repentance  docs  not  secure  the  reversal  of  the 
temporal  effects  of  sin.  The  wickedness  of  Ma- 
nasseh through  a  long  reign  wrought  out  its 
effects  iude|)en(leiitly  of  him.  His  convei'sion 
came  too  late  to  undo  them.  The  blooil  he  had 
shed  "  the  Lonl  weuld  not  pardon."  The  na- 
tion was  inculpated  its  well  as  he,  .-md  though 
he  repented,  it  did  not.  It  is  an  aivful  thought 
that  no  after-repentance  can  obliterate  the  ef- 
fects of  words  spoken  and  deeds  done  while  sin 
still  had  dominion  over  us.  Nor  can  the  effects 
of  sin  on  our  own  health,  characters,  useful- 
ness, etc.,  ever  be  completely  recalled.     .1.  O. 

Ilis  life  is  the  old  story — sin,  chasti.sement, 
repentance  and  forgiveness.  We  an'  told  that 
in  his  captivity  "  he  humbled  himmlf  f/natly." 
A  certain  proj>ortion  runs  through  his  history. 
A  great  sinner,  a  great  sufferer,  a  great  peni- 
tent. God  works  thoroughly.  He  is  faithful 
in  adjusting  the  discipline  to  the  exigency. 
Whom  He  loves,  lie  chastens  proportionately 
to  His  necessities.  He  spares  not  the  rod  at 
the  expense  of  the  child's  soul.  He  plans  for 
eternity,  not  for  time.  So  would  we  have  it, 
would  we  not,  in  the  experience  of  our  chil- 
dren'? Often  is  this  experience  repeated  in  com- 
mon life,  whether  our  weak  souls  would  so 
have  it  or  not.  God  is  faithful  beyond  our  de- 
sires. Like  other  wise  fathers.  He  adjusts  His 
dealings  to  the  future  judgment  and  desires  of 
His  children.  He  trusts  to  eternity  for  Hi.s 
justification  in  our  sight.  The  prayers  of  the 
Christian  father  and  mother  for  th<'  wayward 
son  are  answered  in  waves  and  billows  of  afflic- 
tion often,  till  the  prodigal  comes  back,  and 
humbles  himself  greatly,  and  says.  "  I  have 
sinned  against  my  father  and  my  father's  God." 
P/ielps. 

How  much  encouragement  is  here  to  hope 
and  pray  and  labor  perseveringly  for  the  con- 
version of  sinful  men,  and  especially  of  those 
whose  early  youth  hits  been  blessed  with  holy 
prayers  and  pious  instructions  I  We  are  not  to 
despair  of  any  man.  Few  cases  ever  presented 
a  more  desperate  and  discouraging  aspect  than 
that  of  Manasseh.  His  wickedness  began  early 
and  continued  long.  He  grew  into  manhood  a 
bold  transgressor.  He  "  framed  iniquity  for  a 
law."  His  sin  was  highhanded,  public  and 
shameless.  He  grew  hoary-headed  in  sin.  He 
had  not  only  thrown  aside  the  restraints  of 
truth,  but  he  had  sanctilicd  falsehood,  and 
found  a  religion  to  sanction  his  sins  and  turn 
them  into  a  semblance  of  piety.  Stiil  he  was 
not  beyond  repentance,  not  incapable  of  re- 
pentance, for  he  did  repent.  There  were  ave- 
nues to  his  heart  still  open  to  the  approaches 


SECTION  42.     REION  OF  AMON. 


379 


of  tlie  Spirit.  There  were  resources  in  Divine 
providence  sufficient  to  bring  buck  his  soul 
from  tlio  pit.  Jlay  it  not  be  so  of  any  man 
who  is  going  on  still  in  his  wickedness?  Ah  I 
let  us  never  despair  of  the  sinner.  Let  the  sin- 
ner never  despair  of  himself.  God  may  not 
have  given  hira  up  ;  it  may  be  that  He  yet 
waits  to  be  gracious  to  him.  It  is  not  ours  to 
utter  decrees  of  reprobation  on  ourselves  or  on 
others.     ILdlam. 

Often  is  it  said  of  the  penitent  thief  on  the 
cross,  that  on«  such  case  is  recorded  in  the 
Scriptures,  that  none  may  despair  of  repentance 
on  a  death-bed  ;  and  but  one,  that  none  may 
presinne.  Similar  is  the  twofold  lesson  to  be 
learned  from  the  recovery  of  this  fallen  monarch. 
He  tried  the  fearful  experiment  of  abandoning 
the  God  of  his  fathers,  and  becoming  a  monu- 
ment of  illustrious  guilt.  Through  bitter  dis- 
appoinlmeiit  and  humiliating  sorrow  he  was 
saved.  The  Scriptures  expressly  contradict  the 
Jewish  tradition.  But  he  was  one  of  a  thou- 
sand. No  other  such  is  clearly  declared  in  the 
Scriptures  to  have  run  that  risk  with  safety  at 
the  last.  God  can  save  a  soul  in  such  an  ex- 
tremity of  sin  ;  but  it  is  like  lifting  to  its  place 
again  a  fallen  star.  Fallen  stars  generally  go 
out  in  darkness.  The  general  law  of  God's 
dealings  with  men  is  that  strange  and  unnatural 
wickedness  shall  be  left  to  itself  to  work  out 
its  own  penalties.  This  it  did  in  the  case  of 
King  Ahaz.     Phdps. 

There  is  no  limit  to  the  mercy  of  God.  Sin- 
ners the  cliief  are  welcome  to  complete  forgive- 
ness. If  only  great  saints  got  iuto  heaven,  we 
who  are  great  sinners  would  lose  hope.  But 
when  we  see  Manasseh  and  men  like  him  going 
in  and  getting  welcome,  there  is  hope  for  us. 
If  wc  follow  their  steps  in  repentance,  we  shall 
be  permitted  to  join  their  company  in  rest. 
Arnut. 

Reion  op  Amon,  Two  Ye.!Irs. 
2  CJironicles  Zi  :  21-25  ;  2  Kinys  21  :  19-26. 

The  short  reign  of  Amon,  the  son  and  suc- 
cessor of  Manasseh,  was  distinguished  by  only 
two  events  :  (1)  his  restoration  of  all  the  idola- 
trous and  wicked  practices  which  his  father 
had  upheld  during  the  earlier  portion  of  his 
reign  ;  and  (2)  his  untimely  death,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  conspiracy  which  was  formed 
agafnst  him  among  the  officers  of  his  court. 
Hammond. 

The  godless  portion  of  the  people  and  of  the 
nobles,  by  the  accession  of  Amon,  were  again 
rendered  all-powerf u.1.    We  learn  from  3  Chron. 


34  :  3  that  Josiah,  who  succeeded  Amon,  did 
not  begin  till  the  eighth  year  of  his  reign  to 
seek  God,  nor  till  the  twelfth  to  purge  Judah 
and  Jeru.salem  from  idolatry.  We  thus  see 
that  the  fourteen  3ears  which  intervened  be- 
tween the  death  of  Manasseh  and  the  twelfth 
year  of  Josiah  must  have  been  an  evil  time. 
C.  G.  B. Judah  was  fast  ripening  for  judg- 
ment imder  the  two  kings  Manas.seh  (696-641) 
and  Amon  (641-639),  who  systematicallj'  set  to 
work  to  overthrow  the  worship  of  Jehovah, 
and  to  establish  the  undisputed  supremacy  of 
idolatry.  The  conversion  of  JIanasseh  seems 
to  have  produced  no  decided  effect  upon  the 
people,  and  its  good  results  were  all  frustrated 
by  Amon.     O. 

Though  his  reign  lasted  but  two  years,  he 
turned  the  Temple  once  more  into  a  high  place 
for  Baal,  set  up  an  Asliemh  there,  re-tstablished 
the  worship  of  the  host  of  heaven  on  altars  in 
the  two  Temple  courts,  built  altars  on  the  up- 
per chamber  of  Ahaz  (2  K.  23  :  12),  restored  the 
horses  of  the  sim  to  their  position  near  one  of 
the  entrances  to  the  Temple  (ibid.,  verse  11),  set 
up  "  houses  of  the  Sodomites"  close  by  the 
house  of  the  Lord  (ibid.,  verse  7),  relighted  the 
fires  of  Tophet  in  the  valley  of  the  children  of 
Hinnom  (ibid.,  verse  10),  rebuilt  the  high  places 
round  about  Jerusalem  and  in  all  the  cities  of 
Judah,  and  caused  incense  to  be  burnt  on 
them  to  the  sun  and  moon  and  the  zodiacal 
signs,  and  all  the  host  of  heaven  (;7<('(7.,  verse  5), 
allowed  the  outbuildings  of  the  Temple  to  fall 
into  disrepair  (2  K.  22  :  5),  filled  Jerusalem  with 
altars  and  with  molten  and  graven  images  set 
up  above  them  (2  Chron.  34  :  3,  4),  probably 
renewed  the  enchantments  and  the  dealings 
with  familiar  spirits  which  Manasseh  had  first 
allowed  (2  K.  21  :  6)  and  then  p\it  down — "  in 
all  the  way  that  his  father  walked  in  he  also 
walked,"  and  "  served  the  idols  that  his  father 
served,  and  worshipped  them"  (ibid.,  verse  21), 
"  and  humbled  not  himself  before  the  Lord, 
as  Manasseh  his  father  had  humliled  himself" 
(2  Chron.  33  :  23),  but  persisted  in  evil,  and  ever 
"  trespassed  more  and  more"  (ibid.).  The  gen- 
eral corruption  of  the  people  under  the  evil  in- 
fluences of  Amon's  reign  seems  in  no  degree  to 
have  fallen  short  of  that  reached  in  Manasseh 's 
lime.  The  picture  drawn  in  Zephaniah  and  in 
the  early  chapters  of  Jeremiah  represents  this 
state  of  corruption,  which  necessarily  continued 
on  into  the  first  years  of  Josiah  (Zeph.,  chaps. 
1,  3;  Jcr.,  chaps,  5,  6,  7). 

2  Chron.  24,  25.  A  conspiracy  was 
formed  against  him  among  his  immediate 
attendants,  and  they  "  slew  him  in  his  own 


380 


KINQDOM  OF  JUDATf. 


house"  (3  K.  21  :  23).  The  murder  was  certain- 
ly not  caused  by  any  general  dissatisfaction 
with  Anion's  idolatrous  practices  ;  for  "  the 
people"  rose  up  airaiiist  his  murderers,  "  and 
slew  all  them  that  hail  eonsi)ire(l  ajiainst  King 
Anion,"  and  j;ave  him  honorahle  sepulture  in 
the  hurialplaee  which  Maniusseh  had  construct- 
ed in  the  palace  frarilen.  in  the  part  known  as 
"  the  gartien  of  Uzzah"  (3  K.  21  :  24,  26).  Here 
Amon  rested,  together  with  his  father,  Manas- 
seli  ;  and  here  was  afterward  interred  the  last 
king  whose  body  found  a  sepulchre  in  Jerusa- 
lem, the  brave  but  unfortunate  Josiah.  If 
Anion  died,  as  is  probable,  at  the  early  age  of 
twenty -four,  his  sins  may  be  to  some  extent 
excused  by  his  youth.     G.  R. 


Beware  of  turning  the  riches  of  God's  grace 


into  a  snare.  x\s  Manasseh's  ca.sc  is  recorded 
in  the  Uible  that  an  aged  sinner  desiring  to  turn 
may  not  be  ciist  into  despair.  Anion's  case  is 
recorded  beside  it  that  the  young  may  not  delay 
an  hour,  lest  they  perish  forever.  None  of  us 
will  be  saved  or  lost  in  consequence  of  any- 
thing in  our  parents.  Amon  saw  his  father 
born  again  when  he  was  old,  but  the  son  did 
not  inherit  his  father's  gocxiness.  Josiah  was 
the  child  of  an  ungodly  i)arent,  and  yet  he  be- 
came a  godly  child.  These  two  lessons  are 
plainly  written  in  the  history,  the  one  to  make 
the  presumptuous  humble,  the  other  to  give 
the  despairing  hope.  A  converted  father  cannot 
secure  the  safctj'  of  an  unconverted  son  ;  and 
an  unconverted  father  cannot  drag  down  a 
child  in  his  fall  if  that  child  follows  the  Lord. 
Anwt. 


Section  43. 


REIGN  OF  JOSIAH,  thirty-ont;  tears. 


2  Chkonicles  34  :  1-.33  ;  33  :  1-27. 

31 : 1  Josi.Mi  was  eight  years  old  when 
he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned  thirty  and 

2  one  years  in  Jerusalem.  And  he  did  that 
which  was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  and 
walked  in  the  ways  of  David  his  father,  and 
turned  not  asiileto  the  right  hand  or  to  the 

3  left.  For  in  the  eighth  year  of  his  reign, 
while  he  was  yet  young,  he  began  to  .seek 
after  the  God  "of  David  his  father  :  and  in 
the  twelfth  year  he  began  to  purge  Judah 
and  Jerusalem  from  the  high  places,  and  the- 
Asherini.  and  the  graven  images,  and  the 

4  molten  images.  And  they  brake  down  the 
altars  of  the  Biwlim  in  his  presence  ;  and 
the  sun-images,  that  were  on  high  above 
them,  he  hewed  down  ;  and  the  Asherim, 
and  the  graven  images,  and  the  molten  im- 
ages, he  brake  in  pieces,  and  made  dust  of 
them,  and  strowed  it  upon  the  graves  of 

5  them  that  had  sacrificed  unto  them.  And 
he  burnt  the  bones  of  the  priests  upon  their 
altars,  and  purged  Judah  and  Jerusalem. 

6  And  so  did  lie  in  the  cities  of  Maria.sseh  and 
Kphraim  and  Simeon,  even  unto  Naphtali, 

7  in  their  ruins  round  about.  And  he  brake 
down  the  altars,  and  beat  the  Asherim  and 
the  graven  images  into  ])0Wfler,  and  hewed 
down  all  the  sun-images  throughout  all  the 
land  of  Israel,  and  returned  to  Jerusalem. 

8  Now  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  reign, 
when  he  had  inirged  the  land,  and  the 
house,  he  sent  Shaphan  the  son  of  Azaliah, 
and  Maaseiah  the  governor  of  the  city,  and 
Joah  the  son  of  Joaliaz  the  recorder,  to  re- 

9  pair  the  house  of  the  Loitn  his  Goil.  And 
they  came  to  Uilkiah  the  high  priest,  and 


2  Kings  22  :  1-20  :  23  :  1-30. 

22  : 1  Josi.\n  was  eight  yeai-s  old  when 
he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  rei.crned  thirty 
and  orie  years  in  Jerusalem  :  and  his  moth- 
er's  name   was   Jedidah    the   daughter  of 

2  Adaiah  of  Bozkath,  And  he  did  that  Avhich 
was  riglit  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lonn,  and 
walked"  in  all  the  way  of  David  his  father, 
and  turned  not  aside  to  the  right  hand  or  to 
the  left. 

3  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  eighteenth  year 
of  king  Josiah,  that  the  king  sent  Shaphan 
the  son  of  Azaliah.  the  son  of  Jleshullam, 
the  scribe,  to  the  house  of  the  Lord,  saying, 

4  Go  up  to  Hilkiah  the  high  priest,  that  he 
may  sum  the  money  which  is  brought  into 
the  house  of  the  Loun,  which  the  keepers  of 

5  the  door  have  gathered  of  the  people  :  and 
let  them  deliver  it  into  the  hand  of  the 
workmen  that  have  the  oversight  of  the 
house  of  the  Lord  :  and  let  them  give  it  to 
the  workmen  which  are  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord,  to  repair  the  breaches  of  the  house  ; 

6  unto  the  carpenters,  and  to  the  builders,  and 
to  the  masons  ;  and  for  buying  timber  and 

7  hewn  stone  to  repair  the  hoa<e.  Ilmvbeit 
there  was  no  reckoning  made  with  them  of 
the   ni(mey   that  was  delivered    into   their 

8  hand  ;  for"  they  dealt  faithfully.  And  Hil- 
kiah the  high  priest  sjiid  unto  Shaphan  the 
scribe,  I  have  found  the  book  of  the  law  in 
the  house  of  the  Loun.  And  Hilkiah  deliv- 
ered the  book  to  Shaphan,  and  he  read  it, 

9  And  Shaphan  the  scribe  came  lo  the  king, 
and  brought  the  king  word  again,  and  said. 
Thy  servants  have  emptied  out  the  money 
that  was  found  in  the  house,  and  have  de- 


SECTION  43.     REIGN  OF  JOSIAH. 


381 


delivered  the  money  that  was  brought  into 
tlie  liouse  of  God,  whicli  the  Levitcs.  the 
keepers  of  tlie  door,  liad  gathered  of  the 
hand  of  Manasseli  and  Ephraim,  and  of  all 
the  remnant  of  Israel,  and  of  all  Judah  and 
Heiijaniin,  and  of  tlie  inhabitants  of  Jerusa- 

10  leni.  And  the)'  delivered  it  into  the  hand 
of  the  workmen  that  luul  the  oversight  of 
the  house  of  the  Loud  ;  and  the  workmen 
that  wrought  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  gave 

11  it  to  amend  and  repair  the  iKJUse  ;  even  to  the 
carpenters  and  to  the  builders  gave  they  it, 
to  buy  hewn  stone,  and  timber  for  eoup- 
lings, "and  to  make  beams  for  tlie  houses 
wliieli  the  kings  of  Judah  had  destroyed. 

13  And  tlie  men  did  the  work  faithfully  :  and 
the  overseers  of  them  were  Jaliath  and  Oba- 
diah,  the  Levites,  of  the  sons  of  Jlerari  ;  and 
Zecliariah  and  MeshuUam,  of  the  sons  of  the 
Kohathites,  to  set  it  foi-ward  :  and  otiur  of 
the  Levites,  all  that  could  skill  of  instru- 

13  ments  of  music.  Also  they  were  over  the 
beiuers  of  burdens,  and  set  forward  all  that 
did  the  work  in  every  manner  of  service  : 
and  of  the  Levites  there  were  scribes,  and 

14  officers,  and  porters.  And  wlieu  they  brought 
out  the  iiKUiey  that  was  brouglit  into  the 
house  of  the  Lord,  llilkiah  the  priest  found 
the  book  of  the  law  of  the  Lord  given  by 

15  Moses.  And  llilkiah  answered  and  said  to 
Shaphan  the  scribe,  I  have  found  the  book 
of  the  law  in  the  house  of  the  LoitD.  And 
Hilkiah  delivered    the   book   to    Shaphan. 

16  And  Shaphan  carried  the  book  to  the  king, 
and  moreover  brought  the  king  word  again, 
saying.  All  that  was  committed  to  thy  ser- 

17  vants,  they  do  it.  And  they  have  emptied 
out  the  money  that  was  found  in  the  house 
of  the  Lord,  and  have  delivered  it  into  the 
hand  of  the  overseers,  and  into  the  hand  of 

18  the  workmen.  And  Shaphan  the  scribe  told 
the  king,  saying,  llilkiah  the  priest  hath 
delivered   me  a   book.     And  Shaphan  read 

19  therein  before  the  king.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  when  the  king  had  heard  the  words  of 

30  the  law,  that  he  rent  his  clothes.  And  the 
king  commanded  llilkiah,  and  Ahikam  the 
son  of  Shaphan,  and  Abdon  the  son  of  Mi- 
cah,  and  Shai^han  the  scribe,  and  Asaiah  the 

31  king's  servant,  saying.  Go  3'e,  inijuire  of  the 
Lord  for  me,  and  for  them  that  are  left  in 
Israel  and  in  Judah,  concerning  the  words 
of  the  book  that  is  found  :  for  great  is  the 
wrath  of  the  Lord  that  is  poured  out  upon 
us,  because  our  fathers  have  not  kept  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  to  do  according  unto  all 

33  that  is  written  in  this  book.  So  Hilkiah, 
and  they  whom  the  king  Imd  euimiiaiidei.l, 
went  to  lliildah  the  proplietess,  the  wife  of 
Shallum  the  son  of  Tokhath,  the  son  of 
Ilasrah,  keeper  of  the  wardrobe  ;  (now  she 
dwelt  in  Jerusalem  in  the  second  quarter  ;) 

28  and  the.v  spake  to  her  to  that  effect.     And 

she  said  unto  them.  Thus  saitli  the  I^ord, 

-the  God  of  Israel  ;  Tell  ye  the  man  that  sent 

34  you  unto  me.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Behold, 
I  will  bring  evil  upon  this  place,  and  upon 
the  inhabitants  llu'reof,  even  all  the  curses 
that  are  written   in  the  book   which  tliey 

S.")  have  read  before  the  king  of  Judah  :  be- 
cause they  have  forsaken  ine,  and  have 
bui'ned  incense  unto  other  gods,  that  they 


Asaiah,  went  unto 
the  wife  of  Shal- 

the  son  of  Harhas, 
(now  she  dwelt  in 


livercd  it  into  the  hand  of  the  workmen  that 
have  the  oversight  of  the  house  of  the  Lord. 

10  And  Shaphan  the  scribe  told  the  king,  say- 
ing, llilkiah  the  jiriest  hath  delivered  me  a 
book.     And  Shaphan  read  it  before  the  king. 

11  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  king  had 
heard  the  words  of  the  book  of  the  law,  that 

13  he  rent  his  clothes.  And  the  king  command- 
ed llilkiah  the  priest,  and  Ahikam  the  son 
of  Shaiihan,  and  Achlior  the  son  of  Slieaiah, 
and   Shaphan   the   scribe,    and   Asaiah   the 

li!  king's  servant,  saying.  Go  _ye,  inquire  of 
the  Lord  for  me,  and  for  the  peoi>le,  and 
for  all  Judah,  concerning  tlie  words  of  this 
book  that  is  found  :  for  great  is  the  wrath 
of  the  Lord  that  is  kindled  against  us,  be- 
cause our  fathers  have  not  hearkened  unto 
the  words  of  this  book,  to  do  according  unto 

14  all  that  which  is  written  concerning  us.  So 
Hilkiah  the  priest,  and  Ahikam,  and  Ach- 
bor,  and  Shaphan,  and 
Huhlah  the  prophetess, 
lum  the  son  of  Tikvah, 
keeper  of  the  wardrobe 
Jerusalem  in  the  second  quarter  ;)  and  they 

15  communed  with  her.  And  she  said  unto 
them.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Is- 
rael :  Tell  ye  the  man  that  sent  ytni  unto 

16  me.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Behold,  I  will 
bring  evil  upon  this  place,  and  upon  the  in- 
habitants thereof,  even  all  the  words  of  the 
book  which  the  king  of  .Judah  hath  read  : 

17  because  they  have  forsaken  me,  and  have 
burned  incense  unto  other  gods,  that  they 
might  provoke  me  to  anger  with  all  the 
work  of  their  hands  ;  therefore  my  wrath 
shall  be  kindled  against  this  place,  and  it 

18  shall  not  be  quenched.  But  unto  the  kin,g 
of  Judah,  who  sent  you  to  inquire  of  the 
Lord,  thus  shall  3'e  say  to  him.  Thus  saith 
the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel  :  As  touching 

19  the  words  which  thou  hast  heard,  because 
tliine  heart  was  tender,  and  thou  ditlst  hum- 
ble thyself  before  the  Lord,  when  thou 
heartiest  what  I  spake  against  this  place, 
and  against  the  inhabitants  thereof,  that 
they  should  become  a  desolation  and  a  curse, 
and  hast  rent  thy  clothes,  and  wejit  before 
me  ;  I  also  have  heard  thee,  saith  the  IjOrd. 

30  Therefore,  behold,  I  will  gather  thee  to  thy 
fathers,  and  thou  shalt  l)e  gathered  to  thy 
grave  in  peace,  neither  shall  thine  ej'cs  see 
all  the  evil  wliicli  I  will  bring  upon  this 
place.  And  thej-  brought  the  king  word 
again. 

"i'.i  :  1  And  the  king  sent,  and  they  gath- 
ered unto  .him  all  the  elders  of  Judah  and 

3  of  Jerusalem.  And  the  king  went  up  to  the 
house  of  the  Lord,  and  all  the  men  of  Ju- 
dah and  all  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem 
with  him,  and  the  priests,  and  the  prophets, 
and  all  the  people,  both  small  and  great : 
and  he  read  in  their  ears  all  the  words  of 
the  book  of  the  covenant  which  was  found 

3  in  the  house  of  the  Lord.  And  the  king 
stood  by  the  pillar,  and  made  a  covenant 
before  the  Lord,  to  walk  after  the  Lord, 
and  to  keep  his  commandments,  and  his  tes- 
timonies, and  his  statutes,  with  all  his  heart, 
and  all  hh  soul,  to  confirm  the  words  of  this 
covenant  that  were  written  in  this  book  : 
and  all  the  people  stood  to  the  covenant. 


383 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAK 


mifrlit  provoko  mo  to  ansrcr  willi  all  Uic 
works  of  llirir  liaTids  ;  tlnicl'orc  is  iny  wratli 
poured  out  upon  this  place,  and  it  shall  not 

26  be  (iiKiK'lud.  Hut  unto  the  kiiijc  of  Judah. 
who  sent  you  to  inciuire  of  the  l>oui>,  thus 
shall  ye  say  to  him.  Thus  saith  llie  Loiti). 
the  (!o<l   of   Israel:  As  touchinj;   the  wonis 

27  which  thou  hast  heard,  liccause  thine  heart 
was  lender,  and  lliou  didst  humble  thyself 
before  (!od,  when  thou  heardcst  his  words 
against  this  place,  and  ajrainst  the  inhabit- 
ants thereof,  and  hast  humblid  thyself  be- 
fore me,  and  hast  rent  thy  clothes,  and  wept 
before  me  ;   I  als{)  have  heard  thee,  saith  the 

28  r,i)iti>.  I5ehold,  I  will  f;ather  thee  to  thy 
fallKTS,  and  lho\i  shalt  be  fralh<Ted  to  thy 
grave  in  peace,  neither  shall  thine  eyes  sec 
all  the  evil  that  I  will  l)rini;  upon  this  place, 
and  iipcin  the  iidiabitants  thereof.  And  they 
brou.ghl  the  king  word  again. 

29  Then  the  king  sent  and  gathered  together 

30  all  the  elders  of  .luilah  and  .Jerusalem.  And 
the  king  went  \ip  to  the  house  of  the  LoHU. 
and  all  the  men  of  .Juilah  and  the  iidiabit- 
ants of  .Jerusalem,  and  the  jiriests,  and  the 
Levites,  and  all  the  people,  both  great  and 
small  :  and  lie  read  in  their  ears  all  the 
words  of  the  book  of  the  covenant  that  was 

31  found  in  the  house  of  the  LoKi).  And  the 
king  stood  in  his  place,  and  made  a  covenant 
before  the  LoitD.  to  walk  after  the  t-oKii. 
and  to  keep  his  commandments,  and  his  tes- 
timonies, and  his  statutes,  with  all  his  heart. 
ami  with  all  liis  soul,  to  perform  the  words 
of  the  covenant  that  were  writt<'u  in  this 

32  book.  Antl  lie  caused  all  tliat  were  found 
in  Jerusalem  and  Benjamin  to  stand  ti>  it. 
And  the  inhabitants  of  .Jerusalem  did  ac- 
cording to  the  covenant  of  God,  the  God  of 

33  their  fathers.  And  .losiah  took  away  all 
the  abominations  out  of  all  the  countries 
that  pertained  to  the  children  of  Israel,  and 
made  all  that  were  found  in  Israc  I  to  serve, 
even  to  serve  the  I>oi!i}  their  God.  All  his 
days  they  departed  not  from  following  the 
Loud,  the  God  of  their  fathers. 

;I5  :  I  And  .Josiah  kept  a  passover  unto 
the  Loud  in  Jerusalem  ;  and  they  killed  the 
passover  on  the   fourteenth  dity  of  the  first 

2  month.  And  he  .set  the  priests  in  their 
charges,  and  encouraged  them  to  the  ser- 

3  vice  of  the  house  of  the  Loud.  And  he  said 
unto  the  Levites  that  taught  all  Israel, 
which  were  holy  unto  the  Loud,  Put  the 
holy  ark  in  the  house  which  Solomon  the 
S(ui  of  David  king  of  Israel  did  build  ;  there 
shall  no  more  be  a  burden  upon  your  shoul- 
ders ;  now  serve  the  Lout)  your  God.  and 

4  his  people  Israel.  And  prepare  yourselves 
alter  your  fath(Ms'  houses  by  your  courses, 
according  to  the  writing  of  David  king  of 
Israel,  and  according  to  the  writing  of  Solo- 

0  moil  his  son.  And  stand  in  the  holy  jilace 
according  to  the  divisions  of  the  fathers' 
houses  of  your  brethren  the  children  of  the 
peojile.  and  lit  tlure  he  for  each  a  portion  of 

6  a  fathers'  hou.se  of  the  Levites.  Anil  kill 
the  pa.ssover.  and  sanctify  yourselves,  and 
prepare  for  your  brethren,  to  do  according 
to  the   word   of   the   Loud   by  the  hand  of 

7  Mo.ses.  And  Josiah  gave  to  the  chiUlren  of 
the  i)eoi)le,  of  the  Uoek,  lambs  and  kids,  all 


4  And  the  king  commanded  Ililkiah  the  high 
Iiriest,  and  tlie  priests  of  the  second  older, 
and  the  keepers  of  the  door,  to  bring  fortll 
out  of  the  temple  of  the  LoUD  all  the  vessels 
that  were  made  for  liaal.  ami  for  the  Ashe- 
rah,  and  for  all  the  host  of  heaven  ;  and  he 
burned  them  without  JerusaU  in  in  the  lields 
of   Kidron.  and   carried   the   ashes  of   them 

5  unto  Hcth-el.  .Viid  he  put  (low  n  the  idola- 
trous jiriesLs,  whom  the  kings  of  Judah  had 
ordained  to  burn  incense  in  the  liigh  places 
in  the  cities  of  Judah,  and  in  the  jilaces 
round  about  Jerusalem;  thim  also  that 
burned  incense  unto  liaal,  to  the  sun,  and 
to  the   moon,  and   to  the   planets,  and  to  all 

6  the  host  of  heaven.  And  he  brought  out 
the  Asherah  from  the  house  of  the  I^ouD, 
without  Jerusalem,  unto  the  brook  Kiilron, 
and  burned  it  at  the  brook  Kidron.  and 
stamped  it  small  to  powder,  and  cast  the 
powder  thereof  upon  the  graves  of  the  com- 

7  mon  people.  And  he  brake  down  the  hou.ses 
of  the  sodomites,  that  were  in  the  house  of 
the  Loud,  where  the  women  wove  hangings 

8  for  the  Asherah.  And  he  brought  all  the 
priests  out  of  the  citic'S  of  Judah.  and  detiled 
the  high  places  where  the  priests  had  burned 
incense,  from  Geba  to  Beer-sheba  ;  and  he 
brake  down  the  high  places  of  the  gates  that 
■were  at  the  entering  in  of  the  gate  of  Joshua 
the  governor  of  the  city,  which  were  on  a 
man's   left   hand   at   the   gate   of    the   city. 

9  Nevertheless  the  priests  of  the  high  places 
came  not  up  to  the  altar  of  the  Loud  in  Je- 
rusalem, but  they  did  cat  unleavened  breild 

10  among  their  brethren.  And  lie  detiled 
Topheth.  which  is  in  the  valley  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Ilinnom.  that  no  man  might  make 
his  son  or  his  daughter  to  jiass  through  the 

11  fire  to  Molech.  And  he  took  away  the 
horses  that  the  kings  of  Judah  had  given  to 
the  sun,  at  the  entering  in  of  the  house  of 
the  Loud,  by  the  chamber  of  Nathan-melech 
the  chamberlain,  whicli  was  in  the  pre- 
cincts ;  and  lie  burned  the  chariots  of  the 

12  sun  with  tire.  And  the  altars  that  were  on 
the  roof  of  the  upi)er  chamber  of  Aliaz. 
which  the  kings  of  Judah  li.ul  made,  and 
the  altars  which  Manasseh  had  made  in  the 
two  courts  of  the  house  of  the  Luud,  did 
the  king  break  down,  and  beat  thim  down 
from  tlience,  and  east  the  dust  of  them  into 

13  the  brook  Kidron.  And  the  high  places 
that  were  before  Jerusalem,  which  wen^  ou 
the  right  hand  of  the  mount  of  corruption, 
which  Solomon  the  king  of  Israel  had  build- 
ed  for  Ashtoreth  the  abomination  of  the 
Zidonians,  and  for  C'hemosh  the  abomina- 
tion of  iMoab,  and  for  Jlilcimi  the  abomina- 
tion of  the  children  of  Amnion,  did  the  king 

14  defile.  And  he  brake  in  pieces  the  jiillars, 
and  cut  down   the  Asherim.  and   filled  their 

15  places  with  the  bones  of  men.  Moreover 
the  altar  that  was  at  Beth-cl,  and  the  high 
place  which  ■leroboam  the  son  of  Nebat, 
who  made  Israel  to  .sin.  had  made,  even  that 
altar  and  the  high  place  he  brake  down  ; 
and  he  burned  the  high  place  and  stamped 
it  small  to  powder,  and  burned  the  Asherah. 

16  And  as  .losiah  turned  himself,  he  spied  the 
sepulchres  that  were  there  in  the  inouiit ; 
and  he  sent,  and  took  the  bones  out  of  the 


SECTION  iS.    REIGN  OF  JOSIAK 


383 


9 


of  them  for  the  passover  offerings,  unto  all 
that  were  present,  to  the  number  of  thirty 
thousand,  and  three  thousand  bullocks  : 
these  were  of  the  kin.s's  substance.  And 
his  princes  gave  for  a  freewill  offering  unto 
the  people,  to  the  priests,  and  to  the  Levites. 
Hilkiah  and  Zecliariah  and  Jehiel,  the  rulers 
of  tlie  house  of  God,  gave  unto  the  priests 
for  the  passover  otferings  two  thousand  and 
six  liundred  small  enItU,  and  three  hundred 
oxen.  Conauiah  also,  and  Sliemaiah  and 
Nethane),  his  brethren,  and  llushabiah  and 
Jeiel  and  Jozaliad,  the  chiefs  of  the  Levites. 
gave  unto  the  Levites  for  the  passover  offer- 
ings five  thousand  small  cattle,  and  live  hun- 

10  dred  oxen.  So  the  service  was  prepared, 
and  the  priests  stood  in  their  place,  and  the 
Levites  by  their  courses,  according  to  the 

11  king's  commandment.  And  Ihey  killed  the 
passover,  and  the  priests  sprinkled  t/u:  llotnl, 
ir/ti'rh  they  rectited  of  their  liand,  and  the 

12  Levites  flayed  them.  And  they  removed  the 
burnt  otferings,  that  they  might  give  them 
acconling  to  the  divisions  of  the  fathers' 
houses  of  the  children  of  the  people,  to  offer 
unto  the  Loud,  as  it  is  written  in  the  book 
of  Hoses.     And  so  did  they  with  the  oxen. 

13  And  tiiey  roasted  the  passover  with  fire  ac- 
cording to  the  ordinance  :  and  the  holy  of- 
ferings sod  they  in  pots,  and  in  caldrons, 
and  in  pans,  and  carried  them  quickly  to  ail 

14  the  children  of  the  people.  And  afterward 
the}'  prepared  for  themselves,  and  for  the 
priests ;  because  the  priests  the  sons  of 
Aaron  loere  hu.ticd  in  offering  the  burnt 
offerings  and  the  fat  until  night  :  therefore 
the  Levites  prepared  for  themselves,  and  for 

15  the  priests  the  sons  of  Aaron.  And  the 
singers  the  sons  of  Asaph  were  in  their 
place,  according  to  the  commandment  of 
David,  and  Asaph,  and  Henum,  and  Jedu- 
thun  tlie  king's  seer  ;  and  the  porters  were 
at  every  gate  :  they  needed  not  to  depart 
from  their  service,  for  their  brethren  the  Le- 

16  vites  prepared  for  them.  So  all  the  service 
of  the  Lord  was  jirepared  the  same  day,  to 
keep  the  passover,  and  to  offer  burnt  offer- 
ings upon  the  altar  of  the  Loud,  according 

17  to  tlie  commandment  of  king  Jo.siah.  And 
the  children  of  Israel  that  were  present  kept 
the  jiassover  at  that  time,  and  the  feast  of 

18  unleavened  bread  seven  days.  And  there 
was  no  passover  like  to  that  kept  in  Israel 
from  the  days  of  Samuel  the  prophet ; 
neither  did  any  of  the  kings  of  Israel  keep 
such  a  passover  as  Josiah  kept,  and  the 
priests,  and  the  Levites,  and  all  .Judah  and 
Israel  that  were  present,  and  the  inhabitants 

19  of  Jerusalem.  In  the  eighteenth  3-ear  of  the 
reign  of  Josiah  was  this  pttssover  kept. 

After  all  this,  when  Josiah  had  prepared 
the  temple,  Neco  king  of  Egypt  went  up  to 
fight  against  Carchemish  by  Euphrates  : 
and  Josiah  went  out  against  him.  Hut  ho 
sent  ambassadors  to  him,  saying.  What  have  I 
tado  with  thee,  thou  king  of  J  udah  V  /  cmm' 
not  against  thee  this  day,  but  against  the 


20 


31 


sepulchres,  and  burned  them  upon  the  altar, 
and  defiled  it,  according  to  the  word  of  the 
Loud  which  the  man  of  God  ]noclaimed, 

17  who  proclaimed  these  things.  Tiien  he  said. 
What  monument  is  that  which  I  see?  And 
the  men  of  the  city  told  him.  It  is  the  sepul- 
chre of  the  man  of  God,  which  came  from 
Judah,  and  proclaimed  these  things  that 
thou  hast  done  against  the  altar  of  Beth-el, 

18  And  he  said.  Let  him  be  ;  let  no  man  move 
his  bones.  So  they  let  his  bones  alone,  with 
the  bones  of  the   prophet  that  came  out  of 

19  Samaria.  And  all  the  hou-rcs  also  of  the 
high  places  that  were  in  the  cities  of  Sama- 
ria, which  the  kings  of  Israel  had  made  to 
provoke  the  lOIlD  to  anger,  Josiah  took 
away,  and  did  to  them  according  to  all  the 

30  acts  that  he  had  done  in  Beth-el.  And  he 
slew  all  the  priests  of  the  high  jilaces  that 
were  there,  upon  tnc  altars,  and  burned 
men's  bones  upon  them  ;  and  he  returned 
to  Jerusalem. 

21  And  the  king  commanded  all  the  people, 
sa3-ing,  Keep  the  passover  unto  the  Lord 
j'our  God,  as  it  is  written  in  this  book  of  the 

22  covenant.  Surely  there  was  not  kept  such 
a  passover  from  the  daj's  of  the  judges  that 
judged  Israel,  nor  in  all  the  days  of  the 
kings  of  Israel,  nor  of  the  kings  of  Judah  ; 

23  but  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  king  Josiah 
was  this  passover  kept  to  the  LintD  in  Jeru- 

24  salem.  Jloreover  them  that  had  familiar 
spirits,  and  the  wizards,  and  the  teraphim, 
and  the  idols,  and  all  the  abciminations  that 
were  spied  in  the  land  of  Judah  anel  in  Jeru- 
salem, did  Josiah  put  away,  that  he  might 
confirm  the  words  of  the  law  which  were 
written  in  the  book  that  Iliiki.di  the  priest 

25  found  in  the  house  of  the  Loud.  And  like 
unto  him  was  there  no  king  before  him,  that 
turneil  to  the  Loud  with  all  his  heart,  and 
with  all  his  soul,  and  with  all  his  might,  ac- 
cording to  all  the  law  of  Moses  ;  neither  after 

26  him  arose  there  any  like  hiiii.  Notwith- 
standing the  Lord  turned  not  from  the 
fierceness  of  his  great  wrath,  wherewith  his 
anger  was  kindled  against  Judah,  be<'ause 
of  all  the  provocations  that  3Ianasseh  had 

27  provoked  him  witlial.  And  the  Lord  said, 
I  will  remove  Judah  also  out  of  my  sight, 
as  I  have  removed  Israel,  and  I  will  cast  off 
this  city  which  I  have  cho.sen,  even  Jerusa- 
lem,  and  the   house   of  which   I  said.  My 

28  name  shall  be  there.  Now  the  rest  of  the 
acts  of  .losiah,  and  all  that  he  ilid,  are  they 
not  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  of 

29  the  kings  of  Judah?  In  his  days  Pharaoh- 
neeoh  king  of  Egypt  went  up  against  the 
king  of  Assyria  to  the  river  Euphrates  ;  and 
king  Josiah  went  against  him  ;  and  he  slew 

30  him  at  Megiddo,  when  he  had  seen  him.  And 
his  servants  carried  him  in  a  chariot  dead 
from  Megiddo,  and  brought  him  to  Jerusa- 
lem, and  buried  him  in  his  own  sepidchre. 
And  the  people  of  the  land  took  Jehoahaz 
the  son  of  Josiah,  and  anointed  him,  and 
made  him  king  in  his  father's  stead. 


house  wherewith  I  have  war  ;  and  God  hath 

commanded  me  to  make  haste  :  forbear  thee  from  inedelling  with  God,  who  is  with  me.  that  he 

22  destroy  thee  not.     Nevertheless  Josiah  would  not  turn  his  face  from  him,  but  disguised  him- 
self, that  he  might  fight  with  him,  and  hearkened  not  unto  the  words  of  Neco,  from  the 

23  mouth  of  God,  and  came  to  fight  in  the  valley  of  Megiddo.     And  the  archers  shot  at  king 


384 


KIJfODOM  OF  JUDAn. 


24  Josinli  ;  and  tho  kin;;  said  to  his  servants,  Have  me  away  ;  for  I  am  sore  wc)unile(].  So  liis 
servants  took  him  "lit  of  the  chariot,  and  put  liiin  in  the  second  chariot  tliat  lie  had,  and 
liroiii;hl  liini  to  .Icnisaleiii  ;  and  lie  died,  and  Wits  Imricd  in  the  sepulchres  of  his  fathers.     And 

an  all  .Iiidah  an<l  .leriisalcin  mourned  for  .losiah.  And  .Ii'icniiah  lamented  for  Josiali  :  and  all 
the  siiiiiinj;  men  and  sinjrini:  uimieii  siiake  of  .losiah  in  their  lanientutions.  unto  this  day  ; 
and  Ihcy  mad<'  ihein  an  ordinance  in  Israel  :  and,  liehold,  they  arc  written  in  the  lamentations. 

2f>  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  .losiah,  and  his  frooil  deeds,  aceordimr  to  that  which  is  written  in 

27  the  law  of  ilic  l.oui),  and  his  acts,  tirst  uud  last,  behold,  they  are  written  in  the  book  of  the 
kings  of  Israel  and  Judali. 


SiihuUiiire and  OnUr  oftlw  Tut  ami  tlie  Etents. 
1.  General  .statements,  2  K.  22  :  1,  2  ;  2  Cliron. 
84  :  1,  2.  2.  The  reforms  in  his  eighth  and 
twelfth  years,  2  Chron.  34  :  3-7.  3.  The  jiroph- 
esying  of  Zcjihaniah,  Zeph.  1  :  1  and  the  whole 
book  (but  other  opinions  date  the  book  later  in 
Josiali's  icifrn).  4.  Earlier  prophecies  of  Jere- 
miah, Jer.  1:2;  2.")  :  3  ;  1  :  4-3  :  5  ;  perhaps 
3:6-6:30.  5.  The  reformation  of  Josiah's 
eighteenth  year :  («)  Temple  repairs,  2  K. 
22  :  3-7  ;  2  Chron.  34  :  8-13  ;  (b)  finding  the 
Book  of  the  Law,  2  K.  22  :  8  ;  2  Chron.  34  :  14, 
15  ;  (c)  reading  in  it  before  the  king,  2  K. 
22  :  9-11  ;  2  Chron.  34  :  16-19  ;  (d)  the  prophecy 
of  Huldah,  2  K.  22  :  12-20  ;  2  Chron.  34  ;  20-28  ; 
(e)  the  ])nl)lic  reading  and  accepting  of  the 
Book  of  the  Covenant,  2  K.  23  : 1-3  ;  2  Chron. 

34  :  29-32  ;  (./')  subsequent  iconoclastic  opera- 
tions. 2  K.  23  :  4-20,  24,  25  ;  2  Chron.  34  :  33  ; 
(f/)  Josiah's  iiassover,  2  K.  23  :  21-23  ;  2  Chron. 

35  :  1-19  ;  (li)  concluding  events,  and  literature, 
2  IC.  23:  26-30;  2  Chron.  35  :  20-27.  .  .  .  Mo- 
tion of  tlir  tiiniii  of  Jiisidh  in  Zephaniah,  Jer. 
1-6,  and  Habakkuk.     W.  J.  B. 

Comparison  and  Explanatiun  of  tlw  Two  Ae- 
counU  in  Kings  and  Chronicles.  The  main  top- 
ic in  the  Book  of  Kings  is  the  religious  refor- 
mation, alike  in  its  positive  aspect  as  regarded 
tlie  Temple,  the  law  and  national  religion  (2  K. 
22  :  3  ;  23  :  3),  and  in  its  negative  aspect  in  the 
abolition  of  idolatry  (2  K.  23  :  4-20).  On  the 
other  hand,  the  chronicler  records  at  greatest 
length,  and  with  fullest  detail,  the  Paschal  ob- 
servance (2  Chron.  35  :  1-19).  while  he  passes 
vcrj'  briefly  over  what  might  appear  as  of 
graver  im  portance  (2  Chron.  34  :  4-7).  This  will 
explain  what  otherwise  might  liave  seemed  a 
dilliculiy  in  the  arrangement  of  the  narrative. 
The  account  both  in  the  Book  of  Kings  and  in 
Chronicles  places  the  Temple  restoration  "  in 
the  eighteenth  year  of  king  Josiah."  But  in 
the  former  the  record  of  the  religious  reforma- 
tion begins  wilh  this  event,  while  the  chroni- 
cler prefaces  it  by  a  very  brief  snniniary  of 
wh.'it  had  previously  been  done  for  the  aboli- 
tion of  idolatry  (2  Chron.  34  :  3-7).  That  some- 
thing of  this  kind  must  have  preceded  the  res- 
toration of  the  Temple  seems  evident.  It  can- 
not be  supposed  that  a  monarch  like  Josiah 


shoidd  for  seventeen  years  have  tolerated  all 
that  Anion  had  introduced,  and  then,  in  his 
eighteenth  year,  suddenly  proceeded  to  the 
sweeping  measures  whicli  alike  the  writers  of 
Kings  and  of  Chronicles  narrate.  It  is,  there- 
fore, only  rea.sonable  to  accept  the  statement  of 
the  latter,  that  "  in  the  eighth  year  of  his  reign, 
while  he  was  yet  young"  (in  his  sixteenth  year 
— when  presumably  he  commenced  personally 
to  administer  the  government),  king  Josiah 
"  began  to  seek  after  the  God  of  David  his  fa- 
ther," and  that  "  in  the  twelfth  year  he  began 
to  purge  Judah  and  Jerusalem"  from  their 
idolatry  (2  Chron.  34  :  3).  And  then  the  chron- 
icler, who,  as  we  have  stated,  makes  only  brief- 
est reference  to  the  reformation  described  with 
such  detail  in  2  K.  23  :  4-20,  at  once  adds  to  the 
mention  of  the  initial  measures  toward  the  abo- 
lition of  idolatry  a  summary  of  what  was  final- 
ly done  in  that  direction,  after  the  restoration 
of  the  Temple  and  in  consequence  of  the  dis- 
covery of  the  Book  of  the  Law  (verses  4-7).  It 
was  only  natural  that  such  preliminary  meas- 
ures as  the  chronicler  relates  should  have  been 
followed  by,  as  indeed  they  must  have  stood  in 
connection  with,  the  restoration  of  the  Temple 
and  its  services.  This  was  done  in  the  eigh- 
teenth year  of  Josiah's  reign.  Nearly  two  and 
a  half  centuries  had  passed  since  the  former 
restoration  by  Joash  (2  K.  12  :  4-16),  and  the 
sacred  building  must  have  greatly  suffered  un- 
der the  idolatrous  kings,  especially  during  the 
late  reigns  of  llanasseh  and  Anion.  As  the 
restoration  was  naturally  on  the  same  lines  with 
the  previous  one  under  Joash,  the  two  accounts 
are  necessarily  similar.  The  collections  for  the 
Temple  repairs,  to  which  reference  is  made, 
must  have  begun  some  years  previously  (2  K. 
22  :  4) — perhaps  so  early  as  the  eighth  year  of 
the  king's  reign.  But  what  specially  interests 
us  is  that  contributions  came  not  merely  from 
Jiidah,  but  from  the  Israelitish  inhabitants  of 
what  had  been  the  kingdom  of  Israel  (2  Chron. 
34  : 9).  This  indicates  not  only  a  religions 
movement  among  them,  such  as  previously  in 
the  time  of  He/.ekiah,  but  that  politically  also 
the  remnant  of  Israel  in  the  land  was  drawn 
into  a  hopeful  alliance  with  Judah.  A.  H 
Josiah,   the  sixteenth   king  of  Judah,  was 


SECTION  iS.     REIGN  OF  JOSIAH. 


385 


eight  years  old  at  his  accession,  and  reigned 
tliirty-onc  years  at  Jerusalem,  llis  mother  was 
Jedidah,  the  daughter  of  Adaiah  of  Boscath. 
Though  he  fell  in  battle  before  he  had  com- 
pleted his  fortieth  year,  he  left  the  brightest 
name  for  piety  and  religious  zeal  among  all  the 
successors  of  David.  He  shares  with  Ilezckiah 
the  praise  of  walking  perfectly  in  the  way  of 
his  father  David.  Ilis  reign  marks  the  last 
dying  glory  of  the  earthly  kingdom  of  David. 
It  may,  indeed,  seem  mysterious  that  a  doom 
so  often  postponed  bj'  the  repentance  and  faith 
of  earlier  kings  should  have  followed  so  close 
upon  the  reign  of  the  best  and  most  zealous  of 
them  all,  and  that  he  himself  should  have  fallen 
by  a  premature  and  violent  death.  But  we 
must  look  beyond  the  personal  character  of  the 
king  to  the  state  of  the  people  and  their  rulers. 
We  have  seen  that  the  great  reform  of  Heze- 
kiah  was  probably  superficial  ;  the  apostasy 
under  Manasseh  and  Amon  was  the  last  and 
lowest  stage  in  the  long  course  of  national  de- 
generacy ;  and  the  deep  corruption  that  pre- 
vailed during  the  minority  of  Josiah  is  drawn 
in  the  blackest  colors  by  the  prophets  Zepha- 
niah  and  Jeremiah.  The  very  violence  of  Jo- 
siah's  reformation  indicates  the  absence  of  true 
and  spontaneous  sympathy  among  the  people. 
In  short,  they  were  past  purifying  except  by 
the  fiercest  fires  of  artliction.     P.  S. 

iS  Cliron.  34  :  I,  2.  Duration  and  charac- 
ter of  Josiah' s  reign.  At  eight  years  it  began, 
and  continued  thirty -one  years  until  his  death 
in  battle.  This  was  the  sixteenth  reign  of  the 
separate  kingdom  of  Judah.  Again,  as  in  the 
case  of  Joash,  the  providence  of  God  breaks 
the  connection  of  an  evil  parentage,  so  that  Jo- 
siah comes  under  other  and  better  influences  in 
the  forming  age  of  character.  Whence  these 
influences  came  and  what  they  were  we  know 
not,  only  inferring  a  good  cause  from  so  good 
an  effect.  As  in  the  multitude  of  cases  we  can 
trace,  it  may  have  been  due  to  a  godly  mother's 
wise  and  faithful  training.  There  were  doubt- 
less other  devout  persons  connected  with  the 
court  or  priesthood  who  seconded  this  train- 
ing. "  He  did  that  which  was  right,  and  de- 
clined neither  to  the  right  hand,  nor  to  the 
left."  Rectitude  or  rightness  is  set  forth  here 
and  elsewhere  by  the  figure  of  a  straight  path- 
way. Divergence  from  this  on  cither  side  is 
error,  or  wandering  ;  that  is,  sin,  transgression. 
This  divergence  is  here  appropriately  charac- 
terized as  dccletmon.  Josiah  is  named  with 
Ilezekiah,  in  association  with  David,  and  .seems 
to  have  been  one  of  the  purest  and  most  devout 
of  the  Old  Testament  kings  and  believers.     B. 


Josiah  was  only  eight  years  old  when  he  suc- 
ceeded to  the  ro3'al  dignit}'.  As  his  extreme 
3'outh  would  withdraw  him  from  the  influences 
and  temptations  to  which  ilanasseh  had  been 
exposed  at  his  accession,  so  it  must  have  neces- 
sitated the  tutorship,  or  at  least  guidance,  of 
men  to  whom,  as  generally  venerated,  a  royal 
child  would  be  entrusted.  That  such  there 
were,  we  infer  from  the  revival  of  prophecy, 
as  reiiresented  by  a  Huldah,  a  Jeremiah  and  a 
Zephaniah  ;  from  the  notices  wo  have  of  some 
whom  we  afterward  find  surrounding  the  king  ; 
and,  lastl}',  from  the  bearing  of  the  priesthood 
under  their  chief,  llilkiah.  Such  men  as  they, 
under  whose  auspices  afterward  the  reforma- 
tion of  Josiah  was  carried  out,  could  have  had 
no  difficulty  in  showing  the  youthful  king  how 
the  brightest  memories  of  the  royal  house  of 
Judah  were  associated  with  the  names  of  David, 
Jchoshaphat  and  Joash,  Uzziah  and  Ilezckiah, 
and  that  the  times  of  greatest  national  pros- 
perity had  been  those  of  faithful  and  earnest 
allegiance  to  Jehovah  and  His  service.  These 
are  indeed  mainly  inferences  ;  but  they  are 
grounded  on  the  facts  of  this  history,  and  ex- 
plain them.     A.  E. 

Persomil  Consecration  at  Sixteen   Years  of  Age. 
2  Chronicles  34  :  3. 

He  "  began  to  seek  after  the  God  of  David, 
his  father. "  He  began  amid  all  the  idolatry 
that  surrounded  him,  and  that  was  still  en- 
couraged by  the  princes  and  rulers  who  had 
the  actual  conduct  of  affairs  during  his  minori- 
ty, to  seek  after  and  try  to  realize  communion 
with  the  tnie  God  of  Israel,  the  God  of  liis  fa- 
ther David.  In  thus  setting  his  heart  he  may 
have  been  encouraged  by  a  certain  number  of 
kindred  spirits  present  in  Jerusalem  at  the 
time — by  Hilkiah,  the  high-priest  ;  by  Shaphan, 
the  scribe  ;  by  Iluldah,  the  prophetess,  wife  of 
Shallum,  keeper  of  the  wardrobe  ;  possibly  by 
Zephaniah  the  prophet,  the  descendant  of  Ileze- 
kiah, his  own  cousin.  With  Jeremiah  at  this 
date  he  is  not  likely  to  have  had  any  contact, 
since  Jeremiah  dwelt  at  Anathoth  in  Benjamin, 
and  did  not  receive  his  call  till  five  years  after- 
ward, in  the  thirteenth  year  of  Josiah's  reign 
(Jer.  1:3;  25  :  3). 

Reforms  in  his  Twelfth  Reigning  Year. 

2  Chronicles  34  :  3-T. 

When  he  had  attained  the  age  of  twenty,  and 
the  actual  administration  of  affairs  had  de- 
volved upon  him,  the  young  king  proceeded 


386 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAU. 


to  the  revival  of  true  religion  in  its  purit}' 
throughout  the  country.  His  first  care  was  to 
"  purge  Judah  and  Jerusalem" — i.e.,  to  put 
down,  remove  and  eradicate  all  the  open  and 
flagrant  idolatries  wliicli  his  fathir.  Amon,  had 
reintroduced  after  they  had  been  abolished  by 
JIanasseh.     G.  K. 

6,  7.  The.  crtiiit  nf  JaMali'ii  rcformntioii  in 
worship.  Through  all  the  land  of  the  kingdom 
of  Israel,  among  the  n'ninant  still  aliidiiig  in  tlie 
nearest  tribes  of  Manassch,  Ephraim  and  Sim- 
con,  and  throughout  all  the  territory  to  the 
farthest  tribe  of  Naphtali,  he  carried  this  work 
of  cleansing.  "  The  abolishment  of  idolatry  in 
ICphraim  involved  the  destruction  of  the  altar 
and  temple  of  the  golden  calf  at  Bethel,  which 
had  been  the  royal  chapel  of  the  kings  of  Israel 
(Amos  7  :  l!i)  ;  and  this  was  a  remarkable  fultil- 
ment  of  a  singular  prophecy  (cf.  2  K.  23  ;  1.5-18 
withl  K.  13:1,2)."  (Todd.)  His  personal  con- 
nection with  the  work  is  indicated  by  the  state- 
ment that  after  it  was  completed  he  returned 
to  Jerusalem.  The  zeal  and  courage  of  this 
j'outhful  king  in  undertaking  and  steadily  pros- 
ecuting a  six  years'  work  of  purging  the  land 
of  idolatry  can  scarcely  be  overestimated.  To 
appreciate  it  we  must  read  the  strong  state- 
ments of  .Terenuah  and  Zephaniah  concerning 
the  prevalent  eorru])tion  of  the  people  prior  to 
and  during  this  period.  He  wrought  by  faith, 
and  at  ever}'  step  stayed  himself  on  God.  His 
work  commenced  with  the  destruction  of  all 
the  images  and  the  temples  of  idolatry.  Some 
of  the  dust  of  the  ground  metal-images  was 
strewn  upon  graves  of  idolatrous  priests,  that  it 
might  l)e  unfit  for  further  religious  use.  The 
bones  of  the  jiriests  taken  from  graves  were 
burnt  upon  the  idolatrous  altars,  so  that  they 
were  rendered  unclean.  The  distinction  mad(^ 
between  the  graves  of  true  worshippers  and  of 
idolaters  shows  that  even  in  such  evil  times 
the  line  which  separated  the  idolater  from  the 
believer  was  distinctly  drawn.  Each  class  was 
known  by  the  character  of  his  worship.  As 
far  as  possible,  Josiah  personally  supervised  and 
directed  this  radical  work  of  cleansing.  It  is 
said  to  have  been  done"  in  his  presence."  But 
with  all  his  efforts  to  root  out  the  practice,  he 
could  not  extirpate  the  xpirit  of  idolatry.  This 
clung  to  the  people  until  tlu'  Captivity.  That 
alone  annihilated  all  desire  or  thought  of  idola- 
trous worship.     15. 

C.  In  the  cities  of  inaiinHsch,  etc. 
The  power  of  Assyria  being  now  (B.C.  629-624) 
greatly  weakened,  if  not  completely  broken, 
Josiah,  it  is  evident,  asserted  and  maintained  a 
claim  to  authority  over  the  whole  "  land  of  Is- 


rael." It  was  no  longer — as  in  Hezekiah's 
time — a  tumultuous  crowd  that,  in  a  fit  of  en- 
thusiasm, hastily  overran  a  portion  of  the  Is- 
raelite countr}',  destroying  idolatrous  emblems 
(chap.  31  :  1),  but  the  monarch,  who  went  in 
person  through  thc^  length  and  breiulth  of  the 
land,  and  imrilii-d  the  whole  region.  We  must 
regard  Jo.siah  as  aiming,  not  merely  at  a  relig- 
ious reformation,  but  at  a  restoration  of  the 
kingdom  to  its  ancient  limits.     B.  C. 

The  authority  of  Josiah  wsis  acknowledged 
and  his  orrlers  fulfilled  to  the  most  remote  part 
of  Palestine  ;  an  apparent  proof  that,  notwith- 
standing the  numbers  that  had  been  carried 
away  into  the  foreign  colonies,  the  Ten  Tribes 
were  not  so  entirely  exterminated  but  that 
their  descendants,  at  least  of  the  lower  orders, 
were  still  the  predonunant  pojiulation  of  the 
country.     Milinan. 

Reformation  of  Josiah's   Eighteenth    Heigning 
Year.     Temple  liepuirK. 

2  Chronicles  34  :  8-13  ;  2  Kings  22  :  3-7. 

Tli^  Repair  of  the  Temple.  A  long  period  had 
elapsed  since  the  repairs  of  Joash — more  than 
two  hundred  years.  The  Temple  must  have 
greatl}'  needed  restoration.  It  had  doubtless 
suffered  much  in  the  reigns  of  the  idolatrous 
kings.  Contributions  were  n'ceived,  as  had 
been  done  under  the  direction  of  Joash.  A 
commission  was  appointed,  consisting  of  three 
civil  officers  in  conjunction  with  the  liigh- 
priest,  to  keep  account  of  the  money  contrib- 
uted, and  to  disburse  it  in  the  execution  of  the 
work.  In  connection  with  this  repair  of  the 
house  of  God,  a  copy  of  the  Book  of  the  Law 
was  found  in  the  Temple.     B. 

2  Cliroii.  34 :  §.  What  ."^tir  was  there  in 
Judah,  wlierein  God's  Temple  suffered  not? 
Six  several  times  it  was  pilhigcd,  whether  out 
of  force  or  will  :  first,  Jeho.ish,  king  of  Judah, 
is  fain  by  the  spoil  of  it  to  stop  the  mouth  of 
Hazael  ;  then  Joash,  king  of  Israel,  fills  his  own 
hands  with  that  sacreil  spoil,  in  the  days  of 
Amaziah  ;  after  this,  Ahaz  rifles  it  for  Tiglath- 
pileser,  king  of  As.syria  ;  then  Hezekiah  is 
forced  to  ransack  the  treasures  of  it  for  Sen- 
nacherib ;  yet  after,  the  sacrilege  of  JIanasseh 
makes  that  booty  of  it  which  his  later  times 
endeavored  to  restore  ;  and  lastly,  Amon,  his 
son,  neglects  the  frame,  embezzles  the  furni- 
ture of  this  holy  place.  Tlie  very  pile  began  to 
complain  of  age  and  unrespoct.  Now  comes 
good  Josiah,  who  takes  up  the  latest  care  of  his 
father  David,  and  gives  order  for  the  repairing 
of  the  Temple.     Bp.  U. 


SECTION  43.     THE  BOOK  OF  THE  LA  W. 


387 


Sliaplian  tlie  scribe.  Shaplian  U  men- 
tioned frequently  b\-  Jeremiali.  lli:  was  the 
father  of  AiiiUam,  Jereniiali's  friend  and  pro- 
tector at  tlie  court  of  Jehoiakim  (Jer.  26  :  24), 
and  the  grandfather  of  Gedaliah,  who  was 
made  governor  of  Judea  by  the  Babylonians 
after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  (2  K.  25  :  22). 
Several  others  of  his  sons  and  grandsons  were 
in  favor  with  the  later  Jewish  kings,  as  Elasah, 
his  son,  who  ■«  as  sent  on  an  embassy  to  Baby- 
lon by  Zedekiah  (Jer.  29  :  3),  Geinariah,  another 
son,  who  tried  to  induce  Jehoiakim  not  to  burn 
Jeremiah's  roll  (Jer.  36  :  12,  2o),  and  ilichaiah, 
a  grandson,  who  heard  Barucli  read  the  roll 
and  reported  its  contents  to  the  princes  {ibid., 
10-12).  Shaphan's  office  was  one  of  great  im- 
portance, involving  very  confidential  relations 
with  the  king.     B.  C. 

9,  lO.  Josiah  sanctioned  a  collection  of 
money  for  the  repairs,  not  only  in  the  Temple 
itself,  but  also  throughout  Judah  and  Benja- 
min, and  all  the  land  of  Israel.  The  money 
gathered  was  expended  in  the  purchase  of 
hewn  stones  and  timber,  and  in  the  payment 
of  carpenters  and  masons,  and  bearers  of  bur- 
dens, and  overseers  of  the  work,  which  contin- 
ued probably  over  several  years,  since  there 
was  a  great  deal  to  be  done.  From  time  to 
time  the  civil  ofHcers  who  had  the  general  man- 
agement of  the  work  proceeded  to  the  Temple, 
and  there  received  from  the  high-priest  such 
moneys  as  had  been  collected  since  their  last 
visit,  which  they  made  over  to  the  superinten- 
dents of  the  workmen,  who  thereupon  paid  their 
■wages  to  the  men  employed.     G.  R. 

FindiiKj  "  the  Book  vf  the  Law." 
3  Chroniden  34  :  14,  15  ;  2  Kings  22  :  8. 

The  high-priest  Hilkiah  said  to  Shaphan,  "  I 
have  found  the  Book  of  Law  in  the  house  of  Je- 
hovah." Therefore  the  book  found — i.e.,  the 
contents — were  not  only  known  to  liim,  but  in 
his  opinion  must  be  known  to  others  also.  The 
hook  was  found  in  the  house  of  Jehovah,  where 
was  its  natural  and  designated  place  (De. 
31  :  26).     ,S'.  C.  Biti-tUtt. 

2  Cliron.  34  :  M.  This  took  place  in  con- 
nection with  the  repairs  of  the  Temple.  In 
this  verse  the  word  "  they"  refers  to  the  com- 
mission of  four  chief  officers — of  the  State,  the 
city,  the  supreme  tribunal  and  the  priesthood. 
While  searching  the  secret  plai'cs  where  money 
was  deposited  for  security  during  the  lawless 
period  of  Manas.seh's  reign,  the  Book  of  the  Law 

was  found.     B. Its  discovery  at  this  time, 

when  the  work  of  repair  was  going  forward, 


shows  that  it  had  been  lost  from  sight.  Possi- 
bly, as  some  suppose,  it  had  been  secreted  dur- 
ing the  idolatrous  reign  of  Manasseh,  to  protect 
it  from  violence  and  injury,  and  the  place 
where  it  had  been  deposited  wa3  forgotten. 
Oivcn  by  IfIo§e8.  Literally,  as  in  the  mar- 
gin, "  By  the  hand  of  Moses."  "  By  the  hand 
of"  simply  means  that  the  law  was  given  by 
the  instrumentality  of  Moses  (Lev.  8 :  36). 
W.  II.  G. 

15.  I  have  found  tbe  book  of  the 
law.  Rationalistic  criticism  has  concluded 
from  this  discovery,  either  that  no  "  book  of 
the  law"  had  ever  existed  before,  the  work 
now  said  to  have  been  "  foimd"  having  been 
forged  for  the  occasion  by  Hilkiah ;  or,  at 
least,  that  all  knowledge  of  the  old  "  book,"  if 
such  book  existed,  had  been  lost,  and  that  a 
work  of  unknown  date  and  authorship  having 
been  at  this  time  found  was  accepted  as  the  law 
of  Moses  on  account  of  its  contents,  and  has 
thus  come  down  to  us  under  his  name.  But 
Hilkiah,  the  high-priest,  having  found  in  the 
Temple  a  certain  roll  and  read  it,  recognizes  it 
with  apparent  certainty  as  "  the  Book  of  the 
Law" — "  The  Book  of  the  Law  of  the  Lord  by 
the  hand  of  Moses"  (verse  14),  and  mentions  his 
discovery  to  Shaphan,  who  communicates  it  to 
the  king.  Now  if  Hilkiah  had  been  bold 
enough  and  wicked  enough  to  forge,  or  if  he 
had  been  foolish  enough  to  accept  hastily  as 
the  real  "  Book  of  the  Law"  a  composition  of 
which  he  really  knew  nothing,  would  there 
have  been  no  means  of  detecting  his  error  or 
his  fraud?  Four  means  of  detection  would,  it 
is  evident,  have  existed  :  (1)  The  Jewish  litur- 
gies, which  embodied  large  portions  of  the  law, 
just  as  the  Romish  liturgies  before  the  Reforma- 
tion embodied  large  portions  of  the  Bible  ;  (2) 
the  memory  of  living  men,  which  in  many  in- 
stances may  have  extended  to  the  entire  five 
books,  as  it  does  now  with  the  modern  Samari- 
tans ;  (3)  other  copies,  entire  or  fragmentary, 
which  it  cannot  but  be  supposed  would  exist 
among  the  more  learned  Jews,  or,  at  any  rate,  in 
the  schools  of  the  prophets  ;  and  (4)  quotations 
from  the  law  in  other  works,  as  especially  in 
those  of  the  psalmists  and  prophets,  who  refer 
to  it  almost  on  every  page.  On  the  whole,  it 
may  be  said  that  fraud  or  mistake  might  as 
easily  have  imposed  a  new  "  Bible"  on  the 
Christian  world  in  the  sixteenth  eenturj',  as  a 
new  "  law"  on  the  Jews  in  the  reign  of  Josiah. 

In  the  house  of  the  Lord.  The  copy 
of  the  law  found  by  Hilkiah  was  no  doubt  that 
deposited,  ill  accordance  with  the  command  of 
God  by  Moses  (De.  31  :  26),  by  the  side  of  the 


i)88 


K^^'nno^r  nv  jvikmt. 


nrk  of  the  rnvonant.  and  kept  nnlinarily  in  tlie 
Holy  of  Holies.  It  had  bi-i-n  lost,  or  secreted, 
(iuriiii;  the  desecration  of  the  Temple  by  Manas- 
sell,  but  had  not  been  removed  out  of  the  Tem- 
ple building.     B.  C. 

There  had  been  no  wanton  destruction  of  the 
Book  of  the  Law.  It  had  merely  been  thrust 
out  of  sijrht,  and  then  forgotten.  As  the  repair 
and  resloralicm  of  the  Temjile  proeecdeil,  and 
<!vcii  liiniber  rooms  and  closets  were  searched, 
that  the  whole  building  might  be  brought  into 
pro])er  order,  those  employed  in  the  work  came 
upon  the  lost  volume.  Priests,  king  and  peo- 
ple unanimously,  though  with  much  grief  and 
fear,  accepleil  it.  The  prophetess,  who  was 
God's  mouthpiece  at  the  time,  confirmed  their 
view  ;  and  it  remained  for  nineteenth-century 
critics  to  throw  a  doubt  upon  the  conclusion 
thus  come  to,  and  to  brand  the  work  as  a  for- 
ger}' of  Ililkiah's,  or  as  a  chance  production  of  a 
chance  author,  who  had  amused  himself  by 
composing  a  code  of  laws  for  a  Utopia,  llani- 
moml. The  entire  statement  conveys  the  im- 
pression that  a  well-known  book,  after  having 
been  for  an  indefinite  peri(xl  lost  from  sight, 
had  now  been  accidentally  discovered — a  dis- 
covery which  produced  great  and  immediate, 
though  not  permanent  results.  Now  a  certain 
«^hool  of  critics  accept  this  narrative,  but  insist 
tliat  the  book  thus  found  was  a  recent  jiroduc- 
tion,  which  had  been  hidden  in  order  to  be 
found  as  it  were  by  accident,  and  thus  create  a 
false  impression  of  its  antiquity.  But  this  is 
playing  fast  and  loose  with  a  historical  record. 
It  must  be  accepted  or  rejected  as  a  whole.  If 
there  was  a  book  found  at  all,  it  must  have 
been  in  the  way  described.  To  take  one  part 
of  the  story  and  discard  the  other  is  to  violate 
an  established  canon  of  critiei:=m.  and  especial- 
ly when  this  is  done  to  bolster  up  a  theory  the 
most  arbitrary  and  irrational  ever  conceived. 

T.   W.  Chambers. The  enormous  diflieultics 

attending  on  the  supposition  that  such  an  in- 
troduction of  such  a  document  at  such  an  epoch 
could  have  been  successful,  and  the  equally 
enormous  dilliculty  of  saving  the  character  of 
its  contrivers,  whatever  allowance  may  be  made 
for  the  diversities  of  literary  conscience  in  dif- 
ferent epochs,  may  well  make  us  pause  before 
admitting  that  Jeremiah  and  the  group  of  de- 
vout men  and  women  around  him  were  "  liars 
for  Ood."     A.  M. 

No  reasonable  motive  on  the  jiart  of  the 
priesthnod,  still  less  of  the  pmithcts,  for  the 
invention  of  such  a  book  can  be  conceived. 
And  plainly  it  nuist  have  been  accepted  and  its 
genuineness  attested  by  Jeremiah,  who  at  that 


time  hail  already  been  five  years  in  the  pro- 
phetic ollice.  The  further  question  of  tiie  pre- 
cise contents  of  the  book  is  both  ditbcult  of  dis- 
cussion and  not  of  great  practical  importance. 
Irrespective  of  the  time  which  the  reading  of 
the  whole  Pentateuch  would  have  occupied  (cf. 
here  2  K.  23  :  2),  the  wording  of  Holy  Scripture 
scarcely  conveys  in  the  first  instance  that  the 
book  comprised  the  strictly  historical  portions 
of  the  Pentateuch  (such  its  Genesis),  but,  a.s  we 
expressly  read,  "  the  Book  of  the  Covenant" 
and  "the  Book  of  the  Law."  The  latter  ex- 
l)ression  leads  us  in  the  present  case  to  think, 
first  of  all,  of  that  aspect  of  the  law  which  spe- 
cially alfected  the  people,  and  the  breach  of 
which  entailed  the  national  judgment  that 
Huldah  had  announced,  and  the  ai>prehension 
of  which  had  caused  such  consternation  to  tlic 
king.  If  so,  we  should  perhaps  not  have  to 
thiidv,  in  the  first  place,  of  those  ritual  ordi- 
nances found  in  the  central  portions  of  the  Pen- 
tateuch, which  are  now  commonly  called  the 
"  Priest  Code."  These  would  chiefly  affect  the 
priesthood,  nor  perhaps  could  the  people  have 
followed  with  complete  undci-standing  the  mere 
reading  of  their  complicated  ritual  details. 
Besides,  the  previous  history  has  furnished  us 
with  sufficient  instances  to  show  that,  unlike 
the  law,  the  provisions  and  ordinances  of  the 
"  Priest  Code"  must  have  been  well  known. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  main  contents  of  the 
I3ook  of  the  Law  read  in  hearing  of  the  people 
must  have  concerned  the  whole  fundamental 
relation  between  Israel  and  Jehovah.  Hence 
we  conclude  that  it  must  have  contained,  be- 
sides the  Book  of  Deuteronomy,  at  any  rate 
those  portions  of  the  Pentateuch  which  related 
to  the  same  all-important  subject.  But  on  the 
main  points  we  cannot  have  any  hesitation.  In 
I)e.  31  ;  2.5,  26,  we  find  directions  for  depositing 
the  Book  of  the  Law  in  the  innermost  sanctu- 
ary, as  indeed  might  have  been  expected.  That 
in  the  various  troubles,  when  during  many 
reigns  the  Mosaic  law  and  order  of  worship 
were  so  often  set  aside,  "the  book"  should 
have  been  removed  and  hidden  by  pious  hands, 
and  so  for  a  time  have  become  lost,  can  sus  little 
surjirise  us  as  its  finding  during  the  thorough 
repairs  of  the  Temple.  And  whatever  the 
compass  of  this  .special  book,  the  whole  context 
shows,  on  the  one  hand,  that  it  implies  the  em- 
bodiment of  the  Mosaic  law  in  the  Pentateuch, 
and,  on  the  other,  that  the  existence  of  that  law 
was  genendly  known  and  universally  admit- 
ted as  primitive,  derived  from  the  great  Law- 
giver himself,  valid  and  Divine. 

We  can  now   understand   hov/,   on   hearing 


SECTION  43.     THE  BOOK  OF  THE  LA  W. 


389 


"  the  words  of  the  Book  of  the  Law,"  the  king- 
had  "  rent  his  clothes"  and  "  sent  to  inquire  of 
the  Lord"  hoth  concerning  himself  and  liis  peo- 
ple. For  such  hreach  of  the  co\-euaut  and  the 
law,  as  he  now  knew  Israel  to  have  been  guilty 
of,  must  involve  signal  judgment.  In  the  ex- 
ecution of  the  king's  behest,  they  whom  he 
sent,  including  the  high-priest,  addressed  them- 
selves to  Huldah,  "  the  prophetess,"  the  wife 
of  Shallum,  "  the  keeper  of  the  wardrobe.".  .  . 
How  far  the  imagination  of  even  the  ablest 
critics  can  mislead  them  appears  from  the 
account  which  Ewald  gives  of  the  origin  of 
Deuteronomy.  ' '  To  all  appearance  it  was  writ- 
ten in  Egypt"  by  a  fugitive  from  Judah  in  the 
time  of  Manasseh.  "  Slowly,  and,  as  it  were, 
accidentally,  the  book  spread  into  Palestine," 
where  a  copy  of  it  "  accidentally"  got  into  the 
Temple"  through  some  priest. "  In  tliis  fashion 
any  kind  of  history  might  be  constructed  to  suit 
the  views  of  au}'  school  of  "  critics."  -  A.  E. 

A  factitious  importance  has,  in  recent  times, 
been  given  to  tlie  finding  of  the  Book  of  the 
Law  by  unbelieving  critics,  who  allege  that 
this  marks  the  origin  of  the  law  itself,  which 
they  claim  was  never  heard  of  before  this  time. 
De  Wette,  in  his  earliest  production  in  the  be- 
ginning of  this  century,  is  credited  with  hav- 
ing invented  the  notion  that  Deuteronomy  was 
the  Book  of  the  Law  found  in  the  Temple,  and 
that  it  had  no  existence  prior  to  the  reign  of 
Josiah.  The  Pentateuch  was  then  first  com- 
pleted by  the  addition  of  this,  its  closing  book. 
The  most  recent  school  of  critics,  led  by  Reuss, 
Graff  and  Wellhausen,  have  gone  far  beyond 
this.  Accepting  De  Wette's  conclusion  that 
Deuteronomy  belongs  to  the  days  of  .losiah, 
they  maintain  that  the  major  portion  of  the 
Pentateuch  was  not  even  then  in  existence  ; 
but  that  what  we  denominate  the  Priest  Code, 
embracing  the  whole  of  Leviticus,  together 
with  portions  of  Exodus  and  Numbers,  was  not 
written  until  after  the  Babylonish  exile,  when 
it  was  first  brought  forward  by  Ezra,  and  the 
people  were  pledged  to  obey  it. 

The  allegation  is  that  the  Book  of  Deuteron- 
omy is  a  pious  fraud  prepared  with  good  intent 
bj'  the  best  men  of  the  nation.  They  were 
convinced  by  the  experience  of  the  past  that 
idolatry  could  not  be  thoroughly  extirpated, 
and  the  religion  of  .Jehovah  be  maintained  in 
its  purity,  so  long  as  the  worship  on  high  ])laces 
was  suffered  to  remain.  It  was,  they  claim, 
llie  anc:ii'nt  and,  previous  to  this,  the  universallj' 
approved  custom  to  establish  sanctuaries  and 
altars  to  Jehovah  in  every  part  of  the  land. 
This  had  been  the  usage  of  the  patriarchs,  and 


no  one  had  ever  thought  of  regarding  it  as  un- 
lawful But  in  the  sanctuaries  remote  from 
the  capital  and  stibject  to  no  effective  super- 
vision idolatrous  emblems  came  to  be  intro- 
duced, and  degrading  forms  of  worship.  And 
the  various  attempts  which  had  been  made  to 
purge  out  idolatry  from  the  high  places,  and  to 
rectify  the  worship  celebrated  there,  proved 
abortive.  They  were  so  numerous  and  scat- 
tered so  widely  that  they  coidd  not  be  kept  un- 
der proper  control.  Hence  the  most  enlight- 
ened men  of  the  nation,  particularly  the  priests 
and  the  prophets,  felt  it  to  be  necessary  to  re- 
strict sacrificial  worship  to  one  central  altar, 
that  of  the  Temple  in  Jerusalem  ;  and  to  ac- 
complish this  end  the  Deuteronomic  code  was 
drawn  up.  To  give  it  thehighe.st  sanction  and 
authoritj',  it  was  prepared  in  the  name  of 
Moses,  and  in  the  form  of  a  parting  address  to 
the  children  of  Israel  just  prior  to  their  en- 
trance into  Canaan.  In  order  to  bring  it  to  the 
attention  of  the  king,  and  gain  his  influence  in 
its  favor,  Ililkiah.  the  high-priest,  was  to  rep- 
resent that  it  had  been  found  in  the  Temple 
while  repairs  were  going  forward  there.  The 
king  sent  to  Huldah,  the  prophetess,  to  ininiiro 
about  it  ;  but  she  was  in  the  secret,  and  gave  si 
response  in  its  favor.  Thus  the  support  of  the 
young  and  impressible  king  was  obtained,  and 
the  code  was  enforced  with  all  the  weight  of 
the  royal  authority. 

But  this  is  all  a  sheer  invention  of  the  critics, 
and  has  not  the  slightest  foundation  in  the  his- 
torical narrative.  It  is  directly  in  the  face  of 
what  both  Kings  and  Chronicles  explicitly  re- 
cord, which  give  no  suggestion  of  a  plot  or  a 
forgery,  but  simpl}^  of  the  finding  of  the  Book 
of  the  Law,  which  is  spoken  of  as  a  well-known 
vohune  upon  the  very  first  mention  of  it  (3  K. 
33  :  8),  which  their  fathers  should  have  obeyed, 
but  did  not  (verse  LS),  and  which  is  further 
called  the  law  of  Moses  (3  K.  33  :  25).  The 
charge  of  forgery  against  such  men  as  the  high- 
priest  and  the  prophets  of  the  period  is  gratui- 
tous and  preposterous.  If  the  parties  con- 
cerned had  been  bad  enough  to  attempt  such  a 
fraud,  it  would  have  been  impracticable.  A 
previously  unheard-of  body  of  laws  could  not 
be  thus  suddenly  imposed  upon  a  people  as  one 
that  had  been  in  force  ever  since  the  days  of 
Moses  ;  especially  if  designed,  as  is  alleged,  to 
make  an  entirely  new  departure,  to  forbid  what 
had  always  been  freely  practised,  and  enjoin 
what  had  never  been  re((uired  before.  Every 
man  in  the  nation  would  know  tliat  no  such  law 
existed  before,  and  that  it  could  not  possibly 
be  what  it  professed  to  be. 


390 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDATT. 


The  crilii'Ml  liypotliosis  of  tlif  lute  diitc  of  the 
Book  of  Dculcronoiiiy  stiuids  opposed  to  all  the 
evidence,  inlerniil  and  external,  by  which  its 
Mosaic  oriprin  may  be  established.  There  is  a 
connected  chain  of  historical  testimony  to  the 
existence  of  the  Book  of  the  Law  rcachini^  back 
from  the  days  of  .losiah  to  those  of  Mnscs. 
He/.ckinh  k<'pt  the  Commandments  which  the 
Lord  commanded  Moses  (i  K.  IS  :  fi).  The  Ten 
Tribes  did  not  observe  the  law  which  Jehovah 
commanilcd  their  fathers  (3  Iv.  17:13),  and 
which  is  expressly  declared  to  have  been  a 
written  law  (verse  37).  The  Book  of  the  Law 
of  Moses  was  obeyed  in  the  reign  of  Amaziah 
(2  K.  14  :  6  ;  cf.  De.  24  :  16).  It  was  trans- 
gressed by  .lehu  (2  K.  10  :  31).  It  was  com- 
mended by  David  to  Solomon  (1  K.  2  :  3  ;  2  K. 
21  :  7,  8).  It  is  spoken  of  in  the  time  of  the 
judges  (Judges  3  :  4).  It  was  possessed  by 
Joshua  (Josh.  1:7;  24  :  26).  who  solemnly 
charged  Israel  to  obey  it  (Josh.  8  :  31  ff.  ;  22  :  o). 
And  the  law  of  the  unity  of  the  sanctuary  (De. 
12)  is  not  only  that  by  which  Ilezckiah  was 
governed  in  his  abolition  of  liigh  places  (2  K. 
18  :  4)  a  century  before  the  finding  of  the  book 
in  the  Temple,  but  it  can  be  shown  to  have 
been  the  law  from  the  time  of  Israel's  first  set- 
tlement of  Canaan.  Every  departure  frcm  it 
wiis  either  a  wilful  violation  of  known  law,  or 
is  capable  of  satisfactory  explanation  from  the 
peculiar  circumstances  of  the  case.  There 
never  was  but  one  ark  of  the  covenant  ;  the 
presence  of  that  ark  in  the  sanctuary  made  it 
Jehovah's  dwelling  ;  and  there  coidd  be  no 
other.  By  a  unanimous  voice  psalmists  and 
prophets  uniformly  speak  of  Zion  as  God's 
earthly  dwelling-place,  never  of  any  other. 
Not  a  solitary  jiassage  can  be  adduced  from 
any  one  of  them  whicdi  refers  to  other  places  of 
sacrifice  tlian  Zion.  except  in  the  language  of 
rebuke  and  deiuinciation.  The  attempt  to  foist 
vipon  dilTerent  jicriods  of  Isracd's  history  a  di- 
versity of  views  in  relation  to  God's  true  sanc- 
tuary is  a  signal  failure.  It  is  in  the  face  of 
the  teaching  of  every  book  in  the  Bible. 

And  there  is  abundant  evidence  of  the  ex- 
istence of  the  ceremonial  law  long  before  Jo- 
siah.  This  appears  from  numerous  allusions 
found  in  the  earliest  of  the  prophets.  Hosea  and 
Am!)s.  Mirah  and  Isaiah.  It  appears  also  from 
the  hist<iry.  Solomon's  Temple  was  only  a 
magnilii'd  Mosaic  tabernacle,  after  which  it  was 
modelled  throughout.  The  horns  of  the  altar 
(1  K.  1  :  oO,  5f  ;  2  :  28)  imply  that  its  construction 
corresponded  to  Kx.  27  :  2.  The  feast  observed 
on  the  fifteenth  day  (1  K.  12  :  32,  33)  of  the  sev- 
enth month  (1  K.  8  :  2)  agrees  with  Lev.  23  :  34. 
The  gradations  in  the  sacerdotal  order  of  high-  i 


priests  (2  K.  12  :  10  ;  22  :  4,  8),  priests  of  the 
second  order  (2  K.  23  :  4  ;  2o  :  18)  and  Levitcs 
(1  K.  8  : 4),  are  those  of  the  Levitical  law.  Un- 
leavened bread  was  the  food  of  priests  (2  K. 
23  :  9)  ;  mention  is  made  of  sin  offerings  and 
trespass  offerings  (2  iC.  12  :  16),  the  burnt  offer- 
ings, meat  offerings  and  peace  offirings  (1  K. 
8  :  64),  the  daily  sacrifice  and  the  sjirinkling  of 
the  blood  (2  K.  Ki  :  1.5),  and  tlie  exclusion  of  the 
leper  from  the  ordinary  abodes  of  men  (2  K. 
\r,  :  n).     W.  II.  G. 

1 5.  T/ic  book  diiirered  by  Ililkirh  to  Sliaplian, 
to  be  carried  to  tlui  king.  Shaphan,  the  scribe, 
was  the  secretary  of  the  king — not  only  the 
custodian,  but  the  reader  and  interpreter  of  all 
written  records,  sacred  and  profane,  in  posses- 
sion of  the  monarch.  The  book  belonged  prop- 
erly in  the  Temple,  and  was  in  the  care  of  the 
priesthood  ;  but  the  high-priest  sends  it  to  the 
king,  because  of  the  strangeness  of  its  discov- 
ery. Probably,  also,  his  purpose  was  to  im- 
press the  3-oung  king's  mind  as  it  wot  im- 
pressed by  the  reading. 

Reading  tlie  Book  before  Hie  King. 
2  Chruidchu  34  :  10-19  ;  2  Kings  22  :  9-11. 

16,  17.  Shaphiiii  fint  rrpitrix  thr  fuljilment  of 
the  king's  dinrtion.  All  that  had  been  commit- 
ted to  their  charge  had  l)cen  faithfully  executed. 
The  money  necessary  for  the  renovation  of  the 
Temple  had  been  received  and  disbursed,  and 
the  work  of  repair  completed.  jVs  in  the  pre- 
vious similar  repair  by  Joash,  no  accounts  had 
been  kept.  The  money  was  faithfully  expend- 
ed and  the  work  properly  done. 

18,  lie  acjiiaintii  the  king  leith  t/w  dincorcry 
by  the  high-prii'nt  of  tJif,  book,  and  reads  it  to 
him.  The  secretary  does  not  inform  the  king 
of  the  contents  of  the  book,  but  awaits  his  di- 
rection in  regard  to  the  reading.  This,  as  we 
know  from  Ksther,  was  a  custom  with  the 
Oriental  kings.  They  were  wont  to  listen  to 
the  reading  of  others,  rather  than  themselves 
to  read.  By  the  king's  direction  Shaphan  read 
from  the  book. 

1 9.  Thf,  instant  effect  of  tlte  reading  upon  Jo- 
siah.  The  intensest  form  of  grief  or  anguish 
was  expressed  by  the  rending  of  the  garments. 
The  fact  here  stated  shows  how  startling  was 
the  impression  jtroduced  upon  the  mind  of  the 
king  by  the  words  of  God.  Tlii'  d<'nunciation.-i 
against  idolatry,  and  the  fearful  threatcnings 
prophetically  uttered  by  God  against  this  great- 
est of  crimes,  joined  with  his  knowledge  of  the 
idolatries  of  the  previous  generation,  would 
naturally  stir  the  heart  of  Jojiah.  The  denun- 
ciations Were  uttered  against  his  people,  and 


SECTION  43.     THE  PROPnECT  OF  HULDAH. 


391 


himself  as  their  representative.  lie  felt  liis  own 
personal  responsibility  in  eonnection  with  this 

startling  revelation.     B. -It  was  because  he 

recognized  it  as  the  law  of  God,  which  the  peo- 
ple were  bound  to  obey,  which  their  fathers 
should  have  obeyed  but  had  transgressed  (verse 
21),  that  he  was  so  disturbed.  Thv  reforms 
which  he  had  instituted  years  before  (2  Chron. 
34  :  3,  4)  imply  his  knowledge  of  its  require- 
ments, with  which  he  sought  to  comply. 
W.  H.  G. 

It  is  hard  for  us  to  realize  the  full  force  of 
this  discovery.  We  can  scarcely  conceive  of  a 
state  of  things  in  which,  during  centuries  of 
the  nominal  establishment  of  Christianitj',  the 
people  should  still  observe  solemn  festivals  at 
the  old  sites  of  Druidical  worship  ;  the  altars 
of  Thor  and  Woden  and  Freya  should  smoke 
with  siicrifices  in  every  city,  town  and  village  ; 
their  statues  be  set  up  in  our  cathedrals,  and 
the  heiglits  around  London  should  be  crowned 
with  the  temples  of  Siva  and  Juggernaut — all 
this  lasting  for  centuries,  with  an  occasional 
and  partial  return  to  the  purer  form  of  wor- 
ship, while  the  Bible,  never  multiplied  by 
printing,  and  only  known  in  older  and  purer 
times  through  infrequent  readings  by  the 
clerg_y.  sliould  have  been  utterly  lost  and  for- 
gotten. Add  to  this  the  supposition  that  the 
lost  volume  contained,  not  the  dark  symbols  of 
the  Apocalypse,  but  the  clear  warning  of  na- 
tional destruction  and  captivity  to  befall  us  be- 
cause of  these  idolatries,  and  then  let  us  im- 
agine our  feelings  on  its  sudden  discovery.  No 
wonder  that  Josiali  rent  his  clothes,  and  could 
not  rest  till  he  found  a  prophet  to  expound 
these  terrible  denunciations.     P.  S. 

Oh,  gracious  tenderness  of  Josiah  !  He  doth 
but  once  hear  the  law  read,  and  is  thus  hum- 
bled— humbled  far  his  father's  sins,  for  the 
sins  of  his  people.  How  many  of  us,  after  a 
thousand  hammerings  of  the  menaces  of  God's 
law  upon  our  guilty  souls,  continue  yet  insensi- 
bls  of  our  danger  !  The  very  reading  of  this 
lav/  doth  thus  aflfect  him  ;  the  preaching  of  it 
stirs  not  us.  The  sins  of  others  struck  thus 
deep  with  him  ;  our  own  are  slighted  by  us. 
Bp.  U. 

The  Prophecy  of  Uuldah. 

2  CJironidcs  34  :  20-23  ;  2  Kings  22  :  12-20. 

2  Cliron.  U-l : '^O-aS.  The  king  commands 
that  counsel  and  direction  be  sought  from  Via 
Lord.  He  bade  the  high-priest,  with  other 
chief  men  of  the  court  and  Temple,  to  under- 
take this  service.     The  chief   thought  in  his 


mind  concerned  not  himself,  but  the  remnant  of 
God's  people  in  Israel  and  Judah.  His  anxiety 
was  not  for  himself,  nor  was  his  fear  for 
them  on  account  of  outward  foes.  He  thought 
only  upon  the  conseyuencrs  of  such  long-pro- 
tracted and  extreme  disobedience  to  Jehovah 
by  His  covenanting  people.  IIow  to  avert  the 
wrath  of  God,  and  to  have  those  fearful  m;dc- 
dictions  written  in  the  Book  removed  and  the 
promised  blessings  restored,  was  his  great  de- 
sire, and  the  main  purpose  of  his  inquiry.     B. 

'21.  Concernins;  the  tvor«l§  of  the 
book  that  is  found.  They  were  not  de- 
puted, as  has  sometimes  been  represented,  to 
learn  whether  the  book  found  in  the  Temple 
was  genuine  and  was  possessed  of  Divine  au- 
thority. No  doubt  is  expressed  upon  that 
point.  The  only  question  was  whether  God's 
sparing  mercy  was  now  exhausted,  and  the 
tlireatenings  which  they  had  read  were  to  be 
executed  without  linger  delay.  For  great 
i§  the  wrath  of  Jehovali  that  is 
poured  out  upon  u§.  The  declarations  of 
the  law  combined  with  the  calamities  which 
they  had  already  experienced  to  convince  them 
of  the  greatness  of  the  Divine  displeasure, 
which  had  already  begun  to  be  visited  upon 
them,  and  which,  it  was  to  be  apprehended, 
would  bring  upon  tliem  still  s-verer  inflictions. 
Reeausc  our  fathers  have  not  kept 
the  M'ord  of  Jeiiovah.  The  sins  of  former 
generations  and  their  own  constituted  an  ever- 
increasing  amount  of  guilt,  which  was  calling 
down  the  Divine  judgment  upon  the  nation 
(Matt.  23  :  34,  35).  To  do  aeeording  unio 
all  that  is  %vritten  in  liiis  book.  What 
is  written  in  this  book  is  here  ideutihed  with 
the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  the  word  which  had 
been  possessed  though  not  obeyed  by  their  fa- 
thers.    W.  II.  G. 

22.  So  Ililkiah,  and  they  wliom 
the  king  had  eoninianded.  The  ser- 
vants of  Josiah  immediately  consulted  with 
Iluldah,  the  prophetess,  a  widow  living  in  Je- 
rusalem, known  to  be  a  recipient  of  prophetic 
gifts.  The  inference  is  that  neither  Zephaniah 
noT  Jeremiah  were  at  the  time  in  the  capital, 
and  the  king's  urgency  was  too  great  to  send  to 
them  at  a  distance.  God  was  wont  to  speak 
by  women  as  by  men  ;  as  certainly,  but  not  as 
frequently.  Other  instances  we  have  in  Mir- 
iam, Deborah  and  Anna,  who  .seem  to  have 
been  especially  endowed  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in 
great  emergencies.  B. That  such  a  deputa- 
tion should  have  unhesitatingly  addressed  itself 
at  such  a  crisis  and  in  a  matter  so  important  to 
a  woman,  not  only  indicates  the  exceptional 


392 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAII. 


position  wliidi  Iluldak  occupied  in  general 
opinion — l>y  the  siiio  of  and  even  above  tlie  two 
other  Old  Testament  i)rophetesses,  Miriam  (Ex. 
16:20)  and  Deljorah  (Judj^es  4:4) — but  also 
casts  lijllit  on  the  spiritual  relations  under  the 
Old  'I'estament.  and  on  the  religious  conditions 
of  the  time.  Above  all,  it  shows  with  what 
absolute  freeness  the  Spirit  of  Ood  selected  the 
instruments  which  lie  employed  in  tlie  execu- 
tion of  the  Divine  behests  (cf.  Joel  2  :  28,  29). 
A.  E. 

23-2S.  Iluldah's  reply  reaffirmed  in  the 
name  of  Jehovah  the  threateniiigs  prono\inced 
against  the  city  and  the  kingdom.  The  na- 
tion was  doomed  ultimately  to  destniction  b(^- 
cause  of  its  persistence  in  disobedience  an<l 
idolatry.  But  the  king  received  from  the 
pro|)hetess  a  comforting  message.  Since  lie 
had  humbled  himself  before  God,  and  mani- 
fested a  sympathy  with  the  people  of  God  by 
seeking  His  merciful  interposition  in  their  be- 
lialf,  since  as  an  intercessor  he  had  wept  before 
God,  tlie  Lord  declared,  "  I  have  heard  thee." 
Further,  the  comforting  word  was  uttered  that 
lie  should  be  gathered  to  his  fathers  in  peace, 
and  not  behold  the  ruin  that  should  come  upou 
the  nation.     H. 

The  trutli  was  forced  upon  Josiah  that  his 
great  effort  at  reformation  might  delay  the  out- 
bursting  of  these  judgments,  might  save  many 
individual  souls  from  perdition,  but  could  not 
pernianeutly  arrest  the  downward  proclivity  of 
the  masses,  could  not  effectually  save  the  na- 
tion. The  power  of  idolatry  throughout  his 
kingdom  was  terrific  ;  the  heart  of  the  masses 
was  fearfully  saturated  with  its  spirit.  lie 
could  send  abroad  his  royal  mandate,  and  find 
a  few  trusty  men  to  arm  with  his  authority  to 
go  forth,  levelling  heathen  groves,  crashing 
down  idol-images  and  altars,  burning  dead 
men's  bones  on  all  desecrated  localities  ;  but 
the  roots  of  this  awful  sin  would  yet  remain,  and 
not  many  years  would  elapse  before  the  vials 
of  God's  wrath  would  be  poured  out  for  sins 
and  abominations  that  defied  all  remedy.  Thir- 
teen more  remained  before  Josiah's  death.  So 
far  as  can  lie  inferred  from  tlie  liistory,  he  con- 
tinued to  reign  in  the  fear  of  the  Lonl  to  his 
death.      II.  (). 

2*.  Josiah  was  the  last  king  of  Judah  hon- 
orably buried  in  Jerusalem.  Two  of  his  three 
sons,  and  his  grandson,  were  carried  into  cap- 
tivity, and  died  in  the  lands  of  their  exile.  Ill 
pcaicc.  Till'  death  of  Josiali  in  hittle  (chap. 
23  :  29)  is  in  verbal  contradiction  to  this  proph- 
ecy, but  not  in  real  ojiposition  to  its  spirit, 
which  is  simply  that  the  pious  prince  who  has 


sent  to  inquire  of  the  Lord  shall  be  gathered  to 
his  fathers  liefore  the  troubles  come  upon  the 
land  which  are  to  result  in  her  utter  liesolation. 
Xow  those  troubles  were  to  come,  not  from 
Kgypt,  but  from  Babylon  ;  and  their  eom- 
inencenient  was  not  the  invasion  of  Xecho  in 
n.t;.  6U8,  but  that  of  Xebuehadne/./.ar  three 
yeai-s  later.  Thus  was  Josiah  "  taken  away 
from  the  evil  to  come,"  and  died  "  in  peace" 
before  his  city  had  suffered  attack  from  the 
really  formidable  enemy,     B.  C. 

Public  Reading  uf  the  liuok  and  lieiuiwdl  of  Cooe- 
7Mnt  with  Jelioaih. 

2  Ohronida  34  :  29-32  ;  2  Kin;iH  23  :  1-3. 

Jo.siah  sunininned  a  great  meeting,  and  "  re- 
cited aloud  the  whole  law  from  end  to  end  to  an 
immense  concourse  assembled  in  the  court  of 
the  Temple,  in  which  every  onler  of  the  State, 
priests  and  prophets  no  less  than  nobles  and 
jieasants,  heard  the  (practically)  new  revelation 
from  the  lips  of  the  royal  reformer,  from  his 
[lillar  at  the  entrance  of  the  inner  court,  be.side 
the  sacred  laver,  himself  the  new  lawgiver  of 
his  people."  Nor  did  he  deem  this  enough. 
The  king  called  on  the  people  to  make  profes- 
sion of  religion,  and  to  plwlge  themselves  that 
they  would  thenceforward  "  walk  after  the 
Lord,  and  keep  His  Commandments  and  His 
testimonies  and  His  .statutes  with  all  their  heart 
and  with  all  their  soul,  to  perform  the  words  of 
tlie  covenant  that  were  written  in  the  book" 
from  which  he  had  read.  And  then,  as  one 
man,  "  all  the  people  stood  to  the  covenant" 
(2  K.  23  ;  3).     G.  II. 

The  ignorance  of  the  law  which  seems  now 
to  have  jirevailed  may  be  sufficiently  account- 
ed for  from  the  history  of  the  preceding  reigns  ; 
for  Manassch  had  been  an  idolatrous  king  for  a 
long  .series  of  years,  and  he  wanted  neither 
power  nor  inclination  to  destroy  the  copies  of 
the  law,  had  they  been  secreted  by  the  servants 
of  the  true  God.  The  l.-iw,  after  being  so  long 
concealed,  would  be  iinknown  to  very  many  of 
the  Jews  ;  and  thus  the  solemn  rea<liiig  of  it  by 
Josiah  would  awaken  his  own  ;iiid  the  people's 

earnest     attention.      Kcnnieott. The    same 

woi'ds  of  the  law  that  had  wrought  upon  his 
heart  are  by  him  caused  to  be  publicly  read 
in  the  ears  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem.  The  as- 
sembly is  universal,  of  ])riest,s,  prophets,  peo- 
ple, both  small  and  great  ;  because  the  sin  was 
such,  the  danger  was  such.  That  no  man  may 
complain  to  want  information,  the  law  of  God 
sounds  in  every  ear.     Up.  II. 


SECTION  43.     JOSIAITS  PASSOVER. 


393 


Destruction  of  Idolatrous  Imaqes,  Vessels.  Chari- 
ots, Altars  and  Hiyh  Phicis,  and  lii'momil  of 
their  Priests  and  of  Wizards,  etc. 

2  Chronicles  34  :  33  ;  2  Kings  23  :  4-20,  24,  25. 

The  whole  history  leads  to  the  conviction 
that  the  reformation  inaugurated  by  Josiah, 
although  submitted  to  and  apparently  shared 
in  by  the  people,  was  not  the  outcome  of  a 
spiritual  revival.  It  was  a  movement  on  the 
part  of  the  king  rather  than  of  the  nation.  Of 
this  we  have  only  too  much  conflmiation  in  the 
account  which  the  prophets  give  of  the  moral 
and  religious  condition  of  the  people,  and  of 
the  evidently  superficial  and  chiefly  external 
character  of  the  reformation.  And  as  we  de- 
rive our  knowledge  of  it  from  the  pages  of 
Jeremiah,  we  bear  in  mind  that  the  beginning 
of  his  prophetic  activity,  in  the  thirteenth  year 
of  Josiah  (Jer.  1  : 2),  synchronized  with  the 
commencement  of  the  reformatory  movement. 
Thus  we  further  understand  why  the  changes 
inaugurated,  however  extensive,  could  not 
avert,  as  the  prophetess  Huldah  annnuncerl, 
tlie  Divine  judgment  from  the  nation,  but  only 
from  their  king.  A  reformation  such  as  this 
could  be  but  transient,  and  the  people  hastened 
only  the  more  rapidly  to  their  final  apostasy. 
A.  E. 

2  K.  2!f  :  15-20.  Jerusalem  being  thus  puri- 
fied, Josiah  went  to  Bethel.  He  broke  down 
and  burned  the  high  place,  the  altar  and  the 
grove,  and  fultilled  the  word  of  the  disobedient 
prophet  by  taking  the  bones  of  the  priests  out 
of  the  seijulehres  and  burning  them  ujion  the 
altar,  while  he  spared  the  remains  of  the  prophet 
and  of  the  other  who  was  liuried  with  him. 
The  priests  who  still  dared  to  sacrifice  in  the 
high  places  were  put  to  death,  according  to 
the  law  against  idolatry.  The  wizards  and 
necromancers  shared  their  fate.     P.  S. 

16.  Took  the  bones  out  of  the  sep- 
nlclires.  In  order  to  make  it  sure  that  the 
place  might  not  be  afterward  used  as  a  place 
of  idolatrous  worship,  he  caused  the  bones  of 
all  the  men  of  note,  whether  priests,  projihcts 
or  others,  who  had  been  promoters  cf  that  idol- 
atry, to  be  dug  out  of  their  graves  and  thrown 
together  tipon  the  place,  to  pollute  it  as  much 
as  possible  and  render  it  odious  and  contempti- 
ble. And  thus  was  that  remarkable  prophecy 
pronotlnced  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
years  before  concerning  this  altar  (1  K.  13  :  1, 
2)  now   exactly  and   literally  fulfilled.     Pyh\ 

The  lime  was,  and  it  was  no  less  than  three 

hundred  and  fifty  years  since,  that  the  man  of 
Gk)d,  out  of  Judah,  cried  against  Jeroboam's 


altar,  "  O  altar,  altar  ;  thus  saith  the  Lord  : 
Behold,  a  child  shall  be  born  uuto  the  liouse  of 
David,  Josiah  by  name  ;  and  upon  thee  shall 
he  offer  the  priests  of  the  high  places,  that 
burn  incense  upon  thee  ;  and  men's  bones  shall 
be  burned  upon  thei'."  And  now  is  the  hour 
come,  wherein  every  of  those  words  shall  be 
accomplished.     Bp.  II. 

20.  And  he  slciv  all  the  priests  of 
the  bii^h  places.  Here  again,  as'in  burn- 
ing the  human  bones  upon  the  altar  at  Bethel, 
Josiah  was  carrying  out  prophecy,  and  ma_y 
have  regarded  himself  as  bound  to  act  as  he  did 
(1  K.  13  :  2,  82).  Excepting  on  account  of  the 
prophecy,  he  would  scarcely  have  slain  the 
priests  upon  the  altars.     B.  C. 

25.  As  neither  before  nor  after  him  was 
there  any  king  whose  heart  was  so  "  tender," 
and  who  so  humbled  himself  before  Jehovah 
(2  K.  22  :  19),  nor  yet  any  who  so  "  turned  to 
Jehovah  with  all  his  heart,  and  with  all  his 
soul,  and  with  all  his  might,  according  to  all 
the  law  of  Moses,"  so  we  mast  surely  regard 
his  upraising  at  that  crisis,  his  bearing,  and  his 
rule  as  of  direct  Divine  grace  and  interposi- 
tion.   A.  E. The  law  of  IHoses.    It  is 

not  very  often  that  the  law  is  expressly  called 
"  the  law  of  Moses."  The  only  other  instances 
in  the  Old  Testament  are  Josh.  8  :  32  ;  2  K. 
U  :  6  ;  2  Chron.  23  :  18  ;  25  :  4  ;  Ezra  3:2;  Dan. 
9  ;  11,  13  ;  Mai.  4  :  4.  These  passages  are,  how- 
ever, quite  numerous  enough,  and  scattered 
enough,  to  show  a  general  consensus  of  the 
Jewish  nation  upon  the  subject.     B.  C. 

Josiah^s  Passover. 
2  Chronicles  35  :  1-19  ;  2  Kings  23  :  21-23. 

Returning  to  Jerusalem  in  the  eighteenth 
year  of  his  reign  (b.c.  632),  Josiah  kept  the 
jiassover  according  to  the  directions  of  the 
newly  discovered  Book  of  the  Law.  This  pass- 
over  was  the  greatest  and  the  most  exact  that 
had  been  kept  since  the  time  of  Moses.  It  is 
the  last  great  united  act  of  religion  in  (he  time 
preceding  the  Captivity.     P.  S. 

2  K.  23:21.  The  kiii«;eominaiiidc<l. 
The  parenthesis  which  commenced  with  ^cr-se 
4  ends  with  verse  20,  and  in  verse  21  the  author 
returns  to  the  narrative  of  what  was  done 
in  Josiah's  eighteenth  3'ear.  Having  read  the 
Book  of  the  Law  in  the  care  of  all  the  people, 
and  caused  all  present  to  join  him  in  a  solemn 
promise  that  they  would  keep  all  the  Command- 
ments written  in  the  Book,  Josiah  commanded 
that  the  ensuing  passover  should  be  kept  with 
the  greatest  strictness  and  exactness,  "  as\i  was 


894 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


writtpn  in  the  Book  of  the  Covenant."  The 
need  of  the  injunction  wiis  owins  to  the  fact — 
not  that  Josiah  liad  as  yet  held  no  passovcr, 
but  that  the  reading  of  tlio  booli  had  sliown 
him  differences  between  tlie  existinj;  practice 
and  llie  letter  of  the  law — differences  conse- 
quent upon  negligence,  or  upon  the  fact  that 
tradition  had  been  allowed  in  various  points  to 
override  the  law,  B.  ('. 
• 

Fatal  CoiiJUrt  wit/i  Phamoh-Neelii,  of  Egypt. 
2  C/iroiiirliK  go,  20-25  ;  2  Kings  23  ;  29,  JiO. 

2  Cliron.  iti  :  30.  AfUcr  nil  this.  Thir- 
teen \eai-s  after,  ill  n.c.  fiOH.  For  this  jH-riod 
Jewish  jiislory  is  an  absolute  blank,  since  we 
can  gather  nothing  certain  from  Jeremiah.  It 
is  not  improbable  that  into  this  space  fell  the 
great  invasion  of  the  Scythians,  who  overran  all 
Western  Asia  between  the  years  B.C.  633  and 
B.C.  603,  and  who  certainly  came  into  these 
parts.  Psammeticlms,  king  of  Egypt,  met 
them  at  Aseulon,  on  the  extreme  frontier  of 
Philistia  toward  Egypt  (Herod.  2  :  10.5)  ;  and  in 
the  valley  of  the  Jordan  they  occupied  pernia- 
nently  the  old  Canaanitish  city  of  Bethshan. 
Otherwise  their  raid  into  Lower  Syria  seems  to 
have  been  hasty,  and  though  it  must  have  cre- 
ated great  alarm,  to  have  left  no  permanent 
impression.  Keclio  came  up  to  fisllt 
uj;aiii!iit  Carchemlsli.  Bather,  "at  Car- 
chemish."  Ncclio's  object  was  to  engage  the 
Assyrian  (or  ratlier  tlie  Babylonian)  forces, 
which  he  expected  to  find  in  the  vicinity  of 
C'archeiiiish,  at  this  time  the  chief  city  of  North- 
ern Syria.     B.  C. 

Politically,  the  time  was  a  stirring  one.  The 
great  invasion  of  Western  A.sia  by  the  Scytliic 
hordes  (Ilerod.  i.  103-106),  which  is  alluded  to 
by  Jeremiah  (6  : 1-5),  Ezekiel  (38,  39),  and  per- 
ha[)s  by  Zephaniali  (2  :  6),  probably  belongs  to  it ; 
as  also  the  attack  of  Psamatik  I.  upon  Philistia, 
the  fall  of  the  .Assyrian  empire,  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  Nineveh  ;  the  establishment  of  the  iiide- 
penden(-e  of  Babylon,  and  her  rise  to  greatness  ; 
together  with  the  transfer  of  power  in  the  cen- 
tral part  of  Western  Asia,  from  the  Assyrians 
to  the  Jledes.  Amid  the  dangers  which  beset 
him,  Josiah  appears  to  liave  conducted  himself 
prudently,  gradually  extending  his  power  over 
Samaria  ami  Galilee,  witliout  coming  into  hos- 
tile collision  with  any  of  the  neighboring  na- 
tions, until  about  the  year  B.C.  609  or  008,  when 
his  land  was  invaded  by  I'haraoh-Necho,  the 
Neku  of  the  Egyptian  monuments.  Josiah 
felt  himself  called  iiiion  to  resist  this  invasion, 
and,  in  doing  so,  met  his  death.     Hammond. 


2  K.  23  :  2».  Ptaaraoh-Ncelio.    This 

king  is  well  known  to  us  both  from  |)rofane 
historians  and  from  the  ICgyptiau  monuments. 
Named  after  his  grandfather,  who  was  a  tribu- 
tary prince  of  Lower  Egypt  under  the  Assyri- 
ans, lie  succeeded  his  father.  Psammetichus 
(Psamatik),  in  the  year  b.c.  610,  and  was  king 
of  Egypt  for  sixteen  years,  from  n.c.  610  to 
394  (Herod,  ii.  1.59,  confirmed  by  monuments). 
B.  C. 

ti  Cliron.  35  :21.  Such  references  to  God 
— especially  in  the  present  circumstances — need 
not  surprise  u.s.  Canon  ('ook  gives  an  almost 
exactly  parallel  expression  from  a  Pharaoh  of 
the  year  750  B.C.  The  eastern,  in  contradis- 
tinction to  the  western  mind  almost  instinc- 
tively refers  to  the  direct  agency  of  tlie  Divine 
Being  certain  human  actions  or  remarkable 
events,  and  such  expressions  must  not  be  too 
closely  pressed  according  to  our  modern  no- 
tions, nor  yet  literally  understood.     A.  E. 

22.  Valley  of  9Iej£icldo.  In  a  nook  of 
the  hills,  about  five  miles  northwest  of  Taanach, 
just  on  the  borders  of  the  plain,  are  ancient 
ruins,  strewn  with  large  fragments  of  marble 
sculptures  and  granite,  on  both  sides  of  a  little 
stream,  but  no  modern  village  or  houses.  The 
lilace  bears  the  name  of  Lejjun,  the  Arabic  cor- 
ruption of  Legio,  the  Roman  name  of  the  Me- 
gichlu  of  the  Old  Testament.  There  are  few 
spots  of  greater  interest  in  the  old  history  of 
Israel.  From  the  brow  here  we  look  out  upon 
the  great  plain  of  Esdraelon  (the  Greek  corrup- 
tion of  its  old  name,  the  plain  or  "  valley  of 
Jezreel").  the  great  battle-field  of  Israel.  The 
wide  western  portion  of  it  may  be  called  the 
plain  of  Megiddo.  Megiddo  was  the  fortress 
of  the  western  portion  cf  the  plain.  From  its 
position  it  was  the  point  of  contact  between  the 
Israelites,  who  relied  solely  on  their  infantry, 
and  the  Canaanites  and  subsequent  invaders, 
whose  strength  was  in  their  cavalry  and  char- 
iots. Hence  it  has  been  taken  in  the  Apoca- 
lypse as  the  figurative  name  of  the  i)lace  of 
final  conflict  between  the  powers  of  good  and 
evil,  "called  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  Armaged- 
don" (Rev.  16:10) — /.(■.,  "the  Mount  of  Me- 
giddo." 

Two  of  the  great  battles  of  Old  Testament 
histor}'  occurreil  in  front  of  Jlegiddo.  The 
fii-st  wa.s  when  Barak,  stirred  up  by  the  proph- 
etess Deborah,  roused  all  the  northern  and  cen- 
tral tribes  to  shake  off  the  yoke  of  Jabin,  king 
of  Canaan.  Sisera's  nine  hundred  chariots  of 
iron  were  mustered  in  front  of  Taanach  and 
.Megidilo.  Barak  de-icetided  from  Tabor,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  plain,  and,  as  a  terrific 


SECTION  43.     FATAL   CONFLICT    WITH  PHARAOn-NECIIO. 


395 


storm  burst  upon  the  Canaanitcs,  fell  upon 
them.  The  mountain  torrents,  rapidly  swollen, 
poured  down  into  the  Kislion,  the  river  over- 
flowed, and  the  torrent  swept  awa_y  chariots 
and  horses  in  hopeless  eonfusion.  So  "  the 
Lord  discomlited  Sisera."  Very  different  were 
the  circumstances  and  the  results  of  the  second 
battle  of  Megiddo,  six  hundred  and  fifty  j-ears 
later.  Pharaoh-Necho,  king  of  Egypt,  march- 
ing against  the  king  of  Assyria,  came,  as  it 
would  seem,  along  the  plain  of  Sharon,  and 
then,  rounding  Carmel,  turned  to  march  up  the 
central  plain  toward  Syria  ;  when  Josiah,  de- 
termined to  oppose  Ills  progress,  n^et  him  at 
Megiddo.  Here,  exposing  himself  in  his  char- 
iot, Josiah  was  mortally  wounded  by  the  Egyp- 
tian archers  and  carried  to  Jerusalem,  where  he 
died,  overwhelming  his  nation  in  the  bitterest 
grief.  The  lamentations  for  Josiah  "  were 
made  an  ordinance  in  Israel."  The  battle  of 
Megiddo  is  mentioned  by  Herodotus,  who 
speaks  of  the  Jews  as  Syrians.  Josiah  was  not 
the  first  king  of  Judali  to  whom  ilcgiddo  liad 
been  fatal,  for  here  Amaziah  died  of  his  wounds 
when  he  fled  from  Jehu  (3  K.  9  :  37).  Tris- 
tram.    (See  Vol.  III.,  pp.  184,  318). 

The  death  of  Josiah  proved  an  irremediable 
disaster  to  the  Jewish  State.  He  left  behind 
liim  a  family  torn  by  jealousies  and  supported 
by  rival  factions,  a  people  hostile  to  the  relig- 
ious reforms  he  had  carried  through,  and  an 
army  which  had  lost  both  its  leader  and  its  vet- 
erans. From  henceforth  Judali  was  no  longer 
able  to  defend  itself  from  an  invader,  whether 
Egyptian  or  Babylonian  ;  and  even  the  strong 
walls  of  Jerusalem  no  longA  proved  a  defence 
in  days  when  the  method  of  warfare  had 
changed,  and  a  victorious  army  was  content  to 
sit  down  for  years  before  a  fortress  until  its  de- 
fenders had  been  starved  out.  Necho's  tri- 
umph, however,  was  short-lived.  Three  years 
after  the  battle  of  Megiddo  (B.C.  606),  he  had  to 
meet  the  Babylonian  army,  under  its  young 
general  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  son  of  Nabopolas- 
sar,  at  the  ford  of  the  Euphrates,  which  was 
protected  by  the  old  Hittite  city  of  Carchemish. 
The  battle  of  Carchemish  finally  decided  who 
should  be  the  master  of  Western  Asia.  The 
Egyptian  forces  were  completely  shattered, 
and  Necho  retreated  with  the  wreck  of  his 
army  to  his  ancestral  kingdom.  Judah  and 
the  ?;cmntries  which  adjoined  it  passed  under 
the  yoke  of  Bab3'lonia.     Saycc. 

2  Cliron.  34  :  24,  25.  Josiah,  who  in  the 
course  of  the  fight  had  been  wounded  by  an 
arrow,  was  conveyed  to  Jerusalem  in  his  sec- 
ond chariot  (3  Chron.  35  ;  24),  where  he  died  of 


his  wound  in  a  short  time.  Great  lamentation 
was  made  over  him,  and  he  was  buried  with 
all  due  honors  in  his  own  sepulchre,  near  the 
tombs  of  Amou  and  Manasseh.  Jeremiah 
mourned  his  death  in  a  special  elegy,  which 
continued  to  be  sung  by  professional  minstrels 
of  both  sexes  till  long  after  the  return  from  the 
Captivity  (3  Chron.  35  :  35).  G.  R. The  re- 
sult brou.ght  deep  sorrow  upon  all  his  good 
people.  Jeremiah  bewailed  his  noble  sovereign 
and  bosom  I'riend  with  tendcrcst  lamentation — 
and  not  without  reason.  There  were  graceless 
sons  to  succeed  their  godly  father  on  his  throne 
— not  one  worthy  man  among  them  all.  Days 
of  bitter  trial  and  of  stinging  grief  were  com- 
ing upon  Jeremiah,  and  perliaps,  to  no  small 
extent,  upon  those  other  good  men  who  had 
wrought  in  this  great  reformation.  They  must 
breast  the  fury  of  this  storm — and  with  no  sus- 
taining hope  of  arresting  the  near  impending 
doom  of  their  country.     H.  C. 

The  prophet  Zeehariah  employs  the  mourn- 
ing at  Megiddo  as  a  tj'pe  of  the  more  whole- 
some sorrow  of  Judah  in  the  day  when  God 
.shall  pour  out  upon  them  the  spirit  of  grace 
and  i)ra_ver,  as  a  preparation  for  Ilii  final  de- 
struction of  all  the  nations  that  come  up  against 
Jerusalem  ;  and  his  imagery  is  adopted  in  the 
visions  of  the  Apocalypse.  On  the  very  scene 
of  the  two  most  signal  defeats  of  Israel  and 
Judah  by  their  most  inveterate  enemies,  the 
Philistines  and  Egypt,  the  seer  beholds  the 
mystic  "  battle  of  Armageddon,"  which  avenges 
all  such  defeats  by  the  final  overthrow  of  the 
kings  of  all  the  world  in  the  great  day  of  God 
Almighty. 

The  reign  of  Josiah  was  marked  by  the  re- 
vival of  jwuphecy,  which  had  long  been  silent 
under  Manasseh  and  Anion.  To  this  period  be- 
long Nahum,  Zepliauiah,  Habakkuk,  and  the 
greatest  of  all,  Jeremiah.  Nahum's  splendid 
prophecy  of  the  destruction  of  Nineveh  seems 
to  have  only  preceded  the  event  by  a  short  time. 
The  date  of  Habakkuk,  though  far  from  cer- 
tain, has  been  placed,  upon  strong  internal  evi- 
dence, about  the  twelfth  or  thirteentli  year  of 
Josiah  (B.C.  630-639).  The  title  of  Zephaniah's 
prophecy  places  him  in  the  reign  of  Josiah  ; 
and  though  it  has  been  inferred  from  one  pas- 
sage that  he  wrote  after  th3  restoration  of  Je- 
hovah's worship,  his  vehement  denunciations 
of  the  sins  that  prevailed  in  Judah  seem  rather 
applicable  to  an  earlier  period.  Jeremiah's 
long  career  began  in  the  thirteenth  year  of 
Josiah  (B.C.  6'39)  with  reproaches  for  sin  and 
warnings  of  coming  judgment,  mingled  with 
exhortations   and   encouragements   to    repent- 


396 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


mice,  and  promisps  of  rosloralion.  Thouj^h  lie 
is  ouly  oiKo  mentioned  in  tlir  liistory  of  ,Jo- 
siali's  roign,  the  language  of  bis  own  Ijook  ius- 
sures  us  that,  both  as  priest  and  prophet,  he 
animated  the  king  and  people  in  the  work  of 
reformation,  and  most  vigorously  donoiineed 
the  policy  of  the  Egyptian  party.  Ilis  final 
lamcnialion  for  the  fate  of  .losiah  must  have 
been  rloubly  embittered  by  seeing  Israel  again 
pni>;lr;ite  ln'iicath  her  olil  oppressor.     P.  S. 

"i  14.  t2:t :  2>>.  .losiali  is  jierhaps  the  most 
blameles.s  of  the  kings  of  Judah.  "  IIi!  did 
that  which  Wiis  right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord, 
and  walk(  d  in  the  ways  of  David  his  father, 
and  deelined  neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  to 
the  left."  "  hike  unto  him  was  there  no  king 
before  him,  that  turned  to  the  Lord  with  all  his 
heart,  and  with  all  his  soul,  and  with  all  his 
might  ;  neither  after  him  arose  there  any  like 
him."     G.  R. 

'Hi.  \4»l\vitliNlsiiiiliiig  llic  ■..oril 
tliriioti  not.  The  great  raist'nrtune  was 
that,  as  to  the  generality  of  the  court  and  peo- 
ple, all  this  seeming  reformation  wsia  nothing 
but  show  and  pretence,  a  mere  compliance  with 
the  vigor  and  resolution  of  their  prince  ;  their 
hearts  were  never  firmly  in  it ;  but,  as  plainly 
apjiears  by  the  event,  they  were  ready  to  revolt 
again  into  their  <jld  idolatry  and  vice  upon  the 
first  opportunity.  They  complied  with  Jo- 
slab's  religion,  but  their  real  inclinations  were 
to  the  old  corruptions  of  Manassch  ;  for  which 
reason  God  still  resolved  to  deliver  up  this  jiart 
of  His  chosen  people  also  to  the  power  of  a  for- 
eign monarch.     Pyle. The  people  had  sunk 

into  a  condition  in  which  a  true  repcmtancc  was 
no  longer  possible.  Individuals,  like  Josiah, 
were  sincere,  but  the  ma.ss  of  the  nation,  de- 
spite their  formal  renewal  of  the  (■o\cnant  and 
their  oulwarii  perseverance  in  .Jehovah-wor- 
ship, had  feigned  rather  than  felt  repentance. 
The  earlier  chapters  of  Jeremiah  are  full  at 
once  of  reproaclie.5  which  he  directs  a,gainst  the 
people  for  their  insincerity,  and  of  promises  if 
they  would  repent  In  earnest.  "  Judah  hath 
not  turned  unto  me  with  her  whole  heart,  but 
feignedly,  saiMi  the  Lord"  (Jer.  3  :  10).     B.  C. 

Suggested  Tkiths  ov  Josi.mi's  IIistouy. 

The  history  of  this  ancient  prince  suggests 
that  one  who  hccomex  a  C'/irintuin  curly  in.  life  i« 
likely  til  become  a  better  man  thiin  one  who  fi rut 
liecs  throii'jh  a  career  of  sin.  lie  is  likely  to  be 
a  more  consistent  Christian.  He  will  [M'obably 
have  fewer  faults  to  get  rid  of,  and  fewer  hab- 
its which  his  Jiiety  must  break  uj).  As  soon  as 
the  voung  king  was  old  enough  to  understand 


the  state  of  things,  he  set  himself,  and  his  min- 
isters, and  his  cal)inet,  and  his  soldiers,  and  his 
workmen,  to  putting  things  to  rights.  He  be 
gan  early,  and  kejit  at  it,  and  sjient  his  life  in 
it.  We  are  told  that  he  "  covenanted  to  serve 
God  with  all  his  heart  and  with  all  his  .soul." 
This  is  making  ahitsinenii  of  doing  right.  He 
started  with  the  very  firet  thing  that  he  had  to 
do,  and  did  it  right,  and  in  order  to  plca.se  (!nd. 
Now  this  is  the  tr\ie  way  to  be  a  Christian. 
There  is  no  great  mystery  about  it.  There-  is 
nothing  in  it  which  a  child  cannot  do  by  the 
grace  of  God  as  well  as  anyboily  else.  God 
does  not  require  you  to  go  through  any  long 
season  of  unhappiness,  in  trying  to  feel  as 
some  others  have  felt  in  repenting  of  sin.  You 
have  only  to  do  right  in  order  to  please  Christ. 
That  is  religion,  and  that  is  the  whole  of  it. 
Phdps. 

Str/tightforireird  and  Strrn'r/htirni/  are  two 
good  motto  words  for  the  Christian,  anil  espe- 
cially for  the  young  Christian,  as  his  habits  are 
yet  to  bo  formed.  He  maj-  well  mark  and  fix 
in  mind  the  meaning  of  righteousness  as  here 
indicated — rightness  or  rectitude.  It  is  cas^'  to 
conform  to  this  idea  of  straightforwardness  in 
conduct  in  early  years  ;  it  is  more  ditlicult  with 
every  added  year.  Habit  is  a  chain,  w  hose  links 
of  thinnest  wire  at  first  increase  to  more  than 
cable  thickness  at  the  end.  "  Since  habit  is  our 
master,"  saj's  Bacon,  "  we  shouM  endeavor  to 
form  only  the  best  habits. " 

The  example  of  Josiah  is  one  of  signal  empha- 
sis and  force.  His  piety  was  not  the  result  of 
favorable  culture,  but  of  his  own  deliberate 
choice  iu  early  manhood.  Every  stej)  taken  in 
the  successive  reforms  carried  out  during  his 
reign  was  planned  and  performed  by  himself. 
And  the  zeal,  the  courage,  and  the  steadfa.st- 
ness  of  his  faith  in  God,  the  thorough  loyalty 
to  the  obligations  of  his  kingl}'  ollicc.  which  so 
eminently  characterized  his  yovuhful  career, 
were  maintained  to  the  end  of  his  life.  His  is 
one  of  the  few  stainless  and  noble  characters  in 
the  sacred  history. 

Other  high  ndrantdges  of  early  consecreition. 

1.  Absence  of  contaminating  contact  with  evil, 
so  that  there  is  nothing  to  unlearn  or  retrace  in 
experience,  and   nothing  to  mido  in  conduct. 

2.  Life  is  touched  and  tinctured  at  the  o\itset 
and  throughout  with  a  freshness,  a  beauty,  and 
a  sweetness  which  hold  it  in  (lerpctual  youth, 
and  which  impart  to  it  such  effectiveness  and 
fruitage  that  its  close  is  peaceful  and  satisfy- 
ing. 

In  the  personal  work  of  cleansing,  nil  idols  of 
the  heart,   all  selfish  aspirations,   and  all  evil 


SECTION  Ji3.     SUGGESTED   TRUTHS  OF  JOSIAITS  HISTORY. 


397 


thoughts  must  be  put  utterly  away.  This  is 
our  life-work,  comparatively  easy  if  early  be- 
gun, but  hard  in  proportion  to  the  lengtli  of 
time  in  which  self-will  and  self-seeking  have 
dominion,  and  to  the  strength  of  control  which 
they  have  obtained  over  the  heart.     B. 

Josiah  must  not  be  rcgardeil  as  an  example 
of  the  qiuet  growth  of  youthful  piety  under 
favorable  culture.  So  evil  were  the  influences 
about  him  that  he  only  "  began  to  seek  after 
the  God  of  David  his  father"  in  his  sixteenth 
year.  His  religion  was  his  own  decided  choice, 
as  the  first  act  of  his  opening  manhood  ;  a 
choice  prompted  by  that  loyalty  to  his  high 
calling  as  the  son  of  David,  which  marks  every 
act  of  his  reign.  Doubtless  he  was  aided  and 
encouraged  by  some  among  the  priests,  and  by 
propliets,  such  as  Zephaniah  and  Jeremiah  ; 
but  it  is  a  striking  feature  of  his  history,  that 
the  king  himself  is  the  prime  mover  in  every 
act  of  reformation.     P.  S. 

The  discovery  of  the  Book  of  the  Law  re- 
minds us  that  the  true  basis  of  all  religious  re- 
form is  the  Word  of  God.  Josiah  had  begun 
to  restore  the  Temple,  but  he  did  not  know 
how  great  the  task  was  which  he  had  taken  in 
hand  till  he  heard  the  law  read.  That  recov- 
ered book  gave  impulse  and  direction  to  his 
efforts.  The  nearest  parallel  is  the  rediscovery 
of  the  Bible  in  the  sixteenth  century,  or,  if  we 
may  take  one  incident  as  a  symbol  of  the  whole, 
Luther's  finding  the  dusty  Latin  Bible  among 
the  neglected  convent  books.  The  only  refor- 
mation of  an  effete  or  secularized  church  is  its 
return  to  the  Bible.  A.  M. The  Reforma- 
tion was,  in  all  senses,  a  resurrection  of  the 
Bible  ;  its  recovery  and  restoration  as  an  an- 
cient document  ;  the  recognition  of  its  authori- 
ty as  the  word  of  God  ;  the  discovery  of  its 
meaning  as  a  rule  of  faith  and  worship  and  life, 
and  its  new  diffusion  through  the  Christian 
body.  The  restoration  of  the  Scriptures  to 
their  place  of  power  and  honor  brought  with  it 
a  revival  of  true  piety  scarcely  if  at  all  infe- 
rior in  extent  and  fervency  to  that  which  at- 
tended the  preaching  of  the  apostles.     I.  T. 

God's  providence  is  seen  in  nothing  more  re- 
markably than  in  the  care  He  has  exercised  over 
the  written  Word.  He  has  wonderfully  pro- 
tected it  through  all  ages  alike  from  the  neg- 
lect and  the  fury  of  men.  If  for  a  time  the 
knowledge  of  it  seemed  lost,  it  was  again  re- 
vived at  the  most  favorable  juncture  for  the 
execution  of  His  purposes.  It  was  Josiah's 
zeal  in  the  repairing  of  the  Temple  which  pre- 
pared the  way  for  the  discovery  here  ;  and  the 
book  was  found  just  in  time  to  give  a  new  im- 


petus to  the  reforming  movement.  In  Divine 
providence,  all  things  tit  together  in  time  and 
place.    J.  O. 

In  the  loss  of  the  Bible  and  its  fruits  we 
should  lose  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God. 
History  proves  this  beyond  reasonable  dispute. 
God  must  speak,  or  man  does  not  find  Him. 
Mankind  needs  a  hook  to  keep  alive  in  the 
earth  the  knowledge  of  a  spiritual  and  jjcrsonal 
God.  By  the  loss  of  the  Scriptures  and  their 
results  from  the  knowledge  of  mankind,  we 
should  lose  sooner  or  later  our  institutions  of 
benevolence.  Benevolence  on  any  large  scale, 
and  in  the  form  of  permanent  institutions,  and 
for  all  classes  of  mankind  is  a  biblical  idea.  In 
the  loss  of  the  Bible  and  its  fruits,  we  should 
sooner  or  later  suffer  the  loss  of  our  institutions 
for  popular  education.  Culture  has  existed 
without  a  revelation  from  heaven.  Schools  are 
not  the  product  of  the  Bible  only.  But  it  is 
beyond  question  that  popular  education  is  of 
Bible  origin.  Other  than  Christian  religions 
build  themselves  on  the  ignorance  of  the 
msisses.  By  the  loss  of  the  Scriptures  and  their 
creations,  we  should  sooner  or  later  part  with 
our  institutions  of  civil  liberty.  History  shows 
that  the  great  charter  of  freedom  in  the  world 
is  the  word  of  God.  The  great  free  nations  of 
the  earth  are  the  great  Christian  nations. 
P/ielps. 

God's  word  is  the  only  agent  in  humanizing 
and  civilizing  mankind.  In  proportion  as  it  is 
searched,  understood,  and  obej'ed,  is  human 
nature  lifted  up,  developed,  expanded  in  all  its 
faculties,  purified  and  ennobled.  Even  now 
were  the  Bible  to  be  destroyed,  the  nations  would 
be  ultimately  remitted  to  barbarism.  This  is  the 
one  supreme  lesson  of  all  historj',  in  the  Jew- 
ish and  the  Christian  dispensations. 

The  true  value  and  real  efficiency  of  the 
Bible  lies  not  in  the  number  of  copies  printed, 
nor  in  the  extent  of  their  distribution  ;  not  in 
the  mere  possession,  but  in  the  regularity,  fidel- 
ity and  heart-interest  with  which  they  are 
searched,  and  their  truths  pondered.  Bless  God 
that  you  have  a  Bible,  but  do  not  rest  compla- 
cently, or  even  gratefully,  in  the  possession. 
Get  the  far  better,  the  needful  and  all-essential 
blessing  of  His  Spirit's  enlightening  and  im- 
pressing influences  upon  its  quickening,  sancti- 
fying and  helping  truths.  Thus  only  will  the 
Bible  be  a  newly  found  treasure  every  day. 
Thus  your  vision  of  truth  will  be  widened,  its 
transforming  power  will  be  augmented,  and  its 
enriching,  comforting  and  delighting  influence 
enhanced. 

All  who  have  the  Bible  and  appreciate  its 


398 


KINGDOM  OF  .JVT).\U. 


worth  nnd  powpr  by  pxpcricnop  will  seek  to 
put  it  into  every  Imiid  that  liiis  it  not.  Nay 
more,  every  heart  that  is  in  any  measure  "  sanc- 
tified Ihrouifh  the  truth"  will  pray  for  a  simi- 
lar effect  to  be  wrovisrht  by  the  Spirit  upon 
all  who  receive  the  Word. 

By  the  Law  is  the  knoirUdge  of  »in.  So  was  it 
in  this  ease  of  Josiah.  So  is  it  in  every  other. 
lie  frankly  met  liis  responsibility  when  he  re- 
ceived the  needed  knowledge.  lie  felt,  and  by 
the  symbol  of  rciulin,!;  his  clothes  aeknowl- 
edged  and  confessed,  his  own  sin,  and  the  sin  of 
his  people.  In  his  words  and  his  act  of  in- 
quiry before  God,  he  virtiudly  repeated  the 
confession  and  the  prayer  of  David  (Ps.  51). 
B. 

If  a  man  will  give  God's  word  a  fair  hearing. 
and  be  honest  with  himself,  it  will  bring  him 
to  his  kneis.  Xo  man  rightly  uses  God's  law 
who  is  not  convinced  by  it  of  his  sin,  and  im- 
pelled to  that  self-aba.sed  sorrow  of  which  the 
rent  royal  lobes  were  the  passionate  expres- 
sion. Josiah  was  wise  when  he  did  not  turn 
his  thoughts  to  other  people's  sins,  but  began 
with  liis  own.  even  while  he  included  others. 
The  first  function  of  the  law  is  to  arouse  tlie 
knowledge  of  sin,  as  Paul  profoundly  teaches. 
Without  that  penitent  knowledge  religion  is 
suiierfieial,  and  reformation  merely  external. 
A.  M. 

Josiah's  thought  and  feeling,  and  his  confes- 
sion and  prayer  were  for  his  people  as  much  as 
himself.  All  alike  had  sinned,  and  all  deserved 
the  wrath  of  God.  That  wrath  he  sought  to 
avert  from  all.  And  he  would  have  the  people 
join  in  his  conviction  of  sin,  share  in  his  con- 


fession of  it,  and  unite  in  liis  prayer,  that  its 
conseijuenees  of  wrath  might  be  averted.  Here- 
in are  clearly  indicated  old  and  vital  Ics.sons. 
Sin.  pcnsonal  and  national,  still  brings  the  same 
wrath  of  God.  That  wrath  is  averted  only  and 
surely  by  fidl  confession,  and  liy  frank  and 
utter  trust  in  the  promised  and  long-illustrated 
mercy  of  God,     B. 

It  is  remarkable  that  through  the  whole  of 
.losiah's  long  reign — one  of  the  longest  in  .lu- 
dean  annals — not  one  wrong  thing  is  recorded 
of  him.  Doubtless  he  had  faults,  and  did 
wrong  things  ;  but  not  one  was  important 
enough  to  be  mentioned  in  the  Bible.  The 
only  important  mistake  recordeil  of  him  was 
that  in  which  he  lost  his  life  by  fighting  with 
the  king  of  Egypt,  Except  that  one  mistake 
of  excessive  bravery  and  patriotism,  not  a 
thing  is  recorded  of  him  that  went  wrong, 
Pli<lp.i. 

God  never  promises  anywhere  that  those  who 
love  and  fear  Him  shall  be  always  saved  from 
the  consequences  of  their  mistakes.  .Josiah 
was  mistaken  in  going  out  against  Pharaoh- 
Necho,  And  he  sent  to  urge  him  not  to  assail 
him  as  an  enemy,  when  lie  wsis  not  at  enmity 
with  him.  And  this  warning  of  the  Egyptian 
king,  though  he  did  not  know  it,  wsis  really  a 
warning  from  God,  and  is  therefore  called 
"  the  words  of  Necho  from  the  mouth  of  God," 
Josiah  did  not  regard  this  warning,  and  God 
allowed  the  natural  consequences  of  his  own 
act  to  take  their  course.  The  arrow  did  not 
turn  aside  because  Josiah  was  a  servant  of  Je- 
hovah, but  did  its  deadly  work.  What  God 
did  then,  He  does  now.     C/iumpiieys. 


Section  44. 


REIGN  OF  JEnOAHAZ,  THREE  MONTHS,     REIGN  OF   JEHOIAKIM,  ELEVEN 
YEARS,     INCIDENTS   REPORTED   BY  JEREMIAH. 

3  KiNos  23  :  81-37  ;  24  :  1-7  ;  2  CnuONiOLKS  36  :  1-8  ;  Jehkmi.vii,  Cn.\ps.  26,  3G  and  45. 


2  Kings  23  :  31-37  ;  24  :  1-7. 

43  :  31  jEiioAir.^z  was  twenty  and  three 
years  old  when  he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he 
reigned  three  months  in  Jerusalem  :  and  his 
mother's  name  was  Hamutal  the  daughter 
82  of  Jeremiah  of  Libnah,  And  he  did  that 
which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Loud,  ac- 
wrding  to  all  that  his  fathers  had  done. 


2  Chkonicles  86  :  1-8. 

1  Then  the  people  of  the  land  took  ,Iehoa- 
haz  the  son  of  Josiah,  and  made  him  king  in 

2  his  father's  stead  in  Jerusalem.  Joahazwas 
twenty  and  three  years  old  when  he  began 
to  reign  ;  and  lie  reigned  three  months  in 

8  Jerusalem,  And  the  king  of  Egypt  deposed 
liira  at  Jerusalem,  and  amerced  the  land  in 


SECTION  U-     JIEION  OF  JEHOAHAZ. 


399 


33  And  Plmraoh-necoh  put  liim  in  bunds  at  Uib- 
lah  in  tlie  land  of  Ilaniath,  tliat  lii.'  might  not 
rc'ign  in  Jerusalem  ;  and  put  the  hind  to  a 
tribute  of  an  hundred  talents  of  silver,  and 

34  a  talent  of  gold.  And  Pharaoh-neeoh  made 
Eliakim  the  son  of  Josiah  king  in  the  room 
of  Josiah  his  father,  and  changed  his  name 
to  Jehoiakim  :  but  he  took  Jehoahaz  away  ; 

35  and  he  came  to  Egypt,  and  died  there.  And 
Jelioiakim  gave  the  silver  and  the  gold  to 
Pharaoh  ;  but  he  taxed  the  land  to  give  the 
money  according  to  the  commandment  of 
Pharaoh  :  he  exacted  the  silver  and  the  gold 
of  tlie  people  of  the  land,  of  every  one  ac- 
cording to  his  taxation,  to  give  it  unto  Pha- 
raoh-necoh. 

36  Jehoiakim  was  twenty  and  five  years  old 
when  he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned 
eleven  years  in  Jerusalem  :  and  his  mother's 
name  was  Zebidah  the  daughter  of  Pedaiah 

37  of  Rumah.    And  he  did  that  which  was  evil 


an  hundred  talents  of  silver  and  a  talent  of 

4  gold.  And  the  king  of  Egypt  made  Elia- 
kim his  brother  king  over  Judali  and  Jeru- 
salem, and  changed  his  name  to  Jehoiakim. 
And  Neco  took  Joahaz  his  brother,  and  car- 
ried him  to  Egypt. 

5  Jehoiakim  was  twenty  and  five  years  old 
when  he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned 
eleven  years  in  Jerusalem  :  and  he  did  that 
which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  his 

6  God.  Against  him  came  up  Nebuchadnez- 
zar king  of  Babylon,  and  bound  him  in  fet- 

7  tere,  to  carry  him  to  Babylon.  Nebuchad- 
nezzar also  carried  of  the  vessels  of  the 
house  of  the  Lord  to  Babylon,  and  put  them 

8  in  his  temple  at  Babylon.  Now  the  rest  of 
the  acts  of  Jehoiakim,  and  his  abominations 
which  fie  did,  and  that  which  was  found  in 
him,  behold,  they  are  written  in  the  book  of 
the  kings  of  Israel  and  Judah  :  and  Jehoia- 
chin  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead. 


in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  according  to  all  that 
24  :  1  his  fathers  had  done.     In  liis  days  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon  came  up,  and  Jehoi- 

2  akim  became  his  servant  tliree  years  :  then  he  turned  and  rebelled  against  him.  And  the 
Lord  sent  against  him  bands  of  the  Chaldeans,  and  bands  of  the  Syrians,  anil  bands  of  the 
Moabites,  and  bands  of  the  children  of  Anmion,  and  sent  them  against  Judah  to  destroy  it, 
according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  which  he  spake  by  the  hand  of  his  servants  the  prophets. 

3  Surely  at  the  commandment  of  the  Lord  came  this  upon  Judah,  to  remove  them  out  of  his 

4  sight,  for  the  sins  of  Manasseh,  according  to  all  that  he  did  ;  and  also  for  the  innocent  blood 
that  he  shed  ;  for  he  filled  Jerusalem  with  innocent  blood  :  and  the  Lord  would  not  pardon. 

5  Now  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Jehoiakim,  and  all  that  he  did,  are  they  not  written  in  the  book  of 

6  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Judali?     So  Jehoiakim  slept  with  his  fathers  :  and  Jehoiachin 

7  his  son  reigned  in  his  stead.  And  the  king  of  Egypt  came  not  again  anj-  more  out  of  his 
land  :  for  the  king  of  Babylon  had  taken,  from  the  brook  of  Egypt  unto  the  river  Euphrates, 
all  that  pertained  to  the  king  of  Egypt. 


Jeremiah,  Chaps.  26,  36  and  45. 


26  :  1  In  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Jehoiakim  the  son  of  Josiah,  king  of  Judah,  came 

2  this  word  from  the  Lord,  saying,  Thus  saith  the  Loud  :  Stand  in  the  court  of  the  Lord's 
house,  and  speak  unto  all  the  cities  of  Judah,  which  come  to  worship  in  the  Lord's  house, 

3  all  the  words  that  I  command  thee  to  speak  unto  them  ;  keep  not  back  a  word.  It  may  be 
they  will  hearken,  and  turn  every  man  from  his  evil  way  ;  tli^t  I  may  repent  me  of  the  evil, 

4  which  I  purpose  to  do  unto  them  because  of  the  evil  of  their  doings.  And  thou  shalt  say 
unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  :  If  ye  will  not  hearken  to  me,  to  walk  in  my  law,  which  I 

5  have  set  before  you,  to  hearken  to  the'  words  of  my  servants  tlie  prophets,  whom  I  send  unto 

6  you,  even  rising  up  early  and  sending  them,  but  ye  have  not  hearkened  ;  then  will  I  make 

7  this  house  like  Shiloh,  and  will  make  this  city  a  curse  to  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  And 
tlie  priests  and  the  prophets  and  all  the  people  heard  Jeremiah  speaking  these  words  in  the 

8  house  of  the  Lord.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jeremiah  had  made  an  end  of  speaking  all 
that  the  Lord  had  commanded  him  to  speak  unto  all  the  people,  that  the  priests  and  the 

9  prophets  and  all  the  people  laid  hold  on  him.  saying.  Thou  shalt  surely  die.  Why  hast  thou 
prophesied  in  the  name  of  the  Loud,  saying,  This  house  shall  be  like  Shiloh,  and  tliis  city 
sharll  be  desolate,  without  inhabitant?  And  all  the  people  were  gathered  unto  Jeremiah  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord. 

10  And  when  the  princes  of  Judah  heard  these  things,  they  carae  up  from  the  king's  house 
unto  the  house  of  the  Lord  ;  and  they  sat  in  the  entry  of  the  new  gate  of  the  Lord's  hm/ne. 

11  Then  spake  the  priests  and  the  prophets  unto  the  princes  and  to  all  the  people,  saying.  This 
man  is  worthy  of  death  ;  for  he  hath  prophesied  against  this  city,  as  ye  have  heard  with  your 

12  ears.  Then  spake  Jeremiah  unto  all  the  princes  and  to  all  the  people,  saying.  The  Lord  sent 
me  to  prophesy  against  this  house  and  against  this  city  all  the  words  that  ye  have  heard. 


400  KINGDOM  OF  JUDAII. 

18  Tlicn'foro  now  nmenfl  your  ways  and  your  doinRS,  and  obey  the  voire  of  the  Lort)  your  God  ; 

14  and  tin-  L(iKi)  will   repent  him  of  the  evil  that  he  halh  pronoinieed  iis>''"st  yon-      li"<  as  for 

IT)  inc.  behold.  I  am  in  your  haml  :  do  with  me  as  is  frood  and  riirht  in  your  eyes.  Only  know 
ye  for  certain  that,  if  ye  put  nic  to  death,  ye  shall  lirinij  innocent  l)li)od  upon  yourselves--,  and 
iipon  this  city,  and  upon  the  inhabitants  thereof  :  for  of  a  truth  X\w  Lojii)  liath  sent  nie  unto 

1(i  viiu  to  speaU  all  these  words  in  your  cars.  Then  saiil  the  princes  and  all  the  people  unto  the 
priests  ami  to  the  prophets  :  This  man  is  not  wortliy  of  <leath  ;  for  lie  liath  spoken  to  us  in 

17  tlie  name  of  the  Loud  our  God.     Then  rose  up  certain  of  the  elders  of  the  land,  and  spake  to 

18  all  tlie  assembly  of  the  people,  sayin.tf,  Micaiah  the  Morashtite  prophesied  in  the  days  of 
Hezekiali  kinjr  of  Judah  ;  and  he  spake  to  all  the  peojjle  of  Judali.  saying,  Thus  saith  the 
l.oiti)  of  hosts  :   Zion  shall   bir  plowed  as  a  tield,  and  Jerusalem  shall  become  lieaps.  and  tlie 

1!)  mountain  of  the  house  as  the  hiirh  jilaces  of  a  forest.  Did  Hezekiali  kins  of  Judah  and  all 
•ludali  put  him  at  all  to  death?  did  lie  not  tear  the  Lonn.  and  intreat  the  favour  of  the  r,ouD, 
and  the  I,(iKi)  reiiented  him  of  the  evil  which  he  had  pronounced  against  themV    Thus  shoukl 

2(t  we  commit  great  evil  against  our  own  souls.  And  there  was  also  a  man  that  prophesied  in 
the  name  of  the  JiOiiD,  Uriah  the  son  of  Sliemaiah  of  Kiriath-jearim  ;  and  he  prophesied 

21  against  this  city  and  against  this  land  according  to  all  the  words  of  Jeremiah  :  and  when 
Jchoiakim  the  king,  with  all  his  mighty  men,  and  all  the  princes,  heard  his  words,  the  king 
sought  to  Jiut  him  to  death  ;  but  wlicn  Uriah  heard  it,  he  was  afraid,  and  tied,  and  went  into 

83  Egypt ;  and  Jehoiakini  the  king  sent  men  into  Egypt,  nnmilii.  Elnathan  the  sun  of  .\clibor, 

33  aiai  certain  men  willi  him,  into  l-jgy|)t :  and  they  fetched  forth  Uriah  out  of  Egypt,  and 
brought  him  unto  Jehoiakitn  the  king  ;  who  slew  him  with  the  sword,  and  cast  his  dead  body 

34  into  the  graves  of  the  common  people.  But  the  hand  of  Aliikam  the  son  of  Shaphan  was 
with  Jeremiah,  that  they  shoidd  not  .give  him  into  the  hand  of  the  people  to  put  him  to  death. 

!{0  :  1  AikI  it  came  to  pass  in  the  fourth  year  of  Jchoiakim  the  .son  of  Josiali.  king  of  Judah. 

2  that  this  woril  came  unto  Jeremiah  from  the  Loud,  saying.  Take  thee  a  roll  of  a  book,  and 
write  therein  all  the  words  that  I  have  spoken  unto  thee  against  Israel,  and  against  Judah, 
and  ag.iinst  all  the  nations,  from  the  day  I  spake  unto  thee,  from  the  days  of  Josiah,  even 

3  unto  tills  day.  It  may  be  that  the  house  of  Judah  will  hear  all  the  evil  which  I  purpose  to 
do  unto  them  ;  that  they  may  return  every  man  from  his  evil  way  ;  that  I  may  forgive  their 

4  initjuity  and  their  sin.  Then  Jeremiah  called  Baruch  the  son  of  Neriah  ;  and  Baruch  wrote 
from  the  mouth  of  Jeremiah  all  the  words  of  the  Lord,  wliieh  he  had  spoken  unto  him,  upon 

5  a  roll  of  a  book.     And  Jeremiah  commanded  Baruch.  saving,  I  am  shut  up  ;  I  cannot  go  into 

6  the  house  of  the  Lord  :  therefore  go  thou,  and  read  in  the  roll,  which  thou  hast  written  from 
my  mouth,  the  words  of  th?  Lord  in  th<'  ears  of  the  jieople  in  the  Lord's  house  upon  the 
fast  day  :  and  also  thou  shaU  read  them  in  the  ears  of  all  Juilah  that  come  out  of  their  cities. 

7  It  may  be  they  will  present  their  supplication  before  the  Loud,  and  will  return  everv  one 
from  his  evil  way  :  for  great  is  the  anger  and  the  fury  that  the  Lord  hath  pronounced 

.S  against  this  people.     And  Baruch  the  son  of  Neriah  did  according  to  all  that  Jeremiah  the 

projihct  commanded  him,  reading  in  the  book  the  words  of  the  Lord  in  the  Lord's  house. 

9       Now  it  came  to  pa.ss  in  the  fifth  year  of  Jchoiakim  the  son  of  Josiah,  king  of  Judah,  in  the 

ninth  month,  that  all  the  people  in  Jerusalem,  and  all  the  people  that  came  from  the  cities  of 

10  .ludah  unto  Jerusalem,  proclaimed  a  fast  befori^  the  Lord.     Then  read  Baruch  in  tlie  book 

the  wiirds  of  Jeremiah  in  the  house  of  the  IjORD,  in  the  chamber  of  Gemariah  the  son  of 

Shaphan  the  scribe,  in  the  upper  court,  at  the  entry  of  the  new  gate  of  the  Lord's  house,  in 

U  the  cars  of  all  the  people.     And  when  Micaiah  the  son  of  Gemariah,  the  son  of  Shaphan,  had 

13  heard  out  of  the  book  all  the  words  of  the  Lord,  he  went  down  into  the  king's  house,  into 

the  scribe's  chamber  :  and,  lo,  all  the  princes  sat  there,  even  Elishama  the  scribe,  and  Delaiali 

tlie  son  of  Shemaiah,  and  Elnathan  the  son  of  .Vclibor,  and  Gemariah  the  son  of  Shaphan,  and 

13  Zedekiah  the  son  of  Ilananiah,  and  all  the  princes.     Then  Micaiah  declared  unto  them  all  the 

14  words  that  he  had  heard,  when  Baruch  read  the  book  in  the  ears  of  the  people.  Therefore 
all  the  princes  sent  Jeliudi  the  son  of  Nethaniah.  the  scm  of  Shelemiah,  the  son  of  Cuslii,  unto 
Baruch,  saying.  Take  in  thine  hand  the  roll  wherein  thou  hast  read  in  the  ears  of  the  people, 

15  and  come.  So  Barucli  the  ssn  of  Neriah  took  the  roll  in  his  hand,  and  came  unto  them.  And 
they  said  unto  him,  Sit  down  now,  and  read  it  in  our  ears.     So  Baruch  read  it  in  their  cars. 

16  Now  it  came  to  pass,  when  they  had  heard  all  the  words,  they  turned  in  fear  one  toward 

17  another,  and  said  unto  Baruch,  "We  will  surely  tell  the  king  of  all  these  words.  And  they 
asked  Baruch,  saying.  Tell  us  now,  How  didst  thou  write  all  these  words  at  his  mouth? 

18  Then  Baruch  answered  them.  He  pronounced  all  these  words  unto  me  with  liis  mouth,  and  I 

19  wrote  them  with  ink  in  the  book.     Then  said  the  piinces  unto  Baruch,  Go,  hide  thee,  thou 

20  and  Jeremiah  ;  and  let  no  man  know  where  ye  be.  And  they  went  in  to  the  king  into  the 
court  ;  hut  they  liad  laid  up  the  roll  in  the  chamber  of  Elishama  the  scribe  ;  and  they  told  all 

21  the  worils  in  the  ears  of  the  king.  So  the  king  .sent  Jehudi  to  fetch  the  roll  :  and  he  took  it 
out  of  the  chamber  of  Elishamathe  scribe.     And  Jehudi  read  it  in  the  ears  of  the  king,  and 

22  in  the  cars  of  all  the  princes  which  stood  beside  the  kin.g.     Now  the  king  sat  in  the  winter 

23  house  in  the  ninth  month  :  mv\  Ihire  van  a  fin;  in.  the  hrasier  burning  before  him.  .Vnd  it 
eame  to  pass,  when  Jidiudi  had  read  three  or  four  leaves,  that  ^/(c  Xi'/ij?  cut  it  with  the  pen- 
knife, and  cast  it  into  the  lire  that  was  in  the  brasier,  until  all  the  roll  was  consumed  in  the 

24  lire  that  was  in  the  brasier.     And  they  were  not  afraid,  nor  rent  their  garments,  neither  the 

25  king,  nor  any  of  his  servants  that  heard  all  these  words.  Moreover  Elnathan  and  Delaiah 
and  Gemariah  had  made  intercession  to  the  king  that  he  would  not  burn  the  roll  :  but  he 

26  would  not  hear  Uiem.     And  the  king  commanded  Jcrahmeel  the  king's  son,  and  Seraiah  the 


SECTION  U.     REION  OP  JEHOAHAZ. 


401 


son  of  Azriel,  and  Shelemiah  the  son  of  Abdeel,  to  take  Baruch  the  scribe  and  Jeremiah  the 
prophet  :  but  tlie  Loud  hid  them. 

27  Then  the  wortl  of  tlie  Lord  came  to  Jeremiah,  after  tliat  the  king  had  burned  tlie  roll,  and 

28  the  words  which  Baruch  wrote  at  the  mouth  of  Jeremiah,  saying.  Take  thee  again  another 
roll,  and  write  iu  it  all  the  former  words  that  were  in  the  tirst  roll,  which  Jchoiakim  the  king 

29  of  Judah  hatli  burned.  And  concerning  Jchoiakim  king  of  Judah  thou  shall  say,  Thus  saitli 
tlie  LoKD  :  Thou  hast  burned  this  roll,  saying,  'Why  hast  thou  written  therein"  saying,  The 
king  of  Babylon  shall  certainly  come  and  destroy  this  land,  and  shall  cause  to  cease  from 

30  thence  man  and  beast V  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  concerning  Jchoiakim  king  of  Judah  : 
He  shall  have  none  to  sit  upon  the  throne  of  David  :  and  his  dead  body  shall  be  cast  out  in 

31  the  day  to  the  heat,  and  in  the  night  to  the  frost.  And  I  will  punish  "him  and  his  seed  and 
his  servants  for  their  iniquity  ;  and  I  will  bring  upon  them,  and  upon  th(^  inhabitants  of  Jeru- 
salem, and  upon  the  men  of  Judah,  all  the  evil  that  I  have  pronounced  against  them,  but 

33  they  hearkened  not.  Then  took  Jeremiah  another  roll,  and  gave  it  to  Barurli  the  scribe,  the 
son  of  Neriah  ;  who  wrote  therein  from  the  mouth  of  Jeremiah  all  the  worils  of  the  book 
whicli  Jchoiakim  king  of  Judah  had  burned  in  the  tire  :  and  there  were  added  besides  unto 
them  many  like  words. 

45  :  1  The  word  that  Jeremiah  the  prophet  spake  unto  Baruch  the  son  of  Neriah,  when  he 
wrote  these  words  in  a  book  at  the  mouth  of  Jeremiah,  in  the  fourth  year  of  Jchoiakim  the 

2  son  of  Josiah.  king  of  Judah.  saying.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  unto  thee,  O 

3  Baruch  :  Thou  didst  say.  Woe  is  me  now  !  for  the  Lord  hath  added  sorrow  to  my  pain  ;  I 

4  am  weary  with  my  groaning,  and  I  tind  no  ri'st.  Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  him.  Thus  saith 
the  Lord  ;  Behold,  that  which  I  have  built  will  I  break  down,  and  that  which  I  have  planted 

5  I  will  pluck  up  ;  and  this  in  the  whole  land.  And  seekest  thou  great  things  for  thyself? 
seek  them  not  ;  for,  behold,  I  will  bring  evil  ujion  all  flesh,  saith  the  Lord  :  but  thy  life  will 
I  give  unto  thee  for  a  prey  iu  all  places  whither  thou  goest. 


Reign  op  Jehoahaz,  Three  Months. 
2  Kings  23  :  31-35  ;  3  Chroniclei,  36  : 1-4. 

Jehoahaz,  three  months  of  B.C.  608.  (1)  1 
Chron.  3  :  15  ;  Jer.  22  :  11,  13  ;  2  K.  33  ;  31,  36, 
his  name  was  originally  Shallum.  (2)  3  K. 
23  :  30-33  ;  2  Chron.  36  : 1-3,  the  tenure  by 
which  he  held  the  throne.  (3)  3  K.  23  :  32, 
character  of  his  reign.     W.  J.  B. 

The  death  of  Josiah,  in  B.C.  608,  marks  the 
virtual  end  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah.  The  four 
kings  who  followed  him  were  the  mere  pup- 
pets of  Egypt  and  Babylon,  and  the  twenty- 
two  years  of  their  nominal  reigns  are  occupied 
with  successive  conquests  and  deportations. 
These  twenty -two  years  are  divided  into  two 
equal  parts  by  the  captivity  of  Jehoiachin. 
P.  S. 

The  defeat  of  the  Judean  army  and  the  death 
of  Josiah  not  only  put  an  end  to  his  great  re- 
formatory movement,  and  to  the  hopes  of  the 
possible  reunion  and  recovery  of  Israel  and  Ju- 
dah, but  it  sounded  the  knell  of  Jewish  inde- 
pendence. Henceforth  Judah  was  alternately 
vassal  to  Egypt  or  Babylonia.  According  to 
1  Chron.  3  :  15,  Josiah  had  four  sons,  of  whom 
the  eldest,  Jolianan,  seems  to  have  died,  either 
before  his  fatlier  or  perhaps  in  the  battle  of  Me- 
giddo.  The  other  three,  arranging  them  in  the 
order  of  age,  were  Eliakim,  afterward  called 
Jchoiakim  ;  Shallum,  afterward  called  Jeho- 
ahaz ;  and  Zcdekiali.  Uu  the  death  of  Josiah 
"  the  people  of  the  land"  made  and  anointed, 
as  his  sucee.ssor,  not  the  eldest  royal  prince, 
but  his  younger  brother  Shallum,  who,  on  his 


accession,  assumed  the  name  Jehoahaz,  "  Je- 
hovah holds  up"  (cf.  2  K.  23  :  30  with  Jer. 
22  :  11  and  1  Chron.  3  :  15).  From  the  fate 
which  so  speedily  overtook  him.  we  may  infer 
that  the  popidar  choice  of  Jehoahaz  was  largely 
influenced  by  his  opposition  to  Egypt.  Of  hia 
brief  reign  of  three  months  we  only  know  that 
"he  did  the  evil  in  the  sight  of  Jehovah." 
Meantime.  Necho  had.  after  the  battle  of  Me- 
giddo,  continued  his  march  toward  Syria. 
Thither  at  Iliblah  (the  modern  Ribleh,  on  the 
Oronte.5),  "  in  the  land  of  Hamath,"  the  victor 
summoned  the  new  Jewish  king.  On  his  ar- 
rival, Jehoahaz,  who  had  been  crowned  with- 
out the  leave  of  Necho,  was  put  in  bonds. 
Nccho  does  not  seem,  on  this  occasion,  to  have 
pursued  his  expedition  against  Assyria.  The 
great  battle  at  Carchemish,  to  which  the  chron- 
icler refers  by  anticipation  (3  Chron.  35  :  20), 
was  fought  on  a  second  expedition,  three  years 
later,  when  the  Egyptian  army  under  Necho 
was  defeated  with  great  slaughter  by  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, the  son  of  Nabopolassar.  This 
was  after  the  fall  of  Nineveh,  and  when  the 
Babylonian  or  Chaldean  empire  had  taken  the 
place  of  the  Assyrian.  But  on  the  present  oc-. 
casion  Necho  s(;em3  to  have  returned,  before 
encountering  tlie  Assyrians,  into  Egypt,  whither 
"  he  brought"  with  him  Jehoahaz,  who  died  in 
captivity.     A.  E. 

Jehoahaz  pleased  the  popular  imagination, 
which  saw  in  him  a  "  young  linn,"  well  trained 
to  "  catch  the  prey"  and  capable  of  "  devour- 
ing men"  (Ezek.  19  :  3).  The  hope  was  enter- 
tained that  he  would  raise  the  fallen  fortunes 


402 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


of  Judea,  and  recover  her  glories  for  her  {ibid., 
verse  5)  ;  and  when  this  liopc  was  disappointed 
by  his  capture  and  deportation  to  Kgypt,  the 
regret  was  excessive.  Among  others,  Jeremiah 
himself  bewailed  him.  "  Weep  ye  not  for  the 
dead,"  he  said — /.<•.,  for  Josiah — "neither  be- 
moan him,  l)ut  mep  sore  for  him  thai  goith 
away  ;  for  he  shall  return  no  more,  nor  see  his 
native  country"  (Jer.  22  :  10).  No  Jewish 
prince  before  him  had  died  in  exile  ;  and  the 
prophecy  that  he  should  do  so  touched  the  na- 
tion's heart  with  a  feeling  of  deep  comnusera- 

tion.     G.  R. His  brief  reign  was  chanicter- 

ized  by  wickedness  and  oppression,  but  he  was 
lamented  as  the  last  king  of  the  people's  choice. 
The  fortunes  of  Jehoahaz  and  his  two  succes- 
sors are  described  in  highly  poetical  imagery 
by  Ezekiel  (19  :  1-9).     P.  S. 

Reion  op  Jehoiakim,  Eleven  Years. 

2  Kings  23  :  36,   37  ;    24  :  1-7  ;    2   ChrimicUa 
36:5-8. 

Jehoiakim' s  Acression,  608  B.C.,  his  "  first 
year"  being  the  year  607  n.c.  (2  K.  23  :  33-36  ; 
2  Chron.  36  :  3-5).  1.  His  tenure  of  the  throne. 
2.  The  fine,  why  levied,  and  how  paid.  3.  Gen- 
eral character  of  his  reign. 

"  The  neginniiuj  "  of  his  Beign,  perhaps  n.c. 
607,  606.  1.  Jer.  26  :  20-23,  the  prophesying 
and  death  of  Urijah  (by  extradition  from 
Egypt).  2.  Jer.  26,  the  trial  of  Jeremiah  for 
prophesying.  3.  Jer.  7-10,  fuller  text  of  the 
prophecies  for  which  he  was  tried,  of .  7  :  2  and 
26  :  2  :  (a)  7  ;  12-15  and  26  :  6,  9,  etc.  ;  9  :  11,  of. 
26  :  9,  the  two  specifications  of  the  charge  ;  (h) 
26  :  17-19,  the  precedent  cited  in  Jeremiah's  fa- 
vor ;  (f)  26  :  20-33,  the  precedent  cited  against 
him. 

His  Third  Tear,  n.c.  605.  accession  year  of 
Nebuchadnezzar  (2  K.  24  :  1  ;  2  Chron.  36  :  6, 
7  ;  Dan.  1  :  1-16).     Jehoiakim  changes  masters. 

His  Fourth  Tear,  B.C.  604,  the  "  first"  year 
of  Nebuchadnezzar.  1.  Jer.  46  :  1-49  :  33  ; 
25  :  1-38,  especially  verse  13.  Jeremiah's  writ- 
ten prophecy  "  concerning  the  nations  ;"  the 
great  battle  of  Carchemish.  2.  Jer.  45  ;  36:1-8. 
ijaruch  writing  Jeremiah's  prophecies. 

His  Fifth  r,',ir,  n.c.  603,  Jer.  36  ;  9-32.  1. 
Burning  of  Barucli's  first  roll,  and  writing  of 
the  second.  2.  Daniel  and  liis  companions, 
Dan.  1  :  17-20,  graduate  from  Nebuchadnez- 
zar's training  school  ;  Dan.  2,  Nebuchadnez- 
zar's dream. 

licmainderofhis  Rcigti,  n.c.  603-597.  1.  2  K. 
34  :  \-i,   liis  rebellion   and    its    consequences. 


2.  Jer.  35,  the  Rechabites.  3.  Jer.  22  :  1-4,  etc., 
opportunities  for  repentance.  4.  Jer.  52  :  28, 
three  thousand  and  twenty-three  persons  deport- 
ed in  the  seventh  year  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  the 
tenth  of  Jehoiakim.  5.  2  K.  24  :  6  ;  Jer.  36  :  30, 
31  ;  22  :  18,  19,  his  death,  in  Jerusalem,  by 
violence,  in  his  eleventh  year.     W.  J.  B. 

The  prophets  Zephauiah,  Habakkuk  and 
Jeremiah  belong  to  the  kingdom  of  Judali,  in 
the  Babylonian  period.  The  characteristics  of 
this  period  shed  much  light  ujion  their  utter- 
ances. It  was  a  time  of  widesprea<l  and  in- 
creasing corruption.  In  the  face  of  judg- 
ments, the  nation  is  presumptuous  in  self-con- 
fidence and  obstinate  in  sin.  False  prophets 
al)o\ind  and  are  strong  in  influence.  The  true 
prophets  of  Jehovah  suffer  persecution.  The 
Babylonian  power,  the  instrument  of  the  Di- 
vine judgment,  arises,  threatens  and  at  length 
executes.  Judali  falls  before  it,  as  the  king- 
dom of  the  north  had  fallen  before  Assyria. 
The  prophecy  of  this  period  is  (■haracterized 
chiefl}'  by  denunciation,  yet  is  not  without 
consolation.  For  Judah  there  exists  a  larger 
hope  than,  previously,  for  Israel.  She  is  not 
completely  apostate,  nor  is  she  to  disappear 
finally  from  history.  Moreover,  the  time  is 
peculiarly  ripe  for  the  proclamation  of  the 
world-judgment,  and  in  this  is  found  hope  for 
the  remnant  of  Judah.  The  leading  figure  of 
the  times  is  Jeremiah.  His  ministry  was  long 
in  duration  ;  the  record  of  it  is  extensive.  The 
activity  of  his  contemporaries  was  shorter ; 
their  recorded  prophecies  are  brief.  Zepha- 
niah  emphasizes  especially  "  the  day  of  Jeho- 
vah" and  its  results.  His  message,  strongly 
positive,  is  directed  principally  to  Judah.  Hab- 
akkvik  has  left  us  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
books  of  Hebrew  literature.  His  message  is 
particularly  directed  agi\inst  Babylon.  Espe- 
cially does  he  emphasize  abiding  faithfulness 
toward  Jehovah.      G.  S.  Burroughs. 

AVith  the  reign  of  Jehoiakim  began,  within 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  one  of  the  noblest  and 
most  glorious  moral  contests  which  the  page 
even  of  sacred  history  records.  Almost  single- 
handed,  for  the  long  period  of  above  twenty 
years,  the  gentle  and  timid  Jeremiah  stood 
forth  for  the  Lord  in  opposition  to  the  united 
power  and  fury  of  the  kings,  princes  and  i)riest3 
of  Jerusalen\.  In  his  communings  with  his 
(Jod  we  have  glimpses  of  the  dreadful  expense 
of  i>ei-si>nal  suffering  at  which  this  conflict  was 
maintained  by  him  ;  but  in  public,  whether  in 
prison  or  at  large,  in  the  palace  or  in  the  Tem- 
ple, we  never  see  him  flinch  from  uttering  the 
stern  message  committed  to  him.     W.  G.  B. 


SECTION  U-     SUMMARIES  OF  JEHOIAKIM'S  BEION. 


403 


Summaries  of  Jehmakim's  Reign. 

Jehoiakim,  the  eighteenth  king  of  Judah, 
■was  twenty -five  years  old  wlien  lie  was  placed 
on  the  throne  by  Pharaoh-Neeho,  instead  of  his 
brother  Jehoahaz  ;  and  he  I'eigued  eleven  years 
at  Jerusalem,  doing  evil  in  the  sight  of  Jeho- 
vah. Jeremiah  sternly  rebukes  his  injustice 
and  oppression,  his  cruelty  and  avarice,  and 
his  reckless  luxury  in  building  himself  a  mag- 
nificent palace,  and  contrasts  all  this  with  his 
father's  justice  lo  the  poor  ;  and  in  the  Chron- 
icles his  name  is  dismissed  with  an  allusion  to 
"  all  the  abominations  that  he  did."  From  the 
very  commencement  of  his  reign,  the  voice  of 
Jeremiah  is  heard  plainly  predicting,  and  pre- 
figuring 1)3'  striking  signs,  the  captivity  at 
Babylon  as  a  judgment  rendered  inevitable  by 
the  people's  sins,  but  adding  the  promise  of 
their  future  restoration.  In  one  of  these  proph- 
ecies, after  mourning  the  death  of  Josiah  and 
the  hopeless  captivity  of  Jehoahaz,  he  predicts 
the  fate  of  Jehoiakim  to  the  very  details  of  his 
dishonored  end  (22  :  1-23).  On  another  occa- 
sion the  prophet  took  his  stand  in  the  court  of 
the  Temple,  amid  an  assemblage  from  all  the 
cities  of  Judah,  to  proclaim  that  God  would 
even  yet  repent  Ilim  of  the  coming  evil  if  they 
turned  to  Him,  but  if  not,  that  His  house 
should  be  destroyed  like  the  tabernacle  at  Shi- 
loU,  and  the  city  made  a  curse  to  all  nations. 
The  priests  and  prophets  now  resolved  on  Jere- 
miah's death  ;  and  they  had  a  precedent  in  the 
case  of  Urijah,  the  son  of  Shemaiah  of  Kirjath- 
jearim,  who,  having  uttered  prophecies  like 
those  of  Jeremiah,  had  been  pursued  by  the 
envoys  of  Jehoiakim  into  Egypt,  and  brought 
back  to  suffer  an  ignominious  dealli.  The 
princes  of  Judah,  however,  before  whom  Jere- 
miah was  arraigned,  appealed  to  the  better 
precedent  of  the  times  of  Hezekiah,  who  al- 
lowed Micah  to  prophesy  with  impunity,  and 
Jeremiah's  life  was  saved  by  the  influence  of 
Ahikam,  the  son  of  Shaphan,  and  other  old 
counsellors  of  Josiah  (Jer.  26).  These  warnings 
were  given  in  the  beginning  of  Jehoiakim's 
reign,  and  their  fulfilment  was  .soon  begun  by 
the  overthrow  of  his  Egyptian  protector.    P.  S. 

The  armies  of  Nebuchadnezzar  anil  Pharaoh- 
Neeho  met  in  the  vicinity  of  Carchemish  (now 
Jerablus),  in  the  fourth  year  of  Jehoiakim, 
king  ef  Judah,  which  was  the  accession  year  of 
Nebuchadnezzar,  and  contended  in  a  great  bat- 
tle, wherein  ultimately  the  Babylonians  were 
victorious.  The  battle  is  prophetically,  but 
very  graphically,  described  by  the  prophet 
Jeremiah  (46  :  3-12).     Jehoiakim  was  only  too 


glad  to  submit,  and  become  Nebuchadnezzar's 
servant  (3  K.  24  :  1)  instead  of  Necho's,  and 
pay  his  homage  and  his  tribute  to  his  new 
sovereign.  The  kings  of  Edom,  Moab,  Ammon, 
probably  also  those  of  Tyre  and  Sidou,  did  the 
same.  Nebuchadnezzar,  however,  was  pre- 
vented from  punishing  Nccho  as  he  desired,  or 
completing  his  arrangements  for  the  future 
government  of  Syria  and  Palestine,  by  intelli- 
gence which  reached  him  as  he  was  about  to 
ascend  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  His  father,  Na- 
bopolassar,  had  succumbed  to  his  weight  of 
years,  and  died  at  Babylon,  in  the  twenty-first 
year  of  his  reign,  B.C.  605.  Arrived  at  Baby- 
lon, Nebuchadnezzar  ascended  the  throne  with- 
out ditlieulty,  but  the  state  of  affairs  .seeming 
to  require  his  presence  in  the  East  rather  than 
in  the  West,  he  for  some  time  left  Syj'ia  and 
Palestine  to  themselves — a  policy  sure  to  result 
in  fresh  troubles.  A  single  defeat  was  not 
likely  to  have  cowed  the  possessor  of  an  old 
and  powerful  monarchy  ;  and  the  petty  king- 
doms of  southwestern  iVi^ia  were  almost  certain 
to  incline  to  that  one  of  the  two  rival  empires 
which  was  not  at  the  time  their  master.  Necho, 
under  the  circumstances,  naturally  encouraged 
this  disposition,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
some  of  the  petty  kings  openly  revolted  and  de- 
clared themselves  independent  of  Babylon.  Je- 
hoiakim was  the  first  to  take  the  plunge.  In 
the  fourth  year  after  his  subjugation,  B.C.  603, 
despite  the  warnings  of  Jeremiah,  he  "  turned 
and  rebelled  against"  Nebuchadnezzar  (3  K. 
24  ;  1).  At  first  the  Great  King  was  content  to 
punish  liim  by  sending  against  him  a  few 
"  bands"  of  Chaldeans,  which,  in  combination 
with  some  of  the  neighboring  nations — as  the 
Syrians,  the  Moabites,  and  the  Ammonites — 
plundered  and  ravaged  his  territory  ;  but  about 
the  year  b.c.  598,  Ithobal,  king  of  Tyre,  hav- 
ing also  rebelled,  he  marched  at  the  head  of  a 
large  army  into  Syria.  The  sieges  of  Tyre  and 
Jerusalem  were  formed  simultaneoush-  ;  but, 
while  Tyre  resisted  witii  great  obstinacy,  Jeru- 
salem very  soon  succumbed.  Jehoiakim  fell 
into  Nebuchadnezzar's  hands,  was  e-\ecuted, 
and  received  at  first  "the  burial  of  an  a.ss" 
(Jer.  22  :  19)  ;  but  his  remains  were  afterward 
collected,  and  interred  in  the  sepulchre  of  Ma- 
nassch.     G.  R. 

2  K..  21 :  i .  The  sudden  disappearance  of 
AKsyt-iii  from  the  scene,  and  the  sudden  ap- 
pearance of  Babylon  upon  it  at  this  point  of  the 
liistory,  are  very  remarkable.  Without  a  word 
upon  the  circumstances  that  had  brought  it 
about,  the  writer  of  Kings  shows  us  that  a 
great  crisis  in  the  world's  history  has  come  and 


404 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


gone  ;  that  tlio  mijrlity  State  which  liad  domi- 
niited  Wislern  Asia  for  ccnturii'S  is  no  more, 
and  has  been  superseded  Iiy  a  new  and  lilMierto 
soarce  lieanl  of  power,  "  In  liis  [Jelioiiikini's] 
days  Nebueliadnezzar,  king  of  Bahylon.  came 
up."  IJahyloii  liad  in  reniou^  <iays  (Gen. 
10  :  8-10)  been  a  powerful  State,  and  liad  even 
possessed  au  empire  ;  but  for  the  last  seven 
hundred  years  or  more  she  had  been  content  to 
play  a  very  secondary  part  in  Western  Asia,  and 
had  generally  been  either  an  A.ssyrian  feuda- 
tory or  an  iiitejiral  part  of  the  Assyrian  mon- 
archy. But  in  llie  coun.sels  of  Goil  it  liad  been 
long  decreed  tliat  she,  and  not  Assyria,  should 
be  God's  instrument  for  the  chastisement  of 
His  jieople.  Therefore,  as  the  appointed  time 
for  Assyria's  fall  approached,  Babylon  was 
made  to  increase  in  power  and  greatness.  A 
wave  of  invasion,  which  passed  over  the  rest 
of  Western  Asia,  left  her  untouched.  A  great 
monarch  wa.s  given  her  in  the  person  of  Na- 
bopolassar,  who  read  aright  the  signs  of  the 
times,  saw  in  Media  a  desirable  ally,  and,  having 
secured  Median  co-operation,  revolted  against 
the  long-estat?!ished  sovereign  power.  A  short, 
sharp  struggle  followed,  ending  in  the  utter 
collapse  of  the  great  Assyrian  empire,  and  the 
siege  and  fall  of  Nineveh.  The  two  conquer- 
ing States  partitioned  between  them  the  Assy- 
rian dominions — Media  taking  the  countries 
which  lay  to  the  northwest  and  north,  Babylon 
those  towaixl  the  southwest  and  south.  Thus, 
so  far  as  the  .Jews  were  concerned,  Babylon, 
between  n.c.  625  and  B.C.  608,  had  stepped  into 
Assyria's  pl.ice.  She  had  become  "  the  ham- 
mer of  the  whole  earth"  (.Jer.  ,50:23);  God's 
battle-axe  and  weapons  of  war  (.Jer.  51  :  20), 
wherewith  lie  brake  in  pieces  nations  and  king- 
doms, man  and  woman,  old  and  young,  cap- 
tains and  rulers.  Tlie  prophecy  of  Isaiah  to 
Hezekiah  (chap.  20  :  16-19),  which  seemed  so 
unlikel)'  of  fulfilment  at  the  time  that  it  wa.s 
uttered,  found  a  natural  and  easy  accomplish- 
ment, the  cour.sc  of  events  in  tlie  latter  part  of 
th(^  seventh  century  n.c.  having  transferred  to 
Babylonia,  under  Divine  direction  and  arrange- 
ment, that  grand  ])osition  and  dignity  wliicli 
had  previinisly  been  Assyria's.  When  she  had 
served  God's  purpose,  Babylon's  turn  came  ; 
and  she  sank  as  suddenh'  as  she  had  risen,  be- 
cause she  too  had  been  "  proud  against  the  Jjord" 
(Jer.  30  :  20),  and  liad  provoked  His  indignation. 
Hammond. 

2,  3.  Tlie  rejection  of  .Judah  is  again  in 
these  verses  connected  with  the  sin  of  .Manas 
sell,  only,  however,  as  before  shown,  because 
people  and  rulers  made  these  sins  their  own, 


and  would  not  depart  from  them.  Ileathen- 
ism  was  again  rampant,  and  .lehoiakim,  like 
Mana.sseh,  wa.s  sliedding  "innocent  blood." 
Scripture  knows  no  fatalism  beyond  that  which 
springs  from  the  incorrigibleness  of  a  people 
wedded  to  their  sins.  Neither  is  there  anj'  sin 
wliii-h,  if  sincerely  repented  of,  God  will  not 
pardon,  though  its  temporal  effects  may  still 
Iiave  to  be  endured.  But  there  is  the  awful 
possibility  of  getting  beyond  pardon  through 
our  own  obduracy.  Both  sides  of  the  truth  are 
seen  in  .Jeremiah — on  llic!  one  hand,  exhortations 
to  repentance,  with  assurances  of  forgiveness 
(.Jer.  18  ;  7-10  ;  26  :  1-3  ;  35  :  15)  ;  and,  on  the 
other,  declarations  that  the  time  for  pardon  was 
past  (.Jer.  7  :  13-16,  27,  28  ;  11  :  11-14  ;  15  : 1  ; 
18  ;  11,  12  ;  36  :  16,  17,  etc.).  It  was  not  because 
the  fathers  had  eaten  sour  grapes  that  the  chil- 
dren's teeth  were  set  on  edge  (Ezek.  18:2); 
but  the  children  had  walked  in  the  fathers' 
ways.     .J.  O. 

2  Cliroii.  36  : 6,  7.  Nebuchadnezzar  ad- 
vanced to  .Jerusalem,  which  he  took  after  a 
brief  siege,  dethroned  .lehoiakim.  and  put  him 
in  fetters,  with  a  view  to  carry  liini  to  Babylon.' 
For  some  reason  this  intention  was  abandoned, 
and  .lehoiakim  was  restored  to  his  throne  as  a 
vassal.  His  treasure's  were  carried  off  to  Baby- 
lon, where  the  vessels  of  the  sanctuary  were 
dedicated  in  the  temple  of  Belus.  At  the  same 
time  Nebuchadnezzar  commissioned  Ashpcnaz, 
the  chief  of  his  eunuchs,  to  choose  a  number  of 
royal  and  noble  Hebrew  youtlis,  excelling  alike 
in  beauty  and  mental  aecomplisliments,  to  be 
brought  up  at  his  court  and  trained  in  the 
learning  of  C'lialdca.  Among  those  thus  se- 
lected were  Daniel,  with  his  three  companions, 

Ilananiah,    Jlishael,    and   Azariah.     P.   S. 

Nebuchadnezzar  was  one  of  the  most  mild  of 
all  the  Assyrian  and  Babylonian  sovereigns. 
While  a  skilful  warrior,  he  cared  more  for 
building  and  adorning  temples,  for  beautify- 
ing Babylon  and  for  constructing  great  canals, 
than  for  the  clash  of  war.  When  .lehoiakim 
submits,  Nebuchadnezzar  leaves  him  quietly 
on  the  throne.  When  he  revolts,  the  Babylo- 
nian army  comes  again — "  surely  at  the  com- 
inandmcnt  of  .Jehovah,"  writes  the  historian, 
"came  this  upon  Jud.ih,  to  remove  them  out 
of  His  sight,  for  the  sins  of  Manasseh,  accord- 
ing to  all  that  he  did. "     Lyon. 

2  K.  21 :  7.  And  the  kin?  of  EjSj-pt 
came  not  a^aiii  any  inoro  out  of  liU 
land.  Necho's  two  expeditions  were  enough 
for  him.  In  the  first  he  wascoiniilet<'ly  success 
fill,  defeated  .losiali,  overran  Syria  as  far  as 
Carchemlsh,  and  made  I'heeuieia,  Judea,  and 


SECTION  U-    INCIDENTS  OF  JEHOIAKIM'S  REION. 


405 


probably  the  adjacent  countries  tributar}-  to 
him.  In  tlie  second  (Jer.  46  :  2-12)  he  suffered 
fi  calamitous  reverse,  was  himself  defeated  with 
great  slaughter,  forced  to  fly  hastily,  and  to 
relinquish   all   his  conquests.     After  this,    he 


"  came  not  any  more  out  of  his  land."  What- 
ever hopes  he  held  out  to  Judea  or  to  Tyre,  he 
was  not  bold  enough  to  challenge  the  Babylo- 
nians to  a  third  trial  of  strength,  but  remained 
peaceably  within  his  own  borders.     Ilaminond. 


Incidents  op  Jehoiakim's  Reign  N.\ru.\ted  by  Jekemiaii. 

The  writers  of  Kings  and  C'hronicU's  include  Jehoiakim's  reign  of  deren  i/trirs  in  nine  and 
four  vei"ses  respectively,  only  four  verses  (in  Kings)  more  than  .lehoahaz's  reign  of  t/iree  month.t. 
All  the  detail  of  Jehoiakim's  history  we  find  in  the  26th  and  36th  chapters  of  Jeremiah,  which 
follow.     The  45th  chapter  is  added  to  complete  the  story  of  Baruch.     B. 


Jekemiah  26  :  1-24. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  Jchoiakim, 
Jeremiah  is  directed  to  foretell  the  destruction 
of  the  Temple  and  city  of  Jerusalem,  without 
a  speedy  repentance  and  reformation  (verses 
1-6).  On  this  account  he  is  apprehended  and 
accused  before  the  council  of  a  capital  offence  ; 
he  enters  on  his  defence,  and  is  acquitted,  his 
advocates  urging  the  precedent  of  Micah  in  the 
reign  of  Hezekiah  (verses  7-19).  But  from  a 
contrary  precedent  it  appears  that  his  life 
would  have  been  in  great  danger  had  he  not 

met  witli  a  powerful  protector.     Blai/ney. 

This  chapter  should  be  read  in  connection  with 
chaps.  7-9.  It  is  manifest  that  this  chapter  is 
only  a  renewed  mention  of  the  prophecy,  drawn 
out  there  much  more  fully,  and  renewed  here 
for  the  sake  of  recording  the  persecution 
against  Jeremiah,  of  which  that  signal  proph- 
ecy in  the  Temple  was  the  occasion.    H.  C. 

Read  also  the  messages  to  the  king  and  people 
in  chap.  25.     B. 

In  the  weakness  and  disorder  which  charac- 
terized this  reign,  the  work  of  Jeremiah  became 
daily  more  prominent.  The  king  had  come  to 
the  throne  as  the  vassal  of  Egypt,  and  for  a 
time  the  Egyptian  party  was  dominant  in  Jeru- 
salem. Others,  however,  held  that  the  only 
■way  of  safety  lay  in  accepting  the  supremacy 
of  the  Chaldeans.  Jeremiah  appeared  as  the 
chief  representative  of  this  part}'.  He  had 
learned  to  discern  the  signs  of  the  times  ;  the 
evils  of  the  nation  were  not  to  be  cured  by  any 
half-measures  of  reform,  or  by  foreign  alli- 
ances. The  king  of  Babylon  was  God's  ser- 
vant, doing  His  work,  and  was  for  a  time  to 
prevail  over  all  resistance.  Hard  as  it  was  for 
one  who  sympathized  so  deeply  with  all  the 
sufferings  of  his  country,  this  was  the  convic- 
tion to  which  he  had  to  bring  himself.  He  had 
to  expose  himself  to  the  suspicion  of  treachery 
by  declaring  it.     Men  claiming  to  be  prophets 


had  their  "  word  of  Jehovah"  to  set  against  his 
(14  :  13  ;  23  :  7),  and  all  that  he  coidd  do  was  to 
commit  his  cause  to  God,  and  wait  for  the  re- 
sult. Some  of  the  most  striking  scenes  in  this 
conflict  are  brought  before  us  here  with  great 
vividness.  If  Jeremiah  was  not  at  once  hunted 
to  death,  like  Urijah  (verse  23),  it  was  because 
his  friend  Ahikam  was  powerful  enough  to 
protect  him.     Die.  B. 

7.  The  "  prophets"  here  associated  with  the 
priests  in  opposition  to  Jeremiah  were  the 
false  prophets — utterly  bad  men. 

9.  The  verb  rendered  "  took"  means,  they 
seized  him  violently  ;  they  made  a  forcible  ar- 
rest. The  main  point  of  their  indictment 
would  be  exciting  sedition  against  the  govern- 
ment. Very  probably  they  gave  it  the  form  of 
constructive  blasphemy,  as  spoken  against  the 
sacred  Temple.  If  the  prophet  had  been  with- 
out defence  and  justification,  the  charge  must 
have  been  grave  and  serious. 

10.  It  is  noticeable  that  Jeremiah's  friends 
were  among  the  prina's,  indicating  that  under 
the  reign  of  Josiah  he  had  powerful  friends  at 
court,  stood  high  with  that  king,  and  that  some, 
at  least,  of  those  friends  still  lived,  and  were  in 
power  to  befriend  him. 

1 1.  The  priests  and  prophets  now  bring  the 
case  before  these  princes  and  before  the  people 
— the  latter,  as  appears  here,  not  being  in  the 
prosecution,  but  rather  in  the  capacity  of 
judges  in  the  case.  The  priests  and  the  proph- 
ets are  his  persecutors  and  accusers.  There  is 
no  intimation  thus  far,  in  this  chapter,  of  the 
part  taken  by  Jehoiakim  in  this  transaction. 

12-15.  Jeremiah's  defence  is  straightfor- 
ward, outspoken,  fearless  and  every  way  ap- 
propriate to  his  circumstances.  He  pleads,  "  I 
have  said  only  what  the  Lord  bade  me  say,  with 
a  special  and  solemn  injunction  not  to  lessen  a 
word  of  it." 

I§,  19.  This  Micah  was  the  same  whose 
prophecies  we  have.    The  passage  here  referred 


40G 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


to  is  Micah  3  :  12.  This  case  sliows  clearly 
thiit  the  writings  of  the  earlier  prophets  were 
now  in  the  liiiiuls  of  the  people.  The  example 
was  every  way  in  point.     11.  C. 

'iO.  Urijuli  \vli4>  |tr4>|>lio§ird.  Tlie 
process  a,;;'iiinsl  Jereiulah  is  tinisheil  at  the 
nineUenlh  verse,  and  the  case  of  Urijali  is  next 
brought  on,  for  lie  was  also  to  be  tried  for  his 
life  ;  but,  hearing  of  it,  he  fled  to  Egypt.  He 
was,  however,  condemned  in  his  absence  ;  and 
the  kini;  sent  to  Egypt,  and  brought  him  thence 
and  slew  him,  and  caused  him  to  have  an  igno- 
minious burial  (verses  21-23). 

21.  The  liaiid  of  .Vliikani  was  witli 
Joreiiiiuil.  And  it  was  probably  by  liis  in- 
fluence that  Jeremiah  did  not  share  the  same 
fate  with  UrijjUi.  Ahikam  mentioned  here 
was  father  of  Gedaliah,  who,  after  the  capture 
of  Jerusalem,  was  appointed  governor  by  Neb- 

ueliadnez/.ar.     A.  C. Both  he  aud  his  father 

Shaphan  were  chief  ministers  under  Josiah 
(2  IC.  22  :  12,  14).  Aud  the  brothers  of  Ahikam, 
Gemariah,  Ehisah  aud  Jaazaniah,  were  consid- 
erable men  in  those  days  with  Ahikam,  and 
members  of  the  great  council  (chap.  29  :  3  ; 
Ezek.  8:11).  So  Ahikam  made  use  of  his  in- 
terest with  them  to  deliver  Jeremiah  from  the 
danger  that  threatened  him.      W.  Lowth. 

Jeremi.^h,  Cn.vp.  36. 

This  chapter  belongs  to  the  fourth  and  fifth 
years  of  .lehoiakim  (verses  1,  9).  The  Lord  di- 
rects Jeremiah  to  write  all  his  prophecies  into 
one  roll  or  volume.  The  prophet  employs  Ba- 
ruch  as  liis  amanuensis  ;  then  sends  him  to  read 
these  prophecies  before  all  the  people  who 
might  convene  in  the  Temple  on  a  day  of  pub- 
lic fasting.  Micaiah  heard  this  public  read- 
ing, and  reported  what  he  heard  to  the  princes. 
They  sent  for  Barueh  to  bring  the  volume  and 
read  to  them.  lie  did  so.  They  thought  tlie 
king  ought  to  hear  this  book,  and  notified  him 
accordingly.  The  king  sent  Jehudi  for  the 
book.  He  brought  it,  and  read  a  few  leaves  ; 
whereupon  the  king  took  the  book  from  him, 
cut  it  up  with  his  penknife  and  burned  it  all  in 
the  fire.  The  Lord  directs  Jeremiah  to  write 
out  all  those  prophecies  again,  which  he  did, 
"  adding  also  many  like  words  ;"  and  also  an- 
nounc<'d  from  tlie  Lord  the  fearful  doom  of  this 
imi)ious  king.     II.  C. 

The  \ietory  of  Carchemish  (606  or  605  B.C.) 
was  gained  by  the  Babylonian  army  in  the 
fourth  year  of  Jchoiakim  (Jcr.  46  : 2),  and  it 
was  ill  the  same  fourth  year  of  his  reign  I  hat 
Jercmiali   made   Barueh  write  in  a  book  his 


prophetic  denunciations  of  judgment  (Jer. 
30:1).  The  conjunction  of  these  two  events 
is  deeply  signilicaut.  What  followed  can  be 
easily  undei-stood.  As  Kebucliadnc/.zar  ad- 
vanced toward  Palestine  (2  K.  24  :  I),  in  the 
fifth  year  of  the  reign  of  Jehoiakim,  the  Jew- 
ish kiug,  in  abject  fear,  proclaimed  a  national 
fiLst  (Jer.  36  :  9).  Whether  this  was  done  from 
superstition,  or  for  the  sake  of  popular  effect, 
or  else  in  hope  of  conciliating  the  prophet  and 
his  adherents,  certain  it  is  tliat  the  professed 
repeiit;ui('e  was  hypoeritieal.  The  Book  of 
Jeremiah's  projiheeies,  which  Barueh  had  pub- 
licly read  on  that  oeeiusion,  was  cut  in  pieces 
by  the  king  himself,  and  thrown  on  the  fire 
(.ler.  36  :  22,  23).  Jeremiah  and  Barueh  only 
escaped  imprisonment,  if  not  death,  by  timely 
concealment.  Nevertheless,  Nebuchadnezzar 
appeared  in  Jerusalem.  Jehoiakim,  who  would 
be  regarded  as  a  vassal  of  Egypt,  was  bound 
in  fetters,  with  the  intention  of  being  carried 
to  Babylou.  This,  however,  was  not  done — 
perhaps  because  of  the  summons  which  rapid- 
ly recalled  Nebuchadnezzar  to  Babylon.  But 
the  vessels  of  the  Temple  were  sent  to  Baby- 
lon, and  placed,  first  in  the  victor's  palace,  and 
then  in  the  temple  of  his  god — probably  Bel- 
merodach  or  Behis.     A.  E. 

3.  II  may  be  tliat  tlic  linuse  or  Ju- 
<lali  Mill  hear.  In  many  places  God  is  rep- 
resented as  speaking  after  the  manner  of  men, 
and  using  such  methods  as  in  huiiian  proba- 
bility may  be  most  likely  to  prevail.  These 
and  such-like  expressions  likewise  import  that 
God's  foreknowledge  of  future  events  doth  not 
put  any  force  upon  men's  will,  nor  lake  away 
the  liberty  of  human  actions,  as  Origen  hath 

acutely  observed.      W.  Loiclh. The  writing 

of  the  Scripture  is  by  Divine  appointment. 
And  observe  the  reason  here  given  for  the  writ- 
ing of  this  roll — it  may  be  the  hoiine.  of  Judah 
trill  hear.  Not  that  the  Divine  prescience  was 
at  any  uncertainty  concerning  the  event ;  with 
that  there  is  no  peradveiitiire.  And  though 
God  foresaw  that  they  would  not  hear.  He  did 
not  tell  the  prophet  so,  but  prescribed  this 
method  to  him  a?  a  probable  one  to  be  used,  in 
the  hopes  that  they  would  /«;«;• — that  is,  heed 
and  regard. what  they  heard.     II. 

The  preparation  of  the  roll  and  its  rending 
was  the  act  of  Divine  love,  which  plainly  tells 
of  evil  in  order  that  it  may  not  be  forced  to  in- 
flict evil.  That  is  strongly  put  in  verse  3, 
which  represents  God  as  ileclaring  that  the 
purpose  of  the  roll  is  that  Judah,  hearing  the 
evil  which  IIi'  purposes  to  do  to  them,  may  turn 
from  the  evil  which  they  have  done  toward 


SECTION  U-     INCIDENTS  OF  JEHOIAKIM'8  REI6N. 


4or 


Him,  and  that  so  it  may  be  possible  for  God  to 
forgive  them.  No  greater  proof  of  God's  love 
can  be  given  than  the  plainest  warning  of  the 
certain  fall  of  His  judgments.  Jehoiakim  and 
his  modern  successors  made  a  fatal  mistake 
when  they  fancy  that  the  roll,  v  hich  tells  of 
punishment,  is  anything  else  than  a  token  of 
love.  The  retribution  is  predicted  that  it  may 
never  be  experienced  ;  and  none  would  have 
been  so  glad  as  Jeremiah  would  have  been  if 
all  his  prophecies  had  remained  unfulfilled  be- 
cause they  had  done  their  work.  None  on 
earth  would  have  been  so  glad,  but  there  would 
have  been  greater  gladness  in  the  presence  of 
the  angels  of  heaven,  if  God's  word  had  re- 
turned so  blessedly  void,  having,  notwithstand- 
ing, accomplished  that  whereto  He  had  sent  it. 
A.  M. 

5.  It  is  not  said  that  he  was  shut  up  in 
prison,  but  barely  that  he  was  "  shut  up,"  or 
confined  ;  or,  taken  in  connection  with  the  fol- 
lowing context,  under  some  such  restraint  as 
precluded  him  from  going  to  the  house  of  the 
Lord.  This  might  have  been  in  a  variety  of 
ways  without  being  shut  up  in  prison,  a  spe- 
cies of  persecution  which  does  not  appear  to 
have  befallen  him  about  this  time.     Blayruy. 

6,  7.  The  same  reason  for  reading  the  book 
before  the  people  appears  here  as  above  (verse 
3)  for  writing  it.  It  may  be  that  they  will 
hear,  consider,  turn  to  prayer  and  penitence, 
and  so  find  mercy. 

9,  10.  The  special  occasion  of  this  fast  is 
not  stated.  It  was  not  the  annual  Jewish  fast, 
for  this  was  on  the  tenth  day  of  the  seventh 
month  (Lev.  23  :  27  and  16  :  29-31).  It  was 
therefore  an  extraordinary  fast,  and  was  prob- 
ably called  by  the  princes  at  the  instance  of  the 
people,  for  the  king  does  not  appear  in  it  at  all. 
The  occasion  which  prompted  it  was  the  dan- 
ger from  the  Chaldeans,  who  had  utterly  broken 
the  Egyptian  power  a  few  months  before  at 
the  great  battle  of  Carchemish  on  the  upper 
Euphrates  (46  : 2).  Hence  natural!}-,  as  the 
Jews  had  been  in  substantial  alliance  with  the 
Egyptians,  they  had  reason  to  fear  the  Chal- 
deans. Be  this  as  it  may,  it  was  an  admirable 
opportunity  for  this  public  reading  of  the  Book 
of  Jeremiah  before  the  assembled  people. 

11-13.  The  object  of  Micaiah  seems  to  have 
been  good.  He  thought  the  princes  ought  to  be 
acquainted  with  the  contents  of  this  volume. 
He  was  at  this  time  a  young  man,  his  grand- 
father, Shaphan,  having  been  a  very  active 
scribe  in  the  great  reformation  under  Josiah. 

17-19.  They  were  inquisitive  to  know  how 
the  book  came  into  existence,  and  what  part 


Baruch  had  in  its  production.  They  knew  the 
king  so  well  that  they  anticipated  danger  to 
Jeremiah  and  Baruch  when  he  should  hear  the 
book  read  ;  hence  their  advice  of  concealment. 

20,  !il.  It  is  plain  they  did  not  think  the 
book  altogether  safe  in  the  king's  hands,  so 
they  laid  it  away  carefully  in  the  scribe's  cham- 
ber. Their  plan  was  first  to  report  its  contents 
to  the  king,  and  then  await  further  develop- 
ments. The  king  was  not  content  with  merely 
hearing  the  book  reported,  but  ordered  it 
brought  and  read  before  him.  The  princes 
were  present. 

22-20.  The  ninth  month  would  include 
part  of  our  December.  This  fire,  as  the  origi- 
nal word  indicates,  was  burning  in  a  small  pot 
or  portable  furnace.  The  "  penknife"  of  those 
times  must  be  thought  of  as  large  enough  to 
sharpen  the  wooden  style  used  for  writing  on 
parchment.  The  reader  will  notice  the  mingled 
fear  and  horror  of  the  author,  tacitly  implied  in 
his  surprise  that  neither  the  king  nor  his  ser- 
vants were  afraid,  nor  expressed  any  indigna- 
tion at  this  horrid  impiety  of  the  king.  He  had 
opeuly  insulted  and  contemned  the  Infinite 
God  !  Why  did  not  all  the  princes  stand  aghast, 
as  if  afraid  of  some  sudden  outburst  of  Jeho- 
vah's wrath  I  The  king's  guilt  was  the  more 
flagrant  because  at  least  three  of  his  princes 
had  besought  him  not  to  burn  this  roll.  In 
every  aspect  of  this  king's  character  we  see 
only  consummate  hardihood  and  sin — consum- 
mate meanness  and  guilt.  In  his  indignation 
against  Jeremiah  and  Baruch,  he  orders  them 
to  be  arrested.  The  Lord  had  caused  them  to 
be  secreted  from  his  search.  Probably  he  would 
then  have  taken  their  lives  if  he  could.     H.  C. 

He  had  not  patience  to  hear  it  read  through, 
as  the  princes  had,  but  when  he  had  heard  three 
or  four  leaves  read,  in  a  rage  he  cut  it  with  his 
penknife  and  threw  it  piece  by  piece  into  the 
fire,  that  he  might  be  sure  to  see  it  all  consumed 
(verses  22,  23).  This  was  a  piece  of  as  daring 
impiety  as  a  man  could  lightly  be  guilty  of, 
and  a  most  impudent  affront  to  the  God  of 
heaven,  whose  message  this  was.  Thus  he 
showed  his  impatience  of  reproof  ;  being  re- 
solved to  persist  in  sin,  he  would  by  no  means 
bear  to  be  told  of  his  faults.  Thus  he  showed 
his  indignation  at  Baruch  and  Jeremiah  ;  he 
would  have  cut  them  in  pieces  and  burned 
them,  if  he  had  had  them  in  his  reach  when  he 
was  in  this  passion.  Thus  he  expressed  an  ob- 
stinate resolution  never  to  comply  with  the 
designs  and  intentions  of  the  warnings  given 
him  ;  be  will  do  what  he  will,  whatever  God  by 
His  prophets  says  to  the  contrary.     Thus  he 


408 


KINGDOM  OF  .lUBAII. 


foolishly  hoped  to  defeat  the  threatonings  de- 
iiottiiecd  against  him  ;  as  if  God  knew  not  liow 
to  excculi'  the  sentence  wlien  the  roll  was  gone 
in  whieh  il  was  written.     II. 

.lehoialiini  with  his  penknife  and  brazier  has 
no  lack  of  imitators  to-day.  There  are  ])lenty 
of  peoi)le  who  try  to  cut  out  of  Scripture  all 
the  hits  that  pinch  them,  or  threaten  evil  con- 
sequences to  sinful  men.  What  is  the  modern 
craving  for  a  revelation  which  has  no  word 
about  the  "wrath  of  Goil,"  but  this  foolish 
king's  act  in  modern  guise?  Here  is  some 
stern  saying  which  warns  sinners  that  sin  is 
death.  Out  with  tliu  penknife,  and  into  the 
brazier  with  the  "  uarrow-miiided,  ferocious" 
words  !  Cut  out  every  verse  that  speaks  of 
punishment,  and  leave  us  only  the  teachings 
that  God  is  very  good  natured,  and  tliat  every- 
body is  on  the  right  road.  If  we  strike  out 
retributive  justice  from  tlie  character  of  God, 
the  love  that  is  left  is  only  weak  indulgence, 
and  His  whole  character  is  weakened  and  low- 
ered.    A.  M. 

From  our  later  standpoint  it  is  ea.sy  to  see 
that  Jehoiakim  might  have  known  better. 
God  never  leaves  a  sinuer  without  warning  ; 
only  the  .sinner  himself  never  sees  that  he  i.-;  a 
fool.  The  northern  kingdom  of  Israel  had 
fallen  a  century  before  from  causes  similar  to 
those  which  were  now  undermining  Israel. 
The  history  of  Judah  itself,  even  during  the 
reigns  of  good  Ilezekiah  and  Josiah,  might 
have  warned  him  against  the  worthlcssness  of 
heathen  alliances.  Even  Jehoiakim's  own  ex- 
perience ought  to  have  been  enough.  Had  he 
not  been  a  creature  of  Pharaoh-Necho?  Is  he 
not  still  a  sort  of  vassal  of  Nebuchadnezzar? 
But  sin  is  such  an  infatuation  that  he  only 
made  a  mock  at  it.  Originally  selfish,  as  all 
men  are,  he  liad  allowed  Ins  heart  to  become 
hard.  Habit  had  acquired  weight  in  the  wrong 
scale,  and  had  here  so  crystallized  into  bad 
character  that  he  could  neither  see  the  truth 
nor  choose  the  right.  The  love  of  consistency 
and  the  inertia  of  character  of  course  com- 
pelled him  to  moral  suicide  at  last.  As  the 
Spanish  proverb  has  it :  "  Sow  an  act,  reap  a 
habit  ;  .sow  a  habit,  reap  character  ;"  sow  char- 
acter, rea])  destiny.  The  only  salvation  for  Je- 
hoiakim would  have  been  by  listening  to  the 
prophet,  to  transfer  the  pivot  of  Ids  life  from 
his  own  depraved  will  to  the  holy  will  of  God 
— conversion.  But  that  he  would  not  do.  Con- 
sequently he  domineered  over  his  princes  and 
his  servants.  He  tried  to  capture  God's  mes- 
sengers, probably  to  kill  them.  Worst  of  all. 
he  raised  u  fatal  controversy  with  God  Himself. 


Is  it  not  strange  that  sinners  cannot  foresee 
the  inevitable  end  of  such  a  conflict?  In  this 
decisive  particular.  Jehoiakim  is  not  excep- 
tional, but  rejiresentative.  Kvery  sinner  does 
the  same  thing,  in  his  own  way,  and  with  the 
same  result.  Jehoiakim  was  against  the  roll, 
and  against  (Joil  and  His  prophet,  because  they 
were  all  against  him.  They  rebuked  his  sin  and 
folly.  How  foolish  sinners  are,  and  how  futile 
sin  !  They  hack  God's  word  to  bits,  as  though 
Baruch  could  write  no  more,  nor  Jeremiah  dic- 
tate Vhat  the  Holy  Spirit  breathed,  nor  Jeho- 
vah remendjcrllis  own  will  !  Sinners  thus  re- 
ject what  is  meant  for  their  good,  and  they  find 
eventually  tliat  the  revelation  is  renewed  and 
made  more  full  and  siiecific,  and  that  its  pre- 
dicted decrees  shall  be  enforced.  Jeremiah  and 
Jehoiakim  alike  found  that  the  word  of  the 
liOrd  is  inilestructible,  and  abideth  forever  ;  the 
one  to  his  glory  and  joy,  the  other  to  his 
shame  and  everlasting  contempt.  We  are  still 
under  the  .same sovereign  and  gracious  govern- 
ment ;  and  one  or  the  other  of  their  opposite  des- 
tinies foretells  our  own.     M' Phtrsun. 

3'i.  Anotlier  roll  .  .  .  ivr<>lc  there- 
in all  tlic  word-i  .  .  .  a<lded  inaiiy 
besides.  And  this  was  all  that  Jehoiakim  got 
by  burning  the  prophecy  of  Jeremiah,  When 
Jeremiah  and  Baruch  wrote  the  second  roll, 
they  were  directed  by  God  to  aild  to  it  several 
things  which  were  not  in  the  former — aggra- 
vations, no  doubt,  of  Jehoiakim's  punishment 
for  his  impious  burning  of  the  first  roll.  And 
very  just  it  was  that  his  doom  should  be  aggra- 
vated. For  if  every  abuse  of  tcm])oral  bless- 
ings shall  be  imputed,  as  certainly  it  shall,  to 
wicked  men  to  augment  their  reckoning  at  th<! 
last  day.  much  less  shall  spiritual  wantonness 
and   intemperance    be   overlookeil   and  escape 

such  imputation.     Heading. So  is  it  always. 

God's  word  is  indestructible.  You  may  burn 
it  and  its  present  preachers,  but  it  and  they  will 
be  followed  by  a  larger  roll  and  mightier  suc- 
cessors. As  John  Huss  said,  "  You  may  bum 
a  goose  ["Huss"  means  "goose"],  but  from 
his  ashes  will  come  a  swan."  Martin  Luther 
fulfilled  that  prophecy.  "  It  is  John,  whom  I 
beheaded  :  he  is  risen  from  the  dead,"  said 
Herod  ;  and  his  forebodings  were  right  in  sub- 
.stance.  Every  word  of  God  is  indestructible, 
and  the  attempt  to  destroy  any  fragment  of  its 
thrcateningsonly  ensures  a  resurrection  of  these 
with  added  weight  and  power.     A.  M. 

Jeremiah,  Chapter  45. 

These  few  words  are  for  Baruch,  who  has 
been  already  before  us  as  the  faithful  friend, 


SECTION  U-     JEREMIAH'S   WOBDS  TO  BARUCII. 


409 


attendant,  and  amanuensis  of  the  prophet.  The 
date  is  that  reniarlviible  fourth  year  of  Jehoi- 
akim,  when  (see  cliap.  36)  Barucli  wrote  out  the 
first  complete  copy  of  Jeremiah's  prophecies, 
and  was  directed  by  tlie  propliet  to  read  it  in  tlie 
Temple  before  all  the  people.  If  we  follow 
closely  the  dates  as  given  in  this  chapter  and 
in  chapter  36,  we  must  conclude  that  Baruch 
had  written  out  this  first  complete  copy,  and 
had  also  probably  received  his  commission  to 
go  6n  the  ensuing  fast-day  and  read  it  to  the 
people,  but  had  not  yet  gone  when  this  mes- 
sage came  for  him,  in  good  lime  to  prepare  him 
for  the  trial  through  which  he  was  soon  to 
pass.    H.  C. 

The  failure  of  this  last  appeal  to  king  and 
people  can  scarcely  have  surprised  Jeremiah, 
but  it  had  a  deep  effect  on  his  more  j'outhful 
and  ardent  disciple.  Baruch  seems  to  have 
hoped  that,  amid  the  solemnity  of  the  fast,  the 
people  would  have  been  stirred  up  by  his 
words  to  a  movement  of  new  national  and  re- 
ligious life,  and  Jeremiah  addresses  him  in 
words  fitted  to  chasten  the  despair  of  the  too 
sanguine  patriot.  He  reminds  him  of  God's 
sovereign  right  to  break  down  what  He  had 
built,  and  to  pluck  up  what  He  had  planted, 
and  adds  :  "  Seekest  thou  great  things  for  thy- 
self? seek  them  not  :  for,  behold,  I  will  bring 
evil  upon  all  flesh,  saith  Jehovah  :  but  tJiy  life 
will  I  give  thee  for  a  prey" — as  if  snatclied 
from  the  net  of  the  destroyer — "  in  all  places 
whither  thou  goest."  The  promise  was  ful- 
filled by  Baruch's  sharing  with  Jeremiah  the 
protection  of  Nebuchadnezzar  when  Jerusalem 
was  taken,  and  by  his  afterward  finding  a  ref- 
uge in  Egypt  with  the  remnant  of  the  Jews. 
P.  S. 

Jeremiah  had  already  passed  through  several 
seasons  of  stern  mental  conflict  and  purifying 
discipline  ;  Baruch  had  them  j-et  to  pass.  This 
was  one  of  his  first  lessons  :  "  Forego  all  your 
schemes  of  personal  good.  As  for  yourself 
alone,  be  content  with  your  bare  life  as  the 
best  God  can  give  ;  and  having  the  assurance 
of  life,  make  every  sacrifice  to  which  God  may 
call  you  most  cheerfully.  If  you  can  do  any- 
thing for  the  truth  of  God  ;  anything  to  bear 
testimony  against  the  sins  of  your  country- 
men ;  anj-thing  to  lessen  the  labors  and  lighten 
the  griefs  of  the  patriarchal  prophet  under 
whose  shadow  you  walk,  do  it  cheerfully, 
and  even  gladly.  But  dismiss  forever  all  as- 
pirations after  great  things  for  j-ourself."  It 
is  pleasant  to  think  of  Jeremiah  as  having  thor- 
oughly sounded  the  depths  of  this  counsel  and 
drank  in  its  spirit.     He  had  ample  occasion  to 


act  upon  it  subsequently  ;  arrested  by  the  sav- 
age Jehoiakim  and  some  of  his  kindred  cpirits  ; 
cast  into  dungeons,  darkness  and  mire  ;  starved, 
tortured,  and  in  peril  of  his  life  ;  kept  in  con- 
finement months  and  years  during  the  reign  of 
Zedekiah  ;  yet  still  charged  with  successive  mes- 
sages more  and  more  severe  and  terrible  to  the 
king  on  his  throne,  and  to  his  princes  inflated 
with  pride.     H.  C. 

"  Seekest  thou  great  things  for  thyself  ?"  said 
the  prophet;  "  neek  them  not."  Why?  Be- 
cause there  is  no  greatness  in  things.  The  only 
greatness  is  unselfish  love.  Even  self-denial  in 
itself  is  nothing,  is  almost  a  mistake.  Only  a 
great  purpose  or  a  mightier  love  can  justify 

the  waste.     H.  Dnimmund. He  only  is  great 

of  heart  who  floods  the  world  with  a  great 
affection.  He  only  is  great  of  mind  who  stirs 
the  world  with  great  thoughts.  He  only  is 
great  of  will  who  does  something  to  shape  the 
world  to  a  great  career.  And  he  is  greatest 
who  does  the  most  of  all  these  things,  and  doea 
them  best.     It.  D.  Hitchcock. 

Greatness  is  not  a  teachable  nor  gainable 
thing,  but  the  expression  of  the  mind  of  a  God- 
made  great  man  ;  teach  or  preach,  or  labor  as 
you  will,  everlasting  difference  is  set  between 
one  man's  capacity  and  another's,  and  this 
God-given  supremacy  is  the  priceless  thing,  ,al- 
wajs  just  as  rare  in  the  world  at  one  time  as 
another.  What  you  can  manufacture  or  com- 
municate you  can  lower  the  price  of  ;  but  this 
mental  supremacy  is  incommunicable  ;  you  will 
never  multiply  its  quantity,  nor  lower  its  price  ; 
and  nearly  the  best  thing  men  can  generally  do 
is  to  set  themselves  not  to  the  attainment,  but 
the  discovery  of  this  :  learning  to  know  gold 
v.-hen  we  see  it  from  iron-glance,  and  diamonds 
from  flint-sand,  being  for  most  of  us  a  more 
profitable  employment  than  trving  to  make  dia- 
monds out  of  our  own  charcoal.     Buskin. 

A  magnanimous  spirit  is  a  spirit  to  bear  and 
to  do  great  things  ;  to  bear  trials  with  forti- 
tude ;  to  control  the  temper  under  great  provo- 
cations, and  even  to  throw  a  benignant  smile 
upon  the  face  of  a  foe  ;  to  yield  ingenuous  sym- 
patliy  to  those  who  are  not  of  us,  and  rejoice  in 
their  success  ;  to  carry  out  convictions  of  duty 
at  the  sacrifice  of  interests  ;  to  forget  self  in  the 
cause  of  God  and  of  humanity  ;  to  brave  with 
a  constant  heart  the  greatest  perils  for  the  sake 
of    great   principles   and   the    comqion    good. 

Homilist. Nothing  but  the  practical  habit 

of  overcoming  our  own  selfishness,  and  of  fa- 
miliarly encountering  privations  and  discom- 
fort on  account  of  others,  will  ever  enable  us 
to  do  it  when  required.     And  therefore  I  am 


410 


KINGDOM  OP  JUDAB. 


firmly  pcrsimdeil  that  indulgence  infallibly  pro- 
duces selllsliness  and  hardness  of  heart,  and 
that  nolliinj?  but  a  pretty  severe  discipline  and 
control  can  lay  the  foundation  of  a  magnani- 
mous cluiracter.     h>nl  Jeffrey. In  the  final 

analysis,  self-worship  is  at  the  root  of  human 
misery.  Self-love  is  tlie  virus  of  melancholy. 
In  a  man  of  genius  it  breeds  egotism  ;  in  a  re- 
ligious nature,  Pharisaism  ;  in  an  invalid,  a  de- 
sire to  suffer  before  the  looking-glass.  No  man 
can  be  liappy  who  loves  himself  better  than  his 
neighbor.  Health  and  wealth  do  not  insure 
happiness  when  a  devouring  egotism  is  feeding 
on  the  heart.  The  most  dazzling  success,  which 
carries  its  votsiry  to  the  simimit  of  power,  has 
its  Nemesis  in  a  strange  satiety  and  loathing  of 
life.      Van  Sitntfoord. 

The  lowliest  and  the  humblest  in  endowments 
is  just  as  important  in  his  place  as  the  most 
brilliantly  gifted.  The  great  life  in  God's  sight 
is  not  the  conspicuous  one,  but  the  life  that 
fills  the  place  which  it  was  made  to  fill  and  does 
the  work  which  it  was  made  to  do.  God  asks 
not  great  things  ;  He  asks  only  simple  faithful- 
ness, the  quiet  doing  of  what  He  allots.  His 
design  for  each  life  is  that  it  shall  rcacli  a  holy 
character,  do  a  good  work  in  the  world,  fill  a 
worthy  place,  however  liumble,  and  fill  it  well, 
so  as  to  honor  God  and  bless  the  world.  J.  II. 
Miller. 

In  the  presence  of  great  ambitions,  what  do 
men  care  for  viewless  prizes  in  invisible  worlds'? 
Men  do  not  let  the  dust  around  them  settle  long 
enough  to  disclose  eternal  things.  Notice  the 
precise  attitude  of  the  man  of  the  world  to  re- 
ligious things.  He  does  not  deny  them.  That 
would  imply  consideration,  and  he  does  not 
consider.  He  simply  ignores.  He  may  get 
glimpses  of  them.  But  licaven  never  gives  a 
man  an  instantaneous  photograph.  He  cannot 
take  it  on  the  wing.  He  must  pause  a  little. 
The  indifference  that  comes  from  insensitive- 
ness  is  the  hardest  to  overcome.  Light  works 
at  a  disadvantage  when  it  appeals  to  defective 
vision.  Tr\ilh  works  at  a  similar  disadvantage 
■when  it  takes  hold  of  faculties  that  arc  partly 
benumbed,  whether  that  comes  from  misuse  or 
lack  of  use.  Hardness  of  heart  stands  for  a 
common  fact.  There  are  people  to  whom  re- 
ligion no  longer  appeals.  It  does  not  find 
them.  There  are  multitudes  of  people  with 
whom  an  argument  is  useless.  There  is  no  use 
preaching  to  them.  They  are  encased.  They 
are  proof  against  proof.  The  intellectual  ap- 
proach to  them  is  barred.  In  such  cases  there 
is  yet  one  door — the  door  of  a  good  example. 
If  men  turn  from  preaching  they  may  yet  be 


reached  by  an  appeal  to  the  heart,  and  that 
comes  cogently  only  on  the  path  of  an  experi- 
ence. Apologetics  must  get  oiit  of  books. 
Men  care  little  for  the  formal  arguments.  A 
great  life  was  lived  once,  and  the  world  bows 
to  it  as  the  unanswerable  argument  for  Heaven. 
Interior. 

For  tll}'§cir.  All  forms  of  sin  are  ulti- 
mati'ly  resolvable  into  the  principle  of  sclfism. 
Wliat  is  icorldliuese,  whether  as  covetousness  or 
sensuality,  but  the  aim  of  a  being  who  has  lost 
the  infinite  good  to  substitute  and  appropriate 
the  finite?  Ilypvcriny  is  the  mask  he  wears  to 
conceal  his  aim  ;  aiir/er  and  iinpntienre  the  re- 
sults of  impediment  and  disappointment  ;  enry 
and  malice  the  emotions  excited  at  the  superi- 
ority or  the  success  of  others  ;  and  hatred  and 
crvelty  the  reaction  of  tliwarte<l  self-will.  Am- 
bition is  an  attempt  at  lofty  self-isolation  ;  pride 
the  feeling  that  we  have  achieved,  or  can 
achieve,  such  distinction  ;  and  despondency  and 
moronencss  the  offspring  of  disappointed  desire. 
Detached  from  God,  man's  relation  to  every 
other  object  is  false  ;  he  himself  Is  a  moral 
falsehood  ;  and  every  breach  of  reracity  is  but  a 
particular  form  of  the  great  fa'sehood.  Living 
out  of  harmony  with  God  and  with  himself, 
teiriancc  with  his  fellow-man  follows  of  course. 
Lnirlcusnem  of  every  kind  is  but  the  result  of 
man's  attempting  to  be  a  law  to  and  by  him- 
self. All  human  governments  are  still  occu- 
pied in  reconciling  law  and  liberty — in  restrain- 
ing the  fierce  collisions  of  human  wills.  And 
"  whence  come  tears  and  fr/hlings  among  you? 
come  they  not  hence,  even  of  your  lusts  that 
war  in  your  members?  Ye  lust  and  have  not  ; 
ye  kill  and  desire  to  have,  and  cannot  obtain. 
Ye  ask  and  receive  not,  because  ye  ask  amiss, 
that  ye  may  consume  it  upon  your  lust."  Im- 
pereitence  is  self-satisfaction  unwilling  to  sub- 
mit to  God  ;  the  choice  to  remain  at  variance 
with  Him.  UnreasonahleneitS  is  self-will  sub- 
stituted for  reason  and  conscience.  And  unbe- 
liefs self-trust  as  opposed  to  trust  in  God. 

"  But  is  not  self-love  of  moral  obligation?" 
Undeniably  :  it  is  to  be  the  measure  of  our  love 
to  others.  But  the  ground  of  the  obligation  to 
love  ourselves  is  the  same  as  that  on  which  we 
arc  required  to  love  our  fellow-nian — our  rela- 
tion to  God.  My  moral  worth  consists  in  my 
having  been  made  in  the  image  of  God,  capable 
of  entering  into  His  plans,  and  of  sharing  in 
His  glory.  But  if  God  be  lost  from  my  soul,  I 
cannot  be  said  strictly  to  love  my  intt'gral  and 
proper  self,  but  only  the  ungodly  remains  of 
myself.  The  act  is  essentially  different  in  kind, 
for  it  ia  directed  toward  an  essentially  different 


SECTION  45. 


411 


object.  A  moral  element  is  wanting  in  the  love 
answering  to  tlie  element  wanting  in  the  ob- 
ject. It  is  the  idolatry  of  a  self  from  which 
God  is  absent.  An  object  of  self-compassion  I 
may  rightly  be  ;  but  this  implies  a  desire  of 
self-restoration,  and  of  restoration  to  God. 
And  it  is  only  as  I  "  lose  myself, "  surrender 
my  self-predominance,  and  welcome  God  back 
again  to  His  throne  within,  that  my  regard  for 
myself  can  be  morally  good.     J.  llnrvis. 

Arrangement  of  Jeremiah's  Projjhccies. 

The  arrangement  of  the  several  prophecies 
•with  so  very  little  apparent  method  and  chron- 
ological order  is  accounted  for  b}'  the  circum- 
stances narrated  in  this  chapter.  It  was  to 
both  Baruch  and  Jeremiah  a  season  of  extreme 
peril.  Now  they  are  flying  to  escape  arrest, 
and  perhaps  immediate  death  ;  anon  they  are 
imprisoned.  Next  the  prophet  is  tortured,  and 
at  length  hurried  from  his  country  to  take  his 
lot  with  the  poor  exiles  who  fled  into  Egypt. 


So  far  as  is  known  to  us,  no  other  book  of 
prophecies  in  the  Bible  was  compiled  under 
circumstances  so  unfavorable  to  method  and 
order.  Certainly  no  other  one  exhibits  such  a 
lack  of  the.se  qualities.  'The  book  and  the  con- 
dition of  the  men  who  made  it  are  remarkably 
correlated  to  each  other,  a  fact  which  goes 
strongly  to  confirm  its  genuineness.  It  is  wUat 
ought  to  be  expected  from  the  circumstances 
under  which  it  was  compiled.  .  .  .  His  book 
is  valuable  to  us  almost  exclusively  for  its  great 
moral  lessons.  These  arc  above  rubies.  Here 
we  see  delineated  the  full  administration  of 
God's  government  not  over  Judah  alone,  but 
all  the  prominent  nations  of  Western  Asia.  It 
also  reveals  God  in  His  relations  to  His  Church 
and  people  :  how  He  dealt  with  them,  how  He 
felt  toward  them,  how  He  made  the  very  tears 
of  His  prophet  witness  to  His  own  tenderness 
of  heart,  with  what  severity  He  denounces 
their  sins,  with  what  patience  He  bore  with 
their  long-continued  abuse.     H.  C. 


Section  45. 

STORY   OF  THE  RECHABITES,  AND   ITS  LESSONS  DIVINELY  INTERPRETED. 

jEREMrAII  3.')  :  1-19. 


1  The  word  which  came  unto  Jeremiah  from  the  Lord  in  the  days  of  Jehoiaklm  the  son  of 

2  Josiah,  king  of  Judah,  saying,  Go  unto  the  house  of  the  Rechabites,  and  speak  unto  them, 
and  bring  them  into  the  house  of  the  Lord,  into  one  of  the  chambers,  and  give  tbem  wine  to 

3  drink.     Then  I  took  Jaazaniah  the  son  of  Jeremiah,  the  son  of  Habazziniah,  and  his  brethren, 

4  and  all  his  sons,  and  the  whole  house  of  the  Rechabites  ;  and  I  brought  them  into  the 
house  of  the  Loud,  into  the  chamber  of  the  sons  of  Hanan  the  son  of  Igdaliah,  the  man 
of   God,  which  was  by   the   chamber  of   the   princes,  which   was   above   the   chamber  of 

5  Maasei.ih  the  son  of  Shallum,  the  keeper  of  the  door:  and  I  set  before  the  sons  of  the 
house  of  the  Rechabites  bowls  full  of  wine,   and   cups,   and  I  said  unto   them,    Drink 

6  ye  wine.  But  they  said,  We  will  drink  no  wine  :  for  Jonadab  the  son  of  Rechab  our 
father  commanded   us,  saying.   Ye  shall  drink   no  wine,  neither  ye,  nor  your  sons,  for 

7  ever  :  neither  shall  ye  build  house,  nor  sow  seed,  nor  plant  vineyard,  nor  have  any  :  but 
all  your  days  ye  shall  dwell  in  tents  ;  that  j'C  may  live  many  days  in  the  land  wherein  ye 

8  sojourn.  And  we  have  obej'cd  the  voice  of  Jonadab  the  son  of  Rechab  our  father  in  all  that 
he  charged  us,  to  drink  no  wine  all  our  days,  we,  our  wives,    our  sons,  nor  our  daughters  ; 

9,  10  nor  to  build  houses  for  us  to  dwell  in  :  neither  have  we  vineyard,  nor  field,  nor  seed  ;  but  we 
have  dwelt  in  tents,  and  have  obeyed,  and  done  according  to  all  that  Jonadab  our  father 

11  commanded  us.  But  it  came  to  pass,  when  Nebuchadrezzar  king  of  Babylon  came  up  into 
the  land,  that  we  said.  Come,  and  let  us  go  to  Jerusalem  for  fear  of  the  army  of  the  Chal- 
deans, and  for  fear  of  the  army  of  the  Syrians  ;  so  we  dwell  at  Jerusalem. 

12,  13  Then  came  the  word  of  the  Lord  unto  Jeremiah,  saying.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts, 
the  God  of  Israel  :  Go,  and  say  to  the  men  of  Judah  and  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  Will 

14  ye  not  receive  instruction  to  hearken  to  my  words  ?  saith  the  Lord.     The  words  of  Jonadab 


41-^ 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAn. 


the  son  of  Recluib,  tlint  he  commiuidtil  liis  sons,  not  to  drink  wine,  nn'  pcrformiil,  iuid  unto 
this  day  they  drink  none,  for  they  obey  their  fatlier's  conimiindnK'nt  :  hut  I  have  spoken 

15  unto  you,  rising  up  Ciirly  and  speaking  ;  and  ye  have  not  li('arkene<l  unto  ni<'.  I  liave  sent 
also  unto  you  all  my  servants  the  prophets,  rising  up  earl)-  and  sending  them,  saying, 
Ueturn  ye  now  every  man  from  his  evil  wixy,  and  amend  your  doings,  and  go  not  after 
other  gods  to  serve  them,  and  ye  sliall  dwell  in  the  land  wliieh  I  have  given  to  you  and  to 

16  your  fathers  :  but  ye  have  not  inclined  your  ear,  nor  hearkened  inito  me.  Korasmueh  as  the 
sons  of  .lonadab  the  son  of  Reehab  have  performed  the  commandment  of  their  father  which 

17  lie  eonimanded  them,  but  this  people  hath  not  hearkened  unto  me  ;  therefore  thus  saith  the 
Loud,  the  God  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  :  Behold,  I  will  bring  upon  .ludah  and  upon  all 
the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  all  the  evil  that  I  have  pronounced  against  them  :  because  I 
have  spoken  unto  them,  but  they  have  not  heard  ;  and  I  have  called  unto  them,  but  they 

18  have  not  answered.  And  Jeremiah  said  unto  the  house  of  the  Rechabitcs,  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  :  Because  ye  have  obe.ved  the  commandment  of  Jonadab 
your  father,  and  kept  all  his  precepts,  and  d(me  according  unto  all  that  he  CDmmanded  you  ; 

19  therefore  thus  saith  the  Loud  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  :  Jonadab  the  son  of  Uechub  shall  not 
want  a  man  to  stand  before  me  for  ever. 


1-17.  It  was  in  the  fourth  year  of  Jehoia- 
kim's  reign  that  this  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto 
Jeremiah.  Nebuchadnezzar  had  invaded  and 
devastated  Judah,  sent  away  many  of  its  people 
(among  them  the  youthful  Daniel)  to  Babylon, 
and  sjiiiled  the  Temple  of  its  sacred  vessels. 
Only  Jenisali'm  itself  was  spared  and  those 
wlio  had  gathered  within  its  walls.  Among 
tlie  latter  were  the  descendants  of  Jonadab, 
the  son  of  Rcchab.  They  had  temporarily  left 
their  tents  aii<l  Hocks  in  the  fields,  and  sought 
protection  within  the  defences  of  the  capi- 
tal.    B. 

There  was  a  remarkable  people  whose  pres- 
ence in  Jerusalem,  to  which  they  had  re- 
paired for  refuge  on  the  approach  of  the  Chal- 
dean army,  in  the  time  of  King  Jehoiakim, 
alfordeil  lo  the  prophet  Jeremiah  an  occasion,  of 
which  he  was  directed  to  avail  himself,  of  ad- 
ministering a  significant  rebuke  to  the  Israel- 
ites. These  were  the  Hechabites,  of  whom  we 
seem  to  learn  from  1  Chron.  2  :  55,  that  they 
were  identical  with  or  a  branch  of  the  Kenites, 
wlio  were  of  the  family  of  Jethro,  the  father- 
in-law  of  Moses,  and  came  with  the  Israelites 
into  Palestine  and  there  continued  to  lead  their 
former  mode  of  life,  as  in  the  instance  of  Heber 
the  Kenite  (Judges  4;  11).  When,  therefore, 
we  are  told  that  Jonadab,  the  son  (descendant) 
of  Rcchab,  imposed  upon  this  family  the  obli- 
gation never  to  build  houses,  but  always  to 
dwell  in  tents  ;  and  never  to  sow  corn,  or  cul- 
tivate vineyards,  or  to  drink  wine,  he  did  not 
impose  upon  them  any  new  law  of  life,  but 
bound  them  to  the  conservation  of  their  then 
existing  and  ancient  usages.  All  these,  in  fact, 
except  the  last,  are  such  as  belong  to  this  form 
of  life  ;  and  the  last  al.so  now  belongs  to  it 
among  all  the  tribes  of  like  habit  in  Western 


Asia,  wine  being  forbidden  to  them  as  to  other 
Moslems.     Kitto. 

Their  great  chieftain,  Jonadab,  had  lived  in 
the  days  of  Jehu.  He  had  been  a  zealous  sup- 
porter of  the  true  worehip  ;  and  had  actively 
aided  Jehu  in  the  destruction  of  the  false  proph- 
ets and  of  the  iniquitous  worehip  of  Baal. 
Fearing  for  the  morals  of  his  own  tribe  from 
the  universal  dissoluteness  that  then  ])revailed 
in  Israel,  and  rightly  discerning  in  the  luxuri- 
ous living  of  the  cities,  especially  indulgence 
in  the  intoxicating  cup,  the  chief  points  of 
peril,  he  sought  to  counteract  these  evil  influ- 
ences. He  therefore  commanded  his  sons,  and 
persuaded  them  to  bind  themselves  and  their 
children,  not  to  congregate  in  cities  nor  to  build 
houses,  but  to  live  in  tents  and  to  subsist  by 
pasturage  ;  and  further,  to  abstain  utterly  from 
the  use  of  wine.  And  now  for  nearly  three 
hundred  years  this  command  had  been  obeyed, 
the  pledge  faithfully  kept.  For  successive 
generations  the  descendants  of  this  wise  tribal 
chief  had  continued  to  live  a  comparatively 
pure,  because  a  simple  pastoral  life,  afar  from 
the  temptations  of  the  crowded  city. 

Introduced  into  Jerusalem  in  the  existing 
cmergenev,  the  temperate  habits  of  these  sim- 
ple friendly  shepherds  of  a  foreign  race  were 
now  visible  to  all  the  native  Jews.  Their  still 
continued  obedience  to  the  law  of  abstinence 
prescribed  by  their  ancestor  Jonadab  further 
distinguished  them  from  the  people  of  the  be- 
leaguered city.  And  it  was  the  niarvello;is 
force  of  this  long  and  .signal  example  of  obedi- 
ence, now  brought  afresh  before  the  ver\'  eyes 
of  the  persi-stently  transgressing  inhabitants  of 
Jerusalem,  that  God  now  uses  to  point  His  stem 
rebuke  an<l  threatening. 

By  God's  command,  the  prophet  openly  im- 


SECTION  iS.     STORY  OF  THE  RECUABITES. 


413 


poses  upon  these  Rechabites  a  definite  test  of 
their  principles.  They  arc  formal]}'  gathered 
in  one  of  the  chambers  of  the  Temple,  large 
pots  of  wine  and  cups  are  set  before  them,  and 
they  are  bidden  to  drink.  But  with  courteous 
firmness  they  decline.  And  it  is  in  direct  con- 
nection with  theirtoLiching  reply  (which  should 
be  very  carefully  read,  verses  6-11)  that  Jere- 
miah is  liidden  to  go  forth  with  them  into  the 
great  court  of  the  Temple  and  utter  God's  re- 
buking message  to  the  inhaljitants  there  as.sem- 
bled. 

The  substance  of  the  rebuke  consists  in  the 
coiiti-ditt  between  these  Kechabites  and  the 
peojilc  of  Judah  respecting  the  single  matter  of 
obedience.  In  the  comparison,  however,  as 
stated  or  implied,  were  several  points  which 
greatly  aggravated  the  contrast.  And  these 
are  to  be  well  heeded  if  we  would  understand 
the  full  force  of  God's  rebuke. 

On  the  one  hand,  these  descendants  of  Rechab 
were  not  Israelites.  Of  a  race  whose  fathers 
had  been  excluded  from  their  original  occu- 
pancy of  Canaan  in  favor  of  the  incoming 
tribes  of  Jacob,  they  yet  had  submitted  to  the 
Israelites,  had  voluntarily  sought  the  knowl- 
edge and  favor  of  Jehovah,  and  conformed  to 
His  established  worship.  Furthermore — in  this 
matter  of  Jonadab's  command — he  had  simply 
spoken,  manifested  his  wish,  and  laid  it  as  an 
obligation  upon  his  sons  and  descendants.  He 
had  spoken  but  once.  His  command  had  no 
accompan3ing  promise.  It  was  based  upon 
no  other  ground  than  its  inherent  wisdom,  en- 
forced by  no  other  appeal  than  its  manifestly 
beneficent  spirit  and  effects.  But  it  had  been 
filially  honored  and  implicitly  obeyed.  Neither 
self-will  nor  self-indulgence  had  once  arisen,  in 
that  long  period  among  those  snccessive  gen- 
erations, to  question  the  wisdom  or  beneficence 
of  the  stringent  ordinance  left  by  their  great 
chieftain  Jonadab.  And  the  more  we  ponder 
this  filial  loyalty  of  nearly  three  centuries  the 
more  signal  and  striking  the  lesson  it  conveys 
to  us  ;  the  more  worthy  seems  to  be  the  use 
which  God  Himself  condescends  to  make  of  it 
here  ;  and  the  higher  our  estimate  of  its  in- 
trinsic force  in  this  Divine  application,  by  the 
mouth  of  Jeremiah. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  was  upon  His  own 
chosen  richly  favored  people  th;it  Jehovah's 
commands  Avere  laid.  To  them  He  had  spoken, 
not  once  or  twice,  but  repeatedly  and  by  many 
messengers,  by  providences  and  by  prophets  to 
every  generation.  He  pictures  Himself  here  as 
having  patiently  toiled,  from  the  earliest  morn- 
ing hour,   through  the  entire  day,   of    many 


generations.  In  this  toil  He  had  employed  not 
only  terms  of  command  and  persuasion,  but 
had  exhausted  every  form  of  entreaty  and 
warning.  Promises  too,  rich  and  full  beyond 
conception,  had  been  multiplied  in  words,  and 
illustrated  in  deliverances  and  mercies  without 
nmnber.  But  with  all  these  urgencies  of 
Divine  influence,  they  had  refused  to  hearken 
and  to  obey. 

Recall  now,  in  connection  with  these  facts, 
that  sharply  aggravate  the  contrast,  the  two 
chief  points  of  that  contrast  itself,  as  contained 
in  God's  rebuking  words.  In  these  we  find  the 
emphatic  suggestions  of  the  story.  The  first 
is  obedience,  as  set  against  disobedience ;  the 
second,  filinl  obedience,  as  set  against  ./iii'rt?  dis- 
obedience. The  Rechabites  obeijed  their  fntlier, 
Jonadab  ;  the  Israelites  disobeyed  their  Fatlier, 
God.  It  is  speciall}'  observable  how  God  here 
emphasizes  His  Fatherly  relation.  To  us  Fa- 
therhood is  a  fundamental  clement  of  His  char- 
acter. Childship  is  the  supreme  vital  relation 
we  hold  to  Him.  This  responsive  connection 
is  the  beautiful  suggestion  which  He  makes  in 
using  this  comparison.     B. 

C-IO.  It  is  a  dull  ear  which  docs  not  catch 
in  those  words  an  echo,  as  from  the  rocks  of 
Sinai,  of  the  commandment,  "  Honor  thy  father 
and  thy  mother,  that  thy  days  may  be  long 
upon  the  land  which  the  Lord  t!iy  God  giveth 
thee."  Eminent  examples  of  filial  piety,  how 
might  that  law  have  been  inscribed,  as  their 
appropriate  motto,  on  the  banners  of  the  house 
of  Rechab  ?  Living  in  remarkable  accordance 
with  its  precept,  they  were  a  remarkable  monu- 
ment to  the  truth  of  its  promise.  Distinguished 
from  all  around  them  by  their  suiierior  respect 
for  parental  authority,  the_y  were  equally  dis- 
tingiushed  by  their  happier  fortune  ;  while 
others  perished,  their  days  were  long  upon  the 
land  which  the  Lord  their  God  had  given  them. 
That  law  is  one  of  the  Ten  which,  written  by 
God's  own  finger,  and  spoken  in  thunder  tones 
by  His  own  awful  voice,  were  separated  and 
distinguished  from  those  Mosaic  ordinances,  the 
shadows  of  good  things  to  come,  that  were 
buried  in  the  grave  of  Christ.  Like  the  other 
nine  it  was  fulfilled,  not  interred  by  the  Re- 
deemer. Like  all  other  jiarts  of  the  Decalogue, 
it  is  of  permanent  authority  ;  and  God  is  still 
making  good  its  promise  in  the  well-doing,  the 
health  and  wealth,  and  prosperity  of  thousands 
who  honored  their  parents  however  Immble 
they  might  be,  cherished  them,  and  yielded  to 
father  and  mother  the  revei'ence  that  was  their 
due.      (liilhrie. 

12-13.  The  strong   point  which  the   Lord 


414 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAIL 


makes  upon  this  noble  example  is,  that  this 
tribe  luwl  adhered  with  unswerving  constancy 
through  so  iniiny  years  to  the  precepts  of  tlieir 
father  Jonadab,  the  son  of  Reehab,  while  the 
Jews  had  utterly  refused  to  adliere  to  His  pre 
cepts  :  W(>ul<l  nut  listen  to  Ilis  repeated  ines- 
sajres  and  warnings,  but  spurned  them  ma<ily 
away.  Tluy  lieard  ami  obeyed  a  mf)rtal  man  ; 
this  piojili'  will  not  liear  and  obey  the  eternal 
Goil  1     II.  V. 

11.  I  have  spoken  unto  you,  riNiiig 
carl)'  and  N|teakin;;.  G(jd  had  spoken  to 
them  early  and  late.  The  figure  is  taken  from 
men  who  address  themselves  early  to  that  in 
wliieli  they  take  a  deep  interest,  and  to  which 
they  devote  themselves  strenuously.  It  is  a 
favorite  phrase  with  .Jerennah  (7  :  13,  25 ; 
11  :  7;  2.5  :  3,  4;  26  :  .5,  etc.). 

la.  It  is  here  explained  how  God  had  spoken 
to  them,  as  had  been  said  in  the  preceding 
verse.  It  was  by  the  instrumentality  of  His 
servants  the  prophets,  whom  He  employed  as 
His  messengers.  What  they  spoke  was  God 
Himself  speaking.  "While  the  Kechabites  obeyed 
their  ancestor.  Judah  did  not  obey  God.  A 
single  re(iuiremeMt  sulIicL-d  for  the  Kechabites  ; 
freiiuent  repetition  did  not  secure  Judah's  com- 
pliance. A  fresh  contrast  is  suggested  by 
what  immediately  follows.  .Jonadab's  com- 
maudmenl  was  a  purely  arbitrary  one  ;  God 
commands  that  which  is  in  itself  of  the  highest 
moral  obligation.  Return  ye  now  every 
man  from  Wis  evil  way.  Repentance  of 
and  forsaking  all  that  is  sinful  is  the  first  step 
rei|uired.  This  negative  abandonment  of  evil 
must  be  followed  liy  jxisitively  doing  what  is 
right.  Amend  your  doing!!.  And,  inas- 
much as  the  only  effectual  spring  of  repentance 
and  good  works  is  to  be  founil  in  communion 
with  God  and  right  affections  toward  Him,  it  is 
added,  go  not  ii/ter  other  gods  to  serve  them  :  He 
will  not  admit  a  rival,  or  permit  that  homage 
and  service  to  be  given  to  another  which  is  due 
to  Ilim  alone.  A  further  contrast  between 
Jonadab's  word  to  the  Kechabites  and  God's 
word  to  Judah  is  that  the  latter  was  accom- 
panied by  a  promise  such  as  the  former  could 
not  make.  This  is  that,  if  obedient,  ye  sh<dl 
dtrclt  in  Ihr  liind  which  I  hare  giren  to  you  :  If 
faithful  ti)  the  Lord,  they  had  the  assurance  of 
His  Divine  protection  and  guardianship.  Ve 
have  not  inelincd  your  car.  They 
paid  no  attention  to  God's  reiterated  commands, 
though  the  duty  enjoined  was  so  obvious  and 
imperative  and  the  reward  promised  was  sure 
an.l  fait hf id.     W.  II.  G. 

God  here  explains  why  He  had  commissioned 


the  prophet  to  bring  the  Rechabltes  into  the 
Temple,  and  commanded  him  to  set  wine  be- 
fore them,  and  invite  them  todriuk  it  ;  namely, 
that  by  their  refu.sing  to  comply  with  the  iuvi- 
tatitm,  in  obedience  to  their  father  Jonadab, 
he  might  convince  the  Jews  of  their  disobedi 
ence  to  his  commands,  though  tho.se  commands 
were  more  obligatory  than  the  comniands 
of  Jonadab.  For,  first,  Jonadab  was  but  an 
earthly  parent,   and  so  had  no  ab.solntc   uni- 

j  versal  sovereignty  over  his  children  ;  but  God 

]  was  "  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  G,id  of  Israel." 
Secondly,  Jonadab's  commands  were  not  for 

j  the  performance  of  any  moral  duty,  but  the 
doing  of  a  thing  wdiieh  they  might  do  or  leave 

I  undone;  God  required  of  thi  m  what  was  but 
their  moral  duty,  and  for  whicli  there  was  the 
highest  reason.  Thirdly,  Jonadab's  commands 
had  no  prondsc  annexed  ;  God's  precept  liad  a 
promise  annexed,  yet  they  had  not  yieldeil 
Him  that  obedience  wluch  the  sons  of  Jonadab 
had  yielded  !nm.  He  was  the  Father,  but 
where  was  His  honor  ?     Poole. 

16,  17.  JudgMients  arc  threatened,  as  often 
before,  against  Judah  and  Jerusali'iii  for  their 
disobedience  thus  aggravated.  Tlie  Recliabites 
shall  ri.se  up  in  judgment  against  them  and 
shall  condemn  them  ;  for  they  very  punctually 
performed  the  commandment  of  their  father,  and 
continued  and  persevered  in  their  obedience  to 
it  (verse  16)  ;  but  this 'people,  this  rebellious  and 
gainsaying  people,  Imve  not  liearkcncd  tinto  Me  ; 
and  therefore  (verse  17)  because  they  have  not 
obeyed  the  precepts  of  the  word,  God  will  per- 
foi-m  the  threatenings  of  it  :  "  I vill  bring  upon 
them,  by  the  Chaldean  army,  all  the  eril  pro- 
nounced against  them,  both  in  the  law  and  in  thi? 
prophets,  for  I  hare  spoken  to  them,  I  hare  called 
to  them  ;  spoken  in  a  still  small  voice  to  them 
that  were  near  and  called  aloud  to  them  that 
were  at  a  distance  ;  tried  all  ways  and  means 
to  convince  and  lieduce  them  ;  spoken  by  >Iy 
word,  called  by  My  providene-e,  both  for  the 
same  purpose,  and  yet  all  to  no  jiurpose  ;  they 
have  not  heard  nor  ansicered."     H. 

18,  19.  The  promise  of  God  to  the  liechnbitc*. 
This  promise  instantly  and  openly  follows  the 
open  rebuke,  and  as  designed,  gives  that  re- 
buke an  einphatie  intensity  anil  force.  Be- 
cause of  their  filial  obedience,  they  receive  the 
promise  of  the  Fifth  Commandment — of  a  per- 
petuated existence.  The  phrase  "  Stand  before 
Me,"  which  is  figurative,  implies  that  there 
should  always  be  some  of  the  tribe  as  partici- 
pants in  the  service  of  Jehovah.  Like  all  the 
Divine  promises,  this  w;is  probably  condi- 
tional ;    and   "  its   accomplishueut  may  have 


SECTION  45.     STORY  OF  THE  RECRABITES. 


415 


depended  upon  the  fidelity  with  wliifh  their 
descendants  kept  their  pledge. "  Modern  trav- 
ellers assert  the  existence  at  the  present  day,  in 
Arabia,  of  small  tribes  claiming  a  lineal  descent 
from  the  Rechabites,  who  are  still  loyal  to  the 
precepts  of  Jonadab.  It  is  well  to  point  the 
argument  and  appeal  in  behalf  of  abstinence 
from  wine,  with  this  noble  example  of  the  sons 
of  Jonadab.  But  let  us  remember  that  the 
single  point  directly  and  designedly  conveyed 
by  this  Divine  message  respects  solely  the 
contrast  of  uhedicnce  on  the  one  side,  and  dia- 
ohedience  on  the  other.  By  pressing  this  point, 
of  the  superior  obligation  of  obedience  to  God's 
commandment,  a  more  effective  use  of  the  ex- 
ample may  be  made,  even  as  regards  the  intem- 
perate. A  legitimate  use  of  the  Rechabites' 
example  respecting  abstinence  from  intoxicat- 
ing drinks  lies  in  the  fact  that  tliey,  in  an  age 
of  comparative  ignorance,  were  able  to  discern 
the  evils  of  indulgence  in  the  use  of  wine.     B. 

I§.  Having  delivered  his  heavy  message  of 
judgment  and  woe  upon  Judahand  Jerusalem, 
he  turns  to  the  house  of  the  Rechabites  with  a 
message  of  approval  and  blessing.  "  Honor 
thy  father  and  mother,"  says  the  apostle  (Eph. 
6:3),  "  which  is  the  first  commandment  with 
promise."  And  throughout  the  Wonl  of  God 
this  duty  is  emphasized  and  the  promise  re- 
iterated. The  commendation  bestowed  upon 
the  Rechabites  is  for  this  one  thing- -their  filial 
obedience — the  reward  for  wliich  is  "  that  thy 
days  may  be  long  upon  the  land  which  the  Lord 
thy  God  giveth  thee"  (Ex.  20  :  13).  This  Judah 
had  forfeited  ;  biit  the  Rechabites  had  a  right 

to  claim  it.     W.  H.  G. The  thing  which  the 

Lord  blessed  on  this  occasion  is  one  which  He 
always  blesses,  and  without  which  nothing  can 
be  blessed — obedience.  The  Rechabites  thought 
that  they  were  fulfilling  a  duty.  The  Recha- 
bites had  obeyed.  It  seems  as  if  God  was  un- 
willing to  look  farther  ;  the  principle  of  obedi- 
ence is  so  precious,  so  fundamental,  so  easily 
neglected,  that  God,  when  He  meets  with  it, 
does  not  inquire  too  strictly  into  the  form  in 
■frhich  it  has  been  realized.  He  does  not  quar- 
rel captiously,  if  I  dare  so  speak,  with  regard 
to  the  garb  of  the  principle,  for  in  His  eyes,  as 
In  those  of  sound  sen.se,  "  the  body  is  more  than 
raiment  ;"  and  as  the  abstinence  which  the 
Rechabites  prescribed  to  themselves  had  noth- 
ing bad  in  itself,  lie  blesses  it,  judging  that 
obedience  cannot  be  too  much  encouraged,  nor 
the  scruples  of  obedience  handled  too  tenderly. 
Vinet. 

The  symbolical  lesson  which  God  instructs 
Jeremiah  to  read  to  the  Israelites  from  the  con- 


duet  of  the  Rechabites,  whom  no  temptations 
could  induce  to  swerve  from  their  "  father's 
commandmeut, "  while  Israel  so  easily  forgot 
and  trampled  upon  His,  is  wonderfully  touch- 
ing. Nor  is  it  the  least  instructive  part  of  the 
lesson,  that  though  "  the  children"  He  had 
"  nourished  and  brought  up  had  rebelled" 
against  Him,  He  declares  He  would  signally 
reward  and  honor  the  filial  obedience  even  of 
the  inferior  type  ;  and  commissions  Jeremiah 
to  assure  the  Rechabites  of  it.     //.  Rugers. 

19.  Jonadab  ths  son  of  Rcchab  shall  not 
want  a  man  to  stand  before  Me  forever.  The 
connection  and  the  contrast  which  is  plainly  in- 
tended determine  the  meaning  of  these  words 
to  be  that,  while  the  inhabitants  of  Judah  shall 
be  cut  off  and  banished  from  the  laud,  the  Rech- 
abites shall  be  saved  from  threatened  destruc- 
tion. To  "  stand  before  the  Lord"  here  does 
not  mean  to  exercise  the  priestly  office,  as  in 
Dent.  10  :  8  and  Ezek.  44  :  15,  nor  to  take  the 
attitude  of  worshippers,  as  in  Jcr.  7  :  10,  but  to 
be  preserved  by  Him,  and  possess  His  favor,  as 

in  Jer.  15  :  19  and  Ps.  5:5.     W.  H.  G. The 

commands  of  Jonadab  the  Rechabite  had  been 
kept  centuries  after  his  death  by  his  people, 
who  are  not  descendants  of  Abraham,  and  who 
consequently  participate  in  the  covenant  of 
promise  only  mediately  and  in  the  second  line. 
Israel,  however,  had  not  obeyed  the  commands 
of  Jehovah,  the  God  of  hosts,  though  they  have 
been  presented  and  inculcated  unceasingly  by 
prophets  ;  therefore  all  the  threateniugs  pro- 
nounced by  the  Lord  on  Israel  shall  be  fulfilled. 
But  to  the  Rechabites  it  is  promised  that  Jona- 
dab shall  not  want  a  man  to  stand  before  Je- 
hovah.    Lange. 

In  1833  Dr.  Joseph  Wolff  found  the  Recha- 
bites of  Jer.  35  near  Senaa.  One  of  them, 
Mousa  by  name,  in  answer  to  the  question. 
Whose  descendants  are  you  1  read  from  an 
Arabic  Biljle  (Jer.  35:5-11),  and  said,  "You 
will  find  us  sixty  thousand  in  number."  You 
see  the  words  of  the  prophet  have  been  ful- 
filled :  "  Jonadab,  the  son  of  Rechab,  shall  not 
want  a  man  to  stand  before  Me  forever. "  Even 
as  late  as  October,  1862,  an  Eastern  traveller, 
Signor  Pierotti,  read  a  paper  at  the  Cambridge 
meeting  of  the  British  Association,  stating  that 
he  met  a  tribe  calling  themselves  by  this  name 
near  the  Dead  Sea.  They  had  a  Hebrew  Biljle, 
and  told  him  the  same  stor}'  that  had  been  told 
Dr.  Wolff  tliirty  years  before.  Even  these  his- 
torical proofs,  for  which  I  am  mainly  indebted 
to  Smith's  Bible  Dictionary,  are  not  exhaustive. 
But  they  suffice  to  show  that  the  Rechabites 
are  one  of  the  Lord's  standing  witnesses  pre- 


416 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAII. 


served  by  Him  age  after  age  to  testify  to  the 
reality  of  certain  great  Scripture  facts  over 
which  the  waves  of  time  have  rolled  for  several 
tlioiisand  years.  The  distinct  preservation  of 
the  Heclialiitcs  iieloiiss  to  the  same  class  of  facts 
with  the  preservation  of  the  Jews  and  of  the 
ancient  Samaritans,  all  of  whom  are  among  the' 
Lord's  special  witnesses  to  the  liistoric  and 
prophetic  credibility  of  the  Old  Testament. 
H.  C.  

The  superiority,  or  tlie  greater  nobleness,  of 
self-denial,  sclf-mortilicatiou,  sclf-abuegation, 
in  contrast  with  self-indulgence,  self-gratilica- 
tioii,  self-enjoyment,  is  found  retlected  in  the 
teachings  of  the  Bilile,  both  in  connection  witii 
the  assurance  that  ultimately  the  truest  objec- 
tive gain  to  one's  self  is  through  tlie  surrender 
and  forgetfulnessof  self,  and  in  connection  also 
with  the  primary  and  more  elementary  truth 
that  selfishness  is  a  lower  attribute  of  man's  na- 
ture, and  that  self-seeking  is  unworthy  of  a 
man's  truer  and  better  self.  Precept  and  illus- 
tration combine  for  the  enforcement  of  this 
truth,  in  the  Old  Testament  and  in  the  New. 
No  better  example  in  this  line  could  perhaps  be 
given  from  tlie  Old  Testament  record  than  that 
which  is  furnished  in  the  incident  of  the  .self- 
denying  lU'chabites  and  their  commendation. 
It  is  not  said  that  Jonadab  exacted  any  vow  from 
his  people,  or  that  they  made  him  any  specific 
pledge  on  the  subject.  It  is  only  declared  that 
he  enjoined  upon  them  this  life  of  self-denial  as 
a  duty,  and  tliat  they  nobly  adhered  to  the  re- 
strictions which  lie  pointed  out  to  them  as  de- 
sirable. For  so  doing  they  deserved  credit ; 
and  for  so  doing  thcj"  had  the  Lord's  commen- 
dation. It  was  their  lilial  adherence  to  their 
father's  injunction  of  .self-denying  abstemious- 
ness that  was  the  immediate  cause  of  their  being 
held  up  before  Judah,  and  so  held  up  before  the 
world,  as  examples  worthy  of  imitation  for  all 
time  to  come.  Not  merely  because  they  were 
obedient,  but  because  they  were  self  denying  in 
their  conformity  to  the  wise  injunctions  of  their 
ancestor,  were  they  thus  honored  above  their 
fellows. 

It  is  nobler  now,  as  it  wjis  in  the  days  of  .lere- 
miah,  to  deny  one's  self  than  to  indulge  ones 
self  ;  and  without  a  readiness  to  exercise  self- 
denial  daily,  even  to  the  extent  of  the  restric- 
tions of  the  Rechabites,  there  is  no  possibility  of 
serving  God  acceptably  in  city  or  in  country. 
Says  a  greater  than  Jonadab,  to  all  who  would 
hear  and  heed  llis  word^cven  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Lord  and  Master  :  "  If  any  man  would  come 
after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his 


cross  daily,  and  follow  Me ;"  and  again  : 
"  Whosoever  doth  not  bear  his  own  cross  [and 
to  bear  a  cross  involves  self-denialj  and  come 
after  Me,  cannot  be  My  disciple.  So,  therefore, 
whosoever  he  he  of  you  that  renouneeth  not  all 
that  he  hath  [and  so  i)raetises  self  abnegation], 
he  cannot  be  .My  disciple."  There  is,  obvi- 
ously, a  great  deal  more  than  filial  obedience 
covered  by  the  example  of  the  Rechabites,  and 
the  requirements  of  our  Lonl  from  His  disciples. 
Intelligent  self-denial  for  the  sake  of  the  right 
and  at  the  command  of  Him  whose  we  are  and 
whom  we  serve,  is  an  essential  element  in  the 
noblest  Christian  manhood.  This  self-denial 
may — it  often  does — demand  as  an  absolute  duty 
the  specific  requirements  of  the  Rechabite 
nomad-lift — total  abstinence  from  all  that  can 
intoxicate,  the  shunning  of  wealth-seeking,  and 
a  pilgrim  life  on  earth.  However  this  may  be 
in  any  particular  instance,  the  spirit  which 
prompted  the  Rechabites  to  be  self-denyingly 
faithful  to  the  wise  injunctions  given  to  them 
by  their  ancestor  is  essential  to  the  very  exist- 
ence of  the  Christian  life,  and  is  inseparable 
from  the  duties  of  Christian  diseipleship. 
S.  S.  T. 

The  simple  purpose  of  this  introduction  of 
the  Rechabites  into  the  Word  of  God  is  to  re- 
prove bad  men  in  the  Church  by  contrasting  them 
with  good  men  out  of  the  Church.  The  value  of 
such  a  fragment  in  the  Scriptures  for  practical 
use  in  all  ages  may  be  seen  by  a  brief  notice  of 
tlie  following  hints  : 

1.  The  popular  criticism  upon  the  Church  is 
true  :  "  Better  men  <ire  out  of  it  titan  some  men 
in  it."  There  are  bad  men  in  the  Church,  and 
very  imperfect  good  ones.  Jleii  profess  re- 
ligion who  will  cheat  in  a  trade,  who  will  lie  to 
cover  the  cheat,  who  will  take  a  false  oath  to 
bolster  the  lie. 

2.  The  contrast  between  apostates  in  the  Church,, 
and  good  men  out  of  it,  is  an  exception  to  the  gen- 
eral fact.  As  the  Rechabites  of  old  were  a 
small  and  exceptional  sect,  no  fair  representa- 
tive of  the  heathen  world,  so  uon  the  good  men 
who  are  not  churchmen  are  not  a  fair  specimen 
of  what  men  naturally  become  who  live  out  of 
covenant  with  God.  As  in  tlie  Jewish  Church 
tliere  were  men  and  women  who  were  not  apos- 
tates, so  there  are  multitudes  in  the  Christian 
Church  now  who  do  not  deserve  the  charge 
that  they  are  no  better  than  other  men.  The 
apostates  and  hypocrites  on  the  one  side,  and 
the  good  men  who  are  not  churchmen  on  the 
other,  are  both  exceptions  to  the  general  law. 
It  is  but  fair  to  admit  this.  It  is  but  just  to 
claim  it.     The  very  fact  that  the  alleged  con- 


SECTION  Ifi.     STORY  OP  THE  REGUABITES. 


417 


trast  attracts  attention  and   provokes  satire  is 
proof  of  tliis. 

3.  The  wii,C€Ssioiis  which  Christians  make  to 
cynical  critics  of  the  Church  need  often  to  be  qunl- 
iflcd  hy  loyalty  to  thj;  brotherhood.  Tliere  is  a 
virtue  in  loyalty  to  one's  guild,  which  truth  and 
justice  sometimes  call  to  the  front.  There  is  a 
tone  of  criticism  of  the  Church  which  sounds 
very  candid,  and  very  faithful,  and  very  in- 
dependent of  clanship,  which,  after  all,  is  un- 
manly and  mean,  simply  because  it  is  not  true. 
The  faults  of  Christians  are  exaggerated.  The 
numbers  of  the  hypocritical  are  overrated. 
Guilt  is  assumed  on  insufficient  evidence.  Evi- 
dence which  a  jury  would  scout  is  deemed  suffi- 
cient to  condemn  a  professor  of  religion.  Such 
accusers  do  not  face  the  accused  like  men. 
They  will  swell  a  secret  into  common  fame  ; 
yet,  when  summoned  to  bear  witness,  they 
skulk.  The  truth  is  that  conscious  hypocrites 
in  the  Church  are  comparatively  few. 

4.  The  mrtues  of  good  men  who  are  not  church- 
men are  due  largely  to  the  salutary  influence  of 
tlie  Church  upon  them.  The  Rechabites  owed 
their  knowledge  of  the  true  God  to  the  Jewish 
people.  Their  virtues  were  due  to  their  asso- 
ciation with  that  people,  not  to  their  knowledge 
or  practice  of  heathenism  and  its  fruits.  Simi- 
lar is  the  teaching  of  history  in  all  subsequent 
ages.  The  rirtues  of  the  world  in  their  finest 
growth  live  upon  the  graces  of  the  Church. 
Christian  2(fcas  govern  the  public  opinion  of  the 
world  to-day,  though  spiritual  religion  is  by  no 
means  in  the  ascendant.  It  takes  but  a  small 
minority  of  earnest  believers  to  carry  with  them 
the  speculative  belief  of  a  large  majority.  So 
nations  populous  and  mighty  are  nominally 
Christian  to-day  because  they  contain  a  nucleus 
of  spiritual  Christians.  These  keep  alive  the 
Christian  religion  as  a  power  of  restraint,  of 
culture,  of  refinement,  of  civilization,  of  virtue, 
to  multitudes  to  whom  it  is  not  yet  a  power 
of  salvation.  That  such  men  are  what  they 
are,  they  owe  to  the  living  faith  that  is  in  the 
Church.     They  owe  it  to  godly  mothers  and 


praying  fathers,  and  Christian  wives,  and 
the  recollections  of  their  own  Christian  child- 
hood. That  among  them  are  found  Gliristians 
in  heart  who  are  not  such  by  profession,  they 
owe  to  the  more  positive  and  consistent  ones, 
who  do  not  fear  to  profess  before  the  world  the 
faith  they  cherish  in  secret.  The  Church  of 
Christ  achieves  thus  a  vast  amount  of  un- 
acknowledged conquest. 

5.  While  God  blesses  goodness  and  the  right 
wherever  He  finds  them.  He  still  depemls  for 
them  chiefly  upon  the  Church  irhich  He  has  created 
for  all  time.  History,  in  this  old  Judean  line, 
seems  to  turn  aside  for  a  moment  to  salute  re- 
spectfully these  ancient  sons  of  temperance. 
Yet  it  speedily  returns  again  to  the  old  channel 
of  the  Church  of  God.  No  sect  is  taken  as  a 
substitute  for  the  Church.  God  does  not 
abandon  His  people  and  take  up  Rechabites  in 
their  stead.  He  knew  His  own  mind  when  He 
founded  the  Church,  and  said  to  Abraham,  "  In 
thee  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be 
blessed."  The  great  stream  of  civilization  and 
redemption  has  flowed  down  the  ages  of  the 
past,  not  through  any  accidental  and  wayside 
canal  of  Rechabite  or  Mtisonic  virtue,  but 
through  the  great  river-bed  of  the  Christian 
Church.  Here  are  the  living  fountains.  Here 
are  treasured  the  truths  which  the  world  most 
needs  to  know.  Here  are  garnered  the  promises 
which  gild  with  golden  radiance  the  world's 
future.  The  hope  of  all  coming  time  is  in  this 
Church  of  the  living  God. 

It  becomes  us  all  to  walk  humbly  before  God. 
Vows  in  the  Church  or  out  of  it  cannot  save  us. 
The  contrite  and  believing  hcnrt — this  and  this 
only  is  the  place  in  which  God  dwells.  This  is 
more  to  God  than  the  pillar  of  fire  and  the  pil- 
lar of  cloud — more  than  the  Shechinah  and  the 
holy  of  holies.  This  is  more  to  Christ  than 
church  and  clergy  and  sacraments.  "  I  heard 
a  great  voice  out  of  heaven  saying  :  Behold,  the 
tabernacle  of  God  is  with  msn,  and  He  will  dwell 
with  them.  God  Himself  shall  be  with  them 
and  be  their  God. "     P/ielps. 


418 


KINGDOM  OF  Jl'DAIL 


Section  46. 

REIGNS   OF  JEIIOIACIIIN   AND  ZEDEKIAII. 
2  Kings  24  :  8-20  ;  25  ;  1-7,  27-30  ;  Jkuemiaii  30  :  1-7  ;  .12  :  1-11,  31-34. 


2  Kings  34  :  8-20  ;  25  : 1-7. 

ai :  8  .Ii;iioi.\cniN  was  eighteen  years  old  when 
he  besiin  to  reign  ;  and  lie  reigned  in  Jeru- 
salem three  montlis  :  and  his  niotlier's  name 
was  Nehushta  the  daughter  of  Elnatlian  of 
9  .Terusaleni.  And  he  did  tliat  wliieli  was 
evil  in  the  siglit  of  tile  Loud,  aeeordiug  to 

10  all  that  his  father  had  done.  At  that  time 
the  servants  of  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of 
Babylon  oame  up  to  .Jerusalem,  and  the  eity 

11  was  besieged.  And  Nebuchadnezzar  king 
of  Babylon  came  unto  the  eity,  while  his 

12  servants  were  besieging  it  ;  and  .lehoiachin 
the  king  of  Judah  went  out  to  tlie  king  of 
Babylon,  he,  and  his  mother,  and  his  ser- 
vants, and  his  prinees,  and  his  olTieers  :  and 
the  king  of  Babylon  took  him  in  the  eighth 

13  year  of  his  reign.  And  he  carried  out  thence 
all  the  treasures  of  the  house  of  the  Lord, 
and  the  treasures  of  the  king's  house,  and 
cut  in  pieces  all  the  vessels  of  gold  wliich 
Solomon  king  of  Israel  had  made  in  the 
temple  of  the  Lono,  as  the  Lord  hud  said. 

14  And  he  carried  away  all  .lerusalem,  and  all 
the  princes,  and  all  the  mighty  jncn  of  val- 
our, even  ten  thousand  captives,  and  all  the 
craftsmen  and  the  smitlis  ;  none  remained, 
.save  the  poorest  sort  of  the  people  of  the 

15  land.  And  he  carried  away  Jehoiacliin  to 
Babylon  ;  and  the  king's  mother,  and  the 
king's  wives,  and  his  officers,  and  the  chief 
men  of  the  land,  carried  he  into  captivity 

IG  from  .lerusalem  to  Babylon.  And  all  the 
men  of  might,  even  seven  thousand,  and  the 
craftsmen  and  the  smiths  a  thousand,  all  of 
them  strong  and  apt  for  war,  even  them  the 
king  of  Babylon  bro\iglit  captive  to  Baby- 

17  Ion.  And  the  king  of  Babylon  made  Matta- 
niah  his  father's  brother  king  in  his  steiul, 
and  changed  his  name  to  Zedekiali. 

18  Zedekiali  was  twenty  and  one  years  old 
when  he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned 
eleven  years  in  .lerusalem  :  and  his  mother's 
name  was  Ilamutal  tlie  daughter  of  Jere- 

19  miah  of  Libnah.  And  he  did  that  which 
was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Loud,  according 

20  to  all  that  .lehoiakirn  had  done.  For  through 
the  anger  of  the  Loitndid  it  come  to  pass  in 
Jerusalem  and  Judah,  until  he  had  cast 
them  out  from  his  presence  :  and  Zedekiah  re- 


2  CiiKOSiCLES  36  :  9,  10. 

9  .iKiroiACHiN  was  eight  years  old  when  ho 
began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned  three  months 
and  ten  days  in  Jerusalem  :  and  he  did  that 
which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Loud. 
10  Anil  at  the  relurn  of  the  year  king  Nebu- 
chadnezzar sent,  and  brought  him  to  Baby- 
lon, with  the  goodly  vessels  of  llie  house  of 
the  Loud,  and  made  Zedekiah  his  brother 
king  over  Judah  and  Jerusalem. 

2  Kings  25  :27-30. 

27  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  seven  and  thir- 
tii'tli  year  of  the  captivity  of  Jehoiacliin 
king  of  Judah.  in  the  twelfth  month,  on  the 
seven  and  twentieth  day  of  the  month,  that 
Evil-merodach  king  of  Babylon,  in  the  year 
that  he  began  to  reign,  did  lift  up  the  liead 
of  Jehoiachin  king  of  Judah  out  of  prison  ; 

28  and  he  spake  kindly  to  him,  and  set  his 
tlirone  above  the  throne  of  the  kings  that 

29  were  with  him  in  Babylon.  And  he  changed 
his  prison  garments,  and  did  eat  bread  be- 
fore him  continually  all  the  days  of  his  life. 

30  And  for  his  allowance,  there  was  a  continual 
allowance  given  him  of  the  king,  every  day 
a  portion,  all  the  days  of  his  life. 

{Jn-emiali  53  :  31-34  idruticnl  icith  dtxne.) 
Jeuemi.\u  52  :  1-11. 

1  Zedekiah  was  one  and  twenty  years  old 
when  he  began  to  reign  ;  and  he  reigned 
eleven  veal's  in  Jerusalem  :  and  his  mother's 
name  was  Hamutal  the  daughter  of  Jere- 

2  miah  of  Libnah.  And  he  did  that  which 
was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  according 

3  to  all  that  Jehoiakiniliad  done.  For  through 
the  anger  of  the  LoitD  did  it  come  to  pass  in 
Jerusalem  and  Judah,  until  he  had  cast  them 
out  from  his  presence  :  and  Zedekiah  rebelled 

4  against  the  king  of  Babylon.  And  it  came 
to  pass  in  the  ninth  year  of  his  reign,  in 
the  tenth  month,  in  the  tenth  day  of  the 
month,  that  Nebuchadrezzar  king  of  Baby- 
lon came,  he  ami  all  his  army,  against 
Jerusalem,  and  encamped  against  it  ;  and 

5  they  built  forts  against  it  round  about.  So 
the   city    was   besieged    unto   the   eleventh 

0  year  of  king  Zedekiah.  In  the  fourth  month, 
in  the  ninth  day  of  the  mouth,  tlie  famine 


SECTION  40.     REIGN  OF  JEUOIACIIIN. 


419 


25  : 1  belled  asainst  the  king  of  Babylon.  And 
it  camu  to  i)ass  in  the  uintL  year  of  his  reign, 
in  the  tenth  month,  in  the  tenth  day  of  the 
month,  that  Nebuehadnezzar  king  of  Baby- 
lon came,  he  and  all  his  army.  a.gainst  Jeru- 
salem, and  encamped  against  it ;  and  they 

2  built  forts  against  it  round  about.  So  the 
city  was  besieged  unto  the  eleventh  year  of 

3  king  Zcdekiah.  On  the  ninth  day  of  the 
fourth  month  the  famine  was  sore  in  the 
city,  so  that  there  was  no  bread  for  the  peo- 

4  pie  of  the  land.  Then  a  breach  was  made 
in  the  city,  and  all  tlie  men  of  war  fled  hy 
night  by  the  way  of  the  gate  between  the 
two  walls,  which  was  by  the  king's  garden  : 
(now  the  Chaldeans  were  again.st  the  city 
round  about  :)  and  th-e  king  went  by  the  way 

5  of  the  Arabah.  But  the  array  of  the  Chal- 
deans pursued  after  the  king,  and  overtook 
him  in  the  plains  of  Jericho  :  and  all  his 

6  army  was  scattered  from  him.  Then  thej' 
took  the  king,  and  carried  him  up  unto  the 
king  of  Babylon  to  Riblah  ;  and  they  gave 

7  judgement  upon  him.  And  they  slew  the 
son.s  of  Zedekiah  before  his  eyes,  and  put 
out  the  cj'es  of  Zedekiah,  and  bound  him  in 
fetters,  and  carried  him  to  Babylon. 


:  31-34.) 


was  sore  iu  the  city,  so  that  there  was  no 

7  bread  for  the  people  of  the  laud.  Tlien  a 
breach  was  made  in  the  city,  and  all  the 
men  of  war  fled,  and  went  forth  out  of  the 
city  by  night  by  the  way  of  the  gate  be- 
tween the  two  walls,  which  was  by  the 
king's  garden  ;  (now  the  Chaldeans  were 
against  the  city  round  about ;)  and  they  went 

8  by  the  way  of  the  Arabah.  But  the  army 
of  the  Chaldeans  pursued  after  the  king, 
and  overtook  Zedekiah  in  the  plains  of  Jeri- 
cho ;  and  all  his  army  was  scattered  from 

9  him.  Then  they  took  the  king,  and  carried 
liim  up  unto  the  king  of  Babylon  to  Riblah 
in  the  land  of  Ilamath  ;  and  he  gave  judge- 

10  ment  upon  him.  And  the  king  of  Babylon 
slew  the  sons  of  Zedekiah  before  his  eyes  . 
he  slew  also  all  the  princes  of  Judah  iu  Rib- 

11  lah.  And  he  put  out  the  eyes  of  Zedekiah  ; 
and  the  king  of  Babylon  bound  him  iu  fet- 
ters, and  carried  him  to  Babylon,  and  put 
him  in  prison  till  the  day  of  his  death. 


2  Chronicles  36  :  11-13. 


11 


Zedekiah  was  twenty  and  one  years  old 
when  he  began  to  reign  ;    and  he  reigned 

13  eleven  years  in  Jerusalem  :  and  he  did  that 
which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  his 
God  ;  he  humbled  not  himself  before  Jere- 
miah the  prophet  speakinrj  from  the  mouth 

13  of  the  Lord.  And  he  also  rebelled  against 
king  Nebuchadnezzar,  who  had  made  him 
swear  by  God  ;  but  he  stiffened  his  neck, 
and  hardened  his  heart  from  turning  unto 
the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel. 


{Verses  37-30  like  Jeremiah  5'2 
Jeremiah  39  :  1-7. 

1  And  it  came  to  pass  when  Jerusalem  was 
taken,  (in  the  ninth  year  of  Zedekiah  king 
of  Judah,  in  the  tenth  mouth,  came  Nebu- 
chadrezzar   king   of    Babylon  and   all   his 

2  army  against  Jerusalem,  and  besieged  it  ; 
in   the   eleventh  year  of   Zedekiah,  in   the 

3  fourth  month,  the  ninth  day  of  the  month,  a  breach  was  made  in  the  city  :)  that  all  the 
princes  of  the  king  of  Babylon  came  in,  and  sat  in  the  middle  gate,  even  Nergal-sharezer, 
Samgar-nebo,  Sarsechim,  Rab-saris,  Nergal-sharezer,  Rab-mag,  with  all  the  rest  of  the  princes 

4  of  the  king  of  Babylon.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  when  Zedekiah  the  king  of  Judah  and  all 
the  men  of  war  saw  them,  then  they  fled,  and  went  forth  out  of  the  city  by  night,  by  the 
way  of  the  king's  garden,  by  the  gate  betwi.xt  the  two  walls  :  and  he  went  out  the  way  of 

5  the  Arabah.  But  the  army  of  the  Chaldeans  pursued  after  them,  and  overtook  Zedekiah  in 
the  plains  of  Jericho  :  and  when  they  had  taken  him,  they  brought  him  up  to  Nebuchadrez- 
zar king  of  Babylon  to  Riblah  in  the  land  of  Ilamath,  and  he  gave  judgement  upon  him. 

6  Then  the  king  of  Babylon  slew  the  sons  of  Zedekiah  in  Riblah  before  his  eyes  :  also  the  king 

7  of  Babylon  slew  all  the  nobles  of  Judah.  Moreover  he  put  out  Zedekiah's  eyes,  and  bound 
him  in  fetters,  to  carry  him  to  Babylon. 

Reion  op  jEHOiAOinN,  Three  Months.  rebel  king  who  had  defied  his  authority,  made 


Called  also  Jcconiah  and  Coniali.     The  Princi- 
pal Deportation  to  Babylonia. 

2  Kinijs  24  :  8-17  ;  25  :  35-27  ;  3  Chronicles 

36  ;  9,  10  ;  Jeremiah  53  :  31-34. 
Following  a  practice  not  uncommon  in  the 
East',   Nebuchadnezzar,    while    executing    the 


no  change  in  the  natural  order  of  succession, 
but  placed  his  son,  Jehoiachin  or  Jeconiah.  upon 
the  throne  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  Jelioiachin, 
like  all  the  kings  of  Josiah's  stock,  '"  did  that 
which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,"  and 
provoked  Jeremiah,  after  he  had  reigned  a  few 
months,   to  declare   that  he  was  "  a  despised 


420 


KiyaVUM  OF  JUDAII. 


broken   idol,   a  vessel  ■wherein  there  was  no 

pK;is\ire"  (Jer.  36:28).     G.   K. lelioiacliin 

W'lLs  (Ictlironed  after  a  reign  of  three  months  by 
Ni-lm(  liailiic/./.ar,  who  now  eamc  against  him 
in  ix'rson,  and  carried  him  away,  togetlier 
with  tlie  noliU'S,  men  of  war  and  priests,  to 
IJabyU)n.  Tliis  was  tlie  second  (Uportation,  and 
by  it  the  better  portion  of  the  people  was  taken 
into  captivity  (see  the  vision  of  the  two  baskets 
of  tigs,  Jer.  24).  Among  those  carried  to  Baby- 
lon was  Ezekicl,  who  from  the  fifth  year  of 
his  captivity  onward  filled  the  office  of  prophet 
to  tlie  exiles  at  Chebar.  Nebuchadnezzar  maile 
Mattaniah,  a  still  remaining  son  of  Josiah, 
his  vassal-king,  changing  his  name  to  Zede- 
kiah.     O. 

At  first  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  was  entrusted 
to  subordinate  ofliicers.  But  when  the  fall  of 
the  city  seemed  near,  Nebuchadnezzar  himself 
appeared.  .lehoiachin,  together  with  the  queen- 
mother,  the  court,  the  princes,  and  the  leaders 
seem  to  have  surrendered  to  the  victor.  The 
punishment  inflicted  on  the  city  was  of  signal 
severity.  All  the  treasures  of  the  Temiile  and 
the  palace  were  carried  away,  the  heavier  fur- 
nishings of  the  sanctuary  being  cut  in  pieces. 
Thus  was  the  word  of  the  Lord,  long  and  often 
spoken,  fulfilled  (2  K.  24  :  12,  13).  The  king 
himself,  his  mother,  his  wives,  and  all  the  offi- 
cials, whether  of  the  court,  the  State,  or  the 
army,  were  carried  to  Babylon.  Na}',  to  make 
sure  of  the  permanence  of  the  conquest,  ' '  all 
Jerusalem" — in  the  sense  of  what  made  it  the 
capital — and  all  who  in  any  sense  were  "  strong 
and  apt  for  war" — who  could  either  lead,  or 
fight,  or  prepare  the  means  for  it — were  carried 
into  captivity.  Their  number  is  roughl}-  stated 
as  11.000,  comprising  3000  ranked  as  "  princes" 
and  leading   citizens,   7000  soldiers,   and   1000 

craftsmen,  especially  smiths.     A.  E. These 

together  constituted  all  that  was  important  in 
the  population  of  the  city  ;  the  remainder  were 
weak  and  insignificant — probably  not  only  in 
respect  of  enteriirise  and  luilitary  strength,  but 
even  in  number.  The  population  of  modern 
Jerusalem,  which  seems  to  be  nearly  of  the 
same  size  as  the  aticient  citj',  is  estimated  by 
the  most  judicious  of  modern  observers  at  from 
10,000  to  17,000  (Robinson's  "  Researches"). 
That  of  the  ancient  cit}'  has  been  calculated, 
from  its  area,  at  15,003  (Fergusson).  The  rem- 
nant left  did  not,  therefore,  in  all  probabilitj' 
exceed  5000  or  6000.  When  Jeremiah  (,'53  :  28) 
says  that  the  number  of  captives  carried  off  at 
this  time  was  3023,  we  may  suspect  that  Ids  text 

liiis  been  corruptcil.     B.  C. Nebuchadnezzar 

looked  well  to  his  own  interests  when  he  de- 


'  ported  these  classes,  and  not  t'.ic  poor,  the  less 
able,  less  thrifty,  to  Baliylon.  But  their  de- 
parture was  ruinous  to  Jerusalem,  and  this  also 
Ni'bnchaduezzar  intended.  It  wius,  indeed,  an 
irretrievable,  crushing  blow  which  had  fallen 
on  the  nation,  none  the  less  ruinous  ami  terrible 
tliat  it  had  been  so  long  predicted,  and  was  so 
richly  deserved.     J.  O. 

Nebuchadnezzar  saw  the  impolicy  of  leaving 
on  the  throne  the  nominee  of  Egypt.  lie  there- 
fore set  the  now  lustreless  crown  ujion  the  head 
of  Josiah's  youngest  son,  Mattaniah,  whose 
name  he  changed  to  Zedekiali,  an;l  sent  away 
Jehoiachin  to  Babylon.  Jelioiachin  was  at  this 
time  but  eighteen  years  of  age  ;  and  he  sur- 
vived in  Babylon  till  long  after  the  entire  sub- 
version of  the  kingdom  over  which  Ik;  had  so 
briefly  ruled.  He  seems  to  have  been  kept  in 
some  sort  of  confinement  until  the  death  of 
Nebuchadnezzar,  but  was  liberated  from  re- 
straint by  his  successor,  and  was  treated  with 
high  distinction,  among  the  kings  of  subverted 
thrones,  whose  presence  glorified  the  imperial 
court.  By  the  numerous  captives  who  were 
eventually  removed  to  the  East,  he  was  doubt- 
less looked  up  to  as  their  natural  prince — the 
sole  relic  of  the  house  of  David  ;  and  it  is  likely 
that  his  influence  availed  much  to  secure  for 
them  many  of  the  advantages  they  enjoyed  in 
the  land  of  their  captivity.     Eitto. 

2K.  24:§.  Eighteen  years  old.  The 
parallel  passage  of  Chronicles  has  "  eight 
years,"  which  is  probably  the  error  of  a  copy- 
ist. That  Jehoiachin  was  not  a  mere  child 
when  he  ascended  the  throne  is  clearly  indi- 
cated by  Jer.  23  ;  28.     B.  C. 

lit.  Jchoiakim  had  saved  his  treasures  at  the 
expense  of  exactions  from  the  people,  and  his 
"  covetousness"  had  doubtless  tilled  them  still 
more  (Jer.  23  :  17).  These  ill-gotten  gains  were 
now  carried  away,  and  with  them  such  of  the 
Temple  vessels  as  were  made  of  or  plated  with 
gold,  the  "  cutting  to  pieces"  being  probably 
confined  to  the  latter,  with  sueii  large  articles 
as  the  golden  candlestick,  etc.  Of  the  smaller 
articles  some  few  were  spared,  and  the  rest 
were  preserved  in  Babylon,  and  restored  on  the 
return.  Judgment  thus  again  began  at  the 
house  of  God.     J.  O. 

2  K.  25  :  25-27  ;  Jer.  52  :  31-31.  Jc  hoi- 
achin  survived  for  many  years  after  the  fall  of 
Zedckiah.  For  a  long  time  his  imprisonment 
at  Babylon  was  rigorous  :  he  was  closely  con- 
fined anil  clad  in  a  prison  dress.  The  plots  of 
the  Egyptian  party  and  the  hopes  of  his  return 
held  out  by  the  false  prophet  Hananiah  (B.C. 
505)  explain  this  severity  as  well  as  Uauauiah's 


SECTION  46.     REION  OF  JEHOIACniN. 


431 


cruel  execution  ;  but  in  the  thirty -seventh  year 
of  his  captivity  he  was  released  by  Evil-mero- 
dach.  who  had  just  succeeded  to  the  throne  of 
Babylon  (January  11th,  B.C.  561).  He  was  re- 
ceived with  liind  words,  was  placed  in  the  roj'al 
presence  on  a  throne  above  all  the  other  captive 
kings,  received  a  robe  of  honor,  and  a  portion 
for  his  daily  diet,  until  his  death.  Witli  him 
expired  the  royal  line  of  Solomon.  "  Tliis  man 
■was  written  childless,"  as  Jeremiah  had  de- 
clared ;  and  "  no  man  of  his  seed  prospered, 
sitting  upon  the  throne  of  David,  and  ruling 
any  more  in  Judah."  The  inheritance  of  David 
passed  on  to  the  line  of  his  son  Nathan,  whose 
representative,  Salathiel,  is  therefore  inserted 
in  the  genealogies  as  the  son  of  Jehoiachin,  and 
the  ancestor  of  Christ.     P.  S. 

Jehoiachin,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  lived  in 
peace  and  comfort  at  the  court  of  Babylon. 
Nothing  can  be  gathered  from  the  passage  as 
to  how  much  longer  Jehoiachin  lived  ;  he  may 
or  he  may  not  have  survived  Evil-merodach. 
The  author  of  Kings  is  writing  Jewish,  not 
Bab3-lonian  liistory,  and  is  only  anxious  to  im- 
press on  his  readers  the  fact  that  Jehoiachin, 
after  his  long  and  wearisome  captivity,  died  in 
comparative  comfort  and  honor.  Amid  the 
darliness  that  has  gathered  round  the  closing 
scenes  of  his  historj',  he  is  glad  to  notice  this 
one  ray  of  light.  He  is  glad  to  indicate  that 
even  in  their  extreme  affliction  the  seed  of  Da- 
vid was  not  wholly  cast  off.  Perhaps  he  in- 
tends to  hold  before  the  eyes  of  his  nation  the 
existence  of  Jehoiachin  as  a  tj'pe  of  their  own 
fate — an  encouragement  to  them  to  hope  that 
the  time  would  come  when  God  might  talvc 
compassion  upon  them,  and  terminate  their 
captivit\-  also.  He  thus  leaves  them  with  a 
comforting  thought,  an  anticipation  of  the 
dawn  that  was  soon  about  to  break  ;  resem- 
bling in  this  the  great  bulk  of  the  prophets, 
who,  however  sternly  they  may  chide  and 
menace  the  backsliding  nation,  end  their  propli- 
ecies  with  joj'ous  strains,  promising  an  ultimate 
restoration  of  the  seed  of  Abraham  to  God's 
grace  and  favor.     B.  C. 

Two  points  may  be  helpfully  recalled  at  this 
juncture  of  tlie  history. 

1.  The  niatiom  of  the  two  great  empires  of 
tlie  "  North"  and  the  "  South,"  as  these  terms 
are  employed  in  the  prophecy  of  Daniel.  The 
empire  of  the  "North,"  or  more  properly  of 
the  East,  extended  during  a  period  of  nearly 
two  thousand  years  under  three  different  names 
— the  Chaldean,  the  Assj'rian,  and  the  Babylo- 
nian. B. Chaldea  was  the  lower  or  south- 
ern half,  and  Assyria  the  upper  or  northern 


half,  of  the  great  valley  of  the  Tigris  and  Eu- 
phrates. It  was  the  cradle  of  the  human  fam- 
ily, becoming  an  empire  as  early,  probably,  as 
3500  li.c,  and  remaining  such  for  about  twelve 
hundred  j'ears,  or  down  to  1300  B.C.  At  that 
time  it  was  conquered  by  Assyria,  which  had 
previously  been  one  of  its  provinces  ;  and  from 
this  time  it  formed  a  part  of  the  Assyrian  em- 
pire, for  nearly  seven  hundred  years.  For 
much  of  the  time,  however,  it  was  restless  un- 
der the  Assj'riau  yoke,  and  engaged  in  fre- 
quent rebellious.  At  length  in  625  b.c,  when 
the  Assyrian  empire  was  broken  and  near  its 
fall,  Chaldea  reasserted  its  independence,  and 
soon  became  the  seat  of  a  second,  or  lower, 
commonly  called  the  Babylonian  empire.  It 
was  a  splendid  empire,  but  lasted  less  than  a 
hundred  3'cars.  The  founder  of  the  new  em- 
pire was  Nabopolassar,  who  reigned  from  625 
to  604  B.C.  In  607  B.C.  he  associated  with  him 
his  son,  Nebuchadnezzar,  who  became  the 
greatest  of  the  Babylonian  monarchs.     Todd. 

The  empire  of  the  "  South,"  or  Egypt,  had 

its  origin  at  a  far  earlier  date  than  the  Chal- 
dean. It  is  the  earliest  kingdom  referred  to  in 
the  Bible.  In  the  time  of  Moses  it  was  pos- 
sessed of  the  higliest  civilization,  and  of  su- 
preme power.  For  many  centuries  a  conflict 
existed  between  the  kingdoms  of  the  "  North" 
and  of  the  "  South."  Mauj-  times  the  armies 
of  each  power  invaded  the  territory  of  the 
other,  seeking  to  make  permanent  conquest. 
The  varying  fortunes  of  this  protracted  con- 
flict make  up  the  known  history  of  the  centu- 
ries preceding  the  scheme  of  Daniel's  prophecy. 

2.  The  bearing  if  this  conflict  upon  the  hintory 
of  Israel  and  Judah.  God  had  emplo3'ed  the 
smaller  kingdom  of  Sj-ria,  and  the  adjacent 
tribes  of  Moab,  Ammon,  and  Edom,  with  the 
remaining  Canaanites,  especially  the  Philistines, 
as  instruments  to  chasten  His  people.  But  the 
two  chief  agents  by  which  He  aided  or  hin- 
dered their  prosperity  were  the  two  great  em- 
pires, whose  military  movements  seem  to  have 
been  ordered  of  God,  tliat  He  might  use  them 
in  dealing  with  His  people.  This,  indeed,  is 
the  key  fact  of  all  ancient  history.  It  is  repeat- 
edly so  declared,  by  statement  or  clear  hint, 
throughout  the  Old  Testament. 

The  death  of  Josiah  occurred  in  connection 
with  an  advance  by  Pharaoh-Necho  in  the  di- 
rection of  Assyria,  with  a  view  to  its  conquest. 
Passing  along  the  coast-line  of  Palestine,  with 
no  purpose  of  attacking  the  kingdom  of  Judali, 
this  monarch's  progress  was  opposed  by  Josiah. 
The  reason  of  this  opposition  is  variously  in- 
ferred, but  is  not  known.     There  seem  to  have 


422 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAII. 


been  two  parties  in  Judah — one  in  favor  of  idli- 
ance  with  Kgypt,  the  other  liolding  to  an  liou- 
cst  observance  of  tributary  slipuhitions  already 
existing  witli  Assyria.  On  the  supposition 
tliat  .losiah  belonged  to  tlie  latter  party,  his 
persistent  opposition  to  the  ICgyptian  king  ia 
justilied  as  both  consistent  and  lo_val.  The 
four  successors  of  Josiah,  and  only  remaining 
kings  of  Judah,  are  only  memorable  for  weak- 
ness and  wickedness.  Through  the  twenty 
years  of  their  reign  Judah  was  oppressed  and 
despoiled  by  one  or  other  of  the  two  great  mon- 
archies. Nebuchadnezzar  put  Jehoiakini  to 
death,  and  carried  to  Babylon  Jehoiachin,  the 
royal  family,  the  priests  anil  the  princes,  7000 
soldiers  and  1000  skilled  craftsmen.  As  his 
vassal,  Zedekiah  was  placed  on  the  throne  of 
Judah.    B. 

Reign   op   Zedekiah,   b.c.    596-586,   Eleven 

Yeaes. 
2  Kingn  24  :  18-20  ;  2  Chronicles  36  :  11-13  ; 
Jeremiah  39  : 1-7  ;  53  :  1-11. 
Josiah  had  four  sons  (1  Chron.  3  :  15) — Jo- 
hanan,  the  eldest,  who  probably  died  before 
liis  father;  Jehoiakini,  or  Eliakim,  the  .second, 
who  was  twenty-live  years  old  at  his  father's 
death  ;  Jehoahaz,  the  third,  otherwise  called 
Sliallum,  who,  when  his  father  died,  was  aged 
twenty-three  ;  and  Alattaniah,  the  youngest,  who 
must  have  been  then  aged  ten  or  nine.  It  was 
this  fourth  son,  now  grown  to  manhood,  whom 
Nebuchadnezzar  appointed  king  in  Jehoiachin's 

room.     Hammond. Zedekiah,  the  twentieth 

and  last  king  of  Judah,  and  the  youngest  son 
of  Josiah  and  Ilamutai,  was  twenty-one  years 
old  at  his  accession,  and  reigned  eleven  years, 
till  the  final  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  His 
proper  name,  Mattaniali,  was  changed  to  Zede- 
kiah at  his  accession.  The  only  events  of  his 
reign,  except  the  brief  record  of  the  fall  of  Je- 
rusalem, are  those  connected  with  the  history 
of  Jeremiah,  from  whose  book  we  learn  the 
spirit  of  the  times.  Zedekiah  accepted  his  roy- 
alty over  the  impoverished  remnant  of  the 
Jews  as  the  vassal  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  to  whom 
he  was  bound  by  every  principle  of  good  faith. 
The  fate  of  his  brother  and  his  nephew  had 
proved  the  hopelessness  of  rebellion  even  be 
fore  the  whole  strength  of  the  nation  had  been 
<!arried  into  captivity.  The  miserable  remnant 
might  well  envy  the  condition  of  their  t-aptive 
brethren,  and  the  time  had  at  length  come  for 
piety  and  patriotism  to  show  themselves  in  a 
wise  submis.sion  to  the  will  of  God.  Of  such  a 
course  Jeremiah  was  the  assiduous  a<lviser. 
P.  8. The  events  connected  with  the  history 


of  Jeremiah  and  those  connected  with  the  fall 
of  Jerusalem  sum  up  the  records  of  his  reign. 
Established  ujion  the  thmiie  by  Nebucrhadncz- 
zar,  after  the  Temple  and  palace  had  been  de- 
si)oiled  and  the  best  warriors  and  artisans  of 
the  kingdom  had  been  sent  to  Babylon,  his 
kingship  was  only  nominal  and  tributary.  Dis- 
regarding the  coun.sel  of  Jeremiah,  he  followed 
in  the  evil  courses  of  Jehoiakini,  and  wsls  per- 
suaded to  break  his  allegiance  to  the  Babylon- 
ish king.  His  character  was  rather  weak  than 
wicked,  yet  at  the  instigation  of  the  Egyptian 
party,  like  Mana.sseh,  he  shed  much  innocent 
blood.     B. 

Zedekiah's  dealings  with  Jeremiah  exhibit 
him  as  a  weak  rather  than  a  wicked  man.  He 
had  a  friendly  feeling  toward  the  ])rophet,  a 
belief  in  his  supernatural  gifts,  and  a  desire  to 
shield  him  from  the  violence  of  the  nobles,  who 
sought  his  life.  But  he  had  not  sufficient 
strength  of  character  to  adopt  the  course  which 
the  pro])het  recommended,  to  impose  his  will 
upon  the  nobles,  or  even  to  protect  Jeremiah 
from  them  boldly  and  openly.  He  was  a  man 
of  half  meiisures,  timid,  impressible,  vacillat- 
ing. He  strove  to  reconcile  an  acknowledg- 
ment of  Jehovah  with  disobedience  to  His  ex- 
pressed will,  kindliness  toward  Jeremiah  with 
complaisance  toward  his  persecutors,  renewal 
of  the  covenant  with  flagrant  transgressions  of 
its  plain  requirements  (Jer.  34  : 8-21).  Better 
disposed  than  any  of  the  later  monarchs  except 
Josiah,  he  nevertheless  brought  his  country  to 
destruction.  Having  neither  sufficient  wisdom 
to  perceive  what  the  course  of  political  affairs 
was  likely  to  be,  nor  sufficient  faith  to  accept 
the  authoritative  announcements  made  to  him 
of  what  the  course  was  to  be.  he  undertook  an 
impossible  task,  and  ruined  both  himself  and 
his  country.     B.  C. 

2  K.  21  :  20.  Zedekiah's  rebellion  permilled 
by  God  fur  the  destruction  of  Judah.  Had  he  re- 
mained true  to  his  allegiance  to  Babylon,  the 
city  and  the  Temple  of  Jehovah  might  have 
continued,  and  Zedekiah  remained  ruler  of  the 
Babylonian  province  of  Judah.  But  God  had 
decreed  the  caiilivity  of  .Iiidah  as  well  as  Israel. 
The  cup  of  Judah's  iniquity  was  now  full,  and 
Nebuchadnezzar  was  God's  in.strument  in  its 
linal  subjection  and  exile. 

2  K.  25  :  1-3.  The  cloning  nieye  ef  Jerusalem 
anel  its  effects.  The  memorable  day  is  here 
given  in  which  the  armies  of  Babylon  invested 
the  city,  and  the  period  of  continuance  of  the 
siege.  It  began  on  the  tenth  day  of  the  tenth 
month  in  the  ninth  year  of  Zedekiah's  reign. 
Thisilay  ever  afterward  was  commemorated  by 


SECTION  40-     REION  OF  ZED  EK I  AIL 


433 


the  Israelites  as  a  fast.  On  that  day  the  vast 
army  of  Ncbdchadnozzar,  comprising  repre- 
sentatives of  all  the  kinf>;doms  of  the  earth  un- 
der his  dominion,  "  pitched  against  Jerusalem, 
and  built  forts  round  about  it."  The  siege 
lasted  a  year  and  a  half.  The  result  is  sim[>ly 
stated  in  the  fact  that  there  was  no  bread  for 
the  people  in  the  city.  Intimations  in  the  Book 
of  Lamentations  show  how  terrible  were  the 

sufferings  of  the  besieged  inhabitants.     B. 

The  linal  siege  of  the  Jerusalem  of  the  mon- 
archy lasted  for  eighteen  niontlu; — a  long  siege 
according  to  our  modern  ideas,  but  short  com- 
pared to  many  of  the  great  sieges  of  history. 
The  siege  of  Troy  was  ten  years,  that  of  Tyre 
by  Nebuchadnezzar  occupied  thirteen  j'cars, 
and  that  of  Ashdod  (or  Azotus)  by  Psamraeti- 
chus,  king  of  Egypt,  twenty -nine  years.  Of 
course,  these  sieges  were  rather  blockades  than 
a  series  of  assaults.  The  description,  in  the 
passage  before  us,  of  the  capture  of  Jerusalem, 
is  easily  underetood  from  the  position  and  char- 
acter of  the  place.  The  two  southern  hills, 
Zion  and  Moriah,  were,  under  the  conditions  of 
ancient  v.-arfare,  impregnable  on  the  south  and 
east  sides,  while  to  the  north  and  west  the}' 
were  flanked  by  the  lower  citj',  where  was  the 
chief  part  of  the  population,  and  had  inner 
walls,  defensible,  should  the  outer  city  be 
stormed.  The  Chaldean  army  assaulted  on  the 
north  side  of  the  lower  citj',  at  what  was  after- 
ward called  the  second  wall,  near  where  the 
Damascus  gate  now  stands.  This  was  the  only 
part  where  mounds  and  battering-rams  could 
be  used,  the  other  faces  of  the  city  being  too 
steep.  Zedekiah  and  the  garrison  were  in  Zion, 
the  city  of  David,  within  the  inner  wall  ;  but 
they  abandoned  all  attempt  at  further  resist- 
ance, and  fled.     Tristram. 

1.  Extreme  exactness  with  respect  to  a  date 
indicates  the  extreme  importance  of  the  event 
dated.  In  the  whole  range  of  the  history  con- 
tained in  the  two  Books  of  the  Kings,  there  is 
no  instance  of  the  year,  month,  and  day  being 
all  given  excepting  in  the  present  chapter, 
where  we  find  this  extreme  exactness  three  times 

(verses  1,  4  and  8).     Hammond. As  the  final 

catastrophe  approaches,  the  historian  becomes 
more  close  and  exact  in  his  dates,  marking  not 
oidy  the  year,  but  the  month  and  the  d(vy,  on 
which  the  siege  began,  no  less  than  those  on 
which  it  closed.  C'oinpare  Jer.  53  :  4  and  Ezek. 
24  :  1,  from  which  last  passage  we  find  that  on 
the  very  day  when  the  host  of  Nebuchadnezzar 
made  its  appearance  before  Jerusalem,  the  fact 
was  revealed  to  Ezekiel  in  Babylonia,  and  the 
fate  of  the  city  announced  to  him  (verses  6-14). 


Ag^ainst  Jeriisalem.  The  army  seems 
to  have  at  first  si)read  itself  over  all  Judea.  It 
fought,  not  only  against  Jerusalem,  but 
"  against  all  the  cities  of  Judah  that  were  left" 
— and  especially  against  Lachish  and  Azekah 
(Jer.  34  :  7),  two  cities  of  the  south  (3  Chron. 
11  :  9),  which  had  probably  been  strongly  gar- 
risoned in  order  to  maintain  the  communication 
with  Eg3'pt.  This  division  of  the  Babj'lonian 
forces  encouraged  the  Egyptians  to  make  an 
effort.  After  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  had  con- 
tinued for  a  certain  time,  news  arrived  that 
Hophra  had  put  his  troops  in  motion  and  was 
advancing  to  the  relief  of  his  Jewish  allies  (Jer. 
37  :  5).  On  hearing  tliis,  Nebuchadnezzar,  who 
saw  the  importance  of  concentrating  his  forces, 
broke  up  from  before  Jerusalem,  and  marched 
away  to  the  south.  There  he  probably  effected 
a  junction  with  the  detachments  which  were 
besieging  Azekah  and  Lachish,  thus  saving 
them  from  destruction,  and  at  the  same  time 
showing  to  the  Egyptians  his  readiness  to  give 
them  battle.  It  appears  that  the  display  was 
enough.  The  timid  southerns,  finding  their 
enemy  prepared  to  receive  them,  shrank  back, 
returned  into  their  own  country  (Jer.  37  :  7  ; 
Ezek.  17  :  17),  and  took  no  further  part  In  the 
war.  Nebuchadnezzar  then  led  back  his  army, 
and  once  more  invested  the  city.     B.  C. 

In  the  tenth  uiontli,  in  the  tenth 
daj'  of  the  month.  Upon  tliis  very  day 
Ezekiel,  in  captivity,  announced  to  the  exiles 
about  him  that  siege  had  been  laid  to  the  city 
(Ezek.  34  ;  1,  3),  and  that  it  should  certainly  b«j 
taken,  and  the  sanctuary  profaned.  This  crisis 
in  the  affairs  of  the  capital  city  was  a  turning- 
point  likewise  in  Ezekiel's  ministry.  Up  to 
this  time  the  exiles  had  maintained  their  confi- 
dence that  the  city  of  God  could  not  be  taken, 
and  that  the  captivity  wou'd  be  of  short  dura- 
tion ;  and,  in  consequence  of  these  fallacious 
hopes,  they  did  not  submit  with  penitence  and 
humility  to  this  Divine  discipline.  It  was 
necessary,  therefore,  for  Ezekiel  constantly  to 
utter  the  language  of  denmiciation  and  warn- 
ing, and  to  insist  upon  the  certainty  and  neces- 
sity of  the  overthrow  of  the  city.  From  the 
day  of  the  beginning  of  the  siege  until  word 
was  brought  him  of  the  fall  of  the  city  (Ezek. 
34  :  27  ;  33  :  21,  22)  he  was  dumb  as  to  the  exer- 
cise of  his  ministry,  and  discontinued  his  dis- 
closures on  that  subject.  Thenceforward  his 
ministry  was  one  of  consolation  and  blessing, 
.setting  forth  the  assurance  that  God  would 
protect  and  regather  Ilis  captive  people. 
W.  H.  G. 

3.  Tile  famine.    That  the  city  yielded 


424 


KINODOM  OF  JUDAII. 


only  to  famine — famine  whieh  1irouj;ht  pesti- 
lence in  its  train — is  apparent  from  many  pas- 
sages of  Jeremiah  (21  :  7,  9  ;  32  ;  24  ;  38  :  9. 
etc.).  The  intensity  of  the  sufTcrinj;  endured 
may  be  patliered  from  Lamentations,  E/.ekiel 
and  Josephns.  The  ei)niplexions  of  the  men 
^rew  Iilaek  witli  famine  (Lam,  4:8;  5:10): 
their  skin  \va.s  slirunk  and  parched  (ibid.  4:8); 
tlie  rich  and  noble  women  searched  the  dung- 
hills for  scraps  of  offal  (i'Wrf,  4:5);  the  children 
perished  for  want,  or  were  even  devoured  by 
their  parents  (ibid.  2  :  20  ;  4:8,  4,  10  ;  Ezck. 
5  :  10)  ;  wati'r  was  scarce,  as  well  as  food,  and 
was  .sold  at  a  price  (Lam.  5:4);  a  third  part  of  the 
inhabitants  died  of  the  famine  and  the  plague 
which  grew  out  of  it  (Ezek.  5  :  12).     B.  C. 

ti  K.  25  :  4,  5.  The  escape,  pursuit,  and  cup- 
iure  of  Zidrkidli  and  his  arm i/.  A  breach  was 
made  in  the  walls,  and  the  city  was  entered  at 
midnight  (.Josephus  ;  Ezek.  12  :  2-12).  The 
entrance  was  effected  by  the  northern  gate. 
Through  the  darkness  of  the  night,  lit  up,  if  at 
all,  only  by  the  nine  daj's'  moon,  the  Chaldean 
guaixis  silently  made  their  way  from  street  to 
street,  till  they  suddenl_v  apjieared  in  the  centre 
of  the  Temple  court,  in  the  middle  gateway 
whicli  opened  directly  on  the  great  brazen  altar. 
Never  before  had  such  a  spectacle  been  seen  in 
the  inviolable  sanctuary  of  Jerusalem.  Then 
the  sleeping  city  woke.  A  clang  and  cry  re- 
sounded through  the  silent  precincts  at  that 
dead  hour  of  night.  The  first  victims  were 
those  who,  whether  from  religious  or  supersti- 
tious feelings  and  duties,  were  habitually  occu- 
pants of  the  sacred  buildings.  The  virgin  mar- 
ble of  the  courts  ran  red  with  blood,  like  a 
rocky  wine-press  in  the  vintage  (Lam.  1  :  15). 
The  alarm  soon  spread  to  the  palace.  In  the 
twilightof  the  early  summer  dawn,  thesedread- 
ful  scenes  were  diml}'  discerned  from  the  pal- 
ace below  ;  and  before  the  sun  had  risen,  the 
king,  with  his  wives  and  children  and  the  royal 
guard,  escaped,  not  by  any  of  the  regular  gates, 
but  by  a  passage  broken  through  a  narrow  alley 
confined  between  two  walls,  at  the  southeast- 
ern corner  of  the  city,  which  the  Chaldean 
army  had  not  been  able  completely  to  invest. 
They  pa.sscd  out  with  their  heads  muflled,  either 
for  disguise,  or  to  c.\press  their  sense  of  the 
greatness  of  the  calamity,  and  bearing  on  their 
shoulders  such  articles  of  value  as  they  hoped 
to  save.  As  in  the  cstse  of  David,  the  object  of 
the  king  was  to  escape  to  the  cast  of  the  Jor- 
dan. He  and  his  companions  descended,  un- 
observed, by  the  royal  gardens,  and  down  the 
stei'p  descent  to  Jirieho.  There  he  w:us  over- 
taken bv  the  Chaldjan  soldiers,  who  had  re- 


ceived intelligence  of  his  flight  from  deserters  ; 
and  in  that  wide  plain,  the  scene  of  the  first 
triumph  of  Joshua,  was  fought  the  last  fight  of 
the  cxjiiring  monarchy.  His  troops  fled,  and 
were  scattered  to  the  winds.     Ktanlcy. 

With  this  account  of  the  siege  of  Jerusalem 
by  Nebuchadnezzar  should  be  eompareil  the 
narrative  of  its  later  destruction  by  Titus  (A.». 
70).  History  does  not  always  repeat  itself  ; 
but  in  this  instance  it  does  so  with  marvellous 
fidelity.  The  close  investment  of  the  city,  the 
desperate  resistance,  the  horrors  of  famine 
within,  the  incidents  of  the  capture,  the  burn- 
ing of  the  Temple,  the  demolition  of  the  walls, 
and  the  captivity  of  the  people,  present  strik- 
ing i);irallels  in  the  two  cilscs.  By  one  of  those 
rare  coincidences  that  sometimes  occur,  it  wiis 
on  the  very  same  month  and  day  of  the  month 
on  whieh  the  Temide  was  burned  by  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, that  the  sanctuary  was  fired  by  the 
soldiers  of  Titus.  The  earlier  destruction  ful- 
filled the  predictions  of  the  prophets  ;  the  later, 
the  predictions  of  our  Lord.  One  stjinds  ap- 
i  palled  at  so  complete  a  wreck  of  a  city  which 
■  God  had  once  honored  by  making  it  thi'  i)lace 
'  of  His  abode,  and  for  which  He  had  done  such 
great  things  in  the  past.  But  the  lesson  we 
are  to  learn  from  it  is  that  nothing  can  reverse 
the  action  of  moral  laws.  God  is  terrible  in 
His  justice.  Though  a  pereon  or  place  is  as 
"  the  signet  upon  His  right  hand,"  yet  will  He 
pluck  it  thence,  if  it  abandons  itself  to  wicked- 
ness (Jer.  22  :  24,  28).     J.  O. 

4.  Ezekiel  (Ezek.  12  :  12)  prophesied  the  very 
details  of  the  flight.  It  wjis  to  be  "  in  the 
dark,"  the  king  himself  was  to  "  carry"  some 
of  his  valuables,  they  were  to  "  dig  through" 
the  earthen  ramparts  ;  and  all  appears  to  have 
been  literally  fulfilled.  The  Hight  was  taken 
in  the  opposite  direction  from  the  entrance  of 
the  besiegers  ;  two  walls,  which  probably  ran 
down  the  valley  between  Zion  and  the  Temple 
mount,  afforded  cover  to  the  fugitives  as  far  as 
to  the  south  city  wall,  and  there  some  postern 
let  them  out  to  the  king's  garden.  That  is  a 
tragic  touch.  It  Wius  no  time  then  to  gather 
fiowei's.  The  forlorn  and  frightened  company 
seems  to  have  scattered  when  once  outside  tlu^ 
city  ;  for  tliere  is  a  nuxrked  eontnust  in  verse  4 
between  "  they  fied"  and  "  he  went."  In  the 
description  of  his  fiight,  Zedekiah  is  still  cidled, 
as  in  verses  1  and  2,  the  king  ;  but  after  his 
capture  he  is  only  "  Zedckiali."     A.  M. 

6.  They  hroiifflil  liim  to  Rihiali. 
Neb\ichM(lnczz;ir  had,  some  time  before,  left 
Nebuzaradan  in  command  ;  and  as  he  was  car- 
rying on  the  siege  of  Tyre  at  the  same  time. 


SECTION  46.     DISTINCTIVE  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 


425 


had  himself  pitched  his  camp  at  Riblah,  where 
the  caravcn  route  from  Chaldea  across  the  des- 
ert- enters  the  upper  Syrian  plain,  and  then  di- 
vides, one  road  leading  south  to  Samaria  and 
Judca,  and  another  southwest  under  the  spurs 
of  Lebanon  toward  Tyro.  It  is  situated  on  the 
side  of  a  stream  near  the  mountains,  in  a  wide 
fertile  jilain,  and  was  a  regular  outpost  of  As- 
syrian armies.  It  still  retain  its  ancient  name. 
From  this  position,  then,  the  king  could  con- 
trol the  operations  of  both  the  besieging  armies. 

Tn'striiiii. And  tlicy  gave  judgment 

upon  liim.  As  a  rebel,  who  had  broken  his 
covenant  and  his  oath  (Ezek.  17  :  16,  18),  Zede- 
klah  was  brought  to  trial  before  Nebuchadnez- 
zar and  his  great  lords.  The  facts  could  not 
be  denied,  and  sentence  was  therefore  passed 
upon  him,  nominally  by  the  court,  practically 
by  Kebuehadnezzar  (Jer.  53  : 9).  By  an  un- 
usual act  of  clemency,  his  life  was  spared  ;  but 
the  judgment  was  still  sufficiently  severe. 
Hammond. 

7.  This  king,  Zcdekiah,  both  weak  and 
wicked,  met  a  fearful  doom — his  sons  slain  be- 
fore his  eyes,  himself  brought  to  look  face  to 
face  into  the  eyes  of  the  Chaldean  king  against 
whom  he  hiid  faithlessly  rebelled.  Then  his 
eyes  were  put  out,  and  himself  taken  in  chains 
to  Babylon  to  die  there.  With  singular  minute- 
ness all  the  apparently  conflicting  prophecies 
concerning  him  were  precisely  fulfilled.  Eze- 
kiel  (chap.  13  :  13)  had  said  of  him,  "  I  will 
bring  him  to  Babylon,  yet  shall  he  not  see  it, 
though  he  shall  die  there."  Precisely  so.  He 
was  borne  there,  yet  never  to  see  that  great 
citj'  not  the  light  of  day  there.  These  nobles 
of  Judah,  whom  we  have  seen  exerting  a  sway 
so  absolute  and  so  pernicious  over  tlus  weak 
king,  are  all  slain.  H.  C. Thus  were  ful- 
filled two  prophecies  tliat  seemed  to  contradict 
one  another  ;  the  first  that  of  Jeremiah,  that 
"  Zcdekiah's  eyes  should  behold  the  ej'cs  of  the 
king  of  Babylon"  (Jer.  33:4),  and  the  other 
that  of  Ezekicl,  that  "  he  should  not  see  Babj'- 
lon,  though  he  should  die  there."      W.  Lmrth. 

He  was  made  to  witness  the  execution  of  his 
own  sons,  and  of  all  the  princes  of  liis  court. 
These  fearful  executions  were  then  indelibly 
impressed  upon  his  mind  by  the  destruction  of 
his  own  sight.  He  was  then  bound  in  chains, 
and  remained  in  prison  until  his  death. 
"In  the  death  of  Zedekiah  ended  the  royal 
house  of  David.  And  thus  was  closed  the  sad 
experiment  of  monarchy  in  Israel.  It  had  been 
begun  nearly  five  liundred  years  before,  by  the 
people's  rejection  of  Jehovah's  personal  rule 
and  their  choice  of  Saul  as  their  king.     Broken 


in  twain  at  Solomon's  death,  the  severed  parts 
had  each  nineteen  kings  (or  twenty,  if  we  count 
Tibni  and  Athaliali).  The  great  root-sin  in 
each  kingdom  was  idolatry  ;  the  source  of  all 
the  long  series  of  calamities,  as  it  was  the  cause 
of  successive  Divine  judgments.  For  this  cause 
at  last  God  was  constrained  to  extirpate  the  de- 
sired monarchy,  and  to  depopulate  the  very 
land  which  He  had  originallj'  given  to  their  fa- 
thers. But  the  great  evil  was  eradicated  by 
the  long  captivity  in  Babylon.  In  the  sad 
3-cars  of  exile  the  remnant  of  God's  people 
learned  the  lesson  taught  by  a  discipline  so  se- 
vere. Strangers  in  a  strange  land,  the  faithful 
ones  among  them  pondered  the  teachings  of 
the  prophets,  whose  books  they  had  borne  with 
them.  And  God  interposed  still  in  their  behalf 
by  merciful  providences,  and  communicated 
with  them  by  the  living  prophets  Daniel  and 
Ezekicl.  Thus  He  prepared  them,  when  at 
length  they  utterly  gave  up  their  idolatry,  for 
the  period  of  return  and  partial  restoration  in 
the  land  of  their  f  athere.     B. 

DisTTNCTtvE  Practical  Suggestions. 

The  sinful  heart  remains  unwarned  and  un- 
touched by  the  most  fearful  consequences  of 
others'  sin,  though  these  are  seen  ever  so  clear- 
ly. Zedekiah  and  his  princes  received  warn- 
ing upon  warning,  not  only  by  the  mouth  of 
Jeremiah,  but  by  the  successive  visitations  of 
calamity  during  the  three  preceding  brief 
reigns.  Yet  thej'  would  not  learn  these  multi- 
plied lessons  ;  but  in  the  face  of  consequences 
so  terrible  they  filled  up  the  measure  of  their 
own  iniquities.  And  such  has  ever  been  the 
course  of  the  naturally  deceitful,  desperately 
wicked  heart  of  man.  Even  when  sentence  is 
executed  speedily  upon  others,  their  hearts  re- 
main set  in  them  to  do  evil. 

God's  strange  work  of  judgment  will  at  last 
be  performed.  By  the  legitimate  effect  of  his 
own  evil  doing  upon  the  transgressor,  and  by 
the  natural  instrumentality  of  other  wicked 
men.  His  visitations  of  punishment  are  finally 
wrought.  Thus  was  it  with  the  people  of  Ju- 
dah in  these  closing  reigns.  And  this  is  one  of 
the  strongly  significant  lessons  of  these  reigns. 
God  will  not  be  mocked,  nor  will  He  stay  His 
avenging  hand,  when  the  day  of  His  mercy  Is 
overpassed. 

This  captive,  blinded,  imprisoned,  crushed 
and  hopeless  king  ])resents  to  us  a  signal 
type  of  the  end  of  every  wilful  transgressor 
against  Divine  mercy.  Under  sin's  cruel  mas- 
tery the  soul  is  at  last  bound  and  blinded,  and 


42C 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


hopelessly  crushed  forever  in  the  prison  of  dc- 
spuir. 

Yet  Gad  in  rich  in  mcrnj  to  iill  tliat  cull  upon 
Ilim.  lie  desires  not  that  any  should  perish, 
hut  that  all  should  eonie  to  repentance.  And 
lie  will  save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  come 
unio  Ilim  hy  Christ  Jesus.     B. 

The  story  of  the  Ju'lean  captivity  brings  to 
view,  us  every  other  great  event  in  history  does, 
these  two  distinct  lines  of  purpo.se — the  line  of 
God  and  the  line  of  man.  To  effect  God's  will 
in  the  fuKilment  of  ancient  prophecy,  this  one 
man  must  suffer  the  barbarities  of  ancient  war- 
fare, and  die  at  last  a  ilcthroned  prince,  a  child- 
less father,  a  blind  old  man,  in  an  enemy's 
country,  and  in  a  dungeon.  Yet  the,  great 
wheels  of  Proviilence  moved  on  calmly  and  re- 
lentlessly, crushing  out  that  one  life  as  if  no 
being  in  the  universe  cared  for  it.  No  friendly 
ear  seemed  to  hear  the  death-cry  of  the  victim. 

Of  the  many  truths  which  the  passage  before 
us  tciK'hes,  tlii!<  mji>itcrious  intcrroliition  of  the 
pUins  of  Giiil  irith  the  plans  of  men  will  seem  to 
some  minds  the  most  impressive.  The  enclos- 
ure of  the  iilans  of  men  within  the  plans  of  God 
is  such  that  eonimonly  men  appedr  to  he  left  rerij 
much  to  themselves.  This  unfortunate  prince, 
whose  lot  it  wsis  to  close  the  line  of  indepen- 
dent monarchs  on  the  throne  of  Judah,  docs  not 
appear  to  have  been  overruled  by  any  visible 
network  of  Divine  purposes.  Y^et  all  the  while 
a  plan  of  God  enveloped  him,  which  touched 
and  checked  at  all  points  his  plans,  directed  his 
workings  to  God's  ends,  and  wrought  out  over 
and  aroiuid  him  a  chapter  of  universal  historj', 
which  was  to  concern  the  world  in  distant  ages, 
and  nations  yet  unborn.  Such  is  the  sublime 
involution  of  every  human  life  with  the  pur- 
poses of  God.  So  noiseless  is  His  working,  that, 
when  men  are  defeated.  His  agency  is  not  forced 
upon  their  notice.  They  need  not  see  Him  if 
they  choose  not  to  see  Him.  Commonly  they  do 
not  see  Him.  They  say  of  their  misfortunes, 
"  Luck  wa,"!  against  me." 

In  leaving  men  to  themselves  in  the  forming 
and  working  of  their  own  plans,  Dieine  control 
does  not  prerfnt  the  occurrence  of  very  shocking 
catastrophes.  God  does  seem  to  leave  men  to 
their  fate  at  times,  as  if  death-throes  were  no 
concern  of  His.  All  happy  things  at  such  times 
appear  to  mock  human  agony  with  a  ferocity 
all  tlie  more  unbearable  because  it  is  so  still  and 
•so  beautiful,  yet  so  cold-blooded.  Individuals 
are  left  to  work  out  their  own  ruin.  Tempters 
do  devil's  work  on  the  young  and  the  unwary. 
Innocent  ones  suffer  with  the  guilty.  Nations 
trani])le  out  nations  in  the  rage  of  their  huge 


pas.sions.  The  millions  are  dragged  under  by 
the  pride  of  one.  Helpless  women  and  little 
children  are  the  victims.  The  great  wheels 
crash  into  and  crumple  up  the  little  wheels. 
Happy  homes  give  place  to  battle-grounds. 
Wheat-fields  grow  rank,  fertilized  by  human 
blood.  Artillery  thunders  in  cemeteries,  and 
))loughs  open  graves.  So  human  life  goes  on. 
This  is  history. 

Yet  the  plans  of  God  enxelop  and  use  the  plans 
of  men  irilh  more  than  motherly  tenderness  for 
every  man,  erery  woman,  erery  child.  In  infinite 
pity  He  looks  down  upon  man,  wimian,  <-hild, 
one  by  one.  The  remoteness  of  His  hiding  is 
only  the  mejusure  of  His  love.  All  the  mystery 
springs  from  the  fact  that  His  melting  eye  looks 
so  far  ahead,  and  His  .soft  hand  reaches  down 
to  the  roots  of  suffering,  so  far  beyond  our 
sight,  or  even  our  will  to  see.  God  only  knows 
the  love  of  God.  This  truth  in  its  fulness  we 
owe  to  the  Bible.  Through  the  whole  range  of 
the  Old  Testament  this  idea  runs — that  God  is 
a  personal  and  faithful  friend  to  everj'  one  who 
will  be  I/is  friend.  Do  we  venture  to  say, 
"Our  Father"'?  He  responds,  "  ^Vs  one  whom 
his  mother  comforteth,  so  will  I  comfort  thee." 
The  New  Testament  declares  the  same  with  yet 
more  intense  significance.  Taking  this  key 
from  God's  word,  we  can  unlock  the  whole 
mystery  of  life  so  far  as  suffering  is  concerned. 
To  eyes  once  opened  to  this  truth,  it  throws  a 
flood  of  golden  light  over  the  blackest  and  most 
tempestuous  midniglit  of  a  troubled  life.  Such 
a  man  knoirs  that  there  is  a  God  in  heaven  whom 
the  heaven  of  heavens  cannot  contain,  but  who 
deigns  to  dwell  in  the  homes  of  men.  You  can 
neither  prove  it  to  him  nor  disprove  it.  He 
knows  it. 

The  interlacing  of  the  plans  of  God  with  the 
plans  of  men  goes  far  toward  explaining  the  mys- 
tery of  shocking  a  ml  crcfptioncd  calamity.  Start- 
ing with  the  inexplicable  fact  of  sin,  there  is 
little  mystery  left  in  any  kind  or  degree  or  com- 
binations of  suffering.  In  a  world  overrun  with 
fiin  and  steeped  in  guilt  sis  this  world  is,  suffer- 
ing is  no  mystery.  It  is  God's  great  remedial 
antidote  to  sin.  The  mystery  wovdd  Ije  fearful 
if  there  were  none.  Suffering  is  a  wonderful 
fertilizer  to  the  roots  of  character.  The  great 
object  of  this  life  is  character.  This  is  the  only 
thing  we  can  carry  with  us  into  eternity. 
Benevolent  di.sciidine,  therefore,  is  aimed  at 
the  aceumulaling,  the  consolidating,  and  the 
purifying,  of  character.  To  gain  the  most  of 
it,  and  the  best  of  it,  is  the  object  of  probation. 

[  For  such  an  olijeet,  suffering  must  often  talie 

I  on  a  surgical  severity. 


SECTION  47. 


427 


The  intcrworking  of  the  plans  of  God  with 
the  plans  of  men  suggc/its  the  only  true  method 
of  happy  us  well  as  holy  liniig.  It  is  to  make 
our  plans  one  with  God's  plans.  Thus  blessed- 
ness is  sure  for  both  worlds.  Study  God's 
plans  ;  study  His  providences  ;  study  His 
word  ;  hearken  for  the  whispers  of  His  Spirit. 
Make  much  of  still  hours.  Find  out  thus  your 
place  in  God's  purposes  of  procedure.  Then 
drop  into  that  place  trustfully  and  contentedly. 
Move  with  His  moves,  start  at  His  bidding,  go 
here,  go  there,  stay,  as  He  directs.  Lie  still 
and  suffer,  if  that  be  the  order  from  above. 
Have  no  will  but  His.     Pltelps. 


Jbremiah   52d  a  Supplement   by  the  Com- 
piler. 

The  last  verse  of  chapter  51  runs  :  "  Thus 
far  tlic  words  of  Jeremiah."  This  53d  chapter 
is  not  Jeremiah's  work  ;  it  is  not  his  style.  The 
autlior  of  it  writes  Jclioiacldn  ;  Jeremiah  writes 
him  always  JeconUih,  or  Coniah.  It  is  merely 
liistorical.  The  author,  whoever  he  was,  relates 
the  capture  of  Jerusalem,  the  fate  of  Zedekiah, 
the  pillage  and  burning  of  the  city  and  the 
Temiile.  He  mentions  also  certain  persons  of 
distinction  who  were  slain  by  the  Chaldeans. 
He  mentions  the  number  of  the  captives  that 
were  carried  to  Babylon  at  three  different 
times  ;  and  concludes  with  the  deliverance  of 
King  Jehoiachin  from  prison  in  Babylon,  in 
which  he  had  been  for  thirty -seven  years.  It 
is  very  likely  that  the  whole  chapter  has  been 
compiled  from  some  chronicle  of  that  time  ;  or 


it  was  designed  as  a  preface  to  the  Book  of  the 
Lamentations  ;  and  would  stand  with  great  pro- 
priety before  it,  as  it  contains  the /«c<s  on  which 
that  inimitable  poem  is  built.     A.  C. 

This  chapter  was  confessedly  added  by  some 
one  after  Jeremiah's  time,  probably  by  Ezra, 
or  whoever  revised  the  sacred  writings  after  the 
retiirn  of  the  Jews  from  Babylon,  and  collected 
them  into  one  hoAy.  It  contains  a  brief  history 
of  the  captivity,  nearly  the  same,  word  for 
word,  as  it  is  related  in  the  second  Book  of 
Kings,  chap.  24  :  18-20  and  25,  together  with 
some  few  additions.  Some  have  supposed  it 
placed  here  as  a  proper  introduction  to  the  Book 
of  Lamentations.  But  more  probably  the  de- 
sign was,  by  immediately  subjoining  this  his- 
torical narrative  of  the  desolations  of  the  Jew- 
ish nation  to  the  predictions  of  Jeremiah  con- 
cerning them,  to  hold  forth  a  nearer  view  of 
the  exact  accomplishment  of  the  Divine  word 

of  prophecy.     Blayney. It  is  by  no  means 

unnatural  that  a  judicious  compiler  should 
deem  it  important  to  append  to  such  a  book  of 
prophecies  a  succinct  historical  sketch  of  the 
fall  of  Jerusalem,  the  disposal  made  of  the  cap- 
tives, and  the  ultimate  fortunes  of  their  surviv- 
ing king,  Jehoiachin.  If  Jeremiah  had  writ- 
ten this  chapter,  there  is  no  reason  apparent 
why  it  should  not  have  come  in  its  natural 
order  with  chap.  39,  where,  in  verses  1-10,  he 
gives  his  account  of  the  capture  of  the  city.  If 
these  views  are  correct,  this  chapter  should 
appropriately  have  been  styled,  not  Jeremiah, 
chap.  52,  but  "  A  supplement  to  Jeremiah  by  Hie 
compiler."     H.  C. 


Section  47. 


CHAPTERS  FROM  JEREMIAH   CONTAINING  THE  MAIN  INCIDENTS   OF  THE 
PROPHET'S   CONNECTION   WITH   ZEDEKIAH. 

Jeremiah  27  and  28  ;  34  ;  21,  37  and  38  ;  32. 


Summaries  of  Zerlel'inh' s  Ueign,  Explanatory  of 
these  Chapters  from  Jeremiah. 

Zedekiah,  the  last  king  of  Judali,  was  a 
weak  pi-inee,  who  lived  in  dependence  upon  the 
upstarts  who  had  now  seized  upon  power.  He 
had  sworn  fealty  to  Nebucha<lnezzar  (2  Chron. 
36  :  13),  and  had  testified  his  submission  to  him. 
both  by  an  embassy  in  the  beginning  of  his 
reign  (Jer.  29  ;  3)  and  a  personal  visit  to  Baby. 


Ion  in  the  fourth  year  (51  :  59).  It  was  then 
that  Jeremiah  wrote  his  prophecy  of  the  future 
destruction  of  Babylon  (chaps.  50,  51),  when,  as 
is  therein  declared,  the  hammer  of  the  world 
should  be  broken  in  pieces  by  a  mightier,  and 
delivered  it  to  the  royal  courier  to  read  it  in 
Babylon,  and  then  to  east  the  roll,  after  bind- 
ing a  stone  to  it,  into  the  river  Euphrates.  But 
the  king's  party  was  meditating  a  revolt  from 
Babylon,  and  a  consultation  with  the  ambassa- 


428 


KTKGDO.V  OF  J  FT)  A  IT. 


dors  of  certain  noighboring  States  took  place  at 
Jerusalem  at  this  very  time  (Jer.  27  :  3).  In 
vaiu  iliil  Jeremiah  warn  them,  by  repeatedly 
declaring  the  Divine  appnintmeut  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar to  be  the  iustrument  of  judgment  to 
Judah  and  the  surrounding  nations.  Tlie  lying 
prophets,  wlio  both  in  Jerusalem  and  among  the 
Jews  already  in  captivity  predicted  the  speed- 
ily approaching  end  of  the  Babyloniiin  servi- 
tude,  found  more  willing  listeners  (Jit.  27-29). 
In  the  ninth  year  of  his  reign,  Zedekiah  at  last 
openly  broke  his  oatli,  and  concluded  an  alli- 
ance with  the  Egyptian  king,  ITophra  (else- 
where called  Apries).  Then  Ezekiel  uttered 
from  his  captivity  his  threatening  words  con- 
cerning Jerusalem,  chaps.  17  and  21  belonging 
to  this  period.  Before  the  Egyptian  monarcOi 
had  yet  completed  liis  preparations,  Nebuchad- 
nezzar appeared  with  an  army  in  Palestine  (Jer. 
34  :  1-7)  ;  the  country  towns  were  destroyed, 
the  fortresses  surrounded,  and  Jeru.salcm  pre- 
pared for  an  obstinate  resistance.  Jeremiah 
counselled  the  surrender  of  the  city.  But  when 
the  Chaldean  army  marched  against  the  now 
advancing  Ilophra,  the  newly  awakened  arro- 
gance of  the  ruling  party  no  longer  heeded  any 
warning.  Jeremiah  was  cast  into  prison,  but 
secretly  released  by  tlie  king,  and  kept  in  the 
court  of  the  prison  (chap.  37).  When,  on  the 
return  of  the  Chaldean  army,  he  renewed  his 
threatening  announcements,  lie  was  cast  by  the 
princes  into  a  dungeon,  that  he  might  there 
perish  with  hiuiger.  Being  again  delivered  by 
the  king,  he  in  vain  entreated  him  to  surrender  to 
the  Chaldees  (chap.  38).  While,  however,  not- 
withstanding the  heroic  defence  of  the  city,  its 
danger  was  daily  increasing,  and  famine  was  rag- 
ing terribly  among  the  besieged  (cf.  Lam.  2  ;  20  ; 
4  :  9  sqq.),  the  voice  of  the  prophet  was  lifted  up 
in  the  nnd.stof  the  niLsery  that  surroimded  him, 
to  proclaim  with  exulting  conlidenee  the  glori- 
ous future  awaiting  the  chosen  people  and  the 
city  of  God,  and  to  prophesy,  while  the  ancient 
form  of  the  theocracy  was  being  destroyed  and 
the  throne  of  David  trampled  under  foot,  con- 
cerning the  new  covenant  and  the  righteous 
branch  of  David  (Jer.  30-33).  After  a  siege  of 
eighteen  mouths,  ii  breach  was  made  in  the  for- 
tifications. Zedekiah  with  a  portion  of  liis 
forces  endeavored  to  escape,  but  was  brought 
back  to  Nebuchadnezzar  at  Riblah,  and,  after 
his  sons  had  been  executed  before  his  eyes,  was 
deprived  of  his  sight  and  taken  in  chains  to 
Babylon  (39  :  1-7  ;  2  K.  2.T  :  1-7  ;  cf.  also  Ezek. 
12  :  13).     Ouhhi: 

Jeremiah's  great  prophecy  against  Babylon, 
for  the  consolation  of  the  exiles,  was  rendered 


the  more  impressive  by  the  sign  which  followed 
it.     Seraiah,  the   son  of   Neriah,  who  carried 
this  prophecy  to  Babylon,  was  directed,  after 
reading  it,  to  tie  a  stone  to  the  volume  and  to 
sink  it  in  the  Euphrates,  saying,  "  Thus  shall 
Babylon  sink,  and  shall  not  rise  from  the  evil 
that  I  will  bring  upon  her"  (50,  51).     The  oc- 
casion found  for  executing  this  conunission  was 
a  visit  which  Zedekiah  paid  to  Babylon  in  the 
fourth  year  of  his  reign  (n.c.  .594-93),  probably 
to  pay  his  triliute  to  Nebuchadnezzar,  or  per- 
haps to  defend  himself  against  the  first  suspi- 
cions of  treasonable  dealings  with  Egypt.    For 
in  the  same  j-ear  Pharaoh-Necho,  who  seems 
never  to  have  ventured  to  meet  Nebuchadnez- 
zar after  the  defeat  of  Carchemish,  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son  Psammetichus  II.  (the  Psam- 
mis  of  Herodotus).     From  the  Book  of  Ezekiel, 
who  began  in  this  year  to  enforce  upon  the  ex- 
iles at  Babj-lon  the  same  lessons  that  Jeremiah 
was  teaching  at  Jerusalem,  we  learn  that  Zede- 
kiah entered  into  a  treasonable  corresiiondeucc 
with  the  new  king  of  Egypt,  which  the  prophet 
denounces  as  a  gross  violation  of  his  plighted 
faith,   destined    to    end    in    the   king's   being 
brought  to  Babylon  for  punishment,  while  his 
people  should  fall  by  the  sword  or  be  scattered 
to  the  winds  (Ezek.  17  :  11-21).     The  terms  of 
the  agreement  with  Egypt  are  expressly  stated 
by  the  jiroiihet  :  "  He  rebelled  against  him  in 
sending  his  amb;issadors  into  Egypt,  that  they 
might  give  him  horses  and  much  people  ;"  and 
we  are  forbidden  to  give  Zedekiali  credit  for  a 
patriotic  resistance  by  the  declaration  of  the 
lustorian  :  "  He  rebelled  against  King  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, who  had  made  him  swear  by  God  ; 
but  he  stiffened  his  neck  and  hardened  his  heart 
from  turning   unto  Jehovah,  God  of   Israel" 
(2  Chron.  30  :  13).     At  Jerusalem  the  plot  ap- 
peared so  far  ripe  that  the  false  [iniiihet  Hana- 
niah  promised  the  return  of  Jelmiachin  williin 
two  years,  and  publicly  broke  off  tlie  neck  of 
Jeremiah  the  yoke  which  he  wore,  as  a  sign  of 
the  hopeless  subjection  of  .Judah  and  the  sur- 
rounding nations,  who  seem  to  have  joined  the 
Egyptian  league.     Jeremiah   replied  that  the 
yoke  of  wood  (the  present  vassalage  of  Baby- 
lon) should  be  replaced  by  a  yoke  of  iron  (the 
final  destruction  of  the  nation),  and  predicted 
the  death  of  Ilananiah,  which  hapjicned  within 
the  year  (Jer.   27,   28).     We  lind   further  evi- 
dence of  the  progress  of  the  conspiracy  in  the 
Book  of   Ezekiel.     His  vision  of  the  Tcm])le  at 
Jerusalem,  in  the  lifth  day  of  the  sixth  month 
of  the  sixth  year  of  the  Captivity  (n.c.  594-93), 
reveals  the  idol  abominations  which  would  soon 
be  punished  by  the  destruction  of  all  but  a 


SECTION  47.     SUMMARIES  OF   ZEDEEIAITS  REIGN. 


429 


small  chosen  remnant,  ami  other  visions  and 
types  follow  to  the  like  effect  (chaps.  8-12). 
The  plainer  language  of  Ezekiel,  about  a  3'car 
later  (on  the  tenth  of  the  fifth  month  of  the  sev- 
enth year  of  Zedekiah),  when  the  elders  of  Ju- 
dah  came  to  him  to  inquire  of  Jehovah  con- 
cerning the  state  of  Jerusalem,  serves  to  show 
that  the  rebellion  had  broken  out  (chaps.  20,  23, 
23).  The  utter  corruption  of  the  people  at  this 
time,  their  persecution  of  God's  prophets  and 
rejection  of  His  word,  so  that  Ills  wrath  came 
upon  them  "till  there  teas  no  remedy;"  the 
wickedness  of  Zedekiah  in  not  humbling  him- 
self before  the  word  of  God  by  Jeremiah  ;  his 
faithlessness  to  the  oath  he  had  sworn  to  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and  that  not  from  religious  patriot- 
ism, for  "  he  stiffened  his  neck  and  hardened 
liis  heart  from  turning  unto  Jehovah  God  of 
Israel  ;"  and  the  result  in  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  captivitj'  of  the  people  till 
the  time  of  the  Persian  Empire,  so  that  the 
land  kept  her  Sabbaths  for  seventy  years,  as 
'Jeremiah  had  foretold — these  outlines  of  the 
catastrophe  are  drawn  by  the  writer  of  the 
Chronicles  (36  :  11-21). 

It  was  still  two  years  before  Nebuchadnezzar 
laid  siege  to  Jerusalem,  with  the  resolution  to 
destroy  it  utterly  for  Zedekiali's  treason.  From 
this  point  the  dates  of  Ezekiel's  prophecies  ac- 
company the  events  at  Jerusalem.  The  city 
.  was  invested  in  the  ninth  3'ear  of  Zedekiah,  on 
the  tenth  day  of  the  tenth  month  ;  and  on  the 
same  day  Ezekiel  was  commissioned  to  foretell 
its  utter  destruction,  by  striking  images,  to  the 
exiles  at  Babylon  (chap.  24).  The  forces  mar- 
shalled against  Jerusalem  comprised  Nebuchad- 
nezzar's whole  army,  all  the  vassal  kings  of  his 
empire,  and  all  the  nations  around.  Ammonites, 
Moabites,  Edomites  and  others,  who  came  up 
to  avenge  the  quarrels  of  a  thousand  yeara. 
All  the  fortified  cities  of  Judah  had  already 
been  taken  except  Lachish  and  Azekali  (Jer. 
S-lil,  7).  In  this  extremity  Zedekiah  pro- 
claimed freedom  to  all  Hebrew  slaves,  and  .sent 
Zephaniah  the  priest,  with  another  messenger, 
to  entreat  the  praj'ers  of  Jeremiah.  In  reply, 
he  announced  the  coming  destruction  of  the 
city  and  the  fate  of  the  king  himself.  The 
king  now  attempted  to  silence  him  by  a  mild 
confinement  in  the  court  of  the  prison  in  the 
palace,  where  he  had  the  society  of  Baruch. 
While  thus  shut  up,  and  that  in  a  city  environed 
by  a  mighty  enemy,  Jeremiah  purchased,  as  the 
"  Goel,"  a  field  at  his  native  village  of  Ana- 
thoth  in  Benjamin,  as  a  sign  of  that  return 
which  he  went  on  to  prophesy,  together  with 
the  glories  of  Messiah's  kingdom.     This  act  of 


faith  has  been  compared  to  that  of  the  Roman 
who  bought,  at  its  full  value,  the  ground  on 
which  Hannibal  was  encamped. 

And  now  there  broke  forth  a  deceptive  ray  of 
hope.  Pharaoh-Hophra,  who  had  just  succeed- 
ed to  the  throne  of  Egj'pt,  led  the  forces  which 
his  father  had  collected  to  the  relief  of  Zede- 
kiah. His  capture  of  Gaza  (Jer.  47  ;  1-7)  caused 
Nebuchadnezzar  to  suspend  the  siege  of  Jeru- 
salem, and  to  march  against  liim.  And  now 
Jerusalem  exulted  with  the  joy  of  a  city  deliv- 
ered from  a  hopeless  siege.  But  Jeremiah  for- 
bade them  to  deceive  themselves,  while,  on  the 
distant  banks  of  the  Euphrates,  Ezekiel  also 
foretold  the  ruin  of  Egypt  (Jer.  37  :  6-10).  The 
princes  of  Judah  now  broke  their  solemn  cove- 
nant to  release  their  Hebrew  slaves  ;  and  Jere- 
miah, having  denounced  their  conduct,  left  the 
city  for  his  home  in  Benjamin.  He  was  de- 
tained by  one  of  his  enemies,  who  happened  to 
be  captain  of  the  gate.  The  princes  accused 
him  of  deserting  to  the  Chaldeans,  a  course 
which  had  now  become  common  ;  and  he  was 
imprisoned  in  the  house  of  Jonathan  the  scribe, 
where  he  remained  for  some  time  (chaps. 
34  :  11-22  ;  37  ;  11-15).  Meanwhile  his  warn- 
ings were  fulfilled  bj'  the  return  of  the  array  of 
Nebuchadnezzar,  who,  according  to  Josephus, 
had  defeated  the  Egyptians  ;  though  more 
probably  the  enemy  retired  without  a  battle. 
Zedekiah  now  sent  secretly  for  Jeremiah,  and 
asked  him,  "  Is  there  any  word  from  Jeho- 
vah ?"  "There  is,"  replied  the  prophet; 
"  thou  shalt  be  delivered  into  the  hand  of  the 
king  of  Babylon."  Hoping,  it  would  seem,  for 
a  more  favorable  answer,  the  king  sent  him 
back  to  the  court  of  the  prison,  and  ordered 
him  to  be  fed  while  any  bread  was  left  in  the 
city.  In  reply  to  another  request  which  the 
king  sent  to  him  by  Pashur  and  Zephaniah  to 
inquire  of  Jeliovah,  the  prophet  pointed  out  a 
surrender  as  the  only  hope  of  safety  (chap.  21). 
Upon  this  the  princes  demanded  his  death  as  a 
traitor,  and  the  king  confessed  himself  too 
weak  to  withstand  them.  They  threw  Jere- 
miah to  perish  in  a  hideous  pit  of  the  prison, 
where  he  sank  into  the  mire  ;  but  the  better  feel- 
ings of  the  king  came  to  his  rescue  at  the  inter- 
cession of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch  Ebed-melech, 
to  whom  he  promised  his  life  "  for  a  prey"  in 
the  destruction  of  the  cit}'.  Once  more  ad- 
jured by  Zedekiah,  in  private,  to  give  him 
counsel  from  God,  the  prophet  pressed  him  to 
surrender  ;  but  the  king  was  afraid  of  falling 
into  the  hands  of  the  Jews  who  had  revolted  to 
Nebuchadnezzar,  and  who  had  doubtless  many 
a  wrong  to  avenge.     So  he  entreated  Jeremiah 


430 


KIKODO^^  OF  JUT). ML 


to  kei'p  the  intorvipw  a  scrrct,  and  sent  him 
hack  to  the  court  of  tlic;  prison,  where  ho  re- 
mained till  Jenisakm  was  taken  (37  :  14-28). 
That  catastrophe  was  now  at  liand  ;  the  ruin 
foreseen  by  Moses  from  the  very  birth  of  the 
nation,  foivtold  by  tlie  prophets,  and  postponed 
for  the  sake  of  pious  kings,  as  often  as  it  was 
provoked  by  their  degenerate  successors  ;  held 


in  suspense  in  remembrance  of  Ood's  oath  to 
David,  but  brought  down  at  last  by  the  shame- 
less, persistent,  inveterate  violation  of  His  cov- 
enant of  i)iety  and  purity  by  t!ie  chosen  people. 
.Ichovali  had  done  all  lie  couhl  by  Ilispropliets, 
whose  words  tliey  despised  and  misused  their 
persons,  "  until  the  wrath  of  .lehovali  arose 
against  His  people  till  tlurcwas  nwiviiuili/."   P.  S. 


Jeiiemi.mi,  CuArs.  2"  and  28. 
T/ic  Yokes  and  Uamininh. 

2?  :  1   In  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Zedekiah  the  son  of  .Josiah,  king  of  .ludah,  c.ime 

2  this  word   luito  .lereiniah  from   the   i;(iiii>,  saying,  'riius  sailh  tiie   I.cikd  to  me:   Make  tliee 

3  bands  and  bars,  and  put  them  uimn  thy  neck  ;  and  send  them  to  the  king  of  Idiom,  and  to 
the  king  of  iMoab.  and  to  the  king  of  llu'  children  of  Amnion,  and  to  the  king  of  Tyre,  and  to 
the  king  •)f  Zidon,  by  the  Iiand  of  tlie  messengers  which  come  to  .Jerusalem  unto  Zedekiah 

4  king  of  ,Iudah  ;  and  give  them  a  charge  unto  their  masters,  saying.  Tims  saith  the  L()iii>  of 

5  hosts,  tlie  (Jod  of  Israel  :  Tlius  shall  ye  say  unto  your  masters";  I  liave  made  tlii'  eartli,  the 
man  and  the  beast  that  are  upon  th('  face  of  the  earth,  by  my  great  p.)Wer  and  by  my  out- 

6  strelelied  arm  ;  and  I  give  it  unto  wlnan  it  seemetli  right  unto  me.  And  now  have  I  "given 
all  these  lands  into  the  iiand  of  Nebucliadne/zar  the  king  of  IJaliylon.  my  servant  ;  and  the 

7  beasts  of  the  Held  also  havi;  I  given  him  to  serve  him.  And  all  the  nations  shall  serve  him. 
and  his  son,  and  liis  son's  son,  until  the  time  of  his  own  land  come  :  and  then  many  nations 

8  and  great  kings  shall  .serve  themselves  of  him.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  niition  and 
the  Ivingdoin  which  will  not  serve  the  .same  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon,  and  that  will 
not  put  their  neck  under  the  yoke  of  the  king  of  15abylon,  that  nation  will  I  ininish,  saith  the 
Loud,  witli  llie  sword,  and  with  tlie  famine,  and  with  the  pestilence,  until  I  have  consumed 

9  them  by  his  hand.  But  as  for  you.  liearkeii  ye  not  to  your  prophets.' nor  to  your  diviners, 
nor  to  your  dreams,  nor  to  your  soothsayers,  nor  to  your  sorcerers,  which  sjieak   unto  you, 

10  saying,  \i'  shall  not  serve  the  king  of  Babylon  :  for  tliey  prophesy  a  lie  unto  yon,  to  reinove 

11  you  far  from  your  land  ;  and  that  I  should  drive  you  out  and  ye  should  perish.  But  the 
nation  that  shall  bring  tiieir  neck  under  the  yoke  of  the  king  of  IJabylon,  and  .serve  him,  that 
iKttiim.  will  I  let  remain  in  their  own  land,  saith  the  LoiiD  ;  and  they  shall  till  it,  and  dwell 
therein. 

12  And  I  spake  to  Zedekiah  king  of  Judalt  according  to  all  these  words,  saying.  Bring  your 
Vi  necks  under  tlie  yoke  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  serve  him  and  his  iieopU",  ami  live.     Why 

will  ye  di(^,  thou  and  thy  people,  by  the  sword,  by  the  famine,  and  by  the  liestileiice,  as  the 

14  Loud  hath  spoken  concerning  the  nation  that  will  not  serve  the  king  of  Babylon?  And 
hearken  not  unto  the  words  of  tlie  iirophets  that  speak  unto  you,  saying.  Ye  sliiill  not  serve 

15  the  king  of  liahylon  ;  for  they  prophesy  a  lie  unto  you.  For  I  have  not  sent  them,  saith  the 
J^oiiD,  luit  tliey  prophesy  falsely  in  my  name  ;  that  I  might  drive  you  out,  and  that  ye  might 

IG  jierisli,  ye,  and  the  prophets  that  prophesy  unto  you.  Also  I  spake  to  the  ]u-iests  lind  to  a"! 
this  people,  saying.  Thus  saith  the  Loud  :  Hearken  not  to  the  wtn-ds  of  your  prnpln  ts  that 
prophesy   unto  you,  saying.  Behold,  the   vessels  of  tlie  Louu's  house  sliall   imw  shortly  be 

17  brought  again  from  Babylon  :  for  they  prophesy  a  lie  unto  you.     Hearken  not  unto  tliem  ; 

18  serve  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  live  :  wherefore  should  tliis  city  become  a  desolation?  But  if 
they  be  prophets,  and  if  the  word  of  the  Loud  be  with  them,  let  them  now  make  intercession 
to  the  Loud  of  hosts,  that  the  vessels  which  are  left  in  the  house  of  the  Lcmo,  and  in  the 

19  house  of  tli(!  king  of  Judah,  and  at  Jerusalem,  go  not  to  Babylon.  For  thus  saitli  the  Loud 
of  hosts  concerning  the  pillars,  and  concerning  the  sea,  and  concerning  the  basis,  and  concern- 

20  ing  the  residue  of  tlu^  vessels  that  are  left  in  this  city,  which  Xebueliadnezzar  king  of  Baby- 
lon took  not,  when  he  carried  away  captive  Jecouiah  the  son  of  Jehoiakim,  king  of  .ludah, 

21  from  Jerusalem  to  Babylon,  and  all  the  nobh'S  of  .Judah  and  Jerusalem  ;  yea,  tlius  saith  the 
Lout)  of  liosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  concerning  the  vessi'ls  that  are  left,  in  the  house  oi  the  l/OiiD, 

22  and  in  the  liouse  of  the  king  of  Jmiah,  and  at  Jerusalem  :  They  shall  be  carried  to  Babylon, 
and  tliere  shall  they  be,  until  the  day  that  I  visit  them,  saith  "the  Louu  ;  then  will  I  bring 
them  up,  and  restore  them  to  this  ])la'ce. 

!iS  ;  1   And  it  came  to  pass  the  same  year,  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Zedekiah  king 

of  .Indah,  in  the  fourth  year,  in  the  liflli"  monlli,  that  llananiidi  the  son  oi'  Azzur  the  prophet, 

which  was  of  Gilieon,  spake  unto  me  in  the  liouse  of  the  Loud,  in  the  presence  of  the  priests 

2  and  of  all  the  people,  saying.  Thus  speaketh  the  Loud  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  saying,  I 

8  have  broken  the  yoke  of  the  king  of  Babylon.     Within  two  full  years  w  ill  I  bring  again  into 

this  place  all  the  vessels  of  the  Loud's  house,  that  Nebuchadiu  zzar  king  of  Babylon  took 

4  away  from  this  place,  and  carried  tlu^m  to  Babylon  ;  and  I  will  bring  again  totliis  iilnce 
Jceoniah  the  son  of  Jehoiakim,  king  of  Jndah,  with  all  the  caplivi  s  oi'  Judah.  lliat  went  to 

5  Babylon,  saith  the  Loud  :  for  I  will  break  the  yoke  of  the  king  of  Babylon.  Then  the 
prophet  Jeremiah  said  unto  the  prophet  Jlauauiah  in  the  presence  of  the  priests,  and  in  the 


HECriON  47.     THE  YOKES  AND  HANANIAII. 


431 


presence  of  all  the  people  that  stood  in  the  house  of  the  Lord,  even  the  prophet  .Teremiah 

6  said,  Amen  :  the  Ia)U1)  do  so  ;  the  Lord  perform  thj'  words  which  thou  luist  proiihesicd,  to 
bring  again  the  vessels  of  the  Lord's  house,  and  all  them  of  the  captivity,  from  13abylou 

7  unto  this  place.     Nevertheless  hear  thou  now  this  word  that  I  speak  in  thine  ears,  and  in  the 

8  ears  of  all  llic  people  ;  The  prophets  that  have  been  before  me  and  before  thee  of  old  ])rophe- 
sied  against  many  countries,  and  against  great  kingdoms,  of  war,  and  of  evil,  and  of  jicsti- 

9  lenee.     The  prophet  which  proi)hesiclh  of  peace,  when  the  word  of  the  prophet  shall  come 

10  to  pass,  then  shall  the  prophet  be  known,  that  tiio  Lort)  hath  truly  sent  him.     Then  liana- 

11  niah  the  prophet  took  the  bar  from  oil  the  prophet  Jerenuah's  neck,  and  brake  it.  And 
Hananiah  spake  in  the  presence  of  all  the  people,  saying.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  :  Even  so  will 
I  break  the  j'oke  of  Kebuchadnczzar  king  of  IJabylon  within  two  full  years  from  off  the  neck 

13  of  all  the  nations.  And  the  prophet  .leremiah  went  his  way.  Then  the  word  of  the  Lord 
came  unto  Jeremiah,  after  that  Ilananinh  the  jiroiihi  t  had  broken  the  bar  from  off  the  neck  of 

13  the  prophet  Jeremiah,  saying.  Go,  and  tell  Ilananiah,  sa.ying.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  :  Thou 

14  hast  broken  the  bars  of  wood;  but  thou  shall  make  in  their  stead  bars  of  iron.  For  thus 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  :  I  have  put  a  yoke  of  iron  upon  the  neck  of  all 
these  nations,  that  they  may  serve  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon  ;  and  they  shall  serve 

15  him  :  and  I  have  given  him  the  beasts  of  the  tield  also.  Then  said  the  prophet  Jeremiah 
unto  Hananiah  the  prophet.  Hear  now,Hananiali  ;  the  Lord  hath  not  sent  thee  ;  but  thou 

16  makest  this  people  to  trust  in  a  lie.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord,  Behold,  I  will  send  thee 
away  from  off  the  face  of  the  earth  :  this  year  thou  shalt  die,  because  thou  hast  spoken  rebel- 

17  lion  "against  the  Lobd.     So  Hananiah  the  prophet  died  the  same  year  in  the  seventh  month. 


27  : 1.  In  the  first  verse,  which  purports  to 
give  the  date  of  this  prophecy,  there  is  mani- 
festly an  error  of  some  ancient  transcriber  in 
writing  Jehoiakim  for  Zedekiah.  That  this  is 
an  error  is  manifest,  for  verse  3  assumes  that 
Zedekiah  is  now  king  ;  verse  12  shows  that  the 
prophet  bore  this  message  personally  to  Zede- 
kiah ;  verse  20  proves  that  the  captivity  of 
Jeconiah,  son  and  successor  of  Jehoiakim,  is 
past ;  and  finally  chap.  28  :  1  states  that  the 
same  j/air  was  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of 
Zedekiah.  It  is  then  a  simple  matter  of  fact 
that  the  ancient  transcribers  of  the  sacred  text 
were  liable  to  mistakes,  and  did  sometimes 
make  them.  That  form  of  inspiration  ^vhich 
preserved  the  original  authors  of  the  Scriptures 
from  any  vital  error  in  doctrine  did  not  i-each 
all  the  transcribers  to  preserve  them  from  all 
mistake  in  their  transcripts.  Compared  with 
any  other  ancient  document,  the  Scriptures  arc 
remarkaljly  free  from  this  sort  of  en-or.  Where 
errors  have  occurred,  the  means  of  correction 
are  geuerallj',  as  here,  at  command.  This  chap- 
ter then  dates  in  the  fourth  year  of  the  reign  of 
Zedekiah.     H.  C. 

The  prophecies  contained  both  in  this  and 
the  following  chapter  belong  to  the  fourth 
year  of  Zedekiah's  reign.  About  this  time  am- 
bassadors came  to  Zedekiah  from  the  kings  of 
Edom,  Moab  and  other  neighboring  nations,  to 
solicit  him  to  join  with  them  in  a  confederacy 
against  the  king  of  Babylon.  On  this  occasion 
Jeremiah  is  ordered  to  put  bands  and  j'okcs 
about  his  neck,  and  to  send  them  afterward  to  the 
before-mentioned  kings,  declaring  the  sovereign- 
ty of  Nebuchadnezzar  and  his  successors  to  be 
of  Divine  appointment,  and  promising  peace 
and  protection  to  those  who  submitted  quietly, 
but  menacing  evil  in  case  of  resistance  (verses 


1-11).  A  like  admonition  is  delivered  to  Zede- 
kiah, advising  him  not  to  expose  himself  and 
his  people  to  certain  ruin,  by  listening  to  the 
suggestions  of  false  prophets,  and  revolting 
from  the  service  of  the  king  of  Babylon  (verses 
13-15).  The  priests  and  all  the  people  are  also 
warned  not  lo  give  credit  to  the  false  prophets, 
who  taught  them  to  expect  a  speedy  restoration 
of  the  vessels,  which  had  been  carried  away  to 
Babylon  together  with  Jeconiah.  Instead  of 
which  it  is  foretold  that  the  remaining  vessels 
in  the  house  of  God,  and  in  the  king's  house  at 
Jerusalem,  should  be  carried  after  the  other, 
and  should  not  be  brought  back  till  the  ap- 
pointed time  of  Judah's  captivitj'  was  at  an 
end  (verse  16  to  the  end).     Bliii/iuy. 

2.  Make  thee  bonds  and  yoke§. 
The  prophets  foreshowed  things  by  actions  as 
well  as  by  words.  So  Isaiah  went  "  naked  and 
barefoot"  (Isa.  20:3).  Ezekiel  prophesied  in 
like  manner  bj-  signs  (4  : 1,  etc.).      W.  Loiclh. 

2,  3.  Can  there  be  any  question  whether 
these  bonds  and  yokes  were  merely  seen  in  vis- 
ion, or  were  actually  made?  How  could  j-okcs 
be  sent  in  vision  by  the  hand  of  embassadors  to 
the  kings  of  Edom  and  Moab?  How  could 
those  kings  know  anything  about  the  prophet's 
vision?  'Were  the  consequent  tran.sactions  of 
the  next  chapter,  where  Hananiah  takes  off  the 
yoke  from  Jeremiah's  neck  and  breaks  it,  also 
done  in  vision?  And  did  his  death,  in  judg- 
ment therefor,  occur  in  vision  only?  llanifestly 
those  events  of  prophetic  life  which  were  inter- 
woven with  the  outward  life  of  other  men 
must  have  been  transacted  in  the  external 
World.  And  we  shall  not  be  misled  if  we  fol- 
low the  simple  rule  that  things  done  in  vision 
are  sa'd  to  be  sJiuwn  and  seen  only,  while  things 
done  in   the  outward  world  and  in  actual  life 


433 


KIXanOM  OF  Ji'DAIf. 


arc  plainly  slated  to  be  done,  as  here  :  "  ^f^d■c 
t  lice  bonds  and  yokes."  The  Bible  is  eminently 
a  plain  book,  written  for  the  eoininon  niiml, 
ami  to  be  interpreted  aceordingi)-. 

9-1 1.  In  tlio.se  nalion.s  the  word  of  the  Lord 
might  be  gainsayed  by  their  false  prophets  in 
the  form  of  diviners,  dreamers,  soothsayers, 
etc.,  as  was  done  by  false  proplicts  in  Jiidah. 
The  Lord  warns  them  to  put  no  confidence  in 
those  gainsayers  and  liars.  Men  claiming  su- 
pernatural powers  are  an  institution  in  all 
heathen  nations,  and,  so  far  as  history  enables 
us  to  judge,  have  always  been  so  iu  all  ages 
and  in  every  clime.  If  it  be  not  precisely  a 
demand  and  outgrowth  of  human  nat\ire,  it  is 
a  law  of  human  depravity  and  a  perpetual  ad- 
junct of  a  sinning  race  so  long  as  they  are  led 
captive  by  Satan  at  his  will. 

■  2,  13.  Here  the  message  comes  to  the  king 
and  people  of  Judah,  Whj-  should  they  fall 
under  the  general  doom  denounced  on  the  na- 
tions that  would  not  serve  the  king  of  Babylon? 

II.  C. "  Bring  your  necks  under  the  yoke 

of  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  serve  him  and  his 
people,  and  live.  Wh}-  will  ye  die — thou  and 
thy  people,  by  the  sword,  by  the  famine,  and 
by  the  pestilence,  as  the  Lord  hath  spoken 
against  the  nation  that  will  not  serve  the  king 
of  Baby-Ion?"  This  was  the  purport  of  the 
message  which  Jeremiah  delivered  before  King 
Zedekiah  and  his  court,  and  of  which,  wlien 
once  delivered,  his  continuing  to  wear  the  3'okc 
in  jniblic  was  a  standing  memorial,  continually 
reminding  those  who  saw  it  of  the  declaration 
which  it  s.vmbolized  and  embodied.  He  even 
appeared  with  it  in  the  Temple,  to  the  inner 
courts  of  which  he  as  a  priest  had  access. 
Jiilto. 

16,  17.  A  portion  of  the  sacred  vessels  of 
.  the  Temple  had  been  taken  away  to  Babylon 
with  Jehoiachin.  The  false  prophets  were  as- 
suring the  people  that  these  vessels  would  soon 
be  brought  back.  The  Lord  warns  them  against 
putting  any  confidence  in  such  declarations. 
"  Serve  the  king  of  Babylon  and  live"  means, 
"  And  so  ye  shall  live" — the  second  verb  being 
a  promise. 

18.  The  people  might  liavc  a  test  of  the  reli- 
ability of  these  prophets,  and  one  that  could  be 
applied  very  soon.  Bid  them  intercede  with 
God  to  prevent  the  vessels  of  the  Temple  and 
palace  yet  remaining  from  being  taken  to  Bab- 
ylon. If  they  had  power  with  God,  let  them 
improve  and  show  it  in  this  point.  The  qucs 
tion  must  soon  come  to  issue,  for  the  final  de- 
Btniction  of  the  city,  Temple  and  palace  was 
at  hand. 


19-22.  All  that  had  not  been  taken  away 
with  the  young  king,  Jehoiachin.  when  after  a 
three  nu  iiths'  reign  he  was  borne  <'aptive  to 
lialiylon,  would  soon  be  taken  away — viz.,  at 
the  close  of  the  then  present  reign  of  Zedekiah. 
Yet,  for  the  comfort  of  those  who  waited  hum 
bly  on  the  Lord,  He  assured  them  that  those 
vessels  would  be  brought  back  again  and  re- 
stored to  their  place — a  sacred  pledge  of  the 
restoration  of  a  renuiant  of  the  people  and  of 
the  re-establishment  of  Divine  worship  iu  its 
ancient  home. 

Chap.  2§.  The  chapter  is  especially  valu- 
able for  its  minute  description  of  the  case  of 
Hananiah,  one  of  the  false  jirophets,  who  la- 
bored zealously  to  counteract  the  inlluence  of 
the  true  prophets  of  the  Lord.  This  case  may 
stand  as  a  sample  of  the  class,  an  illustration  of 
the  methods  pursued  bj-  those  mischievous  and 
wicked  men. 

1.  What  is  said  to  have  occurred  in  the  "  be- 
ginning of  the  reign  of  Zedekiah"  is  more  defi- 
nitely set  to  his  fourth  year  and  fifth  month. 
The  Jews  used  the  phrases,  "  the  beginning" 
and  the  ' '  latter  end, ' '  to  denote  in  a  general  way 
the  earlj-  part  and  the  latter  part.  In  this  case, 
since  Zedekiah  reigned  eleven  years,  events  in 
his  fourth  year  would  be  in  the  former,  the 
early  part,  or  "  the  beginning."  This  transac- 
tion was  public,  in  the  presence  of  the  priests, 
and  of  all  the  people  in  the  Temple. 

2-4.  Thus  did  this  false  prophet  labor  di- 
rectly to  gainsay  and  deny  what  Jeremiah  had 
been  saying.  Observe,  he  does  not  shrink  from 
using  the  solemn  and  prophetic  forms  of  jm- 
nouncement  :  "  Thus  speaketh  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,"  and  this  in  the  very 
face  of  the  stern  prohibition  of  God  Himself. 
His  special  points  are,  that  God  says  He  has 
broken  the  yoke  of  the  king  of  Babylon  ;  that 
within  two  full  years  He  will  restore  all  the 
sacred  vessels  taken  from  the  Temple  to  Baby- 
lon with  Jeconiah.  and  will  bring  back  Jeeoniali 
himself.  This  indicates  a  degree  of  boldness 
and  daring  in  falsehood  which  can  scarcely  be 
aecouiUed  for  without  supposing  the  presence 
and  inspiration  of  the  "  father  of  lies." 

5,  6.  This  first  reply  of  Jeremiah  is  not  to  be 
considered  sis  prophecy  or  as  a  message  from 
the  Lord.  He  does  not  prefix  to  it  the  formula 
of  a  Divine  message,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lonl." 
He  means  only  this  :  I  shall  be  as  well  jileased  as 
yourself  to  see  all  the  sacred  vessels  of  the  Tem- 
jile  restored  and  all  the  captives  brought  back. 

7-9.  This  part  of  Jeremiah's  reply  mildly 
suggests  that  there  have  been  i>ropliets  in 
former  ages,  and  that  the  test  of  their  Divine 


SECTION 47.     MANUMISSION  AND  RE-ENSLAVEMENT  OF  SERVANTS.    433 


mission  hi^s  alwaj's  been  tlie  fullilment  of  tlieir 
predictions. 

10,  II.  Determined  to  be  beliind  the  true 
liropliets  ill  none  of  the  mctliods  used  bj-  tlieni 
to  deepen  the  impression  of  tlieir  words,  liana- 
niah  takes  the  yoke  from  Jeremiali's  neclc  and 
breaks  it.  Tliis  syniboUe  iiet  should  naturally 
indicate  that  the  Lord  had  reversed  His  pur- 
pose, and  would  break  the  power  of  Babylon 
within  two  years.  Consequently  until  that 
lime  this  test  of  fulfilment  could  not  be  applied 
to  prove  him  a  false  prophet.  Jeremiah  here 
withdraws,  having  no  further  special  mcs.sage 
from  the  Lord  to  deliver.  As  the  case  stands, 
there  is  nothing  more  for  him  to  do.  Two 
years  el;ip.sed  will  show  Hananiah  to  be  a  lying 
prophet — if  tlie  Lord  shall  see  fit  to  wait  so 
long.  Jeremiah  had  nothing  to  do  but  wait  for 
that  time,  or  at  least  for  some  further  commis- 
sion from  the  Loixl. 

15-17.  The  daring  hardihood  and  blasphe- 
my of  Hananiah  called  for  signal  retribution. 


Hence  another  solemn  message  from  the  Loril, 
first  forewarning,  then  smiting.  The  warning 
was  given  in  the  fifth  month  (verse  1).  The 
fatal  blow  fell  in  the  seventh,  with  only  two 
months'  dela_v,  giving  him  time  for  reflection 
and  repentance,  as  the  usage  of  human  courts 
fi.xes  a  future  day  for  execution,  to  give  the 
culprit  lime  for  thought  and  for  prejiaration  to 

die.  H.  C. §o  Hananiali  tlie  prophet 

died  the  same  year,  in  tiic  seveiitii 
month.  This  simple  record  of  tlie  result  has 
always  seemed  to  us  unequalled  in  that  sim- 
plicity which  rises  to  grandeur.  Here  is  no 
carefulness  of  minute  statement  as  to  exact  ful- 
filment ;  no  call  to  admiration  at  the  effect  of 
the  Lord's  judgment.  "  So  Hananiah  died  ;" 
that  is  all.  There  is  a  world  of  meaning  in 
that  "  so" — indicating  that  it  wiis  simply  the 
most  natural  and  inevitable  thing  in  the  world 
that  Hananiah  should  die — nuthing  at  all  to 
marvel  at  that  he  did  die — when  his  doom  had 
been  thus  denounced.     Kitto. 


Jeremi.^ii,  Cii.\p.  34. 
Manumission  and  Rv-~  ndatenicrd  of  Servants. 


34  :  1  TiTE  word  which  came  unto  Jeremiah  from  tiie  Loud,  when  Nebuchadnezzar  king 
of  Babylon,  and  all  his  arm_v,  and  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  that  were  under  his  dominion, 
and   all  the   peoples,  fought   against  Jerusalem,  and   against  all  the  cities  thereof,  saying  : 

2  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  Go,  and  speak  to  Zt'dekiah  king  of  Judah,  and  tell 
him.  Thus  saith  the  Loud,  Behold,  I  will  give  this  city  into  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Babylon, 

3  and  he  shall  burn  it  with  fire  :  and  thou  shalt  not  escape  out  of  his  hand,  but  shalt  surely  be 
taken,  and  delivered  into  his  hand  ;  and  thine  eyes  sliall  behoM  the  eyes  of  the  king  of  Baby- 

4  Ion,  and  he  shall  speak  with  thee  mouth  to  mouth,  and  tliou  shalt  go  to  Babylon.  Yet  hear 
the  word  of  the  Loud,  O  Zedekiali  king  of  Judah  ;  thus  saith  the  Lord  concerning  thee.  Thou 

5  shalt  not  die  by  the  sword  ;  thou  shalt  die  in  peace  ;  and  with  the  burnings  of  thy  fathers,  the 
former  kings  which  were  before  thee,  so  shall  they  make  a  burning  for  thee  ;  and  they  shall 

6  lament  thee,  siii/iiig.  Ah  lord  !  for  I  have  spoken  the  word,  saith  the  Lord.     Then  Jeremiah 

7  the  prophet  spake  all  these  words  unto  Zedekiali  king  of  Judah  in  Jerusalem,  when  the  king 
of  Babylon's  army  fought  against  Jerusalem,  and  against  all  the  cities  of  Judah  that  were 
left,  against  Laehish  and  against  Azekali  ;  for  these  ahne  remained  of  the  cities  of  Judah  as 
fenced  cities. 

8  The  word  that  came  unto  Jeremiah  from  the  Lord,  after  that  the  king  Zedekiali  had  made 

9  a  covenant  witli  all  the  people  which  were  at  Jerusalem,  to  proclaim  lilierl}-  unto  tliem  ;  that 
every  mail  should  let  his  manservant,  and  every  man  his  maidservant,  being  an  Hebrew  or 
an  Hebrewess,  go  free  ;  that  none  should  serve  himself  of  them,  to  irit,  of  a  .lew  his  brother  : 

10  and  all  the  princes  and  all  the  people  obeyed,  which  had  entered  into  the  covenant,  tliat  every 
one  should  let  his  manservant,  and  every  one  his  maitlservant,  go  free,  that  none  should  serve 

11  themselves  of  them  any  more  ;  they  obeyed,  and  let  them  go  :  but  afterwards  they  turned, 
and  caused  the  servants  and  the  handmaids,  whom  they  hail  let  go  free,  to  return,  antl  brought 

13  them  into  subjection  for  servants  and  for  handmaids:  therefore  the  word  of  the  Lord  came 

13  to  Jeremiah  from  the  Loud,  sajing.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel  :  I  made  a  cove 
nant  with  your  fathers  in  the  day  that  I  brought  them  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  out  of 

14  the  hou.se  of  bondage,  saj'ing.  At  the  end  of  seven  years  ye  .shall  let  go  every  man  his  brother 
that  is  an  Hebrew,  which  hath  been  sold  unto  thee,  and  hath  served  the"  six  years,  thou  shalt 
Jet  him  go  free  from  thee  :   but  your  fathers  hearkened  not  unto  me,  neither  inclined  their  ear. 

15  And  ye  were  now'turned,  and  had  done  th;it  whicli  is  right  in  mine  eyes,  in  ]ir<ielainiing  lib- 
erty every  man  to  his  neighbour  ;  and  ye  had  made  a  covenant  before  iiie  in  the  house  which 

16  is  called  b_v  my  name  :  but  ye  turned  and  profaned  my  name,  and  caused  every  man  his  ser- 
vant, and  every  man  his  handmaid,  wliom  ye  had  let  go  free  at  their  pleasure,  to  return  ;  and 

17  ye  brought  them  into  sul)jeetion,  to  be  imto  you  for  .servants  and  for  handmaids.  Therefore 
thus  saith  the  Loud  :  Ye  have  not  hearkened  unto  me,  to  proclaim  liberty,  every  man  to  his 
brother,  and  every  man  to  his  neighbour  :  behold,  I  proclaim  unto  you  a  liberty,  saith  the 


434 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAIT. 


Loud,  tn  tho  sword,  to  the  postilciire,  nnfl  to  the  fiiiiiinc  ;  and  I  will  make  you  to  be  tossed  to 

18  mid  fro  aiiionjr  all  the  kiiijrdDiiis  of  the  earth.  And  I  will  pivc  tlic  men  that  have  transgressed 
my  covenant,  whicli  have  not  performed  the  words  of  the  covenant  which  thej'  made  liefore 

19  me.  when  they  cut  the  calf  in  twain  an<l  l)a.ssed  betwein  the  parts  thin  (if  ;  the  princes  of 
.Iiidah,  and  the  |)rinces  of  J<'rusalem.  the  I'wniiehs,  and   the  priests,  and  all  the  people  of  the 

20  land,  wliirh  passed  helween  the  parts  of  the  ealf  ;  1  will  even  jrive  them  into  the  hand  of 
their  enennes,  and  into  the  hand  of  them  that  seek  their  life  ;  and  their  dead  liodies  shall  be 

21  for  meat  unto  the  fowls  of  the  heaven,  and  to  the  beasts  of  the  earth.  And  Zedekiah  kinpc  of 
Jiidali  and  Ids  i)rinoes  will  I  tjive  into  the  hand  of  their  enemies,  and  into  the  hand  of  tlieiu 
that  se<'k  tlieir  life,  and  into  the  hand  of  the  kinj;  of  Babylon's  army,  which  are  ,i;one  up  from 

22  you.  Behold,  I  will  commaii<l,  saith  the  Lout),  and  cause  them  to  return  to  this  city  ;  and 
they  shall  tight  against  it,  and  take  it.  and  burn  it  with  lire  ;  and  I  will  make  the  cities  of 
JudaU  u  desolation,  without  iuhabiUuit. 


Tins  chapter  contains  two  distinct  portions. 
This  first  part  (verses  1-7)  predicts  the  capture 
of  the  city  and  of  its  king  by  the  Chaldeans  : 
specifies  distinctly  that  King  Zedekiah  would 
Iiersonally  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  tlie 
king  of  Babj'lon.  and  would  s<'e  him  face  to 
face,  yet  would  not  die  by  the  sword,  and 
would  have  at  his  death  the  usual  honors  of  the 
earlier  Jewish  kings.  This  p.i.ssagc  closely  n:- 
sembles  chap.  33  :  3,  5,  and,  therefore,  probably 
bears  the  same  date,  and  is  essentially  the  same 
message.  The  second  portion  gives  the  history 
of  a  remarkable  manumission  of  Hebrew  ser- 
vants and  their  subjection  again  to  servitude. 
King  Zedckiali  made  a  covenant  with  all  the 
people,  and  with  the  princes,  to  set  free  their 
Hebrew  .servants  and  handmaids.  They  did 
so  ;  but  subsequently  forceci  them  all  back  into 
bondage.  The  Lord  denounced  judgments 
upon  them  for  this  sin.  Verses  21,  22,  taken 
in  connection  with  other  known  facts  in  their 
history,  give  us  a  clew  to  the  circumstances  un- 
der which  both  this  manumission  and  the  sub- 
sequent re-enslavement  took  place.  The  his- 
tory (especially  chap.  37)  shows  that  after  the 
Chaldeans  had  commenced  the  siege  of  Jerusa- 
lem, the  ICgyjitians  sent  forward  an  army  to 
aid  their  Jewish  friends,  and  to  act  against  the 
Chaldeans  ;  that  the  latter,  hearing  of  their  ap- 
proach, raised  the  siege  and  marched  a.gainst 
the  Egyptian  army  ;  but  subsequently,  after 
driving  them  back,  returned  to  the  siege  and 
captured  the  city.  In  God's  threatening  of 
jufigment  on  Jerusalem  for  re-enslaving  her 
manumitted  servants.  He  says  (chap.  34  :  21.  22) : 
"  I  will  give  Zedekiah  and  his  princes  into  the 
Imnd  of  the  king  of  Babylon's  army  irhich  iirc 
goHf  tip  from  you."  Also,  "'  Behold.  I  will  com- 
mand, saith  the  Lord,  and  cau.se  them  to  return 
to  this  city,  and  they  shall  fight  a.gainst  it  and 
take  it."  Hence  this  threatened  judgment,  re- 
corded in  the  latter  portion  of  the  chapter,  was 
revealed  to  the  prophet  before  the  Chaldeans 
resumed  the  siege.  And,  moreover,  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  this  general  manumissiou  was 


made  after  the  siege  of  the  city  had  com- 
menced, or,  at  least,  after  it  hsid  become  mor- 
ally certain  ;  and  that  the  measure  was  jiru- 
dential,  its  objects  being  probably  twofold — 
viz.,  to  propitiate  the  favor  of  God,  and  to  gain 
the  good-will  and  the  more  effective  service  of 
the  frcedmen  in  defence  of  the  city.  Then, 
upon  the  withdrawal  of  the  Chaldean  forces,  the 
fears  of  the  people  .subsided,  and  consci)Ucntly 
they  re-enslaved  their  frcedmen  and  brtmght 
on  themselves  the  curse  of  the  Almighty,  who 
loves  to  show  Himself  the  God  and  Father  of 
the  oppressed.     H.  C. 

4,  5.  "  Thou  uliult  not  die  hij  l!if  sword."  He 
did  not  die  by  the  sword,  he  did  not  fall  in  bat- 
tle. "But  thou  shalt  die  in  peace."  He  did 
die  in  peace  ;  he  expired  neither  on  the  rack 
nor  on  the  scaffold  ;  was  neither  strangled  nor 
poisoned — no  unusual  fate  of  captive  kings  ;  he 
died  peaceably  in  his  bed,  though  that  beii  was 
in  a  prison.  "  And  icith  t/te  buriiiiir/s  of  thy  fa- 
thers shrill  they  burn  odors  for  thee."  It  cannot 
be  proved  from  history  that  this  part  of  the 
prophecy  was  accomplished,  though  tho  prob- 
ability is  that  it  was  so  ;  the  jirobability  is 
groiuided  on  these  two  reasons  :  Daidel.  Shad- 
rach,  Meshach  and  Abednego.  to  say  nothing  of 
other  Jews,  were  men  of  great  authority  in  the 
court  of  the  king  of  Babylon  before  and  after 
the  commencement  of  the  imprisonment  of 
Zedekiah  ;  and  Daniel  continued  in  power  till 
the  subversion  of  the  kingdom  of  Babylon  by 
Cyrus.  Now  it  seems  very  jirobable  that  Dan- 
iel and  the  other  Jews  would  have  both  inclina- 
tion to  re(iuest.  and  influence  enough  with  the 
king  of  Babylon  to  obtain,  penuission  to  bury 
their  deceased  prince,  Zedekiah.  after  the  man- 
ner of  Ins  fathers.  But  if  there  had  been  no 
Jews  at  Babylon  of  conse(|uence  enough  to 
make  such  a  recpicst,  still  it  is  probable  that 
the  king  of  Babylon  woidd  have  ordered  tl.c 
Jews  to  bury  and  lament  their  king  after  the 

manner  of    their    country.     J>y.    Kutmii. 

Comparing  what  is  said  liere  of  Zedekiah 's 
death  with  what  is  said  of  Jehoiakim  (chap. 


SECTION  47.     MANUMISSION  AXD  RE-ENSLAVEMENT  OF  SERVANTS.     435 


22  :  18,  19),  the  former  is  decidedly  the  more 
honored  and  the  less  despicable.  Jehoialiim 
stands  on  the  page  of  history  supremely  wick- 
ed, mean  and  despised.  Zedekiah  had  some  to 
muurn  his  death. 

7.  Luchish  and  Azekali  ivere  strong  cities, 
and,  like  Jerusalem,  required  to  be  reduced  by 
siege.  They  were  in  the  southwest  part  of  Ju- 
dah.  Laehish  withstood  Sennacherib  in  the 
times  of  Hezekiah.  The  history  (2  Chron. 
32  ;  9)  states  that  "  he  laid  siege  against  it  with 
all  his  power,"  and  even  remained  himself  to 
direct  the  operations  there,  while  he  sent  his 
subordinate  officers  to  Jerusalem.  This  cele- 
brated siege  is  supposed  by  Layard  to  be  de- 
picted on  certain  slabs  disinterred  from  the 
ruins  of  Nineveh.     II.  C. 

S.  To  proclaim  liberty  unto  them. 
By  the  law  of  Jloses,  the  Israelites  were  not  al- 
lowed to  detain  their  bretliren  of  the  Hebrew 
race  in  perpetual  bondage,  but  were  required 
to  let  them  go  free  after  having  served  six 
years.  This  law  had  fallen  into  disuse,  but 
King  Zedekiah,  upon  the  approach  of  the  Chal- 
dean army,  whether  from  religious  motives  or 
a  political  view  to  employ  the  men  who  were 
set  free  in  the  service  of  the  war,  engaged  the 
people  to  act  conformably  to  the  law  ;  and  they 
released  their  brethren  accordingly.  But  no 
sooner  were  their  fears  abated  by  the  retreat  of 
the  Chaldeans  than,  in  defiance  of  every  princi- 
ple of  religion,  honor  and  humanity,  they  im- 
posed the  yoke  of  servitude  anew  upon  those 
unhappy  persons  (verse  11).     Blnyney. 

14.  Hebrews  of  either  sex,  compelled  by  the 
necessities  of  subsistence  to  attacli  themselves 
to  the  household  of  some  one  who  had  wealth 
enough  to  give  them  employment  and  bread, 
were  to  have  the  opportunity  after  six  yearj' 
service  of  becoming  free.  The  tone  of  Lev.  25 
shows  that  such  cases  were  often  the  result  of 
debt  and  misfortune,  from  which  a  man  could 
not  extricate  himself  so  as  to  gain  subsistence 
in  any  other  way.  He  must  anticipate  his 
earnings  by  selling  his  labor  in  advance.  These 
Hebrew  statutes  originated  in  God's  regard  for 
the  interests  and  rights  of  the  j)oor.  Hence 
He  guarded  and  enforced  them  with  a  vigilance 
and  beneficence  worthy  of  an  infinite  Father. 
These  statutes  had  fallen  into  neglect.  For 
ma«y  years  past  the  people  had  not  hearkened 
to  the  voice  of  God  in  this  matter.  How  long 
they  had  been  disregarded  does  not  appear 
from  the  history  ;  probably  during  the  admin- 
istration of  all  their  apostate  kings. 

15,  16.  In  this  recital  of  the  case  by  the 


Lord  Himself  He  shows  that  they  had  done 
right  in  releasing  their  servants  according  to 
the  law,  that  they  had  made  that  covenant  in 
His  own  Temple  and  under  the  most  solemn  re- 
ligious sanctions  ;  and  that  in  turning  back  to 
violate  this  covenant  they  had  polluted  the  very 
name  of  Jehovah  their  God.  The  original  word 
used  here  implies  that  they  had  recklessly 
abused  and  contemned  that  sacred  name. 
H.  C. As  soon  as  ever  they  let  their  ser- 
vants go  free,  God  let  them  go  free.  When 
they  began  to  think  themselves  safe  from  the 
besiegers,  they  made  their  servants  come  back 
into  subjection  to  them  (verse  11,  and  again 
verse  16).  This  was  a  great  abuse  to  their  ser- 
vants, to  whom  servitude  would  l)e  more  irk- 
some after  thej'  had  had  some  taste  of  the  pleas- 
ures of  liberty.  It  was  a  great  shame  to  them- 
selves, that  they  could  not  keep  in  a  good  mind 
when  they  were  iu  it.  But  it  was  especially  an 
affront  to  God  ;  iu  doing  this  they  polluted  His 
■name  (verse  16).  It  was  a  contempt  of  the  com- 
mand He  had  given  them,  as  if  that  were  of  no 
force  at  all,  but  they  might  either  keep  it,  or 
break  it,  as  they  thought  fit.  It  was  a  contempt 
of  the  covenant  they  had  made  with  Him,  and  of 
that  wrath  which  they  had  imprecated  on 
themselves,  in  case  they  should  break  that  cov- 
enant.    H. 

17.  The  teiTns  of  the  threatening  correspond 
to  the  terms  which  express  the  sin.  As  the 
people  would  not  proclaim  liberty  to  their  op- 
pressed brethren,  God  would  proclaim  liberty 
to  the  sword,  the  pestilence,  and  the  famine  to 
do  their  work  of  destruction  upon  the  guilty 
oppressors.  This  form  of  statement  serves  to 
bind  together  the  punishment  and  the  sin,  so 
that  the  form  of  announcing  the  punishment 
should  peri)etually  remind  them  of  the  sin  for 
which  it  was  sent.  Hence,  when  the  people 
saw  and  felt  the  sword,  the  pestilence,  and  the 
famine,  coming  down  upon  themselves  with 
the  fullest  liberty  and  with  no  restraint,  they 
would  i-emember  that  they  had  given  no  liberty 
to  the  poor  servants  whom  the  Lord  bade  them 
set  free.  When  the  oppressed  poor  had  none 
among  the  kings  and  great  men  of  the  earth  to 
plead  their  cause  and  avenge  their  wrongs,  the 
Lord  Almighty  came  down  and  the  thing  inik 
done !  done  to  purpose  ;  doue  with  terrible 
vengeance  !     H.  C. 

22.  I  Avill  caii§e  ttacm  to  return. 
They  did  return,  reinvested  the  city,  antl  after 
an  obstinate  defence  took  it,  plimdered  it,  and 
burned  it  to  the  ground,  taking  captives  Zede- 
kiah and  his  princes.     A.  C. 


43G  KINGDOM  OF  JUDAIT. 

JeKEMIAII's    FaITIIITI,   Tf;STIMONY   and    iMPRISONJrTENT. 

Jkukmiaii,  (iiAi's.  21,  37  and  38. 

21  :  1  TiiK  word  which  fame  hmId  JiTciniiih  from  tlic  LoitD,  wlicn  kiiiG;  Zolfkiali  sent  unto 
liiin    I'asliluir  llie  son  of  Miilchiiih,  anil  Zcphatiiali  the  son  of  M;uisciah  tlic  firicst,  saying, 

2  In(|iiiri',  I  i)ray  iliw,  of  tlio  Loud  for  lis  ;  for  Ncliuchailn-z/.ar  kini;  of  Baliylon  niaketh  war 
ajiainsl  \is  :  pi'railvtnturi'  ihc  Loud  will  ileal  with  iis  accorilin.;^  to  all  his  wondrous  works, 
that  hf  may  tr  >  up  from  us. 

8,  4  'I'hi'U  said  .Jen  iniah  unto  tlicm,  Thus  shall  ye  say  to  Zcdckiah  :  Thus  saith  tlic  Loud,  the 
God  of  Israel,  Hehold.  I  will  tiuii  hack  the  weapons  of  war  that  are  in  your  hands,  wherewith 
ye  ti^lit  a.irainst  the  kin;;'  of  Babylon,  and  anainsl  the  t'lialileans  which  hcsie^'c  vfiu.  without 

5  the  walls,  and  I  will  feather  theiii  into  thi'  midst  of  this  city.  And  I  myself  will  lij;lit  aj;ainst 
you  witli  an  outstretched   hand  and  with  a  slron.i;  arm,  even  in  aiii_'er,  and   in   fury,  and  in 

6  .a'reat  wrath.     And  I  will  smile  the  inh.iliitants  of  this  city,  both  man  and  licast  :  they  shall 

7  die  of  a  great  pestilence.  And  afterward,  saith  the  Loud,  I  will  deliver  Zedekiah  kinir  of 
.Judah,  and  his  servants,  and  the  people,  even  such  as  are  left  in  this  city  from  the  ]iestilence, 
from  the  sword,  and  from  the  famine,  into  the  hand  of  Xeliuchadrezzar  kinir  of  IJalivlon,  and 
into  the  hand  of  their  enemies,  and  into  the  hand  of  those  that  seek  their  life  :  and  he  shall 
smite  them  with  the  edge  of  the  sword  ;  he  shall  not  spare  them,  neither  have  jiity,  nor  liave 

8  mercy.  And  unto  this  people  thou  shall  say.  Thus  sailli  the  Loud  :  lielmld,  I  set  before  you 
y  the  way  of  life  and  the  way  of  death,     lie  tiial  abidetli  in  this  city  shall  die  by  the  sword,  and 

by  the  famine,  and  bj'  the  pestilence  :  but  he  that  goeth  out,  and  falleth  away  to  the  Chal- 
10  deans  tiiat  besiege  you,  he  shall  live,  and  his  life  shall  be  unto  him  for  a  prey.     For  I  have 

set  my  face  upon  this  city  for  evil,  and  not  for  good,  saith  the  Loud  :  it  shall  be  given  into 

the  hand  of  the  king  of  IJabylon,  and  he  shall  burn  it  with  tire. 
11,   13  And  touching  the  house  of  the  king  of  .ludali,  hear  ye  the  word  of  the  Loud  :  O  house 

of  David,  thus  .saith  the  LoUD,  Execute  judgement  in  tile  morning,  and  deliver  the  spoiled 

out  of  the  hand  of  the  oppressor,  lest  my  fury   go  forth  like  tire,  and   burn  that  none  can 

13  (juench  it,  because  of  the  evil  of  your  doings.  Behold,  I  am  against  thee,  ()  inhabitant  of  the 
valley,  and  of  the  rock  of  tiie  plain,  saith  the  Loud  ;  ye  which  say.  Who  shall  come  down 

14  against  usV  or  who  shall  enter  into  our  habitations?  and  I  will  punish  you  according  to  the 
fruit  of  your  doings,  saith  the  Lord  :  and  I  will  kindle  a  lire  in  her  forest,  and  it  shall  devour 
all  that  is  round  about  her, 

'•17  :  1   And  Zedekiali  the  son  of  Josiah  reigned  as  king,  instead  of  Coniah  the  son  of  Jelioi- 

2  akim,  whom  Nebuchadrezzar  king  of  Babylon  made  king  in  the  land  of  Judah.  But  neither 
he,  nor  his  servants,  nor  the  people  of  the  land,  did  hearken  unto  the  •words  of  the  Lomd, 
which  he  spake  by  the  prophi  t  .Jeremiah. 

3  And  Zedekiah  the  king  sent  Jeluieal  the  son  of  Shelemiah,  and  Zephaniah  the  .son  of  Ma- 
aseiah  tlic  ])riesl,  to  the  prophet  Jeremiah,  saying.  Pray  now  unto  the  Loud  our  God  for  us. 

4  Now  Jeremiah  came  in  and  went  out  among  the  people  :  for  they  had  not  juit  him  into 
T)  jirisDii.  And  Pharaoh's  army  was  come  forth  out  of  Egypt;  and  when  the  t'haldeans  that 
(!  besieged  Jerusalem   heard  tidin.gs  of  them,  they  brake   up   from  Jerusalem,     Then  came  the 

7  word  of  the  Loud  unto  the  prophet  .leremiah,  saying.  Thus  saith  the  LoitD,  the  God  of  Israel  : 
Thus  sliall  j'e  say  to  the  king  of  Judah,  that  sent  you  unto  me  to  inquire  of  nie  ;  Behold, 
Pharaoh's  armj',  which  is  come  forth  to  help  you,  shall  return  to  Egyjit  into  their  own  land. 

8  And  the  t'haldeans  shall  come  again,  and  tight  against  this  city  ;  and  they  shall  take  it,  and 

9  burn  it  with  lire.     Thus  saith  the  Loud  :  Deceive  not  yourselves,  saying.  The  (.'haldeans 

10  shall  surely  depart  from  us  ;  for  they  shall  not  depart.  For  though  ye  had  smitten  the  whole 
army  of  the  Chaldeans  that  tight  against  you.  and  there  remained  but  wounded  men  among 
them,  yet  should  they  rise  uji  every  man  in  his  tent,  and  liurn  this  city  with  lire. 

11  And  it  ctinie  to  ii.i.ss  that  when  the  army  of  the  t'haldeans  was  broken  iqi  from  Jerusalem 

12  for  fear  of  Pharaoh's  arm 3^  then  Jeremiah  went   forth  out  of  Jerusalem  to  go  into  the  land 

13  of  Beii.iamin,  to  receive  his  portion  there,  in  the  midst  of  the  people.  And  when  he  was  in 
the  gate  of  Benjamin,  a  captain  of  the  ward  was  there,  whose  name  was  Irijah,  the  son  of 
Shelemiah,  the  son  of  Ilananiah  ;  and  he  laid  lioUl  on  .leremiah  the  prophet,  saying.  Thou 

14  fallcst  away  to  the  Chaldeans.  Then  said  Jeremiah.  It  is  false  ;  I  fall  not  away  to  tlic  Chal- 
deans ;  but  he  hearkened   not  to  him  :  so  Irijah  laid   hold  on  Jeremiah,  and   Iirought   him  to 

15  the  princes.     And  the   princes  were  wroth   with  Jeremiah,  and  smote  him,  and   juil  him  in 
1()  iirison  ill  the  liou.se  of  Jonathan  the  scribe  ;  for  they  had  made  tliat  the  jirisoii.      When  .leri'- 

niiali  was  come  into  the  dungeon  house,  and  into  the  cells,  anil  Jeremiah   had  remained  there 

17  many  days  ;  then  Zedekiah  the  king  sent,  and  fetched  him  :  and  the  king  asked  him  secretly 
in  his  house,  and  said.  Is  there  any  word  from  the  Loud?     And  Jeremiah  said.  There  is.     He 

18  said  also.  Thou  shall  be  delivered  into  the  hand  of  the  kiii.g  of  Babylon.  Moreover  Jeremiah 
said  unto   king  Zedekiah,   Wherein  have   I   sinned   against   thee,  or  against  thy  servants,  or 

10  against  this  Jieople,  that  ye  have  (lut  me  in  prisonV  Where  now  are  your  ]>roplicls  which 
prophesied   unto  you,  saying.  The  king  of  Baliylon  shall  not  come  against  you,  nor  against 

20  this  lanil'^  And  now  hear,  I  pray  thee,  ()  my  lord  the  king;  let  my  supplication,  1  [iray 
thee,  be  accepted  before  thee  ;  that  thou  cause  me  not  to  return  to  the  house  of  Jonalhan  the 

21  scribe,  lest  I  die  there.  Then  Zedekiah  the  king  eoininanded,  and  they  eomniitlcd  Jcrciniidl 
into  the  court  of  the  guard,  and  they  gave  him  daily  a  l.iaf  of  bread  out  of  the  bakers'  street, 


SECTION 47.    JEREMIAH' S  FAITHFUL  TESTIMOXY  AXD  IMPRISONMENT.   437 

until  all  tlic  bread  in  the  city  was  spent.     Thus  Jeremiah  remained  in  the  court  of  the 
guard. 

38  : 1  And  Slicphatiah  the  son  of  Mattan,  and  Gedaliah  the  son  of  Pashhur.  and  .Ineal  tlie 
son  of  t>lielemiali,  and   Pashliur  the  son  of  JIalcliiah,  lieard  tlic  Avords  that  Jerciiiiali  spake 

2  unto  all  the  people,  savin;;,  Thus  saith  the  Loiil),  lie  that  abidelh  in  this  city  shall  die  liy  the 
sword,  l)_v  the  famine,  and  by  the  jiestilence  ;  but  he  that  goetli  forth  to  the  Chaldeans  shall 

3  live,  and  his  life  shall  be  unto  him  for  a  prey,  and  he  shall  live.  Thus  sailh  the  Loud.  This 
city  .shall  surely  be  given  into  the  hand  of  the  army  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  he  shall  take 

4  it.  Then  the  princes  said  unto  the  king,  Let  this  man,  we  pray  thee,  be  put  to  death  ;  foras- 
much as  he  weakeneth  the  hands  of  tlKiTmen  of  war  that  remain  in  tliis  city,  and  the  hands  of 
all  the  people,  in  speaking  such  words  unto  them  :  for  this  man  S"eket]i  not  the  welfare  of  this 

5  people,  but  the  Inirt.     And  Zedekiah  the  king  said.  Behold,  he  is  in  your  hand  :  for  the  king 

6  is  not  he  that  can  do  anything  against  you.  Then  took  they  Jeremiah,  and  caist  him  into  the 
dungeon  of  Malebiah  the  king's  son,  that  was  in  the  court  of  the  guard  :  and  they  let  down 
Jeremiah  with  cords.    And  in  the  dungeon  there  was  no  water,  but  mire  :  and  Jeremiah  sank 

7  in  the  mire.  Now  when  Ebed-mclech  the  Ethiopian,  an  eunuch,  which  was  in  the  king's 
liouse,  heard  that  they  had  put  Jeremiah  in  the  dungeon  ;  the  king  then  sitting  in  the  gate  of 

8  Benjaiuin  ;  Ebed-melech  went  forth  out  of  the  king's  house,  and  spake  to  the  king,  saying, 

9  -My  lord  the  king,  these  men  have  done  evil  in  all  that  they  have  done  to  Jeremiah  the 
prophet,  whom  they  have  cast   into  the  dungeon  ;  and  he  is  like  to  <lie  in  tlie  place  v.  here  he 

10  is  because  of  the  famine  :  for  there  is  no  more  bread  in  the  city.  Then  the  king  commanded 
Ebed-melech  the  Ethiopian,  saying.  Take  from  hence  thirty  men  with  thee,  and  take  up  Jcre- 

11  miah  the  i)rophet  out  of  the  dungeon,  before  he  die.  So  Ebed-melech  took  the  men  with 
hiiu,  and  went  into  the  house  of  the  king  under  the  treasury,  and  took  thence  old  cast  clouts 

13  and  old  rotten  rags,  and  let  them  down  by  cords  into  the  dungeon  tc  Jeremiah.  And  Ebed- 
melech  the  Ethiopian  .said  unto  Jeremiah,  Put  now  these  old  cast  clouts  and  rotten  rags  under 

13  thine  armholes  under  the  cords.  And  Jeremiah  did  so.  So  they  drew  up  Jeremiali  with  the 
cords,  and  took  him  up  out  of  the  dungeon  :  and  Jeremiah  remained  in  the  court  of  the  guard. 

14  Then  Zedekiah  the  king  sent,  and  took  Jen  miah  the  prophet  tmto  hira  into  the  third  entry 
that  is  in  the  house  of  the  LoRi>  :  and  the  king  said  tmto  Jeremiah,  I  will  ask  thee  a  thing  ; 

15  hide  nothing  from  me.  Then  Jeremiah  said  unto  Zedekiah,  If  I  declare  it  unto  thee,  wilt 
thou  not  surelj'  put  me  to  death?  and  if  I  give  thee  ounsel,  thou  wilt  not  hearken  tmto  me. 

16  So  Zedekiah  the  king  sware  secretly  unto  Jeremiah,  s;iying.  As  the  Lokd  liveth,  that  made 
us  this  .soul.  I  will  not  put  thee  to  death,  neither  will  I  give  thee  into  the  hand  of  these  men 

17  that  seek  thy  life.  Then  said  Jeremiah  unto  Zedekiah,  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of  hosts, 
the  God  of  Israel  :  If  thou  wilt  go  forth  unto  the  king  of  Babylon's  princes,  then  thy  soul 
shall  live,  and  this  city  shall  not  be  burned  with  fire  ;  and  thou  shalt  live,  and  tliine  house  : 

18  but  if  thou  wilt  not  .go  forth  to  the  king  of  Babylon's  princes,  then  shall  this  city  be  given 
into  the  hand  of  the  Chaldeans,  and  tliev  shall  biu-n  it  with  tire,  and  thou  shalt  nr)t  escape  out 

19  of  their  hand.     And  Zedekiah  the  king  said  unto  Jeremiah,  I  am  afraid  of  the  Jews  that  are 

20  fallen  away  to  the  Chaldeans,  lest  they  deliver  me  into  their  hand,  and  they  mock  me.  But 
Jeremiah  said.  They  shall  not  deliver  thee.     Obey,  I  beseech  thee,  the  voice  of  the  Loi'.n,  in 

21  that  which  I  speak  unto  thee  ;  so  it  shall  be  well  with  thee,  and  thy  soul  shall  live.     But  if 

22  thou  refuse  to  go  fortli,  this  is  the  word  that  the  LoKD  hath  shewed  me  ;  Behold,  all  the  women 
that  are  left  in  the  king  of  Juilah's  hou.se  shall  be  brought  forth  to  the  king  of  Babylon's 
princes,  and  those  women  shall  saj".  Thy  familiar  friends  have  set  thee  on,  and  have  prevailed 

23  over  thee  :  now  that  thy  feet  are  sunk  in  the  mire,  they  are  turned  away  back.  And  they 
shall  bring  out  all  thy  wives  and  thy  children  to  the  Chaldeans  :  and  thou  shalt  not  escape  out 
of  their  hand,  but  shall  be  taken  by  the  hand  of  the  kin.g  of  Babylon  :  and  thou  shalt  cause 

24  this  city  to  be  burned  with  tire.     Then  said  Zedekiah  unto  Jeremiah,  Let  no  man  know  of 

25  the.se  words,  and  thou  shalt  not  die.  But  if  the  princes  hear  that  I  have  talked  with  thee, 
and  they  come  unto  thee,  and  sav  tmto  thee,  Declare  unto  us  now  what  thou  hast  said  unto 
the  king  ;  hide  it  not  from  us,  and  we  will  not  put  thee  to  death  :  also  what  tlie  king  said 

26  unto  thee  :  then  thou  shalt  say  unto  them.  I  presented  my  supplication  before  the  king,  that 

27  he  wimld  not  cause  me  to  return  to  Jonathan's  house,  to  die  there.  Then  came  all  the  princes 
unto  Jeremiah,  and  asked  him  ;  and  he  told  them  according  to  all  these  words  that  the  king 
had  commanded.     So  the}'  left  off  speaking  with  him  ;  for  the  matter  was  not  perceived. 

28  So  Jeremiah  abode  in  the  court  of  the  guard  until  the  day  that  Jerusalem  was  taken. 


The  part  taken  hy  tlm  prophet  Jeremiah,  and 
the  cause  of  his  imprisonment.  It  is  certain  that 
Jeremiah  sided  throughout  with  the  Babylonish 
party,  not  only  in  Josiah's  reign,  but  through 
the  sttcceeding  reigns  of  Jehoahaz,  Jehoiakim, 
Jehoiachin  and  Zedekiah.  lie  could  not  but 
see  the  broken  and  iniquitous  condition  of  his 
people.  And  this,  with  his  inspired  foresight 
of  God's  chastening  purposes,  led  him  to  use 
his  utmost  endeavor  that  Judah's  king.3  and 


people  should  not  unnecessarily  exasperate  the 
Babj'lonish  monarch.  He  would  save  them 
from  all  ])ossible  aggravation  of  wickedness  as 
well  as  useless  resistance,  and  thus  from  conse- 
quent suffering.  Hence  the  enmity  of  the 
Eg3'ptian  party  in  the  capital,  often  during  the 
twenty  years  of  these  closing  reigns,  endan- 
gered the  prophet's  life.  Protected  he  was, 
however,  up  to  the  last  siege  of  Jerusalem  ; 
partly  by  his  manifest   prophetic  ofRce,   and 


438 


KIXGDOM  OF  Jl'DAIT. 


partly  liy  the  frionds  God  raised  up — by  the 
kings  tlicmsi'lves.  or  by  prioslly  and  noblu  do- 
fendoi'S.  His  iinprisonmtut  occurred  toward 
the  end  of  Zedekiah's  reign,  about  eighteen 
months  before  the  final  crisis  of  the  kingdom, 
when  Jerusalem  was  destroyed  and  the  remain- 
ing people  carric'd  captive  to  Babylon.  Zede- 
kiah,  a  weak  rather  than  wicked  king,  yielding 
to  the  Egyptian  party,  bad  been  persuaded  to 
renounce  subjection  to  the  king  of   Babylon, 

and  enter  into  alliance  with  Egypt.     B. It 

is  evident  that  Zedekiah  was  well  affected 
toward  Jeremiah  ;  for  he  thrice  asked  his  ad- 
vice, first  by  a  public  embassy  (21  : 1  ;  37  •  3)  and 
subsequently  in  secret  (37  :  17  ;  38  :  14)  ;  but  he 
was  far  too  weak  a  man  to  be  capable  of  energetic 
action  in  his  behalf,  and  so  allowed  him  to  be 
imprisoned  and  persecuted.  The  city  had  been 
besieged  by  the  Chaldeans,  and  was  tottering 
to  its  fall,  when  the  approach  of  the  Egyptian 
army  gave  the  inhabitants  hope  of  aid  ;  and  for 
a  short  time  the  Chaldeans  departed  from  Jeru- 
salem. Then  Zedekiah  sent  to  Jeremiah,  ask- 
ing him  to  pray  unto  the  Lord  for  them,  prob- 
ably expecting  that  he  would  intercede  for  the 
city,  as  Isaiah  had  done  in  the  days  of  Ileze- 
kiah  (Isji.  37  :  6).  Jeremiah's  answer  was  more 
unfavorable  than  he  had  given  before.  It  was 
that  the  Egyptians  would  accomplish  nothing, 
and  that  the  Chaldeans  would  return  and  take 
the  city.  The  princes  were  angry  with  Jere- 
miah, smote  him.  and  put  him  in  prison.  Zede- 
kiah, on  the  renewal  of  the  siege,  sent  and  took 
him  out,  and  secretly  ordered  him  brought  to 
his  jxilaee,  where  he  again  consulted  him,  but 
with  the  same  result.  Jeremiah  prays  for 
milder  treatment.  Zedekiah,  who  was  of  a 
kindly  disposition  and  remembered  Jeremiah 
as  an  honored  prophet  in  the  days  of  his  father, 
now  gives  him  roomy  quarters  in  the  court  of 
the  guard,  where  he  wrote  the  cheerful  proph- 
ecy contained  in  chaps.  30-33  ;  and  as  provis- 
ions were  growing  scarce,  the  king  ordered  that 
a  loaf  of  bread  shmdd  be  given  him  every  daj'. 
The  purpose  of  the  princes  was  frustrated  by 
his  removal  to  the  guard-house,  as  there  liis 
friends  hail  free  access  to  him.     B.  C. 

Cliap.  21.  This  chapter  contains  the  first 
of  those  prophecies,  which  were  delivered  by 
Jeremiah  subsequent  to  the  revolt  of  Zedekiah, 
and  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  thereupon  ; 
and  which  are  continued  on  to  the  taking  of 
Jerusalem.  The  terms  of  this  message  seem  to 
imply  that  the  king  of  Babylon  had  but  just 
commenced  his  hostilities  against  Judah.  of 
which  Zedekiah  informs  the  prophet,  as  of  a 
matter  that  might  not  have  come  to  his  certain 


knowledge  ;  and  desires  him  to  intercede  with 
God,  that  He  woulil  divert  the  storm  by  some 
suche-xtraoriliiiary  interposition  as  lie  had  been 
wont    to    manifest    in    favor  of    His   people. 

Dl(i)i)wy. The   Ijord's   answer  through  His 

prophet  was  very  categorical,  decisive  and  ap- 
palling, still  leaving  an  open  door,  however,  for 
hnpe  on  the  one  sole  condition  that  the  king 
and  his  people  would  thoroughly  repent  and 
reform  their  ways.  Even  at  this  late  hour  sal- 
vation was  possible  on  these  only  righteous 
conditions. 

8-IO.  This  gives  the  people  to  understand 
distinctly  that  th?  city  is  doomed  to  destruc- 
tion, and  that  I  heir  only  hope  of  personal  safety 
lies  in  going  out  and  giving  themselves  up  to 
the  Chahh'aus.  This  is  a  clear  illustration  of 
the  language  elsewhere  used  of  the  moral  choice 
which  the  Lord  sets  before  men  between  the 
waj'  of  life  and  the  way  of  death — e.g.,  Dc. 
30  :  15-20  and  Josh.  24  :  14-24.     II.  C. 

8.  Set  before  you  the  way  of  life 
and  the  way  of  death.  The  impression 
of  every  scene,  of  every  lesson,  of  every  folly 
is  pusliing  you  on  to  some  decision — whether 
you  will  serve  God  or  not,  whether  you  will 
consecrate  your  life  to  its  true  end  or  not.  On, 
on  rolls  the  tide  of  hours,  days  and  j'ears, 
swifter  and  stronger  in  current,  setting  more 
resistless  toward  the  cataract.  Moment  flows 
into  moment,  melts  intu  the  mass  and  is  lost  to 
view,  but  every  drop  swells  the  flood  that 
presses  you  to  the  final  issue.     Gillett. 

There  arc  two  courses  in  life.  There  are  hut 
two.  The  two  are  utterly  irreconcilable  and 
discordant.  You  cannot  have  them  both.  It 
must  be  one  thing  or  the  other.  The  choice  is 
really  made,  degradingly  and  disgracefully 
by  the  very  act  of  refraining  from  choosing. 
But  if  you  would  be  men,  choose,  determine  !  I 
do  not  need  to  contemplate  the  possibility  of 
any  bod}'  here  saying,  "  You  have  set  before  me 
life  and  death,  and  I  solemnly  and  deliberately 
choose  death  ;"  but  1  beseech  you,  take  care 
that  you  do  not  slip  into  the  choice  of  the 
worser  part  before  you  know  where  you  are, 
and  that  years  of  careless  yielding  to  circum- 
stances and  temptations  do  not  at  hist  rob  you 
of  the  power  to  resolve  that  your  life  shall  ever 
be  otherwise  moulded  than  by  external  forces. 
A.  M. 

Oh,  if  wc  could  realize  to  ourselves  who  we 
arc,  and  where  !  placed  on  what  a  mighty  emi- 
nence of  blessing  ;  raised  to  what  a  height  of 
privilege  and  hope  ;  walking  along  what  a 
narrow  ridge  of  duty  ;  bisct  by  what  terrible 
enemies  ;  helped  by  what  a  wonderful  indwell- 


SECTIOXir.    JEREWIAUS  FAirnFCL  TEf^TIMOyT  AXD  IMPRISOyMEXT.  439 


ing  Presence  ;  trarelling  onward  with  a  steady 
pace,  which  no  power  or  skill  of  man  can  check 
or  stay,  to  what  a  certain,  an  irreversible,  an 
endless  doom  !  Like  a  ship  pressing  with  full 
sail  into  an  unknown  sea,  with  a  thick  mist 
around  her,  we  are  pressing  into  the  future  : 
•we  cannot  stay — we  cannot  pause — we  can  furl 
no  sails — we  can  let  out  no  anchors  :  on  we 
must  go.  and  on  we  are  going  to  find  our  rock, 
our  quicksand  or  our  harbor.     Bp.  ifoberly. 

Chap.  37.  The  date  of  this  chapter  falls 
during  the  reign  of  Zedekiah.  and  within  the 
last  eighteen  months  of  his  reign — i.e.,  within 
the  period  of  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  by  Xebu- 
chadnezzar.  It  refers  specially  to  the  historic 
fact  that  during  the  progress  of  this  siege  the 
king  of  Egypt  approached  with  an  army  for 
the  relief  of  his  own  allies.  Whereupon  the 
Chaldeans  raised  the  siege  and  marched  against 
the  Egyptians.  In  the  result  the  Egyptians 
rcturnetl  to  their  own  country.  The  Chaldeans 
reinvested  Jerusalem  and  ultimately  took  it. 
Precisely  at  what  stage  of  the  siege  this  diver- 
sion by  the  Egyptians  occurred  or  how  long 
the  siege  was  suspended  in  consequence,  we 
are  not  told.  While  they  were  absent  Jere- 
miah took  the  opportunity  to  leave  the  city, 
was  arrested  at  the  city  gate,  and  thrown  into 
close  confinement. 

6-10.  The  imperilled  Jews  and  their  king 
were  ready  to  grasp  the  faintest  shadow  of 
hope  frcm  this  approach  of  an  Egyptian  army. 
But  the  Lord  was  against  them.  Hence  no 
earthly  power  could  save  them  from  destruc- 
tion. It  was  of  the  Lord's  mercy  that  He 
promptly  and  solemnly  warned  them  against 
deceiving  themselves  with  this  vain  hope. 
Such  hope  lessened  the  pressure  of  motive  on 
their  minds  to  repent  before  God  and  seek  His 
favor.  Hence  the  promptness  and  decision  of 
this  assurance  that  help  from  that  quarter  was 
vain.     H.  C. 

12-21.  We  have  here  a  further  account  con- 
cerning Jeremiah,  who  relates  more  passages 
concerning  himself  than  any  other  of  the  proph- 
ets ;  for  t'le  histories  of  the  lives  and  sufferings 
of  God's  ministers  have  been  very  serviceable 
to  the  Church,  as  well  as  their  preaching  and 
■writing.     H. 

12.  Tlien  Jeremiah  irent  forth  out 
of  Jerusalem.  The  investing  army  having 
withdrawn,  communication  was  again  opened 
between  the  city  and  the  adjacent  country. 
To  go  into  the  land  of  BeiOamin. 
Jeremiah's  patrimony  lay  in  Anatboth,  In  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin  {Jer.  1  : 1),  which  was  one  of 
the  cities  assigned  to  the   priests  in  the   time 


of  Joshua  (Josh.  21  :  17.  18).  To  reeeive 
his  portion  there,  or,  "  from  thence."  It 
was  evidently  some  matter  of  business  con- 
nected with  his  paternal  estate.  It  could  hard- 
ly have  been  his  purpose  to  remain  in  so  ex- 
posed a  situation,  when  the  Chaldeans  should 
return  as  he  confidently  expected  (Jer.  37  ;  8-10). 
Jeremiah  steadfastly  insisted  upon  sharing  the 
fortunes  of  his  countrymen  even  after  the  fall 
of  the  city,  in  spite  of  the  tempting  offers  that 
were  made  to  him  of  a  comfortable  home  in 
Babylon  (Jer.  40  :  4,  6)  ;  and  it  is  not  probable 
that  he  meant  to  desert  them  now. 

15.  And  the  prinus  ginote  him,  and  put  him 
in  prison.  In  spite  of  his  protestations,  he 
was  adjudged  guilty,  ber.ten  an 3  imprisoned. 

W.  H.  G. The  charge  of  intended  desertion 

was  a  mere  excuse  for  wreaking  their  malice  on 
him.  They  hated  Jeremiah  because  he  had 
steadily  opposed  the  popular  determination  to 
fight,  and  had  foretold  disaster.  Add  to  that 
that  he  had  held  up  a  high  standard  of  religion 
and  morality  to  a  corrupt  and  idolatrous  peo- 
ple, and  his  "  unpopularity"  is  sufiiciently  ex- 
plained.    A.  M. 

16.  When  Jeremiah  AFas  come  into 
the  dungeon  house.    Literally,  as  in  the 

I  margin,  "  house  of  the  pit."  This  pit,  or  cis- 
tern, is  not  further  described,  except  as  a  place 
where  Jeremiah  was  likely  to  perish  (verse  20). 

I  The  miserable  plight  in  which  he  was  in  an- 
other filthy  dvmgeon,  into  which  he  was  sub- 

I  sequently  thrust,  is  detailed  somewhat  at  length 
in  Jer.  38  :  6  sqq.     W.  H.  G. 

The  princes  were  the  power  behind  the 
throne.  They  hated  Jeremiah.  Although  they 
might  differ  in  many  things  from  the  priests 
and  the  false  prophets,  they  agreed  with  them 
in  detesting  this  stem,  truth-tellifg  man,  as 
Pilate  and  Herod  were  made  friends  by  their 
common  hostility  to  Christ.  The  princes,  too, 
held  the  sympathies  of  the  popvUace,  for  all 
were  united  in  a  frenzy  of  fear  and  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  man  who  deservedly  condemned 
them  all.  The  hatred  was  political  as  well  as 
personal  and  moral ;  and  political  passions  are 
very  likely  to  become  virulent.  The  princes 
still  clung,  with  stubborn  conservatism,  to  the 
exhausted  protection  of  Egypt.  Jeremiah,  in- 
structed by  God,  counselled  temporary  surren- 
der to  Babylon  ;  and  no  wonder,  since  that 
would  be  no  more  than  a  recognition  of  existing 
facts.  It  must  be  remembered,  too,  that  the 
courtly  party  remaining  in  Jerusalem  and  Ju- 
dah  was  only  a  remn:mt.  The  strongest  of  the 
princc-s  had  been  deported  to  Babylon,  where, 
with  Jehoiochin  and  his  household,  they  re- 


440 


KINGBOLT  OF  .TV DA  11. 


inaiiied  rispcctcil  in  iniprisonrncnt.  Those  left 
l)eliin(i  wl'IV  but  refuse.  It  is  not  surprising  that 
thi'se  weak,  bjise  men  were  nagging  the  (inc  great 
citizen  surviving  in  the  kingfiom.  Ezekiel  and 
Daniel  were  anuing  the  exiles  in  Babylon. 
Jeremiah  was  praetioally  alone  in  Juilah.  The 
party  that  had  formerly  been  friendly  to  him 
was  disintegrated  and  seattered.  As  for  the 
n"st,  gnats,  as  they  prefer  carrion,  enjoy  the  at- 
tempt to  worry  a  lion  to  death.  Hut  the  lion 
is,  after  all,  the  hero  of  that  whole  period  of  He- 
brew history,  Jeremiah  belongs  to  the  rare 
company  who,  when  they  do  well,  suffer  for  it, 
and  yet  take  it  patiently  (1  Pet.  2  :  20).  They 
are  too  good  for  this  world,  but  aeeeptable  with 
God.  Perseeution  is  now  uncommon  ;  the 
world  has  softened  and  grown  wiser.  Perhaps 
the  average  Christian,  too.  is  less  scrupulous 
and  less  brave.  Rut  it  is  still  a  poor  type 
of  piety  which  is  popular  with  worldliness. 
McPhermn. 

17.  After  manj*  days'  coutinemcnt  in  this 
horrible  dungeon  underground,  the  king  took 
him  out  and  asked  him  secretly  if  there  was 
any  word  from  the  Lord.  The  prophet's  cir- 
cumstances were  at  this  time  such  as  would 
most  thoroughly  test  his  loyalty  to  his  Divine 
Lord,  lie  had  every  earthly  inducement  to 
please  the  king  ;  yet  he  fearlessly  announced 
the  king's  terrible  doom  from  the  Lord,  "  Thou 
shalt  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the  king  of 
Babylon."  Pri.sou  discipline  had  not  unnerved 
his  steadfast  purpose  to  be  true  to  his  God.  He 
had  an  earnest  jiersonal  plea  to  make  for  his 
liberty  and  his  life.  He  wisely  put  this  plea 
on  its  own  bottom — an  humble  appeal  to  the 
king's  sense  of  justice  and  feelings  of  compas- 
sion. He  could  not  swerve  from  liis  fidelity  to 
God  for  the  sake  of  even  liberty  or  life. 

1§,  19.  What  is  my  offence?  I  have  only- 
told  you  the  truth,  one  proof  of  which  you  may 
yourself  see  ;  for  where  are  those  false  prophets 
that  gainsayed  my  words  and  belied  the  Lord, 
saying,  "  The  king  of  Babylon  shall  not  come 
tip  a.gainst  this  city  and  laud?"  Let  the  king 
look  at  the  facts,  and  ho  will  see  that  .so  far  all 
my  predictions  have  proved  true.  Why,  then, 
should  he  count  me  his  enemy  for  telling  him 

the  truth?     II.  ('. In  Jerendah's  answer  we 

may  note,  as  equally  prominent  and  beaiU  if  ull.v 
blended,  respect,  submission,  consciousness  of 
peril  and  im|)endiug  death,  and  luishaken  bold- 
ness. He  knew  that  his  life  was  at  the  disposal 
of  the  capricious,  feeble  Zedekiah.  Ho  bows 
before  Inm  as  his  subject,  and  brings  his  "  sup- 
plication :"  but  not  one  jot  of  his  message  will 
he  abate,  nor  smooth  down  its  terribleness  an 


atom.  He  repeats  as  unfalteringly  as  ever  the 
assurance  that  the  king  of  Babylon  will  take 
the  city.  He  asserts  his  own  innoeenne  as  re- 
gards king  and  courtiere  and  people  ;  and  he 
asks  what  has  become  of  all  the  smoothtongued 
prophets  of  prosperity,  as  if  he  had  bid  the 
king  look  over  the  city  wall  and  see  the  tokens 
of  their  lies  and  of  Jeremiah's  truth  in  the  in- 
vesting lines  of  the  all  but  victorious  enemy. 
Such  a  combination  of  perfect  meekness  and 
perfect  courage,  unstained  loyaltj'  to  liis  king, 
and  supreme  obedience  to  his  God.  was  only 
possible  to  a  man  who  lived  in  very  clo.se  com- 
munion with  Jeho\aIi,  and  had  learned  there- 
by to  fear  none  else,  because  he  feared  Him  .so 
well,  and  to  reverence  all  else  whom  1  le  had  set 
in  places  of  reverence.  True  courage,  of  the 
pattern  which  befits  God's  servants,  is  ever 
gentle.    Bluster  is  the  sign  of  weakness.  A.  M. 

i£l.  The  king  acceded  to  his  request.  By 
the  king's  command  Jeremiah  was  committed 
"  into  the  court  of  the  guard. "  This  was  a  court 
connected  with  a  portion  of  the  palace,  which 
was  used  as  a  prison  (Jer.  32  ;  2).  He  was  still 
in  custody,  but  in  much  more  comfortable 
quarters  than  those  which  he  had  previously 
occupied.     W.  II.  G. 

And  they  garc  liiin  daily  a  loaf  of 
l>rea<l.  He  had  interest  enough  in  the  jirophet 
to  interfere  for  his  comfort,  and  to  have  liira 
put  into  better  quarters  in  the  palace  and  pro- 
vided with  a  "  circle"  (a  round  loaf)  of  bread 
out  of  Baker  Street,  as  long  as  there  was  any 
in  the  city — not  a  very  long  time.  But  why 
did  he  do  so  much,  and  not  do  more?  He  knew 
that  Jeremiah  was  innocent,  and  that  his  word 
was  God's  ;  and  what  he  shoidd  have  done  was 
to  have  shaken  off  his  masterful  "servants," 
followed  his  conscience,  and  obeyed  God. 
AVhy  did  he  not?  Because  he  was  a  coward, 
infirm  of  jiurposc,  and  therefore  luistable  as 
water.  He  is  another  of  the  tragic  examples 
with  which  all  life  as  well  as  Scripture  is  stud- 
ded, of  how  much  evil  is  possible  to  a  weak 
character.  In  this  world,  where  there  are  so 
many  temptations  to  lie  bad,  no  man  will  be 
good  who  cannot  strongly  say  "  No."  The 
virtue  of  strength  of  will  may  be  but  like  the 
rough  fence  round  young  trees  to  keep  cattle 
from  browsing  on  them  and  east  winds  from 
bli.ghting  them.  But  the  fence  is  needed,  if  the 
trees  are  to  grow,  "  To  be  weak  is  to  be  mis- 
erable," and  sinful,  loo,  generally.  "Whom 
resist"  must  be  the  motto  for  all  noble,  God- 
like, and  God  pleasing  life.     A.  M. 

38 :  1-4.  Jeremiah  persists  in  his  plain 
preaching  ;  what  he  had  many  a  time  said,  ho 


SECTION 47.     JEREMIAH'S  FAITHFUL  TESTIMONY  AND  IMPUISOXMEXT.   441 


still  says  (verse  3),  This  eitij  shall  be  given  into 
the  hand  of  the  king  of  Biihi/lon  ;  though  it  hold 
out  long,  it  will  be  taken  at  last  ;  so  that  every 
man  might  have  his  own  life  given  him  for  a 
prey  if  he  would  be  advised  (verse  2).  The 
princes  persist  in  their  malice  against  Jeremiah. 
They  represented  him  to  the  king  as  a  danger- 
ous man,  disaffected  to  his  country  and  gov- 
ernment ;  he  seeks  not  the  welfare  of  this  people, 
but  the  hurt — an  unjust  insinuation,  for  no  man 
had  laid  out  himself  more  for  the  good  of  Jerusa- 
lem than  he  had  done.     H. This  charge  of 

Iiigh  treason  kept  out  of  view  the  counsel  of  the 
Lord,  and  gave  no  credit  to  Jeremiah's  claim  of 
being  sent  of  God  to  say  these  very  words.  It 
was  not  strange  that,  from  their  wicked  stand- 
point, they  should  take  the  view  they  did.  The 
strangeness  and  tlie  guilt  all  lie  in  their  disre- 
gard of  the  manifest  proofs  that  Jeremiah  spake 
from  the  Lord.  The  worst  fact  in  their  case 
was,  that  the}'  had  no  heart  to  hear  what  God 
had  said.  In  this  lay  their  damning  sin.  Most 
rigliteously  this  became  their  ruin.     II.  C. 

5.  The  king  ii  not  lie  tliat  can  do 
anything  against  you.  The  king  evi- 
dently speaks  this  in  disgust  with  the  princes 
for  endeavoring  to  frustrate  his  clemenc}".  He 
had  once  rescued  Jeremiah  out  of  their  hands. 
and  taken  him  under  his  royal  protection.  But 
his  prerogative,  he  tells  them,  was  likely  to 
avail  but  little,  when  oppo.sed  by  their  obsti- 
nate and  repeated  importunities.  Tlie  power 
was  in  reality  theirs,  and  not  his.     Blayney. 

7-9.  Among  all  the  royal  household,  and 
throughout  the  king's  court,  no  one  is  found  to 
exhibit  the  spirit  of  the  good  Samaritan  save 
this  Ethiopian  eunuch.  The  subsequent  no- 
tice of  him  (39  :  15-18)  shows  that  he  put  his 
trust  in  the  Lord,  a  man  of  true  piety,  whom 
the  Lord  graciouisly  preserved  amid  the  general 
slaughter  of  the  king's  household.  To  all  the 
other  discomforts  and  miseries  of  the  prophet's 
situation  was  added  hunger.  On  this  plea 
specially  the  eunuch  urges  the  king  to  order 
Ids  release,  for  at  this  time  no  bread  remained 

in  the  city  (cf.  37  :  31).     H.  C. Ebed-melech 

■was  an  Ethiopian,  a  stranger  to  the  eommon- 
wenlth  of  Israel,  and  yet  had  in  him  more  hu- 
manity, and  more  divinity  too,  than  native  Is- 
raelites liad.  Christ  found  more  faith  among 
Gentiles  than  among  Jews.  Ebed-melech  lived 
in  a  wicked  court  and  in  a  very  corrupt,  degen- 
erate age,  and  yet  had  a  great  sense  both  of 
equity  and  piety.  God  has  His  remnant  in  all 
places,  among  all  sorts.  There  were  saintsevcn 
in  Ciesar's  lionsehold.     H. 

17,  18.  This  message  the  prophet  had  re- 


peatedly given  to  the  king  and  to  his  people. 
The  Lord  had  fully  purposeil  that  the  nation, 
unless  saveii  by  repentance,  must  fall  before 
tlie  Chaldean  power.  Their  national  jjride  re- 
pelled this  advice  ;  their  infatuation  plunged 
them  deep  in  destruction.  11.  C. The  ad- 
vice of  Jeremiah  clearly  proves  that  the  de- 
struction of  Zedekiah  was  not  so  determined 
but  that  he  might  have  prevented  it.  The  Di- 
vine threatenings  and  predictions  and  God's 
knowledge  of  futurity  do  not  deprive  men  of 
their  liberty,  since  the  evils  with  which  they 
are  threatened  are  brought  on  them  bj'  their 
own  fault.     Ostervald. 

19,  20.  Some  of  Zedekiah 's  people  had  al- 
ready gone  over  to  the  Chaldeans  against  the 
will  of  their  king,  but  according  to  the  counsel 
of  the  Lord.  The  king  anticipates  and  fears 
their  taunts  if  he  were  to  humble  himself  so 
low  as  to  follow  them.  They  might  say,  "  And 
you  too  have  come  at  lust !"  He  is  afraid  the 
Chaldeans  will  deliver  him  into  the  hands  of 
those  Jev>'S  whom  he  would  fain  have  punished 
for  treason,  and  from  whom  he  might  there- 
fore not  unnaturally  fear  rough  treatment. 
But  it  is  always  safe  to  obey  God — a  lesson 
which  this  king,  alas  !  was  slow  to  learn.     H.  C. 

20-23.  The  pressing  importunity  with 
whicli  Jeremiah  followed  the  advice  he  had 
given  the  king.  He  assures  him  that  if  he 
would  comply  with  the  will  of  Gcd  herein  the 
thing  he  feared  should  not  come  upon  liim 
(verse  20).  Obey,  I  bcwech  thee,  the  voiee  of  the 
Lord,  because  it  is  His  voice,  ro  it  shall  be  ire!! 
vnto  thee.  But  he  tells  him  what  would  be  the 
consequence  if  he  would  not  obey.  He  him- 
self would  fail  into  the  hands  of  the  Chaldeans, 
as  implacable  enemies,  whom  he  might  now 
make  his  friends,  by  throwing  himself  into 
their  hands.     H. 

24-27.  It  was  due  to  his  timid  fear  of  his 
princes  (a  fear  unworthy  of  a  king)  that  he  de- 
vised this  scheme  for  suppressing  a  part  of  the 
truth  as  to  what  had  passed  between  himself 
and  Jeremiah.  A  somewhat  nice  question  of 
morals  arises  in  cases  of  this  sort  on  the  point 
whether  we  are  bound  to  tell  the  irliole  truth  to 
men  who  demand  it  for  a  bad  purpose  ;  and  if 
not,  how  far  it  is  morally  right  to  give  or  to 
favor  the  impression  that  we  have  told  the  whole 
truth  when  we  have  not.  The  latter  is  really 
the  delicate  point,  for  we  readily  assent  to  the 
doctrine  that  we  are  not  boimd,  even  though 
questioned,  to  tell  all  we  know  to  all  men  under 
all  circumstances. 

28.  So  Jeremiah  a!)ode  in  the  eourt  of  the 
prison  until  the  day  that  Jerusalem  was  taken  : 


44-2  KTXGDOM  OF  JVDAIT. 

(iiid  he  teas  there  when  Jerusalem  iras  taken.  I  original  words  iniglit  well  lie  reiidpred,  "  The 
This  "  court  of  the  prison"  was  probably  a  less  court  of  the  guard-house."  In  this  state  his 
severe  and  close  confinement  than  either  "  his  ,  friends  seem  to  have  had  access  to  liim,  and  he 
dunseon  and  cabin"  in  the  house  of  Jonathan  '  announced  tn  them  the  words  of  the  Lord. 
(:37  :  15,  16,  20)  or  the  pit  of  mire,  known  as  ,  (Compare  chap.  37  :  21  with  chap.  ;38  ;  I-,'!). 
"  the  dungeon  of  Malchiah"  (38  :  0-13).     The  I  II.  C. 

Jeremiah's  Purcluise  of  a  Fkld.     Jlix  Pnvjcr.     Ilia  Prediction  uf  Jerusalem's  Overthrew  and 

Subsequent  Itcbtiilding. 

Jeremiah,  Ch(i]i.  32. 

1       The  word  that  came  to  .Terimiah  from  the  Lonn  in  the  tenth  year  of  Zcdekiah  king  of 

a  .Tiidah.  wliii  h  was  the  eighliTiitli  year  of  Nelcicliadrezzar.     Now" at  that  time  tlic  king  of 

Babylon's  army  besieged  .lerusalcm  :  ami  .Icri'miah  Ihe  prophet  was  shut  up  in  the  court  of 

3  the  guard,  whicli  was  in  tiie  king  of  .ludali's  liousc.  For  Zeili-kiah  king  of  .ludali  liad  shut 
him  up,  saying.  Wherefore  dost  lliou  jirophcsy,  and  say.  Thus  saitli  the  LoiU),  Behold.  I  will 

4  give  this  city  into  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  he  shall  take  it  ;  and  Zedekiah  king 
of  Jiulah  sliall  not  escape  out  of  the  hand  of  tlie  Chaldeans,  but  shall  surely  be  delivered  into 
the  hand  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  shall  speak  with  him  mouth  to  mouth,  .and  his  eyes 

5  shall  behold  his  eyes  ;  and  he  sliall  lead  Zedekiah  to  Babylon,  and  there  shall  be  be  until  I 
visit  him,  saith  the  Loud  :  though  ye  fight  with  the  Chaldeans,  ye  shall  not  prosper? 

6,  7  And  .leremiah  said,  The  word  of  the  Loud  came  unto  me,  saying.  Behold,  Hanamel  the 
son  of  Shallum  thine  uncle  shall  come  unto  thee,  saying.  Buy  thee  my  field  tliat  is  in  Ana- 

8  Ihotli  :  for  the  right  of  redemption  is  thine  to  buv  it.  !50  Ilanam'^l  mine  uncle's  son  came  to 
me  in  the  court  of  the  guard  according  to  the  word  of  the  Loud,  and  said  unto  me.  Buy  my 
field,  I  pray  thee,  that  is  in  Analholh,  which  is  in  the  land  of  Benjamin  :  for  the  right  of  in- 
heritance is  thine,  and  the  redemption  is  thine  ;  buy  it  for  thyself.     Then  I  knew  that  this 

9  was  the  word  of  the  Loud.     And  I  bought  the  field  that  was  in  Anathoth  of  Hanamel  mine 

10  uncle's  son,  and  weighed  him  the  mone_v,  even  seventeen  shekels  of  silver.  And  I  subscribed 
the  deed,  and  sealed  it,  and  called  witnesses,  and  weighed  him  the  money  in  the  b.-dauces, 

11  !So  I  took  the  deed  of  the  purchase,  both  that  which  was  sealed  areordinrj  to  the  law  and 

12  custom,  and  that  which  was  open  ;  and  I  delivered  the  deed  of  the  purchase  unto  Baruch  the 
sou  of  Iseriah,  the  son  of  Mahseiah,  in  the  presence  of  Hanamel  mine  uncle's  «"«,  and  in  the 
presence  of  the  witnesses  that  subscribed  the  deed  of  the  purcha.se,  before  all  the  .Jews  tliat 

13,  14  sat  in  the  court  of  the  guard.  And  I  charsed  Baruch  before  them,  saying.  Thus  saith  the 
Loud  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  :  Take  these  deeds,  this  deed  of  tlie  purchase,  both  that 
which  is  sealed,  and  this  deed  which  is  open,  and  put  them  in  an  earthen  vessel  ;  that  they 

1.5  may  continue  manj-  da_vs.  For  thus  saith  the  Loud  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  :  Houses  and 
fields  and  vineyards  shall  yet  again  be  bought  in  tins  land. 

16  Now  after  I  had  delivered  the  deed  of  the  purchase  unto  Baruch  the  son  of  Neriah,  I 

17  prayed  unto  the  Loud,  saying,  Ah,  Loun  God  1  behold,  thou  hast  made  the  heaven  and  the 
earth  by  thy  great  power  and  by  thy  stretched  out  arm  ;  there  is  nothing  too  hard  for  thee  : 

18  which  shewcst  mercy  unto  thousands,  and  recompensest  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  into  the 
bosom  of  their  children  after  them  :  the  great,  the  mighty  God,  the  Lord  of  hosts  is  his  name  : 

19  great  in  counsel,  and  mighty  in  work  :  whose  eyes  are  open  upon  all  the  ways  of  the  sons  of 
men;  to  give  every  one  according  to  his  ways,  and  according  to  the  fruit  of  hi.s  doings  : 

20  which  didst  .set  signs  and  wonders  in  the  land  of  Eg3'pt,  even  unto  this  day,  both  in  Israel 

21  and  among  other  men  ;  and  niadest  thee  a  name,  as  at  this  day  ;  and  didst  bring  forth  thy  peo- 
ple Israel  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  with  signs,  and  with  wonders,  and  with  a  strong  hand,  and 

22  with  a  stretched  out  arm,  and  with  great  terror  ;  and  gavest  them  this  land,  which  thou  didst 

23  swear  to  their  fathers  to  give  them,  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey  ;  and  they  came  in, 
and  jiossessed  it  ;  but  they  obeyed  not  thy  ■\oice,  neither  walked  in  thy  law  ;  they  have  done 
nothing  of  all  that  thou  commandedst  them  to  do  :  therefore  thou  hast  caused  all  this  evil  to 

24  come  upon  lliem  :  behold  the  mounts,  they  are  come  unto  the  city  to  take  it  ;  and  the  city  is 
given  into  the  hand  of  the  Chaldeans  that  fight  against  it,  because  of  the  sword,  and  of  the 
famine,  and  of  the  pestilence  :  and  what  thou  hast  spoken  is  come  to  pa.ss  ;  and,  behold,  thou 

25  seest  it.  And  thou  hast  said  unto  me,  O  Loud  God,  Buy  thee  the  field  for  money,  and  call 
witnesses  ;  whereas  the  city  is  given  into  the  hand  of  the  Chaldeans. 

26,  27  Then  came  the  word  of  the  Loud  unto  Jeremiah,  saying.  Behold,  I  am  the  Loud,  the  God 
of  all  flesh  ;  is  there  any  thing  too  hard  for  me? 

28  Therefore  thus  saith  the  J>ouD  :  Behold,  I  will  give  this  city  into  the  hand  of  the  Chaldeans, 

29  and  into  the  hand  of  Nebuchadrezzar  king  of  Babylon,  and  he  shall  take  it :  and  the  Chal- 
deans, that  fight  against  this  city,  shall  come  and  set  this  city  on  firi',  and  biirn  it,  with  the 
houses,  upon  whose  roofs  they  have  offered  incense  unto  Baal,  and  poured  out  drink  offerings 

30  unto  other  gods,  to  provoke  me  to  anger.  For  the  children  of  Israel  and  the  children  of 
Judah  have  only  done  that  which  was  evil  in  my  sight  from  their  youth  :  for  the  children  of 

31  Israel  have  only  provoked  me  to  anger  with  the  work  of  their  hands,  saith  the  Loud.  For  this 
city  hath  been  to  me  a  provocation  of  mine  anger  and  of  my  fury  from  the  day  that  they  built 


SECTIOy  47.    JEREMIAH'S  PURCHASE  OF  A   FIELD. 


443 


32  it  even  unto  this  day  ;  tliat  I  should  remove  it  from  before  my  faee  :  lieeause  of  all  the  evil 
of  the  cliildren  of  Israel  and  of  the  children  of  Judah,  which  they  have  done  to  provoke  mc 
to  anger,  they,  their  kinirs,  their  princes,  their  priests,  and  their  prophets,  and   the  men  of 

33  Judah,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem.  And  they  have  turned  unto  me  the  back,  and  not 
the  face  :  and  thon,c;h  I  taught  them,  risin.g  up  early  and  teaching  them,  yet  they  have  not 

34  hearkened  to  receive  instruction.     But  they  .set  their  abominations  in  the  house  which  is 

35  called  by  my  name,  to  defile  it.  And  they  built  the  high  places  of  Baal,  which  are  in  the 
valley  of  the  son  of  Hinnom.  to  cause  their  sons  and  their  daughters  to  pass  through  the  fire 
unto  Molech  ;  which  I  commanded  them  not,  neither  came  it  into  my  mind,  that  they  should 
do  this  abomination  ;  to  cause  Judah  to  sin. 

36  And  now  therefore  thus  saith  the  Loud,  the  God  of  Israel,  concerning  this  ci'.y.  whereof 
ye  say,  It  is  given  into  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Babylon  by  the  sword,  and  by  the  famine,  and 

37  by  the  pestilence  :  Behold,  I  will  gather  tliem  out  of  all  the  countries,  whither  I  have  driven 
them  in  mine  anger,  and  in  my  fury,  and  in  great  wrath  ;  and  I  will  bring  them  again  unto 

38  this  place,  and  I  will  cause  them  to  dwell  safely  :  and  they  shall  be  my  people,  and  I  will  be 

39  their  God  :  and  I  will  give  them  one  heart  and  one  way,  that  they  may  fear  me  for  ever  ;  for 

40  the  good  of  them,  and  of  their  children  after  them  :  and  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant 
with  them,  that  I  will  not  turn  away  from  them,  to  do  them  good  ;  and  I  will  put  my  fear  in 

41  their  hearts,  that  they  shall  not  depart  from  me.  Yea,  I  will  rejoice  over  them  to  do  them 
good,  and  I  will  plant  them  in  this  land  assuredly  with  my  whole  heart  and  with  my  whole 

42  soul.     For  thus  saith  the  Lord  :  Like  as  I  have  brought  all  this  great  evil  upon  tliis  people, 

43  so  will  I  bring  upon  them  all  the  good  that  I  have  promised  them.  And  fields  shall  be  bou.ght 
in  this  land,  whereof  ye  say.  It  is  desolate,  without  man  or  beast ;  it  is  given  into  the  hand  of 

44  the  Chaldeans.  Men  shall  liuy  flelils  for  money,  and  subscribe  the  deeds,  and  seal  them,  and 
call  witnesses,  in  the  land  of  Benjamin,  and  iu  the  places  about  Jerusalem,  and  in  the  cities  of 
Judah,  and  in  the  cities  of  the  hill  country,  and  in  the  cities  of  the  lowland,  and  iu  the  cities 
of  the  South  :  for  I  will  cause  their  captivity  to  return,  saith  the  Lord. 


32  : 6-8,  The  previous  verses  give  us  the 
circumstances  of  Jeremiah  at  the  time  of  this 
transaction.  It  seems  to  have  had  no  reference 
to  the  king,  but  was  designed  to  encourage  the 
pious  portion  of  the  people  with  the  assurance 
that  this  pending  captivity,  though  terrible, 
would  yet  have  an  end,  and  the  land  be  j-et  re- 
peopled.  First,  the  Lord  apprised  Jeremiah 
that  Hanameel  w-ould  soon  come  and  say,  "  Buy 
my  field  in  Anathoth."  Hence,  when  he  came, 
Jeremiah  knew  this  was  from  the  Lord.  The 
right  of  purchase  was  in  the  nearest  male  rela- 
tive. For  the  purpose  of  giving  permanence 
to  the  location  of  the  several  tribes,  as  well  as 
to  restrain  the  people  from  removing  their  resi- 
dences, the  right  to  alienate  their  land  was  care- 
fully restricted  by  law. 

14,  15.  An  earthen  vessel  would  preserve 
these  documents  even  if  they  should  be  buried 
in  the  earth  for  safe  keeping.  It  was  supposed 
by  Jerome  that  this  was  the  prophet's  inten- 
tion. Verse  lo  brings  out  on  Divine  authority 
the  significance  of  this  whole  transaction.  It 
was  God's  testimony  that  houses,  fields  and 
vineyards  should  be  again  possessed  in  that 
land.  This  land,  though  now  doomed  to  ruin, 
would  arise  from  its  desolation  and  shine  again 
in  the  beauty  of  Eden.  Jeremiah's  purchase 
e'^inced  his  enduring  faith  in  God.  Though  he 
knew  the  city  must  be  destro.yed  and  the  people 
driven  into  exile,  yet  he  believed  in  God  that 
they  would  yet  return  and  rebuild  this  city. 
Moreover,  since  God  Himself  directed  Jeremiah 
to  do  this  thing,  it  became  God's  own  promise 


and  prophecy  of  restoration  to  their  country. 
H.  C. 

14.  It  would  seem,  from  verses  10,  11.  that 
cla}'  came  to  be  used  in  Judah  as  a  writing  ma- 
terial, just  as  it  was  at  Babylon  or  Nineveh, 
the  inner  clay  record  of  a  contract  being  cov- 
ered with  an  outer  coating,  on  which  was  in- 
scribed an  abstract  of  its  contents,  together 
with  the  names  of  the  witnesses.  Jeremiah's 
deed  of  purchase,  moreover,  was  preserved  in  a 
jar,  like  the  numerous  clay  deeds  of  the  Egibi 
banking-firm,  which  existed  at  Babylon  from 
the  age  of  Nebuchadnezzar  to  that  of  Xerxes. 
These  jars  served  the  piu-pose  of  our  modern 
safes.     Snyec. 

In  his  desperate  extremity.  Hanameel  urged 
his  cousin  Jeremiah  to  take  off  his  hands  a 
property  that  was  exposed  to  such  terrible  risk. 
That  ancestral  farm  had  been  in  his  family 
from  the  conquest  of  the  Holy  Land  by  Joshua. 
It  had  been  apportioned  to  his  line  by  God's 
own  appointment,  and  registered  in  the  great 
Doomsday  Book  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  It 
was  the  most  precious  of  all  the  possessions  of 
an  Israelite,  and  was  the  last  thing  he  would 
part  with,  losing  his  life  itself  rather  than  los- 
ing it ;  for  it  was  this  farm  that  was  his  charter 
to  an  inheritance  in  the  Land  of  Promise,  and 
his  right  to  be  numbered  among  God's  cove- 
nant people.  Notwithstanding  these  solemn 
sanctions,  however,  Hanameel  wished  to  part 
with  this  significant  property  in  a  panic  of 
hopelessness.  In  such  a  time  of  disaster,  the 
projierty  would  be  greatly  depreciated  in  value. 


444 


KiyoDOM  OF  JUDAn. 


Jeremiah  would  not  take  the  property  at  a  de- 
preciated value.  He  woul<i  give  the  f\ill  price 
for  it.  What  a  wonderful  coulidcnce  he  hud  iu 
God's  faithfulness  to  Ili.s  promises  !  It  seemed 
at  the  time  as  if  the  end  of  the  covenant  people 
had  come  ;  as  if  Jerusalem  and  the  Land  of 
Promise,  with  all  tiieir  sacn  d  institutions,  were 
to  pass  a>vay  from  them  forever,  and  to  become 
tlie  possession  of  their  enemies.  Every  pros- 
pect was  gloomy  in  the  extreme.  There  seemed 
no  hope  of  deliverance.  And  yet  Jeremiah, 
with  proplietic  foresight,  looked  beyond  the 
impending  calamity  to  happier  times.  And 
with  all  the  forms  and  technicalities  of  legal 
conveyancing,  as  if  the  times  were  perfectly 
pros])erons  and  assured,  he  purchased  the  tield 
of  his  fathers  from  his  timorous  and  faithless 
kinsman.  And  then  in  a  splendid  oration — half 
pra.ver  and  half  exhortation — he  proceedeii  to 
show  that  lliis  private  domestic  iransaction  wa3 
an  acted  parable  of  wonderful  and  far-reaching 
significance  ;  for  the  purchase  of  his  own  an- 
cestral field  was  an  earnest  of  a  coming  time 
when  every  field  in  the  land  should  be  pos- 
sessed in  the  same  way,  and  the  people  should 
again  sit  each  man  under  his  own  vine  and  fig- 
tree. 

And  is  tliere  not  iu  our  own  religions  experi- 
ence in  these  days  something  that  answei'S  to 
the  action  of  Jeremiah?  We  live  in  times  of 
widespread  unbelief.  The  enemies  of  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints  are  assailing  it 
with  plausible  arguments,  drawn  from  the  re- 
markable discoveries  and  theories  of  science. 
The  treasure  which  our  fathers  have  handed 
down  to  us  has  been  thrown  into  the  crucible 
of  hostile  criticism,  and  iu  the  residuum  we  can 
find  little  of  the  precious  ore.  We  are  urged 
to  part  with  much  which  past  ages  believed, 
and  to  which  they  attached  the  highest  value  ; 
10  give  up  a  creed  that  is  old  and  worn  out  and 
effete,  and  unsuitable  to  the  times,  that  has  no 
solid  ground  to  rest  upon,  and  that  can  yield  us 
nothing  but  disappointment  and  despair.  Shall 
we  then  iu  these  troublous  times,  when  so 
many  are  capitulating  and  giving  way  to  the 
foe,  part  with  our  spiritual  patrimony— with 
that  which  constitutes  our  dearest  and  most 
precious  possession?  No  1  We  shall  not  act 
the  faithless,  cowardly  part  of  Hanameel.  "We 
shall,  like  faithful  Jeremiah,  buy  the  truth  and 
sell  it  not  ;  for  nothing  that  we  could  get  in  ex- 
change would  satisfy  us.  We  shall  iiold  fast 
the  profession  of  our  faith  to  the  end  ;  for  no 
other  faith— no  scientific  or  philosophic  creed — 
couM  make  up  to  us  for  its  loss.  We  shall 
keep,  God  helping  us,  that  which  our  Saviour 


I  has  bought  for  us  with  His  own  precious 
blo(xi.  We  have  succeeded  to  a  great  tradition 
of  Divine  truth,  to  which  all  the  intervening 
ages  have  born'>  witness,  whosi'  grand  principle 
is  stability,  ar.d  upon  whose  s>ilistance,  however 
its  forms  and  organizations  may  vary  in  adap- 
tation to  the  rKiuireininIs  of  each  age,  is 
stamped  the  seal  of  finality.  Into  that  impreg- 
nable citadel  we  shall  retire,  and  find  there 
strength  for  faith  and  power  to  stand  in  the 
evil  day.  We  know  that  the  foundation  stand- 
eth  sure,  and  that  the  structure  built  upon  it 
will  abide  the  severest  test,  and  will  emerge 
only  purer  and  more  stable  through  the  very 
orilcal  of  fire  itself.  We  know  that  the  present 
storm  of  doubt  and  unbelief  will  pass  away, 
and  tlu  le  will  be  again  faith  upon  the  earth, 
and  the  spiiitual  atmosphere  will  be  cleared  of 
all  its  clouds,  and  the  eternal  verities  of  our 
faith  will  be  made  visible  like  a  chain  of  Alpine 
peaks,  stainless  and  serene  in  their  untrodden 
snow,  shining  out  against  the  infinite  purity  of 
tiie  blue  heavens,  when  the  dark  vapors  that 
obscured  the  ni  for  a  while  have  pjisscd  away. 
//.  MacinilUiii. 

Prayer  nf  Jeremiah,  Vemes  16-25. 

16.  /  prayed  vnto  the  iMril.  And  what  a 
praj'er  !  for  weight  of  matter,  sublimity  of  ex- 
pression, profound  veneration,  just  conception. 
Divine  unction,  powerful  pleading,  and  strength 
of  faith.  Historical  without  flatness,  condensed 
without  obscurity,  confessing  the  greatest  of 
crimes  against  the  most  righteous  of  Beings, 
without  despairing  of  His  mercy  or  presuming 
on  His  goodness  ;  a  confession  that  in  fact  ac- 
knowledges that  God's  Juslitv  nhoiild  smit^-  and 
destroy  had  not  His  infinite  goodness  said,  I  will 
pardon  and  spare.     A.  C. 

17-25.  In  this  prayer  Jeremiah  adores  God 
and  His  infinite  perfections,  and  give.i  Him  the 
glory  due  to  His  name  as  the  Creator,  Upholder, 
and  Benefactor  of  the  whole  creation,  therebj- 
owning  His  irresistible  power,  that  He  can  do 
what  He  will,  and  His  incontestable  sovereign- 
ty, that  He  may  do  what  He  will  (verses  17-19). 
When  at  any  time  we  are  per]ilexe.l  about  the 
particular  methods  and  disjiensations  of  Provi- 
dence, it  is  good  for  us  to  satisfy  ourselves  with 
the  doctrines  of  God's  wisdom,  power  and 
goodness.  God  is  the  fountain  of  all  being, 
power,  life,  motion  and  perfection  ;  He  made 
the  hcaren  and  the  earth  irith  Ilia  outstretched 
arm;  and  therefore  who  can  control  Him? 
Who  dares  contend  with  Him?  With  Ilim 
nothing  is  impossible,  no  difficulty  insuperable. 
Sothiitg  it  too  hard  for   Thee ;    icith  Ood  are 


SECTION  47.    PRAYER  OF  JEREMIAH. 


445 


strcrirjth  and  wisdom  suflicient  to  master  all  op- 
position. Hu  is  ii  God  of  boundless,  bottomless 
mercy  ;  that  is  llis  darling  attribute  ;  it  is  His 
goodness  tluit  is  His  glory  ;  "  Thou  not  only 
art  kind,  but  Thou  shoitest  loringkindness,  not 
to  a  few,  to  here  and  there  one,  but  to  thou- 
saiuli,  thousands  of  persons,  thousands  of  gen- 
erations." He  is  a  God  of  impartial  and  inflex- 
ible justice.  His  reprieves  are  not  pardons. 
He  is  a  God  of  universal  dominion  and  com- 
mand ;  He  is  tJw  rjrcat  God,  for  lie  is  the  mighty 
Ood  ;  and  might  among  men  makes  them  great. 
He  is  the  Lunl  of  hosts,  of  all  hosts,  that  is  His 
name,  and  He  answere  to  His  name,  for  all  the 
hosts  of  heaven  and  earth,  of  men  and  angels, 
are  at  His  beck.  He  contrives  everything  for 
the  best,  and  effects  everything  as  He  contrived 
it  ;  He  is  grcdt  tii  eoiULid,  so  vast  are  the  reaches 
and  so  deep  are  the  designs  of  His  wisdom  ; 
and  He  is  mirjhty  in  doing,  according  to  the 
counsel  of  His  will.  Now  such  a  God  as  this  is 
not  to  be  quarrelled  with.  His  service  is  to  be 
(•onstantly  adhered  to,  and  all  His  disposals 
cheerfully  acquiesced  in. 

He  acknowledges  the  universal  cognizance 
God  takes  of  all  the  actions  of  the  children  of 
men,  and  the  unerring  judgment  He  passes 
upon  them  (verse  19) — Thine,  eyes  are  open 
upon  all  the  sons  of  nun,  wherever  they  are,  be- 
holding the  evil  and  the  good,  and  upon  all 
their  iriiys,  both  the  course  they  take  and  every 
step  they  take,  not  as  an  unconcerned  spectator, 
but  as  an  observing  Judge,  to  give  every  one  ae- 
cording  to  his  ways  and  aeeording  to  his  deserts, 
which  are  the  fruit  of  his  doings,  for  men  shall 
find  God  as  they  are  found  of  Him. 

He  bewails  the  rebellions  thej'  had  been 
guilty  of  against  God,  and  the  judgments  God 
had  brought  upon  them  for  these  rebellions. 
God  liad  done  everything  that  He  promised 
lliem  to  do,  but  they  had  done  nothing  of  all 
that  lie  eommamled  them  to  do  (verse  23) ;  they 
made  no  conscience  of  any  of  His  laws,  they 
walked  not  in  them,  paid  no  respect  to  any  of 
His  calls  by  His  prophets  for  they  obeyed  not 
His  voire.  And  therefore  he  owns  that  God 
was  righteous  in  causing  all  this  evil  to  come 
vpon.  them.  The  city  is  besieged,  is  attacked 
hy  the  sword  without,  is  weakened  and  wasted 
by  the  famine  and  pestilence  within  (verse  24)  ; 
it  Ls  given  into  their  hands  (verse  25).  He  com- 
p!ires  the  present  state  of  Jerusalem  with  the 
Divine  predictions,  and  flnds  that  what  God 
has  spoken  is  come  to  pass.  God  had  given  them 
fair  warning  of  it  before  ;  if  they  had  regarded 
this  the  ruin  had  been  prevented.  He  neither 
complains  of  God  for  what  He  had  done,  nor 


prescribes  to  God  what  He  should  do,  but  de- 
fires  He  would  behold  their  case,  and  is  pleased 
to  think  that  He  does  behold  it.     H. 

17.  Thou  Iiast  made  the  heaven 
and  the  carlli  by  Tiiy  great  power. 
God  has  computed  the  mutual  perturbations  of 
millions  of  suns,  and  planets,  and  comets  and 
worlds,  without  luuulur,  through  the  ages  that 
are  passed,  and  throughout  the  ages  which  are 
3'et  to  come,  with  perfect  and  absolute  preci- 
sion. The  universe  is  in  motion — system  ris- 
ing above  S3'stcm,  cluster  above  cluster,  nebula 
above  nebula — all  majestically  sweeping  around 
under  the  providence  of  God,  who  alone  knows 
the  end  from  the  beginning,  and  before  whose 
glory  and  power  all  intelligent  things,  whether 
in  heaven  or  on  earth,  shoulil  bow  with  humil- 
ity and  awe.     0.  M.  Mitchell. 

Think  of  the  great  natural  forces  revealed  in 
our  outlook  on  the  structure  and  processes  of 
the  astronomical  earth  and  heavens.  The  thun- 
ders and  lightnings  in  their  might,  the  winds 
and  waves  at  their  best,  the  uplift  that  sets 
mountains  and  continents  on  their  high  places, 
the  fires  that  lap  up  forests  and  cities  in  an 
lumr  and  turn  the  toughest  metals  into  fluids 
and  vapors,  the  forces  implied  iu  the  annual 
output  of  vegetable  life  as  well  as  in  tornadoes, 
volcanoes  and  earthquakes — these  arc  very  im- 
pressive, but  not  so  impressive  as  the  forces  im- 
plied in  the  rush  of  comets  and  planets,  in  the 
fierce  disturbances  seen  in  the  photosphere  of 
the  sun,  in  the  sweep  of  a  system  of  millions  of 
huge  worlds  at  the  rate  of  a  million  miles  an 
hour,  .above  all  in  the  sum-  of  the  dynamics  in- 
cluded in  the  universe  sj'stem  sweeping  at  about 
the  same  inconceivable  rate  around  this  centre 
of  gravit)'.  What  a  Power  must  He  be  who 
could  originate,  harness  and  keep  well  in  hand 
such  terrible  forces!  "The  thunder  of  His 
power  who  can  understand  !" — how  natural 
•such  a  thought  to  a  reasonable  astronomer  as 
he  looks  forth  from  his  Uraniberg  on  the  pro- 
digious stellar  movements  !  .  Burr. 

In  the  Infinite  Mind  there  can  be  no  distinc- 
tion of  past,  present  and  future.  He  Is  from 
eternity  to  eternity,  and  in  every  stage  of  de- 
velopment He  is  no  less  present  than  were  each 
stage  a  fresh  creation.  Nay,  it  is  a  fresh  ere 
ation  ;  for  the  Omnipotent  AVill  must  be  in- 
cessant, eternal,  else  not  omnipotent.  He  is  no 
less  the  Immanent  Cause  than  the  First  Cause. 
The  universe  subsists,  the  vast  design  unrolls, 
by  His  unceasing  fiat.  Let  that  fiat  be  for  one 
instant  withholden,  the  universe  vanishes  like 
the  shadow  of  a  dream.  Law  is  but  a  provi- 
sional fiction  of   philosoph}' — the  non-religious 


446 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


name  for  the  modes  of  administration  of  an  or- 
derly universe.  Law  lias  a  real  meaning  only 
for  conscious  Uiw-Ueepers — for  men  and  angels, 
not  for  suns  and  stars  and  oceans — for  intelli- 
gent causes,  not  for  unintelligent  effects. 
There  is  no  power  of  obedience  in  tlie  inani- 
mate objects  to  wbicli  we  apply  that  term. 
Cut  them  adrift  from  the  infinite,  unceasing 
Will-l'owcr  which  holds  them  in  their  courses — 
there  would  remain  for  them  no  law  l)Ut  inertia, 
which  would  either  arrest  them  in  eternal  still- 
ness, or  hurl  them  into  internecine  chaos. 
A.  P.  Paibody. 

The  Most  Ancient  still  works  Ijcfore  our  eyes. 
Events  succeed  to-day  in  tlie  same  orders  as  in 
the  past.  We  anticipate  the  events  of  to- mor- 
row ;  we  project  thought  into  the  coming  ages  ; 
we  see  in  imagination  the  great  events  which 
will  transpire  after  our  bodies  sleep  in  the  dust. 
We  read  beforehand  tlie  scroll  of  history  des- 
tined to  be  unrolled  when  our  race  has  passed 
away — when  our  earth  is  worn  out — when  our 
sun  is  exhausted — when  the  stars  have  decayed 
and  new  stars  have  been  set  in  a  new  firma- 
ment. And  yet  the  power  of  God  works  on — 
the  power  of  the  same  God  who  was,  and  is  to 
be,  and  always  is.  And  it  is  this  Eternal  God, 
tliis  tireless  worker,  this  all-comprehending  in- 
telligence, who  works  to-day  under  our  obser- 
vation— in  the  springing  grasK,  in  the  flowing 
tide,  in  the  smoking  mountain,  in  the  silently- 
rolling  planet,  in  the  flames  of  the  burning 
suns — works  in  our  homes,  works  in  our  hearts, 
stills  our  fears,  sustains  our  liopes.  Great  God, 
and  good  !  Is  this,  then.  Thy  creation — Thy  im- 
mensity. Thy  verdant  fields,  and  do  we  ask 
why  we  sliould  contemplate  Thy  works  ?  Art 
Thou  in  reality  here,  and  arc  these  the  proofs  of 
Thy  presence  and  the  displays  of  Thy  intelli- 
gence, and  do  we  ask  if  we  .shall  i)e  profited  by 
looking  on  Th.v  operations  and  learning  what 
are  Thy  ways,  what  Thy  disposition  toward  the 
works  of  Tli_y  hands  and  the  creatures  of  Thy 
lovcV     .1.   IViiic/idl. 

26-129.  The  Lord  answers.  He  has  power 
adequate  to  any  result  that  His  wisdom  deems 
it  best  to  secure.  The  city  will  indeed,  as  is 
already  indicated,  be  given  up  to  the  Chaldeans, 
and  they  will  burn  and  utterly  destroy  it. 
Note  liere  liow  the  judgment  points  its  index 
finger  towani  the  sin  which  has  brought  it 
down.  The  Chaldean  fires  will  burn  those 
houses  biraiini'  on  their  roofs  the  infatuated  peo- 
I>le  had  offered  incense  to  Baal. 

3<V-35.  These  verses  recite  again  those  prov- 
ocations of  Israel  which  )iad  aroused  the  indig- 
Datiou  of  tlie  Lord.     These  points  have  often 


appeared  in  the  course  of  Jeremiah's  prophe- 
cies.    Indeed  they  constitute  their  burden. 

36-41.  The  strain  of  these  promises  is  ex- 
ceedingly rich.  Whil(>  they  refer  primarily  to 
the  restoration  vuider  Zerubbabel,  yet  their  out- 
look is  far  beyond  that  event.  Their  spiritual 
fulness  bears  us  onward  into  those  latter  days 
described  so  fully  in  the  previous  chapter. 
These  great  promises  are  remarkably  coincident 
with  those'  in  chap.  31  :  33,  34  :  "  They  shall  be 
My  people,  and  I  their  God;"  "I  will  give 
them  one  heart  and  one  way,  that  they  may 
fear  Me  forever,"  with  steadfast,  unwavering 
consecration  ;  "  Will  make  an  everlasting  cove- 
nant with  them,"  in  contrast  with  that  first 
covenant  which  they  broke,  and  it  was,  there- 
fore, transient ;  and  "  I  will  put  my  fear  in 
their  heart,  that  they  shall  not  dejiart  from 
Me."  Fear  of  God  in  the  Old  Testament  sense 
is  true  piety — not  differing,  therefore,  from 
"writing   God's   law  in   the   heart"    (31  ;  33). 

II.   C. God  will  renew  His  covenant  with 

them,  a  covenant  of  grace,  the  blessings  of 
which  are  spiritual,  and  such  as  will  work  good 
things  in  them  to  qualify  them  for  the  great 
things  God  intended  to  do  for  them.  Goil  will 
own  them  for  His,  and  make  over  Himself  to 
them  to  be  theirs  (verse  38) — Th<y  uluill  be  My 
peijple.  He  will  make  them  His  by  working  in 
them  all  the  characters  and  dispositions  of  His 
people,  and  then  He  »vill  protect  and  guide  and 
govern  them  as  His  people.  And  to  make 
them  truly,  completely  and  eternally  happy,  1 
will  be  t/uir  God.  Tliey  shall  serve  and  wor- 
ship God  as  theirs  and  cleave  to  Him  only,  and 
He  will  approve  Himself  theirs.  All  He  is,  all 
He  has,  shall  he  engaged  and  employed  for 
their  good.  God  will  give  them  one  heart  and 
one  way.  In  order  to  their  walking  in  one  way. 
He  will  give  them  one  heart  ;  as  the  heart  is  so 
will  the  wa\'  be,  and  both  shall  be  one.  The 
heart  is  then  one  when  it  is  fully  determined 
for  God  and  entirely  devoted  to  God  ;  when 
the  eye  is  single  and  God's  glory  alone  aimed 
at  ;  when  our  hearts  are  fixed,  trusting  in  God, 
and  wo  are  uniform  and  universal  in  our  obedi- 
ence to  Him  ;  then  the  heart  is  one  and  the  way 
one.     H. 

48-44.  These  verses  serve  to  connect  Jere- 
miah's recent  purchase  in  Anathoth  with  this 
strain  of  glorious  promise.  That  fact  became 
the  occasion  of  these  promises.  It  was  done  to 
be  a  historic  memorial  of  God's  faithfulness  to 
the  believing  Jews  of  tliosc  times.  They  might 
bear  the  memory  of  it  with  them  into  their  (-a])- 
tivity,  and  be  assvired  that  the  land  from  which 
they  were  then  driven  is  still  the  Lord's  land, 


SECTION  48. 


447 


where  promise  and  prophecy  are  still  to  have  a 
fulfiltnent,  glorious  to  the  love  and  faithfulness 
of  their  God.     II.  C. 


The  story  of  Jeremiah  will  not  be  lost  upon 
us  if  it  teaches  us  the  duty  of  submission  to  the 
will  of  God.  It  was  not  the  yoke  of  Babylon 
that  was  at  fault  in  the  days  of  Jeremiah,  so 
much  as  the  yoke  of  unforsaken  sin  ;  it  was  not 
by  turning  to  Egypt  for  help  that  Judah  could 


be  saved,  but  by  turning  to  the  God  whom 
they  had  forsaken  ;  let  them  bow  the  neck  to 
His  law  and  accept  His  rule,  and  all  would 
be  well.  But  the  old  struggle  continually  re- 
peats itself.  Whose  will  is  to  be  supreme — the 
will  of  God  or  the  will  of  man  ?  All  spiritual 
conflict  ij  practically  the  battle  of  the  wills  ; 
and  only  in  a  full  and  unreserved  acceptance 
of  the  Divine  will  can  wo  find  happiness  and 
peace.     E.  Baylcy. 


Section  48. 


JERUSALEM  DESTROYED  AND  JUDAH  TAKEN  TO  CAPTIVITY  IN  BABYLON. 
TEMPLE  FURNITURE  AND  PARTS  OF  THE  STRUCTURE  CARRIED  AWAY. 
BRIEF  REFLECTIONS  OF  THE  CHRONICLER.  JEREMIAH  PROTECTED  AND 
EBED-MELECH   DELIVERED. 

2  Kings  25  :  8-21  ;  2  Chuonicles  36  :  14-19  ;  Jeremiah  39  :  8-18  ;  52  :  12-30. 


2  Kings  25  :  8-21. 

8  Now  in  the  fifth  month,  on  the  seventh 
day  of  the  month,  which  was  the  nineteenth 
year  of  king  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Bab- 
ylon, came  Nebuzaradan  the  cajitain  of  the 
guard,  a  servant  of  the  king  of  Babylon, 

9  unto  Jerusalem  ;  and  he  burnt  the  house  of 
the  Lord,  and  the  king's  house  ;  and  all  the 
houses  of  Jerusalem,  even  every  great  hou.se, 

10  burnt  he  with  fire.  And  all  the  army  of  the 
Chaldeans,  that  were  with  the  captain  of  the 
guard,  brake  down  the  walls  of  Jerusalem 

11  round  about.  And  the  residue  of  the  peo- 
ple that  were  left  in  the  city,  and  those  that 
fell  away,  that  fell  to  the  king  of  Babylon, 
and  the  residue  of  the  multitude,  did  Nebu- 
zaradan the  captain  of  the  guard  carry  away 

12  captive.  But  the  captain  of  the  guard  left 
of  the  poorest  of  the  land  to  be  vinedressers 

13  and  husbandmen.  And  the  pillars  of  brass 
that  were  in  the  house  of  the  Loud,  and  the 
bases  and  the  brasen  sea  that  were  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord,  did  the  Chaldeans  break 
in  pieces,  and  carried  the  brsiss  of  them  to 

14  Babylon.  And  the  pots,  and  the  shovels, 
and  the  snuffers,  and  the  spoons,  and  all  the 
vessels  of  brass  wherewith  they  ministered, 

15  took  they  away.  And  the  firepans,  and  the 
basons  ;  that  whieh  was  of  gold,  in  gold, 
and  that  which  was  of  silver,  in  silver,  the 

16  captain  of  the  guard  took  away.  The  two 
pillars,  the  one  sea,  and  the  bases,  which 


Jeremiah  52  :  12-30. 


12  Now  in  the  fifth  month,  in  the  tenth  day 
of  the  month,  which  was  the  nineteenth 
year  of  king  Nebuchadrezzar,  king  of  Bab- 
ylon, came  Nebuzaradan  the  captain  of  the 
guard,  which  stood  before  the  king  of  Bab- 

13  ylon,  into  Jerusalem  :  and  he  burned  the 
house  of  the  Lord,  and  the  king's  house  ; 
and  all  the  houses  of  Jerusalem,  even  everj' 

14  great  house,  burned  he  with  fire.  And  all 
the  anny  of  the  Chaldeans,  that  were  with 
the  captain  of  the  guard,  brake  down  all 

15  the  walls  of  Jerusali'in  round  about.  Then 
Nebuzaradan  the  captain  of  the  guard  car- 
ried away  captive  of  the  poorest  sort  of  the 
people,  and  the  residue  of  the  people  that 
were  left  in  the  city,  and  those  that  fell 
away,  that  fell  to  the  king  of  Babylon,  and 

16  the  residue  of  the  multitude.  But  Nebu- 
zaradan the  captain  of  the  guard  left  of  the 
poorest  of  the  land  to  be  vinedressers  and 

17  husbandmen.  And  the  pillars  of  brass  that 
were  in  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  the  bases 
and  the  brasen  sea  that  were  in  the  house  of 
the  Lord,  did  the  Chaldeans  break  in  pieces, 
and  carried  all  the  brass  of  them  to  Babylon. 

18  The  pots  also,  and  the  shovels,  and  the 
snuffers,  and  the  basons,  and  the  spoons, 
and  all  the  vessels  of  brass  wherewith  they 

19  ministered,  took  they  away.  And  the  cups, 
and  the  firepans,  and  the  basons,  and  the 
pots,  and  the  candlesticks,  and  the  spoons, 


448 


RINOnOM  OF  Jl'DAn. 


Solomon  had    made    for   tlic  liousc  of  the 
LoHi)  ;    tliii  brass  of  all  these  vessels  wia 

17  without  weight.  The  heisiht  of  the  one 
pillar  wiii-  eighteen  ciilnts,  and  a  ehapiter  of 
brass  was  upon  it  :  and  the  height  of  the 
chapiter  was  three  cubits  ;  with  network 
and  pomegranates  upon  the  chapiter  round 
about,  all  of  brass  :  and  like  unto  these  had 

18  the  second  pillar  with  network.  And  the 
captain  of  the  guard  took  Seraiah  the  chief 
l)rieht,  and  Zephaiiiah  the  second  priest,  and 

19  the  thre('  keepers  of  the  door  :  and  out  of 
the  city  he  took  an  oflicer  that  was  set  over 
the  men  of  war  ;  and  live  men  of  them  that 
saw  the  king's  fai^e,  which  were  found  in 
the  citj'  ;  and  the  scribe,  the  captain  of  the 
host,  which  mustered  the  people  of  the 
land  ;  and  threescore  men  of  the  people  of 

20  the  land,  that  were  found  in  the  city.  And 
Nebti/.aradaii  the  captain  of  the  guard  took 
them,  and  brought  them  to  tlu^  king  of  Bab- 

81  ylon  to  Hiblah.  And  the  king  of  Babylon 
smote  them,  and  put  them  to  death  at  Kib- 
lab  in  the  land  of  Hamatli.  So  .Judah  was 
carried  away  (■ai>tive  out  of  his  land. 

.Ikukmiah  39  : 8-18. 

8  And  the  C'haldeans  burned  the  king's 
house,  and  the  houses  of  the  people,  with 
fire,  and  brake  down  the  walls  of  Jerusalem. 

9  Then  Nebuzaradan  the  captain  of  the  guard 
cariicd  away  captive  into  Babylon  the  resi- 
due of  the  people  that  remained  in  the  cit}', 
the  deserters  also,  that  fell  away  to  him,  and 
the  residue   of  the   peojile   that  remained. 

10  But  Nebuzaradan  the  captain  of  the  guard 
left  of  the  poor  of  the  people,  which  had 
nothing,  in  the  land  of  Judah,  and  gave 
them  vin<'yards  and  fields  at  the  same  time. 

11  Now  Nebuchadrezzar  king  of  Babylon  gave 
charge  concerning  Jeremiah  to  Nebuzaradan 

12  the  captain  of  the  guard,  saying.  Take  him, 
and  look  well  to  him.  and  do  him  no  harm  ; 
but  do  imto  him  even  as  he  shall  say  unto 

13  thee.  So  Nebuzaradan  the  captain  of  the 
guard  sent,  and  Nebushazbau,  Rab-saris, 
and  Nergal-sharezer,  Rab-mag,  and  all  the 

14  chief  officers  of  the  king  of  Babylon  ;  they 
sent,  and  took  Jeremiah  out  of  the  court  of 
the  guard,  and  committed  him  unto  Geda- 
liah  the  son  of  Ahikam,  the  son  of  Sliaph;in. 
that  he  should  carry  him  home  :  so  he  dwelt 
among  the  people. 

15  Now  the  word  of  the  Loun  came  unto 
Jeremiah,  while  he  was  shut  >ip  in  the  court 

16  of  the  gmird,  saying.  Go,  and  speak  to 
Ebcd-meleeh  the  Ethiopian,  saying,  Thus 


and  the  bowls  ;  that  which  was  of  gold,  in 
gold,  and  that  which  was  of  silver,  in  silver, 

20  tlie  captain  of  the  guard  took  away.  The 
two  pillars,  the  one  sea,  and  the  twelve  bra- 
sen  bulls  that  were  under  the  bases,  which 
king  Solomon  had  made  for  the  house  of  the 
Loud  :    the  brass  of  all  these  vessils  was 

21  without  weight.  And  as  for  the  i)illars,  the 
height  of  the  one  pillar  was  eighteen  cubits  ; 
and  a  line  of  twelve  cubits  did  compass  it  ; 
and  the  thickness  thereof  was  four  fingers  : 

22  it  was  hollow.  And  a  chapiter  of  brass  waa 
upon  it  ;  and  the  height  of  the  one  chapiter 
was  five  cubits,  with  network  and  pome- 
granates upon  the  chapiter  roumi  about,  all 
of  brass  :  and  the  second  pillar  also  had  like 

23  unto  these,  and  pomegranates.  And  there 
were  ninety  and  si.'c  pomegranates  on  the 
sides  ;  all  the  pomegranates  were  an  hun- 

24  dred  upon  the  network  round  about.  And 
the  captain  of  the  gtiard  took  Seraiah  the 
chief  i)ricst,  and  Zephaniah  the  second 
priest,  and  the  three  keepers  of  the  door  : 

2'>  and  out  of  the  city  he  took  an  oflicer  that 
was  set  over  the  men  of  Avar  ;  and  seven 
men  of  them  that  .saw  the  king's  face,  which 
were  fomid  in  the  city  ;  and  the  scribe  of 
the  captain  of  the  host,  who  mustered  the 
people  of  the  land  ;  and  threescore  men  of 
the  people  of  the  land,  that  were  foimd  in 

26  the  midst  of  the  city.  And  Nebuzaradau 
the  captain  of  the  guard  took  them,  and 
brought  them   to  the   king  of   Babylon  to 

27  Riblah.  And  the  king  of  Babylon  smote 
them,  and  put  them  to  death  at  Riblah  in  the 
land   of   Ilamath.     So  Judah   was   carried 

28  away  captive  out  of  his  laud.  This  is  the 
people  whom  Nebuchadrezzar  carried  away 
captive  :  in  the  seventh  year  three  thousand 

29  Jews  and  three  and  twenty  :  in  the  eigh- 
teenth year  of  Nebuchadrezzar  he  carried 
awaj'  captive  from  Jerusalem  eight  hundred 

80  thirty  and  two  persons  :  in  the  three  and 
twentieth  year  of  Nebuchadrezzar  Nebuza- 
radan the  captain  of  the  guard  carried  away 
captive  of  the  Jews  seven  hundred  forty 
and  five  persons  :  all  the  persons  were  four 
thousand  and  si.x  hundred. 

2  CumtNici.ES  36  :  14-19. 

14  Jloreover  all  tlie  <'liicfs  of  the  priests,  and 
the  people,  trespassed  very  greatly  after  all 
the  abominations  of  the  heathen  ;  and  they 
polluted  the  house  of  the   l.(>ni>  which  he 

1.5  had  hallowed  in  Jerusalem.  .Vnd  the  Lord. 
the  God  of  their  fathers,  sent  to  them  by  his 
messengers,  rising  up  early  and  sending  ; 


SECTION  4S.     JERUSALEM  DESTROYED. 


449 


saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  ; 
Behold,  I  will  briug  my  words  upon  this 
city  for  evil,  and  not  for  good  ;  and  they 
shall  be  accomplished  before  thee  in  that 

17  day.  But  I  will  deliver  thee  in  that  day, 
saith  the  Lord  :  and  thou  shalt  not  he  given 
into  the  hand  of  the  men  of  whom  tliou  art 

18  afraid.  For  I  will  surely  save  tliee,  and 
thou  shalt  not  fall  by  the  sword,  but  thy 
life  shall  be  for  a  prey  unto  thee  :  because 
thou  hast  put  thy  trust  in  me,  saith  the 
Lord. 


because  he  had  compassion  on  his  people, 

16  and  on  his  dwelling-place  :  but  they  mocked 
the  messengers  of  God,  and  despised  his 
words,  and  scoffed  at  his  prophets,  until  the 
wrath  of  the  Lord  arose  against  his  people, 

17  till  there  was  no  remedy.  Therefore  he 
brought  upon  them  the  king  of  the  Chal- 
deans, who  slew  their  young  men  with  the 
sword  in  the  house  of  their  sanctuarj',  and 
had  no  compassion  upon  young  man  or 
maiden,  old  man  or  ancient  :  he  gave  Ihem 

18  all  into  his  h.and.     And  all  thi  vessels  of  th(! 


house   of   God,    great  and  small,   aud   the 

treasures  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  the  treasures  of  the  king,  and  of  his  princes  ;  all 

19  these  he  brought  to  Babylon.     And  they  burnt  the  house  of  God,  and  brake  down  the  wall  of 

Jerusalem,  and  burnt  all  the  palaces  thereof  with  lire,  and  destroyed  all  the  goodly  vessels 

thereof. 


Nebuzaradan,  the  great  marshal  of  the 
king  of  Babylon,  comes  up  against  that  de- 
plored city  and  breaks  down  the  walls  of  it 
round  about  ;  burns  the  Temple  of  the  Lord 
and  the  king's  house  and  every  fair  palace  of 
Jerusalem  with  fire  ;  drives  away  the  remainder 
of  her  inhabitants  into  captivity  ;  carries  away 
the  last  spoils  of  the  glorious  Temple.  O  Jeru- 
salem, Jerusalem,  the  wonder  of  all  times,  the 
paragon  of  nations,  the  glory  of  the  earth,  the 
favorite  of  heaven,  how  art  thou  now  become 
heaps  of  ashes,  hills  of  rubbish,  a  spectacle  of 
desolation,  a  monument  of  ruin  !  If  later,  yet 
no  less  deep,  hast  thou  now  pledged  that  bitter 
cup  of  God's  vengeance  to  thy  sister  Samaria. 
How  carefully  had  thy  God  forewarned  thee  I 
"  Though  Israel  play  the  harlot,  3'et  let  not 
Judah  sin."  Lo  now,  as  their  iniquities  so 
Thy  judgments  have  overtaken  her.  Both  lie 
togetlier  in  the  dust  ;  both  are  made  a  cnrse  to 
all  posterities.  O  God,  what  place  shall  Thy 
justice  spare  if  Jerusalem  have  perished  !  If 
that  delight  of  Thine  were  cut  off  for  her 
wickedness,  "  Let  us  not  be  high-minded,  but 
fear."  .  .  .  Four  hundred  and  thirty-si.x  years 
had  that  Temple  stood  and  beautified  the  earth, 
and  honored  heaven  ;  now  it  is  turned  into  rude 
heaps.  There  is  no  prescription  to  be  pleaded 
for  the  favor  of  the  Almighty.  Only  that 
Temple  not  made  with  hands  is  eternal  in  the 
heavens.  Thither  will  He  graciously  bring 
His  faithful  servants,  for  the  sake  of  that  glo- 
rious High  Priest  who  has  once  for  all  entered 
into  that  holy  of  holies.     Bp.  II. 

Judea's  weakness  lay  in  this — that  she  had 
offended  God.  From  the  time  of  Moses  to  that 
of  Zedekiah,  it  was  not  her  own  inherent 
strength  or  energy  that  had  protected  and  sus- 
tained her,  but  the  supporting  hand  of  the  Al- 


mighty. God  had  ever  "  gone  forth  with  her 
armies,"  had  given  her  "  help  from  trouble." 
Through  God  she  had  "  done  valiantly. "  He 
it  was  who  had  "  trodden  down  her  enemies." 
Many  of  their  deliverances  had  been  through 
actual  miracle  ;  others  were  the  result  of  a  di- 
vinely infused  courage  pervading  their  own 
ranks,  or  a  panic  falling  upon  their  adversaries. 
It  was  only  as  God's  "  peculiar  people,"  enjoy- 
ing His  covenanted  protection,  that  they  could 
possibly  hold  their  place  among  tlie  nations  of 
the  earth,  so  soon  as  great  empires  were  formed 
and  mighty  monarchs  devised  schemes  of  ex- 
tensive conquests.  God's  arm  had  saved  them 
from  Eg\'pt  and  from  Assyria  ;  He  could  as 
easily  have  saved  them  from  Babylon.  He 
could  have  bridled  Ncljuchadnezzar  as  easily 
as  Zerah  or  Sennacherib,  and  have  saved  the 
Jews  under  Zedekiah  as  readily  as  under  Asa  or 
Hezekiah.  But  Judah 's  sins  came  between 
him  and  them.  The  persistent  transgressions 
of  the  people  from  the  time  of  Manasseh,  their 
idolatries,  immoralities,  cruelties  and  wicked- 
ness of  all  kinds,  shortened  God's  arm  that  He 
could  not  interpose  to  save  them.  .4s  the  au- 
thor of  Chronicles  puts  it,  "  there  was  no  rem- 
edy." "They  had  transgressed  very  much 
after  all  the  abominations  of  the  heathen  ;  and 
polluted  the  house  of  the  Lord  which  He  had 
hallowed  in  Jerusalem  ;  they  had  mocked  the 
messengers  of  God,  and  despised  His  words, 
aud  misused  His  prophets  ;"  and  so  "  filled  up 
the  measure  of  their  iniquities."  Under  such 
circumstances,  God  could  not  spare  even  His 
own  children  (Isa.  1:4;  63  :  16) — His  own  peo- 
ple. Can,  then,  any  sinful  nation  hope  to  es- 
cape? Ought  not  each  to  feel  the  fate  of  Ju- 
dah a  warning  to  itself?  Hammond. 
'Z  K.  25  :  ««.  The  nincteeiUli  year  of 


460 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


Hln^fNobiirhadnezzar.  Tlie  first  year  of 
Ncl>ucliiuliic/.z:ir  cDrrcsponilcd  witli  Uu-  fourtli 
of  Jchoiakini  (.Icr,  25  :  1),  wlicn  tlii^  first  depor- 
tation ocourred,  ami  from  wliich  tlie  scvrnty 
years  of  tlio  Captivity  are  to  l)e  reckoned 
(verses  11,  12),  The  first  year  of  Zedekiali 
would  accordingly  be  the  ninth  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, and  the  eleventh  year  of  Zedekiah,  in 
whicli  tlie  capture  of  Jerusalem  occurred,  would 
be  Nebuchadnezzar's  nineteenth  year. 

10.  The  walls,  which  seemed  impregnable 
and  had  so  long  resisted  attack,  were  broken 
down,  and  the  city  was  reduced  to  a  mass  of 
ruins  (Neh.  2  :  3,  13,  17).  It  is  ditlieult  for  us 
to  imagine  tlie  feelings  produced  in  tlie  min<l  of 
a  devout  Jew  by  this  fearful  desolation.  It 
was  not  merely  the  ruin  of  his  country,  the 
overthrow  of  a  kingdom  that  dated  back  to  the 
days  of  David,  the  destruction  of  the  capital 
city,  with  its  elegant  and  venerable  palaces, 
and  its  world-renowned  Temple,  the  exile  of 
his  people  from  their  homes  at  the  will  of  a  re- 
lentless conqui-rnr,  whose  track  was  marked 
witli  fire  and  blood  ;  but  it  looked  lilic  tlie 
overthrow  of  the  kingdom  of  God  upon  earlli, 
and  the  abandonment  of  His  scheme  of  grace. 
The  royal  house  of  David,  from  whom  Messiah 
was  to  proceed,  had  fallen.  The  seed  of  Abra- 
ham, which  was  to  bless  the  world,  was  tram 
pled  in  the  dust  by  haughty  foes.  The  Tem- 
ple, where  God  had  recorded  His  name,  and 
where  alone  acceptable  sacrifices  could  be 
offered  and  the  Aaronic  priesthood  perform 
their  mediation,  was  burned  to  the  ground, 
and  the  divinely  ordained  ceremonial,  so  sig- 
nificant of  blessing,  was  violently  terminated 
(Lam.  2  :  6-9).  It  required  a  strong  faith  to 
believe  that  Jehovah,  whose  people  were  thus 
humiliated,  was  nevertheless  the  almighty  and 
sovereign  God,  whose  promises  were  true  and 
faitliful,  and  that  the  gods  of  the  victorious 
Baliylonians  were  impotent  and  senseless  idols. 

11.  The  residue  of  the  people. 
Those  wild  survived  the  calamities  of  the  siege. 
Tlie  policy  of  the  Assyrian  and  Babylonish  em- 
perors, as  shown  not  merely  in  the  case  of  the 
Ten  Tribes  and  subsequently  of  Judah,  but  in 
various  other  instances  recorded  upon  the  mon- 
uments, was  to  transport  subjugated  popula- 
tions to  distant  regions,  and  supply  their  place 
by    new    colonists    brought    from    elsewhere. 

W.   II.   G. It  deserves  especial  notice  that 

the  land  which  we  may  henceforth  call  Judca, 
to  distinguish  it  from  the  other  parts  of  Pales- 
tine, was  not  subjected,  like  that  of  Samaria 
had  been,  to  a  new  colonization  by  heathen  set- 
tlers.    It  lay  ready  to  be  occupied  by  those  to 


whom  God  had  given  it,  after  it  had  rested  for 
the  sabbatic  years  of  wliich  it  had  been  de- 
jirived,  and  when  they  themselves  had  been 
(•hastened  by  alliiction.  This  hope  su.staiiied 
those  of  the  captives  who,  like  Daniel,  had  still 
tlie  faith  to  pray  with  their  faces  turned  toward 
Jerusalem  ;  it  is  mingled  with  the  sad  com- 
plaints of  the  pathetic  Psalms  that  belong  to 
the  time  of  the  Captivity,  and  it  even  breathes 
through  the  more  dismal  wailing  of  Jeremiah's 
Lamentations.     P.  S. 

I '.2.  In  disposing  of  the  still  .surviving  popu- 
lation, the  Chaldean  poliej'  .seems  to  have  been 
to  take  away  all  the  princes  and  nobles,  and 
all  men  of  any  considerable  wealth  or  social  po- 
sition ;  all  who  had  gone  over  to  them  during 
the  war  and  the  siege  ;  and  a  portion  of  the 
poor.  But  a  few  of  the  poor,  said  by  Jeremiah 
(39  :  10)  to  be  those  who  "  had  nothing,"  they 
"  left  for  vinedressers  and  husbandmen."  It 
seems  probable  that  they  were  left,  not  so 
much  for  the  sake  of  keeping  up  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  vineyards  and  of  the  soil,  as  because 
it  would  not  pay  to  take  them  to  Babylon  jis 
captives,  and  they  could  get  a  subsistence  in 
Judea.     H.  C. 

18-21.  Signal  punishment  was  dealt  out  to 
those  who  were  regarded  as  ringleaders  or  as 
representative  peraons  during  the  late  rebellion. 
"  Seraiah,  thechief  priest"  (high  priest),"  Zeph- 
aniah,  the  second  priest"  (probably  the  substi- 
tute of  the  high-priest),  "  and  the  three  keepers 
of  the  door"— that  is,  the  chiefs  of  the  Levites 
who  kept  watch  at  the  three  Temple  gates  (Jer. 
38  :  14),  were  brought  before  the  court  which 
sat  at  Riblah,  and  executed.  The  same  punish- 
ment as  that  of  the  Temple  officials  was  meted 
out  to  the  royal  officers  in  the  city — the  cham- 
berlain who  had  charge  of  the  troops,  five  of 
the  king's  councillors,  and  the  secretary  of  the 
general  of  the  army.  With  tliese  were  execiit- 
ed  si.xty  of  the  people  of  the  land,  either  as 
prominent  in  the  late  rebellion,  or  as  represent- 
ing the  people  generally.  A.  E. It  de- 
volved on  Nebuzaradau  to  select  for  exemplary 
punishment  the  persons  whom  he  regarded  as 
most  guilty,  either  in  respect  of  the  original 
rebellion  or  of  the  protracted  resistance.  His 
choice,  both  as  regards  the  number  and  the 
quality  of  the  persons,  is  such  as  an  equitable 
and  God  fearing  man  would  have  made  under 
the  circumstances.  Instead  of  taking  indis- 
criminately the  first  comers,  he  first  selected 
those  who  by  their  oftiees  would  be  likely  to 
have  ha  I  most  authority— the  high-priest;  his 
locum  tenens,  the  second  priest  ;  three  of  the 
Temple  Levites  ;  the  commandant  of  the  city  ; 


SECTION  AS.    JERUSALEM  DESTROYED. 


451 


five  members  of  the  king's  council  (or  seven, 
uccorJing  to  Jer.  53  :  25)  ;  and  the  secretary  (or 
adjutant)  of  the  captain  of  the  liost.  To  these 
he  added  sixty  others,  who,  though  they  had 
not  held  any  special  office,  were  of  sufficient 
dignity  to  be  accounted  sariin,  "princes."  If 
we  compare  this  with  the  many  occasions  on 
which  Assyrian  and  Persian  conquerors  put  to 
death  hundreds  or  tho\isands  after  taking  a  re- 
volted town,  we  shall  see  reason  to  regard  Neb- 
uzaradan  (and  liis  master,  Nebuchadnezzar)  as 
moderate,  or  even  merciful,  in  their  vengeance. 
B.  C. 

13.  Nebuchadnezzar  carried  away  the  riches 
and  furniture  of  the  Temple  at  three  different 
times  :  first,  in  the  third  year  of  Jehoiakim 
(Dan.  1  :  3) ;  these  were  the  vessels  which  his 
son  Belshazzar  profaned  (Dan.  5  :  2),  and  which 
Cyrus  restored  to  the  Jews  (Ezra  1  :  7),  to  be 
set  up  in  the  Temple  when  rebuilt  ;  secondly, 
in  the  reign  of  Jehoiachin  he  again  took  the 
city,  and  cut  in  pieces  a  great  part  of  the  ves- 
sels of  gold  which  Solomon  had  made  (2  K. 
24  :  13)  ;  thirdlj',  in  the  eleventh  year  of  Zcde- 
kiah,  as  here  related,  he  pillaged  the  Temple 
once  more.  It  is  somewhat  strange  that  among 
the  other  furniture  we  find  no  mention  made  of 
the  ark  of  the  covenant,  which  of  all  other 
things  was  held  most  sacred  ;  but  it  was  prob- 
ably burned  together  with  the  Temple  in  this 

last  desolation.     Stackhouse. All   the   more 

precious  treasures  had  been  already  removed 
from  the  Temple.  But  there  still  remained  the 
two  pillars  of  brass  named  Jachin  and  Boaz, 
which  Hiram  had  made  for  Solomon,  and  set 
up  in  front  of  the  Temple  (1  K.  7  :  1.5-22) ;  the 
brazen  sea,  a  work  of  the  same  craftsman, 
which  Ahaz  had  taken  off  its  oxen  and  placed 
upon  a  pavement  of  stones  (2  K.  16  :  17)  ;  the 
brazen  bases,  or  stands  for  the  ten  lavers,  from 
which  Ahuz  had  detached  the  ornamental  pan- 
els or  "  borders"  (ibid.),  but  which  had  proba- 
bly been  restored  to  their  original  condition  by 
Hczekiah  ;  a  number  of  small  utensils  of  brass, 
or  rather  bronze,  belonging  to  the  original  ser- 
vice of  Solomon  (1  K.  7  :  45)  ;  and  a  certain 
number  ot  gold  and  silver  vessels  which  had 
either  escaped  the  former  plunderings,  or  had 
been  made  by  Zedekiah  to  replace  the  vcs.=els 
carried  off  previouslj'.  The  list  (jf  articles  is 
given  in  Jer.  52  :  17-23  much  more  fully  than 
in  this  place.  Carried  the  brass  to  Bab- 
ylon. Objects  in  brass,  or  rather  bronze  (for 
it  may  be  doubted  whether  brass  was  as  j'et 
known  to  the  Orientals),  were  frcqucntl)'  car- 
ried off  by  the  Assyrians  from  the  conquered 
nations.     Bronze  was  highly  valued,  being  the 


chief  material  both  for  arms  and  implements. 
B.  C. 

The  first  deportation  to  Babylon  is  not  re- 
corded at  all  in  the  historical  books,  but  is  men- 
tioned in  the  opening  verses  of  the  prophet 
Daniel  (Dan.  1  :  3.  4).  No  numbers  are  given 
there,  but  it  is  said  that  certain  pecidiarly  gifted 
young  men  were  selected  "of  the  king's  seed 
and  of  the  princes,"  among  whom  were  Daniel 
and  his  three  companions.  It  appears,  then, 
that  there  must  have  been  others  "  of  the  king's 
seed  and  of  tlie  princes,"  probably  many  of 
them,  and  also  others  who  were  not  thus  dis- 
tinguished. No  definite  cipher  can  be  fixed, 
but  it  seems  probable  that  the  number  must 
iiavc  been  reckoned  by  hundreds.  This  oc- 
curred in  the  third  year  of  Jehoiakim,  which 
was  the  j'car  before  Nebuchadnezzar's  acces- 
sion to  the  throne  (see  Jer.  25  :  1),  although  he 
is  very  naturally  spoken  of  as  "  king."  Eight 
j'cars  after  this — i.e.,  in  Nebuchadnezzar's  sev- 
enth year— Jeremiah  mentions  (53  :  28)  that  3023 
of  the  Jews  were  carried  off  by  liim  to  Babylon. 
This  must  have  occurred  in  the  early  part  of 
the  same  campaign  in  which  he  laid  siege  to 
and  took  Jerusalem.  In  the  following  3-ear — 
the  eighth  of  Nebuchadnezzar — Jerusalem  was 
taken,  and  the  king,  Jehoiachin,  with  10,000  of 
the  people  (2  K.  24  :  14),  was  carried  captive. 
It  was  at  this  deportation  that  the  prophet  Eze- 
kiel  (compare  1  :  1  with  33  :  2)  was  carried  off. 
There  is  no  record  of  any  further  captivity  for 
a  period  of  ten  3-ears.  At  the  end  of  that  time, 
in  the  eighteenth  year  of  Nebuchadnezzar.  Jer- 
emiah (52  :  29)  mentions  that  832  were  carried 
away.  This  also  was  doubtless  in  the  early 
part  of  a  campaign  which  ended  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem  and  the  Temple.  At  the 
close  of  this  campaign  it  is  said  (2  K.  25  :  11) 
that  "  in  the  nineteenth  year  of  Nebuchadnez- 
zar," the  "  rest  of  the  people  that  were  left  in 
the  city,  and  the  fugitives  that  fell  away  to  the 
king  of  Babylon,  and  the  remnant  of  the  multi- 
tude" were  carried  away.  The  numbers  are 
not  given,  but  were  probably  ver}'  large,  as 
they  seem  to  have  included  the  whole  mass  of 
the  people.  Subsequently,  in  the  twenty-third 
year  of  Nebuchadnezzar  (Jer.  53  :  30),  745  more 
were  taken  to  Babylon.  The  whole  period  of 
the  carrying  off  of  the  Jews  is  thus  seen  to 
have  covered  twenty-four  years,  extending 
from  the  year  before  Nebuchadnezzar  ascended 
the  throne  to  the  twenty-third  year  of  liis  reign. 
The  sum  of  the  various  numbers  mentioned  is 
14,600  ;  but  none  are  given  in  connection  with 
two  of  the  deportations,  that  at  the  tim.'  Daniel 
was  taken,  which  probably  amounted  to  only 


452 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAII. 


n  few  Imndrcfis,  and  that  after  the  (Icstruction  of 
tht'Ti'inplc.  when  probably  a  much  larger  body 
was  carried  olT  than  in  all  the  others  put  to- 
gether. There  were  then  six  successive  depor- 
tations, instead  of  only  the  three  commonly 
spoken  of  ;  while  three  of  these  were  each  of  a 
less  number  than  1000  (two  of  them  certainly, 
the  other  probably),  the  other  three  were  large, 
one  just  over  IJOOO,  the  next  10,000,  and  the 
third  probably  many  tens  of  thousands.  The 
mention,  often  incidentally,  of  these  various 
deportations  may  show  that  there  were  still 
others  of  which  no  record  has  been  preserved, 
so  that  the  process  was  going  on  at  every  con- 
venient opportunity  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
The  number  of  Jews  remaining  in  the  land  at 
the  time  of  the  murder  of  Gcdaliah  must  there- 
fore have  been  small,  and  when  these  fled  to 
Egypt,  the  country  appears  to  have  become  al- 
most entirely  depopulated.     F.  Gardiner. 

Jcr.  39:11-14.  Our  involuntary  respect 
for  the  grand  king  of  Babylon  is  confirmed  by 
the  treatment  which  Jeremiah  met  with  in 
obedience  to  his  orders.  As  soon  as  the  city 
was  taken,  Nebuzaradan,  with  the  other  chief 
officers,  sent  for  the  prophet  out  of  the  prison, 
and  committed  him  to  the  care  of  Gedaliah,  the 
son  of  Ahikam,  son  of  Shaphan,  who  plays  a 
most  im|)ortant  part  in  the  subsequent  transac- 
tions. P.  S. The  man  to  whom  they  in- 
trusted him  was  manifestly  one  of  his  early  and 
long-tricil  friends— a  grandson  of  that  Shap- 
han the  scribe  who  was  actively  prominent  in 
the  reformation  under  Josiah.  (See  3  K. 
23  :  8-14.)    H.  C. 

The  darkness  of  the  picture  is  at  once  re- 
lieved and  deepened  by  one  touch  of  light. 
The  aged  hero  of  the  story  at  last  meets  with 
kindness  for  his  faithfulness.  His  importance 
is  recognized,  for  the  king  of  Babylon  singles 
him  o\it  in  a  special  charge.  His  fidelity  is  re- 
warded so  far  as  an  appreciative  Gentile  can 
reward  it,  lie  is  to  be  carefully  considered  and 
cherished  ;  no  liarm  must  befall  him  ;  and  he  is 
also  given  his  choice,  either  to  go  on  to  Babylon 
or  to  remain  in  his  devastated  but  still  beloved 
country.  The  old  patriot,  as  we  should  expect, 
preferred  to  stay.  With  him,  also,  the  very 
poor  of  the  people  are  spared.     McPltcnoii. 

15-18.  Very  appropriately  the  Lord  remem- 
bers that  good  and  true  man,  Ebed-melech  the 
Ethiopian,  to  whom,  under  God,  Jeremiah 
owed  his  life  (chap.  38  : 7-13).  His  record 
stands  here  as  that  of  a  godly  man  who  trusted 
in  the  Lord.  Of  course  the  Ix)rd  did  not  for- 
sake him  in  his  hour  of  need.  He  never  does. 
So  retribution  from  the  Lord  visits  the  guilty  for 


their  punishment,  and  the  good  for  their  deliv- 
erance ;  "  For  the  Lord  is  a  (iod  of  knowledge, 
and  by  Him  actions  are  weighed"  (1  Sam.  3  :  3), 
and  "  The  Lortl  is  a  God  of  judgment."  and 
"  Blessed  arc  all  they  that  wait  for  Him"  (Isa. 
80  :  18).     H.  C. 

2  Chronicler  36  ;  U-16. 

The  author  of  the  Books  of  Chronicles,  ap- 
proaching the  close  of  his  liLstory,  indulges  us 
with  some  reflections  on  the  causes  of  the  catas- 
trophe which  he  relates.  This  is  unusual  in 
Scripture  history,  where  commonly  the  facts 
are  recorded  and  the  reader  is  left  to  his  own 
reflections — unless  where  a  prophet,  priest,  or 
angel  appears  to  warn  or  to  exhort.  Tla-  great- 
ness of  the  event — the  awfulness  of  the  con- 
summation— did,  however,  in  this  case  call  for 
the  observations  which  are  introduced.  After 
describing  the  iniquities  of  the  nation,  especially 
in  the  latter  years,  and  the  olxluracy  of  the 
king,  who"  stiffened  his  neck  and  hardened  his 
heart  from  turning  unto  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel,"  and  after  distinctly  stating  that  even 
"  all  the  chief  of  the  priests  and  the  people 
transgressed  very  much,"  he  goes  on  to  say — 
"  And  the  Lord  God  of  their  fathers  sent  unto 
them  by  His  messengers,  rising  up  betimes  and 
sending  ;  because  He  had  compassion  on  His 
people  and  on  His  dwelling-place  ;  but  they 
mocked  the  messengers  of  God,  and  de-pised 
His  words,  and  niisuscd  His  prophets,  until  the 
wrath  of  the  Lord  arose  against  His  people. 
TILL  THERE  WAS  NO  KEMEDY. "  These  are  aw- 
ful words. 

The  judgment  which  now  befell  this  people, 
terrible  as  it  was,  is  even  less  striking  than  the 
patience  which  had  so  long  endured  their  per- 
verseness — which  had  so  long  withheld  the 
stroke  that  at  last  laid  them  low.  Even  as  it 
was,  the  judgment  came  most  gradually,  with 
constant  solicitations  to  repentance,  and  with 
warnings  from  day  to  day.  The  wliole  Jewish 
nation,  both  in  Judah  and  Isriud,  had  all  along 
evinced  a  strong  propensity  to  idolatrous  abom- 
inations, which  would  be  almost  incredible,  in 
the  presence  of  the  light  with  which  they  were 
favored,  did  we  not  recollect  the  prevailing 
ideas  of  the  times,  and  the  condition  of  all  the 
neighboring  nations  ;  and  consider  the  strong 
tendency  of  an  exceptional  system  to  be  ab- 
sorbed into  those  which  are  more  prevalent, 
especially  when  the  latter  is  more  material,  un- 
spiritual  and  demonstrative  than  the  others. 
Still  we  arc  scarcely  able,  in  our  ignorance  of 
idolatrous  enticements,  to  appreciate  the  temp- 
tations to  which  the  Hebrew  people  were  ex- 


SECTION  4S.     JERUSALEM  DESTROYED. 


453 


posed  and  before  which  they  fell,  and  which 
brought  them  into  a  state  from  which  the  jealous 
endeavors  of  good  kings — the  warnings,  invec- 
tives, entreaties  aud  threats  of  a  long  series  of 
glorious  prophets,  specially  commissioned  by 
God — were  ineffectual  to  rouse  them,  and  to 
produce  a  real  reformation.  It  was  for  this  the 
nation  was  carried  awaj'  captive,  and  the  holy 
city  and  its  Temple  reduced  to  ruin.  This  ca- 
lamity came  gradually,  leaving  ample  oppor- 
tunity of  repentance,  while  God  had  not  yet 
forgotten  to  be  gracious.  But  they  repented 
not.  Gradual  punishment  produced  no  reform 
in  the  religion  or  morals  of  the  people,  for 
their  morals  also  had  become  exceedingly  cor- 
rupt ;  and  the  last  king  was  no  better  than  his 
predecessors,  notwithstanding  the  more  abun- 
dant and  sharper  warnings  lie  received.  There- 
fore the  long-suspended  doom  at  length  came 
down,  aud  the  land  was  given  over  to  desola- 
tion, and  the  people  to  what  must  have  seemed 
their  extinction  and  utter  ruin. 

The  mercy,  the  justice  and  the  wisdom  of 
God  arc  all  equally  displayed  in  this  event. 
His  nu-i-cy  in  bringing  this  judgment  so  grad- 
ually— from  lesser  to  greater,  during  the  space 
of  twenty-two  years — so  tliat  most  ample  warn- 
ing was  given,  and  abundant  opportunity  was 
afforded  to  the  nation,  that  the  successive 
threatenings  denounced  by  the  prophets  were 
not  vain  words,  but  would  most  assuredly  be 
accomplished  in  their  season.  That  it  was  a 
most^'»s(  punishment  for  their  sins  no  one  ever 
questioned,  and  thev  have  themselves  constant- 
ly admitted  it,  even  with  tears.  It  was,  in  par- 
ticular, a  most  righteous  puni.shmcnt  of  their 
idolatry,  whereb}'  they  forsook  God,  and  so 
provoked  Him  to  forsake  them,  and  to  suffer 
their  enemies  to  prevail  over  them,  as  Moses 
had  long  before  foretold  in  Lev.  26,  where  the 
succession  of  the  Divine  judgments  is  most  re- 
markably traced  out.  That  is  altogether  a 
wonderful  chapter,  which  should  be  read  in 
connection  with  the  closing  portion  of  the 
Books  of  Kings  and  Chronicles.  But  also  the 
■irisdoiii  of  God  is  seen  in  this.  He  did  not 
mean  utterly  to  cast  off  His  people,  and  He 
therefore  brought  first  expatriation  under  Jehoi- 
achin — the  captive  Jews  should  return  to  their 
own  land  ;  and  before  that,  Isaiah  had  predicted 
that  this  should  take  place  under  an  unborn 
king  called  Cyrus,  of  whom  high  things  were 
spoken.     Kitto, 

14.  Compare  with  this  passage  (verses  14-17) 
the  similar  but  much  longer  justification  of 
God's  rejection  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  contained  in 
2  K.  17  :  7-33.     G.  R.     (Section  29.) 


15.  Rising  early  and  speakfng.    The 

oft-recurring  expression,  "  rising  up  early  and 
speaking,"  or  "  sending,"  is  both  beautiful  and 
strong.  As  a  man  in  earnest  and  full  of  his 
mission  is  up  betimes  in  the  morning  to  begin, 
so  God  represents  Himself  as  ^^•akeful  and  ac- 
tive, giving  up  the  live-long  day  to  His  work, 
laboring  with  unwearied  patience  to  reclaim 
and  to  save  His  people,  but  all  in  vain.     H.  C. 

God  in  all  ages  has  drawn  near  His  people, 

and  answered  with  the  fidelity  of  a  father  to 
their  needs.  At  every  critical  moment,  and,  so 
to  say,  at  every  bifurcation  of  the  road.  He  has 
been  found,  rising  vp  early  (according  to  the 
beautiful  expression  of  Jeremiah),  and  pouring 
forth  His  saving  counsels  through  His  proph- 
ets. And  all  these  different  voices  combine  in 
one  to  proclaim  together  the  master-law,  the 
supreme  principle  of  all  history  :  He  that  ex- 
alteth  himself  shall  be  abased.  It  was  to  this  law 
that  all  the  powers  of  the  ancient  world — the 
Babylonian,  the  Medo-Persian,  the  Greek  and 
the  Roman  monarchies — had  to  bow  their  proud 
heads.  Tl-.e  littleness  of  Israel  was  no  protec- 
tion against  the  application  of  this  great  princi- 
ple. As  soon  as  it  took  upon  itself  to  make  ita 
Divine  election  the  ground  of  a  monopoly,  as 
soon  as  it  dared  to  make  it.self  an  end  in  itself 
instead  of  simply  an  instrument,  as  it  was 
in  God's  purpose,  the  thunder-bolt  which  falls 
from  heaven  upon  everything  that  exalts  itself 
struck  it  in  its  littleness  ;  for  let  us  ever  bear 
in  mind  that  the  pride  of  the  little  is  no  more 
tolerable  in  the  ej'cs  of  the  Most  High  than  that 
of  the  great.  This  law,  indeed,  which  judged 
the  ancient  world,  rules  the  modern  world  also. 
It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  words  of  the 
prophets  concern  us  still.  They  fell  from  too 
great  a  height  to  be  of  merely  local  or  tem- 
porary application.  Till  the  end  of  the  world 
they  will  recall  to  men,  dazzled  with  the  sense 
of  their  own  greatness,  what  they  are,  and  what 
God  is.  Individuals  and  nations  are  subject  to 
this  lavt'.     Godet. 

16.  Notice  the  word  "  till."  It  shows  how 
slow  God  is  to  take  away  the  remedy.  Hia 
mercy  still  holds  back  the  arm  of  justice.  But 
we  may  sin  ourselves  into  a  state,  not  in  which 
there  is  no  forgiveness,  but  in  which  there  will 
be  no  thought  or  desire  to  seek  for  forgiveness. 
There  is  the  bourn — worse  than  any  grave — 
from  which  no  man  has  returned.  "  There  is 
no  remedy,"  not  on  God's  account,  but  on  jour 
own  ;  not  in  God's  want  of  will  to  save  you, 
but  in  your  own  incapacity  to  will  your  own 
salvation.     ,/.  Vnnghan. 

Two  characteristics  of   this  account  of  the 


454 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 


full  (jf  Jerusalem  arc  striking— its  minute  pur- 
ticularity,  giving  step  by  step  the  details  of  the 
tragedy,  and  its  entire  suppression  of  emotion. 
The  jiassionless  record  tells  the  talc  without  a 
tear  or  a  sob.  For  these  we  must  go  to  the 
Book  of  Lamentations.  This  is  the  history  of 
God  s  judgment,  and  here  emotion  would  be 
mispUiced.  But  there  is  a  world  of  repressed 
feeling  in  the  long-drawn  narrative,  as  well  as 
in  the  fact  that  three  versions  of  the  story  are 
given  (.ler.  39  :  53  •,  2  K.  25).  Sorrow  curbed 
by  submission,  and  steadily  gazing  on  God's 
judicial  act,  is  the  temper  of  the  narrative.  In 
Lanuutiitions  we  have  the  emotions  of  devout 
hearts  ;  here  we  have  tlie  calm  record  of  God's 
judgmint.  It  is  all  one  long  sentence,  for  in 
the  Hebrew  each  verse  begins  with  "and," 
clause  heaped  on  clause,  as  if  each  were  a  foot- 
step of  the  destroying  angel  in  his  slow,  irre- 
si.stil]le  march.  Surely  the  fall  of  Jerusalem, 
though  all  the  agon^-  is  calmed  ages  ago,  still 
remains  as  a  solemn  beacon,  warning  that  the 
wages  of  sin  is  death,  both  for  nations  and  in- 
dividuals ;  that  the  threateniugs  of  God's  Word 
are  not  idle,  but  will  be  accomplished  to  the 
utmost  tittle  ;  and  that  His  patience  stretches 
from  generation  to  generation,  and  His  judg- 
ments tarry  because  He  is  not  willing  that  any 
should  ])eri.sh,  but  that  for  all  the  long-suffer- 
ing there  comes  a  time  when  even  a  Divine  love 
sees  it  is  needful  to  say  "  Now  I"  and  the  bolt 
falls.  The  solemn  word  addressed  to  Israel 
has  application  as  real  to  all  Christian  churches 
and  individual  souls  :  "  You  only  have  I 
known  of  all  th(!  inhabitants  of  the  earth  ; 
therefore  I  will  punish  you  for  all  your  iniqui- 
ties."    A.  M. 

Sin  ruined  all — the  house  of  David,  the 
Temjile  of  Solomon,  the  city  of  so  many  grand 
and  holy  memories.  There  Is  no  heart,  no 
house,  no  kingdom,  no  Church,  that  sin  will 
not  undermine  and  destroy.  In  the  enfl  of  the 
book  God  seems  to  weep  over  Jerusalem,  but 
He  would  not  force  upon  it  His  worship  or  His 
law.  He  spoke  to  the  kings  and  the  people  by 
His  prophets.  If  they  would  not  hearken,  noth- 
ing could  prevent  their  destruction.  In  a  later 
age,  the  Son  of  God  wept  over  Jerusalem,  be- 
cause its  children  would  not  be  gathered  to 
Him.  The  "  City  of  Solemnities"  would  ruin 
itself  again.  The  same  love  of  God  yearns  still 
over  cities,  countries,  churches,  families  and 
individual  men,  women  and  children.  D.  F'ra- 
ter. 

The  two  great  moral  results  sought  by  means 
of  this  destruction  of  city  and  Temple,  and  of 
this  seventy  years'  captivity,  were  (1)  to  cure 


the  nation  of  idolatry  ;  (2)  to  break  down  this 
false  reliance  on  the  mere  externals  of  their  re- 
ligious system.  The  whole  Book  of  Kzckiel 
should  be  read  with  these  jxiints  in  mind. 
Every  chapter,  almost  every  verse,  shines  in 
the  light  of  these  truths,  and  bears  to  their 
illustration.  II.  C. The  holy  city  was  rav- 
aged and  burned,  together  with  the  Temple  of 
Gi«l.  The  place  where  God  had  recorded  His 
name  was  desecrated  and  utterlj'  demolished, 
its  sacred  .services  were  suspended,  the  priest- 
hood were  scattered  or  slain,  and  the  jjcople  of 
God  were  exiled  from  their  homes  in  the  heart 
of  a  heathen  empire.  All  this,  however,  in- 
stead of  annulling  God's  plan  of  .grace,  was  a 
step  toward  its  accomplishment.  It  was  a 
merited  chastisement,  designed  to  arrest  the 
degeneracy  and  growing  corruption  of  the  peo- 
])le.  In  the  providence  of  God  the  belter  por- 
tion of  the  people  were  carried  into  exile  (Jer. 
24;  Ezek.  11  :  15,  16),  and  at  the  end  of  the 
exile  there  was  a  fresh  sifting.  The  better 
portion  of  the  exiles,  those  who  truly  feared 
God  and  trusted  His  promises,  came  back  to 
Palestine,  while  those  who  had  less  faith  and 
piety  remained  behind,  in  the  homes  they  had 
in  the  land  of  their  exile.  By  this  discipline 
the  power  of  idolatry  over  the  i)eople  was  com- 
pletely broken,  and  they  never  relapsed  into  it 
again.  The  evil  tendencies  previously  existing 
were  checked.  A  total  change  was  brought 
about.  From  this  time  forth  the  Jews  were  as 
steadfast  in  adherence  to  their  ancestral  relig- 
ion as  they  had  previously  been  prone  to  de- 
part from  it.     W.  II.  G. 

This  fall  of  Jerusalem  is  an  oliject-lesson  to 
teach  everlasting  truth  as  to  the  retril)utive 
providence  of  God.  It  declares  plainly  what 
brings  down  God's  judgments.  The  terms  on 
which  Israel  prospered  and  held  their  land  were 
obedience  to  God's  law.  Vi'v  cannot  directly 
apply  the  principles  of  God's  government  of 
them  to  modern  nations.  The  present  ana- 
logue of  Israel  is  the  Church,  not  the  nation. 
But  when  all  deductions  have  been  made,  it  is 
still  true  that  a  nation's  religious  altitude  is  a 
most  potent  factor  in  its  prosperous  develop- 
ment. There  are  abundant  lessons  for  politics 
and  sociology  in  the  story  of  Jerusalem's  fall. 
But  these  lessons  have  direct  api)licalion  to  the 
individual  and  to  the  Christian  Church.  All 
departure  from  God  is  ruin.  We  slay  ourselves 
by  forsaking  Him,  and  every  siuncf  is  a  suicide. 
We  live  under  a  moral  government,  and  in  a 
system  of  things  so  knit  together  as  that  even 
here  every  transgression  receives  its  just  recom- 
pense— if  not  visibly  and  palpably  in  outward 


SECTION  48.    JERUSALEM  DESTROYED. 


455 


circumstances,  yet  really  and  punctually  in 
effects  on  mind  and  heart,  which  are  more  sol- 
emn and  awful.  "  Behold  the  righteous  shall 
be  recompensed  in  the  earth  :  much  more  the 
wicked  and  the  sinner."  Sin  and  sorrow  are 
root  and  fruit.  Especially  does  that  crash  of 
Jerusalem's  fall  thunder  the  lesson  to  all 
churches  that  their  life  and  prosperity  are  in- 
separably connected  with  faithful  obedience 
and  turning  away  from  all  worldliness,  which 
is  idolatry.  They  stand  in  the  place  that  was 
made  empty  by  Israel's  later  fall.  Our  very 
privileges  call  us  to  beware.  "  Because  of  un- 
belief they  were  broken  off,  and  thou  standest 
by  faith."  That  great  seven-branched  candle- 
stick was  removed  out  of  its  place,  and  all  that 
is  left  of  it  is  its  sculptured  image  among  the 
spoils  on  the  triuniijhal  arch  to  its  captor. 
Other  lesser  candlesticks  have  been  removed 
from  their  places,  and  Turkish  oppression 
brings  night  where  Sardis  and  Laodicea  once 
gave  a  feeble  light.  The  warning  is  needed  to- 
day ;  for  worklliness  is  rampant  in  the  Church. 
"  If  God  spared  not  the  natural  branches,  take 
heed  lest  He  also  spare  not  thee."  The  fall  of 
Jerusalem  is  not  merely  a  tragic  story  from  the 
past.  It  is  a  revelation,  for  the  present,  of  the 
everlasting  truth,  that  the  professing  people  of 
God  deserve  and  receive  the  sorest  chastise- 
ment, if  thej'  turn  again  to  folly. 

Further,  we  learn  the  method  of  present  ret- 
ribution. Nebuchadnezzar  knew  nothing  of 
the  purposes  which  he  fulfilled.  "  He  mean- 
eth  not  so,  neither  doth  his  heart  think  so." 
He  was  but  the  "  axe"  with  which  God  hewed. 
Therefore,  though  he  was  God's  tool,  he  was 
also  responsible,  ami  would  be  punished  even 
for  performing  God's  "  whole  work  upon  Jeru- 
salem," because  of  "the  glory  of  his  high 
looks."  The  retribution  of  disobedience,  so 
far  as  that  retribution  is  outward,  needs  no 
"  miracle."  The  ordinary  operations  of  Provi- 
dence amply  suffice  to  bring  it.  If  God  wills 
to  sting,  lie  will  "  hiss  for  the  fly,"  and  it  will 
come.  The  ferocity  and  ambition  of  a  grim 
and  bloody  despot,  impelled  b\'  vainglory  and 
lust  of  cruel  conquest,  do  God's  work,  and  yet 
the  doing  is  sin.  The  world  is  full  of  God's  in-  i 
struments.  and  He  sends  punishments  by  the 
ordinar3'  play  of  motives  and  circumstances, 
whit'h  we  best  understand  when  we  see  behind 
all  His  mighty  hand  and  sovereign  will.  The 
short-sighted  view  of  history  says  "  Nebuchad- 
nezzar captured  Jerusalem  u.c.  so  and  so,"  and 


then  discourses  about  the  tendencies  of  which 
Babylonia  was  exponent  and  creature.  The 
deeper  view  says,  God  smote  the  disobedient 
city,  as  He  had  said,  and  Nebuchadnezzar  was 
the  I'od  of  His  anger. 

Again,  we  learn  the  Divine  reluctance  to 
smite.  More  than  four  hundred  years  had 
passed  since  Solomon  began  idolatry,  and  stead- 
ily, through  all  that  time,  a  stream  of  prophecy 
of  varying  force  and  width  had  flowed,  while 
smaller  disasters  had  confirmed  the  prophets' 
voices.  "  Rising  up  early  and  sending"  His 
servants,  God  had  been  in  earnest  in  seeking  to 
save  Israel  from  itself.  Men  said  then,  "  Where 
is  the  promise  of  His  coming?"  and  mocked 
His  warnings  and  would  none  of  His  reproof  ; 
but  at  last  the  hour  struck  and  the  crash  came. 
"  As  a  dream  when  one  awaketh  ;  so,  O  Lord, 
when  Thou  awakest,  Thou  shall  despise  their 
image."  His  j udgment  seems  to  slumber,  but 
its  eyes  are  open,  and  it  remains  inactive,  that 
His  longsuffering  may  have  free  scope.  As 
long  as  His  gaze  can  discern  the  possibility  of 
repentance,  He  will  not  strike  ;  and  when  that 
is  hopeless,  He  will  not  delay.  The  explana- 
tion of  the  marvellous  tolerance  of  evil  which 
sometimes  tries  faith  and  always  evokes  won 
der  lies  in  the  great  words,  which  might  well 
be  written  over  the  chair  of  every  teacher  of 
history  :  "  The  Lord  is  not  slack  concerning 
His  promise,  as  some  men  count  slackne.ss  ;  but 
is  long-suffering  to  us- ward."  Alas!  that  that 
Divine  patience  should  ever  be  twisted  into  the 
ground  of  indurated  disobedience.  "  Because 
sentence  against  an  evil  work  is  not  executed 
speedily,  therefore  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men 
is  fully  set  in  them  to  do  evil." 

God's  reluctance  to  punish  is  no  reason  for 
doubting  that  He  will.  Judgment  is  His 
"  strange  work,"  less  congenial,  if  we  may  so 
paraphrase  that  strong  word  of  the  prophet's, 
than  pure  mercy,  but  it  will  be  done  neverthe- 
less. The  tears  over  Jerusalem  that  witnessed 
Christ's  sorrow  did  not  blind  the  eyes  like  a 
flame  of  fire,  nor  stay  the  outstretched  hand  of 
the  judge,  when  the  time  of  her  fall  came. 
The  longer  the  delay,  the  worse  the  ruin.  The 
more  protracted  the  respite  and  the  fuller  it  has 
been  of  entreaties  to  return,  the  more  terrible 
the  punishment.  "  Behold  therefore  the  good- 
ness and  severity  of  God  :  toward  them  which 
fell,  severity  ;  but  toward  thee,  goodness,  if 
thou  continue  in  His  goodness  ;  otherwise  thou 
also  shalt  be  cut  off."     A.  M. 


45G  KINGDOM  OF  JUDAU. 


Section  49. 

AFTER  HISTORY  OF  THE  REMNANT  OF  JUDAII  :  GEDAEIAII,  GOVERNOR  FOR 
TWO  .MONTHS,  MURDERED;  REJECTING  JEREMIAHS  WARNINGS;  THE 
REMNANT  SETTLED  IN   EGYPT   AND   PERISHED  THERE. 

2  Kings  25  :  23-26  :  Jeiiemiah,  Chaps.  40-44 

2  Kinijs  25  :  22-26.     A  Brief  Outline. 

25  :  22  And  as  for  thi;  people  that  were  left  in  the  land  of  Jiulali,  whom  Nebuchadnezzar 
kini;  of  Babylon  had  left,  even  over  them  he  made  Gedaliah  the  son  of  Ahikam,  the  son  of 
Shaphan,  governor. 

23  Now  when  all  the  captains  of  the  forces,  they  and  their  men,  heard  that  the  king  of  Baby- 
lon had  made  Gedaliah  governor,  they  came  to  Gedaliah  to  Mizpah,  even  Ishmael  the  .son  of 
Nethaniah,  and  Johanan  the  son  of  Kareah,  and  Seraiah  the  sou  of  Tanhunieth  the  Ketopha- 

24  tliite.  and  Jaazauiah  the  sou  of  the  Maaeathite,  they  and  their  men.  And  Gedaliah  sware  to 
them  and  to  their  men,  and  said  unto  thi'ni.  Fear  not  because  of  the  servants  of  the  Chaldeans  : 

25  dwell  in  the  land,  and  serve  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  it  shall  be  well  with  you.  But  it  came 
to  pass  in  the  seventh  mouth,  that  Ishmael  the  son  of  Nethaniah,  the  son  of  Elishama,  of  tho 
seed  royal,  came,  and  ten  men  with  him,  and  smote  Gedaliah,  that  he  died,  and  the  Jews  and 

26  the  Chaldeans  that  were  with  him  at  Mizjiah.  And  all  the  jieople,  both  small  aud  great,  and 
the  captains  of  the  forces,  arose,  and  came  to  Egypt  :  for  they  were  afraid  of  the  Chaldeans. 

Jeremiah,  Chaps.  40,  41,  43,  43  and  44. 

40  : 1  The  word  which  came  to  Jeremiah  from  the  Lonn,  after  that  Nobuzaradan  the  cap- 
tain of  the  guard  had  let  him  go  from  Ramah,  wheu  he  had  taken  him  being  bound  in  chaius 
among  all  the  captives  of  Jerusalem  aud  Judah,  which  were  carried  away  cajnive  unto  Bab- 

2  ylon.     Aud  the  captain  of  the  guard  took  Jeremiah,  and  said  unto  him.  The  Lord  thy  God 

3  pronounced  this  evil  upon  this  place  :  and  the  Loud  hath  brought  it.  and  done  according  as 
he  spake  ;  beeau.se  ye  have  sinned  against  the  Lord,  and  have  not  obeyed  his  voice,  therefore 

4  this  thing  is  come  upon  you.  Aud  now,  behold,  I  loose  thee  this  day  from  the  chains  which 
are  upon  thine  hand.  If  it  seem  good  unto  thee  to  come  witli  me  into  Babylon,  come,  and  I 
will  look  well  unto  thee  ;  but  if  it  .seem  ill  unto  thee  to  come  with  me  into  Babylon,  forbear  : 
behold,  all  the  land  is  before  thee  ;  whither  it  scenieth  good  aud  convenient  unto  thee  to  go, 

5  thither  go.  Now  while  he  was  not  yet  gone  back.  Go  back  then,  mid  he,  to  Gedaliah  the  son  of 
Ahikam,  the  sou  of  Shaphan,  whom  the  king  of  B  ibylon  hath  made  governor  over  the  cities 
of  Judah.  and  dwell  with  him  among  the  people  :  or  go  wheresoever  it  seemeth  couvenient 
unto  thee  to  go.     So  the  captain  of  the  guard  gave  him  victuals  and  a  present,  and  let  him 

6  go.  Then  went  Jeremiah  unto  Gedaliah  the  son  of  Ahikam  to  Mizpah,  aud  dwelt  with  him 
among  the  people  that  were  left  in  the  land. 

7  Now  wlien  all  the  captains  of  the  forces  which  were  in  the  fields,  even  they  aud  their  men, 
heard  that  the  king  of  Babylon  had  made  Gedaliah  the  son  of  Ahikam  governor  in  the  land, 
and  had  committed  unto  him  men,  and  women,  aid  children,  and  of  the  poorest  of  the  land, 

8  of  them  that  were  not  carried  away  captive  to  Babylon  ;  then  they  came  to  Gedaliah  to  Miz- 
pah, even  Ishmael  the  son  of  Nethaniah,  and  Johanan  and  Jonathan  the  sons  of  Kareah,  and 
Seraiah  the  sou  of  Tanhumeth.  and  the  .sons  of  Ephai  the  Netophatliiie.  and  Jezaniah  the  son 

9  of  the  JIaaeathite,  they  aud  their  men.  And  Gedaliah  the  son  of  Ahikam  tlie  son  of  ^hajihan 
sware  unto  them  and  to  their  men,  saying.  Fear  not  to  serve  the  Chalde.ins  :  dwell  in  the 

10  land,  and  serve  the  king  of  Babylon,  aud  it  .shall  be  well  with  you.  As  for  me.  behold,  I 
will  dwell  at  Miz])ah,  to  stand  before  the  (-haldeans,  which  shall  come  unto  us:  but  ye, 
gather  ye  wine  and  summer  fruits  and  oil,  aud  put  them  in  your  vessels,  and  dwell  in  your 

11  cities  that  ye  have  taken.  Likewise  when  all  the  Jews  that  were  in  Moab.  and  among  the 
children  of  Auimon,  and  in  Edom,  and  that  were  in  all  the  countries,  heard  that  the  king  of 
Baliylou  had   left  a  remnant  of  Judah,  and   that  he  had  set  over  tliem  Gedaliah  th<'  son  of 

12  Ahikam,  the'  son  of  Shaphan  ;  then  all  the  Jews  returned  out  of  all  places  whither  they  were 
driven,  and  came  to  the  laud  of  Judah,  to  Gedaliah,  unto  Mizpah,  and  gathered  wine  and 
summer  fruits  very  much. 

13  Moreover  Johanan  the  son  of  Kareah,  and  all  the  captains  of  the  forces  that  were  in  the 

14  lields,  came  to  Gedaliah  to  Mizpah,  and  said  unto  him.  Dost  thou  know  that  Baalis  the  king 
of  the  children  of  Amnion   hath  sent   Ishmael  the  son  of  Nethaniah  to  take  thy  life?     But 

15  Gedaliah  the  son  of  Ahikam  believed  them  not.  Then  Johanan  the  son  of  Kareah  spake  to 
Ge<laliah  iu  iMizpah  secretly,  saying.  Let  me  go,  I  pray  tliee,  and  I  will  slay  Ishmael  the  son 
of  Nethaniah,  and  no  man  shall  know  it :  wherefore  should  he  take  thy  life,  thai  all  the  Jews 


SECTION  p.     AFTER  HISTORY  OF  THE  REMNANT  OF  JUDAIL  457 

16  -whicli  are  gathered  unto  thee  should  be  scattered,  and  the  remnant  of  Judah  perish?  But 
Gedaliah  the  son  of  Ahikam  said  unto  Joliauau  the  sou  of  Kareah,  Thou  shall  not  do  this 
thing  ;  for  thou  speaktst  falsely  of  Ishinael. 

41:1  Now  it  came  to  pass  in  the  seventh  month,  that  Ishmacl  the  son  of  Kethaniah,  the 

son  of  Elishama,  of  the  seed  royal,  and  one  of  the  chief  offlcei-s  of  the  kiu^,  and  ten  men  with 

him,  came  unto  Gedaliah  the  sou  of  Ahikam  to  Mi/.pah  ;  and  there  they  did  eat  bn-ad  tosetlier 

3  in  Jlizpah.     Then  arose  Ishmael  the  sou  of  Nelhaniah,  and  tlie  ten  men  tliat  were  witii  him, 

and  smote  Gtdaliah  the  son  of  Ahikam  the  son  of  Shaphan  with  the  sword,  and  slew  him, 

3  whom  the  king  of  Babylon  had  made  governor  over  the  land.  Ishmael  also  sli  w  all  the  Jews 
that  were  \\  itli  him,  even  with  Gedaliah,  at  Mizpah,  and  the  Chaldeans  that  weie  found  there, 

4  even  the  men  of  war.     And  it  came  to  pass  the  second  day  after  he  had  slain  Giilaliah,  and 

5  no  man  knew  it,  that  there  came  certain  from  Shechem,  from  Shiloh,  and  from  Samaria,  even 
fourscore  men,  having  their  beards  shaven  and  their  clothes  rent,  and  having  cut  themselves, 

6  with  oblations  and  frankincense  in  tin  ir  hand,  to  bring  them  to  the  house  of  the  Lokd.  And 
Ishmatl  the  son  of  Nethaniah  went  forth  from  Mizpah  to  meet  them,  weeping  all  along  as  lie 
went  :  and  it  came  to  pass,  as  lie  met  them,  he  said  unto  them,  Come  to  Gedaliah  the  son  of 

7  Aliikam.  And  it  was  so,  when  they  came  into  the  midst  of  the  eit.y,  that  Ishmael  the  son  of 
Nethaniah  slew  them,  and  cast  them  into  the  midst  of  the  pit,  he,  and  the  men  that  were  with 

8  him.  But  ten  men  were  found  among  them  that  said  unto  Ishmael.  Slay  us  not :  for  we  have 
stores  hidden  in  the  field,  of  wheat,  and  of  barley,  and  of  oil,  and  of  honey.     So  he  forbare, 

9  and  .slew  them  not  among  their  brethren.  Now  the  pit  wherein  Lshinael  cast  all  the  dead 
bodies  of  the  men  whom  he  had  slain,  by  the  side  of  Gedaliah,  (the  same  was  that  which  Asa 
the  king  had  made  for  fear  of  Baasha  king  of  Israel,)  Ishmael  the  son  of  Nethaniah  filled  it 

10  with  them  that  were  slain.  Then  Ishmael  carried  away  captive  all  the  residue  of  the  people 
that  were  in  Mizpah,  even  the  king's  daughters,  and  all  the  people  that  remained  in  >Uzpah, 
whom  Nebuzaradan  the  captain  nf  the  guard  had  committed  to  Gedaliah  the  son  of  Aliikam  : 
Ishmael  the  son  of  Nethaniah  carried  them  away  captive,  and  departed  to  go  over  to  the  chil- 
dren of  Amnion. 

11  But  when  Johanan  the  son  of  Kareah,  and  all  the  captains  of  the  forces  that  were  with  him, 

12  heard  of  all  the  evii  that  Ishmael  the  son  of  Nethaniah  had  done,  then  they  took  all  the  men,  and 
went  to  fight  with  Ishmael  the  sou  of  Nethaniah,  and  found  him  by  the  great  waters  that  are 

13  in  Gibeon.  Now  it  came  to  pass  that  when  all  the  people  which  were  with  Ishmael  saw 
Johanan  the  son  of  Kareah,  and  all  the  captains  of  the  forces  that  were  with  him,  then  they  were 

14  glad.     So  all  the  people  that  Ishmael  had  carried  away  captive  from  Mizpah  cast  about  and 

15  returned,  and  went  unto  Jolianan  the  son  of  Kareah.     But  Ishmael  the  sou  of  Nethaniah 

16  escaped  from  Johanan  with  eight  men,  and  went  to  the  children  of  Amnion.  Then  took 
Johanan  the  son  of  Kareah,  and  all  the  captains  of  the  forces  that  were  with  him,  all  the 
remnant  of  the  people  whom  he  had  recovered  from  Ishmael  the  sou  of  Nethaniah,  from 
Mizpah,  after  that  he  had  slain  Gedaliah  the  son  of  Ahikam,  even  the  men  of  war,  and  the 

17  women,  and  the  children,  ami  the  eunuchs,  whom  he  had  brought  again  from  Gibeon  :  and 
they  departed,  and  dwelt  in  Gerutli  Chimham,  which  is  by  Beth-lehem,  to  go  to  enter  into 

18  Egypt,  because  of  tlie  ChaUleans  ;  for  they  w-ere  afraid  of  them,  because  Ishmael  the  son  of 
Nethaniah  had  slain  Gedaliah  the  son  of  Ahikam,  whom  the  king  of  Babylon  made  governor 
over  the  land. 

42  :  1  Then  all  the  captains  of  the  forces,  and  Johanan  the  son  of  Kareah,  and  Jezaniah 

2  tlie  son  of  Hosliaiah,  and  all  the  people  from  the  least  even  unto  the  greatest,  came  near,  and  said 
unto  Jeremiah  the  prophet.  Let,  we  pray  thee,  our  supplication  be  accepted  before  thee,  and 
pray  for  us  unto  the  Loud  thy  God,  even  for  all  this  remnant  ;  for  we  are  left  but  a  few  of 

3  many,  as  thine  eyes  do  behold  us  :  that  the  Loud  thy  God  may  shew  us  the  way  wherein  we 

4  should  walk,  and  the  thing  that  we  should  do.  Then  Jeremiah  the  prophet  said  unto  them,  I 
have  heard  you  ;  behold,  I  will  pray  unto  the  Lokd  your  God  according  to  your  woi\ls  ;  and 
it  shall  come  to  pass  that  whatsoever  thing  the  Lord  shall  answer  you,  I  will  declare  it  unto 

5  you  ;  I  will  keep  nothing  back  from  you.  Then  they  said  to  Jeremiah,  The  Loud  be  a  true 
and  faithful  witness  amongst  us,  if  we  do  not  even  according  to  all  the  word  wherewith  the 

6  LortD  thy  God  shall  send  thee  to  us.  Whether  it  be  good,  or  whether  it  be  evil,  we  will  obey 
the  voice  of  the  Loud  our  God,  to  whom  we  send  thee  ;  that  it  may  be  well  with  us,  when  we 
obey  the  voice  of  the  Loud  our  God. 

7,  8  And  it  came  to  pass  after  ten  days,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  Jeremiah.     Then 

called  he  Johanan  the  son  of  Kareah,  and  all  the  captains  of  the  forces  which  were  with  him, 

9  and  all  the  people  from  the  least  even  to  the  greatest,  and  said  unto  them.  Thus  saith  the 

10  Lokd,  the  God  of  Israel,  unto  whom  ye  sent  me  to  present  your  supplication  before  him  :  If 
ye  will  still  abide  in  this  land,  then  will  I  build  you,  and  not  pull  you  down,  and  I  will  plant 

11  you,  and  not  pluck  you  up  :  for  I  repent  me  of  the  evil  that  I  have  done  unto  you.  Be  not 
afraid  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  of  whom  ye  are  afraid  ;  be  not  afraid  of  him,  saitli  the  Lokd  : 

12  for  I  am  with  you  to  save  you,  and  to  deliver  you  from  his  hand.     And  I  will  grant  you 

13  mercy,  that  he  may  have  mercy  upon  you,  and  cause  you  to  return  to  your  own  land.  But 
if  ye  say,  We  will  not  dwell  in  this  land  ;  so  that  ye  obey  not  the  voice  of  the  Lokd  your 

14  God  ;  saying,  No  ;  but  we  will  go  into  the  land  of  Egypt,  where  we  shall  .see  no  war,  nor 

15  hear  the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  uor  have  hunger  of  bread  ;  and  there  will  we  dwell  :  now 
therefore  hear  ye  the  word  of  the  Lord,  O  remnant  of  Judah  :  thus  sailh  the  Lotto  of  hosts, 
the  God  of  Israel,  If  ye  wholly  set  your  faces  to  enter  into  Egypt,  and  go  to  sojourn  there  ; 

16  then  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  sword,  which  ye  fear,  shairovertake  you  there  in  the  land 


458  KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH. 

of  Esypt,  and  thr"  famino,  whereof  ye  are  afraiil,  shall  follow  hard  after  yoii  there  in  Ei?vpt ; 

17  ami  llKTe  ye  shall  die.  So  shall  it  br  witli  nil  tlie  iiii'ii  that  set  their  faces  to  ro  into  Egypt  to 
sojourn  tlivre  ;  they  shall  die  by  the  sword,  l)y  the  faniiiie.  and  by  the  pestilenee  :  and  none 

18  of  them  shall  remain  or  escape  from  the  I'vil  that  1  will  bring  upon  them.  For  thus  saith  the 
Loud  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  ;  As  Miiiie  arigiT  and  my  fury  hath  been  poured  forth  upon 
the  iidiabitants  of  Jerusalem,  so  shall  my  fury  be  poured  forth  upon  you.  when  ye  shall  enter 
into  Egypt  :  and  ye  shall  be  an  exeeration.  and  an  astonishment,  and  a  curse,  an<i  a  reproach  ; 

19  and  ye  shall  .see  this  place  no  more.     The  Loud  hath  spoken  concerning  you,  ()  remnant  of 
30  .ludali.  Go  ye  not  int )  Egypt :  know  certainly  that  I  have  testilied  unto  you  this  day.     For 

ye  have  dealt  deceitfully  against  your  own  s  luls  ;  for  ye  sent  me  unto  the  Loni)  your  God, 
saying.  Pray  for  us  unto  the  LouB  our  God  ;  atid  aci'ording  unto  all  that  the  f^onr)  our  God 

21  shall  say,  so  declare  unto  us,  and  we  will  do  it  :  and  I  have  tliis  day  declared  it  to  you  ;  but 
ye  have  not  obeyed  the  voice  of  the  Loitu  your  Goil  in  any  thing  for  the  which  he  hath  .sent 

22  me  unto  you.  Now  therefore  know  (•-rtainly  that  ye  shall  die  by  the  sword,  by  the  famine, 
and  by  the  jiestileiiee,  in  the  place  whitlu'r  ye  desire  to  go  to  sojourn  there. 

4;l  :  1   And  it  came  to  i)ass  thar  when  Jeremiah  had  made  an  end  of  speaking  unto  all  the 
people  all  the  words  of  the  Loud  their  God,  wherewith  the  Loud  their  God  had  sent  him  to 

2  them,  even  all  these  words,  then  spake  Azariah,  the  .son  of  Hoshaiah,  and  Johanan  the  son  of 
Kareah.  and  all  the  proud  men.  saying  unto  Jeremiah.  Thou  speakest  falsely  ;  the  Loud  our 

3  Goil  hath  not  sent  thee  to  say.  Ye  shall  not  go  into  Egypt  to  sojoiirii  there  :  but  Barucli  the 
son  of  Neriah  setteth  thee  on  against  us,  for  to  deliver  us  into  the  hand  of  the  Chaldeans,  that 

4  they  may  jiut  us  to  death,  and  carry  us  away  captives  to  Babylon.  Ho  Johanan  the  son  of 
Kareah.  and  all  theca])t.ainsof  the  forces,  ami  all  the  people,  obeyed  not  the  voice  of  the  I,(UtD. 

5  to  dwell  in  the  land  of  Jtid.ah.  But  Johanan  the  son  of  Kareah,  and  all  the  captains  of  the 
forces,  took  all  the  remnant  of  Judah.  that  were  returned  from  all  the  nations  whither  they 

6  had  been  driven  to  sojourn  in  the  land  of  Judah  ;  the  men,  and  the  women,  and  the  children, 
and  tile  king's  daughters,  and  every  person  that  Nebuzaradan  the  captain  of  the  guard  had 
left  with  Geilaliali  the  son  of  Ahikam,  the  son  of  Shaplian,  and  Jeremiah  the  prophet,  and 

7  Baruch  the  son  of  Neriah  ;  and   they  came  into  the  land  of  Egypt  ;  for  they  obeyed  not  the 

8  voice  of  the  Lord  :  and  they  came  even  to  Tahpanhes.    Then  came  the  word  of  the  Loni)  unto 

9  Jeremiah  in  Tahpanhes,  saying.  Take  great  stones  in  thine  hand,  and  hide  them  in  mortar  in 
the  brickwork,  which  is  at  the  entry  of  Pharaoh's  house  in  Tahpanhes,  in  the  sight  of  the  men 

10  of  Judah  ;  and  say  unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  :  Behold,  I 
will  send  and  take  Nebuchadrezzar  the  king  of  Babylon,  vay  servant,  and  will  set  his  throne 

11  upon  these  stones  that  I  have  hid  ;  and  he  shall  spread  his  royal  pavilion  over  them.  And 
he  shall  come,  and  shall  smite  the  land  of  Egypt  ;  such  as  are  for  death  nJiiill  he  f/inn  to  death, 

12  and  such  as  are  for  caiitivity  to  captivity,  and  such  as  are  for  the  sword  to  the  sword.  And 
I  will  kindle  a  tire  in  the  houses  of  the  gods  of  Egypt  ;  and  he  shall  burn  them,  and  carry 
them  away  captives  :  and  he  shall  array  himself  with  the  land  of  Egypt,  as  a  shepherd  pnt- 

13  telhonhis  garment;  and  he  shall  go  forth  from  thence  in  i)eace.  He  shall  also  break  the 
pillars  of  Bethslemesh,  that  is  in  the  laud  of  Egypt  ;  and  the  houses  of  the  gods  of  Egypt 
shall  he  burn  with  tire. 

41  :  1  The  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah  concerning  all  the  Jews  which  dwelt  in  the  land  of 
Egypt,  which  dwelt  at  Jligdol,  and  at  Tahpanhes,  and  at  Nojih,   and  in  the  <'Ountry  of 

2  Pathros,  saying,  Thus  .saith  the  Loud  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  ;  Ye  have  .seen  all  the  evil 
that  I  have  brought  upon  Jerusalem,  and  uiiou  all  the  cities  of  Judah  ;  and,  behold,  this  day 

3  they  arc  a  desolation,  and  no  man  dwelleth  therein  ;  because  of  their  wickedness  which  they 
have  committed  to  provoke  me  to  anger,  in  that  they  went  to  burn  incense,  mid  to  serve  other 

4  gods,  whom  they  knew  not,  neither  tlicj*,  nor  ye,  nor  your  fathers.  Howbeit  I  sent  unto  you 
all  my  servants  the  prophets,  rising  up  early  and  sending  them,  saying,  Oh,  do  not  this 

5  abonunable  thing  that  I  hate.     But  thej'  hearkened  not,  nor  inclined  their  ear  to  turn  from 

6  their  wickedness,  to  burn  no  incense  inito  other  gods.  Wherefore  my  fury  and  mine  anger 
was  poured  forth,  and  was  kindled  in  the  cities  of  Judah  ami  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  ;  and 

7  they  are  wasted  and  desolate,  as  it  is  tins  day.  Therefore  now  thus  saith  the  Lout),  the  God 
of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  :  AVherefore  commit  j'e  t/iix  great  evil  against  your  own  soids,  to 
cut  off  from  you  man  and  woman,  infant  and  suckling,  out  of  the  midst  of  Judah,  to  leave 

8  j'ou  none  remaining  ;  in  that  ye  provoke  me  unto  anger  with  the  works  of  your  hands,  burn- 
ing iiu'cnse  unto  other  gods  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  whither  ye  be  gone  to  sojourn  ;  that  ye  may 
be  cut  off,  and   that  ye  may  be  a  curse  and  a  reproach  among  all  the  nations  of  the  earthy 

9  Have  ye  forgotten  tlie  wickedness  of  your  fathers,  and  the  wickedness  of  the  kings  of  Judah, 
and  the  wickedness  of  their  wives,  and  your  own  w  ickedness,  and  the  wickedness  of  your 

10  wives,  which  they  committed  in  the  land  of  Judah,  ami  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem'/  They  are 
not  hiunbled  even  unto  this  day,  neither  have  they  feared,  nor  walked  in  my  law.  nor  in  my 

11  statutes,  that  I  set  before  you  and  before  your  fathers.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Loud  of 
hosts,  the  God  of  Israel  :  Behold,  1  will  set  my  face  against  you  for  evil,  even  to  cut  off  all 

12  Jiulah.  And  I  will  take  the  remnant  of  Judah,  that  have  set  their  faces  to  go  into  the  laud 
of  Egypt  to  sojourn  there,  and  they  shall  all  be  consumed  ;  in  the  land  of  Egypt  shall  they 
fall  ;  they  shall  be  consumed  by  the  sword  and  by  the  fanune  ;  they  shall  die.  from  the  least 
even  imto  the  greatest,  by  the  sword  aial  by  the  famine  :  and  they  shall  be  an  c.\ecrati(m, 

I'J  ami  an  ast<iiushment,  and  a  curse,  and  a  reproach.  For  I  will  punish  them  that  dwell  in  the 
laial  of  Egypt,  as  I  have  l>uuished  Jeru.salem,  by  the  sword,  by  the  famine,  and  by  the  pesti- 

14  lente  :  so  that  none  of  the  remnant  of  Jmlah,  which  are  gone  iuto  the  huid  of  Egypt  to 


SECTION  40.     OUTLINE  OF  THE  IIISTORY. 


459 


sojourn  tliere,  shall  escape  or  remain,  that  they  should  return  into  the  land  of  Judah,  to  the 
which  they  have  a  desire  to  return  to  dwell  there  :  for  none  shall  return  save  such  as  shall 
escape. 

15  Then  all  the  men  which  knew  that  their  wives  burned  incense  unto  other  gods,  and  all  the 
women  that  stood  by,  a  great  assembly,  even  all  the  people  that  dwelt  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 

16  in  Pathros,  answered  Jeremiah,  saying.  As  for  the  word  that  thou  hast  spoken  unto  us  in  the 

17  name  of  the  Lord,  we  will  not  hearken  unto  thee.  But  we  will  certainly  perform  every  word 
that  is  gone  forth  out  of  our  mouth,  to  burn  incense  unto  the  queen  of  heaven,  and  to  pour  out 
drink  offerings  unto  her,  as  we  have  done,  we  and  our  fathers,  our  kings  and  our  princes,  in 
the  cities  of  Judah,  and  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  :  for  then  had  we  plenty  of  victuals,  and 

18  were  well,  and  saw  no  evil.  But  since  we  left  off  to  burn  incense  to  the  queen  of  heav('n, 
and  to  pour  out  drink  offerings  unto  her.  we  have  wanted  all  things,  and  have  been  consumed 

19  by  the  sword  and  by  the  famine.  And  when  we  burned  incense  to  the  queen  of  heaven,  and 
poured  out  drink  offerings  unto  her,  did  we  make  her  cakes  to  worship  her,  and  pour  out 

20  drink  offerings  unto  her.'without  our  husbands?  Then  Jeremiah  said  unto  all  the  people,  to 
the  men,  audto  the  women,  even  to  all  the  i)eople  which  had  given  him  that  answer,  saying, 

21  The  incense  that  ye  burned  in  the  cities  of  Judah,  and  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  ye  and 
your  fathers,  your  kings  and  your  princes,  and  the  people  of  the  land,  did  not  the  Loud 

22  remember  them,  and  came  it  not  into  his  mind?  so  that  the  Lord  could  no  longer  bear,  be- 
cause of  tlie  evil  of  your  doings,  and  because  of  the  abominations  which  ye  have  comiuitted  ; 
therefore  is  your  land  become  a  desolation,  and  an  astonishment,  and  a  curse,  without  inhabi- 

23  tant,  as  it  is" this  day.  Because  ye  have  bm-ned  incense,  and  because  ye  have  sinned  against 
the  Loud,  and  have  not  obeyed  the  voice  of  the  Loud,  nor  walked  in  his  law,  nor  in  his 
statutes,  nor  in  his  testimonies  ;  therefore  this  evil  is  happened  unto  you,  as  it  is  this  day. 

24  Moreover  Jeremiah  said  unto  all  the  people,  and  to  all  the  women,  Hear  the  word  of  the 

25  Loud,  all  Judah  that  are  in  the  land  of  Egypt :  thus  saith  the  Loud  of  hosts,  the  God  of 
Israel,  saying  :  Ye  and  your  wives  have  both  spoken  with  your  mouths,  and  with  your  hands 
have  fultilled  it,  saying,  We  will  surely  perform  our  vows  that  we  have  vowed,  to  burn 
incense  to  the  queen  of  heaven,  and  to  pour  out  drink  offerings  unto  her  :  establish  then  your 

26  vows,  and  perform  your  vows.  Therefore  hear  ye  the  word  of  the  Loud,  all  Judah  that 
dwell  in  the  laud  of  Egypt  :  Behold,  I  have  sworn  by  my  great  name,  saith  the  Loud,  that 
my  name  shall  no  more  be  named  in  the  mouth  of  any  man  of  Judah  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt, 

27  saying,  as  the  Lord  God  liveth.  Behold,  I  watch  over  them  for  evil,  and  not  for  good  :  and 
all  the  men  of  Judah  that  are  in  the  land  of  Egypt  shall  be  consumed  bj'  the  sword  and  by  the 

28  famine,  until  there  be  an  end  of  them.  And  they  that  escape  the  sword  shall  return  out  of 
the  laud  of  Egypt  into  the  land  of  Judah,  few  in  number  ;  and  all  the  remnant  of  Judah.  that 
are  gone  into  the  land  of  Egypt  to  sojourn  there,  shall  know  whose  word  shall  stand,  mine, 

29  or  theirs.     And  this  shall  be  the  sign  unto  you,  saith  the  Loud,  that  I  will  punish  you  in  this 

30  place,  that  ye  may  know  that  my  words  shall  surely  stand  against  j'ou  for  evil  :  thus  saith 
the  Loud  :  Behold,  I  will  give  Pharaoh  Ilophra  king  of  Egypt  into  the  hand  of  his  enemies,  and 
into  the  hand  of  them  that  seek  his  life  ;  as  I  gave  Zedekiah  kiug  of  Judah  into  the  hand  of 
Nebuchadrezzar  king  of  Babylon,  his  enemy,  and  that  sought  liis  life. 


Bbfoue  pursuing  the  story  of  the  Jews  at 
Babylon  to  the  end  of  the  Captivity,  we  may 
conclude  the  history  of  Judea  itself  during 
the  last  twenty-five  years  of  Nebuchadnezzar's 
reign  (u.c.  586-o61),  comprising  the  fate  of  the 
people  left  behind,  and  the  fortunes  of  Jeremiah. 

P.  S. Xothing  could  more  effectually  show 

the  hopeless  condition  of  the  people,  and  their 
unfitness  for  self-government,  than  this  brief 
narrative  of  events  which  followed  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem.    The  detailed  history  is  given 

in  Jeremiah,  chaps.  40-44.     J.  O. These  five 

chapters  contain  a  particular  account  of  what 
passed  in  the  laud  of  Judah  from  the  taking 
of  Jerusalem  to  the  retreat  of  the  people  into 
Egypt,  and  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah  concern- 
ing them  there.     Blayney. 

Outline  of  tlie  History. 

A  remnant  of  the  people,  among  whom  was 
Jeremiah,  who  was  by  Nebuchadnezzar's  ex- 
press conunand  treated  with  the  greatest  respect 
(Jer.  39  :  11-14  ;  40  :  1-6),  was  left  iu  the  land  ; 


and  fields  and  vineyards  were  assigned  to  them 
by  Nebuzaradan  (89  :  10).  Nebuchadnezzar 
placed  over  them  as  his  viceroy  Gedaliah,  a  son 
of  the  prince  Ahikam,  who  appears  (2  K.  22  :  12; 
in  high  official  position  under  Josiah,  and  to 
whom  Jeremiah  owed  his  deliverance  when  ac- 
cused under  Jehoiakim  (Jer.  24  :  24,  cf.  verse- 
16).  Gedaliah,  with  a  small  Chaldee  garrison, 
took  up  his  abode  at  Mizpah,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Jerusalem.  After  the  departure  of  the 
Chaldean  ai-my  a  great  number  of  Jews,  who 
hail  by  reason  of  the  war  been  scattered  in  the 
neighboring  countries,  rcjturned  to  Judea.  Cer- 
tain Jewish  captains  also,  and  others  who  had 
borne  arms  against  the  Cluildeans,  settled  at 
Mizpah,  where  they  were  kindly  received  by 
Gedaliah,  who  promised  them  pardon  and  (iro- 
tection  if  they  would  submit  to  the  Chaldeans. 
The  viceroyship  of  Gedaliah,  however,  which 
had  held  out  to  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
people  the  prospect  of  the  peaceable  possession 
of  their  native  soil,  lasted  only  two  months. 
One   of   these   captains,    Ishmael,    the  sou    of 


460 


KINODOM  OF  JUDAII. 


Nt'tlmniiih,  of  the  sood  royal,  insti,i;atc(J  by 
Baalis,  king  of  the  Ainmonilos,  phicfd  liimsflf 
at  the  licad  of  a  conspiracy  against  Gi'daliali, 
who,  not  esteeming  so  base  a  treadicry  possi- 
ble, and  therefore  rejecting  tlie  warning  given 
Mm  of  it,  was,  togetlier  witli  the  C!haldeans 
and  Jews  dwelling  with  him  at  Mizpah.  slain 
during  a  banquet  at  which  he  was  entertaining 
the  conspirators.  The  Jews,  who  were  hardly 
yet  settled,  fearing  the  vengeance  of  IS'eI)Ucliad 
ne/.zar,  dclerniined,  in  spite  of  the  warnings  of 
Jeremiah,  to  emigrate  to  Egypt,  whither  the 
prophet  also  followed  them.  Surrendering 
themselves  in  Egy]>t  to  the  worship  of  idols,  to 
the  neglecting  of  which  they  attributed  the 
misfortunes  of  Judea(scc  the  remarkable  pas- 
sage, Jer.  44  :  17  sqq.),  Jeremiah  was  liere  also 
constrained  to  exercise  liis  office  of  reprover, 
and  jirobably  terminated  his  storm-tossed  life 
in  that  country  {chaps.  40-44  belong  to  this 
period).  His  predictions  (43  :  8-14  ;  44  :  30) 
were  fullilled,  for  in  the  fifth  year  after  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem  (584),  Nebuchadnezzar 
invaded  Egypt,  slew  its  king,  and  again  car- 
ried away  a  host  of  Jews  to  Babylon.  Whether 
this  is  the  deportation  mentioned  (Jer.  51  :  30), 
or  whether  the  latter  refers  to  a  remnant  still 
existing  in  Judea,  cannot  be  detenuined.  At 
all  events,  Judea  lay  desolate  (cf.  Zech.  7  :  14  ; 
2  Chron.  36  :  21),  so  far  as  it  was  not  occupied 
by  the  neighljoring  nations,  particularly  the 
Philistines  and  Edomites.  The  latter  especial 
l_y,  who  had  long  coveted  the  territory  of  Israel 
(Ezck.  35  :  10),  must  have  taken  possession  of 
the  southern  jiart  of  the  country  (see  the  Greek 
Ezra,  the  so-called  third  book  of  Esdras,  4  :  50). 
Oehler. 

Jer.  40  :  4-6.  Here  the  captain  of  the 
guard  obeys  the  instructions  which  he  had 
from  his  sovereign,  as  stated  chap.  39  :  12,  giv- 
ing the  prophet  his  free  choice  to  go  with  the 
captives  to  Dabjion,  or  to  remain  with  the  rem- 
nant in  their  own  land.  In  the  former  case  he 
had  the  fullest  assurance  of  kind  treatment  and 
even  of  somewhat  distinguished  favors.  In 
our  imi)erfcct  human  view,  it  would  have  been 
much  for  his  comfort  and  welfare  to  have  gone 
with  the  captives.  His  sympathies  were  strong- 
ly with  them — not  with  this  compan}'  alone, 
but  with  those  who  had  gone  before,  as  his  let- 
ter to  them  (chap.  39)  shows.  He  knew  that 
they  were  the  l)etter  ])ortion  of  the  Jewish  peo- 
ple (chap.  24),  and  that  the  moral  hopes  of  the 
nation  lay  in  them  ;  also  that  his  own  personal  i 
safety  was  strongly  guaranteed  in  that  coun- 
try. Yet,  notwithstaiuling  all  these  considera- 
tions, he  chose  to  remain  with  these  poor,  weak, 


and,  as  it  proved,  morally  unreliable  and  treach- 
erous pi'ople.  Probably  he  had  some  intima- 
tions that  this  W!us  the  Lord's  will,  so  he  met 
this  slow  martyrdom  with  his  usual  moral  hero- 
ism. The  seciucl  will  show  that  he  had  bitter 
trials  with  this  remnant — the  refuse  of  the 
Jewish  population.  This  Mizpah  was  near  Je- 
rusalem, the  same  which  appears  in  the  history 
of  Samuel. 

9-12.  During  the  eighteen  months' siege  of 
Jerusalem  many  Jews  would  naturally  flee 
their  country  and  take  refuge  in  countries  ad- 
jacent. These  now  returned  and  jilaced  them- 
selves under  the  protection  of  Gedaliah  and  the 
Chaldean  sovereign. 

13-16.  Johanan  and  his  fellow-ollicers  be- 
came aware  of  the  fold  conspiracy  jirojected  by 
the  king  of  the  Ammonites,  to  be  executed  by 
Ishmael  again.st  the  life  of  Gedaliah.  Unfor- 
tunately this  Gedaliah,  a  good,  well-meaning 
man,  was  not  shrewd  enough  for  his  danger- 
ous position,  but  had  allowed  himself  to  be  de- 
ceived by  this  foul  assassin.  Hence  he  would 
not  give  heed  to  these  forewarniiigs  of  danger, 
nor  allow  Ishmael  to  be  put  to  death.     II.  C. 

41  :  I,  2.  Gedaliah  had  been  warned  by 
Johanan  of  Ishraael's  intentions.  Ishmael,  it 
appears,  was  in  league  with  the  Ammonites, 
and  had  been  incited  by  the  Anunonitish  king, 
Baalis,  to  a.ssa.ssinate  Gedaliah.  Jolianau  offered 
to  crush  the  treason  bj'  himself  killing  Ish- 
nuiel  ;  but  Gedaliah,  not  believing  his  informa- 
tion, woidd  not  consent.  The  circumstances  of 
the  murder  were,  according  to  Oriental  notions, 
of  the  extrcmest  atrocity.  Ishmael  and  his  ten 
friends,  with  their  retinues,  professed  to  come 
on  a  visit  to  Gedaliah  at  Mizpah,  and  were  there 
hospitably  entertained  by  him  (verse  1).  Hav- 
ing "  eaten  of  his  salt, ' '  they  suddeidy  rose  upon 
him,  slew  him  with  his  immediate  attendants, 
and  then  attacking  the  Chaldean  garrison  of 
the  place,  put  every  man  to  the  sword  (verses 

2,  3).     B.  C. The  murder  of  Geilaliali  gave 

occasion  to  the  fast  of  the  seventh  month, 
which  the  Jews  observed  after  their  return 
from  captivity.     (See  Zech.  7:5;  8  :  I'J.) 

3.  Isbinael  aliso  slew  hII  llie  Jcwra 
that  were  ^vitli  liiin.  That  is.  all  those 
that  joined  in  opposing  Ishmael  and  a.ssisting 
Gedaliah  ;  for  several  of  the  commanders  as 
well  as  the  greatest  part  of  the  people  were  still 
left  alive,  as  aj^jears  from  the  se(|Uel  of  the 
story  (verses  10,  11).      W.  Lowth. 

41  :  5-43  :  13.  Two  days  later  a  band  of 
eighty  mourners  ajipeared  on  the  frontier,  from 
Shechem,  and  Shiloh,  and  Samaria,  bringing 
offerings   for  the  desolated   hjuse   of   God,   u 


SECTION  49.     CLOSING  EVENTS  OF  THE  HISTORY. 


461 


touchiii!*  pronf  of  the  religious  patriotism 
wliicli  wus  still  to  be  found  even  in  the  most 
heiilheniziti  part  of  Israel.  By  a  treacherous 
artiliee,  Ishmael  slew  them  all  but  ten,  and  cast 
their  bodies,  with  those  of  his  former  victims, 
into  a  pit  which  Asa  had  dug  at  Mizpah  for  a 
hiding-place  during  his  war  with  Baiisha,  and 
which  may  rank  in  history  with  the  Glaciere  of 
Avignon  and  the  well  of  Cawnpore.  He  then 
collected  the  people  who  were  at  Mizpah.  in- 
cluding the  daughters  of  Zedekiah,  who  had 
been  entrusted  to  Gedaliah's  care,  and  carried 
them  off  as  captives  toward  Aramon.  He  was 
pursued  by  the  Jewish  captains,  headed  by  Jo- 
hanan.  the  son  of  Kareah,  the  same  who  had 
ineffectually  warned  Gedaliah.  They  overtook 
him  by  the  great  waters  at  Gibcon,  and  rescued 
the  captives,  while  Ishmael,  with  eight  com- 
rades, fled  to  Ammon.  Then,  instead  of  re- 
turuing  to  Mizpah,  they  marched  southward  to 
Bethlehem,  intending  to  take  refuge  in  Egypt 
from  Nebuchadnezzar's  vengeance  for  the  mur- 
der of  his  governor.  First,  however,  they 
asked  Jeremiah  for  counsel  from  Jehovah.  In 
ten  days  the  answer  came,  forbidding  them  to 
go  to  Eg3'pt,  promising  them  the  protection  of 
God  if  they  remained,  and  assuring  them  that, 
if  they  persisted  in  departing,  the  famine,  and 
sword,  aixl  pestileuce,  from  which  they  fled, 
would  overtake  them  in  their  new  refuge.  So 
faithful  was  the  prophet  to  the  long-standing 
command  that  the  people  should  never,  under 
any  pressure,  seek  to  return  by  the  way  of 
Egypt.  His  warning  only  brought  upon  him 
a  charge  of  conspiring  with  Baruch  to  speak 
falsely  in  God's  name  ;  and  both  he  and  Baruch 
were  carried  to  Egypt  against  their  will,  with 
all  the  remnant  who  had  been  left  under  Geda- 
liah. Many  of  the  Jews  had  already  taken  ref- 
uge there  during  the  whole  time  that  Egypt 
was  regarded  as  their  help  against  Assj'rin. 
They  now  formed  a  large  community,  living  at 
Migdol,  Tahpanhes,  Noph,  and  Pathros — a  com- 
munity which  had  afterward  an  important  his- 
tory of  its  own.  Meanwhile  they  fell  into  idol- 
atry, and  Jeremiah  denounced  both  on  them 
and  on  Egypt  itself  the  vengeance  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar— a  prophecy  echoed  from  the  banks 
of  the  Euphrates  by  Ezekiel,  whose  warnings, 
promises  and  exhortations  to  the  exiles  at  Bab- 
ylon still  kept  pace  with  the  current  of  events 
in  Judca.     P.  S. 

42  :  'i.  That  the  Lord  tliy  God  may 
sbew  us  I  lie  Avay.  It  is  the  constant 
method  of  hypocrites  to  pretend  a  profound 
submission  to  the  will  of  God,  till  it  crosses 
their  inclinations  or  interest.     W.  Lowth. 


4-6.  They  reiterate  their  promise  to  obey 
the  Lord's  word — a  promise  previously  implied 
but  less  distinctly  expressed.  So  far  all  ap- 
pears fair,  and  we  are  left  i:i  th'  hope  that  this 
little  remnant  will  indeed  learn  wisdom  from 
the  bitter  experiences  of  the  past,  and  will  now 
follow  the  Lord  honestly  and  fully. 

9-12.  The  answer  was  delinite  and  plain, 
promising  good  if  they  would  remain  trustfully 
in  the  land  of  Judah,  assuring  th^-m  they  need 
fear  nothing  from  the  Chaldeans,  as  to  whom 
the  Lord  would  amply  protect  them.  There  is 
a  rich  and  touching  signiSeance  in  the  phrase- 
ology, "  I  will  show  mercies  unto  3'ou,  that 
He  may  have  mercy  upon  you."  God  will 
manifest  His  mercy  toward  them  by  inspiring 
compassion  for  them  in  the  otherwise  hard  and 
selfish  heart  of  the  king  of  Babylon. 

I^l§.  The  other  alternative  is  strongly  put 
before  them.  If  they  will  go  down  into  Egypt 
despite  the  Lord's  friendly  counsel  and  earnest 
prohibition,  the  very  evils  they  were  seeking  to 
escape  would  surely  overtake  them  there  for 
their  destruction.  They  might  think  to  escape 
war,  famine  and  pestilence  there  ;  but  assured- 
ly they  would  not,  but,  on  the  contrary,  would 
certainly  meet  them  there  in  their  most  fearful 
forms.     H.  C. 

19.  The  Liord  liatli  said  concern- 
ing: you,  O  ye  remnant  of  Judali,  go 
ye  not  into  Egypt.  God  commanded  the 
Jews  by  Moses  not  to  have  any  commerce  with 
Egypt,  that  they  might  not  practise  the  idola- 
trous customs  of  that  country,  with  whose  idol- 
atries they  had  been  defiled  during  their  so- 
journing there.  Afterward  he  often  reproved 
them  by  His  prophets  for  making  alliances  with 
Egypt.  There  were  particular  reasons  at  this 
time  for  so  severe  a  prohibition,  as  the  words 
here  and  in  the  context  import — namely,  be- 
cause the  Jews  cither  learned  several  of  their 
idolatrous  practices  from  the  Egyptians,  or  at 
least  were  confirmed  in  those  evil  customs  by 
their  example.  (Sec  chap.  44  :  8,  15  ;  Ezek. 
29  :  16.)  Besides,  it  was  the  rival  kingdom  that 
contended  for  empire  with  the  Babylonians. 
So  the  Jews  going  into  Egj-pt  for  protection 
was  in  effect  refusing  to  submit  themselves  to 
the  king  of  Babylon,  to  whom  God  had  decreed 
the  government  of  Judea,  and  all  the  neighbor- 
ing countries.      W.  Loicth. 

19-22.  The  noticeable  thing  in  these  clos- 
ing verses  is,  that  the  Lord  distinctly  assumes 
that  the  people  were  not  honest  in  submitting 
this  great  question  to  Him  for  His  direction. 
He  knew  their  hearts  before  they  audibly  an- 
swered,  and    therefore    anticipated    the  very 


462 


KiNcnnyr  of  jrDAii 


wonls  thoy  were  about  to  sny.  It  was  every 
waj'  bttitting  that  the  Lord  should  set  tlieir 
real  heart  Ijefore  their  own  eyes,  and  solemnly 
apprise  them  uf  the  ruin  they  were  bringing  on 
themselves  bj'  their  hypocrisy.  It  was  the 
most  hopeful  moral  means  lie  could  use  to  ar- 
rest them  in  their  course  of  sin,  and  turn  them 
to  repentance.  How  fruitless  and  ruinous  are 
such  subterfuges  and  dissimulations  toward 
God  !  AVhen  did  mortal  man  ever  attempt 
them  and  prosper  !  When  lias  such  a  dissem- 
bler ever  failed  of  bringing  ruin  on  his  own 

soul !   n.  C. 

43  :  2.  Azariab.  Called  Jezaniah,  chap. 
42  :  1.  We  may  iib.servc  many  like  instances 
in  the  Books  of  Kings  and  Chronicles,  of  the 
same  person  being  called  b}'  different  names. 
W.  Loirth. 

2,  3.  They  deny  it  to  be  a  message  from 
God.  '  Johanan,  and  all  the  proud  men,  said 
to  Jeremiah,  Thou  speakest  falsely."  See  here 
the  cause  of  their  disobedience  :  it  was  pride  ; 
only  bj'  that  comes  contention  both  with  God 
and  man  ;  they  were  proud  men  that  gave  the  lie 
to  the  prophet.  They  could  not  bear  the  con- 
tradiction of  their  sentiments  and  the  control 
of  their  designs — no,  not  by  the  Divine  wisdom, 

l)y  the  Divine  will  itself.     H. Their  hearts 

were  fully  set  on  going  down  into  Egypt. 
Hence,  tliey  would  not  believe  that  the  God 
they  still  professed  to  honor,  and  of  whom 
they  still  spake  as  "  the  Lord  our  God,"  had 
forbidden  it.  Tliis  is  one  of  the  most  common 
methnds  of  resisting  the  authority  of  God  and 
refusing  Him  obedience.  In  this  case  those 
proud  men  slanderously  charged  Baruch  with 
inciting  Jeremiah  against  them  for  the  alleged 
purpose  of  delivering  them  over  to  the  Chal- 
dean power  for  death  or  captivity.  In  all  this 
they  fully  assumed  that  nothing  but  hostility 
to  their  best  interests  coidd  induce  men  to  pre- 
fer submission  to  the  Chaldeans  rather  than  to 
the  Egyptians.  This  political  feeling  of  hos- 
tility to  the  former  power  and  of  trust  in  the 
latter  was  intensely  strong,  and  strangely  ar- 
rayed on  the  side  of  the  wicked  and  proud 
against  God  and  His  true  servants.     H.  C. 

4-0.  These  proud  men  compelled  even  Jere- 
miah the  prophet  and  Baruch  liis  scribe  to  go 
along  with  them  to  Egypt  ;  they  carried  them 

away  as  prisoners.     H. The  warning  was 

in  vain.  The  message  of  Jerennah  was  repre- 
sented as  only  the  outcome  of  his  own  and  of 
Barueh's  pei-sonal  resentment  ;  and  the  leaders 
of  Judah  carried  the  feeble  remnant  to  Tah- 
panhes  in  Egypt — there  yet  again  to  hear  the 
voice  of  the  aged  prophet  announcing  the  com- 


ing judgment  on  the  country  where,  in  their 
unbelief  and  hardheartedness,  they  had  sought 
shelter.  So  the  last  remnant  of  Judah  had 
gone  from  the  land.  The  Davidic  rule  had 
pas.sed  away,  so  far  as  merely  earthly  power 
was  concerned.  The  Davidic  kingdom  to  come 
would  be  wider,  higher,  deeper.  It  would  em- 
brace the  brotherhood  of  man  ;  it  would  reach 
up  to  heaven  ;  it  would  root  in  righteousness, 
and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  But 
over  all  the  land  would  be  desolateuess  and 
.stillness.  Yet  was  it  a  ''stillness  unto  God." 
The  land  was  keeping  long-neglected  silent 
Sabbath  unto  God  ;  ten  times,  "  to  fultil  three- 
score and  ten  j'ears."     A.  E. 

§-13.  We  have  here,  as  also  in  the  next 
chapter,  Jeremiali  prophesying  in  Egypt.  Jer- 
emiah was  now  in  Tahpanlies,  for  there  his 
lords  and  masters  were  ;  he  was  ther,?  among 
idolatrous  Egyptians  and  treacherous  Israelites  ; 
but  there  he  received  the  word  of  the  Lord  ;  it 
came  to  him.  The  spirit  of  prophecy  was  not 
confined  to  the  land  of  Israel.  When  Jeremiah 
went  into  Egypt,  not  out  of  choice  but  by  con- 
straint, God  withdrew  not  His  wonted  favor 
from  him.  What  he  received  of  the  Lord  he 
delivered  to  the  people.  Now  we  find  two 
messages  which  Jeremiah  was  appointed  and 
intrusted  to  deliver  when  he  was  in  Egypt  ;  one 
in  this  chapter,  relating  to  Egypt  itself  and 
foretelling  its  destruction  ;  the  other  in  the 
next  chapter,  relating  to  the  Jews  in  Egypt. 
God  had  told  them  before  that  if  tliev  went  into 
Egypt  the  sword  they  feared  should  follow 
them  ;  here  he  tells  them  further  that  the  sword 
of  Nebuchadnezzar,  which  they  were  in  a 
particular  manner  afraid  of,  should  follow 
them.     H. 

§-II.  This  laying  of  great  stones  by  the 
prophet  in  the  clay  of  a  brick-kiln,  mar  the  en- 
tnuice  of  the  king's  house,  was  to  be  done  "  in  the 
sight  of  the  men  of  Judah."  Such  a  transaction 
would  serve  to  impress  more  strongly  the 
words  of  His  prophecy  that  the  king  of  Baby- 
lon would  certainly  come  there  and  set  up  his 
throne  upon  those  very  stones.  Verse  11  must 
be  understood  as  involving  the  destruction  of 
at  least  the  greater  part  of  these  Jewish  exiles. 
They  were  especially  among  those  doomed  to 
death,  the  sword  and  captivity.     H.  C. 

13.  Beth-8liemefih,  ihnt  i!>  in  tbe 
iHnd  of  Egj'pl.  The  same  as  On  or  Ileli 
(ipolis  ((Jen,  41  :  45).  Ileliopolis  was  the  Greek 
translation  of  "  Beth-.shemesh,"  the  house  or 
city  of  the  sun,  called  by  Jeremiah  "  Beth- 
shemcsh  in  the  land  of  Egypt,"  to  distinguish 
it  from  another  Beth-shemesh  in  the  land  of 


SECTION  49.     CLOSING  EVENTS  OF  THE  HISTORY. 


403 


Canaan.  This  city  was  probalily  near  the  royal 
city  Zoiin,  and  only  fifteen  stadia,  or  something 
less  than  two  miles,  from  the  sea,  according  to 
Herodotus.  Unit's. The  Memnonium,  a  tem- 
ple in  Thebes,  measures  four  hundred  feet  by 
one  hundred  and  fifty,  its  central  hall  having 
a  solid  roof  supported  by  forty -eight  massive 
columns,  and  "  studded  with  stars  on  an  azure 
ground."  Most  of  these  pillars  and  part  of 
the  roof  still  remain.  The  astronomical  sub- 
jects upon  the  ceiling  of  a  small  inner  chamber 
of  the  temple  h;ive  furnished  a  clew  to  the  de- 
termination of  some  of  the  great  cycles  of 
Egyptian  history.  The  Slemnnnium  was  built 
by  the  great  Rixmeses,  and  its  walls  are  illus- 
trated with  his  victories,  chiefly  in  Asia.  Some 
of  these  sculptures  are  quite  spirited.  In  front 
of  the  building,  and  flanked  bj'  colossal  figures, 
the  monarch  placed  the  most  stupendous  statue 
ever  reared  in  the  world.  This  was  the  per- 
sonification of  Egyptian  power  in  the  colossal 
image  of  the  king,  "  seated  on  a  thrcne  in  the 
usual  attitude  of  Egyptian  figures,  the  hands 
resting  on  his  knees,  indicative  of  that  tran- 
quillity which  he  had  returned  to  enjoy  in 
Egypt  after  the  fatigues  of  victory."  The 
statue  was  of  one  solid  piece  of  sienite,  and 
must  have  been  transported  from  the  quarr}' 
more  than  a  hundred  miles.  Its  weight  has 
been  computed  at  upward  of  eight  hundred 
and  eighty-.sevcn  tons  ;  it  is  said  to  have  been 
originally  seventy-five  feet  high  by  twenty- 
three  in  breadth.  By  my  own  measurement  of 
its  fragments,  as  it  now  lies  broken  on  the 
ground,  I  found  the  forehead  fourteen  feet 
from  ear  to  ear  ;  the  head  twenty-five  feet  six 
inches  across  from  point  to  point,  where  the 
back  lies  upon  the  ground — the  whole  circum- 
ference not  being  accessible — the  body  flfty-one 
feet,  measured  across  the  shoulders  from  their 
insertion  in  the  l)ack,  the  shoulder  itself  sixteen 
feet  six  inches,  the  arm  eleven  feet  six  inches 
from  shoulder  to  elbow,  and  the  foot  five  feet 
ten  inches  long  by  four  feet  eight  inches  broad. 
This  statue  was  overthrown  by  Cambyses,  the 
Persian  conqueror  of  Egypt,  in  the  year  525 
B.C.  Years  before  this  event,  a  Hebrew  prophet 
had  uttered  the  remarkable  words  :  "  He  [the 
king  of  Babylon]  shall  break  also  the  images 
[statues  or  standing  images]  of  Beth-.shemesh 
[the  house  of  the  sun],  that  is  in  the  land  of 
Egypt.""  The  overthrow  of  such  an  image, 
standing  at  the  main  gate  of  one  of  the  princi- 
pal temples  of  Thebes,  may  well  have  been 
symbolical  of  the  destruction  of  Egj'pt.  In- 
deed, I  know  not  whether  was  the  greater  mar- 
vel, to  set  up  tills  gigantic  statue,  or  to  throw 


it  down  so  as  to  break  the  .solid  granite  into 
the  huge  blocks  now  strewn  upon  I  be  ground. 

J.    P.    T/lO»l]!tl<IH. 

Cliap.  44.  This  chapter  completes  the  his- 
tory of  that  remnant  of  Jews  who  went  to 
Egypt.  The  prophet  solemnly  admonishes 
them,  appealing  to  the  example  then  fresh  in 
their  eye,  of  the  ruin  of  their  brethren  in  Jeru- 
salem and  Judah.  They  answer  that  idolatry 
and  sin  have  paid  well  and  insured  tliem  ])ros- 
perity,  and  they  will  persist  in  their  wicked 
ways.  The  Lord,  by  His  prophet,  pronounces 
His  fearful  curse  on  them,  and  gi\e.s  them  a 
sign  of  its  execiition — the  fall  of  Pharaoh- 
hophra,  then  king  of  Egypt.     H.  C. 

2.  God  puts  them  in  mind  of  the  desolations 
of  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  which,  though  the 
captives  "  by  the  rivers  of  Babylon"  were  daily 
mindful  of  them  (Ps.  137  :  1),  the  fugitives  in 
the  cities  of  Eg}'pt  seem  to  have  forgotten,  and 
needed  to  be  put  in  mind  of  ;  though  these 
desolations,  one  would  have  thought,  had  not 
been  so  long  out  of  sight  as  to  become  out  of 
mind.  "  Ye  have  seen"  what  a  deplorable  con- 
dition Judah  and  Jerusalem  are  brought  into  ; 
now  will  you  consider  whence  those  desolations 
came?    H. 

2-4.  It  would  seem  that  this  appeal  would 
be  resistless,  since  that  ruin  of  their  fellow- 
countrymen  had  been  so  terrible,  and  withal 
was  so  recent  and  fresh  before  their  minds. 
But  the  infatuation  of  sin  defies  all  reason,  and 
sets  at  naught  all  our  calculations  as  to  what 
men  ought  rationally  to  do  or  to  think.  This 
reference  made  by  the  Lord  to  His  unwearied 
and  most  earnest  labors  through  His  prophets 
to  reclaim  and  save  the  people  has  appeared 
frequently  before  in  the  writings  of  Jeremiah, 
yet  here  with  the  addition  of  this  striking  state- 
ment of  the  substance  of  His  appeal  :  "  Oh,  do 
not  this  abominable  thing  that  I  hate  !"  In 
most  brief  and  expressive  terms  God  implores 
His  people  not  to  give  their  hearts  to  idol-gods 
and  to  rebellion  against  Himself,  speaking  of 
such  a  course  as  being  "  this  abominable  thing 
that  I  hate."  What  could  be  more  detestable 
in  His  sight  than  such  sin  I  It  was  cruel  wrong 
against  Himself  personally  ;  it  outraged  all 
truth  and  reason  ;  it  could  not  fail  of  being  ut- 
terly ruinous  to  themselves,  both  because  of  the 
horrible  vices  which  it  introduced  and  fostered, 
because  of  its  terribly  polluting  influence  upon 
their  own  souls,  and  because  of  the  judgments 
for  such  sin,  which,  as  a  God  both  benevolent 
and  just,  He  must  bring  upon  them  for  it,  even 
to  their  destruction.  The  passage  has  a  rich 
significance  as  applied  to  all  sin  in  all  ages,  for 


464 


KINGDOM  OF  JUDAII. 


all  sin  has  the  nature  of  idolatry.  It  is  alwnj-s 
rebellion  ajraiiist  God  ;  it  always  gives  the 
heart  to  some  other  god  than  Jehovah  ;  it  is 
always  "  that  abominable  thing  whieh  lie 
hates,"  and  lie  always  and  everywhere  im- 
plores men  not  to  do  it,  l)eca\ise  it  will  surely 
be  their  ruin.  It  will  of  itself  punish  them, 
and  over  and  above  its  own  natural  intUiences 
and  results,  Goil  will  and  must  make  it  woik 
the  ruin  of  all  wlio  will  not  repent  and  forsake 
it.    II.  C. 

4.  TliiK  abominable  tliiiis  whioli  I 
lialc.  (iod  Himself,  we  have  always  under- 
stood, hates  sin  with  a  most  authentic,  celestial 
and  eternal  hatred.  The  path  of  it  is  the  path 
of  a  flannng  sword  ;  he  that  has  eyes  may  sec 
it,  walking  inexorable,  divinely  beautiful  and 
divinely  terrible,  through  the  chaotic  gulf  of 
human  history,  and  everywhere  burning  the 
false  and  the  deadworthy  from  the  true  and  life- 
worthy  ;  making  all  human  history  a  God's 
cosmos  in  place  of  a  devil's  chaos.  So  it  is  in 
the  end  ;  even  so,  to  evcrj'  man  who  is  a  man 

and  has  eyes  to  see.     Carhjh-. If  man  could 

understand  the  unspeakable  heinousness  of  sin, 
even  of  one  sin,  he  would  sooner  plunge  into  a 
fiery  furnace  than  commit  it.  If  the  sea  were 
made  of  lire  he  would  sooner  seek  the  compan- 
ionship of  its  burning  waves  and  dwell  in  the 
midst  of  them,  than  endure  the  pang,  the 
leaden  torment  which  sooner  or  later  must  de- 
velop itself  from  every  transgression.  C(tth- 
erine  Adonifi. 

into  the  very  texture  of  the  plan  of  redemp- 
tion is  woven  the  most  emphatic  protest  against 
sin  in  its  every  form.  If  its  expiation  demanded 
a  sacrifice  no  less  costly  than  the  blood  of  the 
Son  of  God,  must  it  not  be  intrinsically  hateful 
in  its  own  nature,  and  abominable  in  the  eyes 
of  Ilim  in  whose  eternal  counsels  such  a  sacri- 
fice was  decreed  ?  The  Cross,  then,  furnishes 
no  less  striking  a  testimony  of  God's  hostility 
against  sin  than  it  does  of  His  love  for  sinners. 
The  terrors  of  the  Law,  as  well  as  the  mercies 
and  proffers  of  the  Gospel,  are  traced  in  the  let- 
ters of  the  Saviour's  blood  ;  if  that  blood  at  one 
time  speaks  to  man  in  the  still  small  voice  of 
peace  and  reconciliation,  it  assures  him  at  an- 
other lime,  in  tones  of  thunder,  of  God's  deter- 
mination to  visit  all  moral  evil  with  eternal 
banishment  from  His  presence.     E.  M.  G. 

All  l\u'  guilt  that  lies  in  foul  rebellion  against 
the  mililest  and  most  merciful  of  earthly  mon- 
archs  ;  in  <lisobeying  the  kindest  and  grieving 
the  best  of  fathers  ;  in  ingratitude  to  a  generous 
benefactor  ;  in  returning  cursing  for  blessing, 
evil  for  good,  and  hatred  for  favors  •  in  wound- 


ing a  heart  that  loves  us  and  the  hand  that  wa.s 
stretched  out  to  pluck  us  from  deslructinn  ;  in 
refusing  to  please  One  who,  though  rich,  for 
our  sakes  made  Himself  poor  ;  took  our  debts 
on  Him  and  jiaid  them  ;  took  our  burdens  on 
Him  and  carried  them  ;  and  bearing  disgrace  to 
crown  us  with  honor,  saveii  our  lives  at  the  ex- 
pense of  His  own — all  that  evil,  multiplied  a 
thousand  and  a  thousand  times,  there  is  in  sin. 
It  is  a  horrible  crime  committed  against  a  gra- 
cious God  and  a  loving  Saviour,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  injuries  our  sins  have  inflicted  on  our- 
selves, and  the  irreparable  wrongs  they  may 
have  done  to  others.  It  is  from  such  views 
that  true  repentance  springs.     Guthrie. 

ll-l'l.  The  Lord  reiterates  His  threatening 
of  judgments  ujion  these  Jews  in  Egypt,  assur- 
ing them  they  could  by  no  means  tscape  the 
same  utter  ruin  that  had  befallen  their  country- 
men. Onl}-  a  very  small  remnant,  the  least  frac- 
tion of  them,  would  escape.     (See  vei-se  '2S.) 

13-IS.  These  verses  are  a  mounifid  illustra- 
tion of  the  madness  of  sin  and  of  its  social 
power  over  depraved  hearts.  All  the  men  who 
knew  that  their  wives  were  implicated  in  idol- 
worship  were  prominent  in  their  defence.  The 
women  themselves,  moreover,  were  not  back- 
ward through  modesty  or  any  conscious  sense 
of  their  degradation  and  guilt ;  but  with  the 
boldest  effrontery  stood  up  to  avow  their 
eternal  devotion  to  their  ba.se  idol-worship. 
Note  their  reasoning  :  "  It  was  will  with  us 
while  we  were  worshipping  our  idols."  So  sin- 
ners often  reason.  ' '  Because  vengeance  against 
their  evil  work  is  not  executed  speedily,"  but 
the  Lord  waits  long  for  them  to  repent,  they 
account  this  quiet  exemption  from  calamity  as 
the  natural  prosptrity  r,f  sinning.  So  much, 
say  they,  comes  to  us  by  virtue  of  our  living  as 
we  list  and  doing  our  own  pleasure.  Thus 
they  reach  the  conclusion  that  sin  pays  well. 
Satan  cheats  their  souls  into  this  horrible  delu- 
sion, and  they  love  to  have  it  so.  Then  the  sec- 
ond stage  of  their  experience  is  perverted  to 
prop  up  the  same  delusion  :  "  Since  we  left  off 
to  burn  incense  to  the  queen  of  heaven  we  have 
wanted  all  things,"  etc.  They  left  off,  not  at 
all  in  the  way  of  honestly  foi-saking  their  sin 
by  turning  to  God  in  penitence,  but  only  be- 
cause the  judgments  of  Go  1  b(gan  t)  fall  upon 
them  and  break  up  the  worshiii  they  would 
fain  have  continued  as  before  ;  and  now  they 
strangely  impute  these  calamities  to  the  frown 
of  those  senseless  gods  whose  w  >rship  they  had 
suspended.  So  the  devil  fortifies  their  wicked 
purpose  with  this  double  delusion.  He  makes 
them  think  that  the  good  they  receive  in  God's 


SECTION  50. 


465 


forbearance  despite  of  their  sin  is  the  natural 
fruit  of  their  sin,  and  that  the  ills  which  come 
of  their  sins  really  come  of  their  not  sinning — 
i.e.,  of  their  being  broken  off  by  the  judgments 
of  God  from  the  sins  they  would  fain  have  con- 
tinued to  conmiit.  With  such  miserable  delu- 
sions does  the  great  deceiver  of  human  souls 
mislead  them  to  their  damnation  !  It  is  awful 
to  think  that  the  native  delicacy  of  the  female 
sex  should  ever  admit  of  such  devotion  to  rites 
so  impure  and  polluting  ! 

!i4-28.  Now  the  Lord  sends  a  special  mes- 
sage in  addition  to  what  the  prophet  had  said 
before.  He  begins  with  saying,  "  Yes,  you  are 
committed  fully  to  your  wickedness  and  to 
your  idolatrj'.  Let  that  be  understood.  You 
have  vowed  eternal  devotion  to  those  idol- 
gods,  and  you  intend  to  perform  those  vows. 
Of  course  it  only  remains  to  the  mighty  God, 
the  great  God  of  your  fathers,  to  visit  you  with 
judgments  till  you  are  utterly  consumed."  A 
very  small  remnant  only  will  escape,  barely 
enough  to  be  witnesses  to  the  fearful  desolation 
sent  on  their  fellow-sinners,  and  to  know  whose 
words  did  stand — God's,  or  their  own. 

We  have  now  followed  the  prophetic  history 
of  the  Jews  to  the  point  where  the  last  feeble 
remnant  is  mainly  exterminated  in  the  land  of 
Egypt.  This  portrayal  of  their  sin  and  doom 
is  exceedingly  rich  in  its  moral  lessons  for  all 
subsequent  ages.  All  along  through  the  chap- 
ters of  this  prophet  we  have  seen  the  develop- 
ments of  intense  and  strange  infatuation,  as  if 
the  people  had  become  demented  and  lost  to  all 
reason  and  conscience.  This  infatuation  seems 
to  have  cuhniuated  in  this  miserable  remnant 
in  Egypt,  just  where  those  impressive  lessons 
from  God's  past  judgments  ought  to  have 
opened  their  eyes  at  least  to  their  peril  if  not  to 
their  guilt.     We  stand   amazed  at    such  de- 


pravity, and  cannot  wonder  that  the  Lord  should 
visit  upon  it  the  most  terrible  intiictious  of  His 
rod.  The  whole  Book  of  Jeremiah  shows  how 
slowly  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  arose  against  even 
this  guilty  people  ;  how  carefully  He  exposed 
to  their  view  their  great  sin,  and  held  it  up  iu 
every  just  and  appropriate  light  a.s  a  breach  of 
covenant,  an  abuse  of  mercy,  an  insult  to  the 
great  God,  their  Maker  and  Father,  and  as  done 
in  the  face  of  constant  warnings  through  His 
prophets,  whom  for  a  long  time  he  hud  been 
rising  early  and  sending.  Interspersed  with 
and  following  these  revelations  of  their  sin 
were  repeated  invitations  to  repentance  and  as- 
surances of  pardon,  coucheil  in  most  tender  and 
touching  terms,  and  sent  from  the  Lord  iu  the 
gentle  tones  and  oft-flowing  tears  of  this  most 
affectionate  prophet.  Let  us  not  fail  to  note 
that  those  tones  and  tears  were  only  a  fair  rep- 
resentation of  the  heart  of  the  Lord  who  select- 
ed, inspired  and  sent  him.  Verily,  all  that 
tender  sympathy,  faithful  reproof,  long  delay 
and  admonitory  forewarnings  could  do  to  re- 
claim and  to  save  guilty  men  was  faithfully 
and  fervently  done  to  save  this  guilty  nation, 
but  in  vain.  The  hour  of  reti'ibution  must 
therefore  come  at  last.  It  came,  and  its  ven- 
geance was  terrible  !  Does  not  all  this  history 
bear  a  startling  testimony  to  the  great  facts  and 
principles  of  God's  moral  government  over  na- 
tions here  in  time?  And  more  than  this,  must 
we  not  draw  from  it  a  fearful  inference  as  to 
the  future  doom  of  all  incorrigible  sinners  who 
must  stand  singly  to  bear  the  curse  of  their  own 
unpardoned  sin  in  the  world  of  final  retribu- 
tion? Out  of  the  depths  of  this  history  a 
voice  comes  up  from  its  underlying  truths, 
witnessing  that  the  end  of  great  sins,  unre- 
pented  of,  must  be  a  great  and  terrible  damna- 
tion.    H.  C. 


Section  50. 


PERIOD  OF  THE  CAPTIVITY.  CONDITION  OF  EXILED  JEWS.  EFFECTS  OF 
CAPTIVITY  :  EXTIRPATION  OF  IDOLATRY,  EXTENSION  OF  KNOWLEDGE 
OF  GOD  AND  OF  MESSIANIC  PROPHECIES,  PREPARATION  FOR  CHRIST 
AND   CHRISTIANITY. 

2  Chronicles  36  :  20,  21. 

20  And  them  that  had  escaped  from  the  sword  carried  he  away  to  Babylon  ;  and  they  were  ser- 

21  vants  to  him  and  his  sons  until  the  reign  of  the  kingdom  of  Persia  ;  to  fulfil  the  word  of  the 
Loun  by  the  mouth  of  Jeremiah,  until  the  land  had  enjoyed  her  sabbaths  ;  fur  as  long  as  she 
lay  desolate  she  kept  sabbath,  to  fulfil  threescore  and  ten  years. 


466 


KINGDOM  OP  JUDAK 


20.  That  "  the  reign  of  the  kingdom  of  Per- 
sia" iiuiiiciliiitely  succeeileii  to  thiit  of  Babylon, 
which  was  swallowed  up  by  tlie  great  Aryan 
power  within  seventy  years  of  the  accession  of 
Nebuchadnezzar,  is  declared  with  one  voice  by 
the  classical  historians,  and  has  been  recently 
conflrmed  l)y  more  than  one  nalivct  <lociinu'nt. 
Two  inscriptions,  broujjht  from  Babylonia 
within  the  last  decade,  describe  the  circum- 
stances iiiidcT  which  the  great  empin^  of  Baby- 
lon {'ollapscd  l)cfore  the  arms  of  Cyrus  the  Great, 
and  was  absorbed  into  his  dominions.     G.  K. 

'it.  It  should  be  observed  that  in  this  very 
expression  of  the  bind  enjoying  her  mbhatlm  the 
promise  of  a  restoration  is  conveyed.  For  the 
expression  implies  merely  a  temporary  rest  and 

not    a     total    dereliction.      Beniiinin. SIlC 

kept  Nlibbatli.  Thus  was  the  land  left  des- 
olate that  it  might  enjoy  its  sabbatical  years  of 
rest,  of  which  it  had  been  defrauded  by  the 
avarice  and  disobedience  of  the  Jews,  fuUilling 
the  early  denunciation  of  Moses  (I^ev.  26  :  34) 
and  the  later  of  Jeremiah  (3  Chron,  36  :  21) ;  and 
it  is  truly  remarkable  that  Nebuchadnezzar  left 
it  in  that  state,  and  did  not  attempt  again  to 
people  it,  as  the  policy  of  the  kings  of  Assyria 
had  led  them  to  do  in  Samaria.  The  land, 
therefore,  lay  still  vacant  for  their  reception 
against  their  return,  the  providence  of  the  God 
of  Judah  insensibly  overruling  the  counsels  and 
decrees  of  that  haughtj'  and  arrogant  con- 
queror, whom  He  had  raised  up  to  be  the 
scourge  of  His  chosen  people,  when  their  apos- 
tasies and  abominations  rendered  them  unwor- 
thy of  His  tutelar  care  and  protection  ;  and 
they  were  transported  into  captivity  "  for  their 
good"  (Jer.  24  :  5).  There  they  were  cured  of 
the  idolatrous  infection  they  had  imbibed  in 
Egypt  an<l  renewed  in  C'ana;in  in  the  course  of 
seventy  years,  when  the  remnant  that  returned 
were  purified  in  the  furnace  of  afHietion,  and 
had  purged  away  a  part  of  their  dross  (Isa. 

1  :  25).     Iliilen. Again  is  the  land   keeping 

sabbath.  And  again  is  it ' '  stillness  unto  God, " 
till  His  voice  shall  waken  land  and  people, 
whose  are  land  and  people,  dominion  and 
peace  ;  till  He  shall  come  who  is  alike  the  goal 
and  the  fultilment  of  all  past  history  and 
prophecy — "a  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles, 
and  the  glory  of  Thy  jicoplc  Israel."     A.  E. 

To  fulOi  tlirct'scorc  iiiitl  ten  years. 
It  is  essential  to  fix  in  mind  that  the  carrying 
of  Judah  into  exile  was  a  series  of  events  ex- 
tending over  at  least  twenty-four  years,  and 
not  a  single  event.  The  seventy  years  so  fa- 
miliarly spoken  of,  following  Jer.  25  :  11,  12  ; 
89  :  10.  may  jierhaps  be  regarded  as  a  round 


number  rather  than  an  exact  number;  though 
there  are  at  least  three  ways  in  which  it  can  be 
counted  as  exact.  It  is  just  seventy  j'cars, 
counting  one  of  the  terminal  yeare,  from  the 
death  of  Josiah,  is.c.  60S,  to  the  first  year  of 
Cyrus,  538  u.c.  ;  it  is  just  seventy,  counting 
both  the  terminal  years,  from  the  <ieportation 
of  Daniil,  605  n.c,  to  the  first  year  of  C^yrus, 
rcekoiied  as  536  n.c.  ;  it  is  just  sevent}'  yeare, 
counting  one  terminal  year,  from  the  burning 
of  the  Temple,  B.C.  586,  to  the  completing  of 
Zerubbabel's  temple,  B.C.  516.  We  have  no 
need  to  trouble  ourselves  to  decide  between 
these  possible  interpretations  of  the  phrase. 

T/ie  sources  of  the  history.  The  biblical 
sources  of  information  for  the  liistory  of  the 
period  are  the  concluding  chapters  of  2  Kings 
and  2  Chronicles  ;  the  Books  of  Jeremiah  and 
Lamentations  ;  the  Books  of  Ezekiel  and  Dan- 
iel ;  some  psalms  (Ps.  137,  for  example)  ;  the 
genealogies  in  1  Chronicles,  and  incidental  no- 
tices elsewhere.  Ancient  extra-biblical  sources 
of  information  for  the  time  we  are  considering 
are  the  writings  of  Berosus  (a  Babylonian  priest, 
after  Alexander,  who  translated  into  Greek  the 
history  of  Babylon)  and  of  other  Oriental  his- 
torians, jireserved  by  Josephus  and  others  (see 
especially  Josephus  Cont.  Ajiion,  I.  19-21.  and 
Ant.  X.  xi.  1)  ;  and  occasional  items  in  the  in- 
scriptions of  the  Babylonian  and  Persian  kings. 
The  Greek  historians.  Herodotus,  n.c.  484  to 
about  400.  Ctesias,  B.C.  398  and  earlier,  and 
Xenophon,  about  B.C.  444-357.  wrote  popular 
histories,  including  these  times,  but  without 
that  careful  regard  for  facts  that  characterizes 
the  Oriental  historians.  Josejdius.  about  a.d. 
100,  repeats  the  accounts  given  in  the  Bible. 

The  chronology.  The  dates  for  this  and  the 
subsequent  times  can  be  best  studied  by  refer- 
ring them  to  the  scheme  known  as  the  canon  of 
Ptolemy.  Whatever  be  true  of  certain  views 
of  history  imiilied  in  this  canon,  no  one  dis- 
putes its  correctness  as  a  scheme  for  giving 
names  to  the  years  in  their  succession.  By  this 
canon,  the  years  for  the  time  now  under  con- 
sideration are  named  as  follows  : 

B.  C.  02.5-6(15  are  the  21  jeara  of  Nahopolasaar. 
B.  C.  6I-14-502  are  the  4."J  years  of  Nebtirhadnezzar. 
B.  C.  561-560  are  the  2  years  of  Evil-merodaeh. 
B.  C.  .^.VJ-.'iS^  are  the  4  yean*  of  Neii^rlipcar. 
B.  C.  SWrvSQ  are  the  IV  years  of  Naboindas. 
B.  C.  538-53J  are  the  9  years  of  Cyrus. 

W.  J.  B. 

2  Cliron.  36  ;  ilii,  'i'-t.  These  closing  verses 
of  2  Chronicles  are  nearly  identical  with  the 
first  three  verses  of  Ezra,  and  are  there  placed 
for  comment.     B. 


SECTION  50.     PERIOD   OF  THE  CAPTIVITY. 


467 


These  last  two  verses  of  this  book  have  a 
double  aspect.  1.  They  look  back  to  the 
prophecy  of  Jeremiah,  and  show  how  that  was 
accomplished  (verse  32).  God  had,  by  him, 
promised  the  restoring  of  the  captives,  and  the 
rebuilding  of  Jerusalem,  at  the  end  of  seventy 
years  ;  ami  that  time  to  favor  Ziou,  that  set 
time,  cam(!  at  last.  After  a  long  and  dark 
night,  the  dayspring  from  ou  high  visited 
them.  God  will  be  found  true  to  every  word 
He  has  spoken.  2.  They  look  forward  to  the 
history  of  Ezra,  which  begins  with  the  repeti- 
tion of  these  last  two  verses.  They  are  there 
the  introduction  to  a  pleasant  stor}',  here  they 
are  the  conclusion  of  a  very  melancholy  one  ; 
and  so  we  learn  from  them  that  though  God's 
Church  be  cast  down,  it  is  not  cast  off ;  though 
His  jjcople  be  corrected,  they  are  not  aban- 
doned ;  though  thrown  into  the  furnace,  yet 
not  lost  there,  uor  left  there  any  longer  than 
till  the  dross  be  separated.  Though  God  con- 
tend long,  lie  will  not  contend  always.  The 
Israel  of  God  shall  be  fetched  out  of  Babjdon 
in  due  time,  and  even  the  dry  bones  made  to 
live.  It  may  be  long  first ;  but  the  vision  is 
for  an  appointed  time,  and  at  the  end  it  shall 
speak  and  not  lie  ;  therefore,  though  it  tarry, 
wait  for  it.     H.         

Thus  closes  the  first  period  of  the  Jewish 
historj'  ;  and,  in  the  ordinary'  course  of  human 
events,  we  might  expect  the  national  existence 
of  the  Israelitish  race.  The  common  occupancy 
of  their  native  soil  seems  in  general  the  only 
tie  that  permanently  unites  the  various  families 
and  tribes  which  constitute  a  nation.  As  long 
as  that  bond  endures,  a  people  may  be  sunk  to 
the  lowest  state  of  degradation  ;  they  may  be 
reduced  to  a  slave-caste  under  the  oppression 
of  foreign  invaders  ;  yet  favorable  circum- 
stances may  again  develop  the  latent  germ  of  a 
free  and  united  tuition — they  may  rise  agaiti  to 
power  and  greatness,  as  well  as  to  indepen- 
dence. But  when  that  bond  is  severed,  nation- 
ality usually  becomes  extinct.  A  people  trans- 
ported from  their  native  country,  if  scattered 
in  snudl  numbers,  gradually  fnelt  away,  and 
are  absorbed  in  the  surrounding  tribes  ;  if  set- 
tled in  larger  masses,  remote  from  each  other, 
they  grow  up  into  distinct  commonwealths  ; 
but  in  a  generation  or  two  the  principle  of 
separation,  which  is  perpetuallj'  at  work,  effec- 
tually' obliterates  all  community  of  interest  or 
feeling.  If  a  traditionary  remembrance  of 
their  common  origin  survives,  it  is  accompa- 
nied by  none  of  the  attachment  of  kindred  ; 
there  is  no  f:uuily  pride  or  affection  ;  there  is 


no  blood  between  the  scattered  descendants  of 
common  ancestors.  For  time  gradually  loosens 
all  other  ties  ;  habits  of  life  change  ;  laws  are 
modified  by  the  circumstances  of  the  state  and 
people  ;  religion,  at  least  in  all  polytheistic  na- 
tions, is  not  exempt  from  the  influence  of  the 
great  innovator.  The  separate  communities 
have  outgrown  the  common  objects  of  national 
jjride  ;  the  memorable  events  of  their  history 
(luring  the  time  that  they  dwelt  together  ;  their 
common  traditions,  the  fame  of  their  heroes, 
the  songs  of  their  poets,  are  superseded  by 
more  recent  names  and  occurrences  ;  each  has 
his  new  stock  of  retiiiniscences,  in  which  their 
former  kindred  cannot  participate.  Even  their 
languages  have  diverged  from  each  other.  They 
are  not  of  one  speech,  they  have  either  entirely 
or  partially  ceased  to  be  mutually  intelligible. 
If,  in  short,  they  meet  again,  there  i.-i  a  remote 
family  likeness,  but  they  are  strangers  in  all 
that  connects  man  with  man  or  tribe  with  tribe. 

One  nation  alone  seems  entirely  exempt  from 
this  universal  law.  During  the  Babylonian 
Captivity,  as  in  the  longer  dispersion  under 
which  they  have  been  for  ages  afliicted.  the 
Jews  still  remained  a  separate  people.  How- 
ever widely  divided  from  their  native  country, 
they  were  still  Jews  ;  however  remote  from 
each  other,  they  were  still  brethren.  What, 
then,  were  the  bonds  by  which  Divine  provi- 
dence held  together  this  single  people?  What 
were  the  principles  of  their  inextinguishable 
nationality?  Their  law  and  their  religion. 
Their  law,  of  the  Irreversible  perpetuity  of 
which  they  were  steadfastly  convinced,  and  to 
which  at  length  they  adhered  too  long  and  too 
pertinaciously.  Their  religion,  which,  however 
it  might  admit  of  modifications  in  its  main 
principles,  remained  unalterable.  Under  the 
influence  of  these  principles,  we  shall  hereafter 
see  the  Jewish  people  resuming  their  |)lace 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  opening  a 
new  and  extraordinary  career,  to  end  even  in  a 
more  aivful  dissolution.     Milman. 

The  Captivity  opens  just  after  the  overthrow 
of  one  of  the  great  monarchies  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  one  of  the  great  cities  of  the  ancient 
world,  which  had  kept  its  ground  for  a  thou- 
sand yqars.  It  ends  with  the  fall  of  one  that, 
in  the  colossal  greatness  of  its  power  and  the 
magnificence  of  its  buildings,  surpassed  all 
others.  It  begins  with  the  reign  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, and  ends  with  that  of  Cyrus.  It  was  a 
time  of  vast  migrations,  and  struggles  of  races 
and  of  creeds.  The  religion  of  Buddha  was 
working  its  mighty  change  in  India.  That  of 
Zoroaster  was  entering  on  a  new  and  more  en- 


4G8 


PERIOD  OP  CAPTIVITY. 


ergftio  life.  Then  it  was  that  Epiminiiles  ami 
the  Orpllic  brolhcrhooils  that  traced  tlieir  orijriii 
to  liiiii  were  altering  the  character  of  the  earlier 
creed  of  Greece,  its  represented  by  the  Ilcjmeric 
poems  ;  that  Pythagoras  and  his  disciples  were 
laying  the  foundations  of  an  asceticism  which 
developed  into  a  philosophy  ;  that  Solon  was 
building  up  the  intellectual  and  political  life  of 
Athens.  In  the  far  west  Kome  was  alreiuly 
rising  into  greatness.  The  walls  of  Serving 
TuUius,  yet  more  tlie  constitution  that  bears  his 
name,  were  marking  out  the  future  destiny  of 
the  Seven  Hills.  In  the  far  East  Confucius  was 
entering  on  his  work  as  the  teacher  of  an  ethi- 
cal system  which  has  kept  its  ground  through 
all  the  centuries  that  have  followed,  which  at 
present,  modified  more  or  less  by  its  contact 
with  Uuddhism,  divides  with  that  system  the 
homage  of  nearly  all  tribes  and  nations  of 
Turanian  origin.     Plumptn: 

Condition  of  the  Exiled  Jews  in  t7ui  Period  of 
Captitity. 

The  condition  of  the  people  during  the  Cap- 
tivity does  uot  seem  to  have  been  one  of  special 
oppression.  The  people  dwelt  apart,  maintain- 
ing their  tribal  distinction,  under  their  own 
elders.  In  the  apocryphal  narrative  of  Susan- 
nah, also,  it  is  assumed  that  the  .Jews  in  Baby- 
lon formed  a  special  community,  with  a  juris- 
diction of  its  own.  A  true  Israelite  could 
indeed  know  no  real  happiness  at  a  distance 
from  the  Holy  Land.  But  the  same  word  of 
prophecy,  whose  truth  was  proved  by  the 
judgment  which  had  fallen  upon  them,  exhort- 
ed them  to  wait  with  patience  for  the  hour 
when  the  deliverance  of  Israel  should  appear 
in  the  doom  of  Babylon.  For  this  future  de- 
liverance was  Israel  to  be  preserved  in  captivi- 
ty. As  the  Levitical  worship  could  not  be  car- 
ried on  ujion  heathen  soil  (see  Hos.  9  :  4),  and 
the  sacrilke  of  prayer  had  now  to  take  the 
place  of  animal  sacrifices,  it  was  important  to 
keep  all  the  more  strictly  to  those  legal  institu- 
tions whose  observance  was  not  connected  with 
the  Holy  Land.  Such  ordinances  would  form 
a  salutary  fence  for  the  people  thus  thrown  in 
contact  with  the  heathen,  and  a  protection 
against  a  heathen  mode  of  life  ;  and  this  con- 
sideration explains  why  Ezekiel  so  emphati- 
cally insisted  fin  the  observance  of  the  ceremo- 
nial law,  and  especially  on  the  sanctitication  of 
the  sabbath.  The  example  of  K/ekiel  (cf. 
14  : 1  ;  20  :  1,  also  8:1;  11  :  25  ;  24  :  19)  also 
shows  that  now,  wlu'ii  the  two  other  theocratic 
offices,  the  kingship  and  priesthood,  were  an- 
nulled, the  leadership  of  the  people  devolved 


exclusively  on  the  prophets,  who,  by  the  proc- 
lamation of  God's  word  and  the  delivery  of 
|)rol)hetie  counsel,  afforded  to  the  (lisi)ersi(m  a, 
point  of  support  similar  to  that  which  they  had 
furnishefl  to  the  pious  in  the  kingdom  of  the 
Ten  Tribes.  Perhaps  it  was  from  the  custom 
which  now  arose  among  the  Israelites,  of  gath- 
ering aroimd  a  prophet  to  hear  the  word  of 
God,  that  mjMigoijnes  originated.  It  was  dur- 
ing the  Captivity,  according  to  Zech.  7  :  3, 
5  ;  8  :  19,  that  four  days  of  mouriftil  contmemo- 
Tiitioii,  kei)t  by  fasting,  were  added  to  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Sabbath — viz.,  1st,  the  ninth  day 
of  the  fourth  month,  because  on  this  day  (2  K. 
2.)  :  3  ;  Jer.  52  :  6  sq.)  the  Chaldeans  entered  Je- 
rusalem ;  2d,  the  already  mentioned  tenth  of 
the  fifth  month  (Jer.  52  :  12)  (subsequently  ex- 
changed for  the  ninth),  in  remembrance  of  the 
destruction  of  the  city  and  Temple  ;  3d,  a  fast 
in  the  seventh  month  (Tisri),  in  remembnince 
of  the  murder  of  Gedaliah  ;  and  also.  4th,  a 
fast  on  the  tenth  day  of  the  tenth  month  (Te- 
beth),  because  on  this  day  the  siege  of  Jerusa- 
lem commenced. 

But  the  prophets  of  God  had,  during  the 
Captivity,  a  mission  to  fulfil  to  the  liiathcn 
also.  By  their  transportation  to  a  heathen  land, 
nay,  to  the  chief  seat  of  heathen  divination,  the 
light  of  the  Divine  word  was  set  up  among  the 
Gentiles  themselves,  and  an  opportunity  given 
to  their  soothsayers  and  augurs  to  try  their 
powers  against  the  revelation  of  the  living 
God.  The  conflict  waged  by  Jehovah  against 
the  gods  of  the  land,  when  He  delivered  His 
people  out  of  Egypt,  was  renewed  with  in- 
creased intensity  at  Babylon.  The  Gentile 
world  was  to  learn  by  experience  where  the 
knowledge  of  the  Divine  counsel  which  guides 
the  destinies  of  nations,  and  the  foretelling  of 
things  yet  future  were  to  be  found,  and  to 
judge  by  this  standard  of  the  real  existence  of 
its  gods.  To  carry  on  this  struggle  w.is  the 
special  vocation  of  Daniel,  who  was  educated 
at  the  Babylonian  court  in  all  the  wisdom  of 
the  Chaldecs,  and  raised  to  the  highest  honors  ; 
while  the  same  contest  is  prcsent*^'d  in  the  pro- 
phetic book  of  Isaiah  (chaps.  40-66).  From  this 
it  is  evident  that  the  oppression  of  the  people 
on  the  part  of  the  Chaldean  rulers  must  have 
greatly  increased  d\iring  the  coui-se  of  the  Cap- 
tivity. To  this  two  causes  may  have  contrib- 
uted—on the  one  hand,  the  rebellious  conduct 
of  such  Jews  as  were  not  willing  to  wait  pa- 
ti<'ntly  for  the  hour  of  deliverance  promised  by 
God,  but  resorted  to  remedies  of  their  own  ;  on 
the  other,  the  undaimted  testimony  borne  by 
the   prophets   against  heathenism    us   well   as 


SECTION  50.     CONDITION  OF  THE  EXILED  JEWS. 


409 


against  thf  rebellious  faction  among  the  Jews 
themselves.  The  whole  prophetic  delineation 
of  the  servant  of  God,  tried  and  glorified  by 
sufferings,  is  based  upon  that  experience  of 
suffering  in  captivity  by  which  the  elect  rem- 
nant of  the  nation  was  purified.     Odder. 

The  ca])tives  were  treated  not  as  slaves,  but 
as  colonists.  There  was  nothing  to  hinder  a 
Jew  from  rising  to  the  highest  eminence  in  the 
state  (Dan.  3  :  48),  or  holding  the  most  confi- 
dential office  near  the  person  of  the  king  (Neh. 
1:11;  Tob.  1  :  13,  22).  The  advice  of  Jere- 
miali  (29  :  5,  etc.)  was  generally  followed.  The 
exiles  increased  in  numbers  and  in  wealth. 
Tliey  observed  the  Mosaic  law  (Esth.  3:8; 
Tob.  14:9).  They  kept  up  distinctions  of  rank 
among  themselves  (Ezek.  2D  :  1).  Their  genea- 
logical tables  were  preserved,  and  they  were  at 
no  loss  to  tell  who  was  the  rightful  heir  to  Da- 
vid's throne.  They  had  neither  place  nor  time 
of  national  gathering,  no  Temple  ;  and  they 
offered  no  sacrifice.  But  the  right  of  circum- 
cision and  their  laws  respecting  food,  etc.,  were 
observed  ;  their  priests  were  with  them.  The 
Captivity  is  not  without  contemporaneous  liter- 
ature. In  Tobit  we  liavc  a  picture  of  the  in- 
ner life  of  a  family  of  the  tribe  of  Naphtali, 
among  the  captives  whom  Shalmaneser  brought 
to  Nineveh.  Baruch  seems,  in  Mr.  Layard's 
opinion,  to  have  been  written  by  one  whose 
eyes,  like  those  of  Ezekiel,  were  familiar  with 
the  gigantic  forms  of  Assyrian  sculpture.  Sev- 
eral of  the  Psalms  appear  to  express  the  senti- 
ments of  Jews  who  were  either  partakers  or 
witnesses  of  the  Assyrian  captivity.  But  it  is 
from  the  three  great  prophets,  Jeremiah,  Eze- 
kiel and  Daniel,  that  we  learn  most  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  children  of  the  Captivity.     Die.  B. 

It  is  during  the  Exile,  while  the  temple-wor- 
ship was  in  abeyance,  that  we  find  indubitable 
proof  of  the  systematic  meetings  on  fasts  for 
devotion  and  instruction  (Zcch.  7  :  3-5  ;  8  ;  19). 
Religious  meetings  were  also  held  on  Sabbaths 
and  fasts,  to  instruct  the  exiles  in  the  Divine 
law,  and  to  admonish  them  to  obey  the  Divine 
precepts  (Ezra  10  :  1-9  ;  Neh.  8:1-3;  9  :  1-3  ; 
13  : 1-3).  These  meetings,  held  near  the  Tem- 
ple and  in  other  localities,  were  the  origin  of 
the  synngngue,  and  the  place  in  which  the  peo- 
ple assembled  was  denominated  the  house  of  as- 
sembly. Hence,  also,  the  synagogue  in  the 
Temple  itself.  These  synagogues  soon  became 
very  popular,  so  that  the  psalmist,  in  depicting 
worship  in  the  time  of  the  Maccabees,  declares 
that  the  many  meeting-places  of  God — or  "  t/ic 
synagogues  of  God,"  as  the  A.  V.  rightly  renders 
it— have  been  laid  waste.     C.  D.  Ginsburg. 


The  employments  of  the  Jewish  captives, 
both  in  Assyria  and  in  Chaldea,  must  have 
been  very  varied.  The  general  superiority  of 
the  Hebrew  character,  both  intellectually  and 
morall}',  to  that  of  other  Eastern  nations,  would 
commonly  secure  the  advancement  and  pros- 
perity of  the  captives.  Some  rose  to  the  very 
highest  situations,  such  as  Daniel,  who  became 
prime-minister  ;  Shadrach,  Meshach  and  Abcd- 
nego,  who  also  got  high  promotion  ;  and  after- 
ward Nehemiah,  who  became  cupbearer  to  the 
king  of  Persia.  Manj'  would  be  employed  as 
craftsmen  or  artisans.  We  find  the  goldsmiths 
and  apothecaries,  for  example,  taking  a  consid- 
erable share  in  repairing  the  wall  of  Jerusalem 
under  Nehemiah  (Neh.  3  :  8).  Many  who  had 
been  accustomed  to  agriculture  and  gardening 
doubtless  followed  the  advice  of  Jeremiah  in 
the  land  of  their  captivity — "  Build  ye  houses, 
and  dwell  in  tliem  ;  and  plant  gardens,  and  eat 
the  fruit  of  them."  As  a  rule,  the  captives 
were  not  exposed  to  tyranny  ;  for  it  was  tlie  in- 
terest and  polic}'  of  Nebuchadnezzar  to  make 
them  comfortable.  The  laceration  of  their  feel- 
ings was  doubtless  their  chief  misery  ;  but  the 
generation  born  in  Babj'lon  would  be  less  sensi- 
ble of  that  pain  than  their  fathers.  Probably 
many  who  were  settled  in  the  country  districts 
on  comfortable  farms  and  productive  gardens 
became  so  fond  of  them  as  not  to  desire  to  re- 
turn home.  The  companies  that  returned  were 
probablj'  gathered  mainly  from  the  more  enter- 
prising and  more  movable  population  of  the 
towns.  The  total  number  of  horses,  camels, 
mules  and  asses  brought  back  to  Jerusalem  was 
exceedingly  small — not  exceeding  eight  thou- 
sand. It  is  a  proof  that  the  spirits  of  the  peo- 
ple must  have  revived  somewhat,  after  the  time 
when  they  hanged  their  harps  upon  the  willows, 
that  the  cultivation  of  their  musical  gifts  was 
not  neglected.  In  the  first  company  that  re- 
turned there  were  two  hundred  singing  men 
and  women. 

However  they  may  have  been  scattered  at 
first,  or  tossed  hither  and  thither  in  Babylon 
and  Chaldea,  they  contrived  very  wonderfully, 
for  the  most  part,  to  preserve  their  genealogies. 
A  few  were  unable  to  trace  their  pedigree  when 
the  restoration  took  place,  but  the  greater  part 
had  preserved  it  as  carefully  as  if  they  had 
been  at  home.  In  the  arrangements  adopted  at 
the  rebuilding  of  Jerusalem,  strict  regard  was 
had  to  each  person's  family.  Perhajis  the 
prophecies  of  Ezekiel,  who  foretold  the  restora- 
tion of  each  tribe  individu:^llj',  may  have  spe- 
cially stimulated  them  to  the  careful  preserva- 
tion of    their   genealogies.     The   spoken   Ian- 


470 


PEniOl)   OF  CAPTTVITY. 


jTUiiljc  i>f  llic  people  underwent  ii  cliani^c.  To 
a  consiciiTiilile  dcfrrce  tliey  adiiptcul  tli(;  C'lmldce 
dialect.  When  Ezra  read  the  law  in  Hebrew, 
at  the  restoration,  he  had  to  give  the  sense  and 
make  the  people  understand  the  meaning.  But 
the  greatest  change  of  all  took  place  in  relig- 
ion. The  old  love  of  idolatry  wsus  completely 
rooted  out.  Never  again,  in  any  part  of  their 
history,  did  the  Jews  show  the  slightest  ten- 
dency to  idols.  The  change  seems  to  have  been 
l)ronght  about  more  by  the  action  of  natural 
feelings  than  by  any  spiritual  revival.  The 
idolatry  of  the  Chaldeans  would  be  viewed 
with  disgust,  because  it  was  the  religion  of 
their  spoilers.  A  people  banished  and  dena- 
tionalized has  always  a  strong  inclination  to 
cherish  and  cling  to  its  national  institutions 
and  distinguishing  glories.  Those  of  the  Jews 
were  peculiarly  their  religious  ordinances. 
That  sense  of  superiority  which  refused  to 
humble  itself  even  under  a  Babylonian  captiv- 
ity would  intrench  itself  amid  the  venerable 
institutions  of  Moses.  Hence,  perliaps,  the  rea- 
son why  the  love  of  idolatry  that  had  charac- 
terized them  in  their  earlier  period  was  suc- 
ceeded in  their  later  by  national  pride,  expecta- 
tions of  carnal  glory  under  the  Messiah,  reliance 
on  their  own  works  and  righteousness,  and  a 
tendency  to  overrate  trivial  observances  and 
undervalue  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law. 
Nevertheless,  the  path  of  the  true  Israel — the 
election  according  to  grace — waxed  brighter 
and  brighter  unto  the  perfect  day.  Many 
psalms  were  added  to  the  canon  during  this 
period,  along  with  the  prophecies  of  Ezckiel 
and  Daniel.  The  promises  became  clearer  and 
brighter.  The  doctrine  of  the  Messiah  was 
presented  with  greater  distinctness  in  the  writ- 
ings of  Daniel  ;  his  work  became  better  under- 
stood— "  to  finish  transgression,  make  an  end 
of  sin.  make  reconciliation  for  iniquity,  and 
bring  in  everlasting  righteousness."  The  doc- 
trine of  the  resurrection  of  the  body  began  now 
to  assume  a  definite  form  (Ezek.  37  :  13  ;  Dan. 
12  :  2).  Ezckiel  presented  the  doctrine  of  the 
new  heart  and  the  life-giving  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  more  vividly  than  any  former 
writer.  Sacrifices  continued  to  be  offered  ; 
Daniel  speaks  of  "  the  evening  oblation  ;"  and 
doubtless  there  was  some  place  where  as  much 
of  the  Tem])le  service  as  possible  continued  to 
be  celebrated.  But  in  general  there  must  have 
been  a  great  lack  of  religious  ordinances  ;  and 
the  pious  would  be  more  and  more  thrown 
on  private  and  family  exercLses  of  devotion. 
Thrice  a  day  was  Daniel  accustomed  to  offer 
prayer  in  his  house  ;  and  on  certain  occasions 


he  observeti  long  seasons  of  speeiai  devotion. 
Tlu^  wa_y  was  gradually  ju-eparing  for  a  more 
spiritual  religion  ;  allhough  more  than  five 
hundred  years  had  to  run  before  Christ  should 
announce  that  the  lime  had  come  when  neither 
in  Mount  Gerizim  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem  men 
should  worship  the  Father,  but  true  worship- 
pers everywhere  should  worship  Him  in  spirit 
and  in  truth.     W.  (J.  B. 

While  Jeremiah  remonstrated  and  wept  and 
mourned,  the  hard  heart  of  his  countrymen  be- 
came harder.  While  the  Clialilean  was  apply- 
ing his  torch  to  the  Temj)le.  imtting  out  the 
eyes  of  the  royal  family,  or  driving  the  cap- 
tives before  him  at  the  point  of  his  spear,  there 
were,  perhaps,  no  signs  of  contrition,  nothing 
but  sullen  despair,  or  a  disposition  to  brare  it 
out.  But  in  the  land  of  their  captivitj'  it  was 
different.  According  to  that  ancient  reviving 
promise,  when  they  were  driven  out  into  the 
uttermost  parts  of  heaven,  they  bethought 
themselves,  and  repented  and  made  supplica- 
tion unto  God.  and  prayed  vmto  Him  with  all 
their  soul,  and  He  heard  their  prayer  and  main- 
tained their  cause,  and  gave  them  a  new  heart 
and  a  right  spirit.  That  this  was  the  ca.se  with 
numbers  of  them  we  have  indubitable  evidence. 
The  Psalms  which  were  compo.sed  after  the 
Captivity  are  a  proof  of  it.  The  liberality  of 
the  poor  captives  in  contributing  to  the  res- 
toration of  the  city  and  the  Temple,  the  three 
days'  fast  which  the  fifteen  hundred  people 
who  accompanied  Ezra  kept  at  the  river  Ahava, 
the  readiness  with  which  they  hearkened  to  the 
remonstrances  of  Nehemiah.  the  tears  which 
they  shed  on  hearing  Ezra  expound  the  law — 
all  go  to  prove  that  they  had  been  refined  in 
Babylon,  that  God  had  chosen  them  in  the  fur- 
nace of  affliction.  Their  bitter  sufferings  had 
worked  out  for  them  a  purer  national  charac- 
ter. 

The  Captivity  was  the  means  of  extirpating 
idolatry  from  the  hearts  of  the  people.  After 
the  return,  we  hear  no  more  of  this  polvtheistic 
tendency.  The  tires  which  ravaged  their  cities 
burned  up  the  idols  with  them.  The  second 
Temple  was  never  defiled  by  the  Jews  them- 
selves with  heathen  abominations.  Not  this 
only,  even  the  disposition  to  it  seems  to  have 
been  eradicated.  How  was  it  done?  The  cir- 
cumstances of  the  exiles  in  tiieir  lonely  abode 
on  the  plains  of  Babylon  .seem  to  have  im- 
pressed upon  them  the  folly  of  their  old  wor- 
ship. The  false  god  had  shown  no  power  to 
rescue  thim  from  the  inviuling  foe.  Milcom 
and  I.Ioloch  and  Ashtoreth  were  dumb  in  the 
hour  of    their   votaries'   utmost    need.     They 


SECTION  50.     CONDITION  OF  THE  EXILED  JEWS. 


471 


saw,  too.  tlie  connection  between  the  slighted 
comniand  of  Moses  and  its  predicted  penalty. 
They  provoked  God  to  anger  with  tlieir  vani- 
ties, and  a  fire  was  kindled  which  burned  to 
tbe  lowest  hell,  which  consumed  their  land  with 
her  incense,  and  set  on  fire  the  foundation  of 
the  mountains.  The  daj'  of  vengeance  delaj'ed, 
but  at  length  it  came  and  swept  off  the  idola- 
trous nation  with  the  besom  of  destruction. 
The  poor,  e.xjiatriated  Jew  had  leisure  now  to 
study  the  neglected  Pentateuch,  and  read  the 
burning  letters  which  the  lawgiver  had  writ- 
ten. He  did  not  need  to  search  long  for  the 
commentary.  It  was  seen  in  the  brick-yards 
along  the  Euphrates  ;  in  the  harps  which  were 
hung  on  the  willows  ;  in  the  bones  which  were 
bleaching  on  the  desert. 

The  Cajitivity  was  the  means  of  extending 
the  knowledge  of  God  far  and  wide.  Some 
beams  of  heavenly  light  fell  on  many  pagan 
tribes.  The  pious  Jews  acted  the  part  of  mis- 
sionaries in  all  the  regions  whither  they  were 
dri\'en.  Who  can  describe  the  benefit  of  Dan- 
iel's spotless  example  in  Babylon,  of  Ezra,  the 
ready  scribe  in  the  law  of  Moses,  of  Jlordecai's 
unbending  conscientiousness,  and  of  Nehe- 
miah's  tender  spirit  and  manly  boldness  in  Ar- 
taxerxes's  court?  The  good  influencq  was  not 
confined  in  the  walls  of  Babj'lon  or  Shushan. 
To  the  extremities  of  the  vast  empire  the  cou- 
rier bore  it.  Allow  that  in  man}'  cases  this  re- 
ligious influence  was  comparatively  light,  yet 
in  the  aggregate  it  could  not  be  small.  In  hav- 
ing the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  by  means  of 
a  written  revelation,  the  Jews  were  immensely 
superior  to  all  the  rest  of  the  world.  Scattered 
over  many  regions  by  the  hands  of  violence, 
they  would  be  necessarily  brought  into  direct 
conflict  with  the  ui)holders  of  various  idola- 
trous sj'Stems.  Contrariety  of  views  would 
lead  to  discussion  ;  argument  would  arouse  the 
slumbering  intellect  and  conscience,  and  some 
at  least  would  be  led  to  worship,  in  spirit  and 
in  truth,  Him  whose  manifestations  in  the 
works  of  nature  they  had  previously  neglected 
or  misinterpreted. 

God,  who  is  wonderful  in  counsel  and  excel- 
lent in  working,  was  thus  preparing  the  way 
for  the  light  of  the  Gospel  to  shine  over  the 
whole  cartli.  He  al  ways  had  thoughts  of  mercy 
to  the  Geutiles.  In  the  old  dispensation  His 
special  favors  were  confined  to  the  Jews,  but 
some  drops  in  the  shower  fell  on  the  parched 
wastes  of  paganism.  We  occasionally  discern 
hints,  pre-intimations,  foreshadowings,  of  that 
spiritual  and  healing  gift  designed  for  all  peo- 
ple ;  a  faint  yet  increasing  redness  in  the  East 


had  for  a  long  time  indicated  the  spot  where 
the  sun  was  to  appear.  Those  Psalms  of  Da- 
vid which  predict  a  reigning  Messiah,  those 
passages  in  Isaiah  which  so  graphically  de- 
scribe a  suffering  and  atoning  Redeemer,  were 
doubtless  carried  by  the  captive  Jews  into  the 
distant  East.  Their  true  meaning,  for  the 
most  part,  remained  unperceived,  yet  some  in- 
definite expectation  of  a  great  deliverer  was  ex- 
cited. Hope  may  have  sprung  up  in  some- 
solitary  and  dejected  bosom.  Some  Gentile 
Simeon  may  have  looked  with  feeble  faith 
toward  the  coming  Messiah.  At  all  events,  the 
Captivitj'  laid  the  foundation  for  the  speedier 
diffusion  of  Christianity  when  it  did  appear. 
On  the  day  of  Penteco.st,  devout  Jews  were 
gathered  at  Jerusalem  from  every  nation  under 
heaven,  a  people  prepared  of  the  Lord  to  carry 
the  knowledge  of  His  Son  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth.     B.  B.  Edwards. 

Many  Jews  that  remained  in  Babylon  were, 
by  the  great  changes  that  happened  in  the 
world,  dispersed  thence  into  all  the  adjacent 
countries.  And  hence  we  find  that  in  Esther's 
time  the  Jews  were  dispersed  throughout  all 
parts  of  the  vast  Persian  empire,  that  extended 
from  India  to  Ethiopia,  as  you  may  see  (Esth. 
3  :  8).  And  they  continued  dispersed  till  Christ 
came,  and  till  the  apostles  went  forth  to  preach 
the  Gospel.  But  these  dispersed  Jews  retained 
their  religion  in  this  dispersion.  Their  captiv- 
ity thoroughly  cured  them  of  their  idolatry  ; 
and  it  was  their  manner,  for  as  many  of  them 
as  could  from  time  to  time,  to  go  up  to  the 
land  of  Judea  to  Jerusalem  at  their  great  feasts. 
Hence  we  read  in  the  3d  chapter  of  Acts  that  at 
the  time  of  the  great  feast  of  Pentecost  there 
were  Jews  abiding  at  Jerusalem  out  of  every 
nation  under  heaven.  These  were  Jews  come 
up  from  all  countries  where  they  were  dis- 
persed, to  worship  at  that  feast.  And  hence 
we  find,  in  the  history  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles, that  wherever  the  apostles  went  preach- 
ing through  the  world  they  found  Jews.  An- 
tiochus  the  Great,  about  two  hundred  years 
before  Christ,  on  a  certain  occasion  transplanted 
two  thousand  families  of  Jews  from  the  coun- 
try about  Babylon  into  Asia  the  Less  ;  and  so 
they  and  their  posterity,  many  of  them,  settled 
in  Pontus,  Galatia,  Phrygia,  Pamphylia  and  in 
Ephesus  ;  and  from  thence  settled  in  Athens 
and  Corinth  and  Rome.  Whence  came  those 
synagogues  in  those  places  that  the  apostle 
Paul  preached  in. 

Now  this  dispersion  of  the  Jews  through  the 
world  before  Christ  came  did  many  ways  pre- 
pare the  way  for  His  coming  and  setting  up 


472 


rERTon  or  capttvtty. 


flia  kingdom  in  the  world.  One  was  tlmt  this 
WHS  a  iiK  aiis  of  raising  a  general  expcetation  of 
tlie  Messiali  tlirough  llii'  world  about  the  time 
that  lie  actually  eanic  ;  for  tlie  Jews,  wher- 
ever they  were  dispersed,  carried  the  holy 
Scriptures  witli  tliem,  and  so  the  prophecies  of 
the  Messiah  ;  and  being  conversant  with  the 
nations  among  whom  they  lived,  they  by  that 
means  became  acquainted  with  these  prophecies, 
and  with  the  expectations  of  the  Jews  of  their 
glorious  Messiah  ;  and  by  this  means  the  birth 
of  such  a  glorioiis  person  in  Judea  about  that 
time  began  to  be  the  general  expectation  of  the 
nations  of  the  world,  as  appears  by  the  writ- 
ings of  the  learned  men  of  the  lieathen  that 
lived  about  that  time,  which  arc  still  extant ; 
particularly  Virgil,  the  famous  poet  that  lived 
in  Italy  a  little  before  Christ  was  born,  has  a 
poem  about  the  expectation  of  a  great  prince 
that  was  to  be  born,  and  the  happy  times  of 
righteousness  and  peace  that  lie  was  to  intro- 
duce ;  some  of  it  very  much  in  the  language  of 
the  prophet  Isaiah. 

Another  way  that  this  dispersed  state  of  the 
Jews  prepared  the  way  for  Christ  was,  that  it 
showed  the  necessity  of  abolishing  the  Jewish 
dispensation,  and  introducing  a  new  dispensa- 
tion of  the  covenant  of  grace.  It  showed  the 
necessity  of  abolishing  the  ceremonial  law,  and 
tlie  old  Jewish  worship  ;  for  by  this  means  the 
observance  of  that  ceremonial  law  became  im- 
practicable even  by  the  Jews  themselves  ;  for 
the  ceremonial  law  was  adapted  to  the  state  of 
a  people  dwelling  together  in  the  same  land, 
where  was  the  city  that  God  had  chosen  ; 
where  was  the  Temple,  the  only  place  where 
they  might  offer  sacrifices,  and  where  it  was 
lawful  for  their  priests  and  Levites  to  officiate  ; 
where  they  were  to  bring  their  first-fruits  ;  and 
where  were  their  cities  of  refuge  and  the  like. 
Hut  the  Jews,  by  this  dispersion,  lived,  many 
of  them,  in  other  lands,  more  than  a  thousand 
miles  distant,  when  Christ  came,  which  made 
tlie  observance  of  their  laws  of  .sacrifices  and  the 
like  impracticable.  And  though  their  fore- 
fathers might  be  to  blame  in  not  going  up  to 
the  land  of  Judea  when  they  were  permitted 
by  Cyrus,  yet  the  case  was  now,  as  to  many  of 
them  at  least,  become  impracticable  ;  which 
showed  the  necessity  of  introducing  a  new  dis- 
pensation, that  should  be  fitted  not  only  to  one 
particular  land,  but  to  the  general  circum- 
stances and  use  of  all  nations  of  tlie  world. 

Again,  another  way  that  this  dispersion  of 
the  Jews  through  the  world  prepared  the  way 
for  the  setting  up  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  in 
the  world  was,  that  it  contributed  to  the  mak- 


ing the  facts  concerning  Jesus  Christ  publicly 
known  through  the  world  ;  for  llie  Jews  that 
lived  in  other  countries  used  freciuenlly  to  go 
up  to  Jerusalem  at  their  three  great  feasts, 
which  were  from  year  to  year  ;  and  so,  by  this 
means,  they  could  not  but  become  acquainted 
with  the  news  of  the  wonderful  things  that 
Christ  did  in  that  land.  We  find  that  they 
were  present  at  and  took  great  notice  of  that 
great  miracle  of  raising  Lazarus,  wliich  excited 
the  curiosity  of  those  foreign  Jews  that  came 
up  to  the  feast  of  the  Passover  to  see  Jesus,  as 
you  may  see  in  John  13  :  19-21.  By  the  same 
means,  the  Jews  that  went  up  from  other  coun- 
tries became  acquainted  with  Christ's  crucifix- 
ion. Thus  the  disciples,  going  to  Eminaus, 
said  to  Christ,  when  they  did  not  know  Ilim 
(Luke  34  :  18),  "  Art  thou  only  a  stranger  in 
Jerusalem,  and  hast  not  known  the  things 
which  have  come  to  pass  there  in  these  days?" 
Plainly  intimating  tlmt  the  things  concerning 
Jesus  were  so  publicly  known  to  all  men  that 
it  was  wonderful  to  find  any  man  unacquainted 
witli  them.  And  so  afterward  they  became  ac- 
quainted with  the  news  of  His  resurrection  ; 
and  when  they  went  home  again  into  their  own 
countries,  they  carried  the  news  with  them, 
and  so  made  these  facts  public  through  the 
world,  as  they  had  made  the  prophecies  of 
them  public  before.  After  this,  those  foreign 
Jews  that  came  to  Jerusalem  took  great  notice 
of  the  pouring  out  of  the  Spirit  at  Pentecost, 
and  the  wonderful  effects  of  it  ;  and  many  of 
them  were  converted  b}'  it — viz.,  Parthians, 
Medes,  Elamites,  and  the  dwellers  in  Mesopota- 
mia and  in  Egypt,  and  the  parts  of  Libya  about 
Cyrene,  and  the  strangers  of  Rome,  Jews  and 
proselytes,  Cretes  and  Arabians.  And  so  they 
did  not  only  carry  back  the  news  of  the  facts 
of  Christianity,  but  Christianity  itself,  into 
their  own  countries  with  them  ;  which  con- 
tributed much  to  the  spreading  of  it  through 
the  world. 

Again,  another  way  that  the  dispersion  of 
the  Jews  contributed  to  the  setting  up  of  the 
Gospel-kingdom  in  the  world  was  that  it  opened 
a  door  for  the  introduction  of  the  apostles  in  all 
places  where  they  came  to  preach  the  Gospel. 
For  almost  in  all  places  where  tliey  came  to 
preach  the  Gospel  they  found  Jews  and  syna- 
gogues of  the  Jews,  where  the  holy  Scriptures 
were  wont  to  be  read,  and  the  true  God  wor- 
shipped ;  which  was  a  great  advantage  to  the 
apostles  in  their  sjireading  the  Gospel  through 
the  world.  For  their  way  was.  into  whatever 
city  they  came,  first  to  go  into  the  synagogue 
of  the  Jews  (they  being  people  of  the  same  na- 


SECTION  50.     PERIOD   OF  CAPTIVITY. 


473 


tion),  and  there  to  preach  the  Gospel  unto 
them.  And  hereby  their  coming  and  their  new 
doctrine  was  taken  notice  of  by  their  Gentile 
neighbors,  whose  curiosity  excited  them  to  hear 
what  tiiey  had  to  say  ;  which  became  a  fair  oc- 
casion to  the  apostles  to  preach  the  Gospel  to 
them.     Jonathan  Edwards 

The  two  great  moral  results  sought  by  means 
of  this  destruction  of  city  and  Temple  and 
of  this  seventy  years'  captivity  were — (a)  to 
cure  the  nation  of  idolatry  ;  (J)  to  break  down 
the  false  reliance  on  the  mere  externals  of  their 
religious  system.  The  whole  Book  of  Ezekiel 
should  be  read  with  these  points  in  mind. 
Every  chapter,  almost  every  verse,  shines  in 
the  light  of  these  truths  and  bears  to  their  illus- 
tration. Of  his  forty-eight  chapters,  the  first 
twenty-four  protest  with  unwearied  breath 
against  the  national  sin  of  idolatry  ;  set  forth 
with  perpetual  reiteration  the  foulness  of  the 
sin,  its  terrible  grasp  on  the  national  heart,  its 
incessant  and  resistless  demand  for  the  most 
appalling  retribution  ;  while  all  along  the 
prophet  labors  to  make  the  captive  exiles  be- 
lieve that  their  ritualities  and  sacred  things 
could  by  no  means  avert  from  them  the  judg- 
ments of  the  Almighty.  Noticeably,  it  was 
not  till  the  tidings  came  to  them  in  their  cap- 
tivity that  the  city  had  actually  fallen,  and  that 
the  holy  Temple  did  certainly  lie  in  ruins,  that 
this  vain  confidence  broke  down  !  From  this 
point  the  entire  tone  of  the  prophet  changes  ; 
the  despondent,  broken-hearted  people  needed 
the  consolations  of  hope,  and  the  prophet  has- 
tens to  supply  them.  A  great  moral  crisis  had 
been  reached  in  the  discipline  and  culture  of 
the  Jewish  people.  Wonderfully,  admirably, 
did  the  prophet  Ezekiel  adjust  his  messages 
accordingly. 

Bearing  in  mind  that  it  was  never  the  thought 
of  God  to  forsake  His  people  utterly  and  forget 
forevermore  His  promises  to  Abraham  and  the 
mercies  made  sure  to  David,  but  was  rather  His 
purpose  to  replant  the  land  of  promise,  we  may 
note  with  admiration  the  wi.sdom  of  His  sifting 
processes  :  first,  in  taking  away  the  better  ele- 
ments into  Babylon,  leaving  behind  in  Judea 
the  men  who  had  sunk  physically  and  morally 
so  low  as  to  be  of  no  particular  account  as  ele- 
ments of  society.  The  king  of  Babylon  was 
not  looking  out  for  religious  men  ;  but  he  had 
need  of  men  who  had  some  force  in  them — 
some  capability  for  labor  and  service.  This, 
therefore,  was  one  of  the  principles  on  which 
he  sifted  the  conquered  people  of  Judea.  The 
other  was  equally  simple.  The  men  of  vigor 
and  valor  were  the  men  whom  it  would  be  dan- 


gerous for  him  to  leave  behind.  The}'  might 
head  another  revolt.  Therefore  it  was  wise  to 
take  them  away.  Thus  (unwittingly  as  to  God's 
plans)  he  took  away  not  merely  such  men  as  he 
wanted  and  dared  not  leave  behind,  but  such 
men  as  God  wanted  ■wherewith  to  replant  His 
Canaan  in  His  due  time.  When  seventy  years 
had  transpired,  and  the  Lord  put  it  into  the 
heart  of  Cyrus  to  invite  the  Jews  to  return,  the 
sifting  process  was  again  put  in  requisition — 
this  time  by  making  it  a  call  for  volunteers. 
Such  a  call  would  of  course  bring  out  the  men 
of  vigor  and  stamina  enough  to  bear  the  strain 
of  the  fatigues  of  a  four  months'  journey,  to 
be  followed  by  the  labors  and  hardsliips  of  a 
new  settlement  ;  and  also  men  of  heart  and  soul 
aflame  with  zeal  and  with  love  for  the  Ziou  of 
their  fathers-— -men,  moreover,  whose  faith  took 
hold  of  God's  everlasting  covenant.  The  will- 
ing, the  earnest  and  true-hearted — -not  the  easy- 
going and  indifferent — would  respond  to  this 
call  ;  the  men  of  moral  heroism,  who  could  wel- 
come sacrifice  and  hardship  for  the  love  they 
bore  to  the  land  of  their  fathers'  sepulchres  and 
for  their  faith  in  the  )'et  unfulfilled  promises  of 
His  covenant.  Some  one  has  said  that  in  look- 
ing for  seed  to  plant  New  England,  two  and  a 
half  centuries  ago,  the  Lord  sifted  two  king- 
doms (England  and  Holland)  for  the  best  they 
had.  With  equal  truth  it  may  be  said  that  the 
Lord  of  providence,  on  the  same  wise  principle, 
sifted  the  Jewish  people  twice  over  to  get  out 
the  best  seed  for  replanting  the  land  of  prom- 
ise. The  history  of  the  Jews  during  this  cap- 
tivity is  to  be  gleaned  chiefly  from  the  books  of 
the  prophets  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel  and  Daniel^ 
mostly  from  Ezekiel,  because  his  prophetic  life 
and  labors  lay  among  the  exiles.     IL  C. 

Tlie  Relations  of  the  Exiles  from  Judah  to  those 
from  Israel. 

It  is  often  assumed  and  asserted  that  the 
earlier  exiles,  especially  those  from  the  north- 
ern tribes,  either  lost  their  identity  among  the 
nations  whither  thej'  were  carried,  or  else  be- 
came lost  to  history.  On  the  latter  supposition, 
the  problem  of  the  finding  of  the  lost  Ten 
Tribes  is  often  brought  up  for  solution.  In 
opposition  to  all  such  views,  weigh  the  fol- 
lowing reasons  for  holding  that  the  earlier  ex- 
iles, botli  from  Israel  and  Judah,  became  min- 
gled with  the  exiles  of  Nebuchadnezzar's  time, 
constituting  the  Jewish  people,  as  it  has  ever 
since  existed  :  1.  The  known  character  of  the 
Israelitish  race  for  race-persistence.  3.  The 
geographical  statements  as  to  where  the  exiles 
were  located  ;  {a)  1  Chron.  5  ;  26  ;  2  K.  15  :  29  ; 


474 


POST- EXILIC  PERIOD. 


17  :  6  ;  18  :  11,  locate  on  a  ma])  the  territories 
assijjncd  to  the  exiles  of  the  Ten  Tribes  :  (A)  the 
references  in  .ler.  34  :  5  ;  28  :  4,  6  ;  50  :  8  ;  51  :  6, 
etc.,  locate  the  destination  of  Nebuchiuinezzar's 
exiles  ;  (r)  Jer.  29  :  14,  7  ;  3  ;  18  ;  K/.ek.  1  :  2, 
etc.,  with  many  of  the  passages  cited  below, 
Jcreniiali  and  Ezcliiel  speak  of  the  exiles  of 
Nebueliadnez/.ar's  time  as  not  confined  to  I5al)- 
ylonia,  but  living  in  all  the  countries,  and  es- 
pecially in  the  "  north,  '  whither  the  Ten  Tribes 
had  formerly  been  carried  ;  (d)  Ezra  1  : 1,  3,  4, 
etc.  ;  Esth.  2  :  5,  6  ;  3  :  8  ;  8  :  8-17,  etc.,  from 
fifty  to  a  hundred  years  later,  these  exiles  of 
Nebuchadnezzar's  time  were  found  in  all  parts 
of  the  Persian  empirf,  3.  (a)  Jer.  3  :  12,  18  ; 
31  :  4,  5,  6,  8,  9,  and  very  many  passages,  ,Iere- 
raiah  te.slities  that  Israel  of  the  Ten  Triljcs  Wiis 
living  in  the  north,  scattered  among  all  the  na- 
tions, in  his  time  ;  (4)  the  same  passages  and 
Jer.  31  :  18,  20  ;  50  :  19,  etc.,  it  is  promised  that 
Israel,  as  distinguished  from  Judah,  shall  be 
restored  from  the  north  country  and  all  the  na- 
tions, to  Palestine  ;  (c)  Jer.  3  :  18  ;  30  :  3  ;  31 
tliroughout ;  50  :  20  ;  51  :  5  :  Ezek.  37  :  16-22  ; 
Zech.  8  :  13,  and  very  many  places,  it  is  repre- 
sented that  Judah  and  Israel  are  dwelling  to- 
gether in  the  north  country,  and  among  the 
nations,  and  will  return  together,  the  differ- 
ences between  them  being  effaced.  4.  The 
different  tribes  are  represented  as  still  in  ex- 
istence, during  and  after  the  Babylonian  exile  : 
(«)  Ezek.  48  and  Rev.  7,  apocalyptically,  all 
the  tribes  by  name  ;  (6)  Ezek.  37  ;  19  ;  45  :  8  ; 
47  :  13,  21,  22,  33  ;  Matt.  19  :  28  ;  Luke  22  :  30  ; 
Acts  26  :  7  ;  Jas.  1:1;  Rev.  21  :  12,  etc.,  the 
Twelve  Tribes  in  general  ;  (c)  Rev.  5:5;  Ezra 
1:5;  Rom.  11  : 1  ;  Luke  2  :  36  ;  Acts  4  :  36, 
etc.,  .Tudah,  Benjamin.  Levi  and  Asher.  5.  In 
Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  and  especially  in  Esther, 
the  numbers  of  the  Jews  are  too  great  to  be 
reasonably  accounted  for  on  the  supposition 
that  they  were  all  descended  from  the  exiles 
taken  away  by  Nebuchadnezzar ;  it  is  the  tes- 
timony of  these  books  that  the  Jews  who  re- 
turned to  Palestine  were  only  a  small  part  of 
the  Jewish  population  of  the  Persian  empire, 
and  this  is  conlirmod  by  all  subsequent  history. 
W.  J.  B.     (See  pages  261-264.) 

Daniel,  Imiah,  Chaps.  40-66,  Dcatcronomy  and 
tlui  Lecitical  Code,  as  Belated  to  tlie  Post-exilic 
Period. 

The  work  of  Daniel.  The  first  six  cluipters  of 
the  Book  of  Daniel  are  a  series  of  wonder 
stories— accounts  of  marvellous  deeds  wrought 
hy  Jehovah  through  His  servants— with  a  few 


explanatory  narrative  statements.  This  half 
of  the  book  includes  one  brief  apocalyp,se 
(2  :  31-45).  The  second  six  chapters  are  a  .series 
of  apocalyi)ses.  These  twelve  chapters  are 
easily  distinguishable  from  the  additional  sec- 
tions found  only  in  the  Greek  copies.  In  re- 
gard to  the  canonical  Hook  of  Daniel,  two  ques- 
tions are  strongly  disputed  ;  How  far  is  it  his- 
torical?    When  was  it  written? 

In  view  of  certain  recent  discoveries,  the 
historicity  of  the  general  sitjiation  presented  in 
Daniel,  as  distinguished  from  that  of  some  of 
the  details,  can  hardly  be  regarded  as  longer 
open  to  doubt.  Bel.shazzar  is  now  known, 
from  the  inscriptions,  to  be  an  historical  person 
(see  Sclirader — e.').,  K.  A.  T.,  p.  434  sqq.). 
Though  the  Darius  of  Daniel  is  still  unex- 
plained, that  does  not  prove  him  to  be  inex- 
plicable. The  excavations  at  Naucratis  and 
Tahpanhes  in  Egypt  (see  especially  "  Defen- 
neh,"  chap.  7,  in  the  fourth  Memoir  of  the 
Egypt  Exploration  Fund)  settle  the  question 
as  to  Greek  colonies  and  Greek  civilization 
there,  and  the  necessary  contact  of  both  Jews 
and  Babylonians  therewith,  in  the  times  of 
Nebuchadnezzar  and  earlier  ;  and  show,  there- 
fore, that  the  Greek  terms  in  Daniel  may  be 
characteristic  of  the  times  of  Nebnchadn"zzar, 
rather  than  inconsistent  with  them.  Such  bib- 
lical passages  as  2  K.  IS  :  26  ;  Isa.  36  ;  11  are 
now  reinforced  by  Aramaic  inscriptions,  refut- 
ing the  argument  that  the  Aramaic  writing  in 
Daniel  proves  the  book  to  be  a  legendary  prod- 
uct of  a  period  later  than  the  Babylonian. 
Some  powerful  influence  at  the  seat  of  empire 
is  required  to  account  for  the  prosperity,  the 
national  feeling,  the  cessation  from  idolatry, 
the  activity  in  national  literature,  of  the  exiled 
Jews  of  the  Babylonian  pcrioil  ;  and  the  state- 
ments made  concerning  Daniel  and  his  com- 
panions precisely  meet  this  requirement.  Dan- 
iel is  mentioned  in  Ezek.  28  :  3  ;  14  :  14,  20,  as 
a  distinguished  example  of  wisdom  a.id  of 
power  with  God,  He  is  spoken  of  as  "  Daniel 
the  prophet"  in  Matt.  34  :  15.  Josephus  says 
that  the  book  of  Daniel  was  exhibited  to  Alex- 
ander the  Great,  Ant.  SI.  viii.  5.  The  argu- 
ment from  the  silence  of  Ecc:lus.  49  is  no 
stronger  against  the  historical  existence  of 
Daniel  than  of  Ezra.  But  if  it  be  granted  that 
Daniel  was  an  historical  person,  then  we  cannot 
disregard  his  claim,  nnule  by  the  use  of  the  first 
person,  or  by  the  statements  of  the  narrative,  to 
the  authorship  of  most  of  the  parts  of  the  Book 
of  Daniel,  and  therefore  substantially  of  the 
whole.  If  it  is  said  that  the  prayer  in  Dan.  9. 
e.g.,  presupposes  those  iu  Ezra  and  Nehemiah, 


SECTION  50.     RELATION  OF  DANIEL,   ISAIAH,  AND  DEUTERONOMY.    475 


it  is  easy  to  reply  that  the  presupposition  is  tlie 
other  way.  In  fine,  both  the  Booli  of  Daniel 
itself  and  the  events  mentioned  in  it  seem,  on 
their  face,  to  belong  to  the  seventy  years  of  the 
exile  ;  and  the  careful  student  will  require 
more  than  merely  negative  proof  before  he  as- 
signs thein  to  any  other  period. 

The  .vi\iii(l  part  of  laaiiih.  I  suppose  that  the 
analysii  of  the  Inst  twcnty-sereii  chapter.^  of 
haiah  Avhich  regards  these  as  a  unit,  made  up 
of  three  divisions,  each  consisting  of  three  times 
three  short  poems,  is  substantially  correct.  One 
of  these  poems  mentions  Cyrus  by  name,  and 
others  are  commonly  understood  to  refer  to  the 
burning  of  the  Temple  and  the  approaching 
return  of  the  exiles  from  Babylon — e.rj.,  Isa. 
44:28;  45:1;  64:11;  63:10.  To  one  who 
denies  the  possibility  of  inspired  prediction, 
this  is  conclusive  evidence  that  these  passages 
belong  to  a  date  when  the  arms  of  Cyrus  were 
already  threatening  Babylon.  To  one  who  ac 
cepts  the  possibility  of  such  prediction,  the 
question  arises  whether  we  have  here  predic- 
tions or  contemporary  statements.  The  liter- 
ary difficulties  in  the  way  of  supposing  that 
most  of  these  prophecies  were  written  in  the 
times  of  Cyrus  are  very  serious.  Begin  with 
Isa.  40,  and  note  how  steadily  the  writer  main- 
tains a  Palestinian  point  of  view,  and  speaks  of 
Jerusalem  as  in  existence,  surrounded  by  her 
neighbor  cities  ;  was  this  written  in  Babylonia, 
while  Jerusalem  and  her  cities  were  desolate 
ruins?  Read  Isa.  46  :  1,  2  ;  43  :  14  ;  47  :  1  sqq., 
and  note  how  accurately  these  statements  Bt 
what  Sargon  and  Sennacherib  say  in  regard  to 
their  captures  of  Babylon,  while  they  fit  noth- 
ing that  is  known  in  regard  to  the  capture  of 
Babylon  by  Cyrus.  Or  take  the  apocalj'ptic- 
liturgical  prophecies  of  Ezekiel  as  one  term  in 
the  line  of  prophecy,  and  the  visions  of  Zecha- 
riah  (Zech.  1-8)  as  another  term,  and  inquire 
what  sort  of  an  intermediate  term  you  have  a 
right  to  expect,  in  accordance  with  laws  of  his- 
torical continuity.  Can  Isa.  40-66  possibly  be 
that  intermediate  term?  If  this  body  of  liter- 
ature belongs  to  the  seventy  years,  it  is  at  least 
very  differenc  from  the  other  literature  of  that 
period. 


Thf.  question  of  Denteronom;/ .  Many  of  the 
scholars  who  hold  that  the  body  of  laws  in 
Deuteronomy  was  written  in  the  times  of  Josiah, 
also  hold  that  other  parts  of  our  present  Book 
of  Deuteronomy,  say  De.  1  :  5-4  :  40  ;  4  :  44- 
11  :32;  and  chaps.  27-3),  are  separate  pieces 
of  composition,  written  by  secondary  Deuteron- 
omists.  in  the  times  of  the  exile.  But  these 
parts  of  Deuteronomy,  in  tlieir  own  text,  date 
themselves  just  before  the  close  of  the  career  of 
Moses  ;  the  theory  that  th:;y  were  written 
during  the  exile  involves  the  supposition  that 
their  dates  are  fictitious.  De.  28-29  are  dis- 
tinctly cited  and  referred  to  in  Lam.  2  :  17  and 
context,  as  Jehovah's  "  word  that  He  com- 
manded in  the  days  of  old."  The  avowed 
writings  of  the  exile  are  replete  with  Deutero- 
nomic  ideas,  but  widely  different  from  Deuter- 
onomy in  style.  Certainly,  the  natural  impres- 
sion made  by  the  case  is  that  these  parts  of 
Deuteronomy  were  influential  in  the  times  of 
the  exile,  not  because  they  were  contemporane- 
ous writings,  but  because  of  a  revived  interest 
in  an  ancient  book. 

The  question  of  tlie  Lemtical  Code.  Writers 
on  the  Pentateuchal  analysis  recognize  in  Lev. 
17-26  a  code  of  legislation  which  they  say  has 
been  combined  with  later  matter,  but  whose 
original  form  can  be  approximately  restored. 
This  code  is  assigned  by  Kueneu  and  those  who 
agree  with  him  to  the  last  twenty  years  of  the 
exile,  largely  on  the  ground  of  its  afiinity 
with  the  passages  in  Deuteronomy  just  cited, 
and  with  Ezek.  40^8.  Evidently  the  one  argu- 
ment that  these  writers  here  regard  as  strongest 
is  the  closeness  with  which  Lev.  26  and  De. 
28-29  fit  the  phenomena  of  the  times  of  the 
exile.  With  those  who  accept  the  possibility 
of  inspired  prediction,  this  argument  would 
have  more  weight  if  the  fitness  of  the  descrip- 
tion were  confined  to  the  scenes  of  the  Baby- 
lonian exile,  instead  of  fitting  the  case  of  Israel 
from  the  deportation  of  the  Ten  Tribes  to  the 
present  day.  As  in  the  case  of  the  parts  of 
Deuteronomy  just  mentioned,  the  testimony  of 
the  text  of  Lev.  17-26  and.  its  general  literary 
and  linguistic  character  are  against  assigning 
it  to  the  period  of  the  exile.     W,  J,  Beeclwr. 


476 


BOOKS  OF  EZRA   AND  NEIIEMIAH. 


Section  51. 


THE  BOOKS  OF  EZRA  AND  NEnEMIAH. 


The  Books  of  Ezra  and  Nchcmiah  arc  the 
historical  introduction  to  the  third  period  of 
.Jewish  liistory.  The  first  or  formative  period 
is  that  of  tlie  exodus  and  llie  concpiest  of  Ca- 
naan. The  second,  that  of  tlic  Itings,  is  the 
perioil  of  national  development,  when  all  that 
■was  possihle  to  them  as  a  nation  was  accom- 
plished. The  third  period  was  that  of  national 
dependence,  and  it  lasted  si.v  hundred  years. 
From  the  return  from  captivity  to  tlie  fall  of 
Jerusalem,  the  history  of  the  Jews  is  bound  up 
with  the  policy  of  the  great  empires,  Persia, 
Macedonia,  Greece  and  Rome,  on  whose  favor 
they  depended,  or  to  whom  the.y  offered  a  fruit- 
less resistance.  Just  as  the  exodus  and  the 
conquest  trained  the  people  for  the  second 
stage  in  their  development  and  prepared  its 
way,  so  the  third  period  prepared  for  the  fourth 
— Judaism  in  its  relation  to  modern  history. 
The  true  destiny  of  Israel  is  now  revealed,  to 
exist  as  a  "  leaven"  among  the  nations.  The 
Divine  purpose  in  the  Israelitish  people  is  ac- 
compli.shed  in  Christendom  ;  religious  suscepti- 
bility, fitness  for  inspiration,  has  been  the  signal 
endowment  of  the  Jews  ;  theirs  is  a  spiritual, 
not  a  national  glory.  And  the  modern  history 
of  the  unconverted  remnant  is  not  without  sig- 
nificance ;  we  see  in  them  the  natural  stock  out 
of  which  Christendom  has  grown.  The  tenaci- 
ty and  steadfastness  which  still  characterize  the 
race,  their  patience,  gentleness  and  readiness  to 
serve  or  to  rule,  are  some  of  the  elements  of 
their  fitness  to  affect  most  intimately  the  his- 
tory of  the  world,  some  of  their  qualifications 
to  be  the  depositary  of  the  promises  of  God. 
The  period  of  the  return  is  sometimes  contrast- 
ed with  that  of  the  exodus  as  an  unheroic  with 
an  heroic  lime.  It  is  easy  to  exaggerate  the 
force  of  this  contrast.  That  is  not  an  unheroic 
or  uneventful  history  which  contains,  as  its 
heart,  the  story  of  the  Maccabees.  Even  in  the 
two  books — Ezra  and  Nchcmiah — the  narra- 
tives of  the  rebuilding  of  the  altar,  the  founda- 
tion and  dedication  of  the  Temple,  the  building 
of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  reorganiza- 
tion of  a  corrupt  society,  are  not  inglorious. 
The  tact,  the  courage,  the  patience,  the  fidelity 
displayed  awaken  admiration  ;  and  some  of  the 
incidents  strike  the  imagination  and  stir  the 
soul.     CUirknon. 

Though  the  Books  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah 


were  undoubtedly  regarded  as  one  book  in  two 
parts,  both  by  the  Jewish  Church  and  by  the 
early  Christian  fathers,  yet  the  juiigment  of 
modern  criticism,  that  they  were  oriiiinally  two 
distinct  works,  seems  to  be,  on  the  whole,  de- 
serving of  our  acceptance.  The  general  style 
of  the  two  books  is  indeed  similar  ;  but  still 
there  are  sufTicient  differences  in  the  composi- 
tion to  mark  distinct  authorship.  Xehemiali, 
moreover,  opens  in  a  way  which  indicates  that 
it  is  not  a  continuation  of  any  previous  narra- 
tive, but  a  separate  and  substantive  work, 
standing  on  its  own  basis.     B.  C. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  closing  verses  of 
Chronicles  (3  Chron.  36  :  22,  23)  are  almost 
identical  with  the  opening  words  of  Ezra — a 
feature  which  has  led  many  to  believe  that  the 
works  originally  formed  one  contin\ious  com- 
position, and  which,  at  all  events,  shows  that 
the  Books  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  were  recog- 
nized as  forming  a  natural  continuation  of  the 
history  of  the  Chronicles.  Those  books  had 
brought  down  the  history  to  the  first  year  of 
Cyrus,  and  the  books  before  us  contain  the  his- 
torj'  of  the  re- establishment  of  the  Israelite 
society  by  the  return  of  colonists,  their  settle- 
ment in  Jerusalem,  the  rebuilding  of  the  Tem- 
ple and  city,  and  the  reorganizatiim  of  life  and 
worship.  The  narrative  begins  in  the  Book  of 
Ezra  at  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  Cj-rus,  B.C. 
538,  and  it  is  dropped  in  Nehemiah  soon  after 
the  thirty-second  year  of  Artaxerxcs,  n.c.  432  ; 
so  that  the  two  books  together  carry  us  over  a 
space  of  about  a  century.  The  whole  history 
of  this  time,  however,  falls  into  three  clearly 
defined  periods.  The  first,  treated  of  in  the 
first  six  chapters  of  Ezra,  is  the  time  that 
elapsed  from  the  first  return  of  exiles  to  the 
completion  of  the  Temple  ;  the  second,  of 
which  an  account  is  contained  in  the  remaining 
chapters  of  Ezra,  is  the  period  of  his  activity  as 
leader  of  the  second  colony  that  came  to  Judea  ; 
and  the  third,  covered  by  the  Book  of  Nehe- 
miah, is  the  period  of  the  activity  of  the  two 
men  in  the  reconstitution  of  the  new  commu- 
nity at  Jerusalem. 

The  first  period  extends  over  twenty-three 
years — viz.,  from  the  first  return  of  exiles  in 
538  till  the  completion  of  the  Temple  in  the 
sixth  year  of  Darius,  n.c.  515.  The  whole  of 
this  period  was  anterior  to  the  coming  of  Ezra, 


SECTION  61.     AUTHORSHIP  AND  DATE. 


477 


and  chaps.  1-6  of  his  book  contain  a  succinct 
account  of  what  was  an  arduous  and  almost 
hopeless  struggle  on  the  part  of  the  first  colo- 
nists to  establish  themselves  in  the  city  of  their 
fathere.  The  second  period  begins  with  the 
seventh  chapter  of  Ezra,  and  extends  to  the 
close  of  the  book.  These  chapters  tell  us  how 
Ezra  brought  the  second  colony  from  Babylon 
and  settled  them  in  Jerusalem  in  the  seventh 
year  of  King  Artaxerxes  I.,  called  Longimanus 
— i.e.,  in  the  year  B.C.  458  (Ezra  7  :  8).  Since 
the  former  period  ended  with  the  sixth  year  of 
Darius,  or  515,  and  this  begins  with  the  sev- 
enth j'car  of  Artaxerxes,  there  is  thus  an  inter- 
val of  fifty-seven  years  passed  over  without 
record.  This  space  represents  the  remaining 
thirty  years  of  Daiius,  the  twenty  years'  reign 
of  Xerxes,  and  the  opening  seven  years  of  that 
of  Artaxerxes.  Thirteen  j-ears  after  the  arrival 
of  Ezra's  colony  Nehemiah  appears  at  Jerusa- 
lem ;  and  the  third  period,  treated  of  in  the 
Book  of  Nehemiah,  and  extending  over  twelve 
years,  is  the  period  of  their  joint  captivity.  In 
the  twentieth  year  of  Artaxerxes,  Nehemiah, 
cup-bearer  to  the  king,  having  heard  mournful 
accounts  of  the  condition  of  his  coantrymen  in 
Judea  (chap.  1),  obtained  leave  of  absence  from 
the  court,  and  was  appointed  governor  of  Jeru- 
salem. 

Little  as  we  are  told  of  the  personal  histories 
of  Ezra  and  Neliemiah,  we  perceive  that  they 
were  eminently  fitted  for  the  crisis  in  which 
they  appeared.  Itis  evident  that  the  efforts  of 
the  first  colony  under  Zerubbabel  and  Joshua 
sufficed  at  most  to  preserve  a  lingering  exist- 
ence. It  was  only  after  the  arrival  of  Ezra 
that  the  restored  community  took  a  new  de- 
parture, and  only  by  the  energetic  action  of 
Nehemiah  that  it  assumed  a  position  in  which 
it  was  able  to  unfold,  under  new  conditions,  its 
old  religious  life.  It  has  been  conjectured  that 
probably  the  influence  of  Esther  and  Mordecai 
on  Xerxes,  the  predecessor  of  Artaxerxes,  may 
account  for  Jews  being  in  such  high  regard  at 
the  court.  It  i,  clear  that  both  Ezra  and  Nehe- 
miah were  in  high  estimation  with  the  king,  or 
they  would  not  have  been  entrusted  with  the 
functions  they  were  sent  to  perform  ;  and  it 
was  providential  that,  at  a  time  when  the  first 
colony  was  struggling  for  existence,  these  two 
men,  of  the  seed  of  Israel,  were  raised  up  to 
guide  their  nation  through  a  trying  time  and 
give  it  a  constitution  which  would  survive  the 
successive  dynasties  under  which  the  Jewish 
people  lived.  Ezra,  a  scribe,  instructed  in  the 
law  of  Moses,  was  able  to  expound  the  princi- 
ples of  the  religion,  and  to  show  their  applica- 


tion to  daily  life  ;  Nehemiah,  endued  with  full 
powers  from  the  king,  was  a  man  of  determined 
will,  fertility  of  resource,  and  devotion  to  his 
people.  And  thas,  at  a  crisis  which  became  a 
reformation  in  Israel,  the  leaders  possessed  the 
intelligent  conception  of  the  thing  needed,  and 
the  administrative  capacity  to  effect  it,  without 
which  no  reformation  can  be  brought  about. 
So  it  is  from  this  period  that  a  new  era  in  the 
life  of  the  Jewish  people  is  dated,  and  tradition 
assigns  to  Ezra  a  place  next  to  Moses  in  the 
moulding  of  the  religious  life.  The  national 
unity  was  saved  from  being  shattered  into  frag- 
ments by  the  Captivity  ;  for  the  Temple  with 
its  service  was  the  religious  centre  to  which  in 
all  places  of  their  wanderings  the  dispersed 
ever  turned.     J.  Robertson. 

Authorship  and  Date. 

As  to  authorship  and  date,  the  jiroof  seems 
to  be  adequate  that  the  Book  of  Ezra  was  writ- 
ten either  by  Ezra  himself  or  b}'  some  early 
contemporar}'.  For,  first,  tradition  affirms  this, 
and  should  count  for  something  ;  second,  the 
place  of  Ezra  in  the  Hebrew  Bibles,  next  before 
Nehemiah  and  Chronicles,  indicates  the  same 
thing  ;  third,  Nehemiah  quoted  the  Book  of 
Ezra,  the  narrative  as  well  as  the  list,  while 
Ezra  was  j'ct  alive  (Neh.  7  :  5  sqq.)  ;  fourth, 
the  book  contains  no  trace  of  elements  later 
than  Ezra.  The  question  as  to  Nehemiah  is 
less  simple,  but,  with  the  analysis  given  above, 
is  not  so  complicated  as  many  suppose.  The 
first  and  third  divisions  of  the  book  definitely 
purport  to  be  bj'  Nehemiah  (unless  chaps.  8-10 
be  regarded  as  by  an  associate  of  his),  and  con- 
tain no  elements  inconsistent  with  this  claim. 
The  second  division  (11:1  to  13  :  26)  is  often 
said  to  mention  events  a  century  or  more  later 
than  Nehemiah,  but  that  is  sheer  carelessness  of 
statement.  The  latest  event  mentioned  is  the 
registration  of  priests  and  Levites  ;  and  that 
registration,  though  it  includes  the  name  of 
Jaddua,  is  not  said  to  have  been  brought  up  to 
the  time  when  Jaddua  was  high-priest,  but 
expressly  limits  itself  "up  to  the  days  of  Jo- 
hanan"  (13  :  23).  It  follows  that  Jaddua  was 
enrolled  before  he  became  high-priest,  perhaps 
to  exclude  some  other  claimant,  and  that 
"  Darius  the  Persian"  of  verse  33  was  Darius 
Nothus,  B.c  433-404,  and  not  the  later  Darius. 
The  date  of  the  accession  of  Johanan  is  com- 
monly given  as  373  B.C.,  but  was  probably 
earlier.  But  if  Nehemiah  was  a  very  young 
man  in  B.C.  445,  it  exhibits  no  extraordinary 
longevity  if  he  was  still  living  seventy-two 
years  later,   B.C.    373.     There    is    no  decisive 


478 


BOOKS  OF  EZRA   AND  JVETTKVTAIT. 


proof,  therefore,  that  a-iv  work  was  done  on 
the  Book  of  Nehemiah  later  than  his  lifetime. 
Whether  the  chapters  from  8  to  12  :  26  are  by 
other  hands  than  his  may  be  an  open  question. 

Tire  L.\w  IN  THE  Times  of  Ezua  and 

NEHEMIAn. 

No  one  disputes  that  Ezra  and  men  associated 
with  him  had  something  very  important  to  do 
with  the  e.xistence  of  the  Ilexateueh  in  its  pres- 
ent form.  Postbiblieal  tradition  testifies  very 
abundantly  to  this,  making  Ezra  the  second 
giver  of  the  law,  and  counting  his  work  on  the 
law  inferior  only  to  that  of  Moses.  The  New 
Testament  and  Ecclcsiasticus  are  indeed  silent 
concerning  this  tradition,  but  the  Books  of 
Ezra  and  Nehemiah  confirm  it.  But  what  was 
the  actual  work  done  on  the  Ile.xateueh  by 
Ezra  and  his  associates?  Did  they  simply  pre- 
serve authenticated  copies  and  call  attention  to 
the  laws,  anil  procure  the  enforcement  of  them? 
Or  did  they  themselves  originally  write  most  of 
the  priestcode,  and  compile  the  Hexateuch  as  a 
whole?  To  answer  these  questions  is  to  solve 
the  whole  problem  of  Ilexateuchal  criticism. 
At  present  we  have  only  to  do  with  that  part  of 
the  answer  which  is  found  in  the  direct  state- 
ments made  in  the  accounts  of  the  work  of 
Ezra  and  Xc  hcmiah. 

No  one  disputes  that,  according  to  the  ac- 
counts, these  two  men  possessed  in  written 
form  the  legislation  which  they  promulgated 
anil  enforced.  No  one  disputes  that  the  men  of 
Nehemiah 's  great  convocation  were  in  posses- 
sion of  the  historical  statements  contained  in 
the  Hexateuch  and  in  the  Books  of  Judges,  Sam- 
uel and  Kings,  in  the  order  in  which  these 
books  now  contain  them.  Neh.  9  :  6-8  sum- 
marizes from  Genesis,  9-30  from  Exodus  and 
Numbers,  2:)-23  from  Numbers  and  Deuterono- 
my, 23-25  from  Joshua,  26-31  from  Judges, 
Samuel  and  1  Kings,  and  33-33  from  2  Kings. 
No  one  disputes  that  the  narrative  of  the  times 
of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  represents  that  the  Ilex- 
ateuchal legislation  as  a  whole  was  then  in  ex- 
istence. No  one  disputes  that  this  narrative 
refers  the  legislation  of  which  it  si)eaks  very 
prominently  to  Moses,  and  thus  claims  that  it 
was,  in  the  main,  in  existence  from  the  times 
of  Miwes.  Tills  is  limited,  however,  by  the  fact 
that  these  men  sometimes  also  a.scrilje  to  ''  the 
prophets"  the  authoritative  precepts  to  which 
they  appeal.  Apparently,  they  regard  Moses 
as  the  first  and  greatest  of  the  law-bringing 
prophets,  having  authority  because  he  is  "  the 
man  of  God"  (Ezra  3  :  2).  This  testimony  is 
very  explicit.     If  it  is  simply  true  and  liistori- 


cal  it  settles  the  question.  IIow  are  we  to  re- 
gard it?  Is  it  trustworthy  history?  or  incom- 
petent liistory?  or  fiction?  Is  there  any  theory 
of  the  matter  that  can  be  rec-oncilcd  with  the 
idea  that  the  priestcode  was  maiidy  written  in 
the  times  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah?  On  examin- 
ing the  accounts  of  Ezra  and  Neheiidah,  we 
should  expect  to  find  one  class  of  phenomena 
in  case  the  Ilexateuchal  legislation  was  then 
really  ancient,  and  a  diiTerent  class  of  phenom- 
ena in  case  they  themselves  had  just  originated 
much  of  this  legislation,  baptizing  it  by  an  an- 
cient name.  It  may  be,  therefore,  that  such  an 
examination  will  Indicate  in  which  way  we 
ought  to  interpret  the  testimony.  If  the  Hexa- 
teuch was  then  not  less  ancient  than  the  other 
pre-exilic  sacred  writings  the)'  possessed,  we 
should  expect  that  these  men,  in  the  u.se  they 
make  of  it,  would  not  very  sharply  distinguish 
it  from  the  other  writings.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  they  themselves  had  just  compiled  the  Hexa- 
teuch into  a  code,  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
character  to  the  Judaism  of  their  times,  the 
new  law-book  would  be,  in  their  minds,  sharp- 
ly distinct  from  all  other  writings.  ^Vs  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  they  betray  no  consciousness  of  any 
such  distinction  ;  In  the  use  they  make  of  the 
sacred  writings,  the  Hexateuch  and  the  other 
books  simply  run  together,  with  no  drawing  of 
any  border  line.  We  find  here  no  such  distinc- 
tion between  the  law  and  the  proijliets,  or  be- 
tween Moses  and  the  prophets,  as  appears  in 
the  Jewish  and  Christian  fathers  of  the  later 
times,  or  even  in  the  New  Testament,  or  Jose- 
phus,  or  Ecclesiiisticus.  If  the  Hexateuch  was 
really  ancient  in  their  times,  we  might  expect 
to  find  them  appealing  to  it  in  conunon  with 
the  other  ancient  sacred  writings,  for  authority 
for  the  laws  they  were  endeavoring  to  enforce  ; 
if  it  was  a  new  law-book,  just  prepared  by  them- 
selves, and  having  sacred  sanction,  we  should 
expect  to  find  that  they  had  Included  in  It  all 
that  they  regarded  as  necessary  for  the  times, 
so  that  their  appeal  would  be  almost  exclu- 
sively to  the  new  law-book,  and  not  much  to 
the  other  Scriptures.  Actually,  they  appeal 
to  the  other  Scriptures  about  as  much  as  to  the 
Hexateuch.  Indeed,  the  institutions  they  foster 
are,  to  a  very  large  extent,  those  not  mentioned 
in  the  Hexateuch,  but  mentioned  in  the  other 
books  ;  notalily  in  the  books  that  treat  of  the 
times  of  David  and  Solomon.  If  the  Ilexa- 
teuchal legislation  was  then  really  ancient,  we 
should  expect  that,  when  they  came  to  enforce 
it,  they  would  supplement  it  by  such  speci- 
fications and  additional  regulations  as  the 
changed   condition  of  the  times   retiuired  ;  on 


SECTION  61.     THE  LAW  IN  THE  TIMES  OF  EZRA  AND  NEIIEMIAIL    479 


the  other  hand,  if  it  was  a  law-book  prepared 
by  themselves,  we  should  expect  that  the}' 
would  put  all  such  spoeifieatious  and  new 
regulations  into  the  law-book  itself,  and  would 
on  no  account  admit  any  other  legislation 
tlian  that  of  the  law-book.  In  fact,  the  ac- 
counts represent  that  they  made  new  regula- 
tions in  regard  to  almost  everj'  legal  point  they 
touched.  By  way  of  illustrating  these  princi- 
ples, let  us  examine  a  few  of  the  phenomena. 

Their  mode  of  quoting  the  older  Scriptures. 
Their  habit  of  intermingling  the  Hexateuch,  in 
their  citations,  with  tlie  other  books,  has  al- 
ready been  illustrated  by  the  fact  thsit  they  ap- 
peal to  the  prophets  as  well  as  to  Moses,  and 
by  the  fact  that  the  historical  recapitulation  in 
Nell.  9  passes  on,  without  a  lireak,  from  the 
history  recorded  in  the  first  six  books  of  the 
Bible  to  that  contained  in  the  following  books. 
It  might  be  further  illustrated  by  most  of  the 
instances  that  are  cited  for  other  purposes  in 
the  remainder  of  this  paper.  For  the  present 
we  confine  our  notice  to  one  illustration — that 
found  in  Neh.  1:5-11.  In  this  passage  are 
five  citations  from  Deuteronomy  and  three 
from  Solomon's  prayer  at  the  dedication  of  the 
Temple,  intermingled  in  the  following  order  : 
1  :  5  cites  De.  10  :  17  and  7  :  9  ;  1:6  cites  2 
Chron.  6  :  40,  cf .  7  :  15  ;  1  K.  8  :  29,  52  ;  1  :  7 
cites  a  current  Pentateuohal  phrase  ;  1  :  8,  9  is 
a  resume  of  De.  4:25-31,  or  De.  28:64  and 
30  : 1-5,  m,oditied  by  IK.  8  :  46-50,  especially 
48,  or  2  Chron.  6  :  36-39,  especially  38  ;  1  :  10 
cites  De.  9  :  26  ;  1  :  11  cites  1  K.  8  :  50. 

Sacred  persons.  In  the  times  of  Ezra  and 
Neheniiah,  we  find  the  high-priest,  priests  and 
Levites,  substantially  as  in  the  Hexateuch,  if 
we  allow  the  accounts  in  Deuteronomy  and 
Joshua  to  supplement  those  of  the  priestcode. 
Otherwise,  "  the  priests,  the  sons  of  Aaron," 
of  Exodus  and  Leviticus  are  greatly  unlike  the 
post-exilic  priests,  being  verj'  few  in  number, 
and  the  close  blood  relatives  of  the  high-priest. 
Bui  the  Gibeonites  of  the  Hexateuch  (Josh. 
9  :  27)  have  disappeared,  and  in  their  stead  we 
have  Nethinim,  and  perhaps  other  Temple 
servants,  in  a  service  that  is  said  to  date  back  to 
David's  time  (Ezra  8:20  et  al.).  We  further 
have  "captains  of  the  priests  and  Levites" 
(Ezra  8  :  29  ;  10  :  5)  and  singers  and  gatekeep- 
ers (Ezra  7  : 7,  24  ;  Neh.  7:1  et  al).  none  of 
them  anywhere  mentioned  in  the  Hexateuch. 
It  is  quite  incredible  that  the  usage  described 
in  the  priestcode  would  have  differed  so  from 
the  usage  then  existing,  if  the  priestcode  had 
then  only  just  been  jjroduced. 

The  one  sanctuary  and  the  sacred  year.     In 


Ezra  7  :  15  ;  Neh.  1  :  9,  etc.,  the  history  of  these 
times  recognizes  the  Pentateuchal  doctrine  of  a 
central  sanctuary.  In  Neh.  10  :  34  (33)  are  men- 
tioned the  continual  burnt  offering,  the  new 
moons,  the  Sabbaths,  and  the  appointed  feasts. 
In  these  and  other  waj's  the  sacred  year  of  the 
Pentateuch  is  sufficiently,  though  not  very 
fully,  recognized.  The  Sabbath  is  mentioned 
many  times  in  Neh.  9:14;  10:32  (31)  sqq., 
13  :  15  .sqq.,  traffic  on  that  day  being  the  espe- 
cial practice  rebuked  ;  this  renders  it  significant 
that  traffic  does  not  appear  among  the  many 
specifications  of  Sabbath-breaking  that  are 
given  in  the  Hexateuch.  Such  specifications 
are  numerous  ;  if  they  had  been  prepared  in 
the  times  of  Nehemiah,  and  for  these  times, 
they  certainl)^  would  not  have  omitted  the  one 
point  that  pecidiarly  fits  these  times. 

The  Feast  of  Tabernacles.  Probably  it  is  fair 
to  assume  that  the  first  day  of  the  seventh 
month  (Neh.  8:1,  2)  was  observed  as  the  "  me- 
morial of  blowing  of  trumpets'  (Lov.  23  :  24  ; 
Num.  29  :  1),  though  the  account  in  Nehemiah 
says  nothing  of  this.  But  the  reading  of  the 
law  on  this  day  (1-8),  and  the  gathering  of  the 
second  ilaj',  with  its  study  of  the  law  (13),  are 
both  extra-Hcxateuchal.  In  the  absence  of  in- 
formation we  may  assume  that  the  day  of 
Atonement  was  celebrated  on  the  tenth  daj',  ac- 
cording to  Lev.  23  :  27  ;  Num.  29  :  7-11.  The 
narrative  in  Nehemiah  specifically  informs  us 
that  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  was  kept  the  seven 
days  required  by  the  law,  with  the  "solemn 
assemblj'"  on  the  eighth  day  ;  and  that  the 
people  dwell  in  booths  according  to  the  law. 
But  the  proclamation  to  go  out  into  the  moun- 
tain country  and  gather  branches  (Neh.  8  :  15) 
is  not  in  the  Hexateuch,  but  is  an  innovation 
of  Nehemiah 's,  as  are  also  some  of  the  other  de- 
tails that  are  mentioned.  And  in  Neh.  8  :  17 
we  are  definitely  informed  that  this  celebration 
of  the  feast  differed  from  any  that  had  ever 
previously  been  held.  It  should  further  be 
noticed  that  the  sending  of  portions  as  a  festi- 
val ctistom  appears  only  in  Neh.  8  :  10,  12  ; 
Esth.  9  :  19,  23,  and  possibly  2  Chron.  31  :  19. 
There  is  no  hint  of  it  in  the  Hexateuch,  though 
there  may  possibly  be  in  1  Sam.  1  :  4,  5. 

T!ie  public  reading  of  the  Book  of  the  Law. 
Such  reading,  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles 
(Neh.  8  :  18  and  perhaps  13  :  1),  was  according 
to  De.  31  :  10-13,  provided  we  assiune  that  the 
first  year  of  Nehemiah  was  "  the  year  of  re- 
lease," at  "  the  end  of  seven  years."  In  Neh. 
8  ;  2,  3,  the  reading  is  in  the  public  assembly 
{qahiil),  and  before  women  as  well  as  men,  as 
required  by  the  precept  in  Deuteronomy.    The 


480 


BOOKS  OF  EZRA  AKD  NEHEMIAn 


portion  said  to  have  been  read  (Nell.  13  : 1)  is 
from  Deuteronomy  ;  very  likely  the  same  is 
true  of  the  reading  of  8  :  1  sqq.,  sinee  the  weep- 
ing there  spoken  of  would  very  uaturully  at- 
tend the  threats  made  in  Deuteronomy.  The 
precept coneerning  the  dwelling  in  bootlis(Neh. 
8  :  14)  is,  of  course,  not  from  Deuteronomy,  but 
that  was  brought  to  light,  not  by  the  public 
reading  in  the  congregation,  but  by  special  in- 
struction given  to  certain  selected  persons 
(8  :  13).  On  the  whole  it  seems  probable  that 
the  directions  given  in  Deuteronomy  were  fol- 
lowed, as  far  as  they  went  ;  but  the  account  in 
Nehemiah  mentions  many  particulars  not  pro- 
vided for  in  Di-uteronoray  :  the  reading  on  the 
first  day  of  the  mouth,  the  special  instruction 
on  the  second  day,  the  reading  at  the  fast,  the 
twenty-fourth  day  (9  :  3),  and  the  whole  ritual 
of  the  reading,  including  the  "  tower  of  wood," 
the  priests  on  either  hand,  the  standing  of  the 
people,  the  blessing  by  the  reader,  the  response 
by  the  people,  the  explaining  by  the  Levites 
(8  : 4-9).  If  the  priestcode  had  then  just  been 
written,  largely  for  the  purpose  of  supple- 
menting Deuteronomy  by  giving  details  of  rit- 
ual, is  it  likely  that  it  would  be  thus  silent  in 
regarti  to  all  these  regulations? 

Sacred  servicer.  In  Neh.  10  :  33-40  ;  Ezra 
7  :  16,  17  ;  8  :  28,  35  ;  9  :  4,  5  ;  10  :  19,  et  al,  are 
mentioned  the  shewbread,  the  burnt  offering, 
the  sin  offering,  the  trespass  offering,  the 
meal  offering,  the  drink  offering,  the  tithes,  the 
firstfruits,  the  firstlings,  free-will  offerings  of 
more  than  one  sort,  the  fact  that  the  priests  anci 
the  sacred  vessels  are  holy  to  Jehovah,  and,  in 
fine,  so  full  a  list  of  the  Peutateuchal  sacred 
services  as  to  justifj-  us  in  inferring  that  the 
whole  Pentateuchal  system  of  worship  was  in 
operation.  But  the  variations  mentioned  are 
very  considerable,  and  that  though  the  whole 
space  given  to  these  matters  extends  only  to  a 
few  sentences.  " '  The  evening  meal  offering"  is 
spoken  of  in  Ezra  9  :  4,  5  in  a  way  that  can 
hardly  be  paralleled  in  the  Pentateuch.  In 
Neh.  10  :  35  sqq.  several  details  are  a»lded  to 
the  Pentateuchal  precepts  in  regard  to  tithes 
and  firstfruits,  and  a  new  precept  given  for 
bringing  these  "  unto  the  chambers."  The 
yearly  poll-tax  of  one  third  of  a  shekel  for 
Temple  expenses,  Neh.  10  :  33  (32),  is  new,  be- 
ing an  entirely  different  thing  from  the  half- 
shekil  tax  of  Ex.  30:11  sqq.;  38:25  sqq., 
which  was  paid  once  for  all,  and  was  used  for 
building  and  not  for  current  expenses.  The 
wood  offering  and  the  casting  of  lots  for  it, 
Neh.  10  :  35  (34),  are  entirely  new.  These  dif- 
ferences of  detail  would  be  significant,  even  if 


they  stood  alone.  But  in  addition  to  these  is  the 
fact  that  the  public  religious  services  on  which 
mcst  stress  is  laid,  in  the  times  of  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah,  are  of  a  kind  that  do  not  appear  at 
all  in  the  Ilexateuch.  The  solemn  entering 
into  oath  of  Neh.  10  :  30  (29)  might  indirectly 
find  precedent  in  De.  29  :  11  sqq.,  though  noth- 
ing of  the  kind  is  indicated  by  either  the  cir- 
cumstances or  the  phraseology.  But  the  seal- 
ing of  Neh.  10  ;  1,  2  (9  :  38  ;  10  :  1),  as  a  public 
religious  act,  has  no  parallel  in  the  Ilexateuch. 
Prominent  among  the  religious  services  of  the 
times  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  is  public  fasting, 
with  wearing  of  sackcloth  and  earth  upon  the 
head  (Ezra  8  :  23  ;  Neh.  9:1);  nothing  of  the 
kind  is  required  in  the  Pentateuchal  legislation. 
Similar  statements  might  be  made  in  regard  to 
public  prayer,  and  in  regard  to  the  resl>c>nsive 
services  connected  with  the  reading  of  the  law 
(Neh.  8  and  9,  e.g.).  And  the  one  religious  ser- 
vice more  prominent  in  these  accounts  than 
any  other  is  choral  singing  and  music,  Ezra 
10  :  24  ;   Neh.   10  :  29,   40  (28,   39)  ;    11  :  22,   23  ; 

12  :  27,  28,  29,  36,  42-47  ;  13  :  5,  10  ;  no  service 
of  song  of  this  sort  is  provided  for  in  the  Pen- 
tateuchal ritual,  though  song  is  often  men- 
tioned in  the  early  history,  and  even  choral 
singing  (see  Ex.  15  ;  20,  21)  is  known.  Indeed, 
the  song  service  of  Nehemiah 's  time  is  specifi- 
cally referred  to  the  times  of  David  and  ^Vsaph 
(Neh.  11  :  17,  22  ;  12  :  24,  35,  36,  45,  46).  And 
yet  the  priestcode  is  a  book  of  ritualistic  de- 
tails. Is  it  likely  that  men  wrote  this  book  for 
the  purpose  of  regulating  the  ritual  of  their 
times,  and  yet  omitted  from  it  all  these  impor- 
tant matters  in  the  ritual  of  their  times? 

Usury,  tlie  rcdemptiua  of  Israelitts  mild  to  for- 
eigners, and  the  year  of  release.  On  the  suppo- 
sition that  the  first  year  of  Nehemiah  was  the 
year  of  release,  and  perhaps  even  without  this 
supposition,  what  is  said  in  Xeh.  5  and  in  Neh. 
10  ;  32  (31)  fits  well  enough  the  precepts  given 
in  Ex.  23  :  11;  22  :  25-27  ;  Lev.  25  ;  De.  15  : 1-11. 
etc.  There  are  some  resemblances  of  phrase- 
ology which  seem  to  show  that  reference  to 
these  passages  in  the  Pentateuch  was  intend- 
ed. But  even  in  this  case  the  precept  used  is 
to  be  found  in  the  other  sacred  books,  as  well 
as  in  the  Ilexateuch. 

Separdtiiin  from  the  peoples  of  the  countries. 
In  this  central  reform  of  the  times  of  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah,  the  two  prominent  points  are  the  ex- 
c:lusion  of  foreigners  from  the  (/nhitl.  or  national 
assembly,  and  the  refusal  of  intermarriage. 
The   exclusion   from   the   assembly   (see   Neh. 

13  :  1-3,  citing  De.  23  : 3-6,  av.d  see  also  Neh. 
2  :  20,  et  al.)  may  fairly  be  said  to  be  based  on 


SECTION  51.     HISTORICAL   OUTLINE. 


481 


the  precept  in  Deuteronomy,  as  interpreted  by 
the  geueral  tenor  of  the  Pentateuehal  legisla- 
tion, witli  its  requirement  that  Israel  should  be 
a  people  set  apart  to  Jehovah.  The  case  is 
somewhat  different  regarding  the  marriages 
with  foreign  women.  When  this  offence  is 
spoken  of  briefly,  in  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  it  is 
simply  described  as  taking  foreign  wives  (Ezra 
10  :  3,  10,  11,  14,  17,  18,  44  ;  Neh.  13  :  27).  But 
marriages  with  foreign  women  are  not,  in  these 
terms,  forbidden  in  the  Ilexateuch,  while  they 
are  disapproved  in  1  K.  1 1  :  1 ,  8,  and  probablj-  in 
Prov.  3  :  16  ;  5  :  30  ;  6  :  34  ;  7:5;  20  :  16  ; 
33  :  37  ;  27  ;  13.  Moreover,  1  K.  11  :  1,  8  is 
definitely  cited  in  Neh.  13  :  26.  In  the  pas- 
sages in  Ezra  and  Neheraiali  where  the  offence 
is  further  defined,  the  appeal  is  to  the  prophets, 
as  well  as  to  the  law,  Ezra  9:11;  10  :  3  ;  Neh. 
10  :  29-31  (38-30).  The  phraseology  cited  is 
partly  from  the  Hexateuch  and  partly  from  the 
other  Scriptures  (Ezra  9:1,3,  10-13,  etc.).  The 
Hexateuchal  precepts  appealed  to  originally 
cover  only  the  case  of  the  Canaanite  tribes,  and 
apply  to  the  other  peoples  to  whom  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah  apply  them,  only  when  interpreted 
by  the  other  Scriptures,  or  by  Ezra  and  Nehe- 
miah themselves.  (See  De.  7:1^;  Ex.  34  :  16  ; 
Josh.  33  :  13  ;  IK.  11  : 1,  3.)  Surely,  if  the 
Hexateuchal  laws  had  just  been  re-edited,  and 
part  of  them  just  written,  they  would  have 
been  made  to  fit  the  cases  in  hand,  and  would 
not  have  needed  to  be  extended  by  usage  and 
interpretation,  in  order  to  make  them  apply  to 
those  cases.  This  consideration  lias  all  the 
more  force,  when  we  find  that  the  Hexateuch 
provides  no  penalty  or  remedy  for  the  offence, 
but  leaves  that  to  be  done  by  Ezra  and  Nehe- 
miah themselves. 

It  cannot  be  necessary  to  pursue  the  arg\i- 
meut  further.  Evidently  the  Books  of  Ezra 
and  Nehemiah  represent  the  whole  bodj'  of  the 
Hexateuchal  legislation  as  ancient  when  Ezra 
and  Nehemiah  lived.  Distinctly,  they  regard 
these  men  not  as  the  originators  of  that  legisla- 
tion, but  as  students,  promulgators  and  possi- 
bl}'  revisers  of  it.      Willis  J.  Beecher. 

HisTORiCAi,  Outline  :  Cykus,  Cambtses  and 
D.*.Rrns. 

The  conquest  of  Babylonia  by  Cyrus  took 
place  in  the  year  538  B.C.  He  was  already 
master  of  Persia,  Media  and  Lj'dia  ;  and  the 
overthrow  of  the  empire  of  Nebuchi«Jnezzar 
extended  his  dominions  from  the  mountains  of 
the  Hindu  Kush  on  the  east  to  the  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean  on  the  west.  He  had  begun  as 
the  king  only  of  Anzan  or  Elam,  whose  power 


seemed  but  "  small"  and  contemptible  to  his 
neighbor,  the  great  Babylonian  monarch.  But 
his  victory  over  the  Median  king  Astyages  and 
the  destruction  of  the  Median  empire  made  him 
at  once  one  of  the  most  formidable  priuces  in 
Western  Asia.  The  latter  }X'ars  of  the  life  of 
Cyrus  were  spent  in  extending  and  consolidat- 
ing his  power  among  the  wild  tribes  and  un- 
known regions  of  the  far  East.  When  he  died, 
all  was  ready  for  the  threatened  invasion  of 
Egypt.  This  was  carried  out  by  his  son  and 
successor,  Canibyses,  who  had  been  made  "  king 
of  Babylon"  three  years  before  his  father's 
death,  Cyrus  reserving  to  himself  the  imperial 
title  of  "  king  of  the  world."  Soon  after  his 
father's  death  he  stained  his  hands  with  the 
blood  of  his  brother  Bardes,  called  Smerdis  by 
Herodotus,  to  whom  Cyrus  had  assigned  the 
eastern  part  of  his  empire.  Cambyses  was 
subsequently  tormented  with  remorse  for  the 
deed,  but  this  did  not  prevent  the  punishment 
that  it  eventually  entailed.  A  JIagian,  Gau- 
mata  or  Gomatcs  by  name,  who  resembled 
Bardes  in  appearance,  came  forward  to  person- 
ate the  murdered  prince,  and  Persia,  Jledia  and 
other  provinces  at  once  broke  into  rebellion 
against  their  long-absent  king.  When  the 
news  of  this  revolt  reached  Cambyses  he  ap- 
pointed iiryandes  satrap  of  Egypt,  and,  if  we 
may  believe  the  Greek  accounts,  set  out  to  op- 
pose the  usurper.  He  had  not  proceeded  far, 
however,  before  he  fell  hy  his  own  hand. 

Tlie  false  Bardes  was  now  master  of  the  em- 
pire ;  but  he  had  not  reigned  more  than  seven 
months  before  a  conspiracy  was  formed  against 
him.  Darius,  .son  of  Hyistaspes,  attacked  him 
at  the  head  of  the  conspirators,  in  the  land  of 
Nisffia  in  Media,  and  there  slew  him,  on  the 
10th  day  of  April,  B.C.  531. 

Darius,  like  Cambyses,  belonged  to  the  royal 
Persian  race  of  Akhsemenes.  Teispes,  the  great- 
grandfather of  Cyrus,  who  had  conquered 
Elam  and  established  his  power  there,  was  also 
the  great-grandfather  of  Hystaspcs,  the  father 
of  Darius.  The  ancestors  of  Hystaspes  had  re- 
mained in  Persia,  and,  according  to  the  express 
testimony  of  Darius,  had  there  ruled  as  kings. 
[Then  followed  a  series  of  revolts  in  Elam,  Bab- 
ylon, Persia,  Susiana  and  among  the  Medes, 
the  Parthians  and  other  great  tribes,  extending 
over  a  period  of  seven  3'cars,  when  finally  Da- 
rius completed  the  reconquest  of  the  empire  of 
Cyrus  and  Cambyses.] 

During  this  period  of  confusion  and  civil  war, 
the  Jewish  community  at  Jerusalem  were  ex- 
posed, without  protection  or  chance  of  redress, 
to  the  exactions  of  their  Phoenician  neighbors. 


482 


POST-EXILIC  PKlUOn.     IIIHTOmCAL   OUTLiyF. 


tlic  inroads  of  the  Ridouins.  and  the  bitter  lios-  l 
tility  of  tlie  Samaritans.  '1"1k'  piitnrc  prcsLMit- 
cd  to  us  by  tlie  Book  of  Ezra  and  the  prophe- 
cies of  Ilaggai  and  Zceliariah  is  what  we  sliould 
expect.  Even  in  much  later  days,  when  the 
empire  had  enjoyed  for  years  the  fruits  of  the 
organized  government  establislied  by  Darius, 
tlie  roads  were  still  so  unsafe  that  Nehcmiah 
required  an  armed  escort  when  he  was  (ravel- 
ling. Gashmu  and  his  Arabs  encamped  in  the 
near  neighborhood  of  .Jerusalem,  and  the  Samar- 
itan governor  could  plot  the  assassination  of 
the  Jewish  "  Tirshatha."  We  need  not  won- 
der, therefore,  that  the  rebuilding  of  the  Tem- 
ple, which  had  been  begun  with  such  zeal  and 
hopefulness  by  the  returned  exiles,  should  have 
"  ceased  unto  the  second  year  of  the  reign  of 
Darius."  "  The  people  of  the  land,"  whether 
Samaritans  or  Oanaanites,  prevented  the  work, 
partly  by  misrepresentations  to  the  king,  part 
ly  by  active  opposition  when  the  central  au- 
thority had  been  destroyed,  while  the  im|)over- 
ished  Jews  themselves  lost  heart  and  ability  for 
carrying  it  on.  Civil  war  had  been  followed, 
as  usual,  by  blight  and  famine  (Hag.  2  :  16,  17), 
and  a  small  and  unprotected  community  could 
do  but  little  in  times  when  "  there  was  no  hire 
for  man,  nor  any  hire  for  beast  ;  neither  was 
there  any  peace  to  him  that  went  out  or  came 
in,  because  of  the  affliction  :  for"  Gorl  had  "  set 
all  men  cverj'  one  against  his  neighbor"  (Zcch. 
8:10). 

It  was  in  the  second  j'car  of   Darius  (Ezra 
4  :  24  ;  Hag.  1  :  15),  B.C.  530,  the  twenty-fourth 


day  of  the  sixth  month.  Elul,  or  August,  that 
"  the  Lord  .stirreil  up  the  s])irit  of  Zcrubbabcl, 
the  son  of  Shealti<'l,  governor  of  Judah,  and 
the  spirit  of  Joshua,  tlu'  .sou  of  Josedeeh,  the 
high-i)riest,  and  the  spirit  of  all  the  remnant  of 
the  people,"  so  that  they  recommenced  the  res- 
toration of  the  Temple.  How  long  they  were 
permitted  to  go  on  with  the  work  undisturbed 
we  do  not  know.  It  was  tinished  on  the  third 
day  of  the  twelftli  month.  Adar,  of  the  sixth 
year  of  Darius.     Siii/i-f. 


The  history  of  the  ilownfall  of  the  great  Bab- 
ylonian Emi)ire,  and  of  the  causes,  humanly 
speaking,  which  brought  about  the  restoration 
of  the  Jews,  has  recently  been  revealed  to  us 
by  the  progress  of  Assyrian  discovery.  We 
now  possess  the  account  given  by  Cyrus  him- 
self, of  the  overthrow  of  Nabonidos,  the  Baby- 
lonian king,  and  of  the  conqueror's  permission 
to  the  captiv<'s  in  Babylonia  to  return  to  their 
homes.  The  account  is  contained  in  two  docu- 
ments, written,  like  most  other  Assyrian  and 
Babylonian  records,  upon  clay,  and  lately 
brought  from  Babylonia  to  England  by  Mr. 
Rassani.  One  of  these  documents  is  a  tablet 
which  chronicles  the  events  of  each  year  in  the 
reign  of  Nabonidos,  the  last  Babylonian  mon- 
arch, and  continues  the  history  into  the  lirst 
year  of  C.vrus,  as  king  of  Babylon.  The  other 
is  a  cylinder,  on  which  Cyrus  glorifies  himself 
and  his  son  Cambyses,  and  jirofesses  his  adhe- 
rence to  the  worship  of  Bel-Mtrodach,  the 
patron-god  of  Babylon.     Sayce. 


CIIROyOLOGWAL   OUTLINE.  483 


CHRONOLOGICAL   OUTLINE   OF  THE   PERSIAN  PERIOD. 

538.  C\'rus  issues  liis  decree  for  tlie  return  of  the  Jews.     Fifty  tliousand  returu  with  Ztrubbabel 

iincl  Jeshua. 
537.  Rebuilding  of  the  Temple  becun. 

536.  The  opposition  of  the  ynraaritans  begins.     Death  of  Daniel  (?). 
530.  Death  of  Cyrus.     His  son  Camb.ysus,  the  Ahasuerus  of  Ezra  4  :  6.  was  associated  with  his 

father  533.  and  reigned  till  521. 
529.  (?)  Letter  from  the  adversaries  in  Samaria  to  Susa. 
525.  Conquest  of  Egypt  by  Cambyses. 
522.  Usurpation  of  the  Magian  Gomates,  who  elaim.s  to  be  Smerdis.  the  murdered  brother  of 

Cambyses. 
522-520.  The  building  of  the  Temple  stopped  Iiy  deeree  of  the  false  Smerdis,  the  Artaxerj^es  of 

Ezra  4  : 7-24. 
521-486.   Darius,  son  of  Hystaspcs,  reigns.     He  confirms  the  decree  of  Cyrus,  adding  other  con- 
cessions and  conditions. 
520.  Haggai  and  Zcchariah  encourage  the  people  to  rebuild  the  Temple.     (Confucius  in  China.) 
516.  The  Temple  finished. 

515.  The  Temple  dedicated  in  March.     (Blank  in  records  of  Judea  until  458.) 
510.  The  Tarquins  expelled  from  R'ime,  and  the  republic  established  (a.d.c.  244). 
504.  The  burning  of  Sardis  by  the  Greeks  provokes  the  Persian  war. 
490.  First  Persian  expedition  defeated  by  the  Athenians  at  Marathon.     (Death  of  Gautama 

Buddha) 
486.  Death  of  Darius,  and  accession  of  his  son  Xerxes,  the  Ahasuerus  of  the  Book  of  Esther, 

who  reigns  till  46o. 
483.  Xerxes  puts  away  Vashri. 
480.  Second  Persian  invasion  of  Greece,  and  battles  of  Thermopyla;  and  Salamis.  followed  by 

that  of  Platea  in  the  following  spring. 
479.  Esther  becomes  queen. 

473.  Queen  Esther  saves  the  .Jews  from  destruction.     Feast  of  Purim  instituted. 
466.  The  battle  of  Eurymedon  ends  the  Persian  war. 
465.  Death  of  Xerxes,  who  is  succeeded  by  Artaxerxes  I.  (Longimanus),  who  reigned  forty-one 

j'cars  (until  425). 
458.  Tlie  second  return,  under  Ezra. 

457.  Great  reformation  under  Ezra.     Fifth  Book  of  the  Psalms  compiled  ('?). 
445.  Nehemiah  at  Susa  hears  of  the  miseries  of  Jerusalem,  and  obtains  leave  of  absence  from 

Artaxerxes  I. 
444.  Nehemiah  goes  up  to  Judea  as  royal  governor,  and  rebuilds  the  walls  despite  the  opposition 

of  Sanballat.     The  reading  of  the  Law,  and  the  covenant  to  keep  it. 
433.  Nehemiah  returns  to  Artaxerxes. 
481-404.  The  Peloponnesian  war  of  Sparta  and  the  Dorian  cities  against  Athens  and  tlie  Ionian 

cities. 
438.  (?)  Nehemiah  again  obtains  leave  of  absence,  and  the  next  year  returns  to  Jerusalem,  and 

institutes  fiu-ther  reforms. 
424.  Artaxerxes  I.  dies,  and  is  succeeded  by  Xerxes  11.  (Sogdianus),  who  reigns  less  than  a  year, 

and  is  followed  by  Darius  II.  (Nothus),  in  whose  reign  the  Samaritans  build  their  temple 

on  Mt.  Gerizim. 
415-413.   Athens  is  prostrated  by  the  failure  of  the  Syracusan  expedition. 
405-359.  Reign  of  Artaxerxes  II.  (Mnemon). 
400.  Prophecies  of  Malachi  (?).     The  retreat  of  the  Ten  Thousand  Greeks  from  the  invasion  of 

Persia  through  Armenia  to  the  Black  Sea. 
399.  Death  of  Socrates  by  poison. 
390.  The  Gauls  capture  Rome. 

387.  The  Peace  of  .\ntalcidas  abandons  the  Greek  cities  of  Asia  to  the  Persians. 
370.  (?)  Death  of  Nehemiah.  A.  C.  Smith. 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


Section  52. 
INTRODUCTIOX. 


The  book  is  a  plain  and  simple  history,  de- 
void of  all  stirring  incidents,  the  Jews  under 
the  early  I'ersian  inonarehs  being  members  of  a 
great  settled  empire,  and  living  peaceably  in 
the  enjoyment  of  equal  rights  witli  other  Per- 
sian subjects.  The  matters  to  which  it  directs 
attention  are  three  and  three  only  :  (1)  The 
number,  family  and  (to  some  extent)  tlie  names 
of  thosi'  wlio  Returned  from  Babylonia  with 
Ezra  and  with  Zeruljhabel  ;  (3)  the  rebuilding 
of  tlie  Temple  and  the  circumstances  connected 
therewith  ;  and  (3)  the  misconduct  of  the  re- 
turned Jews  in  respect  of  mixed  marriages,  and 
the  steps  taken  by  Ezra  in  consequence.  The 
first  of  tliese  sulijects  is  treated  in  cliap.  2  and 
in  eleip.  8  :  1-20  ;  the  second  in  chaps.  1  :  3-5 
and  7  ;  and  the  third  in  chaps.  9  and  10. 

The  IJook  of  Ezra  is  made  up  of  tiro  completely 
distinct  sections.  In  the  first,  which  extends 
from  chap.  1  to  the  end  of  chap.  6,  the  writer 
treats  of  tlie  return  from  the  Captivity  and  of 
the  events  following  thereupon,  and  included 
within  tlic  space  marked  out  by  the  dates  B.C. 
538-510.  Tliis  narrative  thus  covers  a  period 
of  twenty-three  years.  It  belongs  to  tlie  time 
when  Zirubbabel  was  governor  of  Judea. 
Jeshua  high  priest  and  Zechariah  and  Ilaggai 
prophets.  Tlie  second  portion  commenecs  with 
cliap.  7,  and  continues  to  tlie  end  of  the  book. 
It  relates  the  commission  given  to  Ezra  by  Ar- 
taxerxes  Longlmanus  in  the  seventh  year  of  his 
reign  (ii.c.458),  the  journey  of  Ezra  to  Jerusa- 
lem, and  his  proceedings  there  in  reference  to 
the  mixed  marriages  during  the  year  of  his  ar- 
rival and  the,  early  part  of  the  next.  The  entire 
narrative  of  this  portion  is  comprised  within 
the  space  of  twelve  months,  commencing  April. 
B.C.  458,  and  terminating  April,  ii.c.  457.  There 
is  thus  a  gap  of  fifty-seven  years  between  the 
first  sc'Ction  of  the  book  and  the  second.     B.  C. 

The  Book  of  Ezra,  in  its  two  parts,  may  be 
accounted  for  by  the  very  simple  hypothesis 


that  a  narrator  who  wrote  in  Hebrew,  and  who 
speaks  of  Ezra  in  the  third  pei-son,  took  five 
pre-existing  documents  and  put  them  together, 
supplementing  them  liy  such  aihiltional  state- 
ments as  he  founl  necessary.  Tlie  five  are  : 
first,  the  proclamation  of  Cyrus  (1  :  2-4)  ;  sec- 
ond, the  list  (2  :  1-67)  ;  third,  the  Aramaic  doc- 
ument (4  :  8  to  6  :  18)  ;  fourth,  the  proclamation 
of  Artaxerxes,  in  Aramaic  (7  :  12-26) ;  fifth, 
memoranda  written  in  the  name  of  Ezra,  in  the 
first  person  (7  :  27-9  :  15).  In  contrast  with 
this,  in  Nehemiah,  there  is  a  main  narrative 
written  in  the  first  per.son,  in  the  name  of  Ne- 
hemiah,  with  certain  incorporated  sections  in 
which  Nehemiah  is  spoken  of  in  the  third  per 
son.  The  narrative  in  the  first  ijei-soii  is  in  two 
parts  ;  and  the  other  sections  are  idaeed,  one 
after  the  other,  between  the  two.     W.  J.  B. 

In  style  Ezra  more  resembles  Daniel  than  any 
other  Book  of  Scripture,  always  excepting 
Clironicles.  The  mixture  of  Chaldce  with  He- 
brew it  has  in  common  with  botli  Daniel  and 
Jeremiah  ;  but  its  language  and  plira-ses  an; 
unlike  Jeremiah's,  while  they  are  often  very 
near  to  Daniel's.  This  may  be  accounted  for 
by  these  two  writers  being  both  Babylonian 
Jews,  while  Jeremiah  was  perhaps  never  at 
Babylon,  and  at  any  rate  formeil  his  .style  and 
wrote  most  of  his  prophecies  in  Palestine. 
Ezra's  tone  is  dignified  and  nearly  uniform, 
the  only  passage  which  rises  into  eloquence 
being  his  prayer  (9  :  6-15),  which  is  not  unlike 
Daniel's  (9  :  4-19).  Ilis  work  contains  a  consid- 
erable number  of  words  which  are  either  known 
or  suspected  to  be  Persian,  and  wliieh  are 
eitlK^r  peculiar  to  him  or  common  to  him  v.'ith 
writt^rs  of  the  post-captivity  period  only.  Al- 
t.igether,  the  language  is  such  as  might  have 
been  looked  for  under  the  circumstances  of  the 
time,  when  the  contact  into  which  the  Jews 
liad  been  brought  with  tlie  Babylonians  and  the 
Persians  had  naturally  introduced  am mg  tliem 


SECTION  52.     INTRODUCTION. 


485 


a  good  many  foreign  words  and  modes  of 
speech. 

The  niithfnticity  of  the  history  of  Ezra  is 
scarcely  denied.  As  tlie  narrative  contains 
nothing  miraculous,  nothing  even  out  of  the 
common  course,  except  the  restoration  of  the 
Jews  to  their  countr_y,  which  is  too  certain  a 
fact  to  be  called  in  question,  rationalistic  critics 
have  been  under  no  temptation  to  throw  doubt 
on  this  portion  of  the  sacred  writings.  If  the 
author  be  Ezra,  it  is  manifest  that  the  latter  sec- 
tion (chap.  7  to  end),  considered  as  a  mere  human 
work,  possesses  the  highest  degree  of  historical 
credibilit}',  being  written  by  the  chief  actor  in 
the  scenes  recorded  in  it.  And  even  for  the 
former  section  (chaps.  1-6),  a  person  circum- 
stanced as  Ezra  was  would  be  in  a  jiosition  to 
write  an  authentic  narrative,  since  he  would 
have  access  to  whatever  documents  existed 
either  in  the  archives  of  the  Jews  or  in  those 
of  the  Persians,  and  might  further  obtain  from 
old  men  oral  testimony  with  respect  to  most  of 
the  events  commemorated.  Internally,  too,  the 
narrative  is  highly  probable,  the  actions  and 
characters  assigned  to  the  several  Persian  kings 
being  in  accord  with  what  we  learn  of  them 
from  profane  writers,  and  the  conduct  of  the 
Samaritans  (chaps.  4  and  5),  and  of  the  Jews 
themselves  (chaps.  9  and  10),  being  natural  un- 
der the  circumstances.     B.  C. 

As  to  authorsliip,  the  general  unity  of  style 
and  conception  which  pervades  the  whole  work 
makes  it  difficult  to  believe  that  the  chief  actor 
in  the  events  it  records  was  not  also  the  writer 
of  the  entire  book  in  which  they  are  embodied. 
Indeed,  it  is  denied  by  no  one  that  a  certain 
portion  of  the  book  (7  :  27-9  :  15),  at  any  rate,  is 
the  composition  of  Ezra  himself  ;  and  it  is  just 
as  little  denied  that  the  materials  of  which  the 
book  is  composed  were  put  together  in  their 
present  shape  by  a  single  compiler.  No  valid 
reasons  have  been  alleged  why  this  single  com 
piler  should  not  have  been  Ezra  "  the  scribe." 
The  style  of  the  portions  which  are  admitted  to 
belong  to  him  agrees  with  that  which  we  find 
elsewhere  in  the  book  ;  and  it  is  no  argument 
to  say  that  he  would  not  have  spoken  of  him- 
self in  the  third  person.  Other  historians  and 
writers  have  done  so  ;  in  fact,  one  who  had  taken 
a  leading  part  in  the  events  he  describes  would 
naturally  fall  into  an  impersonal  mode  of  refer- 
ring to   himself.     Sayce. The    simple  view 

that  Ezra,  who  is  admitted  to  have  written  at 
least  one  section,  really  composed  the  whole, 
using  for  the  most  part  his  own  words,  but  in 
places  inserting  documents,  is  to  the  full  as 
tenable  as  any  other  hypothesis.     The  general 


harmony  of  the  whole  book  already  noticed, 
and  the  real  uniformity  of  its  style,  are  in  favor 
of  this  view.  The  objection  from  the  changes 
of  person  is  of  no  great  importance,  changes  of 
this  kind  often  occurring  in  works  admitted  to 
be  the  production  of  a  single  writer,  as  in  Thu- 
cydides  and  in  Daniel.  Moreover,  tradition 
ascribes  the  whole  book  to  Ezra  ;  and  if  Ezra 
wrote  Chronicles,  which  is  the  view  of  many 
critics,  then  the  connection  of  the  book  with 
Chronicles  will  be  an  additional  argument  in 
favor  of  Ezra's  authorship.     P.  C. 

The  subject-matter  of  Ezra  is  the  history  of 
the  chosen  race  from  the  accession  of  Cyrus  to 
the  spring  of  li.c.  437,  the  eighth  year  of  Ar- 
taxerxes  Longimanus  ;  or  rather  perhaps  the 
history  during  such  space  of  that  pirtb/n  of  the 
chosen  race  which  took  advantage  of  the  de- 
cree of  Cyrus,  and  returned  to  its  native  coun- 
tr}',  Palestine.  The  time  covered  is  eighty-one 
years.  The  scene  is  in  part  Babylon,  in  part 
Judea,  in  part  the  intermediate  country.  The 
Idstorical  and  chronological  scheme  on  which 
Ezra  has  been  arranged  must  be  regarded  as 
established.  The  four  kings  of  the  earlier  sec- 
tion of  the  book  miiKt  represent  Cyrus  the 
Great,  his  son,  Cambyses,  the  pseudo-Smerdis 
and  Darius  Hystaspes.  The  Artaxerxes  of  the 
latter  section  may  possibly  be  Mncmon,  but  it 
is  far  more  probable  that  he  is  Longimanus. 
G.  R. 

In  the  book  the  so-called  Chaldee  is  used  in 
the  letter  of  Artaxerxes  (4  :  17-22),  and  also  in 
the  whole  narrative  from  4  :  8  to  6  :  18.  What 
is  termed  Chaldee  is  really  an  Aramean  dialect, 
and  tlrc  word  "  Syriac"  employed  in  the  Author- 
ized Version  would  be  a  more  accurate  descrip- 
tion of  it.  The  term  "  Chaldee"  i.;  derived 
from  the  belief  that  it  represented  the  language 
of  Babylonia,  which  the  Jews  are  supposed  to 
have  adopted  during  the  exile.  The  decipher- 
ment of  the  cuneiform  inscriptions  lias  shown 
that  this  was  not  the  case.  The  language  of 
Babylonia  was  the  same  as  that  of  Assyria,  and 
was  as  far  removed  as  Hebrew  fi'om  the  so- 
called  Chaldee.  In  fact,  Assyrian  resembled 
Hebrew  much  more  than  it  resembled  "  Chal- 
dee." Chaldee,  or  Aramaic,  as  we  ought  to 
term  it,  was  really  spoken  by  the  Aramean 
tribes  of  Syria  and  Mesopotamia,  some  of 
whom  extended  as  far  south  as  the  frontiers  of 
Babylonia  itself.  After  the  decay  of  the  Phoe- 
nician cities  in  the  days  of  the  second  Ass}'rian 
Empire,  Carchemish,  the  old  Hittite  capital, 
became  the  chief  centre  of  trade  in  Western 
Asia,  and  commerce  passed  in  large  measure 
into  the  hands  of  Aramean  merchants.     Hence 


486 


JiOOK  OF  EZRA. 


it  wiis  that  Aramaic  became  llic  l;iiiguagc  of 
triulc,  that  was  understood  wherever  mercantile 
transactions  were  carried  on.     .sV/ycc. 

Lll'i:-\V()I!K    AM)    ('lIAItA(  TKU. 

By  tlie  Wnw  of  Ezra  there  existed,  not  only  the 
liislorical  works  of  the  Pentateucli,  of  Joshua 
imd  Judges,  of  Samuel  and  of  Kings,  but  a 
vast  amount  of  poetical  writings,  partly  of  a 
gnomic  character,  partly  in  the  shape  of  psalms 
and  hymns,  partly  in  that  of  the  collected  wril- 
ings  of  particular  prophets,  as  Jonah,  Hosea, 
Isaiah,  Amos,  Joel,  Jeremiali,  Ezekiel,  Daniel 
and  the  rest  of  those  conunonl}-  known  as"  the 
major  and  nduor  prophets,"  whose  works  are 
still  extant.  There  were  also  a  number  of  com- 
positions, well  known  to  the  writers  of  the 
time  of  the  Captivity,  which  have  since  been 
wholly  lost  ;  as  those  quoted  by  tlie  author  of 
Chronicles  :  "  The  chronicle  of  King  David" 
(IChron.  27  :  34),  "  the  acts  of  Samuel  the  seer," 
"  the  acts  of  Nathan  the  prophet,"  "  the  acts  of 
Gad  the  seer"  t^ihid.  29  :  29),  "  the  prophecy  of 
Ahijah  the  Shilonite,"  "  the  visions  of  Iildo  the 
seer"  (2  Ihron.  9  :  29),  "  (he  acts  of  Shemaiah 
the  prophet,"  "  Iddo  the  seer  on  genealogies" 
(:ilii(l.  13  :  15),  "  the  commentary  of  the  prophet 
Iddo"  {ibid.  13  :  22),  "  the  acts  of  Jehu  the  son 
of  Ilauaui"  {ibid.  20  :  34),  "  the  commentary'  of 
the  Book  of  the  Kings"  {ibid.  24  :  37),  "  Isaiah's 
acts  of  Uzziah"  (ibid.  36  :  22),  "  the  vision  of 
Isaiah"  (ibid.  32  :  32),  and  "  the  acts  of  Ilosai," 
or  "  of  the  seers"  (ibid.  33  :  19).  It  is  bej'ond 
cjuestiou  that  the  exiles  were  in  possession  of  a 
copious  literature,  varied  in  its  character,  and  of 
high  educational  value  to  those  who  studied  it. 

Such  being  the  condition  of  learning  and 
literature  during  the  time  when  Ezra  was  grow- 
ing to  manhood,  we  have  further  to  inquire 
what  w!is  the  probable  course  and  line  of  his  own 
studies  and  literary  labors.  If  Ezra  was,  as  he 
almost  certainly  was,  the  author  of  Chronicles, 
he  must  clearly  have  made  the  history  of  his  na- 
tion, from  its  earliest  l)eginning,  one  of  the 
principal  objects  of  his  study.  The  writer  of 
Chronicles  has  searched  the  archives  of  his  na- 
tion with  extraordiuarj'  diligence,  and  has 
gathered  his  narrative  from  original  documents 
and  the  works  of  contemporary  writers,  with 
an  indefatigable  industry  and  a  zeal  above  all 
praise.  Ancient  Hebrew  tradition  declares  that 
Ezra  was  not  only  an  author,  but  an  e<litor. 
He  is  credited  with  a  general  settling  of  the 
canon  of  the  Old  Testament,  with  "  the  restor- 
ing, correcting  and  re-editing  of  the  whole  sa- 
cred volume  according  to  the  threefold  arrange- 
menl  of  the  Law.  the  Prophets  and  the  Hagiog- 


raplia,  with  Ihe  divisions  of  the  PiHukim.  or 
verses,  the  wiiting  of  the  vowel  points  handed 
down  by  tradition  from  Mo.ses,  and  the  whole: 
series  of  cmi'iidatioiis  known  as  the  Ki-ri,"  and 
inserted  ordinarily  in  the  margin  of  Hebrew 
Bibles.  The  actual  collector  of  the;  sacn'd 
books,  their  arranger  and  editor,  could  only  be 
Ezra.  The  centre  and  "  kernel"  of  the  collec- 
tion was  "  the  Law."  On  the  Law  Ezra  had 
for  long  years  expended  his  most  diligent  labor, 
his  most  careful  thought,  all  the  resources  of 
his  leariung  (Ezra  7  :  6,  10,  14).  He  had  prob- 
ably, while  at  Babylon,  collected  the  various 
copies  of  the  Law  brought  with  them  from 
Palestine  by  the  exiles,  and  when  he  took  up 
his  abode  at  Jerusalem  had  further  collated 
such  cojiies  as  he  found  there,  thus  forming  a 
text  which  we  may  well  regard  us  the  basis,  at 
any  rate,  of  that  which  our  Hebrew  Bibles  now 
give  us.  The  other  books  which  may  reason- 
ably be  ascribed  to  his  collection,  and  which 
wc  may  believe  him  to  have  corrected  and  edit- 
ed, are  the  Book  of  Joshua,  attached  to  the  Pen 
tatouch  ill  the  Samaritan  Version,  the  Books  of 
the  Kings,  including  those  of  Samuel,  the 
earlier  prophets.  Isaiah,  Ilo.sea,  Joel.  .Vmos. 
Obadiah,  Jonah,  Micah,  Nahum,  Jeremiah. 
Ezekiel,  a  certain  number  of  the  Psahns,  espe- 
cially those  traditionally  ascribed  to  David,  to- 
gether with  his  own  works — the  Books  of  Ezra 
and  Chronicles. 

Besides  these  labors  of  a  purely  literary  char- 
acter, Jewish  tradition  a.ssigns  to  Ezra  the  orig- 
ination of  certain  institutions,  which  had  for 
their  object  either  the  general  direction  of  re- 
ligion, or  its  systematic  inculcation  upon  the 
people.  It  is  certainly  clear  that  Ezra  had  a 
body  of  counsellors  who  advised  him  in  mat- 
ters of  religion.  These  probably  constituted 
the  germ  out  of  which  the  "  Great  Synagogue" 
grew  ;  and  the  later  Sanhedrim  was  probably  a 
revival  in  Gncco-Macedonian  limes  of  the  earlier 
"  Great  Synagogue,"  which  after  a  time  had 
died  out. 

For  the  systematical  inculcation  of  religion 
upon  the  i)ef>ple  at  large,  Ezra  seems  to  have 
devised  the  local  synagogue  sj'stem,  which  is 
so  striking  a  feature  of  the  later  Jewish  Church, 
as  exhibited  to  us  in  the  New  Testament.  Some- 
thing of  the  kind  must  have  existed  after  the 
Captivity  in  the  various  lauds  to  which  the 
Jews  were  carried  by  their  conquerors  ;  but  to 
Ezra  probably  belongs  the  introduction  into 
Judea  itself  of  local  synagogues — places  of 
worship  distinct  from  the  Templi — spread 
widely  over  the  land,  and  thus  multiplying  al- 
most indetinitely  the  centres  of  religious  iutiu- 


SECTION  52.     LIFE-WORK  AND   CHARACTER. 


487 


ence,  whence  instruction  flowed  to  tlic  people. 
Before  the  Captivity,  now  and  tlien  good  kings, 
sucli  asJchosliiipluit,  Ilezekiah  and  Josiali,  sent 
special  missions  from  the  capital  to  the  various 
provincial  towns  and  villages,  to  stir  up  the  re- 
ligious life  of  the  people,  and  to  give  them  much- 
needed  instruction  (2  K.  23  :  8-21  ;  2  Chron. 
17  :  7-9  ;  30  :  1-12).  But  vastly  different  from 
this  was  the  establLshment,  over  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land,  of  these  local  centres  of 
teaching,  with  their  official  staff,  their  regular 
stated  meetings,  their  set  forms  of  prayers, 
their  sj'stematie  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  their 
psalmody  and  liymnody,  their  exposition  of 
God's  Word,  and  their  power  of  excommunica- 
tion. "  It  is  hardly  possible  to  overestimate 
the  influence  of  the  system  thus  developed.  To 
it  we  may  ascribe  the  tenacity  with  which  the 
Jews  adhered  to  the  religion  of  their  fathers, 
and  (after  the  return  from  the  Captivity)  never 
again  relapsed  into  idolatry.  The  people  were 
now  in  no  danger  of  forgetting  the  Law  and 
the  external  ordinances  that  hedged  it  round. 
If  jiilgrimages  were  still  made  to  Jerusalem  at 
the  set  feasts,  the  habitual  religion  of  the  Jews, 
in  and  yet  more  out  of  Palestine,  was  connected 
much  more  intimately  with  the  synagogue  than 
with  the  Temple"  (Pluniptre). 

He  was  student,  critic,  linguist,  antiquary, 
historian,  teacher  and  preacher,  judge,  gov- 
ernor, reformer  of  a  religious  system,  second 
founder  of  a  political  community.  We  have  to 
acknowledge  in  him  one  of  the  bom  leaders  of 
men,  one  of  those  who  have  exercised  upon  the 
world  a  vast  influence,  and  an  influence  almost 
wholly  for  good.  Later  Judaism — the  Judaism 
of  Maccabean  times — which  was  the  leaven 
that  leavened  the  world  and  made  the  accept- 
ance of  Christianity  possible,  derived  all  that 
was  best  in  it  from  him — its  zeal,  its  fervent 
patriotism,  its  passionate  attachment  to  the 
Law,  its  burning  desire  to  keep  itself  unpollut- 
ed from  the  impure  idolatries  and  debasing  su- 
perstitions of  heathenism.  Ezra  gave  to  the 
later  Judean  community  that  stubbornness  and 
strength  which  enabled  it  to  resist  and  over- 
come the  persecuting  Hellenism  of  Autiochus, 
and  to  battle  for  years  on  almost  equal  terms 
with  the  mighty  legions  of  Rome.  Ezra's  exal- 
tation of  the  Law  and  earnest  propagation  of  it, 
and  provision  for  its  continued  propagation  b}' 
his  system  of  sj-nagogues,  together  with  his 
"  fierce  exclusiveness"  and  stern  reiection  of 
the  heathen  element  that  was  creeping  into  the 
nation,  was  mainly  instrumental  in  keeping 
alive  that  spirit  of  exclusive  patriotism  and 
uncompromising  zeal  which  carried  the  people 


through  five  centuries  of  struggle  and  difficul- 
t}'.  He  had  impressed  upon  the  nation,  or,  at 
any  rate,  upon  the  better  part  of  it,  his  own  indi- 
viduality. He  reanimated  the  drooping  spirits 
of  his  countrymen,  and  filled  them  with  a  new 
enthusiasm.  He  turned  a  few  weak  bands  of  de- 
spondent exiles  into  a  vigorous  and  energetic 
people.  Doubtless  he  was  helped  in  the  per- 
formance of  his  task  by  a  powerful  friend  and 
coadjutor,  the  brave,  strong-minded  Nehemiah. 
But  the  merit  of  the  work  accomplished  and  its 
enduriugness  were  due  to  him  rather  than  his 
colleague,  since  he  at  once  personally  inaugu- 
rated the  reforms  (Ezra  9  ;  10),  and  by  his  insti- 
tutions secured  their  continuance. 

Ezra's  faith  in  God  is  admirable.  ,\_mid  all 
discouragements  he  clings  to  the  "  Unseen  Sup- 
port" of  the  Most  High.  Cheerfully  he  goes 
forth  on  Ids  perilous  journey,  feeling  that  "  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  his  God  is  upon  him"  (7  :  6). 
Gratefully  he  acknowledges  on  reaching  his 
journey's  end,  "  I  was  strengthened  as  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  my  God  was  upon  me"  (ibid.,  verso 
28).  Boldly  he  declares  to  the  Persian  king — 
"  The  hand  of  our  God  is  upon  all  them  for 
good  that  seek  Him  ;  but  His  power  and  His 
wrath  is  against  all  them  that  forsake  Him" 
(8  :  22).  When  no  Levite  will  consent  to  ac- 
company him  among  the  exiles  in  Babylon,  he 
does  not  despair,  but  makes  fresh  efforts  which 
are  attended  with  success,  "because"  (as  he 
says)  "  of  the  good  hand  of  our  God  upon  us" 
{ibid.,  verse  18).  It  is  "  the  hand  of  God," 
which,  he  feels,  delivers  him  and  his  company 
from  '■  the  enemy  that  lay  in  wait  by  the  way" 
between  Ahava  and  Jerusalem  (ibid.,  verse  31). 
When  the  terrible  .sin  of  the  people  in  respect 
of  the  mixed  marriages  is  brought  before  him, 
he  flies  at  once  to  God  for  strength  and  sup- 
port, and  pleails  with  Him  for  the  people's  par- 
don with  a  fervor  and  an  earnestness  that  make 
his  prayer  a  model  even  for  Christians  (9  :  5-15). 
...  As  supreme  governor  of  Judea,  he  is 
prompt  and  decided  in  taking  the  measures 
necessary  to  purify  the  Jewish  community, 
while  he  abstains  from  all  arbitrary  acts,  per- 
suades rather  than  commands,  and  effects  his 
purpose  with  the  good  will  and  hearty  ac- 
quiescence of  all  classes.  Placed  in  a  subordi- 
nate position  under  Nehemiah  after  having 
held  the  entire  direction  of  affairs,  he  shows  no 
jealousy  or  discontent,  but  carries  out  with  zeal 
the  designs  of  his  civil  superior,  is  active  with- 
in his  own  sphere,  and  does  good  service  to  the 
i  nation.  Simple,  candid,  devout,  sympathetic, 
full  of  energy,  unselfish,  patriotic,  never  weary 
in  well  doing,  he  occupied  a  most  important 


488 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


position  nt  a  most  important  time,  and  was  a 
second  founder  of  tlie  .Jewish  state.  Eminent 
alik(^  as  a  civil  governor,  ius  an  ecclesiastical 
adniinislratorand  asan  historian,  he  left  bi'hind 
him  a  reputation  anionij;  the  Jews  inferior  only 
to  that  of  Moses  ;  and  tlie  traditions  which  chis- 
ter  about  his  name,  even  if  they  had  no  otiicr 
value,  would  at  any  rate  mark  the  high  esteem 
in  which  his  abilities  and  character  were  held 


by  his  countrymen.  ,  .  .  Thus  we  may  recog- 
nize in  the  great  scribe,  the  great  reformer,  the 
second  founder  of  the  Jewish  state,  one  who 
held  the  balance  even  between  a  religion  of 
gloom  and  a  religion  of  light  lieartedness,  and 
who  set  forth  God  before  men's  eyes  in  His 
true  character,  as  at  once  "good"  and  "se- 
vere," merciful  and  .just,  a  God  of  love  and  "  a 
consuming  fire."     G.  K. 


Section  53. 


THE   FIRST  RETURN  UNDER  JESHUA  AND  ZERUBBABEL. 


Ezra,  Chaps.  1  and  2. 


1:1  Now  in  the  first  year  of  Cyrus  king 
of  Persia,  that  the  word  of  the  Lohn  l)y  the 
mouth  of  Jeremiah  might  be  accomplished, 
the  lyoiii)  stirred  up  the  spirit  of  Cyrus  king 
of  Fei'sia,  that  he  made  a  proclamation 
throughout  all  his  kingdom,  and  i>i(t  it  also 

2  in  writing,  saying.  Thus  saith  Cyrus  king 
of  Persia.  All  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth 
hath  the  I.oiui.  the  God  of  heaven,  given 
m(^ ;  and  he  hatli  charged  me  lo  build  him  an 
house    in   J<-ru,salem,    which    is    in    Judah. 

3  Whosoever  there  is  among  you  of  all  his  peo- 
ple, his  God  be  witli  him,  and  let  lum  go  up 
to  Jerusalem,  which  is  in  Judah,  and  build 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel. 

4  (he  is  God,)  which  is  in  Jeriisalem.  And 
whosoever  is  left,  in  any  phice  where  he  so- 
journeth,  let  tlic  men  of  his  place  help  liini 
with  silver,  and  with  gold,  and  with  good; 


3  CiiuoKiCLES  36  :  22,  23. 


22  Now  in  the  first  year  of  Cyrus  king  of 
Persia,  that  the  word  of  the  Loitn  by  the 
mouth  of  Jeremiah  might  lie  accomidished, 
the  Loud  stirred  up  the  spirit  of  Cyrus  king 
of  Persia,  that  he  made  a  iiroclamation 
throughout  all  his  kingdom,  and  put  it  I'lso 

23  in  writing,  saying.  Thus  saith  Cyrus  king  of 
Persia,  All  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  bath 
the  LoKD,  the  God  of  heaven,  given  me  ; 
and  he  hath  charged  me  to  build  him  an 
house  in  Jerusalem,  which  is  in  Judah. 
AVhosoever  there  is  among  you  of  all  his 
jK'oplc,  the  Lt)KD  his  God  be  with  him,  and 
let  him  go  up. 

and  with  beasts,  beside  the  fri'cwill  olTeriiig  f(>r 

5  the  house  of  God  which  is  in  Jerusalem.     Then  rose  up  the  heads  of  fathers'  iionKin  of  Judah 
and  Henjamin,  and  the  priests,  and  the  Levites.  even  all  whose  spirit  God  had  stirred  to  go 

6  up  to  biiild  the  house  of  the  Loud  which  is  in  Jerusalem.     And  all  tliey  that  were  round 
about  them  strengthened  their  hands  with  vessels  of  silver,  with  irold.  with  goods,  and  with 

7  beasts,  and  with  precious  things,  lieside  all  that  was  willingly  offered.     Also  Cyrus  the  king 
brought  forth  the  vessels  of  the  house  of  the  Loud,  which  Nel)Uchadnezzar  had  bnnight  forth 

8  out  ("f  Jertisalem,  and  had  put  them  in  the  house  of  his  gods  ;  even  those  did  Cyrus  king  of 
Persia  bring  forth  bv  the  hand  of  Jlithredalh  the  treasurer,  and  numbered  them  unto  Shesh- 

9  bazzar,  the  prince  of  Judah.     And  this  is  the  number  of  them  ;  thirtv  chargesof  gold,  a  thou- 

10  sand  charges  of  silver,  nine  and  twentv  knives  :  thirty  bowls  of  gold,  silver  bowls  of  a  second 

11  sort  four  iiundred  and  ten.  and  other  vessels  a  thousauil.  All  the  vessels  of  gold  and  of  silver 
were  fiv(^  thousand  and  four  Imiidred.  All  these  did  Sheshbazzar  bring  up,  when  they  of  the 
captivity  were  brotight  up  from  liabylon  unto  Jerusalem. 

54:1  Now  tlase  are  the  children 'of  U\f  i>roviui-e.  that  went  up  out  of  the  captivitv  of 
those  which  had  been  carried  away,  whom  Nebuchadnezzar  the  king  of  Babylon  had  carried 
away  unto  Babylon,  and  that  retiirned   unto  Jerusalem  and  Judah,  every  one  tmto  his  city  ; 

2  which  came  witJi  Zerubbaljcl,  Jeslma,  Nehemiah.  Seraiali,  Keelaiah,  Mordeeai.  Bilslian,  Mispar, 

3  Bigvai,  Hehuni,  Haanah.     Tlie  iininber  of  the  men  of  the  jieople  of  Israel  :   the  children  of 

4  Parosh,  two  thousand  an  hundred  seventv  and  two.     The  chiMren  of  Sheiilialiah,  three  hun- 
5,0  dred  seventy  and  two.     The  children  of'  Arab,  seven  hundred  severity  and   live.     The  chil- 
dren of  Paliatb  moiib.  of  the  children  of  .(eshna  "//'/  Joab,  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and 

7,  8  twelve.     The  children  of   Llani.  a  thousand  two   Iiundred   fifty  an  I   four.     The  eliildrea  of 

9  Zattu,  nine  Iiundred   forty  and  live.     Tli"  children  of  Zaccai,  seven  hundred  and  threescore. 

10,11  Th.>  children  of  Bani,"six  hundred  forty  and  two.     The  children  of  liebai.  si.\  Iiundred 

12  twenty  and  three.  The  children  of  Azgail,  !i  thousand  two  hundred  twenty  and  two. 
13,  14  The  children  of  Adonikam.  six  hundred  sixty  and  six.  The  children  of  Higvai,  two  thou- 
15, 16  sand  fifty  and  six.     The  children  of  Adin,  four  hundred  fifty  and  four.     The  children  of 


SECTION  53.     THE  FIRST  RETURN  UNDER  JESEUA  AND  ZERUBBABEL.  489 

17  Ater,  of  Hezpkiah,  ninety  and  eight.  The  children  of  Bezai,  three  hundred  t%vcnty  and 
18,  19  three.  The  children  of  Jondi.  an  hundred  and  twelve.  The  ( liildren  of  Hashuni,  two 
80,  21  hundred  twenty  and  three.  The  children  of  Gibbar,  ninety  and  live.  The  children  of 
22,  23  Beth-lehcni,  an  hundred  twenty  and  three.     The  men  of  Netophah,  fifty  and  six.     The 

24  men  of  Anathoth.  an  hundred  twenty  and  eii^ht.     The  children  of  Azmaveth,  forty  and  two. 

25  The  children  of  Kiriatli-arim,  Chephirah,  and  Heeroth,  seven  liundred  and  forty  and  three. 
26.  27  The  children  of  Kamah  and  Geba,  six  hundred  twenty  and  one.  The  men  of  Michnias,  an 
28  Inuidred  twenty  and  two.  The  men  of  Beth-el  and  Ai,  two  hundred  twenty  and  three. 
29,  30  The  children  of  Nebo,  fifty  and  two.  The  children  of  JIaj;bish,  an  liundred  fifty  and  six. 
31,  32  The  children  of  the  other  Elani,  a  thousand  two  hundred  fifty  and  four.  The  children  of 
33  Harini,  three'  hundred  and  twenty.  The  children  of  Lod,  Hadid,  and  Ono,  seven  hundred 
34,  35  twenty  and  five.     The  children  of  Jericho,  three  hundred  forty  and  five.     The  children  of 

36  Senaah,  three  thousand  and  six  hundred  and  thirty.     The  priests  :  the  children  of  Jedaiah,  of 

37  the  house  of  Jcshua,  nine  hundred  seventy  and  three.  The  children  of  Immer,  a  thousand 
38,  39  fifty  aii<l  two.     The  children  of  Pashhur,  a  thousand  two  hundred  forty  and  seven.     The 

40  children  of  Harim,  a  thousand  and  seventeen.     The  Levites  :  the  children  of  Jcshua  and 

41  Kadmiel,  of  the  children  (jf  Hodaviah,  seventy  and  four.  The  singers  :  the  children  of  Asaph, 
43  an  hundred  twenty  and  cijiht.     The  children  of  tlie  porters  :  the  children  of  Shallum,  the 

children  of  Ater,  the  children  of  Talniiin,  the  children  of  Akkub,  the  children  of  Ilatita,  the 

43  childn  n  of  Shobai,  in  all  an  hundred  thirty  and  nine.     The  Nethinim  the  children  of  Ziha, 

44  the  children  of  Ilasupha,  the  children  of  Tabbaoth  ;  the  children  of  Keros,  the  children  of 

45  Siaha,  the  children  of  Padon  ;  the  children  of  Lebanah.  the  children  of  Hagabah,  the  children 
46,47  of  Akkub  ;  the  children  of  Hagab,  the  children  of  Shamlai,  the  childi-en  of  Ilnnan  ;  the 

48  children  of  Giddel,  the  children  of  Gahar,  the  children  of  Reaiah  ;  the  children  of  Kezin,  the 

49  chiliiren  of  Nekoda,  the  childri'n  of  Gazzain  ;  the  cliildren  of  Uzza,  the  children  of  Paseah, 

50  the  children  of  Besai  ;  the  children  of  Asnah,  the  children  of  Jleunim,  the  children  of  Nephi- 
51,  52  sim  ;  the  children  of  Bukbuk,  the  children  of  Hakupha,  tlie  children  of  Harhur  ;  the  chil- 

53  dren  of  Bazluth,  the  children  of  Mehida,  the  children  of  Harsha  ;  the  children  of  Barkos,  the 

54  children  of  Sisera,  the  children  of  Teinah  ;  the  children  of  Neziah.  the  chililreu  of  Ilatipha. 

55  The  children  of  Solomon's  servants  :   the  children  of  Sotai,  the  children  of  Ilassophereth,  the 

56  children  of  Pcruda  ;  the  children  of  Jaalah,  the  children  of  Darkon,  the  children  of  Giddel  ; 

57  the  children  of  yiiephatiah.  the  children  of  Ilattil,  the  children  of  Pochereth-hazzebaim,  the 

58  children  of  Ami.     All  tiie  Xethinira,  and  the  children  of  Solomon's  servants,  ueie  three  huu- 

59  dred  ninety  and  two.  And  these  were  tlie_y  wliieh  went  up  from  Tel-melah,  Tel-harsha, 
Cherub,  Addau,  iiiul  Immer  ;  but  they  could  not  she  wtheir  fathers'  hou.ses,  and  their  seed, 

60  whether  they  were  of  Israel  :  the  children  of  Delaiah,  the  children  of  Tobiah,  the  children  of 

61  Nekoda,  six  hundred  fifty  and  two.  And  of  the  children  of  the  priests  :  the  children  of 
Ilabaiali,  the  chililreu  of  llakkoz,  the  children  of  Barzillai,  which  took  a  wife  of  the  daughters 

62  of  Barzillai  the  Gileadite,  and  was  called  after  their  name.  These  sought  their  register  n.?nw/((/ 
those  that  were  reckoned  by  genealogy,  but  the_y  were  not  found  :    therefore  were  they 

63  deemed  iiolluted  and  jiut  from  the  priesthood.  And  the  Tirshatha  said  luito  them,  that  tliey 
should  not  eat  of  the  most  holy  things,  till  there  stood  up  a  priest  with  Urim  and  with  Thum- 

64  miin.     The  whole  congregation  together  was  f(jrt}'  and  two  thousand  three  himdred  and 

65  threescore,  beside  their  menservants  and  their  maidservants,  of  whom  there  were  seven  thou- 
sand three  hundred  thirty  and  se\'en  :  and  they  had  two  hundred  singing  men  and  singing 

66  women.     Their  horses  were  seven  hunilred  thirty  and  si.x  ;  their  mules,  two  hundred  forty 

67  antl  five  ;  their  camels,  four  hundred  thirtv'  and  five  ;  //((//■  asses,  six  thousand  seven  hundred 

68  and  twenty.  And  some  of  the  heads  of  fathers'  houses,  when  they  came  to  the  house  of  the 
Loud  which  is  in  Jerusalem,  offered  willingly  for  the  house  of  God  to  set  it  up  in  its  place  : 

69  they  gave  after  their  ability  into  the  treasury  of  the  work  threescore  and  one  thousand  darics 

70  of  gold,  and  five  thousand  pound  of  silver,  and  one  hundred  priests'  garments.  So  the 
priests,  and  the  Levites,  and  some  of  the  people,  and  the  singers,  and  the  porters,  and  the 
Kethinim,  dwelt  in  their  cities,  and  all  Israel  in  their  cities. 


The  Book  of  Exra  consists  of  two  parts — 
chaps.  1-6  and  7-10.  The  second  part  treats  of 
Ezra  and  his  times,  and  much  of  it  is  wi-ittcn  in 
the  first  person,  with  Ezra  for  the  speaker  ;  for 
example,  Ezra  7  :  28  ;  8  :  15-17,  21,  22  ;  9  :  1,  3, 
5.  This  points  to  him  as  the  author.  The  first 
part  treats  of  Zerubbabel  and  his  times — events 
that  occurred  from  fifty-eight  to  eighty  j'ears 
earlierthan  the  coming  of  Ezra  to  Palestine. 
This  part  consists  of  three  documents,  joined 
by  a  few  narrative  statements  :  First,  the  proc- 
lamation of  Cyrus  (1  :  2-4)  ;  second,  the  list  in 
chap.  2  ;  third,  the  Aramaic  document,  itself 
c-onsisting  of  several  papers  connected  by  a  nar- 


rative (4  :  8  to  6  :  18).  In  the  six  chapters  we 
have  what  purport  to  be  six  state  papers — 
namely,  the  proclamation  {1  :  2-4)  ;  the  decree 
of  Cyrus  (6  ;  3-5)  ;  the  letter  to  Artaxerxes 
(pseudo-Smerdis)  and  the  reply  (4  :  9-16  and 
17-22)  ;  the  report  to  Darius  and  the  reply 
(5  :  6-17  and  6  :  2-12).  These  six  papers  date 
themselves,  even  if  we  regard  some  of  them  as 
mere  reports  of  the  contents  of  their  originals, 
rather  than  as  copies.  The  Aramaic  document 
as  a  whole,  by  using  the  first  person  in  verse  4, 
apparently  refers  its  own  origin  to  some  of  the 
builders  of  Zerubbabel 's  time.  In  Nch.  7  ;  5 
sciq.,  Nehemiah  says  of  himself,  "  I  found  the 


490 


HOOK  OF  EZllA. 


book  of  the  gpncalojsry  of  them  which  came  u]> 
at  the  lirst,  and  1  found  written  Ihenjin  ;"  and 
with  tliis  iirc'faco  he  proceeds  to  cite,  uot  mere- 
ly the  entire  list  of  Ezra  2,  but  tlie  narrative 
statements  that  follow,  up  to  and  including 
Ezri  3:1.     W.  J.  B. 

When  the  seventy  years  ha<l  cxijired  the 
Babylonian  eraiiire  had  ceased,  and  Cyrus  tlie 
Persian  liad  become  master  of  tlie  many  realms 
of  whicli  it  ha<l  been  coniposi'd.  as  well  as  of 
the  more  eastern  empire  of  the  Jledes  an  1  Per- 
sians. In  the  very  tirst  year  of  his  imiierial 
reign,  this  king  issued  a  decree  distinctly  recng- 
uizing  these  prophecies,  acknowledging  the 
authority  by  which  they  were  given,  and  his 
obligation  to  act  upon  them.  He  accordingly 
permitted  such  as  wished  to  return  to  their 
own  countiy,  and  to  rebuild  the  Temple  at  Je- 
rusalem :  allowing  them  also  to  colli-ct  funds 
from  such  as  chose  to  remain  behind,  and  with 
the  promise  of  the  roj-al  protection  and  en- 
couragement in  the  undertaking.  According- 
ly, a  large  caravan  was  formed  of  the  more  de- 
vout and  zealous  Jews,  3s  they  now  begin  to  be 
ealU'd,  who  were  liberally  supplied  with  treas- 
ure from  the  bounty  of  those  who,  preferring 
to  remain  in  the  Eiist,  felt  the  more  induced  to 
evince  their  less  adventurous  zeal  by  the  liber- 
ality of  their  contributions.  The  king  also 
caused  to  be  made  over  to  them  the  vessels 
which  Nebuchadnezzar  had  taken  from  the 
Temple.  Their  leader,  who  went  with  the  ap- 
pointment of  governor  of  the  colon}',  was  the 
lineal  representative  of  the  house  of  David,  be- 
ing the  grandson  of  Jeeoniah,  and  is  distinctly 
recognized  by  Cyrus  as  "the  prince  of  the 
Jews."  lie  was  born  in  Babylon,  and  his 
name  was  Zerubbabel  ;  but,  as  appears  to  have 
been  usual  with  the  great  men  of  Juilah  during 
the  Captivity,  he  had  another  name — that  of 
Sheshbazzar — by  which  he  was  known  among 
the  heathen.     Kitto. 

Cyriix,  king  of  Persia,  niored  by  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord.  As  the  sending  into  captivity  of 
Judah  was  God's  act,  so  was  their  return  from 
captivity.  The  relation  of  one  to  the  other  in- 
cludes two  memorable  particulars,  each  of 
which  conveys  a  great  and  instrtictive  truth  ; 
the  first  respects  God's  dealings  with  His  peo- 
ple ;  the  second  refers  to  Ills  control  of  human 
agencies  as  connected  with  those  dealings.  The 
Captivity  was  the  culmination  of  a  long  pro- 
tracted series  of  cliastisements  which  God  had 
sent  upon  His  peojile  for  their  repeated  and 
aggravated  iniquities  ;  signally,  for  their  idola- 
try. For  centuries  this  final  supreme  punish- 
ment had  been  threatened,  but  withheld  gen- 


eration after  generation,  through  the  marvel- 
lous i)atience  and  forbearance  of  God.  Now 
that  tlieie  had  been  wrought  (Jer.  29,  Ezek. 
36  and  Dan.  9)  in  the  hearts  of  the  captive  peo- 
ple a  real  penitence  and  entire  reformation  from 
the  practice  and  spirit  of  idolatry,  God  could 
interpo.se  to  fulfil  His  old  promises  of  mercy 
and  forgiveness.  He  could  consistently  pro- 
vide for  their  deliverance  from  bondage  ami 
restoration  to  their  land.  The  Heturn.  there- 
fore, like  the  Captivity,  conveys  the  a.ssurance 
of  God's  faithfulness  to  His  word.  As  the  lat- 
ter made  certain  the  word  of  threatening,  the 
former  makes  sure  the  word  of  promi'te. 

Another  instructive  fact,  shown  alike  by  the 
Captivity  and  the  Ueturn,  respects  God's  prepa- 
ration and  use  of  human  kings  as  His  agents 
in  the  accomplishment  of  His  piuposes.  In 
the  particulars  of  the  history  of  the  two  mon- 
arclis,  Nebuchadnezzar  and  Cyrus,  in  the  workl- 
swe<'p  of  their  conquests,  in  the  vast  changes 
among  the  leading  nations  and  tlie  transfers  of 
the  centre  of  world-dominion  that  were  con- 
nected with  these  two  m  irked  careers,  proph- 
ecy points  directly  to  the  purpose  and  the  hand 
of  God  as  the  original  and  supreme  actor. 
One,  Nebuchadnezzar,  is  named  (Jer.  25  : 9), 
with  his  work  of  carrying  aicay  ;  the  other, 
Cj'rus,  is  named  (Isa.  44  :  28  ;  43  : 1),  together 
with  his  mission  of  returning,  the  people  of 
God.  Uerc  the  iusjiired  historian  (Ezra)  asserts 
that  "  Jehoeah  stirred  up  the  spirit  of  Cyrus"  to 
execute  this  mission.     B. 

AVe  learn  especially  from  the  prophetical 
Books  of  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel  and  Daniel,  that 
tlie  Jews  in  their  captivity  had  humbled  them- 
selves greatly  before  God,  were  confessing  their 
sins  and  seeking  His  face  with  all  their  heart. 
In  point  as  illustrating  their  monil  and  spirit- 
ual state,  .see  Jer.  29  :  10-14,  30,  31  ;  Ezek. 
3G  :  24-38  and  37  ;  Dan.  9,  and  also  Ps.  102 : 
13-24.  Inasmuch  as  the  Captivity  occurred  at 
all  tuily  for  moral  reasons,  the  Lord  having 
caused  His  people  to  go  into  this  captivity  only 
for  their  great  sins,  so  there  could  be  no  res- 
toration until  their  moral  state  was  effectually 
changed  ;  till  their  liearts  were  turned  from 
idols,  broken  in  penit(mce  and  confession  of 
sins,  and  lifted  to  God  in  prayer  for  mercy. 
On  these  conditions  God  had  all  along  promised 
His  pardon  and  favor.  The.se  conilitions  being 
in  a  good  de.gree  fulfilled.  He  returned  to  His 
people  in  mercy,  their  captive  chains  were 
broken,  and  they  were  free  to  return  to  their 
land.     H.  C. 

The  edict  of  Cyrus  for  the  rebuilding  of  the 
Temple  was,  in  fact,  the  beginning  of  Juda- 


SECTION  53.     THE  FIRST  RETURN  UNDER  JESIIUA  AND  ZERUBBADEL.  491 


ism  ;  and  the  great  changes  by  which  tlie  na- 
tion was  transformed  into  a  C'hui"ch  are  clearly 
marked.  1.  The  lesson  of  the  kingdom  was 
completed  by  tlie  Captivity.  The  swaj'  of  a 
temporal  prince  was  at  length  left  to  be  at  best 
only  a  faint  image  of  the  Messianic  kingdom  to 
which  the  prophets  pointed.  The  royal  power 
had  led  to  apostasy  in  Israel,  and  to  idolatry  in 
Judah  ;  and  men  looked  for  some  other  out- 
ward form  in  which  the  law  might  be  visibly 
realized.  Dependence  ou  Persia  excluded  the 
hope  of  absolute  political  freedom,  and  offered 
a  sure  guaranty'  for  the  liberty  of  religious  or- 
ganizations. 2.  The  Captivity,  which  was  the 
punishment  of  idolatry,  was  also  the  limit  of 
that  sin.  Thenceforth  the  Jews  api)rehcnded 
fully  the  spiritual  nature  of  their  faith,  and 
held  it  fast  through  persecution.  At  the  same 
time  wider  views  were  opened  to  them  of  the 
unseen  world.  The  powers  of  good  and  evil 
were  recognized  in  their  a(;tion  in  the  material 
world  ;  and  in  tliis  way  some  preparation  was 
made  for  the  crowning  doctrine  of  Cliristianity. 
3.  The  organization  of  the  outward  C'hurch  was 
connected  with  the  purifying  of  doctrine,  an<l 
served  as  the  form  in  wliich  tlie  truth  might  be 
realized  by  the  mass.  Prayer,  public  and  pri- 
vate, assumed  a  new  importance.  The  pro- 
phetic work  came  to  an  end.  The  law  was 
"  fenced"  by  an  oral  tradition.  Synagogues 
were  erected  and  schools  formed.  Scribes 
shared  the  respect  of  priests,  if  they  did  not 
supersede  them  in  popular  regard.  4.  Abo\'e 
all,  the  bond  by  which  the  people  of  God  were 
held  together  was  at  length  ft'lt  to  be  religious 
and  not  local,  nor  even  primarily  national. 
The  Jews  were  incorporated  in  different  na- 
tions, and  still  looked  to  Jcrvisalem  as  the  centre 
of  their  faith.  The  boundaries  of  Canftan  were 
passed,  and  the  beginnings  of  a  spiritual  dis 
pensation  were  already  made,  when  the  "dis- 
persion" was  established  among  the  kingdoms 
of  the  earth.     Bjj.  Westcott. 

The  supremacy  exercised  by  Babylon  over 
the  Jewish  nation  from  the  conquest  of  Jerusa- 
lem by  Nebuchadnezzar  (n.c.  586)  to  the  de- 
struction of  the  Babylonian  Empire  by  Cyrus 
the  Great  (B.C.  538),  passed  ou  the  capture  of 
Babylon  in  that  year  to  Persia,  and  the  Achic- 
meuian  monarchs  thenceforward  for  above  two 
centuries  controlled  and  directed  the  destinies 
of  the  Hebrew  people.  They  inaugurated  their 
rule  by  an  act  of  extraordinary  grace  and  favor. 
Cyrus  had  no  sooner  made  himself  master  of 
Babylon  than,  iu  the  very  first  year  of  his  reign 
there,  he  issued  a  decree  whereby  this  entire 
population,  amounting  to  many  tens  of  thou- 


sands and  possessed  of  considerable  wealth, 
was  permitted  and  exhorted  to  quit  the  land 
into  which  it  had  been  forcibly  transijlanted 
some  fifty,  sixty,  or  seventy  years  earlier,  and 
to  transfer  itself  once  more  to  its  old  and  much- 
loved  habitation.     G.  II. 

I'he  attitude  of  Cyrus  toward  Jehoixih.  Ac- 
cording to  the  accounts  in  the  Bible,  Cyrus 
authorized  five  things  for  the  Jews  :  First,  the 
emigrating  to  Judea  of  such  of  Jehovah's  peo- 
ple as  chose  (Ezra  1  :  3,  5)  ;  second,  the  build- 
ing of  the  Temple,  with  specifications  (1:2; 
6  :  3.  etc.)  ;  third,  certain  payments  toward  the 
expense  from  the  public  treasury  (6:4;  3:7); 
fourth,  the  restoring  of  the  Temple  vessels 
(6:5;  1  :  7-11)  ;  fifth,  contributions  both  for 
helping  the  emigrants  and  for  the  use  of  the 
Temple  (1  :  4,  6).  He  did  this  expressly  in  rec- 
ognition of  a  claim  upon  him  by  Jehovah, 
whom  he  recognizes  as  "  the  God  of  heaven," 
"  the  God  of  Israel,"  the  God  who  has  given 
him  "all  kingdoms,"  and,  possibly,  as  pre- 
eminently "  the  God"  (1  :  3,  3).  To  this  Jose- 
phus  adds  that  Cyrus  knew  of  Isaiah's  predict- 
ing him  by  name,  and  that  Cyrus  (like  Darius 
afterward,  Ezra  6  :  10)  had  sacrifices  offered  in 
Jerusalem  for  him  and  his  family,  with  sundry 
additional  details  (,Ant.  XL,  1  :  1-3).  These 
added  statements  are  not  particularly  improb- 
able, but  they  have  no  such  basis  of  evidence 
as  the  statements  in  Ezra.    W.  J.  B. 

There  are  four  decrees  given  by  the  kings  of 
Persia  in  favor  of  the  Jews  :  Tlio  first  bj'  Cyrus 
(Ezra  1:1);  the  second  by  Darius  (Ezra  6:8); 
the  third  by  Artaxerxcs,  in  the  seventh  year  of 
his  reign  (Ezra  7:11);  the  fourth  by  the  same 
Artaxerxcs  to  Nehemiah  (chap.  3),  in  the  twen- 
tieth year  of  his  reign.     Dp.   M'iltmit. 

Ezra  1:1-4.  2  Cliroii.  30:22,  23. 
The  decree  of  Cyrus.  The  origin  of  the  Return 
is  found  in  an  exertion  of  Divine  influence  on 
the  mind  of  a  heathen  king,  who  was  moved 
thereby  to  pvit  forth  a  proclamation  or  decree, 
addressed  to  all  the  people  of  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel  dwelling  in  any  part  of  his  dominions, 
granting  them  free  permission  to  return  to  their 
own  land,  and  at  the  same  time  n/commending 
his  other  subjects  to  expedite  their  departure 
by  giving  them  out  of  their  abundance  gold, 
silver,  goods  and  cattle,  so  that  none  should  be 
hindered  by  poverty  from  taking  advantage  of 
the  king's  kindness.  Many  things  are  remark- 
able in  this  decree  :  (1)  Its  promulgation  by  a 
heathen  king,  spontaneouslv  as  it  would  seem  ; 
(2)  its  recognition  of  a  single  supreme  God, 
"  the  Lord  God  of  heaven  ;"  (3)  its  declaration 
that  the  supreme  God  had  "  charged"  the  king 


492 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


to  rebuild  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  (4)  its 
actual  origination  in  a  "stir"  of  tlie  king's 
spirit  by  Goil  Himself.  The  secret  government 
of  the  world  by  Jehovah  is,  in  part,  opened  to 
us.  and  we  see  how  great  political  events,  an- 
teriorly improbable,  are  brouglit  about  by  Ilis 
aciioM  on  men's  hearts;  we  se<^  that  He  dots 
not  leave,  h;is  never  left,  the  heathen  wholly  to 
themselves,  but  condescends  to  put  thoughts 
into  their  minds,  and  Viend  Ihcir  wills,  and  so 
bring  about  his  purposes. 

I.  Ill  the  Rmt  jcar  of  CyriiH.  The 
context  shows  that  it  is  the  first  year  of  Cyrus 
at  Bdbi/lon  which  is  intended.  Cyrus  the  Great 
became  king  of  Persia  by  his  final  defeat  and 
capture  of  Astyages,  in  B.C.  559  probably.  His 
conquest  of  Babylon  was,  comparatively  sjieaU- 
ing,  late  in  his  reign,  and  is  fixed  by  the  canon 
of  Ptolemy  to  i!.c.  538.  He  toi)k  the  city  on  the 
night  of  Helshazzar's  feast '(Dan.  5:30),  when 
Daniel  had  just  been  appointed  to  the  third 
place  in  the  kingdom  {ibii!.,  verso  29),  and  was 
practically  at  the  head  of  affairs.  Thus  the 
great  king  and  the  great  prophet  of  the  time 
were  brought  into  contact,  and  naturally  con- 
ferred together,  as  may  be  gathered  from  Jo- 
sephus.     P.  C. 

Sifftiijiaiiit  P/imvcs:  The  flrst  year  of 
Cyru§.  Cyrus  had  at  least  tliree  first  years— 
as  king  of  Persia,  perhaps  5.59  it.c.  ;  as  king  of 
the  Meiles  and  Persians,  about  550  B.C.  ;  and  as 
successor  to  Xabonidus  in  Babylon,  538  n.c. 
The  date  now  received  as  the  first  j'car  of  Cy- 
rus is  538  n.c.  By  tlic  moiilli  of  Jere- 
miah. The  promise  of  restoration  after  sev- 
enty years  (Jer.  29  :  10  ;  cf.  2  Chron.  36  :  21)  is 
here  especially  referred  to.  Nebuchadnezzar 
dvported  Daniel  and  his  companions  605  u.c. 
(Dan.  1  :  1).  This  was  sixty-eight  years,  count- 
ing inclusively,  before  538  B.C.  made  a 
proclaiiialion  (Hrb.,  "caused  a  voice  to 
pasi").  The  order  was  proelaimed,  from  place 
to  place,  by  public  criers,  as  well  as  put  in 
written  form.  All  liU  king'doni.  This 
implies  that  the  Jews  were  now.  as  half  a  cen- 
tury later  in  the  time  of  Esther,  living  in 
every  part  of  the  empire  governed  by  Cyrus. 
\V.  J.  B. 

It  is  said  that  God  "stirred  up  the  spirit  of 
Cyrus"  to  i.ssue  this  decree  ;  we  may  conclude 
He  did  this  by  the  wise  counsel  of  Daniel  ;  first, 
to  fulfil  the  iiropheey  of  Jeremiah  (25  :  11),  this 
being  the  year  of  the  expiration  of  the  Captiv- 
ity, which  Daniel  had  computed  before  (Dan. 
9:2);  and,  secondly,  to  fulfil  the  prophecy  of 
Isaiah  respecting  the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple 
(44  :  28),  to  which  Cyrus,  in  Ids  decree,  mani- 


festly alludes.  Ilales. The  Divine  predic- 
tions and  descri[)tions  (Isa.  41  :  44-46)  refer, 
probably,  more  to  the  work  and  mission  than 
to  the  person  of  Cyrus.  It  is  not  any  deprecia- 
tion of  the  Divine  character  of  these  prophecies, 
nor  yet  of  the  Divine  agency  in  their  fulfilment, 
if  we  reverently  trace  the  nej-im  of  natural  and 
reasonable  causes  through  which  all  was  ac- 
complished ;  for  we  mostly  descry  the  hand 
of  God.  not  in  sudden  interferences,  l)ut  in  the 
conjunction  of  events,  each  following  the  other 
in  natural  order,  but  all  contributing  to  an 
issue  which,  if  viewed  by  itself,  would  appear 
supernatural,  even  irrespective  of  its  predic- 
tion. Thus  is  miracle  ever  highest  providence, 
and  high  providence  ever  miracle,  for  heaven 
and  earth  are  not  far,  and  Jehovah  is  the  living 
God.     A.  E. 

Isaiah  describes  with  remarkable  accuracy 
the  purscmal  character  of  Cjtus.  His  warlike 
spirit,  his  towering  ambition,  tlu^  rajiidity  of 
his  conquests,  the  equity  of  his  administration, 
and  his  heathen  religion  are  all  declared  after 
the  manner  of  prophecy.  The  significance  of 
the  prophecy  deepens  when  it  comes  to  describe 
the  conquests  achieved  by  Cyrus.  History  but 
repeats  these  prophecies  in  describing  the  facts 
as  they  occurred.  Isaiali  explicitly  foretells  the 
restoration  of  Judah  from  captivity  and  the  re- 
building of  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  through 

the    agencj'    of    Cyrus.     P/uljis. The    last 

twenty  chapters  of  Isaiah  associate  the  name 
of  Cyrus  and  his  advent  to  sovereignty  with 
the  sublimest  Messianic  prophecies  of  the  Cld 
Testament.  The  king  of  Persia  is  hailed  as  the 
herald  of  a  new  era,  girded  for  his  task  by  the 
hand  of  Jehovah,  and  raised  up  fur  Israel's  de- 
liverance. And  in  the  biographic-al  sketch  of 
Daniel's  life  the  account  of  his  activity  and  ele- 
vation closes  with  the  sentence,  "  And  Daniel 
continued  even  unto  the  first  year  of  King 
Cynis."  Not  that  Daniel  died  then,  for  the 
tenth  chapter  describes  a  prophetic  vision  grant- 
ed him  in  the  third  year  of  the  Persian  king's 
reign  ;  but  that  this  tried  and  aged  servant  of 
God  was  permitte<l  to  see  the  great  day  on 
which  the  prophetic  hopes  of  the  nation  hail 
been  fixed.     Bcfinntls. 

Daniel  was  still  alive  in  tlic  fii-st  and  third 
years  of  Cyrus  (Dan.  1  :  21  ;  10  :  1),  and  was 
especially  interested  in  the  fact  that  the  seven- 
ty j-ears  of  Jeremiah  were  coming  to  an  end 
(Dan.  9  :  2  sqq.).  Further,  the  Darius  the  Mede 
of  the  Book  of  Daniel  is,  necessarily,  cither  Cy- 
rus himself,  or  a  colleague  of  his  of  some  sort. 
It  follows  that  Daniel  was  powerful  at  court 
when  the  proclamation  was  made.     It  is  impos- 


SECTION  S3.     THE  FIRST  RETURN  UNDER  JESHUA  AND  ZERUBBABEL.  493 


sible  to  avoid  the  conclusion  that  Daniel  must 
have  been  tlio  leading  spirit  in  bringing  about 
the  return  from  the  Exile.  And  really  the  ac- 
count given  in  Ezra  needs  to  be  complemented 
by  just  such  facts  as  the  Book  of  Daniel  gives 
us.  The  movement  for  the  Return  was  well 
planned,  and  strongly  carried  out  in  the  face  of 
rugged  difficulties  ;  most  of  the  later  move- 
ments were  weak  and  vacillating.  With  such 
a  Cyrus  as  appears  in  the  Cyrus  writings,  with 
Zerubbabel  and  Jeshua  so  weak  and  lacking  in 
leadership  as  they  later  appear  to  be,  with  such 
a  people  as  the  returning  Jews  evidently  were, 
how  can  this  movement  be  accounted  for  unless 
there  was  some  great  leader  not  mentioned  in 
Ezra  ?  Apparently  there  was  such  a  leader  in 
the  person  of  Daniel ;  and  apparently  the  state 
of  chronic  weakness  into  which  the  movement 
sank  after  two  or  three  years  was  due  to  the 
loss  of  his  counsels.     W.  J.  B. 

Jewish  tradition  holds  that  Daniel,  occupy- 
ing a  high  position  in  the  court  of  C3'rus, 
brought  to  his  attention  the  prophecies  of 
Isaiah,  which  even  name  Cyrus  as  God's  ser- 
vant (Isa.  44  ;  26-28,  and  45  :  1-4).  There  is  no 
good  reason  to  question  this  Jewish  tradition. 
We  know  that  Daniel  stood  high  at  the  court 
of  Cyrus  ;  had  ready  access  to  his  ear  ;  was 
familiar  with  Hebrew  prophecy  ;  was  aware 
that  God's  time  for  the  restoration  had  come, 
and  was  laboring  and  praying  for  this  result. 
In  fact,  Daniel  was  raised  up  of  God  for  this 
emergency  as  truly  as  Cyrus.  The  m.en  wliom 
God  makes  for  a  great  emergency  alwaj'scome, 
to  time  and  do  their  duty.  The  Jewish  tradi- 
tion adequately  accounts  for  facts  otherwise 
not  easily  if  even  possibly  accounted  for.  Hence 
this  imperial  summons  to  all  who  recognized 
themselves  as  God's  people — "  Who  is  there 
among  you  of  all  His  people?  His  God  be  with 
him,  and  let  him  go  up,"  etc.  Wherever  a  Jew 
is  found  sojourning  among  us  (Ezra  1  :  3,  4),  let 
his  neighbors  aid  him  with  silver,  gold,  goods 
and  beasts  of  burden,  etc.,  and  let  that  Temple 
be  rebuilt.     H.  C. 

2.  It  is  a  large  assumption  which  appears  in 
his  decree — "  Jehovah  the  God  of  heaven  hath 
charged  me  to  build  Him  an  house  at  Jerusa- 
lem, which  is  in  Judah  ;"  but  It  is  not  out  of 
harmony  with  what  we  know  of  his  character. 
The  noblest  epithets  are  heaped  upon  him  in 
the  prophecy  of  Isaiah.  He  is  "  the  anointed, 
the  Messiah,  of  Jehovah."  God  "  saith  of 
Cyrus,  He  is  My  shepherd,  and  shall  perform  all 
My  pleasure."  He  is  "the  righteous  man" 
whom  God  "  raised  up  from  the  East."  Con- 
trast this  with  the  scorn  of  Egypt  as  an  ally 


(Isa.  33,  31),  and  the  denunciation  of  the  pride 
of  Assyria,  and  the  prophecy  of  its  doom  (Isa. 
10).  And  heathen  writings  illustrate  the  Scrip- 
ture representation  of  him.     iLirkcnnid. 

The  liOrcl,  the  God  of  lieareii.  Two 
things  are  specially  remarkable  in  tliis  passage 
— the  strongly  marked  religious  character,  very 
unusual  in  heathen  documents,  and  the  dis- 
tinctness with  which  it  asserts  the  unity  of 
God,  and  thence  Identifies  the  God  of  the  Per- 
sians with  the  God  of  the  Jews.  Both  these 
points  receive  abundant  illustration  from  the 
Persian  cuneiform  inscriptions,  in  which  the 
recognition  of  a  single  supreme  God,  Ormuzd, 
and  the  clear  and  constant  ascription  to  him  of 
the  direction  of  all  mundane  afiEairs,  are  leading 
features.     G.  R. 

3.  This  address  extends  to  all  the  tribes.  The 
Ten,  Tribes  in  Gozan  and  Media  were  also  within 
the  dominions  of  Cyrus.  1  Chron.  OrSiiitimates 
that  many  from  those  tribes  returned  at  thi.5 
and  other  periods.  All  who  would  were  in- 
vited to  return.  And  all  peoples  among  whom 
the  tribes  of  Israel  were  scattered  received  the 
king's  charge  to  aid  the  proposed  colonists  with 
gold  and  goods  and  cattle.     B. 

5.  In  verse  5  the  returning  exiles  are  spoken 
of  as  of  the  tribes  of  Judah,  Benjamin  and 
Levi ;  but  this  is  not  inconsistent  with  the  rep- 
resentation, steadily  made  in  the  Scriptures, 
that  representatives  from  northern  Israel  were 
included  In  the  new  Jewish  state  (see  Ezek. 
37  :  16-28  ;  Ezek.  48  ;  Acts  26  :  7  ;  Luke  3  :  36; 
and  the  numerous  passages  in  Jeremiah  or  the 
later  books  where  Israel  or  Ephraim  or  Joseph 
are  spoken  of).     \V.  J.  B. 

All  Avhose  spirit  Ood  had  stirred 
np  to  go.  As  the  Captivity  lengthened  itself 
out,  as  month  succeeded  to  month  and  year  to 
year,  without  sacrifice,  without  public  gather- 
ings to  a  common  religious  centre,  without 
high  festival  times,  without  stirring  calls  to 
common  action,  it  is  no  wonder  if,  as  seems  to 
have  been  the  case,  religion  decayed,  the  gen- 
eral tendency  was  downward,  and  the  bulk  of 
the  people  sank  into  lukewarmness  and  indif- 
ference. A  striking  indication  of  this  appears 
in  the  general  coldness  with  which  the  decree 
of  Cyrus  authorizing  the  exiles  to  return  to  the 
land  of  their  fathers  was  received  by  the  com- 
munity. A  free  permission  to  return  had  been 
given  to  all,  but  only  a  portion  availed  them- 
selves of  it  (Ezra  7:7;  8  :  1-14).  Even  these 
required  to  have  their  spirits  specially  "  stirred 
up  by  God"  (Hag.  1  :  14)  before  they  could 
bring  themselves  to  make  the  venture.     G.  R. 

t.  The  nations  who  had  borne  the  yoke  of 


494 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


slavery  in  Bal)ylonia  aloiij;  with  the  Jews, 
when  allowed  to  leave  the  laml  of  their  captiv- 
ity, took  back  with  them  their  native  goils. 
Tlie  Jews  alone  had  no  Images  to  take  :  the 
bitter  lesson  of  the  Exile  hiul  at  hist  eni(lieate<l 
idolatry  from  the  hearts  of  ■AX  those  at  any  rate 
who  were  ready  to  avail  themselves  of  th('  ]ier- 
mission  to  return.  What  they  carried  with 
them,  therefore,  were  only  "  tlie  vessels  of  the 
lionse  of  the  J>ord,  which  Nebuchadnezzar  had 
Ijrought  forth  out  of  .Tenisalem,  and  had  put 
them  iu  llie  house  of  liis  god."     t^iiycc. 

S.  SlicNlibaxzar.  Tlie  Babylonish  name 
of  Zerublialiel,  whicli  is  found  by  comparing 
Ezra  5  :  IC  with«Zech.  4:9.  It  was  common, 
(luring  the  Captivity,  for  the  principal  Jews  to 
bear  two  names,  the  one  Jewish,  the  other  Baby- 
lonian. Daniel  was  thus  called  Belteshazzar, 
ami  llananiali,  Mishael  ;  and  Azariah  received 
the  names  of  8hadrach,  Meshacli  and  Abcd- 
nego  (Dan.  1  :  7).     Bp.  Patriek. 

11.  The  direct  distnuca  from  B/ihi/hii  to  ,Ti- 
rusalem  is  about  five  hundred  and  twenty  miles. 
But  this  large  caravan  must  have  taken  a  far 
more  circuitous  and  esisier  route,  by  Carchemish 
and  the  valley  of  the  Oroutes,  which  would  in- 
crease the  journey  to  about  nine  hundred  miles. 
We  know  that  it  occupied  Ezra  ami  bis  com- 
panions four  months  (Ezra  7  :  8,  9),  and  it  must 
have  taken  considerably  longer  when  Zerubba- 
bel  and  his  followers  wended  their  way  to  the 
kind  of  their  fathers.  Probably  we  are  not 
wrong  iu  supposing  that  the  journey  was  be- 
gun on  the  first  day  of  the  first  month  of  the 
year  537,  and  that  their  destination  was  not 
reached  till  close  on  that  seventh  month  which 
saw  the  small  remnant  gathered  in  Jerusalem 
for  the  first  and  most  necessary  work  of  thc^ 
restoration  of  the  altar,  whicli  was  followed  Iiy 
the  celebration  of  the  Feast  of  the  Tabernacles 
(Ezra  3),     A.  E. 

There  only  remained  for  the  new-comers  the 
small,  central  strip  of  the  country  round  Jeru- 
salem occupied  by  the  tribes  of  Judah  and  Ben- 
jamin. From  these  two  tribes  the  larger  part 
of  the  exiles  were  descendants,  and  to  this,  their 
ancient  home,  they  returned.  Henceforth  the 
name  of  Judah  took  the  predominant  place  in 
the  national  titles.  As  the  primitive  name  of 
"  Hebrew"  had  given  way  to  the  historical 
name  of  Israel,  so  that  of  Israel  now  gave  w-ay 
to  the  name  of  Judeiin  or  Jtit,  so  full  of  praise 
and  pride,  of  reproach  and  scorn.  "  It  was 
born,"  as  their  later  historian  truly  observes, 
"  on  the  day  when  thej'  came  out  from  Baby- 
lon," and  their  history  thenceforth  is  the  his- 
tory not  of  Israel,  but  of  Judaism.     Stanky. 


a  :  l-6'l.  The  nnynher  of  thi/ne  irho  returned 
from  riiptuiti/  irit/i  /U-riilihabd,  iind  tin-  iitimes  of 
the  chiifs.  The  list  may  be  divided  into  ten 
parts  : 

1.  Enumeration  of  the  leaders  (verse  2). 

3.  Numbers  of  those  who  returned,  arranged 
according  to  families  (verses  3-19). 

3.  Numbers  of  those  who  returned,  arranged 
according  to  localities  (verses  20-30). 

4.  Numbers  of  the  priests,  arranged  aceord- 
iiig  to  families  (ver.ses  3(i-39). 

n.  Numbers  of  the  Levites,  arranged  similar- 
ly (verses  40-42). 

6.  Families  of  the  Nethinim  (verses  43-54). 

7.  Families  of  "  Solomon's  servants"  (verses 
5.5-57). 

8.  Number  of  these  last  two  ehisses  together 
(verse  58). 

9.  Account  of  those  who  could  not  show 
their  genealogy  (verses  59-63). 

1(1.   General  summ.ition  (vc'rsc  04).      1'.  C 

2.  AVIiivli  oamc  -with  Zcrultbabcl. 
Two  other  copies  of  this  list  have  come  down 
to  us,  one  in  Neh.  7  :  7-69,  the  other  in  1  Esd. 
5  :  8-43.  All  seem  to  have  been  taken  from  the 
same  original  document,  and  to  have  suffered 
more  or  less  from  corruption.  Where  two  out 
of  the  three  agree,  the  reading  should  prevail 
over  that  of  the  third.     B.  C. 

36.  The  priests.  It  hence  appears  that 
of  tlie  twenty-four  counscs  of  the  priests  that 
were  carried  away  to  Babylon,  only  four  re- 
turned, making  a  number  of  about  4289  per- 
sons ;  the  rest  being  either  extinct  or  staying 
behind.  But  of  these  four  which  now  returned, 
each  subdivided  themselves  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  twenty-four  courses  ■were  made  up 
again,  and  retained  the  same  titles  which  were 
held  Ijcfiire.     Priiltuo.r. 

e:j.  The  Tirslialha— ('.I'.,  Zerubbabel, 
who  is  called  "  governor"  (pechtili)  in  chap. 
5  :  14,  and  "  governor  of  Judah"  frequently 
by  Ilaggai  (1:1,  14  ;  2:2,  etc.).  The  word 
"  tirshatha"  is  probably  old  Persian,  though 
it  does  not  occur  in  the  cuneiform  inscriptions. 
B.  C. 

61.  By  far  the  greater  number,  and  especial- 
ly those  of  the  wealthier  cla.sses,  iircferred  to 
remain  behind,  to  hold  the  property  which  they 
hail  acquired,  and  pureue  the  avocations  to 
wliicli  they  were  accustomed  on  a  foreign  but 
now  friendly  soil.  It  has  been  calculated  that 
those  who  returned  stood  to  those  who  stayed 
behind  in  the  proportion  of  one  to  six  ;  but, 
however  this  may  have  been,  it  is  quite  certain 
that  the  edict  of  Cyrus  took  but  a  very  partial 
effect,  and  that  both  at  Babylon  and  elsewhere 


SECTI0N53.     THE  FfRST  RETZTRiY  UNDER  JESIIUA  AND  ZERITBBAREL.  495 


in  the  Persian  dominions,  as  especially  at  Susa 
(Esth.  9  : 5-18),  there  remained,  during  the 
whole  of  the  Persian  period,  very  large  and 
flourishing  communities  of  Jews,  who.  as  a 
general  rule,  were  content  Avith  their  position, 
and  made  no  effort  to  remove  to  Palestine.    G.  R. 

65-67.  '1  he  number  of  tlie slanea,  horses,  mules, 
rnmels  und  ii.ises  of  those  who  returned.  This  enu- 
n\eration  is  not  altogether  without  an  historical 
value,  since  it  is  indicative  of  the  general  pov- 
erty and  low  estate  of  the  returning  exiles,  who 
had  but  one  slave  and  one  ass  to  every  six  of 
their  number,  one  horse  to  every  sixty,  one 
camel  to  every  hundred,  and  one  mule  to  every 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five.     P.  C. 

The  largest,  the  wealthiest  and  the  noblest 
portion  of  the  nation,  therefore,  took  no  part 
in  the  movement,  except  by  their  sympathies 
and  by  their  bountiful  contributions  in  further- 
ance of  the  object  ;  and  it  has  ever  been  the 
.sentiment  of  the  Jews  that  the  most  illustrious 
part  of  their  nation  voluntarily  remained  in  the 
land  of  their  exile.  Those  who  did  go  were 
such  as  were  animated  by  stronger  desires  to 
behold  and  possess  once  more  their  father's 
land,  and  to  restore  the  Lord's  house  in  Jerusa- 
lem, and  such  as  were  less  attached  by  pros- 
perity and  family  ties  to  the  land  of  their  so- 
journing. That  the  great  body  of  them  were 
of  the*  poorer  sort  is  shown,  among  other  cir- 
cumstances, by  the  fact  that,  although  there 
were  42,360  Jews  who  returned,  they  had  but 
7337  male  and  female  servants  among  them  ; 
and  still  more  by  the  circumstance  that  the  long 
and  perilous  journey  across  the  desert  was  per- 
formed by  the  greater  part  of  them  on  foot  ; 
that  of  those  who  did  ride,  the  far  greater  part 
were  on  asses,  animals  never  now  emplo.ycd  on 
such  journeys  ;  and  that,  indeed,  the  whole 
number  of  animals  could  scarcely  have  been 
sufficient  for  the  women  and  children,  even  on 
a  low  computation.  It  is  probable,  however, 
that  although  those  who  had  families  took 
them,  as  they  hiui  no  intention  of  returning,  a 
very  considerable  portion  of  those  who  did  go 
were  unmarried  ;  a  fact  which  explains  their 
readiness  in  contracting  marriages  soon  after 
their  arrival  with  the  women  of  the  neighboring 
heathen.  There  were  but  435  camels,  the  ani- 
mals best  suited  for  the  journey,  and  not  more 
than  736  horses.  These,  we  suppose,  were  rid- 
den by  persons  of  condition,  and  the  camels  by 
their  families.  Of  mules,  then  a  more  favorite 
animal  than  now,  there  were  but  245,  while  the 
asses  were  6720  ;  in  all,  little  more  than  8000 
animals  for  not  fewer  than  50,000  persons,  in- 
cluding servants.     Kitto. 


6§-70.  Hie  offerings  made,  by  the  returned 
exiles  on  their  arrival  at  Jerusalem.  The  long 
journey  of  the  exiles  from  Babylonia  to  Jeru- 
salem involved  consideralde  risk,  and  its  suc- 
cessful termination  naturally  callc'd  forth  their 
gratitude.  The  character  of  the  offerings  made 
is  indicative  of  the  fact,  otherwise  probable, 
that  the  exiles  had  turned  all  that  they  pos- 
sessed into  money,  and  had  brought  to  Jerusa- 
lem a  considerable  amount  of  coin.     P.  C. 

70.  All  l!«racl.  That  Israelites  of  the 
Ten  Tribes  rqturncd  to  Palestine  with  Zerubba- 
bel  is  apparent,  (1)  from  the  statement  in  1 
Chron.  9:3;  (2)  from  the  enumeration  of  tirrlre 
chiefs  (Neh.  7  :  7  ;  1  Esd.  5  :  8j  ;  and  (3)  from 
various  expressions  in  Ezra  (see  3  :  3,  59  ;  3:1, 
etc.).     B.  C. 


Seligious  Bearings.  Any  number  of  "  points" 
can  be  found  here.  But  you  get  the  best  point 
of  all  if  j'ou  reach  a  clear  view  of  the  histor3' 
itself,  and  see  in  it  God's  providential  care  over 
His  people,  and  over  His  purposes  of  mercy  to 
mankind  through  them.  He  so  arranged  it  that 
even  the  great  disasters  that  had  befallen  them 
had  befallen  them  as  the  punishment  of  their 
sins,  yet  served  to  open  for  them  wider  desti- 
nies. He  brought  some  of  them  back  to  Jeru- 
salem to  attend  to  that  part  of  His  plan  that 
was  there  to  be  wrought  out ;  and  he  left  oth- 
ers among  the  nations,  to  be  the  medium  of 
contact  between  the  nations  and  the  mercies 
prepared  for  them.     W.  J.  B. 

Cyrus  was  God's  instrument,  and  the  states- 
man's insight  was  the  result  of  God's  illumi- 
nation. The  Divine  causality  moves  men  when 
they  move  themselves.  It  was  not  only  in  the 
history  of  the  chosen  people  that  God's  pur- 
pose is  wrought  out  by  more  or  less  conscious 
and  willing  instruments.  The  principle  laid 
down  by  the  writer  of  this  book  is  of  universal 
application,  and  the  true  "  philosophy  of  his- 
tory" must  recognize  as  underl3'ing  all  other 
so-called  causes  and  forces  the  one  uncaused 
Cause,  of  whose  purposes  kings  and  politicians 
are  the  executants,  even  while  they  freely  act 
according  to  their  own  judgments,  and,  it  may 
be,  in  utter  unconsciousness  of  Him.  It  con- 
cerns our  tranquillity  and  hopefulness,  in  the 
contemplation  of  the  bewildering  maze  and 
often  heart-breaking  tragedy  of  mundane  af- 
fairs, to  hold  fast  by  the  conviction  that  God's 
unseen  hand  moves  the  pieces  on  the  board, 
and  presides  over  all  the  complications.  The 
difference  between  "  sacred"  and  "  profane" 
history  is  not  that  one  is  under  His  direct  con- 


496 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


trol,  and  the  other  is  not.  What  was  true  of 
Cyrus  and  hU  iHilicy  is  as  true  of  America  or 
England.  AVovdd  that  politicians  ami  all  men 
recognized  the  fact  as  clearly  as  this  historian 
did  I    A.  M. 

When  Cyrus  was  moving  his  armies  toward 
Babylon  he  little  knew  that  he  was  accomplish- 
ing the  Divine  purpo.se  for  the  humbling  of  the 
oppressor  and  the  deliverance  of  His  oppressed 
people.  And,  in  all  the  events  of  common  life, 
men  seem  to  be  so  completely  their  own  mas- 
ters, there  seems  such  a  want  of  any  influence 
from  without,  that  God  is  liable  to  slip  entirely 
out  of  sight.  And  yet  God  is  really  at  work. 
Whether  men  know  it  or  not,  they  are  really 
fulfilling  the  purpo.scs  of  His  will.  Calmly  but 
steadily,  like  the  stars  in  the  silent  heavens, 
men  are  bringing  to  pass  the  schemes  of  God. 
His  wildest  enemies  are  really  helping  to  swell 
His  triumphs.  Oh,  how  vain  is  tlie  attempt  to 
resist  His  mighty  hand  !  The  day  cometh  when 
all  the  tokens  of  confusion  and  defeat  shall  dis- 
appear, when  the  bearing  even  of  the  fall  of  a 
sparrow  on  the  plans  of  God  shall  be  made  ap- 
parent, and  every  intelligent  creature  in  earth 
and  heaven  sliall  join  in  the  mighty  shout — 
"  Alleluiah,  for  the  Lord  God  Omnipotent 
reigneth."     W.  G.  B. 

It  is  easier  to  live  among  the  low  levels  of 
the  plain  of  Babylon  than  to  take  to  the  dan- 
gers and  privations  of  the  weary  tramp  across 
the  desert.  The  ruins  of  Jerusalem  are  a  much 
less  comfortaljle  abode  than  the  well-furnished 
houses  which  have  to  be  left.  Prudence  says. 
Be  content  where  you  are,  and  let  other  people 
take  the  trouble  of  such  mad  schemes  as  re- 
building the  Temple.  A  thousand  excuses  sing 
in  our  ears,  and  we  let  the  moment  in  which 
alone  some  noble  resolve  is  possible  slide  p;;st 


us,  and  the  rest  of  life  is  empty  of  another  such. 
Neglecteil  opportunities,  unobeyed  calls  to  high 
deeds,  \\v  all  have  in  our  lives.  The  saddest 
of  all  words  is.  We  might  have  been.  How 
much  wiser,  happier,  nobler,  were  the  daring 
souls  that  rose  to  the  occasion,  and  flung  ease 
and  wealth  and  companionship  l)ehind  them, 
because  they  heard  the  Divine  command 
couched  in  the  royal  pennission,  and  himibly 
answered,  "  Here  am  I  ;  send  me  !"     A.  M. 

The  human  spirit  is  stirred  alone  by  the  Spirit 
of  God  to  all  its  good,  whether  of  thought,  de- 
sire or  execution.  And  the  motion  of  the  Divine 
Spirit  is  in  such  connection  with  Truth  or 
Providence  that  the  human  spirit  is  conscious 
of  no  exerted  control,  scarcely  even  of  guid- 
ance. The  effect  of  high  and  holy  desire  or 
purpose,  and  of  devout  Christian  action,  is  the 
first  and  only  intimation  that  a  Divine  influ- 
ence hiiH  been  exerted  upon  the  soul. 

The  utter  giving  up  of  idolatry  by  the  Jews 
during  the  Captivity  wrought  a  double  good. 
It  was  a  testimony  arjainut  idnh'tnj.  It  was  an 
impressive  disclosure  of  the  true  and  only  liv- 
ing God.  It  rooted  out  the  wrong,  while  it 
planted  the  right  thought  of  God,  in  His  nature 
and  worship. 

The  principles  of  God's  dealing  with  His 
ancient  people  are  still  applied  to  every  nation 
favored  with  the  great  gifts  of  His  word  and 
Spirit.  Still  He  visits  with  chastisement  the 
marked  iniquities  of  such  nations  ;  and  still  He 
withdraws  Ilis  chastening  upon  the  penitent 
confession  of  those  among  them  who  own  and 
regard  Ilis  covenant  of  mercj'. 

God  still  overwatches  and  overrules  all  great 
events  and  changes  among  the  nations  in  the 
interest  of  His  people,  and  for  the  extension  of 
His  kingdom  on  the  earth.     B. 


Section  54. 

ALTAR   AND    SACRIFICE   RESTORED.     FOUNDATION   OF  TEMPLE-WORK 

SUSPENDED. 

Ezra  3  :  1-13  ;  4  : 1-24. 


3  : 1  And  when  the  seventh  month  was  come,  and  the  children  of  Israel  were  in  the  cities, 

2  the  people  gathered  themselves  together  as  one  man  to  Jeriisalem.  Then  stood  up  Jeshua 
the  son  of  Jozadak,  and  hie  brethren  the  priests,  and  Zcrubbabel  the  son  of  Shealtiel,  and  his 
brethren,  and  buildcd  the  altar  of  the  God  of  Israel,  to  offer  burnt  offerings  thereon,  as  it  is 

3  written  in  the  law  of  Moses  the  man  of  God.  And  they  set  the  altar  upon  its  base  ;  for 
fear  was  upon  them  because  of  the  people  of  the  countries  :  and  they  offered  burnt  offerings 


SECTION  54.     ALTAR  AND  SACRIFICE  RESTORED.  497 

4  thereon  unto  the  Lord,  even  burnt  oflcrings  morning  and  evening.  And  tlie}'  kept  the  feast 
of  t;iberniielcs,  as  it  is  written,  and  offered  the  ihiily  burnt  offerings  by  number,  according 

5  to  the  ordinance,  as  the  duty  of  every  day  required  ;  aud  afterward  the  continual  burnt  offer- 
ing, and  tlie  offennys  of  the  new  moons,  and  of  all  the  set  feasts  of  the  Lord  that  vrere  conse- 

6  crated,  and  of  every  one  that  willingly  offered  a  freewill  offering  unto  the  Lord,  From  the 
first  day  of  the  seventh  month  began  they  to  offer  burnt  offerings  unto  the  Lord  :  but  the 

7  foundation  of  the  leniple  of  the  Lord  was  not  yet  laid.  They  gave  money  also  vmto  the 
masons,  and  to  the  carpenters  ;  and  meat,  and  drink,  and  oil,  unto  them  of  Zidon,  and  to  them 
of  Tyre,  to  bring  cedar  trees  from  Lebanon  to  the  sea,  unto  Joppa,  according  to  the  grant 
that  they  had  of  Cyrus  king  of  Persia, 

8  Now  in  the  second  year  of  their  coming  unto  the  house  of  God  at  Jerusalem,  in  the  second 
month,  began  Zerubbabel  the  son  of  Shealtiel,  and  Jeshua  the  son  of  Jozadak,  and  the  rest  of 
their  brethren  the  priests  and  the  Levites,  and  all  they  that  were  come  out  of  the  captivity 
unto  Jerusalem  ;  and  appointed  the  Levites,  from  twenty  years  old  and  upward,  to  have  the 

9  oversight  of  the  work  of  the  house  of  the  Lord.  Then  stood  Jeshua  with  his  sons  and  his 
brethren,  Kadmiel  and  his  sons,  the  sons  of  Judah,  together,  to  have  the  oversight  of  the 
workmen  in  the  house  of  God  :  the  sons  of  Henadad,  with  their  sons  and  their  brethren  the 

10  Levites.  And  when  the  builders  laid  the  foundation  of  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  they  set  the 
priests  in  their  apparel  with  trumpets,  and  the  Levites  the  sons  of  Asaph  with  cymbals,  to 

11  praise  the  Lord,  after  the  order  of  David  king  of  Israel.  And  thej^  sang  one  to  another  in 
praising  and  giving  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  saying.  For  he  is  good,  for  his  mercy  cnduretli  for 
ever  toward  Israel,     And  all  the  people  shouted  with  a  great  shout,  when  they  praised  the 

12  Lord,  because  the  foundation  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  was  laid.  But  many  of  the  priests 
and  Levites  and  heads  of  fathers'  /loiises,  the  old  men  that  had  seen  the  first  house,  when  the 
foundation  of  this  house  was  laid  before  their  eyes,  wept  with  a  loud  voice  ;  and  many 

13  shouted  aloud  for  joy  :  so  that  the  people  could  not  discern  the  noise  of  the  shout  of  joy  from 
the  noise  of  the  weeping  of  the  people  :  for  the  people  shouted  with  a  loud  shout,  and  the 
noise  was  heard  afar  off, 

4  :  1  Now  when  the  adversaries  of  Judah  and  Benjamin  heard  that  the  children  of  tlie 

2  captivity  builded  a  teinph^  unto  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel  ;  then  they  drew  near  to  Zerub- 
babel, and  to  the  heads  of  fathers'  linuKeg.  and  said  unto  them.  Let  us  build  with  you  :  tor  we 
seek  your  God.  as  ye  do  ;  and  we  do  sacrifice  unto  him  since  the  days  of  Esar  haddon  king  of 

3  Assyria,  which  lirought  us  up  hither.  But  Zerubbabel,  and  Jeshua,  and  the  rest  of  the  heads  of 
fathers'  hnimcs  of  Israel,  said  tuito  them.  Ye  have  nothing  to  do  with  us  to  build  an  house  unto 
our  God  ;  but  we  ourselves  together  will  build  unto  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  as  king 

4  Cyrus  the  king  of  Persia  hath  commanded  us.     Then  the  people  of  the  land  weakened  the 

5  hands  of  the  people  of  Judah,  and  troubled  them  in  building,  and  hired  coiuisellors  against 
them,  to  frustrate  their  purpose,  all  the  days  of  Cyrus  king  of  Persia,  even  until  the  reign  of 

6  Darius  king  of  Persia,  And  in  the  reign  of  Ahasuerns,  in  the  beginning  of  his  reign,  wrote 
they  an  accusation  against  the  inhabitants  of  Judali  and  Jerusalem. 

7  And  in  the  days  of  Arta.xerxes  wrote  Bishlam,  Mithredath.  Tabeel,  and  the  rest  of  his  com- 
panions, unto  Artaxerxes  king  of  Persia  ;  and  the  writing  of  the  letter  was  written  in  the 

8  Syrian  e/iantctei;  and  set  forth  in  the  Syrian  ir/nr/ne.     Rehimi  the  chancellor  and  Shimshai  the 

9  scribe  wrote  a  letter  against  Jerusalem  to  Artaxerxes  the  king  in  this  sort  :  then  irmti'  Rehum 
the  chancellor,  and  Siiimshai  the  scribe,  and  the  rest  of  their  companions  ;  the  Dinaites,  and 
the  Apharsathehites,  the   Tarpelites,  the  Apharsites,  the  Archevites,  the  B.abylonians,  the 

10  Shushancliites,  the  Dehaites,  the  Elamites,  and  the  rest  of  the  nations  whom  the  great  and 
noble  Osnapijar  brought  over,  and  set  in  the  cit}'  of  Samaria,  and  in  the  rest  of  the  country 

11  l)ey(ind  the  river,  and  so  forth.     Tliis  is  tlie  cn])y  of  the  letter  that  they  sent  unto  Artaxerxes 
13  the  king  ;  Thy  servants  the  men  beyond  tlie  river,  and  so  forth.     Be  it  known  unto  the  king, 

that  till'  .Tews  which  came  up  from  tliee  are  come  to  us  unto  Jerusalem  ;  they  are  building 
the  rebellious  and  the  bad  city,  and  have  finished  the  walls,  and  repaired  the  foundations. 

13  Be  it^  known  now  unto  the  king,  that,  if  this  city  be  builded,  and  the  walls  finished,  they 

14  will  not  pay  tribute,  custom,  or  toll,  and  in  tlie  end  it  will  endamage  the  kings.  Now  be- 
cause we  eat  the  salt  of  thi'  palace,  and  it  is  not  meet  for  us  to  see  the  king's  dishonour,  there- 

15  fore  have  we  sent  and  certified  the  king  ;  that  search  may  be  made  in  tlie  book  of  the  records 
of  thy  fathers  :  so  slialt  thou  find  in  the  book  of  the  records,  and  know  that  this  city  is  a 
rebellious  city,  and  hurtful  unto  kings  and  provinces,  and  that  they  have  moved  sedition 

16  within  the  same  of  old  time  ;  fur  which  cause  was  this  city  laid  waste.  "We  certify  the  king 
that,  if  this  city  be  builded,  and  the  walls  finisheil,  by  this  means  thou  shalt  have  no  portion 

17  beyond  the  river.  Then,  sent  the  king  an  answer  tinto  Rehum  the  chancellor  and  to  Shimshai 
the  scribe,  and  to  the  rest  of  their  companions  that  tlwell  in  Samaria,  and  in  the  rest  of  Ihs 

18  roiiiifrfi  bevonil  the  river.  Peace,  and  so  forth.     The  letter  which  ye  sent  unto  us  hath  been 
13  plainly  read  before  me.     jVud  I  decreed,  and  search  hath  been  made,  and  it;  is  found  that  this 


498 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


city  of  old  timo  hath  nwdc  insurrection  ajrainst  kinars.  and  that  rebellion  and  sedition  have 
20  been  made  therein.     There  have  been  inijrhty  kiiiirs  also  over  Jerusalem,  whieh  have  ruled 

over  all  (/"■  r««;/</7/ beyond  the  river;  and  tnl)ute,  eii.stfim,  and  loll,  was  paid  unto  them. 
31  Mak(^  ye  now  a  deeree  to  cau.se  the.se  men  to  cease,  and  that  this  city  be  not  bidUh'd.  until  a 
28  decree  shall   be   made   l)y   mc.      And   take  heed   thai   ye  be  not  slack  herein  :   why  slio\dd 

23  damajje  ^row  to  the  hurt  of  the  kinjrs?  Then  when  the  copy  of  kinir  Arlaxerxes'  letter  was 
r<'ad  before  Uehurn.  and  Sliimshai  the  scribe,  and  their  companions,  they  went   in  haste  to 

24  Jerusalem  unto  the  Jews,  and  made  lliem  to  cease  by  force  and  i)ower.  Then  ceased  the 
work  of  the  house  of  G<j(1  which  is  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  it  ceased  unto  the  second  year  of  the 
reign  of  Darius  king  of  Persia. 


3  : 1-4.  Before  the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple 
itself  was  set  about,  in  the  second  year  after 
the  Return,  in  the  seventh  month  of  the  first 
year,  at  the  general  assend)ly  for  Divine  service, 
the  altar  for  the  burnt  offering  was  re-ereoted. 
in  order  to  offer  thereon  the  daily  morning  and 
<;vening  saeritiee.  The  Fea.st  of  Tabernacles 
also  was  reinstitutcd.  The  returned  captives 
acted  wisely  in  so  doing.  The  worship  of  God 
Himself,  and  the  obtaining  of  His  blessing 
thereby,  arc  the  chief  matter.  Besides,  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles  was  especially  a  joyful 
solemnity,  the  cheerfulness  of  whieh  took  its 
peculiar  character  from  the  new,  earnest  task 
which  the  people  had  then  in  hand.     C.  G.  B. 

TIk;  site  was  the  old  one,  where  the  first 

Temple  had  stood.  Gathering  at  Jerusalem, 
probably  at  the  end  of  the  sixth  month  (end  of 
August  or  beginning  of  September),  the  first  and 
in  some  sense  the  most  imijortant  part  of  the 
work  was  accomplished  on  the  first  day  of  the 
seventh  month.  Th(>  ruins  and  rubbish  having 
been  cleared  away,  the  altar  of  burnt  offering 
was  once  more  reared  on  the  old  foundations 
(Ezra  3  : 3).  Thenceforward  the  daily  morn- 
ing and  evening  and  the  festive  sacrifices  were 
duly  and  regularly  oflered.     A.  E. 

1.  Tlic  sei'eiitli  iiioiitli.  It  was  still 
the  first  year  of  C)'rus  ;  fur  it  wius  before  the 
founding  of  the  Temple,  the  second  month  of 
his  second  year  (verses  6,  8).  It  follows  that 
the  proclamation  of  Cyrus  must  have  been  is- 
sued early  in  the  year,  and  then  the  start  for 
Judea  very  promptly  nuide.  This  has  no  force 
against  the  view  that  the  bil)lical  first  j'car  of 
Cyrus  is  o38  b.c.  ;  for  Cyrus  had  been  on  the 
throne  at  Babylon  several  months  of  the  year 
preceding  his  "first  year,"  so  that  there  w^as 
time  enough  for  all  these  transactions.  In 
tlie  cities.  Doubtless  the  cities  they  occu- 
pied were  largely  those  named  in  the  list  in 
chap.  2.  As  the  land  had  been  lying  desolate, 
the  cities  must  have  been  in  an  uninhabited  and 
ruinous  condition.  But  it  woulij  not  take  long 
for  the  settlers  wh<i  went  to  each  city  to  estab- 
li.sli  dwellings  of  some  sort.     W.  J.  IS. 

Tiic  people  Kiitlii'red  tlieiiificlve»i 
together  ai«  one  man.     Work  to  be  well 


done  must  be  done  by  one  man,  or  as  if  it  were 
done  by  one  man.  Whether  there  be  one  man 
or  many  men,  there  must  be  one  heart  and  one 
mind  to  the  work  in  hand,  or  that  work  will 
not  go  forward  as  it  ought  to.  There  is  no 
safety  in  divided  counsels,  in  disagreement  in 
action.  All  must  come  together  in  opinion, 
and  finally  act  together — as  one  man.  This  is 
as  true  now  as  in  the  days  of  Ezra.  H.  C.  T. 
2.  Je§liua  the  son  of  Jozadak. 
Jcshua  was  now  high-priest  (Hag.  1:1;  Zech. 
3  :  1).  He  was  the  son  of  Jeho/.a<lak,  Jozadak, 
or  Josedech,  who  was  carried  into  captivity  by 
Nebuchadnezzar  (1  Chron.  6  :  15).  Zerub- 
l>al>el  I  lie  son  of  Sliealliel.  Zerubbabel 
was  really  the  son  of  Pedaiah,  Shealtiel's  (or 
Salathiel'.s)  younger  brother.  But  Shealtiel 
having  no  sons,  and  the  royal  line  being  con- 
tinued in  the  person  of  his  nephew,  Zerubbabel, 
the  latter  was  accounted  Shealtiel's  son.     B.  C. 

Jeshua,   or  Joshua,   and  Zerubbabel.     In 

verse  2  the  ecclesiastical  dignitary  comes  first, 
but  in  verse  8  the  civil.  Similarly,  in  Ezra 
2  :  2  Zervibbabel  precedes  Jeshua.  In  Haggai, 
the  priest  is  pre-eminent  ;  in  Zechariah.  the 
prince.  The  truth  seems  to  be  that  each  was 
supreme  in  his  own  department,  and  that  they 
understood  each  other  cordially,  or,  Zechariah 
says,  "  the  counsel  of  peace"  was  "  between 
them  both."     A.  M. 

Zerubbabel  and  the  "  Book  of  Moses,"  verses  2,  4. 

Did  Zerubbabel  promulgate,  as  binding  upon 
the  nation,  all  the  multitudinous  precepts  con 
stituting  "  the  Mosaic  laws,  "  whieh  occupy 
eleven  chapters  of  Exodus,  and  almost  the 
whole  of  Leviticus  and  Numbci's?  It  is  main- 
tained that  he  did  not.  It  is  maintained,  in- 
deed, that  th(!  greater  part  of  these  precepts,  of 
these  books,  was  not  yet  iu  existence.  The 
Babylonian  priests,  we  are  told,  and  especially 
Ezra,  composed  them  in  Babylon,  between  the 
time  of  Zerubbabel's  departure  and  Ezra's  ar- 
rival in  Palestine.  But  then,  we  ask,  what  is 
meant  by  the  statement  that  Zerubbabel  "  build- 
cd  the  altar  of  the  God  of  Israel,  to  offer  burnt 
offerings  thereon,  a.i  it  is  leritten  in  the  lair  of 
Moses,    the   man   of   God"   (Ezra  3  :  2) — what. 


SECTION  54.     ZERUBBABEL  AND   THE  "BOOK  OF  MOSES." 


4&9 


again,  by  tlic  donlaration.  tliat  "  they  kept  the 
Feast  of  Tabcrnaclus,  as  it  is  written,  anti  offered 
the  daily  burnt  offerings  by  number,  according 
to  tlie  custom,  as  the  duty  of  every  da}'  re- 
quired" {ibid.,  verse  4)?  What  is  this  but  an 
allusion  to  Num.  28  ;  11-15,  and  a  statement 
that  Zerubbabcl  followed  exactly  the  directions 
therein  contained?  Further,  what  is  meant  l)y 
the  assertion,  that  "  they  set  the  priests  in  their 
divisions,  and  the  Levites  in  their  courses,  for 
the  service  of  God,  which  is  at  Jerusalem,  as  it 
is  written  in  the  Book  of  Moses  ?"  Does  not  this 
allude  to  Num.  8  :  9-15?  Clearly  we  are  in- 
tended to  understand  that  Zerubbabel  guided 
liimsclf  in  religious  matters  by  a  "book."  a 
book  which  he  regarded  as  containing  "  the 
law  of  Closes" — and  this  book  comprised  direc- 
tions which  are  only  found  in  Numbers.  Biit 
this  is  exactly  the  part  of  the  law  which  it  is 
said  was  not  j'ct  written.  Thus  Kuenen's  view 
contradicts  at  least  two  passages  of  Ezra,  and 
is  consequentl)'  untenable.  We  must  regard 
Zerubbabel  as  in  possession  of  a  book  of  the 
law,  which  certainly  comjirised  Numbers,  and 
if  so,  probably  all  the  "  priestly  ordinances  :" 
and  which  therefore  probably  was  the  Penta- 
teuch.    G.  R. 

5,  6.  Permam'nt  establishment  of  the  daily 
sucrifiee,  the  set  feasts,  and  the  offerinrj  of  free-will 
offerinys.  Having  set  up  the  altar  and  celebrated 
the  particular  festival  which  the  revolving  year 
happened  to  have  brought  round,  and  which  it 
woidd  have  been  wrong  to  neglect,  the  exiles 
re-established  permanentlj'  three  things — (1)  the 
daily  sacrifice  ;  (2)  the  celebration  of  the  new 
moons  and  other  regular  feasts  ;  and  (3)  the 
practice  of  allowing  the  people  to  bring  offer- 
ings whenever  they  pleased,  to  be  offered  on 
the  great  altar  by  the  priest  or  priests  in  at- 
tendance. The  first  of  these  wa.s  for  atone- 
ment ;  the  second  for  public  thanksgiving  and 
acknowledgment  of  God's  mercies  ;  the  third 
for  private  devotion,  the  payment  of  vows  and 
the  like.     P.  C. 

5.  Every  <iiic  llial  willingly  oflored 
a  freewill  offerins  unto  tlie  Lord. 
What  a  man  gi\es  vuuler  pressure  of  fear,  or  of 
desire  for  popular  applause,  or  in  the  hope  of 
return,  cannot  fairlj'  be  set  to  his  charity  ac- 
count. He  deserves  no  credit  for  its  giving. 
It  may, indeed,  help  forward  Temple-buikliug, 
or  mission  work,  or  aid  in  paying  church  ex- 
penses ;  it  maj-  clothe  the  naked,  or  feed  the 
hungry,  or  shelter  the  homeless  ;  but  no  thanks 
to  him  for  that.  He  would  have  held  back  the 
money  if  he  had  dared  to.  What  the  Lord 
wants  is  a  freev.'dl  offering  willina'lv  offered. 


Unless  a  man  can  give  that,  his  giving  is  no 
giving.  "  God  lovetli  a  cheerful  giver."  No 
other  giver  has  any  smile  of  apju'oval  from 
Him.     H.  C.  T. 

Principles  of  Giving.  We  may  find  seven 
principles  laid  down  in  Scripture  :  1.  The 
willing  mind.  2.  The  covenant  with  God  iis 
the  basis  (Ps.  50).  3.  The  altar  sanctifying  the 
gift.  4.  Giving  as  unto  the  Lord — not  men. 
5.  Self-denial  as  the  measure  of  gifts.  6.  Stew 
ardship — all  inalienably  the  Lord's.  7.  Prayer 
and  privilege.     Pii  rson. 

God  guides  the  willing-hearted  as  with  His 
eye.  They  are  co-workers  with  Him  in  all  the 
affairs  of  His  kingdom.  To  some  extent  they 
see  what  He  sees,  and  feel  wliat  He  feels. 
They  give  liberally,  and  grudge  not  when  they 
give.  They  co-(-et  earnestly,  each  generation  of 
them,  to  be  doing  something  for  Him  in  their 
daj-.  They  have  a  faith  that  they  can  do  any- 
thing if  He  commands  it.  The  very  linnff 
substance  of  things  hoped  for  is  already  in 
them.  And  the  eridcnce  of  things  as  large  a.s 
kingdoms,  and  that  lie  beyond  sight,  is  of  them, 
just  as  sight  itself  is  of  the  person  that  sees, 
and  faith  itself  is  identical  with  the  person  that 
believes,  and  hope  is  of  the  person  that  hopes. 
The  kingdom  of  God,  and  even  God  Himself  in 
His  king<loni,  lies  pictured  in  the  heart  of  all 
the  heirs  of  eternal  life.  They  covet  earnestly 
to  be  doing  something  in  their  day  for  Hitn,  the 
great  Being  in  whom  their  forefathers  trusted. 
All  God's  service,  in  all  its  kinds  and  in  all  its 
ages  and  dispensations,  is  a  work  of  faith  and 
a  labor  of  love.     .1.  D.  Poll, eh. 

6.  From  the  iirsl  day.  The  altar  was 
built  and  the  daily  sacrifice  restored  on  the/raJ 
day  of  the  seventh  month.  The  Feast  of  Taber- 
nacles was  not  kept  till  Xhe  fifteenth  day  (\uey . 
23  :  34).     B.  C. 

7.  Preparation  of  materials  for  the  rebuilding 
of  the  Temple.  When  the  restoration  of  religion 
bad  progressed  thus  far,  the  civil  and  ecclesi- 
astical rulers  turned  their  attention  to  that  ob- 
ject which  had  been  specially  mentioned  in  the 
"  decree  of  Cyrus"  (chap.  1  : 2,  3),  the  rebuild- 
ing of  the  Temple.  And  first  of  all,  it  was 
necessary  to  collect  building  materials,  wood 
and  stone,  which  were  the  chief  m-aterials  of 
the  first  Temple,  and  which  Cyrus  had  partic- 
ularized in  a  supplementary  decree  (eliap.  6  :  4) 
as  those  to  be  employed  in  the  construction  of 
the  second.     P.  C. 

They  gave  money.  It  was  necessary  to 
prepare  materials  for  the  construction  of  the 
Temple  first  of  all.  Ma-sons,  therefore,  were  at 
once  set  to  work  to  cut  stone,  and  carjjenters  to 


500 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


hew  timber.  Arrangements  were  entered  into 
with  th<'  Tyrians  and  Sidonians,  by  wliich,  in 
return  for  supplies  of  food,  they  were  to  fur- 
nish cedar-wood  from  Lebanon  to  their  ncij^h- 

bors.     B.  C. The  cedars  of  Lebanon  were 

once  more,  by  royal  permission,  cut  down  in 
tlie  northern  moiuitains,  and  conveyed  by  tlie 
I'hteniciiin  navigators  along  their  coast  to 
Joppa,  whence  Zerubbabel's  workmen  trans- 
ported them  to  Jerusalem.  In  the  .short  space 
of  seven  months — from  the  seventh  month  of 
the  first  year,  or  that  of  the  Return  (3  : 1),  to 
the  second  month  of  the  second  year  (verse  8), 
or  that  which  followed — sufficient  material  was 
collected  for  the  work  to  begin.  Then,  on  a  .set 
day,  thefoimdaticmsof  the  .second  Temple  wen; 
laid,  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  took 
part  in  the  ceremony.     G.  K. 

S-13.  Ltiyiiigaf  the  foxmddtion  of  the  Temple 
and  cereniuniiil  mi  the  occaxion.  Seven  months 
wore  occupied  with  preparations.  The  winter 
was  past,  and  the  spring  had  arrived.  It 
was  the  second  month,  Zif,  the  month  of 
"blossom"  corresponding  to  our  May — the 
same  month  in  whicli  Solomon  had  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  tirst  Temple  (1  K.  6  :  1) — 
when  Zerulibabel  judged  that  the  time  liad 
come  for  commencing  the  foundation  of  the 
second.  The  correspondence  of  the  month 
was  no  doubt  intentional,  like  the  correspond- 
ence of  the  foundations  of  the  altar  (verse  3), 
and  was  to  mark  that  all  was  to  be  as  before, 
that  nothing  was  to  be  wantonly  changed. 
Zerubbabel  and  Jeshua  presided  ;  but  to  Zerub- 
babel  is  assigned  the  chief  part  of  the  work. 
' '  The  hands  of  Zerulibabel  have  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  this  lionse"  are  the  words  of  God 
Himself  to  Zechariah  (Zech.  4  :  9).  It  was  ar- 
ranged that  the  work  should  commence  with  a 
religious  ceremonial,  natural  piety  here  sug- 
gesting what  was  not  recorded  of  the  "  tirst 
house,"  though  it  may  have  occurred  and  not 
have  been  put  on  record.  The  ceremonial  con- 
sisted chicHy  of  praise,  and  was  accompanied 
with  .sacred  music,  according  to  the  pattern  set 
by  David  and  Solomon  in  their  sacred  proces 
Bions  and  ceremonies  (1  Chron.  \'i  :  19,  ^4  ;  16  : 
5  ;  2  Chron.  5  :  13,  etc.).  Their  special  parts  in 
it  were  assigned  beforehand  to  the  priests,  the 
Levites  and  the  people.     V.  C. 

It  must  havt'  been  a  happy  and  a  bright  spring 
day  in  the  month  lyarof  the  year  535  n.c,  when 
the  company  of  returned  exiles  gathered  around 
Zerubbabel  and  Jeshua  to  see  the  foundations 
of  their  glorious  Temple  once  more  laid.  And 
yet  we  scarcely  wonder  that  the  sound  of  weep- 
ing  should    have    mingled  with    the   song  of 


psalms  and  the  music  of  praise  (Ezra  3  :  8-13) 
It  had  come,  as  foretold  to  the  fathers  ;  ;'.nd 
they,  the  younger  generation,  who  liad  not 
known  the  glories  of  the  first  Temple,  merely 
the  bitterness  and  reproach  of  the  E.xile,  could 
only  feel  as  if  once  more  the  old.  divinely  re- 
stored, were  to  cast  the  brightness  of  its  glory 
over  the  future  of  Israel.  But  there  were  others 
in  that  assembly  to  whom  these  foundations  re- 
called the  past  in  its  contrast  with  tlic  present. 
It  was  not  only  what  had  been,  but  what  now 
was  ;  not  only  that  they  had  seen  "  this  house 
in  her  first  glory,"  but  that  wlnit  they  now  took 
in  hand  must  have  been  in  their  "  eyes  in  com- 
parison of  it  as  nothing"  (Hag.  2  :  3).  Nor  was 
it  only  "  a  day  of  small  things."  The  dullest 
eye  must  have  perceived  the  difficulties  by 
which  their  undertaking  was  surrounded,  and 
which,  humanly  speaking,  must  have  made  it 
appear  most  unlikely  of  realization.  The  po- 
litical, as  well  as  the  religious,  prospect  before 
that  small  remnant  was  indeed  of  the  darkest. 
It  seemed  as  if  there  were  a  "  great  mountain 
before  Zerubbabel."  How  could  it  be  made  "  a 
plain"?  Assuredly  "  not  by  might,  nor  by 
power" — which  were  not  theirs — but  if  ever, 
or  at  all,  only  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  (Zech. 
4:6,7).     A.E." 

8.  The  language  is  remarkable.  It  is  not 
"  coming  to  Jerusalem,"  nor  "  coming  to  the 
land  of  Israel,"  but  "  coming  unto  the  house  of 
God,"  which  was  the  real  object  of  their  desire 
and  hope.  It  was  their  longing  for  the  house 
of  God  and  His  worship,  and  the  consequent 
sense  of  His  presence  and  favor,  which  drew 
them  to  Jerusalem  to  rebuild  its  ruins. 
W.  II.  G. 

9.  The  services  when  the  foundation  iras  laid. 
The  account  of  these  is  very  graphic.  It  can 
hardly  be  made  more  so  by  analysis  or  explana- 
tions. The  best  way  to  understand  it  is  to  read 
it  several  times,  fixing  attention  upon  it  clau.se 
by  clause,  until  in  imagination  you  sec  and  hear 
the  gathered  multitudes,  the  robed  priests  with 
their  trumjiets,  the  trained  Lcvite  musicians, 
the  responsive  singing,  the  great  shout,  the 
nnngled  weeping  and  rejoicing.  Then  think  of 
the  reasons  for  weeping  and  for  rejoicing  that 
were  in  their  minds.  Those  who  wept  were  not 
weeping  merely  because  the  new  Temple  was 
so  inferior  to  the  old.  Along  with  this  was  the 
thought  of  miseries  and  disappointments  and 
humiliations  passed  throu,gh  since  the  old  house 
stood  in  its  glory.  And  the  joy  of  those  wlio 
rejoiced  was  that  which  comes  from  the  realiz- 
ing of  hopes  long  delayed,  that  have  often  al- 
most yielded  to  despair.     \V.  .1.  B. 


SECTION  54.     LAYING   TUB  TEMPLE  FOUNDATION. 


501 


1 1 .  The  ancient  strain  which  still  rings 
from  Christian  lips,  and  bids  fair  to  be  as  eter- 
nal as  the  mercies  which  it  hymns,  rose  with 
strange  pathos  from  the  lips  of  the  crowd  on 
the  desolate  temple  mountain,  ringed  about  by 
the  waste  solitudes  of  the  city.  "  For  He  is 
good,  for  His  nic  rcy  cndureth  forever  toward 
Israel. ' '  It  needed  some  faith  to  sing  that  song 
then,  even  with  the  glow  of  return  upon  them. 
What  of  all  the  weary  years  ?  What  of  the 
empty  homesteads  and  the  surrounding  ene- 
mies and  the  brethren  still  in  Babylon?  No 
doubt  some,  at  least,  of  the  rejoicing  multitude 
had  learned  what  the  Captivity  was  meant  to 
teach  and  had  come  to  bless  God,  both  for  the 
long  j'ears  of  exile,  which  had  burned  a^vay 
much  dross,  and  for  the  incomplete  work  of 
restoration,  surrounded  though  they  were  with 
foes  and  little  as  was  their  strength  to  fight. 
The  trustful  heart  linds  occasion  forunmingled 
praise  in  the  most  mingled  cup  of  joy  and  sor- 
row.    A.  M. 

12.  Had  seen  llic  first  house.  It  was 
now  just  about  fifty  years  since  the  destruction 
of  Solomon's  Temple,  so  that  there  were  yet 
alive  a  good  many  people  old  enough  to  re- 
member it  distinctly.  A  few  might  remember 
back  as  far  as  the  times  of  Josiah. 

Their  outlook  hackwitrd  and  forward.  The 
account  makes  much  of  the  connection  between 
the  returning  exiles  and  Moses.  It  specifies 
that  they  did  according  to  what  is  ' '  written  in 
the  law  of  Moses"  (verse  2).  As  we  have  seen, 
the  Pentateuchal  sacred  year  is  recognized  in 
nearly  all  its  particulars.  So  are  burnt  offer- 
ings and  freewill  offerings,  in  their  distinc- 
tive character,  and  the  distinction  between 
I)riest  and  Levite,  and  the  Levitical  age  of  ser- 
vice "from  twenty  years  old  and  upward." 
The  ecclesiastical  head  of  the  returning  exiles 
is  Jeshua,  the  high-priest,  of  Aaronic  descent. 
It  is  hardly  open  to  dispute  that  the  writer  of 
this  narrative  represents  that  the  Levitical  law 
as  a  whole  was  in  existence  in  ZerubbabeFs 
time,  and  was  regarded  as  from  Moses.  Even 
those  seliolars  who  hold  that  the  Levitical  law 
dates  from  .some  decades  later  than  Zerubbabel 
would  not  claim  that  this  writer  agrees  witli 
them.  Again,  the  looking  back  to  David's 
time  is  hardly  less  marked  than  the  looking 
back  to  Moses.  The  musical  part  of  the  ser- 
vice, which  is  the  most  prominent  part,  is 
marked  with  the  names  of  David  and  Asaph. 
The  Temple  and  altar  themselves  are  in  succes- 
sion with  those  that  David  planned  and  Solo- 
mon built.  Their  civil  leader  is  Zerubbabel, 
grandson  of  the  king  of  Judah  who  was  carried 


into  exile,  the  living  representative  of  the  lin- 
eage of  David.  In  all  these  particulars  they 
were  looking  forward,  as  well  as  looking  back- 
ward. The  one  thought  most  in  the  mind  of 
those  of  them  who  were  spiritually  minded  was 
the  thought  expressed  in  tlie  song  they  sang, 
namely,  that  Jehovah's  lovingkinduess  over 
Israel  is  to  eternity.  Thus  far  it  had  proved 
so.  Israel  was  still  in  existence.  Now  again 
the  unextinguishable  fire  burned  on  the  altar. 
David's  seed  had  its  living  representative.  The 
premise  to  Israel  and  David  would  not  fail  for 
lack  of  a  claimant.  Jehovah  had  said  that  this 
lovingkindness  of  His  should  last  forever. 
With  a  fidelity  outlasting  the  tribulations  of 
the  Exile,  He  had  kept  His  word.  Tliis  was  an 
earnest  that  He  would  always  keep  it,  and  all 
nations  should  yet  be  blessed  in  the  seed  of 
Abraham  and  of  David.  We  are  accustomed 
to  look  for  Messianic  forecasts  in  the  prophetic 
books  ;  but  really  there  are  no  passages  in  the 
Old  Testament  where  the  Messianic  hope  and 
the  Messianic  promise  are  brighter  than  in  his- 
torical situations  like  this.     AV.  J.  B. 

4:1.  The  adremarics  of  Judah  and  Benja- 
min. The  Samaritans — the  people  whom  Shal- 
maneser  and  Esarhaddon,  kings  of  Assyria, 
had  brought  from  Babylon,  Cuthah,  Ava,  and 
other  places,  and  had  settled  in  parts  of  the 
country  formerly  inhabited  by  the  Ten  Tribes 
of  Israel  {see  verses  3  and  10).  They  were 
called  Samaritans,  from  having  occupied  the 
city  of  Samaria  and  its  neighborhood,  and  were 
also  called  Cutheans,  from  the  country  which 
some  of  them  had  formerly  inhabited.  Bp. 
Patrick. 

2.  Since  the  «lay».  Esarhaddon  mount- 
ed the  Assyrian  throne  in  the  year  B.C.  681,  and 
reigned  till  n.c.  668.  Thus  the  Samaritans 
speak  of  what  had  taken  place  at  least  a  lum- 
dred  and  thirty  yeare  previous!}'.  Esarhad- 
don which  brought  us  up.  There  ap- 
pear to  have  been  at  least  three  colonizations 
of  Samaria  by  the  Assyrian  kings.  Sargon, 
soon  after  his  conquest,  replaced  the  captives 
whom  he  had  carried  off  by  colonists  from  Baby- 
lonia and  from  Hamath  (3  K.  17  :  24).  Later  in 
his  reign  he  added  to  these  first  settlers  an  Ara- 
bian element  ("  Ancient  Monarchies,"  Vol.  II., 
p.  415).  Some  thirty  or  forty  years  afterward 
Esarhaddon,  his  grandson,  largely  augmented 
the  population  by  colonists  drawn  from  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  empire,  but  especially  from 
the  southeast,  Susiana,  Elymais  and  Persia  'see 
below,  verse  9).  Thus  the  later  Samaritans 
were  an  exceedingly  mixed  race. 

3.  Ife  have  nothing  to  do  with  ns. 


502 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


At  first  sijjcht  this  rejection  seems  liarsh.  But 
the  Samnritaiis  had  united  idolatrous  rites  with 
the  worslii])  of  Jeliovah  (2  K.  17  :  29-41)  ;  and 
to  liave  allowed  them  a  share  in  restoring  the 
Temple   would   liave   Ix'cn   destructive   of   all 

purily  of   religion.     B.   C. At   the  cost  of 

turning  these  would-be  friends  into  bitter  and 
persistent  enemies,  "  Zerubliabel  atid  Jesliua 
and  the  rest  of  the  chief  of  the  fathers  of  Is- 
nul"  saved  the  nation,  for  the  time  at  any 
rale,  from  the  danger  of  having  their  religion 
(•orrupted  and  adulterated  by  intermixture  with 
a  form  of  belief  and  practice  which  was 
altogether  of  an  inferior  type,  and  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  tainted  with  heathenism. 
(i.  H. 

The  Jews  steadily  rejected  the  proposal  made 
by  the  Samaritans,  to  join  with  them  in  rc^ 
buildiitg  th(^  Temple  of  the  God  of  Israel  and 
celelirating  His  worship  ;  and  tliis  rejection  ap- 
pears to  have  been  subservient  to  the  purposes 
of  the  Divine  economy.  The  intermixture  of 
the  Samaiitans  with  the  Jews  might  have  ren- 
dered the  aceomplisUmeiit  of  the  prophecies 
<;onceruing  the  famil}-  and  birth  of  the  ^Messiah 
less  clear  ;  ndght  have  iiUroduced  again  idola- 
try among  the  restored  Jews,  now  completely 
abhorrent  from  it,  and  in  \arious  ways  defeat- 
ed the  granil  objects  of  Providence  in  selecting 
and  preserving  a  peculiar  peojile.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  rejection  and  the  alienation  it 
produced,  the  Jews  probably  became  more 
vigilant  in  preserving  the  strictness  and  the 
(Samaritans  more  zealous  in  emulating  the  puri- 
ty of  the  Jlosaic  ritual.  They  became  hostile 
and  therefore  unsuspected  guardians  and  vouch- 
ers of  the  integrity  of  the  sacred  text,  particu- 
larly of  the  IVntatcuch.  And  while  the  Jews 
in  general,  blinded  by  their  national  preju- 
dices, could  sei'  in  the  promised  Jlcssiah  only  a 
national  and  temporal  deliverer,  the  Samaritans 
appear  to  have  judged  of  Ilis  pretensions  with 
more  justice  and  success.  And  though  our 
Lord  visited  them  onlj-  as  it  were  incidentally, 
yet  lie  was  able  to  declare  to  them  His  charac- 
ter and  avow  his  dignity,  without  that  mysteri- 
ous reserve  and  jealous  caution,  which  the 
I)n>ncness  of  the  Jewish  nuiltitude  "  to  take 
Him  by  force  !:nd  make  llim  a  king,"  con- 
stantly reqinred.  And  it  seems  evident  that 
the  Samariums  were  predisposed  and  prepared 
to  receive  and  diffuse  the  light  of  the  Gospel 
more  than  any  other  description  of  men,  the 
pious  and  leflecting  part  of  the  Jewish  nation 
only  excepted.  And  thus  this  circumstance 
appears  in  its  final  result  to  have  materially 
facilitated  the  diffusion  of  true  religion  in  the 


world,  and  thus  to  have  been  subservient  to 
the  general  advantage  of  mankind.     O rates. 

5.  Hired  <'«iiJisell«»r!>— «.«.,  bribed  offi- 
cials at  the  Persian  court  to  interpose  delays 
and  create  dillieidties,  in  order  to  hinder  the 
work.  IJiilil  the  reisii  <»('  ■>:iriu!4.  (Sec 
below,  verse  24. )  It  bus  liiiii  argued  that  the 
Darius  intended  is  Darius  Xothus,  who  a.scend- 
ed  the  Persian  throne  in  li.c.  424,  more  than  a 
century  later  than  the  concjuest  of  Babylon  by 
Cyrus  (li.c.  538).  The  order  of  the  names  in 
verses  5-7  and  24  is  in  favor  of  this  view  ;  but 
the  fact  that  Zerubbabel  and  Jeshua,  who  came 
up  from  Babylon  in  the  first  jear  of  Cyrus,  are 
still  living  and  vigorous  in  the  second  (ehap. 
5  :  2)  and  even  in  the  sixth  year  of  Darius  (Zech. 
4  :  9)  makes  it  impossible  that  the  king  intended 
can  be  Darius  the  Second,  since  their  age  would 
be  in  his  sixth  year  at  least  one  hundred  and 
fifty.  This  argument  has  induced  all  recent 
commentators  to  acquiesce  in  the  hypothesis 
that  the  Darius  of  Ezra  is  Darius  the  son  of 
Ilystaspes. 

6.  Ill  the  reign  or  Alia!iiicru§.  If  the 
Darius  of  verses  5  and  24  is  Darius  Ilystasjies, 
the  Ahasuerus  of  the  jiresent  verse  must  be 
Camby.ses,  the  son  and  successor  of  Cyrus. 
That  Persian  kings  had  often  two  names  is  a 
well-known  fact  of  history. 

7.  Ill  the  (lays  of  Artaxcrxes.  By 
"  Artaxcrxes"  in  this  place,  Gomates,  the 
pseudo-Smerdis,  seems  to  be  intended.  He 
succeeded  Cambyses  in  B.C.  521,  and  reigned 
seven  months,  when  he  was  deposed  and  exe- 
cuted by  Darius  Ilvstaspes.     B.  C. 

17''24.  This  stoppage;  of  the  rebuilding  of 
Jerusalem  and  re-establishment  of  the  Jews  as 
a  nation,  by  one  of  the  early  Persian  kings,  is 
the  more  remarkable,  because,  though  .similar 
attempts  to  check  and  thwart  the  Israelites 
were  maele  by  their  adversaries  in  the  reigns  of 
all  the  other  early  kings,  in  every  other  case 
the}-  failed  ;  in  this  case  only  were  they  suc- 
cessful. No  king  forbade  the  building  but  th(? 
second  monarch  after  Cyrus.  This  monarch 
issued  an  edict  against  the  Jews  (chap.  4  :  17-22), 
and  brought  the  building  of  Jerusalem  to  a 
stand.  Now,  both  profane  writers  and  the  in- 
scriptions show  us  that  the  next  king  but  one 
after  Cyrus  held  a  peculiar  i)osition.  H<'  was. 
as  Darius  himself  tells  us,  a  Magian,  qidte  \in- 
conneeted  with  the  Persian  royal  family.  He 
personated  a  deceased  son  of  Cyrus,  named 
Smerdis,  and  was  allowed  to  reign  on  the  sup- 
position that  lie  was  really  the  prince  whose 
mmie  he;  assumed.  He  held  tin;  throne  no  more 
than  seven   months,  but  still  he  reigned  long 


SECTION  55. 


503 


enough  to  effect  a  religious  revohition  in  Per- 
sia, lie  put  down  Zonjastrianisni,  destroyed 
the  Zoroastrian  temples  and  put  a  stop  tn  the 
Zf>roastriau  worship,  substituting  JIagianisni 
in  its  place.  Now,  Magianism  was  the  worship 
of  the  elements  ;  it  disdained  temples  and  de- 
nied a  personal  God.  It  is  clearly  most  natu- 
ral, probable  and  readil}-  intelligible  that  a 
monarch  of  this  stamp  should  run  counter  to 
all  the  real  Aehannenian  princes  on  a  religious 
matter  ;  that,  as  a  Magian,  he  should  interfere 
to  check  the  building  of  a  magnilieent  temple, 
and  as  a  Pantheist,  should  disallow  the  wor- 
ship of  Jehovah.  Had  we  been  told  that  any 
other  of  the  early  Persian  kings  set  himself  in 
opposition  to  the  Jews,  reversed  the  policy  of 
Cyrus,  and  forbade  the  building  of  the  Temple, 
we  should  have  found  ourselves  confronted  by 
a  diflieulty.  The  fact  that  it  is  the  monarch 
who  liolds  the  place  of  the  pseudo-Smerdis,  that 
takes  a  peculiar  line,  one  opposed  to  the  policy 


of  the  Achiemenians  generally,  turns  the  dilli- 
eulty  into  an  evidence.  As  the  religious  views 
of  this  monarch  were  wholly  opijoscd  to  those 
of  both  his  predecessors  and  successors,  he 
would  be  almost  certain  to  treat  the  Jews  dif- 
ferently. If  they,  as  Zoroastrians,  sympathized 
with  the  people  of  Israel,  he,  as  an  anti-Zoro- 
astrian,  would  dislike  and  suspect  them.  It 
may  be  added  that  his  letter,  being  totally  de- 
void of  any  religious  sentiment,  is  characteristic, 
and  contrasts  remarkably  with  the  decrees  of 
Cyrus  and  Darius  (Ezra  1:2-4;  6  :  6-12),  and 
with  the  letter  of  Artaxerxes  (7  :  12-26).    G.  R. 

24.  Unto  the  second  year  of  Darius. 
The  second  year  of  Darius  was  ax\  520.  If  the 
building  ceased  in  the  reign  of  the  pseudo- 
Smerdis  and  was  resumed  in  the  second  year  of 
Darius,  it  was  only  interrupted  for  about  two 
years,  since  the  pseudo-Smerdis  reigned  less 
than  a  year.  B.  C.  (See  Section  50,  closing 
paper.) 


Section  55. 


DECREE  OF  DARIUS.    TEMPLE  FINISHED  .AND  DEDICATED.    PASSOVER  KEPT. 

Ezra  5  :  1-17  ;  6  :  1-22. 

5  : 1  Now  the  prophets,  Haggai  the  prophet,  and  Zechariah  the  son  of  Iddo,  prophesied 
unto  the  Jews  that  were  in  Judah  and  Jerusalem  ;  in  the  name  of  the  God  of  Israel  jyrwplusied 

2  tJu.y  unto  them.  Then  rose  up  Zerubbabel  the  son  of  Shealtiel,  and  Jeshua  tlie  son  of  Joza- 
dak,  and  began  to  build  the  bouse  of  God  which  is  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  with  them  were  the 

3  prophets  of  God,  helping  them.  At  the  same  time  came  to  them  Tattenai,  the  governor 
beyond  the  river,  and  Shethar-bozenai,  and  their  companions,  and  said  thus  imto  them,  W!io 

4  gave  you  a  decree  to  build  this  house,  and  to  finish  this  wall?    Then  spake  we  unto  them 

5  after  this  manner.  What  are  the  names  of  the  men  that  make  this  building?  But  the  eye  of 
their  God  was  upon  the  elders  of  the  Jews,  and  they  did  not  make  them  cease,  till  the  matter 
should  come  to  Darius,  and  then  answer  should  be  returned  by  letter  concerning  it. 

C  The  copy  of  the  letter  that  Tattenai,  the  governtn-  beyond  the  river,  and  Shethar-bozenai, 
and  his  companions  the  Apharsachites,  which  were  beyond  the  river,  sent  unto  Darius  the 

7  king  :  they  sent  a  letter  unto  him,  wherein  was  written  thus  ;  Unto  Darius  the  king,  all 

8  peace.  Be  it  known  unto  the  king,  that  we  went  into  the  province  of  Judah,  to  the  house  of 
the  great  God,  which  is  builded  with  great  stones,  and  timber  is  laid  in  the  walls,  and  this 

9  work  goeth  on  with  diligence  and  prospereth  in  their  hands.  Then  asked  we  those  elders, 
and  said  unto  them  thus.  Who  gave  you  a  decree  to  build  this  house,  and  to  finish  this  wall? 

10  We  asked  them  their  names  also,  to  certify  thee,  that  we  might  write  the  names  of  the  men 

11  that  were  at  the  head  of  them.  And  thus  they  returned  us  answer,  sa3'ing.  We  are  the  ser- 
vants of  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  build  the  house  that  was  builded  these  many  years 

12  ago, -which  a  great  king  of  Israel  builded  and  finished.  But  after  that  our  fathers  had  pro- 
voked the  God  of  heaven  unto  wrath,  he  gave  them  into  the  hand  of  Nel)uehadnezzar  king  of 
Babylon,  the  Chaldean,  who  destroyed  this  house,  and  carried  the  people  away  into  Babylon. 

13  But  in  the  first  year  of  Cyrus  king  of  Babylon,  CH'rus  the  king  made  a  decree  to  build  this 

14  hoTise  of  God.  And  the  gold  and  silver  vessels  also  of  the  house  of  God,  which  Nebuchad- 
nezzar took  out  of  the  temple  that  was  in  Jerusalem,  and  brought  them  into  the  temple  of 


504  BOOK  OF  EZRA. 

I?nl)_vlon,  lliosp  did  Cynifl  tlio  kiiiR  take  out  of  the  tcmiilc  of  Babylon,  nnd  thej'  wcrr  dolivorcd 

15  unto  one  whose  mime  was  Shcshbazzar.  whom  he  had  made  governor  ;  and  he  said  unto 
him,  Take  these  vessels,  go,  put  them  in  the  temple  that  is  in  Jerusalem,  and  let  the  house  of 

16  God  be  builded  in  its  place.  Then  came  the  same  Shcshbazzar,  and  laid  the  foundations  of 
the  house  of  God  which  is  in  Jerusalem  ;  and  since  that  time  even  until  now  hath  it  been  in 

17  biuldin.ff,  and  yet  it  is  not  completed.  Now  therefore,  if  it  seem  good  to  the  king,  let  there 
be  search  made  in  the  king's  treasure  house,  which  is  there  at  Babylon,  whether  it  be  so,  that 
a  decree  was  made  of  Cyrus  the  king  to  build  this  hou,se  of  God  at  Jerusalem,  and  let  the  king 
send  his  jileasure  to  us  concerning  this  matter. 

0  :  1  Then  Darius  the  king  made  a  decree,  and  search  was  made  in  the  house  of  the  archives, 
8  where  the  treasures  were  laid  tip  in  Babylon.     And  there  was  founil  at  Aclimetha.  in  the 

3  palace  that  is  in  the  province  of  Media,  a  roll,  and  therein  was  thus  written  for  a  record.  In 
the  first  year  of  Cyrus  the  king,  Cyrus  the  king  made  a  decree  ;  Concerning  the  lioc.se  of  God 
at  Jerusalem,  let  the  house  be  builded,  the  place  where  they  offer  siicrifices,  and  let  the  foun- 
dations thereof  be  strongly  laid  ;  the  height  thereof  threescore  cubits,  and  the  breadth  thereof 

4  threescore  cubits  ;  with  three  rows  of  great  stones,  and  a  row  of  new  timber  :  and  let  the 

5  expenses  be  given  out  of  the  king's  house  :  and  also  let  the  gold  and  silver  vessels  of  the 
house  of  God,  which  Kcbuehadnczzar  took  forth  out  of  the  temple  which  is  at  Jerusalem,  and 
brought  unto  Babylon,  be  restored,  and  brought  again  unto  the  temple  which  is  at  Jerusalem, 

6  every  one  to  its  place,  and  thou  shalt  put  tlii'm  in  the  house  of  God.  Now  therefore,  Tat- 
tenai,  governor  tieyond  the  river,  Slietliar-bozenai,  and  your  com]ianions  the  Apharsacliites, 

7  which  arc  beyond  the  river,  be  ye  far  from  thence  :  let  the  work  of  this  house  of  God  alone  ; 
let  the  governor  of  the  Jews  and  the  elders  of  the  Jews  build  this  house  of  God  in  its  place. 

8  Moreover  I  make  a  decree  what  ye  shall  do  to  these  elders  of  the  Jews  for  the  building  of  this 
house  of  God  :  that  of  the  king's  goods,  even  of  the  tribute  beyond  the  river,  expenses  be 

9  given  with  all  diligence  unto  these  men,  that  they  be  not  hindered.  And  that  which  they 
have  need  of,  both  young  bullocks,  and  rams,  and  lambs,  for  burnt  offerings  to  the  God  of 
heaven,  wheat,  salt,  wine,  and  oil,  according  to  the  word  of  the  priests  which  are  at  Jerusa- 

10  1cm,  let  it  be  given  them  day  by  day  without   fail  :  that  they  may  offer  sacrifices  of  sweet 

11  savour  unto  the  God  of  heaven,  and  pray  for  the  life  of  the  king,  and  of  his  sons.  ALso  I 
have  made  a  decree,  that  whosoever  shall  alter  this  word,  let  a  beam  be  pulled  out  from  his 
house,  and  let  him  be  lifted  up  and  fastened  thereon  ;  and  let  his  house  be  made  a  dunghill 

12  for  this  :  and  the  God  that  hath  caused  his  name  to  dwell  there  overthrow  all  kings  and 
peoples,  that  shall  put  forth  their  hand  to  alter  the  same,  to  destroy  this  house  of  God  which 
is  at  Jerusalem.     1  Darius  have  made  a  decree  ;  let  it  be  done  with  all  diligence. 

13  Then  Tattenai,  the  governor  beyond  the  river,  Shetharbozenai,  and  their  companions, 

14  because  that  Darius  the  king  had  sent,  did  accordingly  with  all  diligence.  And  the  elders  of 
the  Jews  builded  and  prospered,  through  the  prophesying  of  Haggai  the  prophet  and  Zecha- 
riah  the  son  of  Iddo.  And  they  builded  and  finished  it,  according  to  the  commandment  of  the 
God  of  Israel,  and  according  to  the  decree  of  Cyrus,  and  Darius,  and  Artaxerxes  king  of 

15  Persia.     And  this  house  was  finished  on  the  third  day  of  the  month  Adar.  which  was  in  the 

16  sixth  year  of  the  reign  of  Darius  the  king.  And  the  children  of  Israel,  the  priests  and  the 
Levites,  and  the  rest  of  the  cliililren  of  the  captivity,  kept  the  dedication  of  this  house  of  God 

17  with  joy.  And  they  offered  at  the  dedication  of  this  house  of  God  an  hundred  bullocks,  two 
hundred  rams,  four  hundred  lambs  ;  and  for  a  sin  offering  for  all  Israel,  twelve  he-goats, 

18  ac'cording  to  the  number  of  the  tribes  of  Israel.  And  they  set  the  priests  in  their  divisions, 
and  the  Levites  in  their  courses,  for  the  service  of  God,  which  is  at  Jerusalem  ;  as  it  is  written 
in  the  book  of  Moses. 

19  And  th(^  children  of  the  captivity  kept  the  pas.sover  upon  t he  fourteenth  rfny  of  the  first 

20  month.  For  the  priests  and  the  Levites  had  purified  themselves  together  ;  all  of  them  were 
pure  :  and  they  killed  the  pas.sover  for  all  the  children  of  the  captivity,  and  for  their  brethren 

21  the  priests,  and  for  themselves.  And  the  children  of  Israel,  which  were  come  again  out  of 
tlic^  captivity,  and  all  such  as  had  separated  themselves  unto  Ihem  from  the  fillhiness  of  the 

22  heathen  of  the  land,  to  seek  the  Loun,  the  God  of  Israel,  did  cat,  and  kept  the  feast  of 
unleavened  bread  seven  days  with  joy  :  for  the  LoitD  had  made  th(  m  joyful,  and  had  turned 
the  heart  of  the  king  of  Assyria  unto  them,  to  strengthen  their  hands  in  the  work  of  the  house 
of  God,  the  God  of  Israel. 


SECTION  55.     PREACTIIN6   OF  IIAGOAI  AND  ZECIIARIAII. 


505 


5:1,2.  liccommcncement  of  the  building  in 
the  secditd  yeiir  of  Dariun.  Preaching  nf  Ilaggai 
and  Zechaviah.  It  appears  from  the  extant 
prophecies  of  these  two  prophets  that  the  long 
frustration  of  their  hopes  had  had  its  natural 
effect  on  the  spirits  of  the  people.  They  had 
begun  to  weary  of  endeavors  which  produced 
no  practical  result,  and  to  despair  of  accom- 
plishing an  object  which  all  their  efforts  did 
not  perceiitibly  advance.  A  reaction  had  set 
in.  The  enthusiasm  which  had  shown  itself  on 
the  first  arrival  of  the  exiles  with  Zerubbabel 
(chap.  2  ;  68,  69  ;  3  :  11)  had  faded  away.  In- 
stead of  watching  for  an  opportunity  of  recom- 
mencing the  great  work  and  seizing  the  first 
occasion  that  offered  itself,  the  people  had  come 
to  acquiesce  in  its  indefinite  postponement,  and 
to  say  among  themselves,  "The  time  is  not 
come,  the  time  that  the  Lord's  house  .should  be 
built"  (Hag.  1:2).  Laj'iug  aside  all  idea  of 
moving  further  in  the  matter  of  the  Temple,  thej- 
had  turned  their  energies  to  the  practical  object 
of  establishing  themselves  in  good  and  comfort- 
able houses  (ibid.  1  :  4,  9).  A  whole  year  was 
allowed  to  elapse,  and  nothing  was  done.  It 
was  the  second  j'ear  of  King  Darius  (Ezra  4  :  24) 
— nay,  it  was  the  sixth  month  of  that  3'ear,  the 
month  Elul,  corresponding  to  our  September, 
as  we  learn  from  Ilaggai  (1  :  1) — and  still  no 
step  was  taken.  The  nation  was  "  eating"  and 
"drinking"  and  "clothing  itself"  {ibid.  1  :  6), 
and  making  for  itself  "  cieled  houses"  (ibid., 
verse  4).  while  the  house  of  God  lay  "  waste" 
(ibid.,  verse  9 — in  that  unsightly  condition  al- 
ways presented  by  works  commenced  and  then 
suspended  for  years.  Such  was  the  situation, 
when  suddenly,  unexpectedly,  to  the  people's 
consternation  rather  than  their  joy,  a  prophet 
appeared  upon  the  scene.  "  In  the  second  3'car 
of  Darius  the  king,  in  the  sixth  month,  on  the 
first  day  of  the  month,  came  the  word  of  the 
Lord  by  Ilaggai  the  prophet  unto  Zerubbabel." 
Prophecy  had  been  in  abeyance  for  sixteen 
years,  since  the  "  third  of  Cyrus,"  when  Daniel 
uttered  his  last  warning  (Dan.  10  : 1).  It  was 
now  revived.  Haggai  came  forward,  self-pro- 
claimed a  prophet  of  Jehovah  (Hag.  1  :  13),  and 
rebuked  the  people  in  the  old  prophetic  tone, 
and  ' '  stirred  up  the  spirit  of  Zerubbabel  and 
the  spirit  of  Jeshua"  (ibid.,  verse  14),  and  by 
exhortations  aud  warnings  and  threats  brought 
about  in"little  more  three  weeks (i'Wd.,  verse  15) 
the  resumiHion  of  the  work,  which  was  hence- 
forth pressed  forward  with  zeal.  Haggai's  mis- 
sion continued  only  for  a  ver}'  short  space — 
from  September,  B.C.  520,  to  December  of  the 
same  year  ;  but  before  his  work  came  to  an  end 


God  raised  up  a  second  prophet — "  Zeehariah 
the  son  of  Iddo" — who  carried  on  his  task,  sus- 
tained the  spirit  of  the  people  and  the  rulers, 
and  saw  the  happy  accomplishment  of  the 
great  undertaking,  which  he  had  previously  an- 
nounced as  near  (Zech.  4  :  9),  in  the  sixth  year 

of  Darius,  b.c.  516.     P.  C. Zeehariah  came 

forward  "  in  the  eighth  month"  of  the  .second 
year  (Zech.  1  :  1).  and  continued  till  the  "  ninth 
month  of  the  fourth  year"  (ibid.  7  : 1) — Decem- 
ber, B.C.  519 — alternately  by  earnest  warnings 
and  glorious  promises  stimulating  the  zeal  of 
the  people,  and  arousing  the  lazy  and  indiffer- 
ent to  action.  The  historian  of  the  period, 
twice  over,  ascribes  very  pointedly  the  success- 
ful issue  of  the  work  to  the  help  wiiich  these 
two  "  prophets  of  God"  afforded  to  the  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  rulers,  Zerubbabel  and  Josh- 
ua, through  whose  prophesying  it  was  that 
they ' '  prospered,"  and  built  the  house  of  God, 
and'  finished  it  (Ezra  5:2;  6  :  14).     G.  R. 

In  522  n.c. ,  the  last  year  of  Camby.ses,  a' 
Magian  usurper,  known  as  Gomates,  or  pseudo- 
Smerdis,  or  pseudoBardes,  seized  the  throne  of 
the  Persian  empire,  and  Cambj'ses  died  soon 
after.  Herodotus  and  the  Behistun  inscription 
agree  in  dating  this  accession  in  the  fifth  month, 
though  he  began  operations  several  mouths 
earlier.  However  we  may  explain  the  fact,  the 
Bible  calls  Camliyscs  Ahasuerus,  and  calls  the 
JIagian  Artaxerxes  (Ezra  4  :  6,  7,  11,  23).  The 
latter  prohibited  and  stopped  the  work  on  the 
Temple.  Early  the  following  year,  Darius  Hys- 
taspes  overthrew  the  ursurper  and  became 
king.  The  Jewish  leaders  then  took  the  view 
that  the  prohibition  had  been  illegal  and  void, 
so  that,  legally,  there  had  been  no  cessation  of 
the  work  (Ezra  5  :  16).  They  held  that  the 
charter  given  by  Cyrus  was  still  good  (Ezra 
5  :  13-16),  but  for  some  reason  the}-  did  not  go  to 
work  again  on  the  Temple,  though  the_y  assumed 
that  the  time  had  arrived  for  living  in  fine 
houses  and  farming  on  a  large  .scale  (Hag.  1  :  3, 
4,  6).  But  that  year  Jehovah  did  not  bless 
their  enlarged  enterprises.  Drought  was  suc- 
ceeded by  storm  and  mildew  (Hag.  1  :  10,  9  ; 
2  :  17).  The  grain  crop,  and,  later,  all  the  suc- 
cessive fruit  crops,  proved  a  failure  (Hag. 
1  :  11  ;  3  :  16-19).  In  this  condition  of  things 
the  prophets  Haggai  and  Zeehariah  set  about 
persuading  the  people  to  take  up  their  neglect- 
ed duty  (Ezra  5:1;  6  :  14). 

The  Book  of  Ileigged  is  a  collection  of  five 
brief  prophecies,  uttered  at  specified  dates  in 
the  second  year  of  Darius  ;  that  is,  between 
August  and  December,  B.c,  520.  Evidently 
these  are  some  of  the  prophecies  by  which  Hag- 


r)OC 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


giii  urged  till-  Jews  to  resume  work  on  the 
Teniijle.  The  lii-st  proplitry  (Hag.  1  ;  1-11)  re- 
liukcs  them  for  saying  that  the  lime  for  I)uil(]- 
ing  hiul  not  yet  eonie.  Tlie  second  is  simply 
the  message,  "  I  am  with  you,  sailh  Jehovali 
of    hosts,"    with    narrative   statements  ,(IIag. 

1  :  12-15).  Tlie  third  prophecy  is  the  lesson, 
the  fourth  is  Ilag.  3  :  10-19,  and  the  fifth  Hag. 

2  :  20-23.  Very  likely  these  are  brief  sketches 
of  what  were,  when  tlie  prophet  utterrd  them, 
long  discoui'ses. 

Far  beyond  all  other  outside  sources  for  giv- 
ing light  on  this  ])art  of  the  Bible  is  the  great 
inscription  of  Darius,  known  sis  the  Behistun 
inscription.  It  gives  a  dated  narrative  of  the 
events  immediately  preceding  and  following 
his  accession.  At  the  time  when  Haggai  proph- 
csieil,  the  Medes  to  the  east  under  Phraortes, 
and  the  Armenians  to  the  north,  were  in  rebel- 
lion. Beginning  with  his  first  year,  Darius 
speaks  of  nine  great  battles.  The  effect  of  this 
state  of  things  on  the  enterprise  at  Jerusalem 
is  obvious.  Amid  the  convulsions  of  war, 
wealth,  and  especially  Jewish  wealth,  hid  it- 
self throughout  the  distracted  empire.  It  was 
not  available  for  gifts  for  the  Temple.  And 
the  Judean  Jews  themselves  were  impoverished 
by  the  failure  of  their  crops,  and  were  in  ap- 
prehension lest  the  wave  of  war  should  reach 
them.  And  in  addition  to  this,  the  interference 
mentioned  in  Ezra  5  ;  3-17  had  probably  taken 
place  by  this  lime,  and  the  case  had  gone  to 
Darius,  and  they  were  agitated  between  hope 
.-nul  fear  as  to  the  result.  In  the  circumstances, 
it  is  no  wonder  that  the  "house,"  with  their 
feeble  attempt  to  resume  work  upon  it,  seemed 
in  their  eyes  "  as  nothing"  (Hag.  2  :  3). 

The  original  purpose  of  this  prophecy  (Hag. 
2  :  1-9)  evidently  was  to  meet  the  condition  of 
discouragement  and  depression  that  has  just 
been  sketched.  In  verse  2  it  is  addressed  to 
the  leaders  and  the  people.  In  verse  3  allusion 
is  made  to  the  immediate  occasion.  Verse  4, 
except  the  last  clause,  is  an  exhortation  to  take 
courage  and  to  work.  The  remainder  of  the 
prophecy  gives  reasons  why  they  should  do 
this.  The  first  reason  is  expressed  in  the  words, 
"  For  I  am  with  you,  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts" 
(verse  4,  last  clause).  With  this  to  encourage 
them,  what  could  all  possible  discouragements 
amount  to?  In  verses  6-9,  in  view  of  existing 
circumstances,  the  prophet  promises  that  in  "  a 
little  while,"  after  one  more  eartlKiuake  of  na- 
tions, an  earthquake  so  widespread  that  heaven 
and  earth,  sea  and  dry  land,  will  all  quake,  the 
present  poverty-stricken  condition  of  the  Tem- 
ple work  shall  cease.     It  shall  become  evident 


that  Jehovah  owns  the  silver  and  the  gold 
everywhere.  "  The  desirable  things  (if  all  na- 
tions shall  come,"  furnishing  abundant  means 
for  building  and  maintaining  and  honoring  the 
Temple.  Meanwhile,  Judea  shall  not  be  in- 
volved in  the  existing  convulsions.  Jehovah 
will  "  give  peace"  there.  In  view  of  this 
promise,  as  well  as  of  Jehovah's  presence  and 
covenant,  they  are  exhorted  to  be  fearless  and 
hopeful.     AV."j.  15. 

2.  Then  rose  up  Zcriibbubel  and 
.Iciihua,  Ilaggai's  preac-hing  was  esi>ecially 
addressed  to  these  tw(^  leaders  (Hag.  1  ;  1),  and 
their  spirit  was  especially  "  stirred  up"  (ihid., 
verse  14)  by  his  preaching.  The  prophets  of 
God— Haggai  and  Zeehariah — were  with  them, 
throughout  their  work,  helping  them  ;  and 
that  in  various  ways.  (1)  By  direct  conmiand 
to  the  people — "  Go  up  to  the  mountain,  and 
bring  wood,  and  build  the  liou.se"  (Hag.  1:8); 
(2)  by  warnings — "  Because  of  mine  house  that 
is  Wiiste  .  .  .  therefore  the  heaNcn  over  you  is 
stayed  from  dew,  and  the  earth  is  stayed  from 
her  fruit"  (ibid.,  verses  9,  10)  ;  (3)  by  exhorta- 
tions— "  Be  strong,  O  Zerubbabel,  saith  the 
Lord  ;  and  be  strong,  O  Joshua,  son  of  Jose- 
dech,  the  high-priest ;  and  be  ye  strong,  all  ye 
people  of  the  land,  saith  the  Lonl,  and  work" 
(Hag.  2:4);  and  (4)  by  encouraging  prophecy — 
' '  The  hands  of  Zerubbabel  have  laid  tlie  foun- 
dation of  this  house  ;  his  hands  shall  also  finish 
it"  (Zech.  4:9);  and  "  the  glory  of  this  latter 
house  shall  be  greater  than  that  of  the  former, 
.saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts  :  and  in  this  place  will 

1  give  jjcaee,  saith  the  Lonl  of  Hosts"  (Hag. 

2  : 9).  By  these  and  similar  means  the  two 
prophets  aroused  a  spirit  of  enthusiasm,  which 
caused  the  work  to  make  rapid  progress,  and 
was  an  invaluable  assistance. 

3-1 7.  Reniirid  uf  opjumtion  on  the  part  of  the 
neighboring  heathen.  iMtir  irritten  bi/  them  and 
sent  to  Darius.  Once  more  ojiposit ion  showed 
itself.  Tatnai,  a  high  olflcer.  called  "  governor 
on  this  side  the  river"  (verse  3),  perhaps  satrap 
of  Syria,  and  Shethar-boznai,  a  Persian  noble 
probably,  at  this  time  took  the  lead,  and  learn- 
ing that  the  building  was  making  progress, 
came  in  person  to  Jerusalem  and  demanded  to 
know  by  what  authority  the  Temjile  and  city 
were  being  restored.  Zerubbabel  seems  to  have 
answered,  "  By  the  authority  of  a  decree  of 
Cyrus,  issued  in  the  year  that  he  became  king 
of  Babylon"  (verse  13)  ;  whereui^on  a  second 
ciucstion  was  a.sked,  "What  are  the  niimes  of 
the  men  responsible  for  carrying  on  the  work?" 
Zerubbabel  answered  that  he  was  alone  respon- 
sible, giving  his  name  as  ishcshbazzar,  and  de- 


SECTION  55.     APPEAL   TO  DARIUS. 


507 


claring  himself  to  be  acting  under  a  commission 
receivetl  from  Cyrus  (verse  15),  and  never  re- 
voked. Thereupon  Tatnai  and  Sliethar-boznai 
seem  to  have  proposed  a  cessation  of  tlie  build- 
ing until  reference  could  be  made  to  Darius 
and  his  pleasui-e  learned  (verse  5)  ;  but  Zcrub- 
babel  declined  to  agree  to  this,  and  the  work 
proceeded  without  intermission  (ibid.).  Mean- 
while, a  letter  was  written  to  Darius,  not  un- 
fairly stating  the  case  and  suggesting  that  the 
state  archives  should  lie  searched  for  the  decree 
ascribed  to  Cyrus,  that  it  might  be  seen  what 
exactly  it  was  that  tlie  decree  sanctioned,  antl 
further  that  the  king  should  expressly  declare 
what  his  own  pleasure  was  in  the  matter  (verse 
IT).  This  letter  Tatnai,  in  his  capacity  of  sat- 
rap,[despatched  to  the  court  by  special  messen- 
ger, and  so  left  the  business  to  the  decision  of 
Darius  and  his  counsellors,  without  further 
seeking  to  influence  him. 

4.  Then  said  we  unto  them.  It  is 
impossible  that  the  existing  text  can  be  sound 
here.  Ezra  must  have  written,  "  Then  said 
they  to  them."  Tatnai  and  Shethar-boznai 
followed  up  their  first  question  by  a  second, 
"  What  are  the  names  of  the  men  that  make  this 
building?"     Compare  below,  verses  9,  10. 

5.  The  eye  of  their  Cod  ivas  upon 
the  elders,  "  The  eyes  of  the  Lor<l  are 
upon  the  righteous"  (Ps.  34  :  13)  with  a  jealous 
watchfulness,  which  never  for  a  moment  slac-k- 
ens.  "  He  withdraweth  not  His  eyes  from 
them"  (Job  36  :  7).  Nothing  happens  to  them 
that  He  does  not  know  and  allow.  At  this 
time  the  elders,  who  presided  over  the  work- 

,mcn  employed  in  the  restoration,  were  a  special 
subject  of  God's  watchful  care,  so  that  those 
who  would  fain  had  hindered  them  could  not. 

P.  C. There  is  suggested  here  a  prompting, 

controlling  influence  exerted  upon  them  from 
on  high.  God  saw  them,  and  beholding  their 
difliculty  and  their  need  of  His  Divine  help,  in- 
terposed to  sustain  their  courage,  to  strengthen 
their  hand,  to  uphold  them  in  their  work.  This 
is  a  power  to  be  earnestly  sought  and  found, 
in    believing    prayer,    when   we    are   passing 

through  the  time  of  trial.     Clarkson. The 

Divine  providence  watches  the  Church  earnest- 
ly in  the  midst  of  its  enemies.  The  look  sends 
light,  means  love,  indicates  help,  should  in- 
spire trust.  Let  the  eye  of  the  Church  he 
toward'God.  The  Church  must  I'emember  that 
the  eye  of  God  is  upon  it,  and  not  to  j'ield  to 
the  enemy.  History  proves  that  God's  eye  is 
upon  the  Church  ;  the  Bible  asserts  it  ;  reason 
suggests  that  the  Hcavcnl}-  Father  will  watch 
over  His  troubled  children  and  workers.     P.  C. 


The  elders  of  the  Jews  saw  the  eye  of  God 

vipon  them,  to  observe  wliat  they  did  and  own 
them  in  what  they  did  well,  and  then  they  had 
courage  enough  to  go  on  vigorously  with  their 
work,  notwithstanding  all  the  opposition  they 
met  with.  Our  eye  upon  God  observing  His 
eye  upon  us  will  keep  us  to  our  duty  and  en- 
courage us  in  it,  when  th(^  difficulties  arc  ever 
so  discouraging.     II. 

9-11.  I'he  ansvver  of  the  elders  to  the  offi- 
cial inquiries  put  to  them  is  heard  with  candor 
and  reported  with  truth.  Isor  are  any  charges 
made,  as  before,  of  treachery  or  sedition.  Nor 
is  anything  more  proposed  to  the  king  than  a 
due  hearing  and  examination  of  the  appeal 
which  the  Jews  have  made  to  a  previous  edict 
of  Cyrus  in  justification  of  their  conduct  (verse 
17).  Meanwhile,  moreover,  though  apparently 
with  some  reluctance,  the  chief  authorities  of 
the  province  in  which  Judea  was  situated  have 
consented  to  treat  that  justification  as  being, 
till  proved  otherwise,  sufficient  and  valid,  by 
allowing  that  work  to  go  on  without  endeavor- 
ing to  stop  it  by  menace  or  force. 

11.  We  are  the  servants  of  the  Ood 
of  heaven  and  eartii.  Instead  of  giving 
in  a  list  of  names  and  titles  of  office,  the  elders 
merge  their  individuality  in  this  general  phrase  ; 
as  though  they  would  say,  "As  individuals, 
we  arc  nothing  ;  as  men  of  mark  in  our  nation, 
we  are  nothing  ;  what  we  do,  we  do  simply  as 
servants  of  God,  directed  by  Him  (Hag.  1  : 8), 
bound  to  obey  Him,  answerable  only  to  Him 
for  our  conduct."  And  build.  Th:i,t  is, 
"  rebuild."  The  house  that  was  buildcd  these 
many  years  ago.  The  old  house,  begun  more 
than  four  hundred,  finished  nearly  four  hun- 
dred years  previously,  and  only  just  beginning 
to  rise  again  from  its  ruins,  after  lying  wa,ste 
for  nearly  seventy  years. 

13.  In  the  flrst  year  of  Cyrus  the 
king  of  Babylon.  Recent  discoveries  of 
contract  tablets  have  shown  that  at  Babylon 
Cyrus  bore  the  title  of  "  Idng  of  Bab_ylon"  from 
the  date  of  his  conquest  of  the  city.  The  same 
title  was  passed  on  to  his  successors,  Cambj'ses, 
Darius,  etc.  Hence  we  find  Artaxerxes  Longi- 
manus  called  "  king  of  Babylon"  by  Nehemiah 
(13  :  6). 

17.  Libraries  or  record  chaiiibers  were  at- 
tached to  the  royal  residences  under  the  old 
Assyrian  and  Babj-lonian  kings  ;  and  the  prac- 
tice was  no  doubt  continued  by  the  Persians. 
Some  of  these  record  offices  have  been  recently 
found,  and  their  stores  recovered.  More  re- 
cently, in  187o-6,  .some  Arab  explorei-s  hap- 
pened upon  a  similar  collection  near  Babylon, 


508 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


which  yielded  from  3000  to  4000  tiiblels.  It  is 
quito  posslljle  tliiit  tlic  "  decree  of  Cyrus"  may 
still  exist,  imd  be  one  day  recovered.     P.  (;. 

O  :  1-5,  Discorery  of  the  decree  of  Cyrus  on  the 
subject  of  the  Temple,  and  recital  of  its  exact 
terms.  The  application  made  by  the  satrap  of 
Syria  to  Darius  received  his  immediate  atten- 
tion. A  .search  was  instituted — in  the  first  in- 
stance at  Habylon,  but  afterward  at  the  other 
capitals  also,  and  in  Ecbatana,  the  Jledian  me- 
tropolis, where  the  Persian  kings  always  resid- 
ed during  a  portion  of  the  year,  a  copy  of  the 
original  decree  was  found,  which  is  consider- 
ably fuller  and  more  delinitc,  though  in  some 
respects  covering  less  ground,  than  the  "  proc- 
lamation" with  which  Ezra  opens  his  history. 
The  decree  not  merely  provided  for  the  rebuild- 
ing of  the  Temple,  but  gave  directions  for  its 
dimensions  and  for  tlie  style  of  its  construction, 
points  on  which  the  pi-oclaniation  said  nothing  ; 
it  also  provided  that  the  whole  cost  (of  the  ma- 
terials) should  be  defrayed  out  of  the  royal 
revenue  ;  and  it  concluded  with  an  express 
command  that  all  the  gold  and  silver  vessels 
carried  ofl  by  Nebuchadnezzar  should  be  re- 
stored. We  may  account  for  the  decree  not 
being  found  at  Babjlon  or  Susa  by  the  pseudo- 
Smerdis  having  destroyv^d  it  when  he  was  ac- 
complishing his  religious  reforms,  though  acci- 
dentally he  omitted  to  destroy  the  copy  laid  up 
at  Ecbatana  ;  thus,  as  so  often  happens  with 
wicked  men,  by  a  slip  of  memory  frustrating 
his  own  intention.     P.  C. 

I.  The  house  or liie  rolls.  A"  house 
of  the  rolls"  (literally,  "  writings,"  or  "  books") 
was  discovered  at  Koyunjik,  the  ancient  Nine- 
veh, by  Mr.  Layard  in  the  year  1850 — a  set  of 
chambers — i.e.,  in  the  palace  devoted  exclu- 
sively to  the  storing  of  public  documents. 
These  were  in  baked  clay,  and  covered  the  floor 
to  the  depth  of  more  than  a  foot.  (See  "  Nine- 
veh and  Babylon,"  p.  345.)  Such  a  "  house" 
was  probably  that  at  Babylon,  which  Darius 
caused  to  be  searched  first  of  all,  in  accordance 
with  the  suggestion  of  Tatnai  (chap.  5  :  17),  for 
the  edict  of  Cyrus.     B.  C. 

6-15.  Decree  issued  by  Darius  infurtJierance 
of  the  decree  of  Cyrus.  Obedience  of  the  Persian 
officials,  and  rapid  completion  of  the  Temple. 
The  religious  policy  of  Darius  being  directly 
opposed  to  that  of  his  immediate  predecessor, 
he  wouhl  naturally  reverse  his  decree  with  re- 
spect to  the  Jews  (chap.  4  :  11-23).  lie  would 
nls3  be  glad  to  show  him.sclf  in  accordance  with 
the  great  founder  of  the  empire,  who  was  uni- 
versally reverenced,  and  regarded  as  a  truly 
wise  king,     llencc  his  recital  of  the  decree  of 


Cyrus,  which  it  would  have  been  enough  mere- 
ly to  have  referred  to.  By  recalling  its  terms 
he  showed  how  completely  his  policy  tallied 
with  that  of  Cyrus,  and  how  thoroughly  he  in- 
herited the  spirit  of  the  first  monarch.  We 
nniy  also  give  him  credit  for  a  real  sympathy 
with  the  Jewish  religion,  and  a  real  Ijelief  that 
the  prayers  of  the  Jews  in  their  n'covcred  sanc- 
tuary would  bring  Uod's  blessing  upon  himself 
and  his  children  (verse  10).  His  decree  is  not 
a  mere  formal  and  colorless  document,  but 
breathes  a  reverential  spirit  and  shows  him  at 
least  as  true  a  servant  of  Jehovah  as  Cyrus. 
The  Persian  officials,  Tatnai  and  Shethar-boz- 
nai,  had  no  choice  as  to  their  line  of  action. 
The  liing's  word  was  law  ;  and  his  favor,  when 
clearly  manifested,  secured  to  tlu;  objects  of  it 
the  warmest  assurances  of  good-will  and  the 
most  active  help,  on  the  part  of  everv  official 
in  the  emi)ire  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest. 
The  Temple,  therefore,  made  rapid  progress, 
and  within  four  years  of  the  time  when  Zerub- 
babel  and  Jeshua  resumed  the  building  (chap. 
5  :  2),  the  entire  work  was  completed — "  the 
house  was  finished."  The  whole  time  which 
elapsed  between  the  laying  of  the  foundation 
(Ezra  3  :  10)  and  the  completion  was  twenty- 
one  years  ;  but  scarcely  any  progress  had  been 
nuide  till  Ilaggai  began  his  preaching.  The 
main  part  of  the  work  was  accomplished  be- 
tween the  twenty-fourth  day  of  the  si.xth  month 
of  the  second  year  of  Darius  (Hag.  1  :  lo)  and  the 
third  day  of  the  twelfth  month  of  his  sixth 
year.  This  was  a  space  of  four  years  and  a 
half.  The  Temple  of  Solomon,  after  a  long 
term  of  preparation,  occupied  in  its  construc- 
tion seven  years  and  a  half  (1  K.  6  :  37,  38). 
P.  C. 

12.  /,  Darius,  have  made  a  decree.  By  virtue 
of  this  decree  the  Jews  were  not  only  fully 
authorized  to  go  on  with  the  building,  but  were 
also  furnished  with  the  expen.ses  of  it  out  of 
the  taxes  of  the  province.  This  had  been 
granted  by  Cyrus  in  the  former  decree  ;  l)Ut  by 
the  underhand  dealings  of  the  Samaritans  and 
other  enemies,  in  bribing  those  through  whose 
hands  the  administration  of  public  affairs  and 
the  public  revenues  passed,  this  part  of  Cyrus's 
decree  was  rendered  ineffeetvud.  For  a  long 
time,  therefore,  the  Jews,  being  forced  to  carry 
on  the  work  at  their  own  charges  and  being  in 
a  state  of  great  poverty  so  soon  after  their  return 
from  captivity,  made  a  very  slow  progress. 
Now,  being  largely  assisted  by  the  king's  boun- 
ty, they  engaged  in  the  building  with  such 
diligence  that  they  soon  brought  it  to  a  conclu- 
sion.    The  publication  of  this  decree  at  Jeru- 


SECTION 55.   DECREE  OF  DARIUS  AND  COMPLETION  OF  THE  TEMPLE.   509 


salcm  maj'  be  reckoned  the  complete  restoration 
of  the  Jewish  state.     Pndeaiix. 

13.  So  lliey  did  speedily.  Tatnai  and 
Sliethur-boznai  showed  no  reluctance.  Tlu-y 
had  no  enmity  against  the  Jews.  Once  clearly 
advertised  of  the  king's  wishes,  they  carried 
them  out  witli  zeal.  The  rapid  completion  of 
the  Temple  must  be  in  part  attributed  to  their 
good-will.     P.  G. 

14.  The  Artaxerxcs  of  chap.  7  seems  to  be 
meant  (j.e.,  Longimanus).  As  Artaxer.\es  con- 
tributed to  the  biiintlfijiiKj  of  the  Temple  (chap. 
7  ;  20),  and  promoted  the  same  by  his  edict  (i'4/d. 
13-20).  he  might  be  thought  to  deserve  men- 
tion, together  with  Cyrus  and  Darius,  as  one 
of  those  who  helped  forward  the  completion  of 
the  work.     B.  C. 

14-22.  Literary  character  of  the  passage.  It 
consists  of  three  parts — verses  14  and  13,  16-18 
and  19-23.  The  first  part  describes  the  prog- 
ress anil  completion  of  the  Temple  ;  the  .second 
part  its  dedication  ;  and  the  third  part  the 
keeping  of  the  passover,  a  few  weeks  later. 
Tiie  lirst  two  parts  are  in  Aramaic.  With  them 
closes  the  Aramaic  document  which  began  at 
Ezra  4  :  8.  The  third  part  is  in  IlebreAV,  and 
with  it  the  first  part  of  Ezra  closes.  The  fol 
lowing  chapter  begins  a  new  narrative,  deal- 
ing with  events  that  open  fifty-seven  years 
later. 

14.  The  prophesying.  Here,  as  in  Ezra  5:1, 
much  is  made  of  the  influence  of  these  two 
prophets.  Their  work  was  not  confined  to  the 
uttering  of  the  few  hundred  words  of  prophecy 
which  we  now  have  from  them,  but  they  were 
busy  day  by  day,  pushing  forward  the  enter- 
prise.    W.  J.  B. 

15.  The  house  was  flnished  on  the 
third  day  of  the  month  Adar.  Ilag- 
gai  (1  :  15)  gives  the  exact  day  of  the  recom- 
mencement of  the  work  as  the  twenty-fourth 
of  Elul  in  Darius'  second  year.  Ezra  here 
gives  the  exact  day  of  the  completion.  From 
Zerubbabel's  laying  of  the  foundation  (Ezra 
3  :  10),  the  time  that  had  elapsed  was  twenty- 
one  j'cars.  From  the  recommencement  under 
the  inspiriting  influence  of  the  two  prophets, 
the  time  was  only  four  years,  five  months,  and 
ten  daj's. 

16-18.  Dedication  f>f  t/ie  second  Temple.  Fol- 
lowing the  example  of  Solomon,  who  had  sol- 
emnly "dedicated"  the  first  Temple  (1  K.  8  :  63), 
and  had  offered  on  the  occasion  a  sacrifice  un- 
exampled for  its  magnitude  in  the  whole  of 
Jewish  liistor_v  {Hud.),  Zerubbabel  now,  under 
the  advice  of  the  two  prophets,  inaugurated  the 
new  building   with  a  similar  ceremony.     In 


"  the  day  of  small  things"  it  was  not  pos.sible 
for  him  to  emi  late  Solomon's  magnificence  in 
respect  of  the  number  of  victims.  Solomon 
had  sacrificed  23,000  oxen  and  120,000  sheep. 
Zerubbabel's  means  only  enabled  him  to  make 
an  offering  of  713  animals,  more  than  half  of 
them  lambs.  He  did,  however,  according  to 
his  ability  ;  and  God,  who  accepts  all  our  en- 
deavors according  to  that  we  have  and  not  ac- 
cording to  that  we  have  not,  was  content  to 
receive  graciously  the  humble  offering  made  to 
Ilim.     P.  C. 

17,  All  Israel.  Notice  that  there  were 
twelve  he -goats,  and  that  this  W'as  "  according 
to  the  number  of  the  tribes."  With  this  com- 
pare "  Israel"  and  "  God  of  Israel"  (verses  16 
and  14).  Very  marked  is  this  claim  that  the  re- 
turned exiles  were  the  entire  nation  and  not  the 
two  Judean  tribes  only.  AV.  J.  B. Ac- 
cording to  Ihe  number  or  the  tribes. 
We  are  here  supplied  with  an  additional  proof 
that,  on  tlie  return  of  the  tribes  of  Judah  and 
Benjamin  from  the  Babylonish  captivity,  many 
also  of  each  of  the  other  tribes  returned  with 
them  from  Ass.yria,  Babylonia  and  Media, 
whither  they  had  been  carried  ;  and,  joining 
with  them  in  rebuilding  of  the  Temple,  par- 
took in  the  solemnity  of  the  dedication  ;  other- 
wise there  is  no  reason  why  the  sin-offering 
should  now  be  offered  in  behalf  of  all  the 
Twelve  Tribes.  Since,  however,  the  greater 
part  of  those  who  returned  consisted  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  their  name  swallow-id  up  the 
names  of  all  the  rest  ;  for  from  this  time  the 
whole  people  of  Israel  began  to  be  called  Jews. 
Pridca  ux. 

1§.  As  it  IS  written  in  the  Book  of 
Moses.  The  allusion  is  to  such  passages  as 
Num.  3:6;  8:9,  etc.,  where  the  Levites  are 
set  apart  for  the  service  of  the  tabernacle. 
P.  C. 

19-22.  Celebration  of  the  pinssover  in  the  en- 
suing inonth,  and  observance  of  the  feast  of  un- 
leareneel  bread.  Specially  solemn  passovers  were 
celebrated  on  specially  .solemn  occasions  ;  and 
these  received  special  record  at  the  hands  of 
the  sacred  writers.  Of  this  kind  are  the  pass- 
over  celebrated  by  Hezekiah  in  the  year  B.C. 
726,  recorded  in  2  Chron.  30,  and  that  celebrat- 
ed by  Josiah  in  B.C.  634,  recorded  in  2  Chron. 
35.  Both  of  these  followed  upon  a  cleansing 
of  the  Temple  and  restoration  of  the  Temple 
worship  after  a  period  of  suspension.  Ezra 
seems  to  place  the  passover  of  i!.c.  516  in  the 
same  category.  It  marked  the  period  of  the 
full  re-establishment  of  the  regular  ordinances 
of  religion,  more  or  less  interrupted  from  the 


510 


HOOK  or  iJxitA. 


\\mr  (if  Die  destruction  of  the  Temple  by  Neb- 
ucliudiu'z/iir.  It  terminated  the  abnormiil  iuul 
conimeneed  the  normal  condition  of  things. 
I'crliiiiis  it  is  to  mark  this  that  Ezra  at  this 
point  disuses  the  Chaldee  dialect,  wliicli  he  had 
iiitrodiieed  in  chap.  4:8.  and  n'turns  to  the 
llcbvew.  the  established  language  of  the  Jewish 
relijrion.  With  the  exception  of  the  letter  of 
Artaxerxes  (chap.  7  :  12-26),  all  the  remainder 
of  the  book  is  In  Hebrew.  Six  memorable 
passovers  arc  mentioned  in  Old  Testament 
Scripture.  The  first  was  m  Egypt  (Ex.  12). 
The  second  in  the  wilderness  (Num.  11).  The 
third  at  Gilgal  (Josh.  5).  The  fourth  in  the 
days  of  Ilezckiah  (2  Chron.  30).  The  fifth  in 
the  eighteenth  year  of  Josiah  (2  K.  23).  The 
sixth  is  tliiit   lii're  mentioned.     P.  t". 

21.  All  wiicli  iiN  liud  fiepursitecl  llicin- 
SClvt'S  Illll4»  llieill.  The.S('  nmst  either  have 
been  Israelites  who  had  remained  in  Palestine 
through  the  period  of  the  Captivity,  or  prose- 
lytes from  the  heathen,  who  were  now  received 
into  the  Jewish  state.  B.  C. The  one  con- 
dition for  partaking  of  the  passover  was  that 
the  participant  should  be  sei)arated  from  the 
nations  of  the  earth  and  identitied  with  the 
people  of  Jehovah.  Those  who  partook  on 
this  occasion  were  of  two  classes  :  first,  the  re- 
turned exiles  and  their  families,  who  were  al- 
ready thus  separated  ;  and,  second,  others  who 
should  submit  themselves  to  the  ceremonial 
forms  by  wliich  the  separation  was  externally 
indicated.  It  is  probable  that  most  of  these 
were  persons  of  Israelite  blood,  who  liafi  been 
living  in  Palestine  among  people  of  other  races, 
and  who  now  came  out  and  identified  them- 
selves with  their  own  people.  But  the  phrase 
is  broad  enough  to  include  proselytes  also.  If 
there  were  proselytes,  the  fact  fits  well  with 
the  promise  made  by  Zechariah  two  years  be- 
fore (Zech.  8  :  20-23).  In  fine,  the  whole  mean- 
ing of  the  statement  is  that  they  carried  out  in 
its  spirit,  and  doubtless  also  in  its  letter,  the 
passover  precept  of  Ex.  12  :  43-4.5,  47^9. 

i£2.  Tlic  kin;;  of  A§«)'ria.  Thispbra.se 
gives  an  interesting  glimp.se  at  the  point  of 
view  of  this  writer.  In  his  mind  A.ssyria  and 
Babylonia  and  Persia  are  successive  names  for 
the  great  Asiatic  empire  which  oppre.ssed  Israel 
for  generation  after  generation.  That  the  heart 
of  the  monarch  of  this  empire  should  be  turned 
to  lielijiug  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  Instead  of 
opposing  it,  seemed  to  him  a  notable  instance 
of  the  loviiigkindness  of  Israel's  God.    W.  J.  B. 

Piiiiitu  Kiiijiliiiiiizcd.  If  you  would  be  made 
hot  and  hopeful  in  speaking  for  the  cause  and 
kingdom  of  Christ,  fill  your  mind  with  Bible 


facts.  A  ilay  of  studious  reading  of  Bible  his- 
tory is  worth  a  dozen  days  spent  in  reading  the 
petty  criticisms  of  that  class  of  advanced  schol- 
ars whose  chief  effort  is  to  show  us  what  not 
to  believe.  Never  consent  to  look  vipon  the 
dark  side  of  this  world's  condition  any  more 
than  you  can  help.  If  llaggai  had  read  a 
paper  to  those  returned  Israelites,  showing  by 
statistics  how  greatly  the  heathen  outniunbered 
the  Hebrews  and  how  derelict  the  Hebrews 
were  as  compared  with  the  heathen  in  jjushing 
their  religions,  we  cannot  imagine  that  they 
would  have  been  stirred  to  start  the  building. 
Instead  of  dolefully  lamenting  the  defects  of 
the  past  we  would  better  imitate  the  prophet 
in  asserting  that  God  is  jdedged  that  Christ 
shall  have  the  heathen  for  His  inlK'ritanci' and 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  His  posses- 
sion.    ./.  L.   Withnitr. 

There  was  still  an  Israel,  after  all  the  dreary 
years  and  in  spite  of  present  separation.  God 
was  still  its  God,  though  He  had  hidden  His 
face  for  so  long.  An  inextinguishable  faith, 
wistful  but  assured,  in  His  unalterable  prom- 
ise, throbs  in  that  name,  so  little  warranted  by 
a  superficial  view  of  circmnstanees,  but  so  am- 
ply vindicated  by  a  deeper  insight.  His  "  com- 
mandment" is  at  once  the  warrant  and  the 
standard  for  the  work  of  building.  In  His  ser- 
vice we  are  to  be  sure  that  He  bids,  and  then  to 
carry  out  His  will,  whoever  opposes.  We  arc 
to  make  certain  that  our  building  is  "  accord- 
ing to  the  pattern  showed  in  the  mount,"  and 
if  so,  to  stick  to  it  in  every  point.  There  is  no 
room  for  more  than  one  architet:t  in  rearing  the 
Temple.  The  working  drawings  must  come 
from  Him.  We  are  only  His  workmen.  And 
though  we  may  know  no  more  of  the  general 
plan  of  the  structure  than  th<'  day-ltibnn'r  who 
carries  a  hod  does,  we  must  be  sure  that  we 
have  His  orders  for  our  little  bit  of  work,  and 
then  we  may  be  at  rest  even  while  we  toil. 
They  who  build  acconling  to  His  command- 
ment build  for  eternity,  and  their  worlc  shall 
stand  the  trial  by  fire.  That  motive  makes 
what  without  it  were  but  "  wood,  hay,  stub- 
ble," into  "  gold  and  silver  and  precious 
stones."     A.  M. 

The  Temple  of  old  was  sacred  supremely  be- 
cau.se  in  it  Jehovah  dwelt  and  manifested  llim- 
.self.  Only  on  that  account  was  it  sacred.  The 
most  sacred  temple  of  our  age  (1  Cor.  3  :  10-16) 
is  the  hiunan  heart  which  has  welcomed  Christ's 
spirit  into  its  holy  of  holies.  There  is  nothing 
SI)  sacred  on  earth  now  as  a  true  believer  in 
Christ.  Forsuch  He  sheil  His  lilood  ati<l  pl.'dges 
all  His  power  to  liuild  the  life  up  unto  the  moral 


SECTION  56. 


511 


likeness  of  Himself.  As  the  less  costly  and  ele- 
gant Temple  of  Zerubbabel  became  more  hon- 
ored than  the  more  splendid  one  of  Solomon,  so 


a  plain  church  and  a  poor  saint  will  Ije  better 
off  than  the  rich,  if  only  Jesus  dwells  within. 
Withrow. 


Section  56, 


EZRA  LEADS  A  SECOND  COLONY  TO  JERUSALEM,  FIFTY-EIGHT  YEARS  LATER. 

EzHA  7  :  1-28  ;  8  :  1-36. 


7  :  1  Now  after  these  things,  in  the  reign  of  Artaxerxes  king  of  Persia,  Ezra  the  son  of 

3  Seraiah.  the  son  of  Azariah,  the  son  of  Hilkiah,  the  son  of  Shallum,  the  son  of  Zadok,  the  son 

3,  4  of  Ahitub,  the  son  of  Amariah,  the  son  of  Azariah,  the  son  of  Meraioth,  the  son  of  Zerahiah, 

5  the  son  of  Uzzi,  the  son  of  Biilvki,  the  sou  of  Abishua.  the  son  of  Phinehas.  the  son  of  Eleazar, 

6  the  son  of  Aaron  the  chief  priest :  this  Ezra  went  wp  from  Babylon  ;  and  he  was  a  ready 
scribe  in  the  law  of  Moses,  which  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  had  given  :  and  the  king 

7  granted  him  all  his  request,  according  to  the  hand  of  the  Lokd  his  God  upon  him.  And  there 
went  up  some  of  the  children  of  Israel,  and  of  the  priests,  and  the  Levites,  and  the  singers, 
and  the  porters,  and  the  Nethinira,  unto  Jerusalem,  in  the  seventh  j-ear  of  Artaxerxes  the 

8  king.     And  he  came  to  Jerusalem  in  the  fifth  month,  which  was  in  the  seventh  year  of  the 

9  king.  For  upon  the  first  ilni/  of  the  first  month  began  ho  to  go  up  from  Babylon,  and  on  the 
tirst  dni/  of  the  fifth  month  came  he  to  Jerusalem,  according  to  the  good  hand  of  his  God  upon 

10  him.  For  Ezra  had  set  his  heart  to  seek  the  law  of  the  Lokd,  and  to  do  it,  and  to  teach  in 
Israel  statutes  and  judgements. 

11  Now  this  is  the  copy  of  the  letter  that  the  king  Artaxerxes  gave  unto  Ezra  the  priest,  the 
scribe,  even  the  scribe  of  the  words  of  the  commandments  of  the  Lord,  and  of  his  statutes  to 

13  Israel.     Artaxerxes,  king  of  kings,  unto  Ezra  the  ^priest,  the  scribe  of  the  law  of  the  God  of 

13  heaven,  perfect  and  so  forth.  I  make  a  decree,  that  all  they  of  the  people  of  Israel,  and  their 
priests  and  the  Levites,  in  my  realm,  -which  are  minded  of  their  own  free  will  to  go  to  Jeru- 

14  salem,  go  with  thee.  Forasmuch  as  thou  art  sent  of  the  king  and  his  seven  counsellors,  to 
inquire  concerning  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  according  to  the  law  of  th_v  God  which  is  in  thine 

15  hand  ;  and  to  carry  the  silver  and  gold,  which  the  king  and  his  counsellors  have  freely 

16  offered  unto  the  God  of  Israel,  whose  habitation  is  in  Jerusalem,  and  all  the  silver  and  gold 
that  thou  shalt  find  in  all  the  province  of  Babylon,  with  the  freewill  offering  of  the  iicople. 

IT  and  of  the  priests,  offering  willingly  for  the  house  of  their  God  ■which  is  in  Jerusalem  ;  there- 
fore thou  shalt  with  all  diligence  buy  with  this  money  bullocks,  rams,  lambs,  with  their  meal 
offerings  and  their  drink  offerings,  and  shalt  offer  them  upon  the  altar  of  the  house  of  your 

18  God  which  is  in  Jerusalem.     And  whatsoever  shall  seem  good  to  thee  and  to  thy  brethren  to 

19  do  with  the  rest  of  the  silver  and  the  gold,  that  do  ye  after  the  will  of  your  God.  And  the 
vessels  that  are  given  thee  for  the  service  of  the  house  of  th}"  God,  deliver  thou  before  the 

30  God  of  Jerusalem.     And  whatsoever  more  shall  be  needful  for  the  house  of  thy  God,  which 

31  thou  shalt  have  occasion  to  bestow,  bestow  it  out  of  the  king's  treasure  hoti.se.  And  I,  even 
I  Artaxerxes  the  king,  do  make  a  decree  to  all  the  treasures  which  are  beyond  the  river,  that 
whatsoever  Ezra  the  priest,  the  scribe  of  the  law  of  the  God  of  heaven,  shall  require  of  J'ou, 

23  it  be  done  with  all  diligence,  unto  an  lumdred  talents  of  silver,  and  to  an  hundred  measures 
of  wheat,  and  to  an  hundred  baths  of  wine,  and  to  an  hundred  baths  of  oil,  and  salt  without 

23  prescribing  how  much.  Whatsoever  is  commanded  by  the  God  of  heaven,  let  it  be  done 
exactly  for  the  house  of  the  God  of  heaven  ;  for  why  should  there  be  wrath  against  the  realm 

34  of  the  king  and  his  sons?  Also  we  certify  you,  that  touching  any  of  the  priests  and  Levites, 
the  singers,  porters,  Ncthinim,  or  servants  of  this  house  of  God,  it  shall  not  be  lawful  to  im- 

25  pose  tribute,  custom,  or  toll,  upon  them.     And  thou,  Ezra,  after  the  wisdom  of  thy  God  that 


512  BOOK  OF  EZRA. 

is  in  tliinc  hand,  appoint  macjistnitcs  and  jiidgfS,  whicli  may  judge  all  the  people  that  are 
beyond  the  river,  all  such  as  know  thct  laws  of  thy  God  ;  and  teach  ye  him  that  knoweth  them 

26  not.  And  whosoever  will  not  do  the  law  of  thy  God.  and  the  law  of  the  king,  let  judgement 
be  executed  upou  him  with  all  diligenc^e,  whether  it  be  unto  death,  or  to  banishment,  or  to 
confiscation  of  goods,  or  to  imprisonment. 

27  Blessed  be  the  Loiin,  the  God  of  our  fathers,  which  hath  put  such  a  thing  as  this  in  the 

28  king's  heart,  to  beautify  the  house  of  the  Loud  which  is  in  .Jerusalem  ;  and  hath  extended 
mercy  unto  me  before  the  king,  and  his  counsellors,  and  before  all  the  king's  mighty  princes. 
And  I  was  strengthened  according  to  the  hand  of  the  Loiiu  my  God  upon  me,  and  I  gathered 
together  out  of  Israel  chief  men  to  go  u])  with  me. 

8  :  1  Now  these  are  the  heads  of  their  fathers'  liotntcn,  and  this  is  the  genealogy  of  them 

2  tint  went  up  with   me  from    liabylon.  in   the  reign  of  Arta.\erx<'S  the  king.     Of  the  sons  of 

3  I'hinehas.  Gershoni  :  of  the  sons  of  Itham.ar,  Daniel  :  of  the  sons  of  David.  Ilallu.sh.     Of  the 
sons  of  Shecaniali  ;  of  th:-  sons  of  Panish,  Zrchariuh  :  and  wish  hiin  wen-  reckoned  by  gen- 

4  ealogy  of  the  males  an  hundred  anil  lifty.  Of  tin-  sons  of  I'alialh-moab,  Elielioeuai  the  son  of 
n  Zeraliiali  ;  ami  with  him  two  Inuiilreil  males.  Of  the  sons  of  Sh<'caniali,  the  sou  of  .Jahaziel  ; 
0  and  with  him  three  hundred  males.     And  of  the  sons  of  Adin.  Ehed  the  son  of  .loiiathan  ;  and 

7  with  him  lifty  males.     .Vnd  of  the  sons  of  Klam,  Jeshaiah  the  son  of  Athaliaii  ;  and  with  him 

8  seventy  males.     And  of  the  sons  of  Shc'phatiali,  Zel)adiah  the  son  of  Michael  ;  and  with  him 

9  fourscore  males.    Of  the  sons  of  Joab,  Obadiali  the  son  of  .lehiel  ;  and  with  him  two  hundred 

10  and  eighteen  males.     And  of  the  sons  of  IShelomith.  the  son  of  .Josiphiah  ;  anil  with  him  an 

11  hundred  and  tlireescore  males.     And  of  tl'.e  sons  of  Uebai.  Zechariali  the  son  of  IJeljai  ;  and 

12  witli  liiiu  twenty  and  eight  males.     And  of  the  sons  of  Azgad.  Jolianan  the  son  of  Ilakkatan  ; 
Hi  and  willi  him  an  hundre<l  ami  trn  males.     Anil  of  the  sons  of  .^donikani.  t/mt  'n  ;v  the  last ; 

and  these  are  their  names,  Kliphelet.  .Ie\!cl,  and  Shemaiah,  and  with  tliem  threescore  males. 

14  And  of  the  .sons  of  Bigvai,  Uthai  and  Zal)liud  ;  and  with  them  .seventy  males. 

15  And  I  gathered  them  together  to  the  river  that  runneth  to  .Vliava  ;  and  there  we  encamped 
three  days  :  and  I  viewed  the  jjeople.  and  the  priests,  and  found  there  none  of  the  sous  of 

16  Levi.  Then  sent  I  for  Elie/.er,  for  Ariel,  for  Shemaiah,  and  for  KInatiian,  and  for  Jarib,  and 
forElnalhan,  and   for  Nathan,  ami   for  Zechariah,  and   for  Meshullam,  chief  men;  also  for 

17  Joiarili.  and  for  EInathan,  which  were  teachers.  And  I  sent  tliem  forth  unto  Iildo  the  chief 
at  the  ))lace  t'asiphia  ;  and  I  told  them  what  they  should  say  unto  Mdo  and  his  brethren  the 
Nethinim.  at  the  place  Casijihia,  that  they  should  bring  vmto  us  ministers  for  the  house  of  our 

18  God.  And  according  to  the  good  hand  of  our  God  upon  us  they  brought  us  a  man  of  discre- 
tion, of  the  sous  of  JIahli,  the  son  of  Levi,  the  sou  of  Israel  ;  and  Sherebiah,  with  his  sons  and 

19  his  brethren,  eighteen  ;  and  Ilashabij'h.  and  with  him  .Jeshaiah  of  the  sons  of  Merari,  his 

20  brethren  anil  their  sons,  twenty  ;  and  of  the  Nethinim,  whom  David  and  the  princes  had 
given  fur  the  .service  of  the  Levites,  two  hundred  and  twenty  Nethinim  :  all  of  them  were 

21  expressed  by  name.  Then  I  l)roclaiii,)eil  a  fast  there,  at  the  river  Ahava,  that  we  might 
humble  ourselves  before  our  (rod,  to  seek  of  him  a  straight  way,  for  us.  and  for  our  little 

22  ones,  and  for  all  our  substance.  For  I  was  ashamed  to  ask  of  the  king  a  band  of  soldiers  and 
horsemen  to  help  us  against  the  enemy  in  the  w,iy  :  because  we  had  spoken  unto  the  king, 
saying.  The  hand  of  our  God  is  upon  all  them  that  seek  him,  for  good  ;  but  his  power  and  his 

23  wrath  is  against  all  them  that  forsake  him.     8o  we  fasted  and  besought  our  God  fortius: 

24  and  he  was  intreated  of  us.     When  I  separated  twelve  of  the  chiefs  of  the  jiriests,  even 
2o  Sherebiah,  Ilaslialiiah,  and  ten  of  their  brctliriu  with  them,  and  weighed  unto  them  the  silver, 

and  the  golil.  and  the  vessels,  even  the  olTcring  for  the  bouse  of  oiu'  (ioil,  which  the  king,  and 

26  his  couM.sellors.  end  his  princes,  and  all  Israel  there  present,  had  oirereil  :  I  even  weighed 
into  their  hand  six  hundred  and  fifty  talents  of  silver,  and  silver  vessels  an  hundred  talents  ; 

27  of  gold  an  humlred  talents  ;  and  twenty  l>o\vls  of  gold,  of  a  thousand  darics  ;  and  two  vessels 

28  of  tine  bright  brass,  precious  as  gold.  And  I  said  unto  them.  Ve  are  holy  unio  the  I.,okd, 
and  the  vessels  are  holy  ;  and  the  silver  and  the  gold  are  a  freewill  offering  unto  the  Loitn, 

29  the  God  of  your  fathers.  Watch  ye.  and  keep  them,  until  ye  weigh  them  before  the  chiefs 
of  the  priests  and  the  Levites.  and  the  jn-inces  of  the  fMlurn'' /iukmx  of  Israel,  at  Jerusalem,  in 

30  the  chambers  of  the  house  of  the  Liutu.  S  )  the  priests  and  the  Levites  received  the  weight 
of  the  silver  and  the  gold,  and  the  vessels,  to  bring  them  to  Jerusalem  imto  the  house  of  our 
God. 

81  Then  we  departed  from  the  river  of  Ahava  on  the  twelfth  ihii/  of  the  lii-st  month,  to  go 
unto  Jerusalem  :  and  the  hand  of  ourCiod  was  upon  us.  and  he  delivered  us  from  the  hand  of 

32  the  (lemy  ami  the  Her  in  wait  by  the  way.     And  we  came  to  Jerusalem,  and  abode  there 

33  three  days.  And  on  the  fourth  dav  was  the  silver  and  the  gold  and  the  vessels  weighed  in 
the  house  of  our  God  into  the  hand  of  iMcrcmoth  the  son  of  Uriah  the  iiriest  ;  and  with  him 
was   Eleazar   the   son   of    I'liinchas  ;    and    with   them   was  Jozabad   the  son  of  Jeshna.  and 

34  Noadiah  the  son  of  IJitmui.  the  Levilis  ;  the  whole  by  number  and  by  weight  :  and  all  the 

35  weight  was  written  at  that  time.  The  children  of  the  captivity,  which  were  come  i  ut  of 
exile.  ofTered  burnt  otTerings  unto  the  God  of  Israel,  twelve  bullocks  for  all  Israel,  ninety  and 
six  rams,  .seventy  and  seven  Iambs,  twelve  he-goats  for  a  sin  offering  :  all  this  was  a  burnt 

36  ofTering  unto  the  Loun.  And  they  delivered  the  kings'  commissions  unto  the  king's  satraps, 
and  to  the  governors  beyonil  the  river  :  and  they  furthered  the  people  and  the  house  of  God. 


SECTION  56.     EZRA  LEADS  A  SECOND   COLONY  TO  JERUSALEM.        513 


Few  readers  of  Scripture  history  look  to 
dates  ;  and  it  will  surprise  many  to  learu  that 
wheu  Ezra  made  up  his  secoud  great  caravan 
of  pilgrims  for  Jerusalem,  the  new  Temple  had 
been  completed  nearly  sixty  years,  and  it  was 
nearlj'  eighty  j-ears  since  the  lirst  caravan  of 
pilgrims  set  out  under  Zerubbabel,  who,  witli 
all  that  generation,  had  been  long  since  dead. 
Kitto. 

It  was  about  sixty  years  "  after  these  things" 
that  the  second  expedition  left  Babylon.  Da- 
rius continued  to  reign  for  thirty-one  years. 
Then  Ahiisuerus  (Xerxes)  was  king  for  twenty- 
one  years  ;  so  that  the  whole  Book  of  Esther 
falls  chronologically  within  the  gap  between 
the  6th  and  7tli  chapters  of  the  history  before 
us.  Artaxerxes  succeeded  Xerxes  ;  and  in  the 
seventh  year  of  his  reign,  with  his  cordial  ap- 
proval, Ezra  in  person  led  a  second  company  of 
Jews  to  Jerusalem.  They  were  not  nearly  so 
many  as  returned  with  Zerubbabel,  for  by  this 
time  the  Jews  had  made  themselves  at  home  in 
various  provinces  of  the  empire  ;  they  had 
prospered  greatlj'  under  Esther  and  Mordecai, 
in  the  latter  years  of  Xerxes,  and  were  not  very 
eager  to  exchange  their  rich  settlements  among 
the  heathen  for  the  poor  prospect  of  recoloniz- 
ing  Judea.  But  Ezra  gathered  together  ' '  chief 
men  of  Israel,"  with  a  good  many  priests  and 
Levites,  and  received  from  the  king  a  valuable 
offering  of  gold  and  silver  vessels  for  the  new 
Temple  at  Jerusalem.     D.  F. 

The  Temple  was  complete  just  before  the 
spring  equinox  of  B.C.  515.  From  the  passover, 
a  few  weeks  later,  to  B.C.  458,  the  Old  Testa- 
ment is  silent  as  to  events  in  Palestine.  Dur- 
ing the  later  half  of  the  interval  was  the  reign 
of  Xerxes,  the  Ahasuerus  of  the  Book  of  Esther. 
In  B.C.  458,  thirteen  years  before  the  arrival  of 
Nehemiah,  Ezra  came  to  Jerusalem,  and  the 
events  recorded  in  the  last  four  chapters  of 
Ezra  took  place.  We  are  compelled  to  think 
of  Ezra  as  already  an  old  man,  though  he  lived 
at  least  twenty-five  years  after  this  (Neh. 
12  :  36).  He  had  gained  distinction  as  a  student 
of  tlie  sacred  laws  of  Israel.  He  brought 
with  him  a  large  company,  including  numer- 
ous trained  Levites,  singers,  and  other  Tem- 
ple attendants.  He  brought  also  rich  gifts 
from  the  Persian  emperor  Artaxerxes  and 
others,  and  requisitions  on  the  Persian  officials 
of  the  region  for  additional  supplies.  And, 
most  important  of  all,  he  brought  with  him 
authority  from  the  king  for  enforcing  the  Is- 
raelitish  sacred  laws  on  all  who  recognized 
them,  or  could  be  led  to  recognize  them  (Ezra 
7  :  35).     The  details  that  are  given  of  the  mis- 


sion of  Ezra  justify  the  inference  that  the  Pales- 
tine Jews,  during  the  fifty-eight  years  since  the 
completion  of  the  Temple,  had  not  been  in  the 
highest  degree  exemplary  and  prosperous. 
W.  J.  B. 

Ezra,  a  member  of  the  high-priest's  famil}',  a 
descendant  of  Seraiah,  the  "  chief  priest"  at 
the  time  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  (3  K. 
35  :  18),  and  probably  a  third  cousin  of  the  ex- 
isting high-priest,  Eliashib,  having  access  to 
Artaxerxes,  and,  apparently  a  certain  influence 
with  him,  asked  (chap.  7  :  6)  and  obtained  the 
ro^'al  permission  to  reinforce  the  colonj'  in  Ju- 
dea by  a  fresh  body  of  cmigi-ants,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  convey  to  Jerusalem  a  sum  of 
money,  which  the  Babylonian  Jews  had  sub- 
scribed toward  the  Temple  service  {ibid.,  verse 
16).  Artaxerxes  appears  to  have  had  a  high 
respect  for  Ezra  ;  he  recognized  in  him  one 
possessed  of  wisdom  from  on  high  (verse  35), 
and  readily  granted  him  not  only  the  request 
that  he  had  made,  but  an  important  commis- 
sion, which  was  mainly  one  of  inquiry  (verse 
14),  but  which  made  hira  for  a  time  paramount 
civil  ruler  of  the  province,  with  power  of  life 
and  death  over  its  inhabitants  (verse  36)  ;  and 
also  conferred  upon  the  Jewish  people  certain 
valuable  gifts  and  privileges.  The  terms  of 
the  decree  are  set  forth  in  chap.  7  :  13-36,  where 
the  Chaldee  version  of  the  text,  as  published 
by  Artaxerxes,  is  probably  given  verbatim  et 
literatim.  After  reciting  it,  Ezra  breaks  out 
into  a  brief  but  earnest  burst  of  thanksgiving 
and  acknowledgment  of  God's  goodness,  which 
concludes  chap.  7,  occupying  the  last  two 
verses.  He  then  proceeds,  in  chap.  8,  to  give 
an  account  of  the  number  of  the  Jews  who  re- 
turned with  him,  with  the  names  of  their  lead- 
ers, whom  he  calls  "chief  of  the  fathers." 
Having  completed  his  list  in  verse  14,  he  goes 
on  (verses  15-31)  to  describe  the  circumstances 
of  the  journey  from  Babylon  to  Jerusalem, 
which  occu|>ied  exactly  four  months,  com- 
mencing on  the  first  day  of  the  first  month  and 
terminating  on  the  first  day  of  the  fifth  month 
(chap.  7  :  9).  In  conclusion,  he  tells  us  how, 
after  a  rest  of  three  days,  he  discharged  himself 
of  the  most  pressing  of  the  commissions  entrust- 
ed to  him,  delivering  over  to  the  priests  in 
charge  of  the  Temple  the  gifts  sent  by  Arta- 
xerxes, and  making  known  to  the  various  Per- 
sian officials  of  the  district  the  terms  of  the 
royal  decree  so  far  as  they  were  affected  by  it 
(chap.  8  :  33-36).     P.  C. 

The  crown  of  Persia  passed,  on  the  death  of 
Xerxes  (Ahasuerus  of  "  Esther"),  after  a  cer- 
tain period  of  disturbance,  to  the  youngest  of 


oU 


£0071.'  OF  EZIiA. 


his  sons,  Artaxcrxes,  whom  the  Greeks  called 
"  JIacroclieir"  aiitl  the  Kjiuans  "  Lougima- 
UU3."  He  was  not  inueh  more  than  a  boy  at  his 
accession,  ami  had  some  dllti:-idty  in  niaint-.iiii- 
iug  hiinselt'  upon  the  tliroiiL'  ;  but  after  seven 
months  of  indecision,  he  adopti'd  a  vigorons 
piilicy,  punished  Artabaiun,  tlie  murderer  of 
his  father,  and  his  tool,  Aspamitres,  with  death, 
and  undertook  the  active  direction  of  the  state. 
After  suppr(;ssing  a  revolt  in  Bactria,  in  which 
he  gained  some  military  distinction,  his  atten- 
tion was  turned,  in  the  fifth  year  of  his  reign, 
toward  Egypt,  where  au  insurrection  had  bro- 
ken out  under  Inarus,  an  African  cldef,  and 
Amyrtanis,  a  native  E:;yptian,  which  threatened 
the  gravest  danger  to  the  empire,  since  it  was 
fomented  by  the  Athenians.  It  may  well  have 
been  in  connection  with  this  most  important  re- 
bellion, which  was  not  suppressed  till  six  years 
later,  that  the  great  monarcli  took  into  special 
consideration  the  condition  of  Palestine,  which 
lay  upon  the  Egyptian  border  ;  and,  regai'ding 
the  Judeans  iis  the  most  faithful  of  all  his  sub- 
jects in  that  quarter,  resolved  to  attach  them 
as  closely  as  possible  to  his  interests  by  favors 
which  should  recall  the  old  kindness  and  the 
old  munificence  of  Cyrus  and  of  Darius  Hys- 
taspes.  He  resolved  to  renew  the  permission 
which  had  been  given,  eighty  years  earlier,  by 
Cyrus,  and  to  make  a  decree  that  ' '  all  they  of 
the  people  of  Israel  in  all  his  realm,  and  of 
their  priests  and  Levites,  wliicli  were  minded 
to  go  up  to  Jerusalem,"  should  be  at  liberty  to 
do  so  (Ezra  7  :  13).  The  terms  of  his  decree 
seem  to  imply  something  like  a  close  personal 
knowledge  of  Ezra.  Ezra  is  described  as  "  the 
priest,  a  scribe  of  the  law  of  the  God  of  heaven, 
perfect. "  "  The  law  of  his  God  is  in  his  hand, ' ' 
and  "  the  wisdom  of  his  God."  He  is  trusted 
to  an  almost  unlimited  extent.  He  is  addressed 
in  the  second  person  (7  :  14-25).  Ezra  had 
clearly  gained  the  deep  respect  and  high  ap- 
jn-oval  of  the  Persian  king,  who  must  have 
formed  an  extraordinary  estimate  of  his  charac- 
trraud  capacity.  Persona!  knowledge  best  ex- 
plains this  high  estimate,  and  is  (juite  conceiv- 
able under  the  circumstances.     G.  U. 

7  :  1-5.  The  rjanahxjxj  of  Ezni.  It  is  i)laiu 
that  this  genealogy  is  incomplete.  It  gives  no 
more  than  sixteen  generations  between  Ezra 
and  Aaron,  whereas  the  number  of  generations 
between  Zerubbabel  and  Isa.shon,  prince  of  Ju- 
dah  in  Aaron's  time,  was  twenty-six  (1  Chrou. 
2  :  10-15  ;  3  :  5-19),  and  that  lietweeu  Aaron 
himself  and  Eliashil)  at  least  as  many  (1  Chron. 
0  :  3-15  ;  9:11;  Xeh.  12  ;  10).  Six  names  are 
omitted  between  the  Azariah  and  ileraioth  of 


verse  3,  which  will  be  found  in  1  Chron.  6  :  7-10  ; 
and  at  least  three  must  be  wanting  between 
Ezra  himself  and  Seraiah,  who  was  the  great- 
great-grandfather  of  Eliashib,  Ezra's  contem- 
porary (Xeh.  3:1;  13  :  4).  The  curtailment  of 
genealogies  by  the  omission  of  names  was  a 
common  practice  of  the  Jews.  A  notable  in- 
stance is  the  omi.ssion  of  thn-e  royal  names  in 
Matthew's  genealogy  of  our  Lord.     P.  C. 

6.  Law  of  ino§C(i.  Moses  is,  humanl}' 
speaking,  the  great  deliverer,  leader  and  legis- 
lator of  the  Hebrew  people.  The  work  accom- 
plished by  him  has  no  parallel  in  history.  No 
other  legislator,  no  prophet,  priest  or  king  ever 
wrought  to  such  purpose,  or  with  .so  lasting 
efficiency,  as  he  did.  A  new  jiolity,  new  insti- 
tutions, new  laws  and  a  revived  spiritual  relig- 
ion could  not  be  made,  as  it  were,  to  spring  up 
at  once  out  of  the  earth,  but  must  have  time  to 
grow  up  slowly,  and  thus  to  become  inrooted 
in  the  hearts  and  habits  of  the  people.  Hence 
the  persistency,  the  abiding  character,  of  the 
Mosaic  legislation.     F.  Buicsn. 

6- 1 0.  Ezm  's  journey  from  Babylon  to  Jeruia- 
lem,  with  dutcs.  In  introducing  himself,  Ezra 
seems  to  regard  it  as  of  primary  importance  to 
state  two  things — who  he  was,  and  what  i)laee 
he  liad  in  a  history  of  which  the  main  object  is 
to  give  an  account  of  the  return  of  Israel  from 
captivity.  In  connection  with  the  former  point 
he  gives,  first  of  all,  his  genealogy  ;  and,  sec- 
ondly, the  account  of  himself  contained  in 
verses  6  and  10.  He  describes  himself  as  "  a 
ready  scribe," — one  who  "  had  prepared  his 
heart  to  seek  the  law  of  the  Lord,  and  to  do  it," 
and  also  "  to  teach  in  Israel  statutes  and  judg- 
ments." In  connection  with  tlic  latter,  he  is 
careful  to  put  before  us  at  once  tlie  fact  that  he 
too,  like  Zerubbabel,  "  went  up  from  B:ibyIon" 
to  Jerusalem  by  the  permission  of  the  Persian 
king,  and,  like  Zerubbabel,  was  accompanied 
by  priests,  Levites,  both  singers  and  porters, 
Xethinim,  and  a  number  of  the  people  (verse  7). 
He  adds  an  exact  statement  as  to  the  date  of 
both  his  departure  and  arrival,  very  natural  in 
one  who  is  his  own  biograjiher.  and  very  in- 
teresting to  the  general  histi)rian.  He  also, 
without  any  parade  of  religious  sentiment,  ac- 
knowledges the  h;uid  of  God  as  directing,  help- 
ing and  sustaining  him  in  all  his  proceedings, 
ascribing  to  the  Divine  favor,  especially,  Arta- 
xcrxes' allowance  of  his  journey,  and  his  safe 
accomiilishmcnt  of  it  (verses  6,  9). 

11-26.  The  decree  of  Arta.rtr.Tts  icith  respect 
to  Ezra.  The  present  decree  tmbodied,  in  the 
first  place,  a  certain  number  of  provisions  which 
were  temporary.     Of  this  character  were — (1) 


SECTION  56.     EZRA  LEADS  A  SECOND   COLONY  TO  JERUSALEM.        515 


the  permission  accorded  to  all  Persian  stibjects 
df  Israelite  descent  to  accompany  Ezra  to  Jeru- 
salem (verse  13)  ;  (2)  the  commission  to  Ezra  to 
convey  to  Jerusalem  certain  offerings  made  by 
the  king  and  his  chief  courtiers  to  the  God  of 
Israel  (verses  15,  19)  ;  (3)  the  permission  given 
him  to  convey  to  Jerusalem  the  freewill  offer- 
ings of  Jews  and  others  resident  in  Babylonia 
(verso  16)  ;  (4)  permission  to  Ezra  to  draw  on 
the  royal  treasury  to  the  amount  of  a  hundred 
talents  of  silver,  a  hundred  measures  of  wheat, 
a  hundred  "  baths"  of  wine,  a  hundred  "  baths" 
of  oil,  and  salt  to  any  amount  (verse  22)  ;  and 
(5)  an  indefinite  commission  to  "  inquire"  (verse 
14).  Besides  these  temporary  enactments,  the 
decree  contained  certain  provisions  of  a  more 
permanent  nature.  1.  Ezra  was  invested  with 
the  chief  authority  over  the  whole  district "  be- 
3'ond  the  river,"  and  was  commissioned  to  ap- 
point all  the  subordinate  "  magistrates  and 
judges"  (verse  25).  2.  Ho  was  authorized  to 
enforce  his  decisions  b\'  the  penalties  of  impris- 
onment, confiscation  of  goods,  banishment,  and 
even  death  itself  (verse  26).  3.  An  exemption 
from  ta.xation  of  ever}'  kind  was  granted  to  all 
grades  of  the  sacerdotal  order — to  the  priests, 
the  Levites,  the  singers,  the  porters,  the  Nethi- 
nim,  and  the  lowest  grade  of  "ministers" — to 
all,  in  fact,  who  were  engaged  in  the  perform- 
ance of  any  sacred  function  connected  with  the 
Temple  (verse  24).  This  last  provision  was  ab- 
solutelj'  permanent,  and  probably  continued  in 
force  down  to  the  close  of  the  empire. 

The  insertion  here  of  this  decree  of  Arta- 
.xerxcs  at  length,  and  in  its  original  Chaldee 
form,  is  in  more  or  less  close  keeping  with  the 
earlier  parts  of  this  book  (1  :  2-4  ;  4  :  11-16, 
17-22  ;  5  :  6-17  ;  6  :  3-12),  and  furnishes  an  ar- 
gument, therefore,  strongly  in  favor  of  the 
unity  of  authorship  of  the  whole  book. 

\'A.  All  tliey  of  the  people  of  Israel. 
The  decree  of  Arta.xerxes  is  as  wide  in  its 
terms  as  the  proclamation  of  Cj'rus  (chap.  1  :  3), 
and  gives  permission  not  to  the  Jews  only,  but 
to  all  Israelites  of  whatever  tribe,  to  accompany 
Ezra  to  Jerusalem.  That  Israelites  of  all  the 
tribes  actually  went  up  to  Jerusalem  on  the  oc- 
casion seems  indicated  by  the  "  twelve  bullocks 
for  all  Israel,"  which  those  who  returned  with 
Ezra  offered  on  their  arrival  to  the  "  God  of 
Israel."    - 

14.  Ezra  received  his  commission  from  the 
king  and  from  his  seven  counsellors,  who  thus 
seem  to  occupy  an  important  position  in  the 
Persian  state.  They  are  commonly  identified 
with  the  "  seven  princes  of  Persia  and  Media," 
mentioned  in  Esther  (1  ;  14),  "  which  saw  the 


king's    face,"   and  "sate    first    in    the  king- 
dom." 

20.  Whatever  more  §hall  be  need- 
ful. Here  the  terms  of  the  firman  are  very 
wide  Indeed,  and  authorize  apparently  an  un- 
limited application  of  the  royal  revenue,  or,  at 
any  rate,  of  the  revenue  of  the  province,  to  any 
purpose  in  any  way  connected  with  the  Tem- 
ple. 

23.  ^Vhy  should  there  be  ^vrath 
against  the  realm  ?  In  the  seventh  year 
of  Artaxerxes  Longimanus  there  was  ' '  wrath 
against  the  realm"  of  Persia  in  a  very  danger- 
ous quarter — viz.,  Egypt.  Egj'pt  hatl  revolted 
from  the  Persians  in  B.C.  460,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Athe- 
nians, had  driven  the  last  Persian  out  of  the 
country.  In  B.C.  458,  Artaxerxes'  seventh 
year,  it  was  resolved  that  a  Persian  force  should 
attempt  the  recovery  of  the  revolted  country. 
Artaxerxes  gives  his  firman  to  Ezra  wlien  this 
expedition  is  preparing  to  start,  and  parti}'  al- 
ludes to  the  past  "  wrath,"  shown  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  rebels,  partly  deprecates  any  further 
visitation.  Without  pretending  to  penetrate 
the  Divine  counsels,  it  may  be  noticed  that 
from  the  j'ear  B.C.  458  things  went  well  for  the 
Persians  in  Egj'pt.  Memphis  was  recovered  in 
that  year  or  the  next  ;  and  in  B.C.  455  the  Athe- 
nians were  finally  defeated. 

27,  28.  Ezra's  thanksgiting  on  receipt  of 
Artaxerxes'  letter.  With  an  abruptness  that 
may  appear  strange,  but  which  has  many  par- 
allels in  the  works  of  Oriental  writers,  Ezra 
passes  without  a  word  of  explanation  from 
Artaxerxes'  letter  to  his  own  thanksgiving 
upon  the  receipt  of  it. 

27.  Having  concluded  the  important  docu- 
ment which  he  has  transcribed  and  not  trans- 
lated, and  which  is  consequently  in  the  C'h;ddee 
dialect,  Ezra  now  resumes  the  use  of  the  more 
sacred  Hebrew,  and  henceforth  employs  it  un- 
interruptedly to  the  close  of  his  narrative.  The 
form  of  his  thanksgiving  a  little  resembles  that 
of  David  in  1  Chron.  29  :  10. 

Very  abruptly,  even  in  our  translation,  does 
this  short  psalm  of  praise  come  in.  We  may 
take  these  words  as  giving  us  a  peculiarly  life- 
like picture  of  Ezra's  feelings,  both  when  first 
receiving  this  decree  of  the  king  and  also  when 
afterward  committing  it  to  writing.  Tlius  seen 
they  teach  us  speeiallj'  his  true  piety  and  his 
sincere  humility. 

27.  In  the  eyes  of  God's  true  servants,  every 
blessing  to  God's  house  and  people  (God's  house 
in  the  highest  sense,  1  Pet.  2  :  5)  is  a  blessing  to 
themselves.     This  feature,   also,   is  the  more 


51G 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


noticeable  here,  because  in  that  decree  which 

led  til  this  pniise  iiotliinp;  is  snid,  except  most 
indirectly,  iis  to  the  beautifying  of  God's  house. 
Bui  IC/ni,  with  his  great  desire  for  tlie  good  of 
that  house,  aud  his  zealous  intentions  in  that 
direction,  perceived  with  admiration  and  praise 
how  all  the  provisions  of  that  decree  could  and 
would  be  used  in  that  manner.  To  have  God 
worshipped  in  the  proper  way  was  the  great 
desire  of  his  heart.  Whatever,  therefore,  prom- 
ised to  help  this  on  was  to  him  a  great  joy.  So 
with  all  who  truly  love  God.  .  .  .  With  all 
his  spirit  of  praise,  with  all  his  constant  refer- 
ence to  God's  "  hand,"  and  constant  dependence 
on  God's  power,  his  was  no  indolent  soul. 
Rather,  by  this  "  good  hand"  of  God  upon 
him,  he  was  the  more  stirred  up  in  work  and 
encouraged.  This  is  just  the  spirit  of  true 
faith. 

§  :  1-14.  2'he  number  of  those  who  went  up  to 
Jerusalem  with  Ezra,  and  the  names  of  the  chief 
men.  This  list  is  parallel  with  that  of  chap. 
2  ;  3-19,  aud  repeats  for  the  most  part  the  same 
family  names,  though  not  quite  in  the  same 
order.  The  numbers  are  in  each  case  very 
much  smaller,  never  amounting  to  one  third, 
and  sometimes  falling  below  one  twelfth.  The 
entire  number  of  adult  male  colonists  who  ac- 
companied Ezra  was,  including  Levites  and 
Nethinim,  1773.  Counting  five  to  a  family, 
this  woidd  give  a  total  of  nearly  9000  souls. 

15-31.  Details  of  Ezra' s  journey  from  Baby- 
lon to  Jerusalem.  We  gather  from  scattered 
statements  in  this  passage  (1)  that  Ezra,  with 
his  companions,  after  a  journey  of  nine  days' 
duration,  reached  Ahava  from  Babylon  on  the 
ninth  day  of  the  first  month  ;  (2)  that  he  rest- 
ed three  days  at  Ahava,  and  proclaimed  a  fast : 
(3)  that  he  was  there  joined  by  a  small  number 
of  Levites  and  a  considerable  body  of  Xethinims 
from  the  immediate  neighborhood  ;  (4)  that  on 
the  twelfth  day  of  the  first  month  he  resumed 
his  journey,  and  though  threatened  by  some 
opposition  upon  the  way,  arrived  safely  at  his 
destination  fourteen  weeks  after  he  quitted 
Ahava,  and  exactly  four  months  after  he  had 
started  from  Babylon.  The  only  other  im- 
portant fact  mentioned  is,  that  at  Ahava  twelve 
of  the  principal  priests  were  selected  by  Ezra, 
and  the  royal  offering  of  silver,  gold  and  ves- 
sels handed  over  to  them  for  safe  custody,  after 
having  been  carefully  weighed.  The  weights 
are  recorded  with  Ezra's  usual  exactness  in 
verses  2S,  27.     P.  C. 

l5-!iO.  Ezra  determined  on  a  halt  of  three 
days.  Ahava  was  a  pleasant  spot,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Euphrates,  where  a  small  stream  flowed 


into  it  from  the  east.  Ezra,  having  ordered  the 
tents  to  be  pitched,  proceeded  to  hold  a  muster 
of  the  colonists,  who  were,  perhaps,  now  for 
the  first  time  counted,  and  assigned  to  their 
several  families  (P>,ra  8  :  1-15).  In  making  out 
the  muster-roll,  the  Jewish  leader  wa.s  greatly 
struck  with  the  fact  that,  while  a  certain  num- 
ber of  the  priests  had  accompanied  him  from 
Babylon,  there  was  not  in  the  entire  caravan  a 
single  person  belonging  to  the  class  of  simple 
Levites.  There  was  a  Jewish  settlement  at  a 
place  called  Casiphia  in  the  i\eighborhood  of 
Ahava  (ibid.,  verse  17).  To  this  place,  where 
he  knew  that  there  were  Levites  and  Nethinim, 
Ezra  sent  a  formal  embassy,  consisting  of 
twelve  Israelites,  to  represent  the  Twelve 
Tribes,  and  begged  the  Casiphians  to  reinforce 
his  colony  by  a  supply  of  these  lower  minis- 
ters and  servants  of  the  Temple,  who  were 
quite  as  much  needed  as  priests  for  the  service 
of  the  sanctuary.  The  Casiphians,  who  had  at 
their  head  a  chief  called  Iddo,  readily  consent- 
ed ;  and  Ezra  in  this  way  obtained  an  addition 
to  his  followers  of  thirty-eight  Levites  of  full 
age,  and  two  hundred  aud  twentv  Xethinim. 

G.  a 

21.  "  I  proelaimcd  a  fast  there,  to 
seek  of  Ood  a  right  ^vay  for    u§." 

There  was  no  foolhardiness  in  his  courage  ;  he 
was  well  aware  of  all  the  possible  dangers  on 
the  road  ;  and  while  he  is  confident  of  the  Di- 
vine protection,  he  knows  that,  in  his  own 
quiet,  matter-of-fact  words,  it  is  given  "  to  all 
them  that  seek  Ilim."  So  his  faith  not  only 
impels  him  to  the  renunciation  of  the  Baby- 
lonian guard,  but  to  earnest  supplication  for  the 
defence  in  which  he  is  so  confident.  He  is  sure 
it  will  be  given — so  sure,  that  he  will  have  no 
other  shield  ;  and  yet  he  fasts  and  prays  that 
he  and  his  company  may  receive  it.  He  prays 
because  he  is  sure  that  he  will  receive  it,  and 
does  receive  it  because  he  prays  and  is  sure. 
So  for  us,  the  condition  and  preparation  on  and 
by  which  we  are  sheltered  by  that  great  hand 
is  the  faith  that  asks,  and  the  asking  of  faith. 
We  must  forsake  the  earthly  props,  but  we 
must  also  belie  vingly  desire  to  be  upheld  by 
the  heavenly  arms.  We  make  God  responsible 
for  our  safety  when  we  abandon  other  defence, 
and  commit  ourselves  to  Ilim.  With  eyes  open 
to  our  dangers,  and  full  consciousness  of  our 
own  unarmed  and  unwarlike  weakness,  let  us 
solemnly  commend  ourselves  to  Ilim,  rolling  all 
our  burden  on  His  strong  arms,  knowing  that 
He  is  able  to  keep  that  which  we  haveconunit- 
ted  to  Him.  He  will  accept  the  trust,  and  set 
His  guards  about  us.     As  the  song  of  the  re- 


SECTION  56.     EZRA   LEADS   A   SECOND   COLONY  TO  JERUSALEM.       517 


turning  exiles,  which  maj'  have  been  sung  by 
the  river  Ahava,  has  it  :  "  My  help  cometh 
from  the  Lord.  The  Lord  is  tliy  keeper.  The 
Lord  is  tlij'  shade  upon  tlij'  right  hand." 

22.  The  symbolic  phrase  "  the  hand  of  our 
God,"  as  expressive  of  the  Divine  protection, 
occurs  with  remarkable  frequency  in  the  Books 
of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  and  though  not  peculiar 
to  them,  is  yet  exceedingly  characteristic  of 
them.  It  has  a  certain  beauty  and  force  of  its 
own.  The  hand  is  of  course  the  scat  of  active 
power.  It  is  ou  or  over  a  man  like  some  great 
sliield  held  aloft  above  him,  below  which  there 
is  safe  hiding.  So  that  great  hand  bends  itself 
over  us,  and  we  are  secure  beneath  its  hollow. 
God  is  upon  us  to  impart  power  as  well  as  pro- 
tection ;  and  our  "bow  abides  in  strength" 
when  "  the  arms  of  our  hands  are  made  strong 
by  the  hands  of  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob." 
That  was  Ezra's  faith,  and  that  should  be  ours. 
A.  jM. 

31,32.  "We departed."  "Wecame."  Thus 
it  is  that  Ezra  here  relates  the  rest  of  his  jour- 
ney, the  only  thing  worthy  of  note  between 
Ahava  and  Jerusalem  being  this,  that  through 
"  the  good  hand  of  God"  upon  the  travellere 
they  were  kept  in  safety  the  whole  way.  This 
being  acknowledged  with  a  suitable  note  of 
thanksgiving,  as  something  remarkable  in  such 
a  journey,  the  story  goes  on  to  tell  us  of  the 
first  doings  of  the  pilgrims  after  reaching  the 
place  which  the_v  had  sought  and  thought  of 
so  long.     P.  C. 

A  fla.sh  of  joyful  feeling  breaks  through  the 
simple  narrative,  as  it  tells  how  the  words  spo- 
ken before  the  king  came  true  in  the  experience 
of  the  weaponless  pilgrims  :  ' '  The  hand  of  our 
God  was  upon  us,  and  He  delivered  us  from  the 
hand  of  the  enemy,  and  of  such  as  lay  in  wait 
b}'  the  way  ;  and  we  came  to  Jerusalem."  It 
was  no  rash  venture  that  we  made.  He  was  all 
that  we  hope<l  and  asked.  The  ventures  of 
faith  are  ever  rewarded.  We  cannot  set  our 
expectations  too  high.  What  we  dare  scarcel}' 
hope  now  we  shall  one  day  remember.  Wlien 
we  come  to  tell  the  completed  story  of  our  lives 
we  shall  have  to  record  the  fulfilment  of  all 
God's  promises  and  the  accomplishment  of  all 
our  praj'crs  that  were  built  on  these.  Here  let 
us  cry.  Be  Thy  hand  upon  us.  Here  let  us 
trust.  Thy  hand  shall  be  upon  us.  Then  we 
shall  have  to  .say,  "  The  hand  of  our  God  was 
upon  us. "  And  as  we  look  from  the  watch-tow- 
ers of  the  city  on  the  desert  that  stretches  to  its 
very  walls,  and  remember  all  the  way  by  which 
He  led  us,  we  shall  rejoice  over  His  vindication 
of  our  poor  faith,  and  praise  Him  that  "  not 


one  tlnng  hath  failed  of  all  the  things  which  the 
Lord  our  God  spoke  concerning  us."     A.  M. 

32-36.  Ezra's  three  days'  rest  at  Jerusalem, 
and  subsequent  execution  vf  the  more  pressinr/  of 
the  commissions  intrusted  to  him.  After  the  fa- 
tigues of  a  four  months'  journey,  a  brief  period 
of  complete  rest  was  well-nigh  necessary.  Like 
Nehemiah  (Neh.  3  :  11),  Ezra  was  content  with 
a  rest  of  three  days.  On  the  fourth  he  dis- 
charged himself  of  his  commission  to  present  to 
the  Temple  treasury  the  offerings  of  the  Per- 
sian king,  his  counsellors  and  lords  (verse  25), 
together  with  that  spontaneously  contributed 
1)\'  the  Israelites  who  had  accompanied  him 
(chap.  7  :  16).  This  he  did  by  appearing  in 
person  before  the  priests  and  Levites  wiio  were 
in  charge  of  the  Temple,  and  making  over  to 
them  the  entire  offering  of  gold,  silver  and 
vessels  which  had  been  brought  to  Jerusalem 
from  Babylon.  At  the  same  time  the  exiles 
whom  he  had  induced  to  return,  and  whom  he 
Iiad  conducted  in  safet}'  through  so  long  a 
journey,  sacrificed  ou  the  altar  of  burnt  offer- 
ings a  number  of  bullocks,  rams,  lambs,  and 
he-goats,  as  a  token  of  their  thankfulness  to 
God  for  delivering  them  from  the  perils  of  the 
way.  After  this  Ezra  proceeded  to  make 
known  to  the  satraps  and  other  governors  of 
the  provinces  l3'ing  west  of  the  Euphrates  the 
terms  of  the  permanent  commission  which  he 
had  received  from  the  king.  The  result  was 
that  these  officials  thenceforth  helped  the  Jews 
instead  of  hindering  them,  and  furnished  the 
necessary  supplies  for  the  Temple  service.   P.  C. 

It  was  ou  the  "  first  daj*  of  the  fifth  mouth" 
(7  :  9),  in  the  burning  heat  of  July,  that  Ezra 
with  his  company  reached  the  holy  city.  They 
had  been  just  four  months  upon  their  journey. 
The  direct  distance  of  Jerusalem  from  Babylon 
is  not  more  than  about  five  hundred  and  twenty 
miles,  but  the  circuitous  route  pursued  had  al- 
most doubled  the  length  of  the  wa}'.  And  long 
halts  had  no  doubt  been  made  at  several  places 
besides  Ahava.  The  "  king's  commissions"  had 
had  to  be  delivered  to  the  Persian  satraps  and 
subordinate  governors  to  the  west  of  the  Eu- 
phrates. The  result  was  that  the  average  rate 
of  progress  had  been  little  more  than  eiglit 
miles  per  diem,  and  four  months  had  been  con- 
sumed in  travelling  a  distance  that  was  usually 
accomplished  in  less  than  three. 

35.  As  before,  when  Zerubbabel  made  his 
great  sacrifice  ou  the  dedication  of  the  second 
Temple,  so  now  Ezra  put  prominently  forward 
the  idea  that  the  returned  exiles  represented 
"  all  Israel,"  were  the  people  of  God  in  their 
totality — not  a  remnant  of  one  tribe  only  es- 


518 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


cnpc'd  from  barbarian  masters,  but  the  entire 
nation  restored  to  tlieir  native  l:inil  ami  planted 
lliere  a  seeonil  time,  witli  full  rif;ht  and  title  to 
all  the  old  privileges  and  promises  attached  to 
the  "  seed  of  Abraham."     G.  U. 

35,  !Mi.  Having  been  conducted  safely,  by  ' 
God's  iirovideiiee,   to  take  up  tlieir  abode  in 
that  plaee  which  He  had  chosen  to  put  His  I 
name  there,  it  was  very  lilting  that  they  should  I 
openly  declare  their  consecration  to  that  name. 
This  was  represented  by  those  "  burnt  offer-  I 


ings"  of  which  we  are  twice  informed  in  this 
plaee.  In  so  consecrating  themselves,  how- 
ever, they  only  acted  as  a  portion  of  that  whole 
consecrated  Israel  of  God  to  which  they  be- 
longed. This  identification  of  themselves  with 
the  covenant  people  they  appear  to  have  repre- 
sented by  their  evidently  studied  reference  in 
the  number  of  animals  offered  to  the  appointed 
number  of  the  covenant  tribes.  It  is  expressly 
said  of  the  twelve  bullocks  that  they  were 
offered   '  for  all  Israel."     P.  C. 


Section  57. 


IDOLATROUS   INTERM.VRRIAGE8  RE15UKED  AND   AOTTOLLED. 

Ezra  9  :  1-15  ;  10  :  1-44. 

9 : 1  Now  when  these  things  were  done,  the  princes  drew  near  unto  nie,  saying,  The 
people  of  Israel,  and  the  priests  and  the  Lcvites,  have  not  separated  tliemselves  from  the 
peoples  of  the  lauds,  doiitr/  according  to  their  abominations,  even  of  the  Canaauites,  the  Ilit- 
titcs,  the  Perizzites,  the  Jebusitcs,   the  Ammonites,  the  Jloabites,  the  Egyptians,  and  the 

2  Amorites.  For  they  have  taken  of  their  daughters  for  themselves  and  for  their  sons  ;  so 
that  the  holy  sceil  have  mingled  themselves  with  the  peoples  of  the  lands  :  yea,  the  hand  of 

3  the  princes  and  rulers  hath  been  chief  in  this  trespass.  And  when  I  heard  this  thing,  I  rent 
my  garment  and  my  mantle,  and  plucked  off  the  hair  of  my  head  and  of  my  beard,  and  sat 

4  down  astonied.  Then  were  a.ssembled  unto  me  every  one  that  trembled  at  the  words  of  the 
God  of  Israel,  because  of  the  trespass  of  them  of  the  captivity  ;  and  I  sat  astonied  until  the 

5  evening  oblation.  And  at  the  evening  oblation  I  arose  up  from  my  humiliation,  even  with 
my  garment  and  my  mantle  rent  ;  and  I  fell  upon  my  knees,  and  spread  out  my  hands  unto 

6  the  Loud  my  God  ;  and  I  said,  O  my  God,  I  am  ashamed  and  blush  to  lift  up  my  face  to 
thee,  my  God  :  for  our  iniquities  are  increased  over  our  head,  and  our  guiltiness  is  grown  up 

7  unto  the  heavens.  Since  the  days  of  our  fathers  we  liave  been  exceeding  guilty  unto  this 
day  ;  and  for  our  iniquities  have  we,  our  kings,  and  our  priests,  been  delivered  into  the 
hand  of  the  kings  of  the  lauds,  to  the  sword,  to  captivity,  and  to  spoiling,  and  to  confusion 

8  of  face,  as  it  is  this  day.  i\jid  now  for  a  little  moment  grace  hath  been  shewed  from  the 
Loud  our  God,  to  leave  us  a  remnant  to  escape,  and  to  give  us  a  nail  in  his  holy  place,  that 

9  our  God  may  lighten  our  eyes,  and  give  us  a  little  reviving  in  our  bondage.  For  we  are 
bondmen  ;  yet  our  God  hath  not  forsaken  us  in  our  bondage,  but  hath  extended  mercy  unto 
us  in  the  sight  of  the  kings  of  Persia,  to  give  us  a  reviving,  to  set  up  the  house  of  our  God, 

10  and  to  repair  the  ruins  thereof,  and  to  give  as  a  wall  in  Judah  and  in  Jerusalem.     And  now, 

11  O  our  God,  what  shall  we  say  after  this  ?  for  we  have  forsaken  thy  commandments,  which 
thou  hast  commanded  by  thy  servants  the  prophets,  saying.  The  land,  unto  which  ye  go  to 
possess  it,  is  an  unclean  land  throiigh  the  uncleanness  of  the  peoples  of  the  lands,  through 

12  their  abominations,  which  have  tilled  it  from  one  end  to  another  w-th  their  fillhiuess.  Now 
therefore  give  not  your  daughters  unto  their  sons,  neither  take  their  (laughters  unto  your 
sons,  nor  seek  their  peace  or  their  jirosperity  for  ever  :  that  ye  may  be  strong,  and  eat  the 

13  good  of  the  land,  and  leave  it  for  an  inheritance  to  your  children  for  ever.  And  after  all 
that  is  come  upon  us  for  our  evil  deeds,  and  for  our  great  guilt,  seeing  that  thou  our  God 

14  hast  punished  us  less  than  our  iniquities  deserve,  mid  hast  given  us  such  a  remnant,  shall  we 
again  break  thy  commandments,  and  join  in  affinity  with  the  peoples  that  do  these  abomina- 
tions 1  wouldest  not  thou  be  angry  with  us  till  thou  hadst  consumed  us,  so  that  there  should 


SECTION  G7.     IDOLATROUS  INTERMARRIAGES.  519 

15  be  no  remnant,  nor  any  to  escape  ?  O  Lord,  tlic  God  of  Israel,  thou  art  rigliteous  ;  for  we 
are  left  a  remnant  that  is  escaped,  as  it  is  this  day  :  behold,  we  are  before  thee  in  our  guilti- 
ness ;  for  none  can  stand  before  thee  because  of  tliis. 

10:1  Now  while  Ezra  jirayed,  and  made  confession,  weeping  and  casting  liimself  down 
before  the  house  of  God,  there  was  gathered  together  unto  him  out  of  Israel  a  very  great 
3  congregation  of  men  and  women  and  children  :  for  tlie  people  wept  very  sore.     And  Sheca- 
niah  the  son  of  Jehiel,  one  of  the  sons  of  Elam,  answered  and  said  unto  Ezra,  We  have  tres- 
passed against  our  God,  and  have  married  strange  women  of  tlie  peoples  of  the  hmd  :  yet 

3  now  there  is  hope  for  Israel  concerning  tliis  thing.  Now  therefore  let  us  make  a  covenant 
with  our  God  to  put  away  all  the  wives,  and  such  as  are  born  of  them,  according  to  the 
counsel  of  my  lord,  and  of  tliose  that  tremble  at  the  commandment  of  our  God  ;  and  let  it  be 

4  done  according  to  the  law.     Arise  ;  for  the  matter  belougeth  unto  thee,  and  we  are  with 

5  thee  :  be  of  good  courage,  and  do  it.  Then  arose  Ezra,  and  made  the  chiefs  of  the  priests, 
the  Levites,  and  all  Israel,  to  swear  that  they  would  do  according  to  this  word.     So  they 

6  sware.  Then  Ezra  rose  up  from  before  the  house  of  God,  and  went  into  the  chamber  of 
Jehohanan  the  son  of  Eliashib  :  and  when  he  came  thither,  he  did  eat  no  bread,  uor  drink 

7  water  :  for  he  mourned  because  of  the  trespass  of  them  of  the  captivit3-.  And  the}'  made 
proclamation  throughout  Judah  and  Jerusalem  unto  all  the  children  of  the  captivity,  that 

8  they  should  gather  tliemselves  together  unto  Jerusalem  ;  and  that  whosoever  came  not  within 
three  da3-s,  according  to  the  counsel  of  the  i)rinces  and  the  elders,  all  his  substance  should 

9  be  forfeited,  and  liimself  separated  from  the  congregation  of  the  captivity.  Then  all  the 
men  of  Judah  and  Benjamin  gathered  themselves  together  unto  Jerusalem  within  the  three 
days  ;  it  was  the  ninth  month,  on  the  twentii'th  day  of  the  month  :  and  all  the  peojjle  sat  in 
the  broad  i)lace  before  the  house  of  God,  trembling  because  of  this  matter,  and  for  the  great 

10  rain.     And  Ezra  the  priest  stood  up,  and  said  unto  them,  Yc  liave  trespassed,  and  liave  mar. 

11  ried  strange  women,  to  increase  the  guilt  of  Israel.  Now  therefore  make  confession  unto 
the  Lord,  the  God  of  your  fathers,  and  do  his  pleasure  :  and  separate  yourselves  from  the 

13  peoples  of  the  land,  and  from  the  strange  women.     Then  all  the  congregation  answered  and 

13  said  with  a  loud  voice,  As  thou  hast  said  concerning  us,  so  must  we  do.  But  the  people  are 
many,  and  it  is  a  time  of  much  rain,  and  we  are  not  able  to  stand  without,  neither  is  this  a 

14  work  of  one  day  or  two  :  for  we  have  greatly  transgressed  in  this  matter.  Let  now  our 
princes  be  appointed  for  all  tlie  congregation,  and  let  all  them  that  are  in  our  cities  which 
have  married  strange  women  come  at  appointed  times,  and  with  them  the  elders  of  every 
city,  and  the  judges  thereof,  until  the  tierce  wrath  of  our  God  be  turned  from  us,  until  this 

1.5  matter  be  despatched.     Only  Jonathan  the  son  of  Asalicl  and  Jahzeiah  the  son  of  Tikvah 

16  stood  u])  against  this  matter :  and  Meshullani  and  Sliablietliai  the  Levite  helped  them.  And 
the  cliildren  of  the  captivity  did  so.  And  Ezra  the  priest,  with  certain  heads  of  fathers' 
Jioiific.H,  after  their  fathers'  houses,  and  all  of  them  by  their  names,  were  separated  ;  and  they 

17  sat  down  in  the  first  day  of  the  tenth  month  to  examine  the  matter.     And  they  made  an  end 

18  with  all  the  men  that  had  married  strange  women  by  the  th-^t  day  of  the  first  month.  And 
among  the  sons  of  the  priests  there  were  found  that  had  married  strange  women  :  luniidy,  of 
the  sons  of  Jeshua,  the  son  of  Jozadak,  and  his  brethren,  Maaseiah,  and  Eliezer,  and  Jarib, 

19  and  Gedaliah.     And  they  gave  their  hand  that  they  would  put  away  their  wives  ;  and  being 

20  guilty,  tliei)  offend  a  ram  of  the  Hock  for  their  guilt.     And  of  the  sons  of  Immer  ;  Ilanani 

21  and  2ebadiah.  And  of  the  sons  of  Harim  ;  Maaseiah,  and  Elijah,  aud  Shemaiah.  and  Jehiel, 
2'2  and  Uzziah.     And  of  the  sous  of  Pashhiir  ;  Elioenai,  Maaseiah,  Islimael.  Xethanel,  Jozabad, 

23  and  Elasah.     And  of  the  Levites  ;  Jozabad,  and  Shimei,  and  Kelaiali  (the  same  is  Kelita), 

24  Pethahiah.  Judah,  and  Eliezer.     Aud  of  the  singers  ;  Eliiishib  :  and  of  the  porters  ;  Shalluin, 

25  and  Telem,  and  Uri.     And  of  Israel  :  of  the  sons  of  Parosh  ;  Ramiah,  and  Izziah.  and  Mal- 

26  chijali,  and  j\[ijamin,and  Eleazar,  aud  Malchijah,  and  Benaiah.     And  of  the  sons  of  Elam  ;  Mat- 

27  taniah,  Zechariah,  aud  Jehiel,  and  Abdi,  and  Jercmoth,  and   Elijah.     And  of  the  sons  uf 

28  Zattu  ;  Elioenai,   Eliashib,  JIattaniah,   and  Jeremoth,  and  Zabad,  and  Aziza.     Aud  of  the 

29  sons  of  Bebai  ;  Jehohanan,  Hananiah,  Zabbai,  Athlai.     And  of  the  sons  of  Bani  ;  Meshullam, 

30  Malluch,  and  Adaiah,  Jasliub,  and  Sheal,  Jeremoth.     And  of  the  sous  of  Pahath-moab  ; 

31  Adna,  and  Chelal,  Benaiah,  Maaseiah,  Mattaniah,  Bezalel,  and  Biunui,  and  Slanasseh.     Anil 

32  '/  the  .sons  of  Harim  ;  Eliezer,  Isshijah.  Malehijah,  Shemaiah,  Shiineon  ;  Benjamin,  Mal- 

33  Inch,  Shemariah.  Of  tlie  sons  of  Haslium  ;  Mattenai,  Mattattah,  Zabad,  Elipheli-t,  Jeremai, 
34,  35,  Manasseh,  Shimei.  Of  the  sons  of  Bani  ;  Maadai,  Amrani,  and  Uel  :  Benaiah,  Bedeiah. 
36,  37,  38  Cheluhi  ;  Vaniah,  Meremoth,  Eliashib  ;  Mattaniah,  Mattenai,  and  Jaasu  ;  aud  Bani, 
39,  40  and  Binnui,  Shimei  ;  and  Shelemiah,  and  Nathan,  and  Adaiah  ;  Maelinadebai,  Shasliai, 
41,  42,  43  Sharai  ;  Azarel,  and  Shelemiah,  Shemariah  ;  Shallum,  Amariah,  Joseoh.  Of  the  sons 
44  of  Nebo  ;  Jeiel,  Mattithiah,  Zabad,  Zebina,  Iddo,  and  Joe!,  Benaiah.     All  these  had  taken 

strange  wives  :  and  some  of  them  had  wives  by  whom  they  had  children. 


520 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


In  the  interval  between  Zerubbabel'srule  and 
tliu  (Dming  of  Ezra  from  Biibylon  with  a  special 
conuiiission  appointing  liini  governor  of  .ludea. 
tlie  Jews  seem  to  liave  been  left  without  any 
strong  eontrolling  authority.  The  eivil  admin- 
istration devolved  upon  a  certain  niiml)er  of 
chiefs  or  "  princes,"  who  maintained  order  in 
Jerusalem,  collected  and  remitted  the  tribute 
due  to  the  Persian  crown,  and  held  covirts  to 
decide  all  causes,  criminal  and  civil,  in  which 
only  Jews  were  concerned.  Traniiuillity  and 
order  were  sufficiently  maintained  in  this  way  ; 
but  the  governing  power  was  weak,  and  in 
matters  outside  tlie  range  of  the  civil  and  crim- 
inal law  men  did  pretty  nearly  "  as  it  seemed 
good  in  tlieir  own  eyes."  During  this  interval 
of  governmental  debility,  it  appears  that  a 
fusion  liad  begiui  between  the  Jews  and  the 
neighboring  nations.  Although  the  law  of 
Moses  distinctly  forbade  intermarriage  between 
the  people  of  God  and  the  idolatrous  nations 
whose  land  they  had  inherited,  and  by  implica- 
tion forbade  such  unions  with  any  neighboring 
idolaters,  the  newly  returned  Israelites,  per- 
liaps  not  fully  provided  with  women  of  their 
own  nation  and  religion,  had  taken  to  them- 
selves wives  freely  from  the  idolatrous  tribes 
and  nations  in  their  vicinity.  They  had  inter- 
married with  the  Ammonites,  the  Moabites,  the 
Amorites,  the  Egyptians,  and  even  with  the 
remnant  of  the  Canaanites.  Not  only  had  this 
been  done  by  the  common  people,  but  "  the 
liand  of  the  princes  and  rulers"  had  been  "  chief 
in  this  trespass"  (chap.  9  :  2).  Nor  had  even  the 
sacerdotal  order  kept  itself  pure.  Priests  and 
Levites.  nay,  the  actual  sons  and  nephews  of 
the  high-priest  Jeshua  himself,  were  guilty  in 
the  matter  (chap.  10  :  18),  had  taken  to  them- 
selves wives  of  the  accursed  races,  and  "  min- 
gled themselves  with  the  peo|)le  of  the  lands" 
(chap.  9  :  2).  The  danger  to  purity  of  religion 
was  great.  Those  who  married  idolatrous 
wives  were  tempted,  like  Solomon,  to  connive 
at  their  introducing  unhallowed  rites  into  the 
holy  city  ;  wlnle  the  issue  of  such  marriages, 
intl\U'nced  by  their  mothei-s,  were  apt  to  prefer 
heathenism  to  Judaism,  and  to  fall  away  from 
the  faitli  altogether.  A  fusion  of  the  Jews 
with  the  Gentiles  in  Palestine  at  this  time  would 
have  meant  a  complete  obliteration  of  the  Jews, 
who  woidd  have  been  absorbed  and  swallowed 
up  in  the  far  larger  mass  of  the  heathen  with- 
out materially  affecting  it.  Thus  God's  pur- 
pose in  singling  out  a  "  peculiar  people"  would 
have  been  frustrated,  and  the  world  left  with- 
out a  regenerating  element.  Considerations  of 
this  kind  helj)  us  to  understand  the  horror  of 


Ezra  when  he  understood  what  had  taken  place 
(chaps.  9  :  3-6  ;  10  ;  1),  and  enable  us  to  esti- 
mate at  its  right  value  the  zeal  that  he  dis- 
played in  putting  down  the  existing  practice 
and  establishing  a  better  order  of  things.  His 
task  was  lightened  to  him  by  the  fact  that  a 
large  religions  and  i)atriotie  i)arty  rallied  to 
him,  and  associated  itself  with  his  reforms  ;  a 
])arty  including  many  of  the  i)rinees  and  elders 
(chaps.  9:1;  10  :  8),  and  no  doubt  a  certain 
number  of  the  priests.  He  effected  his  reform 
by  means  of  a  commission  of  laymen  (chap. 
10  :  16),  which  in  the  space  of  little  more  than 
three  months  inciuired  into  all  the  suspected 
cases,  and  compelled  every  person  who  had  mar- 
ried an  idolatrous  wife  to  divorce  her,  and  send 
her  back,  with  any  children  that  she  had  borne 
him,  to  her  own  people.  Thus,  fur  tint  time, 
the  corruption  was  elTeetually  cheeked,  the  evil 
rooted  out  and  removed.  AVe  shall  find,  how- 
ever, in  Nehemiah,  that  it  recurred  (Neh. 
13 :  23),  in  combination  with  various  other 
abuses,  and  had  to  be  once  more  resisted  and 
repressed  by  the  civil  power  (ibid.,  verse  30). 

This  section  is  divisible  into  ten  parts  :  1. 
The  complaint  made  by  the  princes  to  Ezra  con- 
cerning the  mixed   marriages  (chap.  9  :  1,  2). 

2.  Ezra's  astonishment  and  horror  (veraes  3,  4). 

3.  His  confession  and  prayer  to  God  (verses 
5-15).  4.  Repentance  of  the  people,  and  cove- 
nant sworn  to,  on  the  recommendation  of 
Shechaniah  (chap.  10  : 1-5).  5.  Ezra's  fast 
(verse  6).  6.  Proclamation  summoning  all  the 
Jews  to  Jerusalem  (verses  7-9).  7.  Address  of 
Ezra,  and  consent  of  the  people  to  put  away  the 
strange  wives  (verses  10-14).  8.  Opposition  of 
Jonathan  and  others  (verse  15).  9.  Accomplish- 
ment of  the  work  (verses  16.  17).  10.  Names 
of  those  who  had  married  strange  wives  (verses 
18-44). 

9:1,2.  Comphiint  of  the  prineei  to  Ezra .  It 
is  remarkable  that  complaint  on  a  matter  of  re- 
ligious transgression  should  have  come  from 
the  secular  and  not  from  the  ecclesiastical 
authorities  of  the  city.  But  sons  and  nephews 
of  Jeshua  the  high-priest  were  among  those 
who  had  married  idolatrous  wives  (10  :  18).  By 
God's  good  providince,  however,  it  often  hap- 
pens that  when  things  have  come  to  this  pa.ss, 
and  the  priest  ly  order  is  hopelessly  corruin,  god- 
ly princes  are  raised  uj)  to  take  in  hand  religious 
reforms  and  carry  them  to  a  successful  issue. 

3,  4.  Ezra's  antuiiis/imeiit  and  horror.  In 
Babylonia,  whence  Ezra  had  come,  the  incli- 
nation to  intermarry  with  the  heathen  had  not, 
it  would  .seem,  shown  itself.  E.viles  in  a  foreign 
land  naturallv  cling  to  each  other  under  their 


SECTIOy  57.     IDOLATBOUS  INTERMARRIAGES. 


521 


adverse  circumstanres,  and,  moreover,  being 
despised  by  those  among  wliom  they  sojourn, 
arc  not  readily  accepted  by  tliem  into  social  fel- 
lowship, much  less  into  affinity  and  alliance. 
Thus  the  thing  was  to  Ezra  a  new  thing.  His 
familiarity  with  the  Law,  aucl,  jjerhaps  we  may 
add,  his  insight  into  the  grounds  upou  which 
the  Law  upon  this  point  was  founded,  caused 
him  to  view  the  matter  as  one  of  the  gravest 
kind,  and  to  feel  shocked  and  horror-struck  at 
what  was  told  him  respecting  it.     P.  C. 

This  thing  was  ominous,  because;  1.  It  be- 
trayed want  of  faith  in  God,  mistrust  of  His 
protection  when  His  people  sought  to  strengthen 
themselves  by  alliances  with  the  heathen.  2. 
It  transgressed  an  express  command  of  God  in 
De.  7  :  3,  4.  3.  It  paved  the  way  for  a  relapse 
into  idolatry.  In  this  manner  was  the  wise 
King  Solomon  beguiled  to  folly  ;  and  b\-  this 
familiaritj-  with  the  worsliippers,  and  then 
with  the  worship  of  strange  gods,  were  the 
kingdoms  of  Israel  and  Judah  corrupted  and 
overthrown.  So  Ezra  sat  astonied.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  nation  had  quite  forgotten  its  history', 
and  that  all  its  affliction  and  captivity  had  left 
it  no  wiser  than  before.     D.  F. 

5-15.  Esrci'n  conjession  and  prayer  to  God. 
The  most  remarkable  feature  of  Ezra's  confes- 
sion is  the  thoroughness  with  which  he  identi- 
fies himself  with  his  erring  countrj'men,  blushes 
for  their  transgressions,  and  is  ashamed  for 
their  misconduct.  All  their  sins  he  appears  to 
consider  as  his  sins,  all  their  disobedience  as  his 
disobedience,  all  their  perils  as  his  perils.  An- 
other striking  feature  is  his  sense  of  the  exceed- 
ing sinfulness  of  the  particular  sin  of  the  time 
(see  verses  6,  7,  10).  He  views  it  as  a  "  great 
trespass" — one  that  "  is  grown  up  into  the 
heavens" — which  is  equivalent  to  a  complete 
forsaking  of  God's  commandments,  and  on  ac- 
count of  which  he  and  his  people  "  cannot  stand 
before"  God.  This  feeling  seems  based  jiartly 
on  the  nature  of  the  sin  itself  (verse  14),  but 
also,  and  in  an  especial  waj-,  on  a  strong  sense 
of  the  ingratitude  shown  by  the  people  in  turn- 
ing from  God  so  soon  after  He  had  forgiven 
their  former  sins  against  Him,  and  allowed  them 
to  return  from  the  t'aptivit.v,  rebuild  the  Tem- 
ple, and  re-estalilish  themselves  as  a  nation. 
If  after  their  deliverance  they  again  fell  away, 
the  sin  cmdd  not  but  be  unpardonable  ;  and 
the  punishment  to  be  expected  was  a  final  up- 
rooting and  destruction  from  which  there  could 
be  no  recovery  (verses  13,  14).     P.  C. 

The  address  itself  is  not  properly  to  be  called 
a  prayer,  for  there  is  not  a  word  of  petition  in 
it ;  but  if  we  give  prayer  its  full  latitude  it  is 


the  offering  up  of  devout  affections  to  God — 
and  verj'  devout  are  the  affections  which  Ezra 
here  expresses.  His  address  is  a  penitent  con- 
fession of  sin,  not  his  own  (from  a  conscience 
burdened  with  its  own  guilt  and  apprehensive 
of  its  own  danger),  but  the  sin  of  his  people, 
from  a  gracious  concern  for  the  honor  of  God  and 
the  welfare  of  Israel.     Here  is  a  liveh'  picture 

of  ingenuous  repentance.     H. Sinning  times 

have  ever  been  the  saints'  praying  times  ;  this 
sent  Ezra  with  a  heavy  heart  to  confess  the  sin 
of  his  people,  and  to  bewail  their  abominations 
before  the  Lord.  And  Jeremiah  tells  the 
wicked  of  his  degenerate  age  that  "  his  soul 
should  weep  in  secret  places  for  their  pride" 
(13  :  17).  Indeed,  sometimes  sin  comes  to  such 
a  height  that  this  is  almost  all  the  godly  can  do, 
to  get  into  a  corner  and  bewail  the  general  pol- 
lutions of  the  age.  When  it  is  thus  with  a 
people,  ic/iat  can  the  righteous  do?  Yes,  this 
they  may  and  should  do — "  fast  and  pray." 
There  is  yet  a  God  in  heaven  to  be  sought 
to,  when  a  people's  deliverance  is  thrown  be- 
yond the  help  of  human  policy  or  power.  Now 
is  the  fit  time  to  make  their  appeal  to  God. 
W.  Gurnall. 

7,  Since  the  days  of  our  fathers. 
Very  similar  in  tone  to  this  are  the  confessions 
of  Nehemiah  (Neh.  9  :  29-35)  and  of  Daniel 
(Dan.  9  ;  5-11).  The  Captivity  had  done  its 
work  by  deeply  convincing  of  sin  the  nation 
that  had  been  proud  and  self-righteous  previ- 
ously. 

8.  For  a  little  space.  The  "little 
space"  was  above  sixty  years,  cotmting  from 
the  second  of  Darius  (chap.  4  :  24),  or  about 
eighty,  counting  from  the  first  of  Cyrus  (chap. 
1  : 1).  But  this  does  not  seem  to  Ezra  much  in 
the  life  of  a  nation.     B.  C. 

13,  14.  After  all  that  is  come  upon 
us.  After  the  punishments  that  we  have 
suffered,  the  loss  of  our  independence,  of  our 
temple  and  our  city,  the  long  and  weary  period 
of  captivity  and  servitude  in  a  foreign  land, 
which  should  have  bent  our  stubborn  spirits  to 
obedience  ;  and  after  the  mercy  shown  us  in 
the  fact  that  Thou  hast  punished  us  less  than 
our  iniquities  deserved,  and  gieen  vs  a  deliver- 
ance, or,  rather,  a  residue,  such  as  this,  which 
should  have  stin-ed  us  up  to  gratitude  and 
love,  should  ire  again  break  Thy  command- 
ments, and  fall  away,  what  can  we  expect  but 
final  abandonment,  complete  and  entire  de- 
struction '?  If  neither  severity  nor  kindness 
avail  anything,  what  can  God  do  more  ?  Must 
He  not  view  our  case  as  hopeless,  and  so  make 
an  end  of  us  altogether  1    P,  C, 


522 


BOOK  OF  EZRA. 


If  wc  were  all  good  in  our  carriage  toward 
God,  we  might  presume  that  God  would  be  all 
good  in  His  providence  toward  us  ;  and  that  if 
our  obedience  were  uniform,  even  aud  un- 
interrupted, that  our  prosperity  would  be  so 
too.  But,  alas  !  it  is  quite  otherwise.  Many, 
very  many,  have  been  our  days  of  sin,  and 
tliorefore  we  liave  no  reason  at  all  to  complain 
if  we  see  some  days  of  sorrow.  Aiul  shall  we 
grumble  at  a  little  sorrow  that  have  so  much 
sin  ?  Hather  let  us  bless  God,  who  has  spared 
us  so  much  and  punished  us  so  little,  and  con- 
fess the  truth  w-ith  Ezra  :  "  Thou,  O  Lord,  hast 
punished  us  leas,  far  less,  than  our  iniquities 
deserve."     Bp.  Bull. 

10: 1-5.  Bepentance  of  the  people,  and  core- 
nant  sworn  to,  on  the  recummendiition  of  S/urhn- 
niah.  While  Ezra  was  uttering  his  prayer 
aloud,  upon  his  knees,  in  front  of  the  Temple, 
where  the  evening  sacrifice  was  being  offered 
upon  the  great  brazen  altar,  the  people  gathered 
about  him,  heard  what  he  said,  and  had  their 
feelings  so  stirred  that  numbers  of  them  burst 
into  tears  and  "wept  very  sore."  When  he 
hail  ended,  Shechaniah,  the  son  of  .Jehiel  (one 
of  those  who  had  married  an  idolatrous  wife — 
verse  26),  took  tin.'  word,  and  suggested  an  im- 
mediate step  toward  reformation.  This  was 
that  all  present  should  at  once  enter  into  a 
special  covenant  with  God  that  they  would  do 
their  utmost  to  have  the  mi.xcd  marriages  dis- 
solved, and  the  idolatrous  wives,  with  their 
children,  sent  out  of  the  country.  The  propo- 
sition of  Shechaniah  approved  itself  to  Ezra, 
who  "  arose,  and  made  the  chief  priests  and 
Levites"  present  aud  "  all  the  people"  present 
swear  to  this  covenant.  "  And  they  swore." 
An  engagement  of  a  most  sacred  character  was 
thus  entered  into  by  a  number  of  influential 
persons,  aud  the  way  was  prepared  for  the 
actual  reformation  which  followed.     P.  C. 

3.  L.et  ii!!i  uiakc  a  covenant.  Volun- 
tary covenants,  explicit  renewals  of  the  stand- 
ing covenant  between  God  and  His  people,  are 
frequent  in  the  history  of  the  Jews.  (Sec 
2  Chron.  15  :  12  ;  29  :  10  ;  31  :  31,  32  ;  Neh. 
10  :  29.)  Men  stirred  themselves  up  by  these 
means  to  a  greater  zeal  and  strictness  than  they 
would  have  been  equal  to  otherwi.se.  To 
pill  away  all  llie  wives.  The  facility  of 
divorce  among  the  .lews  is  well  known.  Ac- 
cording to  many  of  the  rabbis,  a  bill  of  divorce- 
ment might  be  given  by  the  husband  for  the 
most  trivial  cause.  Thus  no  legal  difficulty 
stood  in  the  way  of  Shechaniah 's  proposition  ; 
and  Ezra  regarded  it  as  necessary  for  the  moral 
and  religious  welfare  of  the  people.     l<el  it 


be  clone  aeeording  to  the  I^aw— i.e., 

let  a  formal  ■  bill  of  divorcement"  be  given  to 
each  foreign  wife,  whereby  she  will  be  restored 
to  the  condition  of  an  unmarried  woman,  and 
be   free   to   wed  another   Imsband.     (See    De. 

24  :  1,  2.)     G.  H. This  entire  juoposition  of 

the  layman  Sheehaniali  indicates  familiarity 
with  the  Law  of  Moses  as  of  long  standing  and 
force,  and  furnishes  one  of  many  similar  dis- 
proofs of  a  tlien  recent  origin  of  that  law.  And 
this  testimony  is  confirmed  by  almost  every  de- 
tail of  the  history  recorded  in  Ezra  and  Nehe- 
miali.     B. 

7-9.  Proclamation  made,  summoning  all  the 
Jeirs  to  Jerusalem.  After  due  deliberation  be- 
tween Ezra,  the  princes  and  the  el<lers,  it  was 
resoh'cd  first  to  summon  all  those  who  had  re- 
turned from  the  Captivity — whether  they  were 
Jews  or  Israelites — to  Jeru.salem,  in  ordtT  that 
the  decision  come  to  with  respect  to  tlie  mi.xed 
marriages  might  be  communicated  to  them. 
A  limit  of  three  da}'s  was  fixed,  and  absentees 
were  threatened  with  the  heavj'  penalties  of 
excommunication  and  forfeiture  of  all  their 
possessions.  Proclamation  having  bien  made 
to  this  effect  "throughout  Judah"  (verse  7), 
there  was  a  gathering  of  all  the  males  of  full 
age  to  Jerusalem  within  the  prescribed  time. 
Tlie  place  of  meeting  was  the  great  court  of  the 
Temple  (vei-se  9).  According  to  Ilecatteus,  of 
Abdera  (Fr.  14),  this  was  "  a  stone-walled  en- 
closure, about  five  hundred  feet  long  and  one 
hundred  aud  fifty  feet  wide,"  which  might  per- 
haps afford  sitting  room  for  twenty  thousand 
men.  Deducting  the  aged  and  infirm,  the  sick, 
and  those  between  twelve  and  twenty  years  of 
age,  the  country  Jews  would  scarcely  have 
reached  this  number.     P.  C. 

8.  Witiiin  three  days.  The  limits  of 
Judea  at  this  time  appear  to  have  been  Bethel 
on  the  north,  Beershcba  on  the  south,  .Jericho 
on  the  east,  and  the  Mediterranean  upon  the 
west.  As  the  frontier  was  nowhere  much  more 
than  forty  miles  from  Jerusalem,  three  days 
from  the  day  that  they  heard  tlie  proclamation 
would  be  sufficient  time  to  allow  all  the  able- 
bodied  men  to  reach  the  capital. 

10-14.  Adf'ress  of  Ezra,  and  consent  of  the 
people  to  put  a'tay  the strnnye  vires.  Ezra  came 
forward  boldly,  denouncing  the  sin  committed, 
and  as  supreme  governor  commanding  the  re- 
pudiation of  the  strange  wives.  The  assembled 
multitude  consented,  but  urged  that  the  matter 
rcqiured  time  ;  that  the  season  was  unsuitable 
for  a  prolonged  stay  of  the  whole  body  of  coun- 
try Jews  at  Jerusalem,  and  that  the  business 
would  be  most  conveniently  carried  through 


SECTION  57.    IDOLATROUS  INTERMARRIAGES. 


533 


by  a  standing  rnmmission  consisting  of  the 
chief  authorities  of  tlie  city  of  Jerusalem,  who 
should  take  the  case  of  each  country  town  sep- 
arately, and,  in  conjunction  with  the  elders  and 
judges  of  each  town,  investigate  the  alleged 
mixx'd  marriages  of  each  locality,  and  adjudi- 
cate upon  them. 

16,  17.  Scitlcment  of  the  whole  matter  hy  the 
rejmdidtioii  of  the  strange  irires.  The  great  as- 
sembly had  been  held  on  the  twentieth  day  of 
the  ninth  mouth.  On  the  first  day  of  the  lenth 
month,  little  more  than  a  week  later,  the  com- 
mission for  examining  into  the  matter  met  un- 
der the  presidency  of  Ezra,  and  commenced  pro- 
ceedings. The  case  of  each  city  was  taken  sep- 
arately. Its  male  inhabitants  of  full  age  at- 
tended, and  its  "  elders"  and  "  judges"  sat  on 
the  commission  as  assessors  while  the  conjugal 
position  of  their  townsfolk  was  being  investi- 
gated. Where  a  "mixed  marriage"  was 
proved  the  wife  was  repudiated.  In  one  hun- 
dred and  twelve  cases  the  necessity  of  repudia- 
tion was  made  out  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
commission,  and  this  number  of  wives  was  put 
away.  On  the  whole,  the  small  extent  to 
which  the  evil  had  prevailed  is  remarkable  ;  for 
one  hundred  and  twelve  mixed  marriages  in  a 
population  where  the  adult  males  were  about 
forty  thousand  would  give  only  one  such  mar- 
riage to  three  hundred  or  three  hundred  and 
fifty  legitimate  ones.  Ezra  is  to  be  commended 
for  having  perceived  the  greatness  of  the  peril, 
and  for  having  taken  prompt  and  decided  meas- 
ures to  check  it,  without  waiting  till  it  had  got 
to  a  head,  and  so  become  uncontrollable. 

16.  "  Thej-  sat  down  to  examine  this  mat- 
ter" as  men  who  felt  how  long  and  arduous  a 
task  they  had  on  their  hands,  and  who  wished, 
therefore,  to  give  to  it  their  undivided  atten- 
tion and  care.  We  see  the  same  spirit  in  the 
long  continuance  and  perseverance  of  their 
work.  It  took  them  three  months  to  "make 
an  end"  of  the  examination  ;  but  it  was  a  full 
end  when  they  did.  And  we  see  it  also  in  the 
impartiality  and  thoroughness  of  their  work. 
Whosoever  had  offended,  whether  priests 
(verses  20-22),  or  Levites  (verse  23),  or  singers 
(verse  24),  or  porters  (verse  24  again),  or  lay 
members  of  the  house  of  Israel  ;  and  however 
difficult  and  painful  in  some  cases  the  circum- 


stances might  be  (end  of  verse  44),  there  was 
but  one  measure  for  all.  This,  inrleed,  is  what 
makes  this  catalogue  here  a  fit  conclusion  to 
the  whole.  This  apparently  unnecessary  list 
of  names  had  great  value  in  its  day.  It  was 
the  formal  "  report,"  so  to  speak,  of  Ezra  and 
his  brother"'  commissioners,"  the  final  proof  of 
their  care.  That  "  report"  being  presented,  the 
"  commission"  ceased  to  exist. 

18-44.  2^he  names  of  those  who  had  married 
the  strange  wives.  Aware  of  the  danger  that 
the  nation  might  relapse  into  the  sin  which  he 
was  seeking  to  root  out,  Ezra  punishes  the 
wrong-doers  by  placing  their  names  on  record, 
that  others  might  fear  to  do  the  like.  He 
assigns  the  first  place  in  his  catalogue  of  offend- 
ers to  the  priests,  doubtless  because  in  them  the 
sin  was  greatest  ;  they,  as  the  special  custodi- 
ans of  the  Law,  were  most  bound  to  have  ob- 
served the  Law.  Next  to  the  priests  he  puts 
the  Levites,  on  the  same  principle,  because  of 
their  semi-sacerdotal  character.  He  then  con- 
cludes with  the  laymen,  arranged  under  their 
several  families.  By  the  list  of  laymen  it  ap- 
pears that  ten  only  out  of  some  thirty -six  lay 
families  were  implicated  in  the  sin.  Three  of 
the  four  priestly  families,  on  the  other  hand, 
and  even  the  near  kindred  of  the  high  priest, 
were  among  the  guilty.  It  is  remarkaljle  that 
it  is  Ezra,  a  priest,  and  one  by  manj"  accused 
of  over-sacerdotalism,  who  gives  this  testimony 
against  his  own  order.     P.  C. 

44.  All  tliese.  The  guilty  persons  were, 
it  would  seem,  one  hundred  and  thirteen  in 
number.  They  comprised  four  members  of  the 
high  priest's  family,  thirteen  other  priests,  ten 
Levites  and  eighty-six  lay  Israelites  belonging 
to  at  least  ten  distinct  families.     B.  C. 


At  this  point  the  narrative  stops,  and  the 
events  of  the  next  twelve  j'cars  are  passed  over 
in  silence,  after  which  the  storj-  opens  again 
with  the  first  chapter  of  Nehemiah.     W.  J.  B. 

It  seems  probable  that  Ezra,  soon  after  he 

had  succeeded  in  effecting  his  reform,  was 
either  recalled  by  Artaxerxes  to  the  court,  or 
returned  of  his  own  accord  to  make  the  report, 
which  he  had  been  commissioned  to  make 
(chap.  7  :  14),  on  the  general  condition  of  the 
Palestinian  province.     G.  R. 


BOOK  OF  NEHEMIAH. 


Section  58. 


Tins  is,  with  the  exception  of  Malaohi,  the 
ver_r  latest  book  in  the  Old  Testament.  Ezra 
haa  lolil  us  of  the  restoration  of  the  Temple  and 
Divine  worship  after  the  return  from  captivity. 
Nchemiah  relates  the  rebuilding  of  the  city  of 
Jerusalem  with  its  walls  and  gates,  and  the  re- 
establishment  of  the  Jews  in  their  land.  The 
throne  of  David  was  not  set  up  again.  Both 
as  respects  their  liberty  to  worship  in  a  temple, 
and  as  respects  tlieir  civil  condition  and  the 
restoration  of  their  capital,  tlie  Jews  continued 
under  the  power  of  the  Gentiles.  So  were  they 
destined  to  be,  till  the  coming  of  the  Messiah, 
separate  from  other  nations,  but  dependent 
successively  on  the  Persians,  Macedonians, 
Egyptians,  S^'rians  and  Romans.     D.  F. 

The  Book  of  Nehemiah  is,  in  the  main,  a 
personal  narrative,  containing  an  account  of 
Nehemiah  himself,  and  of  certain  proceedings 
in  which  he  was  engaged,  between  the  twenti- 
eth year  of  Arta.xer.xes  Longimanus  (or  B.C. 
444)  and  his  thirty -second  or  thirty -third  year 
(B.C.  433-1).  It  is  a  natural  sequel  to  the  Book 
of  Ezra,  with  which  it  has  always  been  united 
in  the  Jewi.sh  canon,  though  recognized  as  a 
"  second  part"  of  the  Book.  The  principal 
object  of  the  writer  is  to  describe  the  circum- 
stances attending  the  rebuilding  of  the  wall  of 
Jerusalem  in  b.c.  444,  and  its  dedication,  some 
years  later,  with  great  pomp  and  ceremony. 
To  explain  the  part  which  he  himself  took  in 
these  transactions,  he  has  to  preface  his  account 
with  a  purely  personal  sketch,  descriptive  of 
the  circumstances  under  which  he  became  en- 
gaged in  the  work  as  its  director  and  superin- 
tendent. This  sketch  occupies  the  first  two 
chapters.  The  main  narrative  then  commences, 
and  is  carried  on  uninterruptedly  to  the  fifth 
verso  of  chap.  7,  when  it  is  broken  in  upon  by 
the  introduction  of  a  list,  identical  (or  nearly  so) 
with  one  given  by  Ezra  in  the  second  ('haplcr 
of  his  Book — a  list  of  the  families  which  re- 
turned from  the  Babylonian  captivity  under 
Zerubbabel,  with  the  number  of  each  family, 


and  the  names  of  the  principal  chiefs.  This 
occupies  chap.  7  from  verse  6  to  the  end.  The 
narrative  is  then  resumed,  and  continued 
through  three  chapters  (chaps.  8-10).  the  prin- 
cipal subject-matter  in  this  part  being  the  re- 
ligious instruction  of  the  people,  their  celebra- 
tion of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  and  the  volun- 
tary covenant  with  Almighty  God  into  which 
they  entered,  by  the  advice  of  the  Levites. 
After  this  the  sequence  of  the  history  is  again 
interrupted — this  time  by  the  insertion  of  six 
distinct  and  independent  lists,  which  occupy  a 
chapter  and  a  half  (chaps,  11  and  12  :  1-26). 
The  dedication  of  the  wall  is  then  related  (ehap. 
12  :  27-43).  In  eonchi.sion,  an  account  is  given 
of  certain  religious  arrangements  and  reforms 
which  Nehemiah  effected  (chaps.  13  :  44-47,  and 
chap.  13).     P.  C. 

The  whole  narrative  gives  us  a  graphic  and 
interesting  account  of  the  state  of  Jerusalem 
and  the  returned  captives  in  the  writer's  times, 
and  incidentally,  of  the  nature  of  the  Persian 
government  and  the  condition  of  its  remote 
provinces.  The  documents  appended  to  it  also 
give  some  further  information  as  to  the  times 
of  Zerubbabel  on  the  one  hand,  and  as  to  the 
continuation  of  the  genealogical  registers  and 
the  succession  of  the  high-priesthood  to  the  close 
of  the  Persian  empire  on  the  other.  The  view 
given  of  the  rise  of  two  factions  among  the 
Jews — the  one  the  strict  religious  party  ;  the 
other,  the  gentilizing  party,  sets  before  us  the 
germ  of  much  that  we  meet  with  in  a  more  de- 
veloped state  in  later  .Jewish  history.  Again, 
in  this  historj-,  as  well  as  in  Ezra,  we  see  the 
bitter  enmity  between  the  Jews  and  Samaritans 
acquiring  strength  and  definitive  form  on  both 
religious  and  political  grounds.  The  book  also 
throws  nnu'h  light  upon  the  domestic  institu- 
tions of  the  Jews.  Some  of  its  details  give  us 
incidentally  information  of  great  historical  im- 
])ortance.  The  account  of  tlie  building  and 
dedication  of  the  wall  contains  tlie  mo.st  valu- 
able materials  for  settling  the  topography  of 


SECTION  5S.     BOOK  OF  NEEEMIAH. 


525 


Jerusalem  to  be  found  in  Scripture.  The  list 
of  returned  captives  who  came  under  different 
leaders  from  tlie  time  of  Zerubbabcl  to  that  of 
Ncheraiah  (amounting  in  all  to  only  43,360 
adult  males  and  7337  servants),  which  is  given 
in  chap.  7,  conve3'S  a  faithful  picture  of  the 
political  weakness  of  the  Jewish  nation  as  com- 
pared with  the  times  when  Judah  alone  num- 
bered 470,000  lighting  meu  (1  Chron.  21  :  5).  It 
is  an  important  aid,  too,  in  luiderstanding  the 
subsequent  history'  and  appreciating  the  pa- 
triotism and  valor  by  which  they  attained  their 
independence  under  the  Maccabees.  The  lists 
of  leaders,  priests,  Levites,  and  of  those  who 
signed  the  covenant,  reveal  incidentally  much 
of  the  national  spirit  as  well  as  of  the  social 
habits  of  the  captives,  derived  from  older  times. 
Thus  the  fact  that  ticeliv  leaders  are  named  in 
Neh.  7  :  7  indicates  the  feeling  of  the  captives 
that  they  represented  the  twelve  tribes,  a  feel- 
ing further  evidenced  in  the  expression,  "the 
men  of  the  people  of  Israel."  The  enumera- 
tion of  twenty-one  and  twenty-two,  or,  if 
Zidkijah  stands  for  the  head  of  the  house  of 
Zadok,  tweuty-three  chief  priests  in  10  ;  1-8  ; 
13  : 1-7,  of  whom  nine  bear  the  names  of  those 
who  were  heads  of  courses  in  David's  time, 
shows  how,  even  in  their  wasted  and  reduced 
numbers,  they  struggled  to  preserve  these  an- 
cient institutions,  and  also  supplies  the  reason 
of  the  mention  of  these  particular  twenty -two 
or  twentj'  three  names.  But  it  does  more  than 
this.  Taken  in  conjunction  with  the  list  of 
those  who  sealed  (Neh.  10  : 1-27),  it  proves  the 
existence  of  a  social  custom  of  calling  chiefs  by 
the  name  of  the  clan  or  house  of  which  they 
were  chiefs.  Other  miscellaneous  information 
contained  in  this  Book  embraces  the  hereditary 
crafts  practised  by  certain  priestly  families — 
e.g.,  the  apothecaries  or  makers  of  the  sacred 
ointments  and  incense,  and  the  goldsmiths, 
whose  business  it  probably  was  to  repair  the 
sacred  vessels  (3:8);  the  situation  of  the  gar- 
den of  the  kings  of  Judah  by  which  Zedekiah 
escaped,  as  seen  Neh.  3  :  15  ;  statistics,  etc. 
The  only  real  historical  difficulty  in  the  narra- 
tive is  to  determine  the  time  of  the  dedication 
of  the  wall,  whether  in  the  thirty-second  year 
of  Artaxerxes  or  before.     Die.  B. 

We  may  fairly  regard  the  Book  of  Nehemiah 
as  a  substantive  work,  a  work  having  a  real, 
and  not  merely  an  artificial,  separateness ; 
though  perhaps  the  same  hand  which  con- 
structed it  may  have  attached  it  to  the  pre- 
viously existing  Book  of  Ezra,  which  treated 
of  nearly  the  same  period. 

The  book  comprises  four  portions  : 


The  first  seven  chapters  contain  a  consecu- 
tive narrative,  written  in  a  uniform  style  by 
Nehemiah  himself,  as  even  the  most  sceptical 
critics  allow.  The  first  person  singular  is  used, 
when  Nehemiah  is  spoken  of,  throughout. 
The  events  related  cover  a  space  of  (probably) 
less  than  a  year.  The  record,  however,  does 
not  belong  to  the  exact  time  of  the  events,  but 
has  been  composed  at  least  twelve  years  later, 
since,  while  the  general  narrative  falls  into  the 
twentieth  year  of  Artaxerxes  (or  B.C.  445-444), 
in  one  place  (chap.  5 :  14),  the  thirty-second 
j-ear  of  Artaxerxes  (or  B.C.  433-433)  is  men- 
tioned. 

The  second  portion  of  the  work  consists  of 
three  chapters  (chaps.  8-10),  and  contains  a 
narrative  of  some  events  belonging  to  the  au- 
tumn of  B.C.  444.  In  this  portion  Nehemiah  is 
spoken  of  in  the  third  person  ;  he  is  called 
■ '  the  Tirshatha, ' '  whereas  in  the  earlier  chap- 
ters his  title  is  always  pechah  ;  moreover  he  is 
thrown,  comparatively  speaking,  into  the  back- 
ground, his  place  being  taken  by  Ezra,  who 
holds  the  first  aud  most  prominent  position. 
From  the  general  character  of  the  language 
employed,  from  the  minuteness  of  the  descrip- 
tions, and  especially  from  the  use  of  the  first 
person  in  chap.  10  :  29-39,  we  are  justified  in 
regarding  this  portion  as  the  worli  of  an  eye- 
witness, a  contemporary  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah. 

The  third  portion  of  the  work  extends  from 
the  beginning  of  chap.  11  to  the  26th  verse  of 
chap.  12.  This  consists  of  six  important  lists  : 
(1)  a  list  of  the  dwellers  in  Jerusalem  and  of 
their  chief  officers  in  Nehemiah 's  time  (chap. 
11  :  1-34)  ;  (2)  a  list  of  the  country  towns  occu- 
pied by  the  returned  Israelites  at  the  same 
period  (25-36) ;  (3)  a  list  of  the  priestly  and  Le- 
vitical  families  that  returned  to  Jerusalem  un- 
der Zerubbabel  fchap.  13  :  1-9) ;  (4)  a  list  of 
high-priests  from  Jeshua  to  Jaddua,  or  from 
B.C.  538  to  B.C.  336  (10,  11)  ;  (5)  a  list  of  the  ac- 
tual heads  of  the  priestly  families  under  the 
high-priest  Joiakim  (verses  13-31)  ;  (6)  chief 
families  of  Levites  (verses  24-26). 

The  fourth  and  last  section  of  the  book  com- 
prises chap.  12,  from  verse  27  to  the  end,  and 
the  whole  of  chap.  13.  This  section  contains 
an  account  of  the  dedication  of  the  wall,  and  of 
certain  reforms  which  Nehemiali  effected  after 
his  return  from  Babylon  in  B.C.  432-431.  It  is 
allowed  on  all  hands  to  be,  in  the  main,  the 
work  of  Nehemiah  ;  and  there  are  no  valid 
grounds  for  questioning  his  authorship  of  the 
entire  section.  The  first  person  is  used  in  chap. 
11  :  31  and  40,  and  in  chap.  13  :  6  sqq.  The 
entire  passage  possesses  the  characteristics  of 


526 


500/1.'  OF  KEnEMIAir. 


Nehemiah's  style  and  manner ;  the  nexus  of  the 
whole  is  satisfactory  ;  and  it  is  a  pedantic 
hypcrcriticism  wliich  thinks  to  discover  in  this 
short  and  consecutive  narrative  the  intrusion  of 
"  pieces"  by  a  later  hand,  or  the  "  over-writ- 
ing" of  a  reviser.  Tliere  is  every  reason  to  he- 
lie  ve  that  the  last  section  of  "  Neheniiah"  is, 
like  the  first,  a  memoir  from  the  hand  of  that 
personage — a  memoir  written  soon  after  the 
events — probably  in  B.C.  431  or  430. 

The  moderate  tone  of  the  entire  account,  the 
admission  of  a  state  of  weakness  wliich  stands 
in  remarkable  contrast  with  both  the  earlier 
and  tlie  later  glories  of  the  nation,  and  the  rec- 
ord of  .sins  and  shortcomings,  which  an  uncan- 
did  narrator  would  have  concealed,  have  in- 
duced even  the  most  captious  of  commentators 
to  allow  that,  in  this  book,  as  in  that  of  Ezra, 
we  have  a  plain  unvarnished  narrative.  The 
fact  that  the  bulk  of  the  history  is  from  the  pen 
of  an  eye-witness,  and  of  one  especially  quali- 
fied to  narrate  the  events  of  his  time,  being  be- 
yond dispute,  it  is  impossible  to  deny  that  the 
highest  degree  of  historical  credibility  attaches 
to  the  work,  considered  even  under  its  merely 
human  aspect.  Tiius  it  is  unnecessary  to  en- 
large on  the  authenticity  of  this  book,  which 
no  writer  entitled  to  consideration  has  called  in 
question.     B.  C. 

The  main  work  which  Nehemiah  had  set  him- 
self to  do  was  accomplished  within  six  months 
of  the  day  that  he  obtained  his  commission 
from  Arta.\cr.\es.  Ilis  administration  during 
the  remainder  of  the  lime  that  he  governed  Ju- 
dea,  which  was  certainly  not  less  than  thirteen 
years,  was  characterized  by  the  same  vigor, 
promptness,  and  energy  which  had  marked  its 
opening  mouths.  It  was  also  remarkable  for 
the  consideration  which  he  showed  for  those 
under  his  rule,  and  for  the  noble  hospitality 
which  ho  dispensed  both  toward  natives  and 
toward  foreigners  (5  :  14-18).  He  augmented 
the  population  of  Jerusalem,  too  scanty  for  the 
size  of  its  walls,  by  bringing  men  in  from  the 
country  districts  (11  :  1)  ;  redeemed  large  num- 
bers of  Jews,  wlio  had  been  sold  into  slavery 
among  the  heathen,  and  restored  tliem  to  their 
native  land  (5:8);  put  an  end  to  a  sj'stem  of 
borrowing  money  upon  mortgage,  or  raising  it 
by  selling  sons  and  daughters  into  servitude, 
which  was  reducing  the  lower  class  of  Jews  to 
the  condition  of  the  poor  Roman  plebeians  of 
the  early  commonwealth  (5  :  1-13  ;  10  :  31)  ;  re- 
stored the  strict  ob.servance  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
of  the  sabbatical  year  (10  :  31  ;  13  :  15-22)  ;  es- 
tablished the  annual  payment  of  one  third  of  a 
shekel  by  each  adult  male  toward  the  Temple 


service  and  fabric  (10  :  32),  together  with  a  .s_vs- 
tem  for  sujiiilyiug  the  wood  necessary  for  the 
sacrilices  (verse  34)  ;  prevented  the  Temple 
from  being  polluted  by  the  heathen,  and  pro- 
faned by  being  used  for  secidar  purposes 
(13  :  4-9)  ;  enforced  the  payment  of  tithes,  which 
was  falling  into  disuse  (10  ;  37  ;  13  :  10-13) ;  and, 
like  Ezra,  compelled  all  those  who  had  married 
foreign  wives  to  divorce  them,  and  send  them 
back,  with  their  children,  to  their  own  people 
(13  :  1-3  and  23-28).  His  efforts  to  effect  these 
reforms  were  thwarted  and  resisted  by  an  im- 
portant party  among  the  priests  and  nobles, 
which  leaned  toward  secularism,  was  addicted 
to  intermarriage  with  the  heathen,  and  desir- 
ous of  fusion  with  the  surrounding  nations. 
An  ordinary  man  might  have  shrunk  from 
affronting  the  views  of  a  party  so  strong  and 
so  powerful,  one  supported  by  neighboring 
princes,  and  upheld  at  Jerusalem  by  tlie  high- 
priest  of  the  time,  Eliashib.  Nehemiah  set 
himself  to  "  contend  with  the  rulers"  (13  :  11) 
and  the  "nobles"  (verse  17);  "chased  from 
him"  the  grandson  of  the  high-priest  (verse  28)  ; 
"  cursed,"  or  at  any  rate  "  reviled,"  those  who 
had  married  the  foreign  wives,  and  even  "  smote 
certain  of  them,  and  plucked  off  their  hair" 
(verse  25).  When  Eliashib  himself,  the  natural 
guardian  of  the  Temple,  disregarding  its  sacred- 
ness,  ivssigned  one  of  the  chambers  within  its 
precincts  to  Tobiah,  the  Ammonite,  who  fur- 
nished it  and  made  it  into  a  residence,  Nehe- 
miah of  his  own  authorit}'  turned  all  the  furni- 
ture out  of  doors  (verse  8).  Strict,  zealous, 
prompt,  uncompromising,  he  woidd  allow  no 
relaxaticm  of  the  old  law,  no  departure  from 
primitive  custom,  no  consorting  with  foreign- 
ers. Not  only  did  he  re-establish  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem  on  their  ancient  f oundat  ions,  but  he 
built  up  the  state  too  on  the  old  lines,  "  sup- 
plementing and  completing  the  work  of  Ezra." 
and  giving  it  "  internal  cohesion  and  perma- 
nence."    P.  C. 

A  minor  point,  which  lends  a  peculiar  inter- 
est to  Nehemiah.  is  its  fulness  of  topograidncal 
detail.  In  inquiries  concerning  the  ancient  cit\-, 
its  site,  walls,  towers,  gates,  and  principal  build- 
ings, the  thirtl  and  twelfth  chapters  are  simply 
invaluable.  For  copiousness,  for  exactness, 
for  autliority  these  chaptere  transcend  all  the 
other  notices  that  have  come  down  to  us  with 
respect  to  ancient  Jerusalem  ;  and  the  possibil- 
ity of  recovering  tlie  general  idan  of  the  place 
rests  almost  entirely  upon  Nehemiah's  descrip- 
tions. 

The  Book  of  Nehemiah  is  invaluable  for  the 
lesson  it  teaches,  that  when  the  Church  of  God 


SECTIOX  5S.     THE  J/.4.V,   NSnEyflAE. 


527 


is  at  the  lowest,  it  will  still  be  protected  by  His 
Almight_v  liiind,  will  be  enaliled  to  triumpli 
over  the  malice  of  its  external  enemies,  and  will 
be  purged  and  purified  from  tlie  internal  cor- 
ruptions which  endanger  it  far  more  than  any 
hostility  (th  extra.  It  must  have  greatly  helped 
to  encourage  and  sustain  the  nation  during  the 
terrible  times  of  the  Ptolemaic  and  Syrian  per- 
secutions :  and  it  may  with  advantage  be  read 
and  pondered  on  by  Cluistians,  at  all  periods 
when  the  power  of  the  world  is  put  forth  to 
crush  or  overlay  the  faith.  That  Judaism  ral- 
lied from  the  weak  and  seemingly  moribund 
condition  described  b_v  Nehemiah,  became  once 
more  a  power  in  the  world,  strong  enough  to 
confront  heathen  Rome  and  wage  a  desperate 
struggle  with  the  entire  force  of  tlie  empire,  is 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the  facts  of  his- 
tory, and  should  never  be  forgotten  by  the 
Christian  community  in  times  of  depression  and 
danger.     G.  R. 

The  Man,  Nehemi.^h. 

The  probable  birthplace  and  almost  certain- 
I3-  the  scene  of  the  early  life  of  Xehemiah,  was 
the  great  Persian,  or  rather,  Elamitic.  city  of 
Susa  (see  Esther,  chap.  1).  The  circumstances 
of  his  birth  and  bringing  up  we  do  not  know  ; 
but  we  may  assume  perhaps  from  the  high  po- 
sition whereto  he  ultimately  attained,  and  from 
his  evident  fitness  for  it,  that  he  belonged  to 
the  upper  class  of  the  community,  received  the 
ordinary  education  of  a  Jew  of  that  class,  and 
even  before  he  became  attached  to  the  Persian 
court  held  an  honorable  place  among  his  coun- 
tr\'men.     G.  R. 

He  was  no  prophet — he  was  no  priest — he 
made  no  pretension  to  possessing  a  Divine  com- 
mission, but  he  was  a  devout,  resolute,  saga- 
cious man,  with  the  fear  of  God  in  his  soul  and 
Jerusalem  graven  on  his  inmost  heart  !  Prompt 
and  practical  and  with  a  strong  dash  of  organ- 
izing, governmental  instinct,  there  was  yet  a 
vein  of  poetry  in  him.  He  was  bold  and  cau- 
tious, prudent  yet  daring,  full  of  ready  re- 
source, able  to  hold  his  tongue  and  bide  his 
time  ;  and  deep  down  below  all  this  there  was 
a  great  fountain  of  enthusiasm,  which  was 
called  forth  by  the  thoughts  of  God  and  of  His 
land  lying  in  desolation  and  ruin.     A.  M. 

His  sagacity  and  courage  were  marked]}- 
shown  in  the  arrangements  by  which  he  car- 
ried through  the  rebuilding  of  the  wall,  and 
balked  the  cunning  plans  of  the  "  adversaries." 
His  deeply  religious  spirit  and  constant  sense 
of  communion  with  and  absolute  dependence 
upon  God  are  strikingly  exhibited,  first,  in  the 


long  prayer  recorded  in  chap.  1  :  .5-11  ;  and 
secondly,  and  most  remarkably,  in  what  have 
been  called  his  "  interjectional  prayers" — those 
short  but  moving  addresses  to  Almight}'  God 
which  occur  so  frequentlj-  in  his  writings — the 
instinctive  outpouring  of  a  heart  deepl.v  moved, 
liut  ever  resting  itself  upon  God,  and  looking 
to  God  alone  for  aid  in  trouble,  for  the  frustra- 
tion of  evil  designs,  and  for  final  reward  and 
acceptance.  At  the  same  time,  there  is  no  fa- 
naticism in  his  religion  ;  while  trusting  In  God 
for  the  issue,  he  omits  no  necessary  precaution. 
"  Nevertheless,"  he  says,  "  we  made  our  prayer 
unto  our  God,  and  set  a  watch  against  them  day 
and  night"  (chap.  4  :  9).  Nor  does  he  trust  to 
faith  alone,  without  works.  He  is  self-ileny- 
ing,  hospitable,  active  in  deeds  of  mercy,  un- 
resting, indefatigable.     P.  C. 

Nehemiah  was  a  man  of  the  good  old  stamp 
of  Joshua  and  Caleb — faithful,  pious,  patriotic, 
brave.  But  he  raised  no  standard  against  the 
Gentiles.  Having  understanding  of  the  times, 
he  was  content  to  re-establish  the  Jews  on  their 
own  soil,  under  the  protection  of  the  great  Per- 
sian empire  ;  and  he  did  secure  for  them  that 
position  which,  under  one  or  another  Gentile 
protector,  thej'  were  to  hold  till  the  coming  of 
Christ.  He  grew  up  with  reverence  for  Jeho- 
vah, Israel's  God,  musing  on  His  promises, 
grieving  over  the  unfaithfulness  that  had  in- 
curred the  Captivity,  hearing  with  eagerness 
of  the  progress  of  those  Jews  who  returned  un- 
der Zeriibbabel  and  Joshua,  and  longing  to  take 
some  part  in  the  restoration  of  the  holy  citj\ 
As  a  young  man,  he  was  exposed  to  tempta- 
tion, for  he  held  a  place  of  honor  in  the  Pereian 
court,  at  the  magnificent  palace  of  Shushan. 
But  God  kept  him  in  the  hour  and  place  of 
temptation,   and  nursed  within  him  a  heroic 

'  national  spirit.  Like  Moses  in  the  court  of 
Pharaoh,  he  never  forgot  that  he  was  of  the 
stock  of  Israel,  and  he  was  dceplr  affected 
when  he  heard  of  the  depressed  condition  of 
the  settlement  at  Jerusalem.     D.  F. 

On  reviewing  the  character  of  Nehemiah,  we 
seem  unable  to  find  a  single  fault  to  counter- 
balance his  many  and  great  virtues.  For  pure 
and  disinterested  patriotism  he  stands  unri- 
valled. Every  act  of  his  during  his  govern- 
ment bespeaks  one  who  had  no  selfishness  in 
his  nature.  All  he  did  was  noble,  generous, 
high-minded,  courageous  and  to  the  highest 
degree  upright.  But  to  stern  integrity  he 
united  great  humihty  and  kindness  and  a 
princely  hospitality.  As  a  statesman,  he  com- 
bined forethought,  prudence  and  sagacity  in 

I  counsel,  with  vigor,  promptitude  and  decision 


328 


BOOK  OF  NEUEMIAIL 


in  action.  In  dealing  with  tlie  enemies  of  his 
conutry,  he  was  wary,  penetrating  and  bold. 
In  (linotiiig  the  internal  eeonimiy  of  the  state 
lie  took  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  real  welfare 
of  the  jieople,  and  adopted  the  measure.shistcal- 
cnlated  to  promote  it.  In  dealing,  whether  witli 
friend  or  foe.  he  was  utterly  free  from  favor  or 
fear,  consi)ieuous  for  the  siniplieity  with  which 
he  aimed  oidy  at  doing  what  was  right,  with- 
out respect  of  persons.  But  in  nothing  was  he 
more  remarkable  than  for  his  piety,  and  the 
singleness  of  eye  with  which  he  walked  before 
God.  He  seems  to  have  undertaken  every- 
thing in  dependence  upon  God,  with  prayer 
for  His  guidance  and  blessing,  and  t3  have 
sought  his  reward  only  from  God.  Bp.  Ilcrtey. 
Ili)i  Piiiv,  Broad,  Inteii.tr,  Kniltrd  Patnotinm. 
Because  his  people  were  down-trodden,  because 
the  ■were  "  in  great  afBiction  and  reproach," 
with  the  wall  of  their  city  "  broken  down," 
and  the  gates  "  burned  with  fire,"  because  they 
were  "  feeble,"  and  despised,  and  poor,  and 
ground-down,  and  oppressed,  therefore  his 
heart  clave  to  them,  and  he  Wiis  drawn  by  the 
cords  of  love  to  cast  in  his  lot  witli  theirs,  to 
throw  up  a  position  of  ease,  wealth  and  dignity, 
and  exchange  it  for  one  of  ceaseless  toil,  of  no 
small  danger,  and  of  exposure  to  scorn  and  re- 
proach. The  deep  sympathy  with  the  men  of 
his  race  which  inspires  the  true  patriot  is  un- 
mistakably shown  in  the  mourning  and  weep- 
ing and  fasting  for  days  and  weeks,  when  he 
first  heard  of  their  distress ;  in  the  earnest 
prayer  in  which  he  associated  himself,  and 
"  His  father's  hotise,"  with  the  transgressors 
who  had  brought  down  God's  judgments  upon 
the  nation  ;  in  the  "  sorrow  of  heart"  which 
made  his  countenance  sad,  and  could  not  be 
concealed  from  the  great  king  ;  in  the  silent, 
almost  solitary,  ride  for  the  purpose  of  explor- 
ing the  ruins  ;  in  the  mournful  words  to  the 
nobles,  "  Ye  see  the  distress  we  are  in,  how 
Jerusalem  lieth  waste  ;"  and  again  in  the  in- 
dignant address  to  the  enemies  of  Judah — "  We, 
His  servants,  will  arise  and  build  ;  but  ye 
have  no  iiortion,  nor  right,  nor  memorial,  in 
Jerusalem."  What  a  patriotic  fire  bvu'iis  in  the 
prayer — "  Hear,  O  our  God,  for  we  are  de- 
spised ;  and  turn  their  reproach  upon  their 
own  head,  and  give  them  for  a  prey  in  the  land 
of  captivity  :  and  cover  not  their  iniquity,  and 
let  not  their  sin  be  blotted  out  from  before 
Thee,  for  they  have  provoked  Thee  to  anger 
before  the  builders"  (4:4,  5).  How  deep  the 
fellow-feeling  which  resounds  in  the  battle- 
cry — "  Be  not  ye  afraid  of  them  :  remember 
the  Lord  which  is  great  and  terrible  ;  and  fight 


for  your  brethren,  your  sons  and  your  daugh- 
ters, your  wives,  and  your  houses"  (verse  14). 
Well  does  Nehemiali.  in  one  of  his  .short  ehar- 
aeterislic  prayers,  e.\claim — "  Think  upon  me, 
my  Gotl,  for  good,  arcurdiiiy  in  all  that  I  hare 
done  far  this  peojile"  (.j  :  19).  What  had  he  not 
done  for^  them?  Bold  to  intercede  ff)r  them 
with  the  king,  prompt  to  hasten  to  their  aid 
across  a  vast  stretch  of  arid  and  dangerous 
country,  clever  to  design  and  bold  to  execute 
the  first  great  necessary  work — the  building  of 
the  city  walls,  stern  to  repel  unauthorized  in- 
termeddlers  with  his  doings,  indefatigable  in 
labor,  skilful  in  organization,  quite  readj-  to 
meet  force  with  force,  and  at  tlie  same  time 
tender-hearted,  deeply  touched  by  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  poor  (r5  :  1-13)  and  bent  on  alleviat- 
ing them,  within  a  few  months  of  his  arrival 
in  the  city  he  had  secured  the  capital  against 
sudden  assault,  removed  the  nation's  ' '  re- 
proach," baffled  and  outwitted  its  enemies, 
and  at  the  same  time  found  a  remedy  for  the 
worst  internal  troubles,  [lut  down  the  opi)res- 
sion  of  the  rich,  and  relieved  the  misery  of  the 
indigent.  Few  patriots  have  ever  succeeded  in 
doing  so  much  in  so  short  a  time.  And  as  his 
course  began,  so  it  continued.  A  single-eyed, 
unselfish  regard  for  his  people's  best  interests 
actuated  him  from  first  to  last,  whether  the  im- 
mediate danger  to  be  met  was  defeneelessness, 
or  alienation  of  class  from  class,  or  general 
poverty,  or  the  casting  aside  of  wholesome  re- 
straints, or  the  insidious  peril  of  gradual  amal- 
gamation with  the  heathen. 

Very  conspicuous  and  very  admirable  are  his 
actinty  and  energy.  Considering  how  most 
men  love  their  ease,  and  how  prone  the  Ori- 
ental man  is,  above  all  others,  to  be  sluggish 
and  apathetic,  remembering,  moreover,  that 
Nehemiah  was  brought  up  in  the  purlieus  of  a 
court  characterized  by  a  luxury  and  self-indid- 
gcnce  rarely  equalled  elsewhere,  and  never  sur- 
passed, it  is  most  remarkable  that  he  should 
have  shown  himself  so  notable  an  example  of 
activity  and  devotion  to  work.  His  jihysinil 
couraye,  too,  is  strongly  marked  in  the  entire 
account  which  he  gives  (chap.  4)  of  the  rebuild- 
ing of  the  wall  of  Jerusalem.  In  the  position 
which  he  occupied,  as  a  civilian  and  not  a  pro- 
fessional soldier,  and  as  the  governor  of  a  prov- 
ince not  a  military  commandant,  there  was  no 
call  upon  him  to  expose  his  person  when  an 
attack  was  threatened,  much  less  to  be  ever 
placing  himself  in  the  forefront  of  peril.  But 
lie  will  allow  liimself  no  such  immunity.  lie 
takes  his  position  with  the  armed  force,  wher- 
ever there  seems  to  be  the  greatest  danger  ;  he 


SECTION  59. 


529 


marslials  the  men  at  J'is  disposal  pci-sonally 
(verse  13)  ;  he  moves  from  place  to  place,  and 
takes  his  trumpeter  with  him,  to  summon  aid 
where  it  may  be  most  wanted  (verses  18-20)  ; 
he  is  there,  watching,  commanding,  encourag- 
ing, overseeing,  night  and  day,  and  scarcely 
takes  off  his  clotlies  while  the  peril  continues 
(verse  23).  Such  courage  is  unusual  even  in  a 
commander  who  is  a  trained  soldier  ;  in  Nehe- 
miah,  the  royal  favorite,  the  dainty  courtier, 
the  ' '  cup-bearer,"  it  is  astonishing. 

Nor  does  his  maral  courage  fall  short  of 
his  pliysical.  Considerable  moral  courage  was 
shown  when,  notwithstanding  that  he  "was 
sore  afraid"  (2  :  2),  he  made  his  request  for 
leave  of  absence  of  the  king  (ibid.,  verse  5). 
Still  more  was  exhibited,  when  to  the  scornful 
and  spiteful  words  of  Sanballat,  Tobiah,  and 
Geshem — "What  is  this  thing  that  ye  do? 
Will  ye  rebel  against  the  king?"  (verse  19),  he 
answered,  "  The  God  of  heaven,  lie  will  pros- 
per us  ;  therefore  we  Ilis  servants  will  arise 
and  build  :  but  ye  have  no  portion,  nor  right, 
nor  memorial  in  Jerusalem"  (verse  20).  As 
bold  and  fearless  was  the  rejoinder,  when  for 
the  second  time  the  same  Sanballat  brought 
forward  the  same  accusation — "  There  are  no 
such  things  done  as  thou  sayest,  but  thou  feign- 
est  them  out  of  thine  own  heart"  (6  :  8).  To 
beard  the  high-priest  within  his  own  strong- 
hold, the  Temple,  was  a  most  daring  and  haz- 
ardous act  (13  :  7,  8)  ;  to  banish  his  grandson, 
and  "  chase"  him  out  of  the  country,  required 
almost  as  much  firmness  and  resolution  {ibid., 
verse  28).  •  In  enforcing  the  observance  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  dissolving  the  mi.xed  marriages, 
and  ejectiug  the  heathen  wives,  pej'haps  even 


more  moral  courage  was  shown  (verses  3,  17-22, 
25-28),  inasmuch  as  those  acts  ran  counter  to 
a  spurious  sentimentalism,  which  had  taken 
a  strong  hold  of  some  sections  of  the  commu- 
nity. 

Nehemiah's  unselfishness,  liberality  and  gen- 
erous hospitality  stand  out  in  strong  relief 
when  we  compare  him  with  the  general  run  of 
Oriental  governors.  For  twelve  years  at  least, 
perhaps  for  many  more,  he  ruled  his  province 
without  exacting  a  farthing  of  revenue  for  his 
own  use  from  those  who  were  under  his  gov- 
ernment. He  collected  and  remitted  the  rojal 
tribute,  but  he  took  nothing  for  himself, 
whether  in  money  or  kind  (5  :  14,  15).  He  must 
have  supported  his  court  entirely  out  of  his 
own  private  means.  When  we  consider  what 
enormous  gains  governors  commonly  made  un- 
der the  Persian  system,  how  lavish  was  their 
expenditure,  and  yet  what  fortunes  they  accu- 
mulated, we  cannot  but  view  with  astonish- 
ment and  admiration  the  one  man  who,  occupy- 
ing this  position,  declines  to  get  any  advantage 
from  it,  and  impoverishes,  instead  of  enriching, 
himself  by  his  office.     G.  R. 

In  my  esteem,  Ezra,  the  scribe,  and  Nehemiah. 
the  Tirshatha,  though  neither  of  them  ever 
wore  a  crown,  commanded  an  arm}-,  conquered 
any  countiy  or  were  famed  for  philosoply  or 
oratory,  yet  both  of  them,  being  pious,  praying 
men  and  very  serviceable  in  their  day  to  the 
Church  of  God  and  the  interests  of  religion, 
were  really  greater  men  and  more  honorable, 
not  only  than  &nj  of  the  Roman  consuls  or  die 
tators,  but  than  Xenophon,  or  Demosthenes,  or 
Plato  himself,  who  lived  at  the  same  time,  the 
bright  ornaments  of  Greece.     H. 


Section  59. 


NEHEMIAH'S  PETITION,  COMMISSION,  JOURNEY,  AND  ARRIVAL  AT  JERUSALEM. 

Nehemiah  1  : 1-11  ;  2  : 1-11. 

1 : 1  The  words  of  Nehemiah  the  son  of  Hacaliah. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  in  the  month  Chislev,  in  the  twentieth  j'ear,  as  I  was  in  Sluishan 

2  the  palace,  that  Hanani,  one  of  my  brethren,  came,  he  and  certain  men  out  of  Judah  ; 
and  I  asked  them  concerning  the  Jews  that  had  escaped,  which  were  left  of  the  captivity, 

3  and  concerning  Jerusalem.     And  they  said  unto  me.  The  remnant  that  are  left  of  the  cap- 
tivity there  io  the  province  are  in  great  affliction  and  reproach  :  the  wall  of  Jerusalem  also 

4  is  broken  down,  and  the  gates  thereof  are  burned  with  fire.     And  it  came  to  pass,  when  I 
heard  these  words,  that  I  sat   down  and  wept,  and  mourned  certain  days  ;  and  I  fasted  and 


530 


BOOK  OF  NEUEiflAn. 


5  pniyid  Ix-fore  the  God  of  heaven,  and  said,  I  beseech  thee,  O  Lord,  the  God  of  heaven,  the 
great  and  ternble  God,  that  kecpeth  covenant  and  mercy  widi  them  that  love  hhn  and  keep 

C  his  commandments  ;  h't  lliine  ear  now  be  attentive,  and  thine  eyes  open,  that  tliou  mayest 
hearken  unio  the  prayer  of  lliy  servant,  whieh  I  pray  before  thee  at  this  time,  day  and  night, 
for  tlie  children  of  Israel  thy  servants,  while  I  confess  the  sins  of  the  children  of  Israel,  which 

7  we  have  sinned  against  thee  :  yea,  I  and  my  father's  house  have  sinned.  We  have  dealt  very 
corruptly  against  thee,  and  have  not  kept  the  commandments,  nor  the  statutes,  nor  the  judge- 

8  ments,  which  thou  commandedst  thy  servant  Moses.  Remember,  I  beseech  thee,  the  word 
that  thou  commandedst  thy  servant  Moses,  saying.  If  ye  trespass,  I  will  scatter  you  abroad 

9  among  the  peoples  :  but  if  ye  return  unto  me,  and  keep  my  commandments  and  do  them, 
though  your  outcasts  were  in  the  uttermost  part  of  the  heaven,  yet  will  I  gather  them  from 
thence,  and  will  bring  them  unto  the  place  that  I  have  cho.sen  to  cause  my  name  to  dwell 

10  there.     Now  these  are  thy  servants  and  thy  people,  whom  thou  hast  redeemed  by  thy  great 

11  power,  and  by  thy  strong  hand.  O  Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  let  now  thine  ear  be  attentive  to 
the  prayer  of  thy  servant,  and  to  the  prayer  of  thy  servants,  who  delight  to  fear  thy  name  : 
and  prosper,  I  pray  thee,  thy  servant  this  day,  and  grant  him  mercy  in  the  sight  of  this  man. 
(Now  I  was  cupbearer  to  the  king.) 

2  : 1  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  month  Nisan,  in  the  twentieth  year  of  Arta.\erxes  the  king, 
when  wine  was  before  him,  that  I  took  up  the  wine,  and  gave  it  unto  the  king      Now  I  had 

2  not  been  btforctime  sad  in  his  presence.  And  the  king  said  unto  me.  Why  is  thy  countenance 
S!Ul,  seeing  thou  art  uot  sick  ?  this  is  nothing  else  but  sorrow  of  heart.     Then  I  was  very 

3  sore  afraid.  And  I  said  unto  the  king.  Let  the  king  live  for  ever  :  wh\'  should  not  my  coun- 
tenance be  sad,  when  the  city,  the  place  of  my  fathers'  sepulchres,  lieth  Witste,  and  the  gates 

4  thereof  are  consumed  with  fire  ?     Then  the  king  said  unto  me,  For  what  dost  thou  make 

5  re(iuest  ?  So  1  prayed  to  the  God  of  heaven.  And  I  said  unto  the  king.  If  it  please  the 
king,  and  if  thy  servant  have  found  favour  in  thy  sight,  that  thou  wouldest  send  me  unto 

6  Judah,  unto  the  city  of  my  fathers'  sepulchres,  that  I  maj-  biuld  it.  And  the  king  said  unto 
me,  (the  queen  also  sitting  by  him,)  For  how  long  shall  thy  journey  be  ?  and  when  wilt  thou 

7  return  !  So  it  pleased  the  king  to  send  me  ;  and  I  set  him  a  time.  Moreover  I  said  unto 
the  king.  If  it  please  the  king,  let  letters  be  given  me  to  the  governors  beyond  the  river,  that 

8  they  may  let  me  pass  through  till  I  come  unto  Judah  ;  and  a  letter  imto  Asaph  the  keeper  of 
the  king's  forest,  that  he  ma)-  give  me  timber  to  make  beaius  for  the  gates  of  the  castle 
which  appertaineth  to  the  house,  and  for  the  wall  of  the  city,  and  for  the  hou.se  that  I  shall 
enter  into.     And  the  king  granted  me,  according  to  the  good  hand  of  m\'  God  upon  me. 

9  Tlien  I  came  to  the  governors  beyond  the  river,  and  gave  them  the  king's  letters.     Now  the 

10  king  hatl  sent  with  me  captains  of  the  army  and  horsemen.  \n<l  when  Sanballat  the  Hor- 
onite,  and  Tobiah  the  servant,  the  Ammonite,  heard  of  it,  it  grieved  them  exceedingly,  for 

11  that  there  was  come  a  man  to  seek  the  welfare  of  the  children  of  Israel.  So  I  came  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  was  there  three  days. 


Cliap§.  I,  2  :  1-8.  Circumstances  under 
trihirh  Xehemidh  ubtaiiied  his  commission  to  re- 
build the  wall  of  Jerusalem.  Living  at  the  Per- 
sian court,  far  from  the  land  which  he  looked 
on  as  his  true  coiuitry,  Nehemiah  seems  to  have 
known  but  little  of  its  condition  and  circum- 
stances. Some  event  called  his  brother  Ilanani 
to  Jerusalem  ;  and  on  his  return  to  Susa  this 
brother  gave  him  a  description  of  the  dismantled 
state  of  the  holy  city,  and  the  "  affliction  and 
reproach"  of  the  inhabitants  consequent  there- 
upon, which  threw  him  into  a  paroxysm  of 
grief.  In  his  own  words,  he  "  sat  down  and 
wept,  and  mourned  for  days,  and  fasted,  and 
prayed  before  the  God  of  heaven"  (chap.  1  :  4). 
It  was  the  month  Nisan,  which  followed  the 
vernal  cquini>x.  the  tii-st  of  the  Jewish  year. 


when  Artaxcrxes,  observing  the  sadness  of  his 
attendant,  inquired  its  cause.  Nehemiah  re- 
vealed it,  and  the  king  further  inquired,  "  For 
what  dost  thou  make  reciuest  ?"  This  was  the 
origin  of  Nidiemiah's  eoinmis.sion.  He  asked 
and  obtained  permission  to  quit  the  court  for  a 
definite  time  (verse  6),  and  to  go  to  Jerusalem 
with  authority  to  "  build"  tlie  city.  This  was 
understood  to  include  the  repair  of  the  gov- 
ernor's house,  of  the  fortress  which  commanded 
the  Temple  area,  and  of  the  city  wall  (verse  8). 
It  necessarily  involved  Nehemiah 's  appointment 
as  governor,  and  tlie  notification  of  this  appoint- 
ment to  the  existing  satraps  and  paslias.  Leave 
Wits  also  given  him  to  cut  such  timber  as  was 
needed  for  the  work  in  the  "  king's  forest"  or 
■•  park  "  a  royal  domain  situated  in  the  neigh- 


SECTION  59.     NEHEMIAE'S  PETITION. 


531 


borhood  of  Jerusalem.  Nehemiali,  liaving  ob- 
tained this  firman,  left  Susa  early  in  tlie  spring 
of  B.C.  444,  accompauied  by  an  escort  of  Persian 
troops  (verse  9),  and  reached  Jerusalem  in 
safet}',  having  on  his  way  communicated  his 
appointment  to  the  officials  of  the  Syrian  prov- 
ince.    P.  C. 

1 :  l-ll.  AVe  may  notice  here  four  things  : 
The  state  of  the  Jews  that  had  escaped  who 
were  left  of  the  Captivity.  The  position  and 
character  of  Nehemiah.  The  prayer  which  was 
niiugled  with  the  lamentation.  The  practical 
aim  and  pin-jjose  which  followed  the  prayer. 
All  are  based  upon  the  one  foundation  of  the 
special  gracious  relation  of  God  to  His  covenant 
people.     P.  C. 

I.  Tlie  wor«lsofWclieniiali.  Whether 
you  translate  hy  "  words,"  by  "  historj',"  or 
by  "  acts,"  in  any  case  this  is  a  title,  attribut- 
ing authorship  to  Nehemiah  ;  either  the  author- 
ship of  the  book  or  that  of  the  narrative  in  the 
first  jjersou  with  which  the  book  begins.  Ne- 
hemiah was  at  this  time  a  "  cupbearer  to  the 
king"  (verse  11).  From  the  statements  made 
in  chap.  5 — for  example,  verses  16-18 — it  ap- 
pears that  he  had  large  inherited  wealth.  We 
must  think  of  him  as  a  young  man,  well-bred, 
a  favorite,  highly  gifted,  with  a  position  at 
court,  opportunity  to  make  his  way,  and  such 
examples  of  possible  success  before  him  as 
Dauiel  and  Mordecai  and  Esther.     W.  J.  B. 

3.  They  inform  him  that,  the  walls  being 
still  in  many  instances  broken  down  and  the 
gates  in  the  same  demolished  state  as  when 
burned  liy  the  Chaldeans,  those  children  of  the 
Captivity  who  dwelt  there  lay  open  not  only  to 
the  iucur.sious  and  iusults  of  their  enemies,  but 
also  to  the  reproach  and  contempt  of  their 
neighbors  as  a  weak  and  despicable  people, 
and  that  on  both  these  accounts  they  were  in 
great  affliction  and  grief  of  heart.     Prideaux. 

4.  Nehemiah  wept  and  mourned,  and  that 
was  well.  But  between  his  weeping  and 
mourning  and  his  practical  work  there  had  to 
be  still  another  link  of  connection.  "  He  wept 
and  mourned, ' '  and  because  he  was  sad  he  turned 
to  God,  "  and  I  fasted  and  prayed  certain 
days. ' '  There  he  got  at  once  comfort  for  his 
sorrows,  his  sympathies,  and  deepening  of  his 
sympathies,  and  thence  he  drew  inspiration 
that  made  him  a  hero  and  a  martyr.  So  all 
true  service  for  the   world  must   begin  with 

close  communion  with  God.     A.  M. He  had 

no  power  to  aid  or  help  ;  no  resources  in  his 
hand,  no  armies  to  command,  no  friends  to  com - 
bine  with  him.  One  path  was  open  to  him, 
and  that  was  the  path  to  the  throne  of  grace  ; 


and  he  availed  himself  against  hope  of  the  last 
resource  of  the  faithful.  He  mourned,  and 
wept,  and  fasted,  and  prayed.  This  shows  the 
habituid  piety  of  his  disposition.  Though  he 
lived  in  the  corrupt  atmosphere  of  a  court,  and 
in  a  far  and  foreign  land,  he  had  neither  forgot- 
ten his  religion  nor  sacrificed  it  at  the  shrine 

of  worldly  ambition.     Anon. Note  the  grand 

and  apparently  immediate  resolution  to  throw 
up  brilliant  prospects  and  face  a  life  of  danger 
and  suffering  and  toil.  Nehemiah  was  evi- 
dently a  favorite  with  the  king,  and  had  the  ball 
at  his  foot.  But  the  ruins  on  Zion  were  more  at- 
tractive to  him  than  the  splendors  of  Shushan, 
and  he  willingl)'  flung  away  his  chances  of  a 
great  career  to  take  his  share  of  "  affliction  and 
reproach."  He  has  never  had  justice  done  him 
in  popular  estimation.  He  is  not  one  of  the 
well-known  biblical  examples  of  heroic  self- 
abandonment  ;  but  he  did  just  what  Moses  did, 
and  the  eulogium  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews 
fits  him  as  well  as  the  lawgiver  ;  for  he  too 
chose  rather  to  suffer  with  the  people  of  God 
than  to  enjoy  pleasures  for  a  season.  So  must 
we  all,  in  our  several  ways,  do,  if  we  would 
have  a  share  in  building  the  walls  of  the  city  of 
God. 

5-11.  The  prayer.  The  course  of  thought 
in  this  prayer  is  very  instructive.  It  begins 
with  solemnly  laj'ing  before  God  His  own  great 
name,  as  the  mightiest  plea  with  Him  and 
the  strongest  encouragement  to  the  suppliant. 
That  commencement  is  no  mere  proper  invoca- 
tion, conventionally  regarded  as  the  right  wa}^ 
of  beginning,  but  it  expresses  the  petitioner's 
effort  to  lay  hold  on  God's  character  as  the 
ground  of  his  hope  of  answer.  Tlie  prayer 
throughout  is  full  of  allusions  and  quotations, 
and  shows  how  this  cupbearer  of  Artaxerxes 
had  fed  his  young  soul  on  God's  word,  and 
drawn  thence  the  true  nourishment  of  high  and 
holy  thoughts  and  strenuous  resolutions  and 
self-sacrificing  deeds.  Prayers  which  are  cast 
in  the  mould  of  God's  own  revelation  of  Him- 
self will  not  fail  of  answer.  True  prayer 
catches  up  the  promises  that  flutter  down  to 
us,  and  flings  them  up  again  like  arrows.  The 
prayer  here  is  all  built,  then,  on  that  name  of 
Jehovah,  and  on  what  the  name  involves,  chiefly 
on  the  thought  of  God  as  keeping  covenant  and 
mere}'.  He  has  bound  Himself  in  solemn, 
irrefragable  compat:t,  to  a  certain  line  of  action. 
Men  "  know  where  to  have  Him,"  if  we  raaj' 
venture  on  the  familiar  expression.  He  has 
given  us  a  chart  of  His  course,  and  He  will  !ul- 
here  to  it.  Therefore  we  can  go  to  Him  with 
our  prayers  so  long  as  we  keep  these  within 


532 


BOOK  OF  NEITEirrAIT. 


the  ample  space  of  His  covenant  and  ourselves 
within  its  tt-rms,  by  loving  olK'dicncr.  The 
prayer  is  "  for  Thy  servants  the  chiUlren  of 
Israel,"  in  which  designation,  as  the  next 
clauses  show,  the  relation  established  by  God, 
and  not  the  conduct  of  men,  is  pleiuled  as  a 
rciison  for  an  answer.  The  mention  of  that  re- 
lation brings  at  once  to  Nehemiah's  mind  the 
terril)le  iinfailhfnlness  to  it  wliicli  had  marked, 
and  still  cuntinued  to  mark,  the  whole  nation. 
So  lowly  confession  follows  (verses  6,  7).  Un- 
profitabli  servants  they  liad  indeed  been.  Tlie 
more  loftily  we  tliink  of  our  privileges,  the 
more  clearly  should  we  discern  our  sins.  Noth- 
ing leads  a  true  heart  to  such  self-ashamed  pen- 
itence as  reflection  on  God's  mercy.  If  a  man 
thinks  that  God  has  taken  him  for  a  servant, 
the  thought  should  bow  him  with  conscious 
unworthiness,  not  lift  him  in  self-satisfaction. 
Nehemiah's  confession  not  only  sprung  from 
the  tliought  of  Israel's  vocation  so  poorly  ful- 
filled, but  it  also  laid  the  groundwork  tor  his 
further  petitions.  The  beginning  of  all  true 
healing  of  sorrow  is  confession  of  sins.  Many 
promising  schemes  for  the  alleviation  of  na- 
tional au<l  other  distresses  have  come  to  noth- 
ing because  their  Nehemiahs  did  not  begin  with 
prayer,  or  pra3'ed  for  help  without  acknowl- 
edging sin. 

The  prayer  next  reminds  God  of  Ilis  own 
words  of  promise  (verses  8,  9),  freely  quoteil 
and  combined  from  several  passages  (Lev. 
20:33-45:  De.  4:25-31,  etc.).  The  reminder 
of  the  promise  is  clinched  (verse  10)  by  the 
same  appeal  as  formerly  to  the  relation  to  Him- 
self into  which  God  had  been  pleased  to  bring 
the  nation,  with  an  added  reference  to  former 
deeds,  such  as  the  Exodus,  in  which  His  strong 
hand  had  delivered  them.  We  are  always  sure 
of  an  answer  if  we  ask  God  not  to  contradict 
Himself.  Since  He  has  begun  lie  will  make 
an  end.  It  will  never  be  said  of  Him  that  He 
began  to  builil  and  was  not  able  to  finish.  The 
return  from  Babylon  is  implied  in  the  Exodus. 
Neheraiah  now  binds  (verse  11)  his  single  prayer 
in  a  bundle  witlt  those  of  the  like-minded  in 
Israel.  He  gathers  single  ears  into  a  sheaf, 
which  he  brings  as  a  "  wave  offering."  And 
then,  in  one  humble  little  sentence  at  the  end, 
he  puts  his  only  personal  request.  The  mod- 
esty of  the  man  is  lovely.  His  prayer  has  been 
all  for  the  pe(i|)le.  But  now  he  a.sks  that  the 
capricious  and  potent  will  of  the  king  may  be 
inclined  to  grant  his  request.  If  our  morning 
supplication  is  "  Prosper  Thy  servant  this 
day,"  and  our  purposes  are  for  God's  glory, 
we  need  not  fear  facing  anybody.     However 


powerful  Artaxerxes  was,  he  was  but  "  this 
man,"  not  God.  The  [jhrase  does  not  indicate 
contempt  or  undervaluing  of  tlie  solid  reality  of 
his  absolute  power  over  Nehemiah,  but  simply 
expresses  the  conviction  tliat  the  king,  too,  was 
a  subject  of  God's,  and  that  his  heart  was  in  the 
hand  of  .leliovah,  to  mould  as  He  would.    A.  M. 

The  facts  as  to  the  scriptural  i)hr!Lscology  of 
this  pr;iy<'r  are  imi)ortant.  both  from  the  pnic- 
tieal  religious  point  of  view  and  from  thiit  of 
criticism.  It  is  as  true  now  as  it  was  in  Nehe- 
miah's time,  that  familiarity  with  Scripture 
language  is  a  great  help  to  praying  well.  And 
as  to  critical  matters,  this  is  one  of  many  pas- 
sages which  show  that  the  post-exilian  Jews 
recognized  as  sacred  a  large  pro])ortiou  of  our 
present  Old  Testament  books  without  drawing 
any  sharp  line  of  distinction  between  the  five 
books  of  the  Pentateuch  and  the  otliers. 

11.  T/ic  thing  lie  pniyed  fur.  "Grant  him 
compassiim  in  the  sight  of  this  man."  The 
nn'aning  of  these  words  maj-  be  gathered  from 
the  account  in  chap.  2.  His  request  was  per- 
fectly specific.  There  was  nothing  vague  or 
uncertain  about  it.  He  did  not  ask  that  some- 
how, from  some  quarter,  God  would  bring  help 
to  the  Palestine  Jews.  He  proposed  himself  to 
make  an  effort,  and  he  asked  God  to  bless  that. 
The  "compassion"  he  sought  from  the  king 
was  not  that  the  king  would  interfere  in  behalf 
of  Jerusalem,  or  send  .somebody  to  interfere  ;  it 
was  not  that  the  king  would  permit  him  to  give 
half  his  fortune  to  hire  help  for  his  people  ;  it 
was,  in  effect,  that  he  might  be  permitted  to 
surrender  his  brilliant  position  and  prospects 
and  sacrifice  himself  for  his  people.  His  prayer 
is  throughout  the  prayer  of  one  who  is  conseiou.s- 
ly  unworthy,  in  behalf  of  the  unworthy,  look- 
ing to  the  unmerited  grace  of  God.     W.  J.  B. 

i\>)W  /  truK  cupbearer  to  the  king.  The  cup- 
bearer's was  an  office,  not  only  of  trust,  but 
also  of  dignity,  in  all  Eastern  courts,  as  it  is  to 
this  day  with  the  Shah  of  Persia.  It  was  an 
office  of  trust  ;  for  the  king's  life  might  be  said 
to  be  often  in  his  keeping,  poisoning  his  wine 
being  a  common  mode  of  removing  an  Oriental 
monarch,  and  everything  wliich  he  drank  had 
first  to  be  tasted  by  the  cupbearer.     It  was  an 

office  of  dignity.     Tristram. Nehemiah  was 

cupbearer  to  the  Persian  king,  which  was  a 
I)laee  of  great  honor  and  of  no  less  jirofit.  lie 
was  highly  in  the  favor  of  that  prince,  and  as 
to  this  world  had  all  that  he  could  hope  and 
wish.  It  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  (Uie 
in  his  situation  would  bestow  a  thouglit  upon 
his  remote  and  poor  and  desolate  co\mtry  ;  and 
not  one  of  ten  thousand  in  his  circumstances 


SECTION  59.     NEHEMIAirS  PRATER  ANSWERED. 


533 


■would  have  concerned  himself  about  it.  If  at 
that  distance  lie  had  sent  a  generous  relief  to 
his  brethren  in  Judea,  and  performed  such  kind 
offices  toward  them  as  he  conveniently  could, 
even  this  would  have  been  a  frieudl}'  and  liberal 
behavior ;  but  he  proposed  to  himself  to  do 
much  more  than  this.     Jortiii. 

Chap.  2  : 1-8.  Prayer  answered.  Three  or 
four  months  had  passed  since  Nehemiah  first 
heard  of  the  distressed  condition  of  his  brethren 
at  Jerusalem,  and  began  to  pray  for  them  and 
th-.it  he  might  be  permitted  to  visit  and  relieve 
them.  So  long  the  answer  to  his  prayer  was 
delayed.  But  he  doubtless  continued  to  pray, 
and  at  length  the  answer  came.  Meanwhile,  he 
would  be  able  to  ripen  his  plans  and  prepare 
himself  for  his  enterprise.     P.  C. 

4.  T/ien  the  king  mid  untj  me,  "  For  what 
dost  thou,  make  request  f"  An  opening  was  thus 
given  him  to  present  his  suit.  And,  agitated 
as  he  was,  it  would  have  been  natural  for  him 
to  have  at  once  stammered  forth  his  applica- 
tion. But  mark  his  irrepressible  spirit  of  de- 
votion !  Though  not  always  in  the  act,  he 
was  always  in  the  attitude  of  supplication.  He 
was  not,  therefore,  thrown  oflf  his  guard  ;  he 
pau.sed  ;  he  was  silent;  and  so,  says  he,  "I 
prayed  to  the  God  of  heaven."  Then,  having 
tlrst  made  known  his  request  to  Him  in  whose 
hand  are  the  hearts  of  kings,  he  next  present- 
ed his  petition  to  his  earthly  sovereign.  Is  it 
possible  to  conceive  of  a  more  expressive  evi- 
dence of  the  constancy  with  which  this  great 
man  waited  upon  God  than  the  evidence  fur- 
nished in  this  simple  incident  ?    II.  Stoirell. 

Nehemiah  dares  not  open  his  mouth  to  the  king 
till  his  heart  hath  opened  itself  by  a  sudden 
ejaculation  to  ills  God.  No  business  can  be 
so  hasty  but  our  prayer  ma}'  fly  up  to  heaven 
and  solicit  God,  and  bring  down  an  answer  be- 
fore ever  our  words  need  to  come  forth  of  our 
lips.  In  vain  shall  we  hope  that  any  design  of 
ours  can  prosper  if  we  have  not  first  sent  this 
messenger  on  our  errand.     Bp.  II. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  striking  instances 
recorded  in  the  Bible  of  what  is  commonly 
termed  ejaculator}'  praj-er — an  example  of  the 
way  in  which  good  men,  in  the  intercourse  and 
business  of  daily  life,  especially  when  brought 
into  eireumstauces  of  unexpected  difficulty, 
even  when  there  is  no  motion  of  the  lips, 
scarcely  more,  indeed,  than  an  "  upward 
glancing  of  the  eye,"  may  }'et  send  up  such  a 
quick  and  compacted  supplication  to  God  as 
shall  bring  down  all  heaven  to  their  aid. 
"  When  we  are  lime-bound,"  says  Thomas  Ful- 
ler  in  his  "  Good  Thoughts,"  "  place-bound, 


or  person-bound,  so  that  we  cannot  compose 
ourselves  to  make  a  large,  solemn  prayer,  this 
is  the  right  instant  for  ejaculations,  whether 
orally  uttered  or  only  poured  forth  inwardly  in 
the  heart.  Ejaculations  take  not  up  any  room 
in  the  soul.  They  give  liberty  of  callings,  so 
that,  at  the  same  time,  one  may  follow  his 
proper  vocation. "  Ob,  what  a  blessed  resource 
to  the  Christian  merchant  amid  the  fretting 
annoyances  and  the  thousand  perplexities  of 
business  !  And  what  a  benefit  to  all  thus 
to  fill  up  the  intervals  between  their  more 
prolonged  devotions  by  brief  ejacidatory  pray- 
ers which  go  to  make  the  whole  life  devout  I 
..1.  Thumpmii. 

Sitting  down  at  your  desk  and  taking  up 
j'ouv  pen,  if  that  be  your  work,  how  much  bet- 
ter you  may  do  it  for  just  covering  3'our  eyes 
with  your  hands  for  a  minute  and  asking  God's 
blessing  iu  prayer.  Or,  dealing  with  your  fel- 
low-men, some  of  them  impracticable  and 
wroug-headed  enough,  some  of  them  sharp-set 
and  low-principled  enough,  some  of  them  pro- 
voking and  stupid  enough — how  much  better 
you  will  keep  your  temper  amid  the  provoca- 
tions of  business  ;  with  how  much  clearer  head 
and  kinder  heart  j'ou  will  treat  with  your  fel- 
low-sinners, for  a  word  of  silent  prayer  !  If 
you  desire  to  influence  an}'  for  good,  remember 
Iiow  wisely  it  has  been  said  that  the  sliortest 
road  to  any  human  heart  is  found  by  God  ;  and 
explain  to  your  Heavenly  Father  all  you  wish 
to  do.  Every  little  pain  will  be  better  borne  and 
every  little  joy  enhanced  by  a  moment's  silent 
mention  of  them  to  God.  You  can  alone  with 
Ilim  speak  of  a  liost  of  little  things  which  really 
make  a  great  part  in  your  thoughts  and  in 
your  life,  yet  which  are  less  suitable  for  speak- 
ing of  in  united  prayer  with  other  people. 
Anon. 

8.  Success  ascribed  to  God.  "  And  the  king 
granted  me,  according  to  the  good  hand  of  my 
God  upon  me."  Nehemiah,  like  Ezra  before 
him  (Ezra  7  :  6),  ascribes  the  success  of  his  ap- 
plication to  the  king  to  the  "  good  hand  of 
God  ;"  which  had,  indeed,  been  conspicuous. 
The  circumstances  which  had  paved  the  way 
for  the  presentation  of  his  petition,  the  readi- 
ness of  the  king's  consent  to  his  requests,  the 
largeness  of  the  facilities  granted  him — all  indi- 
cated that  his  God,  whose  aid  he  had  sought, 
had  ordered  events  and  influenced  the  mon- 
arch's   heart.       P.    C. God    endorsed    the 

patriotic  prayers  of  Nehemiah,  and  sent  him 
back  with  money  and  much  timber  to  rebuild 
the  city.  If  we  think  that  all  things  secular 
are  too  common  for  God's  care,  wo  dishonor 


534 


BOOK  OF  NEnEiriAn. 


both  ourselves  and  Ilim,  Oml  lidps  nothing 
wroii.iT.  iiiul  omits  to  help  nothinjr  right.  All 
right  em ployments  are  eallinjis  into  which  He 
puts  His  servants  for  their  good  ;  and  what 
will  He  more  surely  do  than  help  them  to  find 
their  good  V    Buslouil. 

Here  is  the  beginning  and  end  of  the  whole 
matter.  God  has  an  eye  to  see  us,  an  ear  to 
hear  us,  a  face  to  shine  on  us,  and  a  band  to 
succor  us.  The  man  who  can  claim  God  for 
his  own,  asXehemiah  could,  is  sure  to  prosper. 
Any  one  will  admit  that  if  the  favor  of  the  God 
of  heaven  can  be  secured,  there  is  no  doubt 
about  the  success  ;  but  the  "if"  seems  a  great 
one.  How  is  the  favor  of  the  God  of  licavcn 
to  be  secured  ?  As  Nehemiuh  secured  it.  Re- 
member the  long  prayers  of  the  closet  and  the 
short,  swift  ejaculation  in  the  court.  We  have 
God's  will  to  do  and  a  dangerous  world  to  walk 
through.  Praying  in  our  secret  places,  we 
maj-  pray  also  in  crowded  streets,  in  the  midst 
of  worlc,  on  encountering  sudden  temptation, 
to  our  Father  who  .seeth  in  secret  ;  and  He  will 
reward  us  openly.  But  Nehemiah  had  much 
sore  labor  before  the  open  reward  came  ;  so 
shall  we  have  if  the  reward  is  to  be  true  and 
lasting.     A.  Symington. 

Common  history  deals  mainly  with  material 
forces  ;  inspired  history  lifts  the  veil,  and 
shows  us  those  more  subtle  and  spiritual  forces 
in  operation  which  do  so  much  to  shape  the 
destiny  alike  of  individuals  and  of  communi- 
ties. As  this  one  Hebrew,  for  example,  retired 
to  some  quiet  chamber  in  the  palace  of  Shushan, 
or  to  the  deep  shade  of  some  tree  in  the  gar- 
dens around  the  palace,  to  "  pray  his  prayer 
day   and  night,"   what  an  influence  was  he 


thereby  putting  forth  upon  the  counsels  of 
Artaxer.xes,  upon  the  distant  Jerusalem,  and 
upon  the  future  history  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
— touching  the  first  link  in  the  chain  on  which 
all  others  dei)ended,  moving  the  hand  that  was 
moving  the  universe  !     A.  Thompunn. 

9-11.  yelumiah's  journey  to  Jcrimalem.  On 
his  way  to  Jerusalem,  Nehemiah  would  pass' 
through  the  provinces  of  various  Persian  sa- 
traps and  governors.  To  those  beyond  the 
Euphrates  he  carried  letters,  which  he  took 
care  to  deliver,  though  by  doing  so  he  aroused 
the  hostility  of  Sanballat.  Being  accompanied 
by  an  escort  of  Persian  soldiers,  he  experienced 
neither  difficulty  nor  danger  by  the  way,  but 
effected  his  journey  in  about  three  months. 
The  Samaritans  seemingl)'  heard  of  his  advance, 
and  were  "  grieved  exceedingly  ;"  but  no  at- 
tempt was  made  to  obstruct  his  journey  or  even 
to  delay  his  arrival  at  his  destination.  The 
knot  of  desperate  men  collected  in  the  old 
Israelite  capital,  and  animated  with  a  bitter 
hatred  of  the  neighboring  Jewish  community, 
which  had  rejected  their  offers  of  friendship 
(Ezra  4  :  3)  and  declined  to  allow  them  to  help 
in  the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple,  saw  with  sul- 
len disappointment  the  coming  of  a  man  who 
was  likely  to  advance  the  welfare  of  their  de- 
tested neighbors,  but  did  not  venture  on  mak- 
ing any  open  display  of  hostility.  Probably 
they  feared  to  come  into  collision  with  the  Per- 
sian escort,  an  attack  on  which  would  have 
been  a  flagrant  act  of  rebellion,  and  have 
drawn  down  upon  them  the  vengeance  of  the 
great  king.  Nehemiah  therefore  entered  Je- 
rusalem without  encountering  any  opposi- 
tion.    G.  R. 


Section  60. 

NIGHT   EXAMINATION.     CONFERENCE.     DETERMINATION    TO    BUILD.     NAMES 
OF   BUILDERS   AND  DETAIL  OF   POINTS.     CONFRONTING   ADVERSARIES. 

NEHEMi.vit  3  :  13-20  ;  3  :  1-33  ;  4  ;  1-33. 


2  :  13  And  I  arose  in  the  night,  I  and  some  few  men  with  me  ;  neither  told  I  any  man 

what  my  God  put  into  my  heart  to  do  for  Jerusalem  :  neither  was  there  any  beast  with  me, 

18  save  the  beast  that  I  rode  upon.     And  I  went  out  by  night  by  the  valley  gate,  even  toward 

the  dragon's  well,  and  to  the  dung  gate,  and  viewed  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  wliich  were 

14  broken  down,  and  the  gates  thereof  were  consumed  with  fire.     Then  I  went  on  to  the  foun- 
tain gate  and  to  the  king's  pool  :  but  there  was  no  plnce  for  the  beast  that  was  imder  me  to 

15  pass.     Then  went  I  up  in  the  night  by  the  brook,  and  viewed  the  wall  ;  and  I  turned  back, 


SECTION  60.     NIGHT  EXAMINATION.  535 

16  and  entered  by  tlie  valley  gate,  and  so  returned.  And  the  rulers  knew  not  whither  I 
went,  or  wliat  I  did  ;  neither  had  I  as  yet  told  it  to  the  Jews,  nor  to  the  priests,  nor  to  the 

17  nobles,  nor  to  the  rulers,  nor  to  the  rest  that  did  the  work.  Then  said  I  unto  them,  Ye  see 
the  evil  ease  that  we  are  iu,  how  .Jerusalem  lieth  waste,  and  the  gates  thereof  are  burned 
with  fire  :  come  and  let  us  build  up  the  wall  of  Jerusalem,  that  we  be  no  more  a  reproach. 

18  And  I  told  them  of  the  hand  of  my  God  wliich  was  good  upon  me  ;  as  also  of  the  king's 
words  that  he  had  spoken  unto  me.     And  they  said.  Let  us  rise  up  and  liuild.     So  they 

19  strengthened  their  hands  for  the  good  irurk.  But  when  Sanballat  the  Iloronite,  and  Tobiah 
the  servant,  the  Ammonite,  and  Geshem  the  Arabian,  lieard  it,  they  laughed  us  to  scorn, 
and  despised  us,  and  said.  What  is  this  thing  that  ye  do  ?  will  j-e  rebel  against  tlie  king  ? 

20  Then  answered  I  them,  and  said  unto  them.  The  God  of  heaven,  he  will  prosper  us  ;  there- 
fore we  his  servants  will  arise  and  build  :  but  ye  have  no  .portion,  nor  right,  nor  memorial, 
in  Jerusalem. 

3  : 1  Then  Eliashib  the  high  priest  rose  up  with  his  brethren  the  priests,  and  they  builded 
the  sheep  gate  ;  they  sanctified  it,  and  set  up  tlic  doors  of  it  ;  even  unto  the  tower  of  Hara- 

2  meah  they  sanctified  it,  unto  the  tower  of  Ilananel.     And  next  unto  him   builded  tlie  men 

3  of  .Jericlio.  And  ne.xt  to  them  builded  Zaecur  the  son  of  Imri.  And  the  fish  gate  did  the 
sons  of  Hassenaah  build  ;  the}'  laid  tlie  beams  thereof,  and  set  \ip  tlie  doors  thereof,  the 

4  bolts  thereof,  and  the  bars  thereof.  And  next  unto  them  repaired  Meremoth  the  son  of 
Uriah,  the  son  of  Hakkoz.     And  next  unto  tlieni  repaired  JleshuUam  the  son  of  Eerechiah, 

5  the  son  of  Meshezabel.  And  next  unto  them  repaired  Zadok  the  sou  of  Baana.  And  next 
unto  them  the  Tekoites  repaired  ;  but  their  nobles  put  not  their  necks  to  the  work  of  their 

6  lord.  And  the  old  gate  repaired  Joiada  the  son  of  Paseah  and  Jleshullam  the  son  of  Beso- 
deiah  ;  they  laid  the  beams  thereof ,  and  set  up  the  doors  tliereof,  and  the  bolts  thereof,  and  the 

7  bars  tliereof.  And  next  unto  them  repaired  Melatiah  the  Gibeonite,  and  Jadon  the  Merono- 
thite,  the  men  of  Gibeon,  and  of  Jlizpah,  irhich  tijipirtnincd  to  the  throne  of  tlie  governor 

8  beyond  tlie  river.  Next  unto  him  repaired  Uzziel  the  son  of  Harhaiali,  goldsmiths.  And 
next  unto  him  repaired  Hananiali  one  of  the  apotliecaries,  and  tlie}'  fortified  Jerusalem  even 

9  unto  the  broad  wall.     And  next  unto  them  repaired  Rephaiah  the  son  of  Hur,  the  ruler  of 

10  half  the  district  of  Jerusalem.  And  next  unto  them  repaired  Jedaiah  the  son  of  Harumaph, 
even  over  against  his  house.     And  next  unto  him  repaired  Ilattush  the  son  of  Ilasliabnciah. 

11  Malcliijah  the  son  of  Harini,  and  Ha.sshub  the  son  of  Paliath-moab,  repaired  another  portion, 

12  and  the  tower  of  the  furnaces.     And  next  unto  him  repaired  Shallum  the  son  of  Hallohesh, 

13  the  ruler  of  half  the  district  of  Jerusalem,  he  and  his  daugliters.  The  valley  gate  repaired 
llanun,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Zanoah  ;  they  built  it,  and  set  up  the  doors  thereof,  the  bolts 

l-l  thereof,  and  the  bars  thereof,  and  a  thousand  cubits  of  the  wall  unto  the  dung  gate.  And 
the  dung  gate  repaired  Jlalchijah  the  son  of  Reehab,  the  ruler  of  the  district  of  Beth- 
haccherem  ;  lie  built  it,  and  set  up  the  doors  thereof,  the  bolts  thereof,  and  the  bars  thereof. 

15  And  the  fountain  gate  repaired  IShallun  the  son  of  Cobhozeh,  the  ruler  of  the  district  of 
Jlizpah  ;  he  built  it,  and  co-\-ered  it,  and  set  up  the  doors  thereof,  the  bolts  thereof,  and  the 
bars  thereof,  and  the  wall  of  the  pool  of  Slielah  by  the  king's  garden,  even  unto  the  stairs 

16  that  go  down  from  the  city  of  David.  After  him  repaired  Nehemiah  the  son  of  Azbuk,  the 
ruler  of  half  the  district  of  Betlizur,  unto  the  place  over  against  the  sepulchres  of  David, 

17  and  unto  the  pool  that  was  made,  and  unto  the  house  of  the  mighty  men.  After  him  re- 
paired the  Levites,  Rehum  the  son  of  Bani.     Next  unto  him  repaired  Hashabiah,  the  ruler 

18  of  half  the  district  of  Keilali,  for  his  district.     After  him  repaired  their  brethren,  Bavvai  the 

19  son  of  Henadad,  the  ruler  of  half  the  district  of  Keilah.  And  next  to  him  repaired  Ezer  the 
son   of  Jeshua,  the   ruler  of  Mizjiah,   another   portion,   over  against  the  going  up  to  the 

20  armoury  at  the  turning  of  the  wnll.  After  him  Baruch  the  son  of  Zabbai  earnestly  repaired 
another  portion,  from  the  turning  of  the  icnU  unto  the  door  of  the  house  of  Eliashib  the  high 

21  priest.     After  him  repaired  Meremoth  tlie  son  of  Uriah  the  son  of  Hakkoz  another  portion, 

22  from  the  door  of  the  house  of  Eliashib  even  to  the  end  of  the  house  of  Eliashib.     And  after 

23  him  repaired  the  priests,  the  men  of  the  Plain.  After  them  repaired  Benjamin  and  Hasshub 
over  against  their  house.     After  them  repaired  Azariah  the  son  of  Maaseiah  the  son  of 

24  Ananiali  beside  his  own  liouse.     Aflcr  him  repaired  Binnui  the  son  of  Henadad  another  por- 

25  tion,  from  the  house  of  Azariah  unto  the  turning  of  the  iruU,  and  unto  the  corner.  Palal  the 
son  of  Uzai  repaired  over  against  the  turning  of  the  wall,  and  the  tower  that  standetli  out 
from  the  upper  house  of  the  king,  which  is  by  the  court  of  the  guard.     After  him  Pedaiah 

26  the  son  of  Parosh  repaired.     (Now  the  Nethinim  dwelt  in  Ophel,  unto  the  place  over  against 

27  the  water  gate  toward  the  east,  and  the  tower  that  standcth  out.)  After  him  the  Tekoites 
repaired  another  portion,  over  against  (he  great  tower  that  standetli  out,  and  unto  the  wall 

28  of  Ophel.     Above  the  horse  gate  repaired  the  priests,  every  one  over  against  his  own  house. 

29  After  them  repaired  Zadok  the  son  of  Immer  over  against  his  own  house.     And  after  him 

30  repaired  Shemaiah  the  son  of  Shecaniah,  the  keeper  of  the  east  gate.  After  him  repaired 
Hananiah  the  son  of  Shelemiah,  and  Hanun  the  sixth  son  of  Zalaph,  another  portion.     After 

31  him  rejiaired  Meshullam  the  son  of  Berechiah  over  against  his  chamber.  After  him  repaired 
Malchijah  one  of  the  goldsmiths  unto  the  house  of  the  Nethinim,  and  of  the  merchants,  over 

32  against  the  gate  of  Hammiphkad,  and  to  the  ascent  of  the  corner.  And  between  the  ascent, 
of  the  corner  and  the  sheep  gate  repaired  the  goldsmiths  and  the  merchants. 


53G 


HOOK  OF  NEIIEMIAH. 


4  : 1  But  it  came  to  pass  that,  when  Saiiballat  heard  that  we  biiilded  the  wall,  he  was 

2  wroth,  anil  took  great  indignation,  and  nioeked  the  Jews.  And  lie  spake  before  his  brethren 
and  the  army  of  Samaria,  and  said.  What  do  these  feeble  Jews'?  will  they  fortify  them- 
selves? will  they  saerifiee  V  will  tiiey  make  an  end  in  a  day  '!  will  they  revive  the  stones  out 

3  of  the  heaps  of  rubbish,  seeing  they  are  burned  ?  Now  Tobiali  the  Ammonite  was  by  him, 
and  he  said.  Even  that  which  they  build,  if  a  fox  go  up,  he  shall  break  down  their  stone  wall. 

4  Hear,  O  0>ir  God  ;  for  we  are  despised  :  and  turn  back  their  reproach  upon  their  own  head, 

5  and  give  them  up  to  spoiling  in  a  land  of  captivitj'  :  and  cover  not  their  iniquity,  and  let 
not  their  sin  be  blotted  out  from  before  thee  :  for  they  have  provoked  thee  to  anger  before  the 

()  builders.  So  we  built  the  wall  ;  and  all  the  wall  was  joined  together  unto  half  Vu:  hdght 
thereof  :  for  the  people  had  a  mind  to  work. 

7  But  it  came  to  pass  that,  when  Sanballat,  and  Tobiah,  and  the  Arabians,  and  the  Am- 
monites, and  the   Ashdodites,  heard   that   the   repairing  of   the   walls   of   Jerusalem   went 

8  forward,  and  that  the  breaches  began  to  be  stopped,  then  they  were  very  wroth  ;  and 
they  conspired   all  of   tliem   together  to  come   and  fight   against   Jerusalem,  and  to  cause 

9  confusion  therein.      But   we   made   our   prayer  unto  our  God,   and   set  a  watch   against 

10  them  day  and  night,  because  of  them.  And  Judah  said.  The  strength  of  the  bearers 
of  burdens  is  decayed,  and  there  is  much  rubbish  ;  so  that  we  are  not  able  to  build  the 

11  wall.     And  our  adversaries  said,  They  shall  not  know,  neither  see,  till  we  come  into  the 

12  midst  of  them,  and  slay  them,  and  cause  the  work  to  cease.  And  it  came  to  pass  that,  when 
the  Jews  which  dwelt  by  them  came,  they  said  unto  us  ten  times  from  all  places.  Ye  must 

13  return  unto  us.  Therefore  set  I  in  the  lowest  parts  of  the  space  liehind  the  wall,  in  the  open 
places,  I  even  set  the  people  after  their  families  with  their  swords,  their  spears,  and  their 

14  bows.  And  I  looked,  aucl  rose  up,  and  said  unto  the  nobles,  and  to  the  rulers,  and  to  the 
rest  of  the  people.  Be  not  ye  afraid  of  them  :  remember  the  Loud,  which  is  great  and  terrible, 
and  fight  for  your  brethren,  j'our  sons  and  your  daiightera,  3'our  wives  and  j-our  houses. 

15  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  our  enemies  heard  that  it  was  known  unto  us,  and  God  had 
brought  their  counsel  to  nought,  that  we  returned  all  of  us  to  the  wall,  everj'  one  unto  his 

16  work.  And  it  came  to  pass  from  that  time  forth,  that  half  of  my  servants  wrought  in  the 
work,  and  half  of  them  held  the  spears,  the  shields,  and  the  bows,  and  the  coats  of  mail  ;  and 

IT  the  rulers  were  behind  all  the  house  of  Judah.     They  that  builded  the  wall  and  they  that 

bare  burdens  laded  themseh-es,  every  one  with  one  of  his  hands  wrought  in  the  work,  and 

18  with  the  other  held  his  weapon  ;  and  the  builders,  every  one  had  his  sword  girded  by  his  side, 

in  and  so  builded.     And  he  that  sounded  the  trumpet  was  by  me.     And  I  said  unto  the  nobles, 

and  to  the  rulers  and  to  the  rest  of  the  people.  The  work  is  great  and  large,  and  we  are  sep- 

20  arated  upon  the  wall,  one  far  from  another  :  in  what  place  soever  ye  hear  the  sound  of  the 

21  trumpet,  resort  ye  thither  unto  us  ;  our  God  shall  fight  for  us.  So  we  wrought  in  the  work  : 
and  half  of  them  held  the  spears  from  the  rising  of  the  morning  till  the  stars  appeared. 

22  Likewise  at  the  same  time  said  I  unto  the  people,  Let  every  one  with  his  servant  lodge  within 

23  Jerusalem,  that  in  the  night  they  may  be  a  guard  to  us,  and  may  labour  in  the  day.  So 
neither  I,  nor  my  brethren,  nor  my  servants,  nor  the  men  of  tlu'  guard  which  followed  me, 
none  of  us  put  off  our  clothes,  every  one  ircnt  irith  his  weapon  to  the  water. 


2  :  12-20.  Steps  taken  by  Xehemiah  prelim- 
iiiin-y  to  /lin  building  of  the  mill,  and  Ji rat  ap- 
pearance of  opposition.  Nehemiah  expected 
opposition,  and  as  long  as  possible  concealed 
his  designs.  He  made  his  survey  of  the  wall 
by  night,  that  it  mi,glit  escape  observation. 
The  lime  for  action  being  come,  he  laid  the 
matter  before  the  head  men  of  the  city  (vei-se 
17).  whom  he  easily  persiiaded  when  he  assured 
them  of  Artaxerxcs"  consent  and  goodwill 
Preparations  (hen  began  to  be  made  ;  and  im- 
mediately murmurs  of  opposition  arose.  Three 
opponents  are  now  spoken  of — Sanballat, 
Tobiah  and   an  Arabian,   Geshem  or  Gashmu, 


not  prcvioush-  mentioned.  These  persons  ap- 
pear to  have  sent  a  formal  message  to  the 
authorities  of  Jerusalem  (verse  19),  taxing  them 
with  an  intention  to  rebel.  Nehemiah  made  no 
direct  reply  to  this  charge,  but  boldly  stated 
his  resolve  to  "  arise  and  build,"  and  denied 
Sanballat's  right  to  interfere  with  him.  P.  C. 
12-16.  Having  rested  after  his  long  journey 
three  days,  he  "  arose  in  the  night,  he,  and  some 
few  men  with  him."  To  none,  even  of  these 
few,  had  he  "  told  what  God  had  put  in  his 
heart  to  do  at  Jerusalem."  For  resolutions 
which  affect  the  Church's  life  are  formed  by 
men  whom  the  Spirit  teaches  to  be  silent  until 


SECTION  GO.     CONFERENCE   WITH  CHIEF  MEN. 


537 


the  time  has  come  for  action.  So  Nehemiah 
rode  out  by  night,  while  the  stars  were  shiuing 
into  the  well  of  Gihon  and  Solomon's  Pool. 
Then,  after  ascending  the  Valley  of  Kedron,  ho 
re-entered  by  the  valley  gate  and  returned 
home.  During  his  ride  he  had  seen  by  fitful 
gleams  the  tumbled  masses  of  masonry  close 
beside  the  eour.se  carefully  trodden  by  his  horse 
— for  the  rubbish  choked  the  path,  "  so  that 
there  was  no  place  for  the  beast  under  him  to 
pass."  Again  and  again  he  came  to  gates  con- 
sumed with  fire,  which,  as  the  Assyrian  sculp- 
tures show  us,  was  invariably  done  with  cap- 
tured cities.  What  his  thoughts  were  we  are 
not  fully  told.  But  of  one  thing  we  may  be 
sure.  It  was  not  only  as  a  patriot  that  he  felt 
bitter  sorrow.  As  long  as  those  walls  were 
broken  down  the  purposes  of  God  must  be  un- 
fulfilled and  the  footsteps  of  His  Anointed  must 
linger.  For  the  mysterious  weeks  were  to  be 
counted  from  "  the  going  forth  of  the  com- 
mandment to  restore  and  to  build  Jerusalem, 
unto  the  Messiah,  the  Prince."  Haunted  by 
this  voice  of  prophecj' — by  that  other  oracle  of 
the  Book  of  Jeremiah,  which  was  so  evidently 
familiar  to  him,  "  The  city  shall  be  built  from 
the  tower  of  Ilananeel  unto  the  gate  of  the 
corner" — he  announces  his  purpose:  "Come 
and  let  us  build  up  the  wall  of  Jerusalem." 
Bp.  W.  Ah'xamler. 

17,  18.  It  was  necessary,  first  of  all,  to  take 
the  other  authorities  of  the  place  into  council. 
So — on  the  next  day  probably — Nehemiah  sum- 
moned to  Ills  presence  "  the  priests,  the  nobles, 
and  the  riilers" — Eliashib  doubtless,  the  head 
of  the  priestly  order,  the  elders  of  Jerusalem, 
and  the  head  men  of  such  villages  as  lay  near 
at  hand — and  opened  to  them  the  extent  of  his 
powers  and  the  nature  of  his  designs.  Artax- 
erxes,  be  said,  liad  empowered  him  to  rebuild 
the  entire  circuit  of  the  walls,  and  to  place  the 
citj'  in  a  state  of  complete  defence.  The  thing 
must  be  done  as  quickly  as  possible.  Prepara- 
tions must  be  quietly  made,  and  on  a  given  day 
workmen  must  present  themselves  along  the 
whole  line  of  the  defences,  ready  all  of  them 
to  set  to  the  work  simultaneously,  and  build 
the  jjortion  allotted  to  them.  New  materials 
would  not  be  needed,  unless  it  were  for  the  gates 
and  the  gate  towers  ;  the  walls  might  be  rebuilt 
out  of  the  ruins  and  rubbish  which  marked  their 
former  site.  The  inhabitants  of  each  quarter 
should  repair  the  part  of  the  wall  nearest  to 
where  they  dwelt.  All  classes  should  take  part 
In  the  work — priests,  nobles,  tradesmen,  mer- 
chants, and  artisans.  As  the  inhabitants  of 
Jerusalem  were  not  sufficiently  numerous  to  ac- 


complish the  entire  task  in  the  short  time  that 
was  needful,  other  workers  must  be  called  in 
from  the  country  towns  and  villages,  who  might 
gather  themselves  together  at  the  part  of  the 
wall  which  was  nearest  to  them.  Jericho, 
Tekoah,  Gibeon,  Mizpeh,  Zanoah,  Beth-hac- 
carem,  Beth-zur,  Keilah,  could  easily  send  a 
portion  of  their  population  to  share  the  labors 
of  those  who  dwelt  in  Jerusalem,  since  none  of 
these  places  lay  at  any  great  distance  from  the 
capital.  A  general  willingness  to  give  their 
services  seems  to  liave  been  displayed  alike  by 
the  men  of  Jerusalem  and  the  dwellers  in  the 
country  districts,  since  only  one  abstention  is 
noticed — that  of  the  ' '  nobles  of  Tekoah. "  G.  R. 

20.  "  Then  answered  I  them,"  says  Nehe- 
miah, with  noble  reliance  upon  God — "  Then 
answered  I  them" — not  that  the  king  had  given 
me  a  decree  to  undertake  the  work  ;  not  that  I 
was  in  reality  obeying,  instead  of  resisting  him  ; 
but  this  heavenly  hero's  sublime  and  magnani- 
mous answer  was,  "  The  God  of  heaven.  He 
will  prosper  us  ;  therefore  we.  His  servants, 
will  arise  and  build. ' '  And  in  the  might  of  that 
confidence  they  prosecuted  their  task,  spite  of 
every  discouragement  ;  spite  of  contempt  and 
fraud  and  treachery  ;  spite  of  false  friends  and 
open  enemies,  till,  in  fifty-two  days,  this  hand- 
ful of  feeble  men  brought  the  mighty  woik  to  a 
happy  issue  ;  the  walls  of  the  city  were  finished, 
and  the  gates  were  again  set  up,  because  the 
good  hand  of  their  God  was  upon  them.  "  If 
God  be  for  us,  who  can  lie  against  us  ?' '     StoiccU. 

Chap.  3,  The  third  chapter  contains  an  hon- 
orable register  of  those  who  despaired  not  of 
their  country,  but  uprose,  in  a  time  of  feeble- 
ness and  depression,  to  rebuild  their  capital. 
They  were  of  all  ranks  and  classes.  First  rose 
up,  as  became  him,  the  high  priest,  with  liis 
brethren  the  priests.  The  Levites,  too,  put 
their  hands  to  the  work.  Then  came  the  rulers, 
merchants,  "  goldsmiths  and  apothecaries" — 
indeed,  all  the  well-doing  population  of  the 
city.  Some  of  the  ladies  of  high  rank  showed 
a  fine  example  at  this  emergency.  The  daugh- 
ters of  Shallum,  who  was  "  ruler  of  the  half 
part  of  Jerusalem,"  helped  their  father  in  the 
work.  Helpers  also  came  in  from  the  small 
towns  of  Judea,  rising  superior  to  all  petty 
jealousies,  and  preferring  Jerusalem  above  their 
chief  joy.  There  were  a  few  half-hearted  in 
the  enterprise,  such  as  the  nobles  of  Tekoa, 
who  "  put  not  their  necks  to  the  work  of  their 
Lord."  They  seem  to  have  been  the  magnates 
of  a  little  town  ;  and,  like  petty  great  people  in 
all  times,  thought  it  enough  to  give  their  pat- 
ronage.    They  were  exceptions,  however,   to 


538 


BOOK  OF  NEIIEMIAH. 


the  general  rule.  The  builders  work(Hl  with  a 
will  and  on  a  plan  which  gavo  exercise  to  botli 
public  zeal  ami  private  interest.  Every  man 
built  liver  a_:?ainst  his  own  house  or  his  own 
chamber  if  he  were  not  a  separate  householiler. 
At  the  same  time,  every  one  was  inspintcd  by 
the  thought  that  he  was  filling  up  his  part  of  a 
great  design  for  the  common  good,  and  for  the 
welfare,  not  of  agate,  or  street,  or  quarter  of 
the  city,  but  of  all  Jerusalem.     D.  F. 

With  the  general  purpose  of  doing  honor  to 
the  deserving  is  combined  the  wish  graphically 
to  ])lace  the  whole  scene  before  the  reader. 
This  is  done  by  means  of  a  profusion  of  topo- 
graphical details.  Neheraiah  takes  us  along  the 
entire  circuit  of  the  wall — shows  us  "  the  tower 
of  Mcah,"  "  the  tower  of  Ilananeel,"  "  the  fish 
gate,"  "  the  old  gate,"  "  the  throne  of  the  gov- 
ernor," "the  broad  wall,"  "  the  tower  of  the 
furnaces,"  "the  valley  gate,"  "the  dung 
gate,"  "  the  gate  of  the  fountain,"  "  the  pool 
of  Siloam,"  "the  king's  garden,"  "the 
stairs,"  "  the  sepulchres  of  David,"  "  the  pool 
that  was  made,"  "  the  armory,"  "the  tower 
that  lay  out,"  "  Ophel,"  "the  horse  gate," 
"the  gate  Miphkad,"  "the  sheep  gate,"  and 
"  the  ascent  of  the  corner" — exhibits  to  us  the 
party  at  work  in  each  place,  repairing  a  por- 
tion of  the  wall,  or  rebuilding  a  gateway — notes 
the  zeal  of  those  who,  completing  the  piece  first 
assigned  to  them  rapidly,  then  undertook  a  sec- 
ond piece  (verses  11,  19,  21,  24,  etc.),  and 
altogether  gives  us  a  description  which  is  full 
of  life  ami  activity.  The  passage  is  invaluable 
to  the  topographer,  and  though  not  resolving 
all  the  dillieulties  with  which  he  meets  in  his 
attempts  to  reproduce  the  plan  of  the  ancient 
city,  furnishes  more  effectual  help  than  all  other 
existing  notices  on  the  subject  put  together. 
P.  C. 

The  wall  was  parcelled  out  among  forty -four 
working  parties,  who,  on  a  given  day,  all  mus- 
tered in  their  several  places,  and  began  the  tasks 
allotted  to  them.  On  the  eastern  side  of  the 
city,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Temple,  labored 
the  priests,  the  Ncthinim,  the  goldsmiths  and 
the  merchants  ;  about  the  northeast  corner  the 
work  was  done  by  the  men  of  Jericho  ;  along 
the  north  wall  were  employed  the  Tekoites,  the 
men  of  Gibeon,  and  the  men  of  Mizpeh  ;  toward 
the  west,  the  inhabitants  of  Zanoah  ;  toward  the 
south,  a  portion  of  the  men  of  Mizpeh,  together 
with  the  inhabitants  of  Beth-haccarem,  Beth- 
zur,  and  Keilah.  The  Levitcs  worked  at  por- 
tions of  the  wall  of  Ophel.  Small  parcels  of  the 
wall  seem  to  have  been  assigned  to  individuals, 
either  singly  or  in  pairs,  who  exercised  a  super- 


intendence over  the  men  of  their  trade  or  of 
tlieir  neighborhood.  Particular  attention  ap- 
pears to  have  been  jiaid  to  the  gate  towers — 
eleven  in  nimiber — which  broke  the  line  of  the 
walls  at  irregular  intervals.  These  had  to  be 
provided  with  guard-rooms,  heavy  wooden 
doors,  solid  bars,  and  other  fastenings,  as  the 
security  of  the  town  would  greatly  depend 
upon  them.  So  far  as  can  be  gathered  from 
Xeheraiah's  account,  there  were  at  this  time 
five  gates  in  the  eastern  wall,  three  in  the 
northern  wall,  two  iu  the  southern  wall,  and 
one  in  the  western  wall — the  "  valley  gate." 
There  were  also,  in  the  spaces  between  the 
gates,  and  especially  at  any  angle  formed  by 
the  walls,  or  at  any  weak  point,  protecting 
towers  or  bastions,  which  projected  bej'Ond  the 
general  line  of  the  walls.     G.  H. 

10,  2;t,  28.  Every  one  over  against 
llis  house.  The  priests  and  others,  whose 
houses  were  near  the  wall,  repaired  that  part 
of  the  wall  which  was  opposite  each  of  their 
d  wellings.  This  suggests  the  order  to  be  obterved 
in  seek-ill ff  the  rjood  of  others.  Let  every  'one  do 
the  work  which  lies  nearest  to  him.  Let  him 
begin  with  his  own  familj-.  No  amount  of 
good  work  elsewhere  will  compensate  for  neg- 
lect there.  Christian  parents  can  do  most  good 
to  the  community  by  training  well  their  chil- 
dren. Then,  as  ability  and  opportunitj'  per- 
mit, let  each  seek  the  good  of  his  dependents, 
friends,  neighbors,  the  congregation  with  which 
he  worships,  the  city  or  town,  the  country,  the 
Church  at  large,  the  world.     P.  C. 

When  the  Hebrews  set  about  rebuilding  the 
walls  of  Jerusalem,  each  man  was  instructed  to 
build  over  against  his  own  house.  That  was 
better  economy  than  for  each  man  to  do  a  little 
everywhere,  and  by  that  means  not  do  much  of 
anything  anywhere.  The  results  are  a  good 
deal  of  the  latter  sort  when  a  man  stops  with 
being  simply  a  member  of  the  Church  uni- 
versal ;  he  neither  denotes  much  to  the  Church 
nor  the  Church  much  to  him.  We  get  affected 
by  close  contacts  with  live  things  at  specific 
points.  It  is  a  great  thing  to  love  all  mankind. 
But  it  is  better  to  say  a  single  word  of  cheer 
and  comfort  to  the  man  who  stands  next  you 
than  merely  to  love  the  whole  race  with  a  thin 
dilute  of  affection  that  never  reaches  the  point 
of  doing  anything  for  anybody.  The  best  way 
really  to  know  how  to  love  the  man  that  is 
farthest  from  you  is  to  begin  bj-  loving  and 
blessing  the  man  that  is  next  you.  It  is  a  small 
matter,  I  confess,  to  love  your  neighbor,  but 
the  slumbering  potencies  of  universal  love  are 
all  in  it.     C.  H.  P. 


SECTION  60.     WALL-BUILDING    UNDER  DIFFICULTIES. 


539 


Consider  how  the  greatest  things  ever  done 
on  earth  have  been  done  by  little  and  little — lit- 
tle agents,  little  persons,  and  little  things. 
How  was  the  wall  restored  around  Jerusalem  1 
By  each  man  building  the  breach  before  his 
own  door.  How  was  the  soil  of  the  New  AVorld 
redeemed  from  gloomy  forests  ?  By  each 
sturdy  emigrant  cultivating  the  patch  round 
his  own  log  hut.  How  have  the  greatest  bat- 
tles been  won  ?  Not  by  the  generals,  but  by 
the  rank  and  file — every  man  holding  his  own 
post,  and  ready  to  die  on  the  battlefield.  The 
victory  was  achieved  by  the  blood  and  courage 
of  the  many.  So,  if  the  world  is  ever  to  be 
conquered  for  our  Lord,  it  is  not  by  ministers, 
nor  by  office-bearers,  but  by  every  member  of 
Christ's  body  being  a  working  member  ;  doing 
his  own  work  ;  filling  his  own  sphere  ;  holding 
his  own  post  ;  and  saying  to  Jesus,  "  Lord, 
what  wilt  Thou  have  mc  to  do  ?"     Guthrie. 

So  it  is  by  every  one  building  the  part  of  the 
wall  which  lies  opposite  to  himself  ;  by  each 
one,  like  the  Baptist  of  old,  fulfilling  his 
course  ;  by  each  one  doing  the  duty  which  de- 
volves on  him  as  a  soldier  fighting  under  Christ 
in  the  great  army  of  the  faithful,  that  the  whole 
work  is  to  be  carried  on  and  completed  ;  this 
one  taking  up  this  field,  and  another  that  field, 
at  home  or  abroad — going  himself,  or  contribut- 
ing to  make  others  go.     McCosh. 

At  whatever  point  we  touch  the  moral  deso- 
lation of  society,  there  is  our  place  of  building. 
At  whatever  spot  we  touch  sin,  there  is  our 
place  of  fighting.  The  place  where  our  voca- 
tion plants  us,  and  our  usual  duties  and  rela- 
tions engage  us,  is  the  one  where  we  shall  wear 
and  use  God's  armor  to  best  effect.  It  probably 
seemed  to  each  builder  on  the  wall  a  very 
arduous  undertaking  to  rebuild  the  whole  city 
wall  ;  and  so  it  might  have  done  if  he  had  had 
it  all  to  do.  But  each  one  did  his  little,  and 
worked  over  against  his  own  door,  and  the  work 
was  completed  in  two  months.     C.  H.  P. 

Cliap.  4.  Open  opposition  offered  to  the  work 
by  Sanballat  and  Tobiah,  and  arrangements  made 
by  Nehemiah  to  meet  it.  Sanballat  and  his 
friends,  when  they  first  heard  that  the  wall  was 
actually  being  restored,  the  working  parties 
formed,  and  the  work  taken  in  hand,  could 
scarcely  believe  it.  What  ?  These  feeble  Jews 
undertake  so  heavy  a  task,  attempt  a  work  that 
must  occupy  so  long  a  time,  and  for  which  they 
had  not  even  the  necessary  materials  1  (verse 
2).  Impossible  !  Such  a  wall  as  they  could 
build  would  be  so  weak  that  if  a  fox  tried  to 
get  over  it  he  would  break  it  down  (verse  3). 
But  when,  despite    their  scoffs,   the  working 


parties  labored  steadily,  and  the  whole  wall  was 
brought  to  half  the  intended  height  (verse  6), 
and  the  gaps  made  in  it  by  the  Babylonians 
were  filled  up  (verse  7),  they  changed  their 
tone,  admitted  the  seriousness  of  the  undertak- 
ing, and  the  probability  that  it  would  succeed 
unless  steps  were  taken  to  prevent  it.  Nehe- 
miah's  work  would  be  accomplished  before  the 
court  could  be  communicated  with.  Accord- 
iuglj',  it  was  resolved  to  stop  the  building  by 
main  force.  Sanballat  and  Tobiah,  his  Am- 
monite hanger-on,  entered  into  a  league  with 
the  neighboring  peoples — the  Philistines  of 
Ashdod,  the  Ammonites,  and  some  Arab  tribe 
or  tribes — and  agreed  with  them  that  a  conjoint 
attack  should  be  made  upon  Jerusalem  by  a 
confederate  army  (chap.  3  :  7,  8).  But  Nehe- 
miah, having  learned  what  was  intended,  made 
preparations  to  meet  and  repulse  the  assailants. 
He  began  bj'  setting  a  watch  day  and  night 
(verse  9)  on  the  side  on  which  the  attack  was 
expected.  When  an  assault  seemed  imminent, 
he  stopped  the  work  and  drew  up  the  whole 
people  in  battle  array,  with  swords,  spears,  and 
bows,  behind  the  wall,  but  in  conspicuous 
places,  so  that  they  could  be  seen  from  a  dis- 
tance, and  in  this  attitude  awaited  the  enemy 
(verse  13).  The  result  was  that  no  actual 
assault  was  delivered.  The  work  was  then  re- 
sumed, but  under  additional  precautions.  The 
laborers  were  compelled  to  work  either  with  a 
weapon  in  one  hand,  or  at  the  least  with  a 
sword  at  their  side  (verses  17,  18).  Nehe- 
miah's  private  attendants  were  armed  and 
formed  into  two  bands,  one  of  which  worked 
on  the  wall,  while  the  other  kept  guard,  and 
held  the  arras,  offensive  and  defensive,  of  their 
fellow-servants  (verse  16).  At  night  the  work- 
ing parties  retired  to  rest  within  the  city,  but 
Nehemiah  himself,  his  brothers,  his  servants, 
and  his  bodyguard,  remained  outside,  keeping 
watch  by  turns,  and  sleeping  in  their  clothes, 
until  the  wall  was  finished  (verses  23,  23).  P.  C. 
9.  We  made  our  prayer  and  set  a 
Avatcll.  There  are  times  when  we  must  pray 
with  our  eyes  open  ;  when  it  is  hardly  safe  to 
wink  lest  we  lose  sight  of  our  danger.  Pray- 
ing against  danger  is  but  a  sham  when  it  takes 
the  place  of  watching  against  danger.  If  we 
pray  that  we  maj'  not  be  surprised  by  the  en- 
emy, we  must  watch  lest  the  enemy  surprise 
us.  If  we  pray  for  strength  to  resist  the  enemy, 
we  must  watch  for  the  enemy's  coming,  that  we 
may  use  our  God-given  strength  effectively.  If 
we  pray  that  the  enemy  may  not  approach  us, 
we  ought  to  watch  for  an  answer  to  our 
prayei-s,  that  we  may  be  sure  that  the  coast  is 


540 


BOOK  OF  NEIIEMIAH. 


ck'iir  on  every  side.  There  is  no  duty  of  eiill- 
ing  on  God  for  lielp  that  doesn't  iuclude  the 
idea  of  doing  something  ourselves.  "Watch 
and  pray,  tliat  ye  enter  not  into  temptation." 
"  Stand,  tliereforc  ;  praying  at  all  sea.sons  in 
the  spirit,  and  watching  thereunto  in  all  i)er- 

severance."     II.  C.  T. The  tr\ie  way  to  meet 

oppo.sition  is  twofold — prayer  and  prudent 
watchfulness.  "Pray  to  God,  and  keep  your 
powder  dry"  is  not  a  bad  compendium  of  the 
duty  of  a  Christian  soldier.  The  union  of  ap- 
peal to  God  with  the  full  use  of  common  sense, 
watchfulness,  and  prudence  would  dissipate 
many  hindrances  to  successful  service.     A.  M. 

What  doth  Xehcmiah,  with  his  Jews,  for  their 
common  safety  V  They  pray  and  watch  ;  they 
pray  imto  God  ;  they  watch  against  the  enem.y. 
And  thus  shall  we  happilj' prevail  against  those 
spiritual  wickednesses  which  war  against  our 
souls.     No  evil  can  surprise  us  if  wo  watch  ; 

no  evil  can  hurt  us  if  we  pray.     lip.  11. 

That  was  the  way  of  this  good  man,  and  should 
be  our  way  ;  all  his  cares,  all  his  griefs,  all  his 
fears  he  spread  before  Gol,  and  thereby  made 
himself  easy.  This  was  the  first  thing  he  did  : 
before  he  used  any  means  he  made  his  prayer 
to  God,  for  with  Ilim  we  must  always  begin. 
Having  prayed,  he  set  a  watch  against  them. 
The  instructions  Christ  has  given  us  in  our 
spiritual  warfare  agree  with  this  example  (Matt. 
26:41),  "Watch  and  pray."  If  we  think  to 
secure  ourselves  by  prayer  only  without  watch- 
fulness, we  are  slothful  and  tempt  God.  If  by 
■watchfulness  without  prayer,  we  are  proud  and 
slight  God  ;  and  either  way  we  forfeit  His  pro- 
tection.    H. AVe  are  to  watch  and  keep  our 

garments.  We  arc  to  act  faith  uijon  the  vic- 
tory of  Christ,  by  which  He  has  overcome  the 
world.  We  are  to  commend  ourselves  to  God 
in  prayer  that  He  may  ' '  keep  and  present  us 
before  the  pi-escnce  of  His  glory."  We  are  to 
think  upon  the  promises,  and  to  work  them  into 
our  hearts  by  spiritual  reasoning,  and  so  "  es- 
cape the  corruption  that  is  in  the  world 
through  lust."  All  these  things  «;•(■/«  ifi  rfon*". 
It  is  folly  and  presumption  to  think  that  be- 
cause pnirt  r  is.  with  God  and  fvom  Ood,  i^^'ort 
should  nut  lir  in '"/r«(?('('» .'     7'.  M'liiton. 

10.  The  Mircng^tli  of  the  bearers  of 
burdciiii  i§  doeayed.  The  complaint 
seems  to  be  that  by  the  drawing  off  of  men  from 
the  working  parties  to  act  as  guards,  those  par- 
ties were  so  weakened  that  they  cotdd  not  con- 
tinue the  work,  the  quantity  of  rubbish  lieini; 
SO  great.  P.  C. The  state  of  .Jerusalem  to- 
day illustrates  his  difHeiilties  from  the  "  much 
rubbish."     Except  on  the  area  of  the  Mosque 


of  ( )mar,  ancient  .Jerusalem  lies  many  feet  be- 
low the  l)resent  s\irface.  Eleven  times  has  the 
city  been  captured  and  dismantled,  and  after 
each  siege  the  materials  have  been  thrown  down 
till  we  may  sink  a  shaft  from  twenty  to  even  a 
hundred  feet  before  we  reach  the  natural  sur- 
face.    Trintram. 

IO-I3.  Xehemiah  enumerates  his  discour- 
agements :  1.  The  Jews  engaged  in  the  work 
grew  weary  of  it,  and  despaired  of  its  comple- 
tion. 2.  The  adversaries  boasted  and  threat- 
ened. 3.  The  provincial  Jews  declared  the 
danger  of   continuing  the  work  to  be  great. 

B.  C. In  these  verses  Nehemiah  tells,  in  his 

simple  way,  of  the  difflculties  from  three  sev- 
eral quarters  which  threatened  to  stop  his 
work.  He  had  trouble  from  the  workmen,  from 
the  enemies,  and  from  the  mass  of  Jews  not  resi- 
dent in  Jerusalem.  The  enthusiiism  of  the 
builders  had  cooled,  and  the  magnitude  of  their 
task  began  to  frighten  them.  It  is  a  great  piece 
of  Christian  duty  to  recognize  difflculties,  and 
not  be  cowed  bj'  them.  The  true  inference 
from  the  facts  would  have  been,  "  so  that  wc 
must  put  all  our  strength  into  the  work,  and 
trust  in  our  God  to  help  us."  We  may  not  be 
responsible  for  discoiiragements  suggesting 
themselves,  but  we  are  responsible  for  letting 
them  becoms  dissuasives.  Our  one  question 
should  be,  Has  God  appointed  the  work  ?  If 
so,  it  has  to  be  done,  however  little  our 
strength  and  however  mountainous  the  ac- 
cumulations of  rubbish.  The  second  part  in 
the  trio  was  taken  by  the  enemies — Sanballat 
and  Tobiah  and  the  rest.  They  laid  their  ])lans 
for  a  sudden  swoop  down  on  Jerusalem,  and 
calculated  that  if  they  could  surprise  the  build- 
ers at  their  work  they  would  have  no  weapons 
to  show  fight  with,  and  so  would  be  easily  dis- 
patched. Killing  the  builders  was  but  a 
means  ;  the  desired  end  is  significantly  put  last 
(verse  11).  as  being  the  stopping  of  the  abhorred 
work.  But  killing  the  workmen  docs  not  cavise 
the  work  to  cease  when  it  is  God's  work,  as  the 
history  of  the  Church  in  all  ages  shows.  Con- 
s|iirators  should  hold  their  tongues.  It  was 
not  a  hopeful  way  of  beginning  an  attack,  of 
which  the  essence  was  secrecy  and  suddenness, 
to  talk  about  it.  A  bird  of  the  air  carries  the 
matter.  The  third  voice  is  that  of  the  Jews  in 
other  parts  of  the  land,  and  especially  those  liv- 
ing on  the  borders  of  Samaria,  next  door  to 
Sanballat.  Verse  12  i->  probably  best  taken  as 
in  the  Revised  Version,  which  makes  "  Ye  must 
return  to  us"  the  imperative  and  often-repeated 
sun\mons  from  these  to  the  contingents  from 
their  respective  places  of  abode,  who  had  gone 


SECTION  60.     PRATING  AND  WATCHING. 


541 


up  to  Jerusalem  to  help  in  buikling.  Alarms 
of  invasion  made  the  scattered  villagers  wish  to 
have  all  their  men  capable  of  bearing  arms  back 
again  to  defend  their  own  homes.  It  was  a 
most  natural  demand  ;  but  in  this  case,  as  so 
often,  audacity  is  truest  prudence  ;  and  in  all 
high  causes  there  come  times  when  men  have  to 
trust  their  homes  and  dear  ones  to  God's  protec- 
tion. The  necessity  is  heart-rending,  and  we 
may  well  praj'  that  we  may  not  be  exposed  to 
it  ;  but  if  it  clearly  arises,  a  devout  man  can 
have  no  doubt  of  his  duty.  And  how  charac- 
ter is  ennobled  by  so  severe  a  sacrifice!  A.  M. 
14.  And  I  looked.  He  saw  the  enemy 
coming.  Rose  up.  To  take  command  and 
give  orders.  And  said.  He  spoke  a  few 
ivords  to  encourage  his  men,  telling  them  to 
remember  whom  they  fought  under — viz., 
the  Lord  ;  and  what  they  had  to  fight  for 
— viz.,  their  homes  and  all  the3'  held  dear. 
The  attack  was  not  made,  however.  Perhaps 
the  attacking  party  received  word  from  their 
allies  within  the  walls  ;  perhaps  they  saw  for 
themselves  that  the  surprise  had  failed  and  the 
Jews  were  prepared.  This  was  not  the  first 
nor  the  last  time  wheu  thorough  preparation 
for  fighting  removed  the  necessity  of  fighting. 

w.  i.  B. 

Now  doth  Nehemiah  arm  his  people  ;  and  for 
the  time  cliauges  their  trowels  into  swords  and 
spears  and  bows  ;  raising  up  their  courage  with 
a  vehement  exhortation  "  to  remember  the  Lord, 
which  is  great  and  terrible  ;  and  to  fight  for 
their  brethren,  their  sons,  their  daughters,  their 
wives,  and  their  hou.ses. "  Nothing  can  so 
hearten  us  to  the  encountering  of  any  evil  as 
the  remembrance  of  that  infinite  power  and 
wi.sdom,  which  can  either  avert,  or  mitigate,  or 
sanctify  it.  We  could  not  faint  if  we  did  not 
forget  God.     Bp.  IL 

Remember  the  Lord,  and  fight. 
Trust  in  God  quickens  activity,  not  slackens  it. 
It  nerves  the  strong  arm,  not  paralyzes  it.  It 
is  while  we  remember  God's  readiness  to  make 
our  honest  labor  effective  that  we  work  with  a 
will  for  our  daily  bread,  that  we  push  forward 
ill  business,  that  we  study  and  write  and  preach 
in  the  conviction  that  our  toil  will  tell  on  ages, 
tell  for  God.  The  men  who  remember  the  Lord 
in  His  power  and  goodness  are  the  men  who 
rise  up  against  all  odds,  and  battle  evil  in  high 
places  and  low,  with  never  a  thought  of  being 
overborne  and  defeated.  It  is  those  who  back 
up  against  the  Rock  of  Ages  and  defy  the  uni- 
verse who  have  true  faith  in  God  and  prove 
it  as  courageous  soldiers  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.     A  readiness  to  fight  for  God's  cause  is 


a  test  of  loving,  faith-filled  remembrance  of 
God.     H.  C.  T. 

"  Remcmberthe  Lord,"  said  Nehemiah,  when 
he  wanted  to  arouse  the  courage  of  the  languid 
people.  To  a  man  in  discouragement  the  very 
thought  of  God  is  like  a  cool  wind  after  a  day 
of  oppressive  heat.  It  refreshes  him,  and  gives 
him  renewed  courage  to  bear  and  to  do.  It 
adds  somehow  to  the  totality  of  his  being  some- 
thing that  gives  to  all  the  rest  an  invincible 
pluck,  and  so  doubles  his  force.  A  man  who 
knows  that  God  is  on  his  side  will  watch  and 
fight  and  work  all  the  better  for  keeping  this 
truth  uppermost.  It  takes  away  from  him  the 
fear  of  man  "  that  bringeth  a  snare,"  and  puts 
the  fear  of  God  so  high  that  all  other  fear  dis- 
appears. Such  a  man  is  hard  to  beat,  for  he 
never  knows  when  he  is  beaten.  He  always 
picks  up  liis  weapons  again  and  renews  the 
fight.     Si-haufflcv. 

The  calm  heroism  of  Nehemiah  and  his  wise 
action  in  the  emergency  are  told  in  verses 
13-15.  Ho  made  a  demonstration  in  force, 
which  at  once  showed  that  the  scheme  of  a  sur- 
prise was  blown  to  pieces.  The  walls  were 
manned,  and  the  enemy  would  have  to  deal 
not  with  unarmed  laborers,  but  with  prepared 
soldiers.  The  work  was  stopped,  and  trowel 
and  spade  exchanged  for  sword  and  spear. 
"  And  I  looked,"  says  NehemiiUi.  His  careful 
eye  travelled  over  the  lines,  and,  seeing  all  in 
order,  he  cheered  the  little  army  with  ringing 
words.  He  had  prayed  (Neh.  1  :  5)  to  "the 
great  and  terrible  God,"  and  now  he  bids  his 
men  remember  Him,  and  thence  draw  strength 
and  courage.  The  only  real  antagonist  of  fear 
is  faith.  If  we  can  grasp  God  we  shall  not 
dread  Sauballat  and  his  crew.  Unless  we  do, 
the  world  is  full  of  dangers  which  it  is  not  folly 
to  fear.  Note,  too,  that  the  people  are  ani- 
mated for  the  fight  by  reminding  them  of  the 
tlear  ones  whose  lives  and  honor  hung  on  the 
issue.  Nothing  is  said  about  fighting  for  God 
and  His  temple  and  city  ;  but  the  motives  ad- 
duced are  not  less  sacred.  Family  love  is  God's 
best  of  earthly  gifts  ;  and  though  it  is  some- 
times duty  to  "  forget  thine  own  people  and 
thy  father's  house,"  as  we  have  just  seen,  noth- 
ing short  of  these  highest  obligations  can  su- 
persede the  sweet  one  of  straining  every  nerve 
for  the  well-being  of  dear  ones  in  the  hallowed 
circle  of  home.  So  the  plan  of  a  sudden  rush 
came  to  nothing.  It  does  not  appear  that  the 
enemy  was  in  sight  ;  but  the  news  of  the 
demonstration  soon  reached  them,  and  was 
eflfeetual.  Prompt  preparation  against  possible 
dangers  is  often  the   meajis  of  turning  them 


542 


BOOK  OF  XEHEMIAn. 


aside.  Wiitchfulness  is  indispensable  to  vigor 
of  Cliristiivn  character  and  efficiency  of  worlt. 
Suspicion  is  hateful  and  weakening  ;  but  a  man 
who  tries  to  serve  God  in  such  a  world  as  this 
Uml  need  to  be  like  the  living  creatures  in  the 
Kevelation.  liaving  "  eyes  all  over."  "  Blessed 
is  the  man  that  (in  that  sense)  feareth  always." 
The  upshot  of  the  alarm  is  very  beautifully 
told  :  "  We  returned  all  of  us  to  the  wall,  every 
one  unto  his  work."  No  time  was  wasted  in 
jubilation.  The  work  wsis  the  main  thing,  and 
the  moment  the  interruption  was  ended,  back 
to  it  they  all  went.  It  is  a  fine  illustration  of 
persistent  discharge  of  duty,  and  of  that  most 
valuable  quality,  the  abilit)'  and  inclination  to 
keep  up  the  main  purpose  of  a  life  continuous 
through  interruptions,  like  a  stream  of  .sweet 
water  running  through  a  bog.     A.  M. 

15.  Three  things  go  well  together  in  work 
for  God — prayer,  promptitude  and  persever- 
ance. Had  the  builders  ceased  until  they  should 
go  out  and  attack  Sanballat  or  Geshem.  it  would 
have  been  long  ere  their  task  was  finished.  But 
no,  attack  wsis  not  for  them,  only  defence  ;  and 
the  moment  that  the  display  of  readiness  to  de- 
fend themselves  has  caused  the  enemy  to  retire, 
they  turn  eagerly  to  finish  the  wall.  Every 
course  of  masonrj-  laid  was  better  than  a  hun- 
dred victories.  Having  arms  in  their  hands  did 
not  tempt  them  to  fight ;  success  did  not  uplift 
them  ;  they  knew  that  it  was  God  who  had 
brought  to  naught  the  counsel  of  Sanballat,  and 
they  went  on  doing  His  work  with  all  their 
might.     .1.  Syiiiiitfftoii. 

10-20.  Nehemiah's  precautions  concerned 
six  clas.ses  of  men — viz.,  his  personal  retain- 
ers, two  chisses  of  workmen,  the  officers,  the 
trumpeter,  and  the  general.  My  scmmts  (cf. 
verse  23  and  chaps.  5  :  10,  16  ;  13  :  19).  These 
were  trained  men,  who  could  be  depended  upon. 
Half  of  them  wrought  in  the  work,  while  the 
other  half,  themselves  armed  doubtless,  had 
armor  in  readiness  for  the  working  half.  It 
was  impossible  for  a  man  to  wear  armor  while 
working  on  the  wall  ;  but  by  this  arrangement 
there  wivs  always  a  little  effective  band  of  armed 
men  ready  to  take  the  iintiative  in  resisting 
an  attack  from  foes  without  or  traitors  within  ; 
and  their  number  would  be  doubled  with  no 
delay  except  while  their  comrades  were  putting 
on  their  armor.     W.  J.  B. 

God's  workers  must  be  prepared  for  warfare 
as  well  !is  building.  Tliere  have  been  epochs 
in  which  that  necessity  was  realized  in  a  very 
sad  manner ;  and  the  Church  on  earth  will 
always  have  to  be  the  Church  militant.  But  it 
is  well  to  remember  that  building  is  the  end.  and 


fighting  is  but  the  means.  The  trowel,  not  the 
sword,  is  the  natural  instrument.  Controversy 
is  second  best — a  necessity,  no  doubt,  but  an 
unwelcome  one,  and  only  permissible  as  a  sub- 
sidiary help  to  doing  the  true  work,  rearing 
the  walls  of  the  city  of  God. 

"  He  that  sounded  the  trumpet  Wius  by  me." 
The  gallant  leader  was  everywhere,  animating 
by  his  presence.  He  meant  to  be  in  the  thick 
of  the  fight  if  it  should  come.  And  so  he  kept 
the  trumpeter  by  his  side,  and  gave  orders  that 
when  he  sounded  all  should  hurry  to  the  place  ; 
for  there  the  enemy  would  be,  and  NehemiaU 
would  be  where  the.y  were.  "  The  work  is 
great  and  large,  and  we  are  separated  .  .  .  one 
far  from  another."  How  naturally  the  words 
lend  themselves  to  the  old  lesson  so  often  drawn 
from  them  !  God's  servants  are  widely  parted, 
by  distance,  b}'  time,  and,  ahis  !  by  less  justi- 
fiable causes.  Unless  they  draw  together  they 
will  be  overwhelmed,  taken  in  detail  and 
crushed.  They  must  rally  to  help  each  other 
against  the  common  foe.  Thank  God,  the  long- 
ing for  manifest  Christian  unity  is  deeper  to- 
day than  ever  it  was.  But  much  remains  to  be 
done  before  it  is  adeijuatel)'  fulfilled  in  the  rec- 
ognition of  the  common  bond  of  brotherhood, 
which  binds  us  all  in  one  family  if  we  have 
one  Father.  Americum  and  English  Christians 
are  bound  to  seek  the  tightening  of  the  bonds 
between  them  and  to  set  themselves  against 
politicians  who  may  seek  to  keep  apart  those 
who  both  in  the  flesh  and  in  the  spirit  are 
brothers  All  Christians  have  one  great  Cap- 
tain ;  and  He  will  be  in  the  forefront  of  every 
battle.  His  clear  trumpet  call  should  gather 
all  His  servants  to  His  side.     A.  M. 

There  are  pressing  difficulties  in  the  believ- 
er's way  while  he  is  engaged  in  the  prosecution 
of  his  work.  The  Christian  life  is  a  scene  of 
perpetual  conflict.  Heart  corruption  is  the 
greatest  foe  of  the  Christian.  From  that  lie  can- 
not flee.  And  had  he  notliing  else  than  this 
corruiition  to  fear  while  he  strives  to  rear  up 
the  spiritual  edifice — i.e.,  to  advance  in  grace 
and  in  godliness — he  would  yet  require  to  be 
furnished,  as  the  people  w-ere  under  Nehcmiah, 
witli  the  weapon  to  defend  as  well  as  with  the 
implement  to  build.  When  we  consider  the 
very  dangerous  position  which  the  Christian 
occupies,  with  a  crafty  adversary  on  the  one 
side — viz.,  Satan — an  alluring  and  sometimes  a 
threatening  foe  on  the  other  side — viz.,  the 
world — and  a  treacherous  heart  within,  his 
])roper  attitude  is  that  wliieh  was  assumed  by 
the  people  spoken  of  in  the  text,  every  one  of 
whom,  while  with  one  of  his  hands  he  wrought 


SECTION  GO.     WORh'iyO  AND  WATCUING. 


5.13 


in  the  work,  with  the  other  hand  held  a  weapon. 
Tliese  Jews  were  in  the  exercise  of  constant 
watclifulness.  They  knew  that  there  was  evil 
meditated  against  them  ;  but  they  knew  not  the 
moment  when  the  onset  might  be,  and  there- 
fore, like  wise  men,  they  stood  prepared  for  it. 
Christian  watchfulness  is  one  of  the  most  indis- 
pensable, and,  at  the  same  time,  one  of  the  most 
comprehensive  duties  to  which  the  disciples  of 
Jesus  are  called.  The  Jews  were  careful  to 
furnish  themselves  with  the  means  of  defence. 
The  Christian  has  the  shield  of  faith  and  the 
sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  Word  of  God. 
The  attitude  of  the  Jews  indicates  the  tirmest 
determination  to  make  progress  in  their  work. 
Advancement  is  the  watchword  of  the  Chris- 
tian.    ^-1.  D.  Din'idsun. 

21.  So  we  labored;  and  hair  of 
tlicm  held  the  spears.  This  is  a  sum- 
mary of  the  main  points  previously  related  : 
"  So  we  continued  to  work  ;  and  one  half  of 
my  pensonal  followers  continued  to  keep  watch 
and  to  hold  the  spears"  (verse  16).  From  llie 
rising:  of  the  morning,  etc.  This  is  ad- 
ditional, and  shows  how  early  the  work  com- 
menced each  morning,  and  how  late  it  con- 
tinued.    P.  C. 

The  closing  verse  tells  again  how  Nehemiah's 
Immediate  dependents  divided  work  and  watch- 
ing, and  adds  to  the  picture  the  coutiuuousness 
of  their  toil  from  the  first  gray  of  morning  till 
darkness  showed  the  stars  and  ended  another 
day  of  toil.  Happy  they  who  thus  "  from 
morn  till  noon,  from  noon  till  dewy  eve,"  labor 
in  the  work  of  the  Lord  !  For  them,  every  new 
morning  will  dawn  with  new  strength,  and 
every  evening  be  calm  with  the  consciousness 
of  "something  attempted,  something  done." 
A.  M. 

The  section  is  ricli  in  analogies  for  spiritual 
things.  As  believers,  we  have  an  important 
building  work  to  do,  and  we  have  to  do  it  in  the 
presence  of  .spiritual  enemies  without  and  with- 
in. There  are  few  Bible  characters  from  whom 
the  practical  worker  can  get  so  many  points  as 
from  Nehemiah.  And,  among  other  things,  he 
is  especially  characterized  by  this  :  the  more 
utterly  he  feels  his  dependence  upon  God  ("  our 
God  shall  fight  for  us, "  verse  30),  the  more  care- 
fully does  he  attend  to  every  minute  detail 
which  may  insure  success.     W.  J.  B. 


Cultivated,  scientific  man  is  fast  becoming 
passionless  intellect.  Religion  resides  in  the 
affections,  imagination,  emotions,  conscience. 
Tlieso  are  to  be  utterly  extirpated  ;  and  religion 


must  wither  away  in  its  very  roots  before  the 
positive  philosophy.  Yes  ;  in  manj'  a  tone  the 
epigram  is  uttered  that  burns  and  stings. 
"  What  of  these  feeble  Jews,  these  clerics  and 
clerically  minded  laymen  ?  Will  they  revive 
the  stones  which  modern  thought  has  over- 
thrown or  pulverized  ?  Not  to  speak  of  the 
colossal  strength  of  organized  German  science, 
the  light  brush  of  the  fox  of  French  criticism 
shall  even  break  down  their  miserable  walls  of 
dogma  !"  Yet,  for  all  that,  God's  people  "  have 
a  mind  to  work."  The  Church  will  be  re- 
paired. One  day  God's  summer  light  shall 
strike  upon  the  topmost  row.  Christ,  the 
Divine  Healer,  will  own  the  work  of  restoration 
by  miracles  of  love  at  the  "sheep  gate"  and 
the  "  pool  of  Siloam."  The  wall  shall  stand, 
uncrumbled  by  the  assaults  of  unbelief,  un- 
scathed by  the  fires  of  criticism,  untouched 
by  the  tooth  of  time.  The  songs  that  were 
murmured  in  the  night  among  the  ruins  by 
voices  half  choked  with  sobs  shall  be  exchanged 
for  hymns,  wafted  upward  by  the  music  of 
silver  trumpets,  and  chanted  by  the  long  pro- 
cessions circling  round  the  walls. 

No  miracle  is  recorded  of  Nehemiah's  restora- 
tion ;  and  it  is  all  the  more  precious  for  us. 
Yet  how  marvellous  was  the  rapidity  with 
which  the  renewal  was  accomplished.  So  with 
that  other  and  greater  work  of  building  up 
God's  temple  of  restored  humanity  from  the 
ruins  of  the  fall,  wrought  out  between  Good 
Friday  and  Whitsuntide.  "  The  work  was  fin- 
ished in  fifty  and  two  days."  Give  us  a  year 
for  a  da}',  and  who  shall  say  what  God  may 
have  wrought  ? 

Yes  ;  Nehemiah's  journey  in  darkness  and 
sorrow  was  not  more  different  from  the  festal 
processions,  sweeping  on  with  light  and  song, 
when  the  visionary's  di'eam  among  the  moonlit 
ruins  .stood  palpably  in  majestic  stone,  than  the 
beginnings  of  our  work  here  and  now  from  the 
joy  that  waits  us — perhaps  even  here — certainl}' 
in  the  city  that  is  above.  'Tis  a  book  where  all 
spiritual  restorers  may  have  their  names  writ- 
ten. There  is  a  work  that  does  not  end  when 
the  worker's  weary  hands  are  folded  and  the 
thinker's  bus}'  brain  is  still.  The  manifesta- 
tion of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  each  to  profit 
others. 

Woman  has  her  honored  place  in  our  restora- 
tion. Is  it  not  written,  "  Shallum  repaired,  he 
and  his  daughters  ?"  Sister,  deaconess,  district 
visitor,  parish  helper — all  are  wanted.  Let  it 
not  be  said  of  our  men  of  intellectual  culture, 
"  Their  nobles  put  not  their  neck  to  the  work 
of  the  Lord."     Thoughtful  Christians,  laymen 


544 


BOOK  OF  yEIIEMIAK 


especially,  arc  calk'rt  upon  to  grapple  with 
social  ami  economical  iiuestions,  which  arc 
as  urgent  for  us  as  the  (jueslion  of  "  the  hun- 
dredth part"  (or  twelve  per  cent  interest)  was 
for  Nehemiah's  contemporaries — such  as  the 
Church's  duty  in  relation  to  strikes  and  labor, 
to  the  organization  of  charity,  to  the  temper- 
ance movement.  Educated  Christian  men  are 
specially  needed  to  repair  the  part  of  the  wall 
"  over  against  their  house."  Some  of  them  are 
required  to  adjust  tlie  boundary  lines  between 
science  and  faith  ;  to  show  us  that  law  is  not  a 
chain  coiled  round  the  living  God,  but  rather  a 
thread  which  He  holds.  Others  are  needed  to 
(iviiclien  interest  in  theological  thought  by  help- 
ing men  to  a  more  living  knowledge  of  the 
Bible.  Others  .should  devote  themselves  to  the 
centre  of  all  Christian  thought — the  theology 
of  the  incarnation — the  dogma  cnshrinctd  in  the 
transparent  depths  of  the  angel's  word,  "  The 
Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee  ;  therefore 
also  that  Holy  Thing  which  shall  be  born  of 
thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God." 

The  age  is  impatient  of  miracle  ;  it  is  patient 
of  fact.  To  minds  impatient  of  isolated 
miracles  such  a  theology  will  show  the  central, 
uniiuestionable  miracle,  Jesus  Himself — that 
is,  one  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  walking  In 
a  spotless  purity,  through  all  temptation  wear- 
ing a  conscience  without  a  scar  ;  trciuiing  the 
great  deep  of  human  life,  and  never  wetting  His 
feet  with  the  spray  ;  equally  at  home  with 
saints  in  the  glory  of  the  Mount,  and  with  men 
writhing  in  misery  at  its  base  ;  elect  to  wipe 
away  the  tears  of  humanity,  to  bear  it  un- 
dwarfed  and  undimmcd  to  the  heavenly  places 
— yet  to  whom  we  can  go  when  the  shame  burns 
in  the  cheek  and  the  sweat  stands  upon  the 
brow.  !Mcu  will  recognize  in  this  a  new 
humanity  formed  by  a  new  contact  with  the 
creative  power.  The  theolog}'  of  the  incarna- 
tion will  prove  itself  by  enabling  men  to  under- 
stand what  is  otherwise  a  tangled  mass  of  con- 
tradictions— the  life  and  character  of  Jesus.  To 
our  age,  which  appeals  to  fact,  such  a  theology 
will  go  on  to  unfold  the  fact  of  the  spiritual 
life,  of  which  faith  tells  us  that  its  light  is  the 
written  Word,  its  breath  prayer,  its  food  the 
[iiK'lTaldy  precious  promises].  Away  with  the 
cant  which  would  make  theology  destructive 
of  the  beauty  of  religion.  As  well  assert  that 
a  knowledge  of  botany  destroys  the  beauty  of  a 
flower.  Listen  not  to  those  who  speak  of  it  as 
if  it  were  like  the  bent  grass  fastened  to  its 
place,  describing  forever  the  same  monotonous 


segments  of  circles,  according  to  the  ■wind. 
The  words  of  the  God  Man  have  illimitable  ap- 
idications.  Talk  not  of  the  obscurity  of  Chris- 
tian dogma.  If  such  there  be,  it  is  not  the  vul- 
gar and  deceitf  id  obscurity  of  the  fog  ;  it  is  the 
glorious  obscurity  of  the  long,  deep  distances  of 
the  lustrous  sky. 

Others,  again,  are  wanted  to  teach  the  igno- 
rant ;  to  waft  some  notes  of  Gospel  pardon  and 
peace  beyond  their  present  limits  ;  to  tell  metal- 
lic natures,  as  hard  as  the  gold  which  their 
fingers  clutch,  that  "  it  shall  not  protit  a  man 
to  gain  the  whole  world  and  lo.se  his  own  soul." 
All  the  children  of  the  Cliurch  are  bound  to 
show  something  in  word  or  work  of  the  beauty 
of  Christ  ;  to  develop  in  themselves  and  others 
"  the  life  of  godliness,  intellectual,  devotional, 
practical,"  and  so  to  "  build  up  the  wall  of 
.Jerusalem." 

One  part  of  Jeremiah's  prophecy  has  been 
fultilled  in  Xehemiah's  restoration.  "  Behold 
the  tlaj'S  come  that  the  city  shall  be  built  from 
the  tower  of  Hauaneel  to  the  gate  of  the  cor- 
ner. ' '  The  other  sweeter  and  higher  music  shall 
not  be  lost  forever.  Not  only  shall  the  desola- 
tion and  stagnation  of  some  neglected  parish  ; 
the  sin  and  misery  of  some  squalid  alley,  where 
men  do  the  wtirks  of  Satan,  with  a  beast's  heart 
or  a  devil's,  pass  away.  The  very  type  of  lep- 
rosy ;  the  very  image  of  death  and  hell  ;  the 
very  spot  where  the  carcasses  rot,  defiling 
God's  earth  ;  the  very  emblem  of  the  obstinate 
clinging  sin,  that  even  the  altar  tires  cannot 
purge  away  ;  the  very  fields  whose  name  teaches 
that  they  are  outside,  Garcb  and  Goath  and  the 
rest  shall  bo  taken  into  the  broadening  circvtit 
of  the  holy  city.  The  joy  that  quivers  faintly 
in  the  pages  of  Nehemiixh  throbs  to  the  music 
of  the  Gospel.  Faint  chimes,  struck  before  the 
time,  and  dying  away  upon  the  breeze,  waken 
again  and  clash  out  upon  the  bells  of  the 
Apocalypse.  The  sealing  of  the  covenant  passes 
into  the  scaling  of  God's  servants  upon  the 
forehead.  The  joy  of  which  Nehemiah  speaks 
is  transformed  into  the  higher  joy,  when  all 
those  who  have  worked  for  "the  Jerusalem 
which  now  is"  shall  be  gathered  into  "  the 
Jerusalem  which  is  above  ;"  when  after  the 
decays  of  time  all  buiUlers  and  restorer — -from 
apostles  on — having  cried  on  earth.  "  Remember 
me,  O  God,  and  spare  me  according  to  tiie  great- 
ness of  Thy  mercy,"  shall  enter  into  the  joy  of 
their  Lord,  and  keep  the  Eternal  Fea.st  of 
Tabernacles  iu  "  Jerusalem  the  Golden. "  Bp. 
W.  Akwaiuki: 


SECTION  61. 


S45 


Section  61. 

REFORM   OF  USURY.     NEHEMIAH'S   GENEROSITY 
Nehemiah  5  :  1-19. 

5  : 1  Then  there  arose  a  great  cry  of  the  people  and  of  their  wives  against  their  brethren 

2  the  Jews.     For  there  were  that  said,  We,  our  sons  and  our  daiighters,  are  many  :  let  us  get 

3  corn,  that  we  ma}'  eat  and  live.     Some  also  there  were  that  said,  We  are  mortgaging  our 

4  fields,  and  our  vineyards,  and  our  houses  :  let  us  get  corn,  because  of  the  dearth.  Then; 
■were  also  that  said.  We  have  borrowed  money  for  the  king's  tribute  upon  our  fields  and  our 

5  vineyards.  Yet  now  our  flesh  is  as  the  flesh  of  our  brethren,  our  children  as  their  children  : 
and,  lo,  we  bring  into  bondage  our  sons  and  our  daughters  to  be  servants,  and  some  of  our 
daughters  are  brought  into  bondage  already :  neither  is  it  in  our  power  to  help  it ;  for  other 

6  men  have  our  fields  and  our  vinej'ards.     And  I  was  very  angry  when  I  heard  their  cry  and 

7  these  words.  Then  I  consulted  with  myself,  and  contended  with  the  nobles  and  the  rulers, 
and  said  unto  them.  Ye  e.xact  usury,  every  one  of  his  brother.     And  I  held  a  great  assembly 

8  against  them.  And  I  said  unto  them.  We  after  our  ability  have  redeemed  our  brethren  the 
Jews,  which  were  sold  unto  the  heathen  ;  and  would  ye  even  sell  j'our  brethren,  and  should 

9  they  be  sold  unto  usV  Then  held  they  their  peace,  and  found  never  a  word.  Also  I  said.  The 
thing  that  ye  do  is  not  good  :  ought  ye  not  to  walk  in  the  fear  of  our  God,  because  of  the 

10  reproach  of  the  heathen  our  enemies?    And  I  likewise,  my  brethren  and  my  servants,  do  lend 

11  them  money  and  corn  on  usury.  I  pray  you,  let  us  leave  off  this  usury.  Restore,  I  pray 
you,  to  them,  even  this  day,  their  fields,  their  vineyards,  their  oliveyards,  and  their  houses, 
also  the  hundredth  part  of  the  money,  and  of  the  corn,  the  wine,  and  the  oil,  that  ye  exact  of 

13  them.  Then  said  they.  We  will  restore  them,  and  will  require  nothing  of  them  ;  so  will  we 
do,  even  as  thou  sayest.     Then  I  called  the  priests,  and  took  an  oath  of  them,  that  they  should 

13  do  according  to  this  promise.  Also  1  shook  out  my  lap,  and  said.  So  God  shake  out  every 
man  fron\  his  house,  and  from  his  labour,  that  performeth  not  this  promise  ;  even  thus  be  he 
sliaken  out,  and  emptied.     And  all  the  congregation  said.  Amen,  and  praised  the  Lord.     And 

14  the  people  did  according  to  this  promise.  Moreover  from  the  time  that  I  was  appointed  to 
be  their  governor  in  the  land  of  Judah,  from  the  twentieth  year  even  unto  the  two  and 
thirtieth  year  of  Artaxer.xes  the  king,  t/iat  is,  twelve  years,  I  and  my  brethren  have  not  eaten 

15  the  bread  of  the  governor.  But  the  former  governors  that  were  before  me  were  chargeable 
unto  the  people,  and  took  of  them  bread  and  wine,  beside  forty  shekels  of  silver  ;  yea,  even 

16  their  servants  bare  rule  over  the  people  :  but  so  did  not  I,  because  of  the  fear  of  God.  Yea, 
also  I  continued  in  the  work  of  this  wall,  neither  bought  we  any  land  :  and  all  my  servants 

17  were  gathered  thither  unto  the  work.  Moreover  there  were  at  my  table  of  the  Jews  and  the 
rulers  an  hundred  au<l  fifty  men,  beside  those  that  came  unto  us  from  among  the  heathen  that 

18  were  round  about  us.  Now  that  which  was  prepared  for  one  day  was  one  o.x  and  si.v  choice 
sheep  ;  also  fowls  were  prepared  for  me,  and  once  in  ten  days  store  of  all  sorts  of  wine  :  j'et 
for  all  this  I  demanded  not  the  bread  of  the  governor,  because  the  bondage  was  heavy  upon 

19  this  people.     Remember  unto  me,  O  my  God,  for  good,  all  that  I  have  done  for  this  people. 


Chap.  5  :  1-1  ii.  A  chapter  on  the.  poor  and 
the  rich.  This  has  a  theme  peculiarly  its  own, 
unlike  that  of  any  other  in  the  Bible — the  tnti- 
tiial  relations  of  the  rich  and  poor,  in  a  season  of 
general  scarcit}'.  Here  in  Judea  were  dearth, 
suffering  for  bread  and  complaints  of  the  poor 
against  their  richer  l)rethren.  The  poor  came 
to  Nehemiah  ;  "  there  was  a  great  cry  of  the 
people  and  of  their  wives  against  their  Jewish 
brethren."  Some  with  large  famih'es  could  not 
fill  so  many   mouths  ;   some    had  mortgaged 


everything  for  bread  ;  some  had  borrowed  to 
pa)'  state  taxes  ;  some  had  been  obliged  to  sell 
sons  and  daughters  into  slavery,  and  had  no 
means  to  redeem  them  because  their  lands  too 
were  gone  for  debt.  And  thev  could  not  tell 
this  sad  tale  without  suggesting  that  their  chil 
dren  were  of  their  own  flesh  and  blood — as  dear 
to  them  as  sons  and  daughters  were  to  their 
richer  brethren  who  had  been  buying  and  sell- 
ing their  neighbors'  children.  Nehemiah  heard 
this  with  sorrow  and  indignation.     He  "  waa 


54G 


HOOK  OF  NEIIEyflAIT. 


very  angr.v  when  he  heard  tlieir  cry  in  these 
words. '  ■  He  thought  the  ciise  over  ;  he  rebuked 
those  rich  men  for  their  oppressive  usury  ;  he 
brought  face  to  face  before  them  the  many  who 
were  suffering  so  cruelly  under  their  op]>re8- 
sions.  He  thought  proper  to  speak  of  his  own 
case  :  We  have  done  all  we  could  to  redeem  our 
Jewish  liretliren  from  personal  slavery  to  for- 
eign slave-holders  ;  but  ye  arc  enslaving  your 
own  brethren.  They  could  say  nothing  in  re- 
ply. He  said:  Ye  bring  on  us  the  reproach  of 
our  enemies  ;  this  is  a  disgrace  to  our  religion 
and  to  the  God  we  worship.  I  pray  you,  re- 
store to  your  bretliren  those  lands,  those  en- 
slaved children,  and  that  exorbitant  interest — 
"the  hundredth  part" — one  per  cent  (payable 
monthly,  we  must  presume — equal  to  twelve 
per  cent  per  annum),  which  ye  have  charged, 
not  for  money  loaned  merely,  but  for  corn — the 
necessaries  of  life.  We  may  rejoice  to  see  that 
they  responded  promptly — "  We  will  restore, 
and  will  require  nothing  of  tliem  ;  so  will  we  do 
as  thou  sayest. "  But  lest  second  tliought  should 
bring  on  the  grip  of  covetousncss  again,  Nehc- 
miah  called  in  the  priests  to  administer  the  sa- 
cred oath  that  they  should  fulfil  this  promise. 
Also  to  add  the  force  of  his  own  noble  lieart, 
he  shook  his  lap  and  said,  "  So  God  shake  out 
ever}'  man  from  bis  house  and  from  his  labor" 
(all  the  fruits  of  it)  "  who  performs  not  this 
promise."  There  was  some  public  feeling 
there,  for  all  the  congregation  cried,  "  Amen  ; 
and  praised  the  Lord."     H.  C 

The  chief  causes  of  poverty  were  three  :  (1) 
Overpopulation  (verse  2)  ;  (2)  a  recent  famine 
(verse  3) :  and  (3)  the  weight  of  ta.xation,  aris- 
ing from  tln'  large  amount  annually  demanded 
from  the  province  by  the  Persians  in  the  way 
of  tribute  (ver.se  4).  The  entire  result  was  that 
the  poorer  chi-sscs  were  compelled,  first  of  all, 
to  mortgage  their  houses  and  such  lands  as  they 
possessed  (verse  3),  and  secondly  to  pledge  the 
persons  of  their  sons  and  daughters  (verse  5),  in 
onier  to  raise  money,  witli  the  near  prospect  of 
having  to  allow  them  to  become  slaves  if  they 
were  imable  to  repay  their  creditor  at  the  time 
appointed.  Under  these  circumstances  they 
apjiealed  to  the  new  governor  for  relief.  The 
appeal  placed  him  in  a  position  of  great  diili- 
cidty.  He  was  not  rich  enough  to  take  upon 
himself  the  whole  burden  ;  and  though  he 
Idmself  and  his  brothers  and  personal  attend- 
ants did  lend  freely,  out  of  their  private  store, 
money  and  grain  (verse  10),  yet  this  was  far 
from  being  enough.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was 
imiiossible  for  him,  under  the  Persian  system 
of  government,  to  carry  matters  with  a  high 


hand  and  order  a  general  cancelling  of  debts. 
He  could  oidy  have  recourse  to  persuasion,  ar- 
gument and  personal  influence.  He  therefore, 
first  of  all,  spoke  to  the  "  nobles,"  who  were 
the  money  lenders,  rebuked  them,  and  endeav- 
ored to  inihice  them  to  desist  from  their  mal- 
practices (verse  7)  ;  but  failing  to  produce  in 
this  way  any  considerable  effect,  he  brought 
the  matter  before  an  assembly  of  the  ])eop!e. 
There  he  first  shamed  the  noldes  by  alleging  his 
own  contrary  example,  and  then  called  on 
them,  "  for  the  fear  of  God  and  because  of  the 
reproach  of  the  heathen,"  to  restore  the  forfeit- 
ed lands  and  houses  to  their  former  owners, 
repay  all  that  they  had  received  in  the  way  of 
interest  on  the  money  lent,  and  give  up  the  en- 
tire practice  of  lending  money  upon  pledge  or 
mortgage  (verses  7-11).  Moved  by  this  public 
appeal,  the  nobles  intimated  their  consent, 
whereupon  he  made  them  clinch  tlieir  promise 
by  an  oath  (verse  12),  ailding  on  his  own  jjart  a 
malediction  if  the  oath  were  not  observed, 
which  was  hailed  with  acclaim  by  the  people. 
Thus  the  whole  matter  was  brought  to  a  happy 
conclusion — the  ])romise  made  was  kept — "  the 
people" — i.e.,  the  whole  nation,  nobles  includ- 
ed, "  did  according  to  this  word"  (verse  13). 
P.  C. 

"  The  people,"  we  are  told,  "  did  according  to 
this  promise."  The  poor,  who  had  been  de- 
prived of  them,  re-entered  on  their  lands,  their 
vine)'ards,  their  olive-yards  and  their  houses. 
Whatever  interest  they  had  paid  on  the  money 
which  they  liad  borrowed  was  repaid  them  ;  if 
any  interest  was  owed  doubtless  it  was  remit- 
ted. We  are  not  told  expressly  wlu'ther  any- 
thing was  done  to  relieve  those  who  had  pledged 
their  persons,  or  the  persons  of  their  sons  or 
daughters.  But  it  is  impossible  to  supjiose 
that  they  did  not  share  in  the  general  rendssion 
of  obligations.  If  the  observance  of  the  sab- 
batical 3'ear  was  not  yet  restored,  it  was  on  the 
point  of  restoration  (Xeh.  10:31).  Probably  all 
who  had  served  their  masters  si.x  years  as  slaves 
were  now  allowed  to  go  free,  in  accordance  with 
Ex.  21  :  2.  The  remainder  were  given  to  un- 
derstand that  they  would  not  have  to  serve  be- 
yond the  sexennial  period.     G.  R. 

In  an  argument  to  show  that  the  Agrarian  law 
of  Exo<lus,  Leviticus,  and  Deuteronomy  could 
not  have  been  an  afterthought  of  these  latest 
times,  Milnuin  says  :  "  We  cannot  understand 
the  promulgation  of  this  law  of  landed  proper- 
ty, with  all  these  singular  provisions,  after  the 
totjil  dislocation  and  disorganization  of  that 
property  during  the  kingdom  and  the  Exile 
and  after  the  return  from  the  Exile."     B. 


SECTION  61.     REFORM  OF  USURY. 


547 


7.  The  question  was  not  irhat  is  allowable 
between  man  and  man  in  transactions,  but  what 
was  right,  at  a  period  of  national  distress,  be- 
tween members  of  the  commonwealth  of  Israel. 
To  exact  usury  of  a  brother  or  countryman 
was  contrary  to  the  express  law  of  Moses  ;  and 
it  was  quite  at  variance  with  the  constitution 
wliich  God  had  gi%'en  to  Israel,  that  the  landed 
possessions  of  families  should  be  wrested  from 
them  in  their  temporary  ilepression,  and  that 
the  soil  of  Palestine  should  be  concentrated 
in  the  hands  of  a  few  hard-hearted  usurers. 
I).  F. 

9.  AI§o  I  iaid.  To  silence  the  nobles  was 
not  enough.  To  shame  them  was  not  enough. 
What  was  wanted  was  to  persuade  them.  Ne- 
hemiah  therefore  continued  his  address.  It  is 
not  good  thiit  ye  do.  It  is  not  good  in  itself, 
apart  from  any  contrast  with  what  I  have  been 
doing.  Oni/ht  ye  not  to  walk — or,  literally, 
"  will  ye  not  walk" — in.  tlic  fcdr  of  our  God.' 
Will  ye  not  really  "  fear  God  and  keep  His 
cnnimandments,"  not  iu  the  letter  only,  but  in 
the  spirit?  Will  ye  not  cease  to  oppress  your 
l)rethren?  Will  ye  not  deal  kindly  and  gently 
with  them?  Because  of  the  reproach  of  the  hen- 
tlieii  our  enemies.  If  the  mere  fear  of  God,  the 
desire  to  escape  His  displeasure  and  win  His 
approval,  is  not  enough,  will  not  the  thought 
of  the  light  in  which  you  will  appear  to  the 
heathen  influence  you?  You  make  a  profes- 
sion of  religion  ;  you  claim  to  be  actuated  by 
high  motives  ;  to  be  merciful,  com[iassionate 
and  self-denying.  If  they  see  you  as  keen  after 
gain  as  any  of  themselves,  as  regardless  of  oth- 
ers, as  pitiless  and  oppressive,  what  a  reproach 
will  not  this  bring  on  your  religion!  What  a 
proof  will  it  not  seem  to  be  that  you  are  no 
better  than  your  neighbors,  and  your  religion, 
therefore,  no  whit  superior  to  theirs  !     P.  C. 

Who  can  resist  this  sweet  and  sovereign 

reprehension?  Did  we  dwell  alone  in  the  midst 
of  the  earth,  yet  the  fear  of  our  God  should 
overawe  our  waj's  ;  but  now  that  we  dwell  in 
the  midst  of  our  enemies,  whose  eyes  are  bent 
upon  all  our  actions,  whose  tongues  are  as 
ready  to  blaspheme  God  as  we  to  offend  Him, 
how  carefully  should  we  avoid  those  sins  which 
may  draw  shame  upon  our  profession  !  Thus 
shall  religion  suffer  more  from  the  heathen  than 
our  bretlircn  do  from  us.     Bp.  II. 

12.  Tlieii  they  said,  Wc  will  restore 
tliem.  Nehemiah  prevailed,  and  brought 
about  a  "  day  of  sacrifices."  The  nobles,  one 
and  all,  agreed  not  only  to  give  back  the  inter- 
est that  they  had  illegally  received  on  the  corn 
and  money  borrowed  of  tuem,  but  to  restore  the 


forfeited  lands  and  houses,  which  must  have 
been  of  far  greater  value,  and  to  which  tliey 
were  by  law  fully  entitled.  "  We  will  restore 
them,"  they  said,  "  and  will  (in  future)  require 
nothing  of  tliem,  neither  interest  nor  security, 
but  irill  do  as  thou  sayest."  The  promise  was 
sweeping  in  its  terms,  and  probably  not  insin- 
cere ;  but  Nehemiah  mistrusted  all  sudden  im- 
pulses. He  would  have  something  more  than 
a  promise.  I'heii  called  I  the  priests,  and  took 
an  oath  nf  them  (the  nobles),  that  they  should  do 
according  to  this  promise — i.e.,  he  swore  the  no- 
bles, in  the  sacred  presence  of  the  priests,  to 
the  performance  of  the  promise  which  they  had 
made. 

1 3.  Also  I  shook  my  lap.  Even  the  tak- 
ing of  the  oath  did  not  seem  sufficient  to  the  pru- 
dent governor.  He  would  strengthen  the  oath 
by  a  malediction,  and  a  malediction  accompanied 
by  a  symbolical  act,  to  render  it  the  more  im- 
pressive. Among  the  nations  of  antiquitj'  few 
things  were  so  mucii  dreaded  as  falling  under  a 
curse.  The  maledictions  of  De.  38  :  16-44  were 
the  supreme  sanction  which  Moses  devised  for 
the  Law,  whereof  he  was  the  promulgator. 
Curses  protected  the  tombs  and  inscriptions  of 
the  Assyrian  and  Persian  kings,  the  contracts 
of  the  Babylonians,  and  the  treaties  of  most 
nations.  Nehemiah's  curse  is  an  unusual  one, 
but  very  clear  and  intelligible.  He  prays  that 
whosoever  departs  from  his  promise  given  may 
be  cast  forth  a  homeless  wanderer,  emptied  of 
all  his  possessions,  as  empty  as  the  fold  in  his 
own  dress,  which  he  first  gathers  into  a  sort  of 
bag  or  pocket,  and  then  throws  from  him  and 
so  empties  out.  To  this  the  assembly  respond- 
ed by  a  hearty  ' '  Amen,"  and  then  praised  the 
Lord  for  the  happy  ending  of  the  whole  affair  ; 
iu  which  the}-  piously  traced  the  directing  and 
overruling  hand  of  God.     P.  C. 

A  great  practical  reformation  was  here  car- 
ried out  by  a  religious  ruler  on  the  highest  re- 
ligious principles,  and  hy  the  strength  of  relig- 
ious character.  No  more  difficult  task  than  to 
deal  successfully  with  such  circumstances  in 
which  men's  selfish  interests  were  involved, 
and  the  moneyed  classes  would  be  against  re- 
form. Selfishness  is  not  confined  to  any  class. 
Tho.se,  however,  who  from  their  circumstances 
have  acquired  most  of  intelligence  and  culture, 
and  have  most  power  individually,  may  be  ex- 
pected to  show  a  tender  consideration  for  the 
feelings  of  the  poor  ;  the}'  will  be  concerned 
for  their  elevation,  improvement  and  salvation  ; 
they  will  not  use  their  advantages  selfishly  or 
hardly  (even  though  legally)  ;  they  will  not 
feel  quite  content  to  swell  their  own  fortunes 


648 


BOOK  OF  y^EHEMTAH. 


by  giving  helpless  people  starvation  wages,  or 
lending  money  at  rates  ruinous  to  tlie  borrower, 
merely  because  the  law  of  "  supply  and  de- 
mand'" j  ustilies  them  ;  tlieir  power  will  be  used 
to  rebuke,  restrain  and  remedy  oppression  ;  to 
protect  and  aiil  the  weak  ;  to  soften  the  in- 
equalities of  life  by  kindness  and  thoughtful 
charily  ;  and,  generall.v,  to  bless  others  rather 
than  aggrandize  themselves.  In  thus  acting 
they  will  obey  the  dictates  of  jirudence  as  well 
as  tho.se  of  Christianity,  and  will  aid  in  uniting 
society  by  bonds  which  the  strain  of  the  most 
calamitous  times  will  not  burst  asunder. 

14-19.  Nehemiah  not  unnaturally  goes  on 
to  inform  us  of  the  methods  by  which  in  his 
general  government  he  endeavored  to  alleviate 
the  distress,  or  at  any  rate  to  avoid  adding  to 
the  burdens  which  pressed  upon  the  poorer 
classes.  From  the  time  that  he  entered  upon 
his  oltiee.  in  the  twentieth  year  of  Artaxer.\es, 
B.C.  444,  to  the  time  of  his  writing  this  portion 
of  his  Book,  in  the  thirty-.seeond  year  of  the 
same  king,  B.C.  432,  he  had  lived  entirely  at  his 
own  expense,  requiring  no  contributions  from 
the  people,  either  in  provisions  or  money,  for 
the  support  of  himself  or  his  court  (verse  14). 
This  was  quite  contrary  to  the  previous  prac- 
tice of  .lewish  governors  (verse  15),  and  indeed 
of  Clriental  governors  generally,  whether  under 
the  Persian  system  or  any  other,  such  persons 
almost  universally  taxing  their  provinces,  some- 
times very  heavily,  for  their  current  expenses, 
and  often  accumulating  princely  fortunes  by 
their  exactions.  Nehemiah  had  also  maintained 
a  noble  hospitality,  of  which  he  may  be  ex- 
cused for  being  a  little  proud-,  during  these 
twelve  years  of  his  governorship,  entertaining 
daily  at  his  table  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the 
chief  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  besides  many 
foreign  .lews  who  from  time  to  time  came  on 
vLsits  to  the  .ludean  capital  (verses  17,  18).  He 
takes  credit,  further,  for  giving  the  services  of 
his  ])rivate  attendants  to  the  work  of  the  wall 
during  the  whole  time  that  it  was  in  building 
(verse  16),  and  for  having  abstained  from  the 
purchase  of  any  land,  when,  through  the  gen- 
eral poverty,  it  might  have  been  bought  at  a 
low  price  from  those  who  were  anxious  to  part 
with  il .  He  felt  that  he  had  done  much  for  his 
people.  He  looked,  however,  for  his  reward 
not  to  them,  not  to  man,  but  to  God  ;  and  de- 
sired that  his  reward  should  be  not  present 
gratitude  and  thanks,  but  God's  approval  and 
remembrance  only  (verse  19).  "  Think  upon 
me,  my  God,  for  good,  according  to  all  that  I 
have  dcme  for  this  people."     P.  C. 

He   shows   us   what   wealth    can    do    when 


wealth  is  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God. 
His  life  rebukes  the  men  who  shut  them- 
selves up  in  their  own  selfish  money-getting  or 
money-hoarding,  and  never  minifest  any  pub- 
lic spirit  on  behalf  either  of  their  country  or 
the  Church  of  God.  He  .shows  us,  too.  what 
may  be  done  in  a  community  by  even  one  man 
of  practical  sagacity  and  energetic  zeal — how 
such  a  man  can  stir  up  others  by  his  example 
and  his  influence,  and  can  carry  out  his  plans 
for  the  common  good,  in  spite  of  enemies  with- 
out and  croakers  within.  Let  us  then  take  a 
practical  lesson  from  this  patriot  and  reformer 
of  the  olden  time.  Let  us  not  shut  ourselves 
up  in  our  own  individual  and  domestic  inter- 
ests. Let  us  extend  our  sympathies  and  efforts 
and  sec  what  we  can  do  according  to  the  spe- 
cial needs  of  our  own  time  to  serve  Grxl  and 
man  in  our  day  and  generation.      T.  Finliii/son. 

13.  So  ditl  iKtt  I,  bcfuusc  of  tlie 
fear  <»f  Go€l.  How,  in  this  example,  is 
afresh  delineated  the  essence  and  the  value  of 
that  upright  fear  of  God,  which  ha.s  the  prom- 
ise of  the  life  that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is 
to  come  !  In  Xehemiah  the  fear  of  God  has 
become,  in  the  fullest  .sen.=e  of  tlie  term,  a  life- 
principle,  which  not  merely  incites  to  all  that 
is  good  and  noble,  but  also  restrains  from  much, 
which  every  one  else  would  certainly  have  per- 
mitted himself.  How  all-pi»rcrful  is  a  jirinci- 
ple  which  can  place  itself  as  a  wall  between  the 
man  and  every  forbidden  tree,  and  make  him 
draw  back,  for  God's  sake,  when  everything 
calls  to  him,  "  Hold  fast  I"  The  fear  of  God 
makes  Nehemiah  not  merely  look  to  liimself, 
but  in  the  midst  of  resistance  and  misjudg- 
ment  watch  and  care  for  others  with  a  fidelity 
which  has  never  been  surpassed.  Only  read 
how  much  good  this  one  man  accomplished  for 
thou.sands  around  him  ;  see  him  incite  the  lan- 
guid, part  disputants,  disperse  foes,  only  and 
at  all  times  for  God's  sake  ;  and  say  if  the 
world  would  be  a  loser  if  the  life-principle  of 
Nehemiah  were  more  generally  adopted.  How 
much  better  would  bo  our  age,  our  land,  our 
society,  if  men  of  such  principles,  characters 
like  these,  were  more  to  be  met  with  in  every 
circle  1  Many  good  deeds  are  done,  but  how 
much  from  self-interest  ;  many  evil  things  are 
refrained  from,  but  how  much  from  fear  of 
man,  or  from  want  of  opportiuiity  !  How  few 
have  the  courage,  like  Xehemiah,  to  call  sin. 
sin  ;  and  to  bo  afraid  of  nothing  but  the  dis- 
pleiusuro  of  God  I     Van  0. 

The  loftiest  motive  may  regulate  the  smallest 
duties.  Religious  principle,  as  we  call  it  in  our 
abstract  way,  or   '  the  fear  of  God,"  as  Nehe- 


SECTION  61.     NEHEMIAH'S  FEAR  OF  OOD. 


549 


miah  called  it,  may  interpfnctrate,  will  inter- 
peuc'trate  aud  run  through  all  life,  and  find  a 
fleUi  for  its  noblest  exercise  in  the  midst  of  com- 
monplace and  secularduties  !  Wheresoever  that 
principle  is  strong  and  vigorous,  a  man  will 
have  to  make  up  his  mind  to  sturdy  non-com- 
pliance, to  dare  to  be  singular,  to  be  unlike  the 
maxims  and  examples  of  the  people  round 
about  him,  an(i  every  good  man  will  have  to 
make  up  his  mind  to  give  up  a  great  many 
sources  of  gain  and  profit  and  pleasure  and 
advantage  for  no  more  tangible  reason  than 
because  a  more  sensitive  conscience  makes  that 
which  other  men  can  do  without  winking,  if  I 
may  so  say,  a  crime  intolerable  to  him. 

Tou  cannot  resist  ths  evil  around  you  unless 
you  give  yoursehes  to  God.  "  So  did  not  I,  be- 
cause of  the  fear  of  Ood."  The  fear  of  God  in 
the  Old  Testament  corresponds  precisely  to  the 
more  fully  developed  faith  and  love  to  Christ, 
who  is  the  express  image  of  the  Divine  person 
and  the  communicator  to  us  of  the  Divine 
strength,  upon  whom  we  have  to  cast  our- 
selves I  God  in  Christ,  trusted  in,  loved,  rever- 
enced, obeyed,  imitated — God  in  Christ  alone 
strengthens  a  man  for  this  resistance  and  non- 
compliance !  No  man  can  stand  in  the  slip- 
pery places  where  we  have  to  go,  unless  he 
have  the  grasp  of  a  higher  and  stronger  hand 
to  keep  him  up.  No  man  will  ever  for  a  life- 
time resist  and  repel  the  domination  of  evil  un- 
less he  is  girded  about  with  the  purity  of  Jesus 
Christ,  as  an  atmosphere  in  which  all  poisonous 
things  fade  and  die,  and  through  which  no 
temptation  can  force  its  way.  The  only  means 
for  this  steadfast  resistance  is  a  steadfast  faitli 
in  Jesus  as  our  Saviour.  He  has  assured  us 
that  lie  will  give  us  the  victory.  "  Yea,  he 
shall  be  holdeu  up,  for  God  is  able  to  make 
him  stand."  In  the  strength  of  this  promise  I 
have  the  right  to  come  to  the  feeblest  here  and 
say,  "  However  you  may  be  encompassed  by 
evil,  however  you  may  be  drawn  aside  by  evil 
example  and  harming  associations,  howeverdif- 
ficult  to  may  be  for  jou  to  keep  your  footing 
in  the  midst  of  the  rush  and  swirl  of  that  great 
tide  of  sin,  here  is  a  hand  that  you  may  grasp, 
and  His  grasp  will  make  you  strong." 

A'vt/iinf/  trill  go  rig/it  unless  you  diire  to  he  sin- 
gular. "So  did  not  I."  The  chief  field  for 
the  exercise  of  this  resolute  non-compliance 
with  common  iiractice  is  in  the  region  of  moral 
action  in  the  daily  conduct  of  your  lives. 
1.  He  who  yields  is  wrecked  and  ruined.  The 
absolute  necessity  for  this  sturdy  resistance  is 
jilain  from  tlie  very  make  of  our  own  natures. 
It  is  enforced  if  we  think  of  the  order  of  things 


in  which  we  dwell.  It  is  chiefly  enforced  by 
the  fact  that  every  one  of  us  is  thrown  more  or 
less  closely  into  contact  with  people  who  them- 
selves are  living  as  they  should  not.  and  who 
would  fain  drag  us  after  them.  2.  Remember 
that  not  only  does  easy  yielding  to  such  entice- 
ments bring  all  sorts  of  moral  confusion  and 
failure  into  a  man's  life,  but  that  such  compli- 
ance is  in  it,self  weak  and  unworthy.  Surely 
there  is  nothing  that  walks  the  earth  more  con- 
temptible, as  well  as  more  certainly  evil,  than  a 
man  that  lets  himself  be  made  by  wliutever 
force  may  happen  to  be  strongest  near  him, 
and  fastening  up  his  helm  and  unshipping  his 
oars,  is  content  to  be  blown  about  b}'  every 
vagrant  wind  and  rolled  in  the  trough  of  each 
curling  wave.  3.  Another  very  solemn  con- 
sideration may  be  suggested,  enforcing  the 
need  of  this  vigorous  non-compliance  with  the 
temptations  around  us,  from  the  remembrance 
of  what  a  poor  excuse  for  wrong-doing  they 
will  be  found  to  be  at  last. 

For  us  all,  in  every  period  of  life,  the  neces- 
sity is  the  same.  We  must  learn  to  say  "  No." 
We  must  dare,  if  need  be,  to  be  singular.  Like 
the  young  Joseph,  when  .vou  are  tempted  astray 
by  seducing  voices,  let  your  answer  be,  "  How 
can  I  do  this  great  wickedness  and  sin  against 
God  '!"  Like  the  J'oung  Daniel,  when  forbid- 
den pleasures  and  questionable  delights  are 
urged  upon  your  appetites,  be  "  purposed  in" 
your  "  heart  that"  you  "  will  not  defile"  your- 
self with  them,  and  choose  pulse  and  water 
with  the  relish  of  a  good  conscience  rather  than 
such  dainties.  Like  the  same  Daniel,  when  the 
crowd  are  flocking  at  the  sound  of  the  sackbut 
and  psaltery  to  worship  some  golden  image, 
keep  your  knees  \inbent  amid  the  madness, 
learn  to  stand  erect  though  you  alone  are  up- 
right in  the  midst  of  a  grovelling  multitude, 
and  protest,  "  We  will  not  serve  th_v  gods,  nor 
worship  the  golden  image  which  thou  hast  set 
up."  Like  Nehemiah,  dare  to  lose  money 
rather  than  adopt  sources  of  profit  which  oth- 
ers may  use  without  a  thought,  but  which 
your  conscience  shrinks  from  ;  and  to  all  the 
various  enticements  of  pleasure  and  gain  and 
ease  and  popular  loose  maxims  for  the  con- 
duct, oppose  immovable  resistance  foimded  on 
a  higher  law  and  a  mightier  motive — "  So  did 
not  I,  because  of  the  fear  of  God."     A.  M. 

19.  Lastly,  he  concludes  with  a  prayer.  Think 
upon  me,  my  God,  for  good.  Nehemiah  here 
mentions  what  he  had  done  for  this  people,  not  in 
pride,  as  boasting  of  himself,  nor  in  passion,  as 
upbraiding  them,  not  does  it  appear  that  he 
had  occasion  to  do  it  in  his  own  vindication,  as 


550 


BOOK  OF  NEnEMIAn. 


Paul  had  to  ri-IaU'  his  like  self-denying  tender- 
ness toward  the  Corinthians,  but  to  shame  the 
rulers  out  of  their  oppressions  ;  let  them  learn 
of  him  to  be  neither  greedy  in  their  demands 
n.)r  paltry  in  their  expenses,  and  then  they 
would  have  the  credit  and  comfort  of  it,  as  he 
had.  He  mentions  it  to  God  in  [)rayer,  not  as 
if  he  thought  he  ha<l  hereby  merited  .any  favor 
from  Gild  as  a  delit,  but  to  show  that  he  looked 
not  for  any  recompense  of  his  generosity  from 
men,  but  depended  upon  God  only  to  make  up 
to  him  what  he  had  lost  and  laid  out  for  His 
lionor  ;  and  he  reckoned  the  favor  of  God  re- 
wai-d  enough.  "  If  God  do  but  think  upon  me 
for  good,  I  have  enough."  His  thoughts  to 
usward  are  our  happiness  (Ps.  40  :  5).  He  re- 
fers himself  to  God,  to  recompense  him  in  such 
a  manner  as  Ue  pleased.  "  If  men  forget 
me,  let  my  God  think  on  me,  and  I  desire  no 
more."     H. 


Study  this  character  thoroughly  as  we  may, 
the  more  it  is  studied  IMk  fact  will  stand  forth 
in  the  hulih'r  relief,  tluit  itn  (irtiidtinij  rnliiig  force 
in  II  priiH-ipli'd  fi'(ir  of  (roll.  Because  of  this 
principled  fear  of  God,  he  was  a  man  of  fait/i. 
Recognizing  God  as  the  God  of  heaven,  as  rul- 
ing in  and  concerned  with  the  affairs  of  men,  as 
th(^  great  and  just  God,  yet  the  God  that  keep- 
eth  covenant  and  mercy  for  them  that  love  Him 
and  observe  His  Commandments,  he  trusted 
alone  in  Him.  He  believed  that  God  was  able 
to  move  the  hearts  of  king  and  of  people — able 
to  thwart  the  designs  and  efforts  of  coml)ined 
enemies,  however  subtle,  numerous  or  power- 
ful— able  to  succeed  any  right  jiurpo.se  of  what- 
ever magnitude,  though  conceived  apd  under- 
taken by  a  single  feeble  man.  And  his  faitli 
xvas  proven  by  his  deeds,  proven  as  well  as  re- 
warded by  his  success  in  a  work  so  vast. 

Because  of  this  principled  fear  of  God,  he 
was  a  vuin  of  jyrayer.  Recognizing  God  as 
over  and  in  all  events,  believing  that  God  could 
and  would  coun.sel  and  direct  in  every  plan 
wisely  conceived  and  singly,  faithfully  engaged 
in,  that  God  could  and  would  ensure  the  execu- 
tion of  such  plan  in  its  Itaxf  details,  with  the 
simplest,  most  childlike  utterance,  at  every 
step,  in  every  juncture  in  which  he  was  i>laced, 
we  see  him  ])raying  to  the  God  he  feared  and 
trusted.  Nowhere,  in  the  Bible  history,  do  we 
see  the  God-fearing  spirit  illustrated  by  greater 
simplicity  and  minuteness  in  supplication.  Be- 
fore he  sought  the  king — in  the  king's  pres- 
enc<^ — when  he  left  that  presence,  on  his  jour- 
ney and  arrival  at  .lerusalem,  and  daily  onward 


in  doing  his  good  work,  repeated  expressions 
assure  us  that  he  lived  and  acted  in  the  closest 
communion  with  God,  pouring  out  his  very 
heart  in  constant  prayer. 

Because  of  this  principled  fear  of  God.  he 
was  a  iiiiin  if  nrtioii.  The  spirit  that  believed 
and  prayed  did  not  passively  wait  to  see  done 
by  ndrade  what  he  knew  God  could  do  by 
liiiii.  Never  was  the  imjielliiig  force  of  faith, 
never  wjis  the  inspiring  energy  of  heart-nioved 
living  prayer  more  effectively  illustrated  than 
in  the  intense,  unwearied  activity  of  this  man 
in  singly  achieving  that  which  devotion  and 
patriotism  had  prompted  him  to  undertake.  A 
people  long  demoralized  by  anarchy  among 
themselves  and  the  tyraimy  of  their  neighbor 
heathen  nations  had  to  be  reorganized  and  re- 
inspirited.  Tlx'ir  long  dormant  patriotism  and 
piety  hail  to  be  awakenid.  Courage  and  en- 
ergy had  to  be  infused  into  their  depressed  and 
slothful  sjjirits.  And  these  qualities  had  to  be 
kept  alive  for  weeks  under  the  most  adveree 
circumstances  of  temptation  and  trial,  through 
days  of  .severest  toil  and  nights  of  sleepless 
vigilance,  amid  the  taunts,  the  wiles  and  the 
threats  of  foes  gathered  on  every  side.  Yet  the 
energy  of  this  man  of  faith  and  prayer  was 
equal  to  this  work  ;  it  slacked  not  till  the  work 
was  done,  till  the  city  was  rebuilt,  the  gov- 
ernment restored,  and  the  peoiile  delivered 
from  suffering  and  oppression  from  within  and 
without. 

A  yet  further  effect  of  his  principled  fear  of 
God  was  his  patriotum.  his  jii»t  lore  of  his  mm 
people  find  liinil.  There  is  a  love  of  country 
based  upon  the  mere  fact  of  birth  and  the  feel- 
ing of  personal  partnership  in  nationid  bless- 
ings and  nation:il  glory — a  love  created  in  part 
I  by  self-interest,  fostered  and  perpetuated  by 
the  memory  of  a  people's  past  ileeds  and  asso- 
ciations and  the  promise  or  possibility  of  their 
future  achievements.  This  love,  which  be- 
longs mainly  to  elevated  minds,  which,  as  all 
history  shows,  outlives  a  nation's  prosperity. 
this  lore  is  worthy  of,  it  has  always  won,  high 
admiration  of  men.  But  when  there  enters 
into  this  the  idea  that  imtioiis  as  individuals 
exist  by  God's  appointment,  for  His  glory  in 
man's  welfare,  when  in  a  particular  nation's 
history  there  are  visible  tokens  of  God's  espe- 
cial favor,  indications  that  He  has  designed 
such  nation  to  be  His  agent  for  pecidiar  bless- 
ing to  men,  then  the  soul  that  recognizes,  fears 
and  trusts  God  finds  in  these  tokens  and  indi- 
cations a  yet  broader,  firmer  fovindation  for 
love  of  country — the  quality  of  his  love  is 
higher  and  more  just.     The  narrative  of  Nehe- 


SECTION  62. 


551 


miah  shows  that  such  was  his  love,  that  it  had 
such  a  broad,  firm  biusis.  He  loved  his  people 
and  land  because  they  were  his,  because  of 
the  distinguished  and  useful  history  they  had 
wrought.  But  he  loved  chiefly  because  he  rec- 
ognized God  as  having  shaped  this  history,  as 
having  established  the  nation  and  ordered  its 
career  for  good  to  itself  and  other  nations,  and 
ill,  ooer  all,  for  His   own  glory   upon  earth. 


Therefore,  because  he  believed  that  God  had  a 
work  still  to  be  accomplished  by  his  people, 
because  he  believed  that  God  had  not  turned 
away  His  favor  utterly  from  them,  because  he 
believed  that  there  irerc  in  God's  heart  thoughts 
of  mercy  toward  his  scattered,  broken  people, 
therefore  his  strong  love  incited  and  constrained 
him  to  pray  and  labor  for  their  peace  and  pros- 
perity.    B. 


Section  62. 

OPPOSITION    BY    CRAFT    AND    INTIMIDATION.     WALL    COMPLETED.     HANANI 
PUT  IN  CHARGE.     SECOND   REGISTER   OP   RETURNED   JEWS. 

Nehemiah  6  :  1-19  ;  7  :  1-73. 


6  :  1  Now  it  came  to  pass,  when  it  was  reported  to  Sanballat  and  Tobiah,  and  to  Geshem 
the  Arabian,  and  unto  the  rest  of  our  enemies,  that  I  had  builded  the  wall,  and  that  there  was 

2  no  breach  left  therein  ;  (though  even  unto  that  time  I  had  not  set  up  the  doors  in  the  gates  ;)  that 
Sanballat  and  Geshem  sent  unto  me,  saying.  Come,  let  us  meet  together  in  one  of  the  villages 

3  in  the  plain  of  Ono.  But  they  thought  to  do  me  mischief.  And  I  sent  messengers  unto  them, 
saying,  I  am  doing  a  great  work,  so  that  I  cannot  come  down  :  why  should  the  work  cease, 

4  whilst  I  leave  it,  and  come  down  to  you?     And  they  sent  unto  me  four  times  after  this  sort  ; 

5  and  I  answered  them  after  the  same  manner.     Then  sent  Sanballat  his  servant  unto  me  in  like 

6  manner  the  fifth  time  with  an  open  letter  in  his  hand  ;  wherein  was  written.  It  is  reported 
among  the  nations,  and  Gashmu  saith  it,  that  thou  and  the  Jews  think  to  rebel  ;  for  which 

7  cause  thou  buildest  the  wall :  and  thou  wouldest  be  their  king,  according  to  these  words.  And 
thou  hast  also  appointed  prophets  to  preach  of  thee  at  Jerusalem,  saying.  There  is  a  king  in 
Judah  :  and  now  shall  it  be  reported  to  the  king  accorjling  to  these  words.     Come  now  there- 

8  fore,  and  let  us  take  counsel  together.     Then  I  sent  unto  him,  saying.  There  are  no  such 

9  things  done  as  thou  sayest,  but  thou  feignest  them  out  of  thine  own  heart.  For  they  all 
would  have  made  us  afraid,  saying.  Their  hands  shall  be  weakened  from  the  work,  that  it  be 
not  done.     But  now,  0  Ood,  strengthen  thou  my  hands. 

10  And  I  went  unto  the  house  of  Shemaiah  the  son  of  Delaiah  the  son  of  Mehetabel,  who  was 
shut  up  ;  and  he  said.  Let  us  meet  together  in  the  house  of  God,  within  the  temple,  and  let 
us  shut  the  doors  of  the  temple  :  for  they  will  come  to  slay  thee  ;  yea,  in  the  night  will  they 

11  come  to  slay  thee.     And  I  said.  Should  such  a  man  as  I  flee?  and  who  is  there,  that,  lieing 
13  such  as  I,  would  go  into  the  temple  to  save  his  life?     I  will  not  go  in.     And  I  discerned,  and. 

lo,  God  had  not  sent  him  :  but  he  pronounced  this  prophecy  against  me  :  and  Tobiah  and 

13  Sanballat  had  hired  him.     For  this  ca\ise  was  lie  hired,  that  I  should  be  afraid,  and  do  so,  and 

14  sin,  and  that  they  might  have  matter  for  an  evil  report,  that  they  might  reproach  me.  Re- 
member, O  my  God,  Tobiah  and  Sanballat  according  to  these  their  works,  and  also  the  proph- 
etess Noadiah,  and  the  rest  of  the  prophets,  that  would  have  put  me  in  fear. 

1.1      So  the  wall  was  finished  in  the  twenty  and  fifth  day  of  the  month  Elul,  in  fifty  and  two 

Ifi  days.'  And  it  came  to  pass,  wlien  all  our  enemies  heard  thereof,  that  all  the  heathen  that  were 

about  us  feared,  and  were  nuich  cast  down  in  their  own  eyes  :  for  they  perceived  that  this 

17  work  was  wrought  of  our  God.     Moreover  in  those  days  the  nobles  of  Judah  sent  many 

18  letters  unto  Tobiah,  and  the  letters  of  Tobiah  came  imto  them.  For  there  were  many  in 
Judah  sworn  unto  him,  because  he  was  tin;  son  in  law  of  Shecaniah  the  son  of  Arab  ;  and  his 

19  son  Jehohanan  had  taken  the  daughter  of  Meshullam  the  sou  of  Berechiah  to  wife.     Also 


552 


BOOK  OF  NEUEMIAII. 


tlicy  spake  of  his  good  deeds  before  me,  and  reported  my  words  to  liim.     Ami  Tobiah  sent 

letters  to  l)ut  me  in  fear. 

7  :  1  Now  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  wall  was  built,  anil  I  had  set  up  the  doors,  and  the 
2  porters  and  the  singers  and  the  Levites  were  appointed,  that  I  ga.\v.  my  l)rother  Hanani,  and 

llananiali  the  governor  of  the  eastle,  eharge  over  Jeru.salem  :  for  he  was  a  faithful  man,  and 
8  feared  God  abi)ve  many.     And  I  said  unto  them.  Let  not  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  be  opened 

until  the  sun  be  hot  ;  and  while  they  stand  on  guard,  let  them  shut  the  doors,  and  bar  ye 

them  :  and  appoint  watches  of  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  every  one  in  his  wateh,  and 

4  every  one  to  be  over  against  his  house.     Now  the  city  was  wide  and  large  :  but  the  people 

5  were  few  therein,  and  the  houses  were  not  builded.  And  my  God  put  into  my  heart  to 
gather  together  the  nobles,  and  the  rulers,  and  the  people,  that  they  might  be  reckoned  by 
genealogy.  And  I  found  the  book  of  the  genealogy  of  them  which  came  up  at  the  first,  and 
I  found  written  therein  ; 

Verses  6-73  omitted  because  rtearlt/  identical  with  Ezra  2  :  1-70.     Points  of  rariation  noted  in  place. 


6:  1-19.  /Secret  proceedings  of  Sanbnllnt  and 
/lis  frii  nds  to  hinder  thebuildinf/  of  the  wall,  and 
t/uir  failure.     The  wall  completed. 

6  :  1-9.  When  it  was  found  thatNehemiah's 
arrangements  for  guarding  the  wall  (chap. 
4  :  13-33)  were  such  that  success  was  not  likely 
to  attend  the  emploj'mcnt  of  force  by  the  con- 
federates, and  the  idea  of  an  assault  was  there- 
fore given  up,  recourse  was  had  to  artifice  and 
intrigue.  First  of  all,  Sanballat  sent  to  pro- 
pose a  meeting  between  himself,  Geshem  and 
Nehemiah  in  the  open  country  about  Ono, 
twenty-tive  or  thirty  miles  from  Jerusalem, 
hoping  thus  to  draw  him  to  a  distance  from  his 
supporters,  and  intending  to  "do  him  a  mis- 
chief" (verse  2).  Nehemiah,  who  perceived 
the  snare,  declined  ;  but  Sanballat  persisted, 
and  made  four  other  proposals  for  conferences, 
probably  varying  the  place,  but  all  without 
avail.  t)n  the  fifth  and  last  occasion  the  letter 
sent  to  Nehemiah  was  an  open  one,  and  taxed 
him  with  an  intention  to  rebel  and  mLdie  him- 
self king,  an  intention  which  was  sure  to  come 
to  the  ears  of  Artaxerxes,  and  would  bring  the 
Jews  into  trouble.  Nehemiah,  however,  was 
not  to  be  intimidated  or  diverted  from  his 
purpose.  He  protested  that  the  charge  made 
against  him  was  a  pure  calumny,  invented  by 
Sanballat  him.self,  and  still  declined  a  confer- 
ence (verse  8).  Hereupon  intrigues  began  be- 
tween Sanballat  and  Tobiah,  on  the  one  hand, 
an<l  some  of  Nehemiah's  subjects,  on  the  other. 
P.  C. 

Sanballet  and  his  friends  offer  a  good  text 
from  which  to  preach  a  sermon  on  the  succes- 
sive stages  in  which  a  feeling  of  opposition  to 
God's  work  develops  it-self.  When  Nehemiah 
came  to  attempt  something  for  Israel,  they  dis- 
liked it  exceedingly.  When  it  was  decided  to 
build,  they  mo(  ked  and  slandered  the  buildera 
(2  :  19).  When  the  work  was  actually  begun, 
they   ridiculed    it  without    measure  (4  :  1-3). 


When  it  had  reached  a  decided  stage  of  prog- 
ress, they  made  serious  fight  against  it  (4  :  8). 
After  they  failed  in  this,  they  continued  to 
work  against  it  by  treachery  and  intrigue 
(Neh.  6).     W.  J.  B. 

3.  "  The  God  of  heaven,  He  will  prosper 
us  ;  therefore  we  His  servants  will  ari.se  and 
build,"  was  the  sentiment  with  which  he  giixl- 
ed  himself  to  his  task  ;  and  it  was  in  this 
mighty  confidence  that  he  prosecuted  the  work, 
undismayed  Ijv  threats,  unembarrassed  by  jjlots. 
in  nowise  disheartened  by  ditficulties  or  disap- 
pointments. His  noble  stejui fastness  of  resolu- 
tion was  manifest  throughout  his  carreer.  He 
had  counted  the  cost,  he  had  made  up  his 
mind  ;  his  decision  was  unwavering,  and  he 
carried  it  out  with  unfaltering  energy.  There 
is  a  surpassing  moral  grandeur  in  the  reply 
which  he  sent  to  Sanballat  and  Tobiah  and 
Geshem  the  Arabian,  and  the  rest  of  his  ene- 
mies, when  they  said  to  him.  "  Come,  let  us 
meet  together  in  some  one  of  the  villages  in  the 
plain  of  Ono."  He  transmitted  to  them  this 
magnanimous  message,  "  I  am  doing  a  great 
work,  so  that  I  cannot  come  down  ;  why  should 
the  work  cease,  while  I  leave  it,  and  come  down 
to  you?"  It  needs  only  that  you  should  study 
his  history,  to  perceive  how  this  sublime  deter- 
mination of  spirit  pervaded  the  whole  of  his 
course.  AV'hatever  his  hand  found  to  do,  he 
did  it  with  his  might  ;  whatever  he  resolved  to 
win,  he  never  ceased  till  he  had  won  it  ;  what- 
ever he  determined  to  encounter,  ho  never 
failed  to  overcome     Stoicell. 

It  is  a  poor  eye  that  does  not  see  something 
greater  than  pleasure  in  the  horizon  of  life. 
Conscience,  duty,  righteousness  are  far  loftier 
things  than  success,  prosperity,  plejisure.  He 
who  keeps  his  eye  steadily  on  the  prize  of  his 
high  calling  will  not  easily  be  seduced  by  the 
siren  sisters  and  their  enchanting  music.  It 
was  a  splendid  answer  Nehemiah  gave  to  San- 


SECTION  63.     OPPOSITION  BY  CRAFT  AND  INTIMIDATION. 


553 


ballat  and  his  people  when  they  would  have 
had  hira  meet  them  in  the  plain  of  Ono :  "  I 
am  doing  a  great  work,  so  that  I  cannot  come 
down,"  Let  us  ever  keep  in  mind  the  great 
work  of  the  Christian  life,  anil  refuse  every  so- 
licitation from  within  as  well  as  from  without 
tliat  would  make  lis  let  it  alone,  or  be  slack  in 
performing  it.  Enjoyment  will  come  to  us  in 
the  very  act  of  fulfilling  the  purpose  of  life  ; 
and  when,  as  is  quite  legitimate,  we  "  drink  of 
the  brook  by  the  way,"  the  effect  will  not  be 
to  enfeeble  and  paralyze  us,  but  to  brace  us  for 
more  activity  and  bring  to  us  the  greater  suc- 
cess.    W.  G.  B. 

6.  Sanballat's  servant  comes  now,  the  fifth 
time,  with  an  opened  letter  importing  danger- 
ous intimations,  wherein  is  written,  "It  is  re- 
ported among  the  heathen,  and  Gashmu  saith 
it,  that  the  Jews  think  to  rebel  ;  for  which 
cause  thou  buildest  the  wall,  that  thou  mayest 
be  their  king."  "It  is  reported  :"  and  what 
falsehood  may  not  plead  this  warrant?  What 
can  be  more  lying  than  report?  "  Among  the 
heathen  ;"  and  who  is  more  ethnic  than  San- 
ballat?  What  pagan  can  be  worse  than  a  mon- 
grel idolater?  "  And  Gashmu  saith  it  ;"  "Ask 
my  fellow  else."  This  Arabian  was  one  of 
those  tliree  heiuis  of  all  the  hostile  combination 
against  Jerusalem,  against  Nehemiah.  It  would 
be  wide  with  innocence  if  enemies  might  be 
alloweil  to  accuse.  "  That  the  Jews  think  to 
rebel  :"  a  stale  suggestion,  but  once  powerful. 
Malice  hath  learned  to  miscall  all  actions. 
Where  the  hands  cannot  be  taxed,  very  thoughts 
are  prejudged  :  "  For  which  cause  thou  build- 
est the  wall,  that  thou  mayest  be  their  king." 
He  was  never  true  Israelite,  that  hath  not  pa.ssed 
spiteful  slanders  and  misconstructions.     Bp.  II. 

8,  9.  They  were,  no  doubt,  prepared  for  his 
indignant  reply  to  Sanballat — "  There  are  no 
such  things  done  as  thou  sayest  ;  but  thou 
feignest  them  out  of  thine  own  heart"  (verse  8). 
But  they  calculated  that  the  charge  which  they 
had  made  in  an  upeti  letter  would  be  bruited 
abroad,  woidd  alarm  many  of  Nehcmiah's  own 
adherents,  would  "weaken  his  hands"  (verse  9), 
perhaps  shake  his  resolution,  and,  above  all, 
would  raise  suspicions  with  respect  to  his  fidel- 
ity in  the  breast  of  the  Great  King.     G.  R. 

9.  In  the  nndst  of  his  complaint  of  their 
nuilice,  in  endeavoring  to  frighten  him,  and  so 
weaken  Iris  hands,  he  lifts  up  his  heart  to 
heaven  in  this  short  prayer,  Now  therefore,  O 
God,  strengthen  my  hands.  It  is  the  great 
support  and  relief  of  good  people,  that  in  all 
their  straits  and  difficulties  they  have  a  good 
God  to  go  to,  from  whom,  by  faith  and  prayer, 


they  may  fetch  in  grace  to  silence  their  fears 
and  strengthen  their  hands,  when  their  ene- 
mies are  endeavoring  to  fill  them  with  fears 
and  weaken  their  hands.  When,  in  (mr  Chris- 
tian work  and  warfare,  we  are  entering  upon 
any  particular  services  or  conflicts,  this  is  a 
good  prayer  for  us  to  put  up,  "  I  have  such  a 
duty  to  do,  such  a  temptation  to  grapple  with  ; 
now  therefore,  O  God,  strengthen  my  hands." 
Christian  fortitude  will  be  siiarpencd  by  oppo- 
sition. Every  temptation  to  draw  us  from  our 
duty  should  quicken  us  so  much  the  more  to 
duty  and  to  prayer.     H. 

10-I3,  They  next  resolved  to  work  upon  his 
fears  by  the  instrumentality  of  his  own  pro- 
fessed and  seeming  friends.  There  was  a  cer- 
tain Shemaiah,  who  claimed  to  be  a  Jehovistio 
prophet,  and  was  allied  with  other  members  of 
the  prophetical  order,  and  particularly  with  a 
prophetess  of  repute  named  Noadiah  (verse  14). 
Sanballat  and  Tobiah  bribed  this  person  (verse 
12j,  and  induced  him  to  become  their  tool  and 
instrument.  They  bade  him  assure  Nehemiah 
that  a  plot  existed  to  as.sas.sinate  him,  and  do- 
liver  him  a  solemn  message,  as  from  God,  that 
there  was  one  way  only  by  which  he  could  save 
his  life — he  must  withdraw  himself  from  the 
work  in  which  he  was  engaged  and  secretly 
take  refuge  in  the  Temple  building,  where 
alone  he  could  be  safe.  Shemaiah  was  prob- 
ably a  priest,  and  therefore  had  access  to  the 
sacred  edifice — lie  proposed  to  meet  Nehemiah 
there  (verse  10),  and  suggested  that  they  should 
close  the  doors  against  intruders,  and  remain  in 
hiding  till  the  danger  was  past.  Noadiah  and 
the  other  soi-disaiii  prophets  made  similar  rep- 
resentations (verse  14).  But  again  Nehemiah's 
constancy  and  courage  withstood  the  strain  to 
which  they  were  put.  Plot  or  no  plot,  he 
would  not  take  the  course  recommended  ;  he 
felt  that  it  would  be  unworthy  of  him.  "  Should 
such  aman, "  he  said,  "  as  I  flee?"  (verse  11). 
Can  I,  the  governor,  the  head  of  the  state,  to 
whom  all  look  for  direction,  take  to  flight,  leave 
my  post,  hide  m3'self?  Assuredly  not — not 
even  to  save  my  life.  And  would  my  life  be 
saved,  if  I  followed  the  advice  tendered  me? 
Would  it  not  rather  be  forfeited?  "Who  is 
there,  that,  being  as  I"  {i.e.,  a  layman),  "  would 
go  into  the  Templi;  to  save  his  life?"  or,  "  could 
go  into  the  Temple  and  live?"  Any  "  stran- 
ger," not  of  the  seed  of  Aaron,  who  entered  the 
sanctuary,  was  by  the  Law  (Num.  18  :  7)  to  be 
put  to  death.  Thus  once  more  Nehemiah, 
trusting  little  to  advisers,  but  much  to  his  own 
sense  of  right,  by  following  the  plain  path  of 
duty  avoided  the  trap  set  for  him.     G.  R. 


554 


BOOK  OF  NKIIEMIAU. 


Shcmaiiih's  real  design  appears  to  liavc  bcin 
not  only  to  disgrace  Neheniiiih  and  dishearten 
tlie  people,  when  they  saw  the  eowaniice  of 
their  governor  (verse  13),  but  also  to  prepare 
the  way  for  an  assault  of  the  enemy  on  the 
city  when  there  was  no  leader  to  oppose  them. 

Stacklumse. His  design  was  not  to  serve  but 

to  ensnare  Nehemiah  ;  to  shake  his  strong  con- 
fuienee  in  the  protection  of  God,  and  beguile 
liini  into  doubtful  and  dastardly  expedients  ; 
that  so  the  liaiids  of  the  workmen  might  be 
weakened  in  their  work,  and  the  enemies  of  Is- 
rael have  occasion  to  reproach  the  leader  of  the 
people,  !is  having  been  entangled  like  a  bird  in 
the  snare  of  the  fowler.  But  holy  courage  has 
always  heavenly  wisdom  for  her  companion. 
Nehemiah,  therefore,  penetrating  the  hypocrisy 
of  the  tempter,  and  lending  no  fond  ear  to  the 
whispers  of  a  faithless  expediency,  answered 
with  sublime  serenity,  "  [Should  such  a  man  as 
1  flee  ?  and  who  is  there  that,  being  as  I  am, 
would  go  into  the  Temple  to  .save  Ids  life  ?  I 
will  not  go  in."     Stairdl. 

And  what  if  Nehemiah  had  hearkened  to  this 
counsel  ?  Sin  and  shame  had  followed.  That 
holy  place  was  for  none  but  persons  sacred — 
such  as  were  privileged  by  blood  and  function  ; 
others  should  presume  and  offend  in  entering. 
And  now  what  would  the  people  say  ?  "  What 
shall  become  of  us  while  our  governor  hides 
his  head  for  fear  ?  Where  shall  we  tind  a  tem- 
ple to  secure  us  ?  What  do  we  depending 
upon  a  cowardly  leader  ?"  Well  did  Nehe- 
miah forecast  these  circumstances,  both  of  act 
and  event  ;  and  therefore,  resolving  to  distrust 
a  prophet  that  persuaded  him  to  the  violation 
of  a  law,  he  rejects  the  motion  with  scorn  : 
"  Should  such  a  man  as  I  flee  ?  Should  I  go 
into  the  Temple  to  save  my  life  ?  I  will  not 
go."     Dp.  II. 

Nehemiah  was  engaged  in  a  great  work  ;  his 
God  was  with  him  and  gave  him  success  ; 
frieuds  and  enemies  united  against  him  ;  by 
ba.se  insinuation,  craft  and  stratagem  the}-  strove 
to  dishearten  and  deter  him  from  going  on 
with  God's  work.  Opposition  is  the  Christian's 
lot ;  courage  his  honor  ;  perseverance  his  jewel. 
Look  at  this  man  of  God  :  he  boldly  repels  all 
fear.  Instead  of  fleeing  from  his  work  as  ad- 
vised, he  flees  to  his  God,  and  cries,  "  O  God, 
strengthen  my  hands"  (verse  9).  Faith  in- 
spires prayer  ;  jirayer  brings  courage  to  the 
heart  ;  then  lie  boldly  demands,  S/imilil  mic/i  <i 
mun  as  I  Jlcc  f  A  man  so  gre.itly  favored,  so 
highly  lionored  as  to  be  employed  by  God  to 
work  for  Ilim  ?  No  ;  I  disdain  such  mean  cow- 
ardice ;  I  will  work  on  ;  it  is  God's  cause  -,  let 


llim  order  the  event ;  I  fear  it  not.  Christian, 
yoiu' calling  is  to  work  for  God  ;  ex))ect  opjjosi- 
tion  from  williin  and  without.  This  may  call 
up  fear  and  dismay  ;  but  consider  your  dig- 
nity ;  maintain  and  assert  it.  "  Should  such 
a  man  sis  I  flee'/"  A  man  called  by  tlie  grace  of 
Jesus  to  resist  the  devil,  to  face  carnal  men,  to 
vancjuish  sin,  to  overcome  the  world,  to  obtain 
victory  over  death  and  to  receive  a  crown  of 
righteousness  in  endless  glory — shall  I  flee'/ 
What,  I  who  am  called  to  be  strong  in  the 
grace  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus?  O  mj'  soul, 
put  on  Christ  and  put  off  fear  ;  put  up  prayer 
and  put  down  dread  !     IC.  Mamu. 

14.  He  does  not  revengefully  imprecate  any 
particular  judgiuent  upon  his  enemies,  but  re- 
fers the  matter  to  God.  "  Thou  knowest  their 
hearts,  and  art  the  avenger  of  falsehood  and 
wrong  ;  take  cognizance  of  this  cause,  judge 
between  me  and  them,  and  take  what  way  and 
time  Thou  pleasest  to  call  them  to  an  account 
for  it."  Whatever  injuries  are  done  us,  we 
must  not  avenge  ourselves,  but  commit  our 
cause  to  Him  that  judgeth  righteously.     H. 

15.  Nehemiah's  vigilance  anticipated  every 
difliculty,  his  prudent  measures  defeated  every 
obstruction,  and  with  astonishing  rapidity  Je- 
rusalem was  made  again   "a  city  fortified.' 

Jdmicnon. The  work  on  the  city  walls  was 

at  length  finished  joyfully,  having  occupied 
fifty-two  days — pushed  with  untiring  diligence 
and  the  energy  of  a  noble  enthusiasm.  We 
shall  meet  a  somewhat  extended  account  of 
the  joyous  dedication  of  these  walls  below 
(chap.  12  :  27-43).     H.  C. 

Fifty-two  days  from  July  25tli  would  bring 
llim  to  September  loth,  which  corresponds,  as 
nearly  as  may  be,  to  the  25th  of  Elul.  There 
is  no  difiJculty  in  supposing  that  the  wall  could 
have  been  repaired  in  this  space.  The  mate- 
rials were  ready  at  hand  ;  the  working  parties 
I  were  numerous  ;  the  workmen  full  of  zeal.  If 
we  estimate  the  circumference  of  the  wall  at 
four  miles,  which  is  probably  beyond  the  truth, 
and  the  working  parties  at  forty-two  (Ewald), 
it  will  follow  that  each  party  had,  on  the  aver- 
age, to  repair  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  yards, 
or  at  the  rate  of  between  three  and  four  yards 
a  day.  There  was  probably  no  work  done  on 
the  Sabbaths,  and  there  may  have  been  one  or 
two  days  of  interruption,  when  attack  seemed 
imminent  (chap.  4  ;  13-15)  ;  but  otherwise  the 
work  was  carried  on  without  pause  from  early 
dawn  to  dark.     P.  C. 

Nehemiah's  narrative  is  thoroughly  consis- 
tent with  itself,  and  contains  in  it  nothing 
that  is  improbable.     He  represents  the  walls  as 


SECTION  GS.     THE   WALL   COMPLETED  AND   GUAIWED. 


555 


everywhere  existing  at  the  time  tliat  he  coni- 
meueed  his  task,  and  as  only  needing  repairs. 
He  states  that  the  worli  was  partitioned  aiuung 
at  least  tliirty -seven  ■norking  parties,  who  \a- 
Ijored  simultaneously.  He  shows  that  the 
material  for  repairs  was  ready  at  hand  in  the 
debris  of  the  walls  which  lay  at  their  base 
(2  :  14  ;  4  :  2).  He  explains  how,  notwithstand- 
ing all  menaces,  the  workmen  labored  uninter- 
rii])tedly.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  dis- 
mantled fortress  as  large  as  Jerusalem — i.e.,  less 
than  four  miles  in  eireumference,  has  often 
been  put  into  a  state  of  defence  iu  a  shorter 
time  than  lifty-two  days. 

16.  They  perceived  that  this  worli 
was  wrought  of  our  God.  The  hand 
of  God  was  traceable  (1)  in  the  favorable  dis- 
position of  Artaxerxes  toward  a  work  on  which 
he  might  naturally  have  looked  with  jealousy 
(see  chap.  1  ;  11  ;  2  : 4)  ;  and  (2)  iu  the  failure 
of  all  attempts  to  intimidate  or  deceive  Nche- 
miah.     B.  C. 

17.  During  all  this  time,  Nehemiah  adds, 
the  stratagems  of  our  professed  euemies  were 
not  so  dangerous  as  the  treachery  and  baseness 
of  man}-  of  our  own  citizens.  Some  of  these  hav- 
ing married  into  Tobiah's  family  (chap.  13  : 4-9), 
espoused  his  interests  both  secretly  and  openly, 
and  informed  him  of  all  we  said  and  did  ;  so 
tliat  well  might  that  haughty  heathen  threaten 
me  with  his  letters  when  he  knew  there  were 
people  within  our  own  walls  who  would  sec- 
ond him  iu  all  his  de.signs.     Pi/le. 

7  :  1-69.  The  entire  work  being  at  length 
accomplished,  it  devolved  upon  him  to  make 
the  necessary  arrangements  for  the  security  of 
■what  had  now  become  a  first-rate  fortress.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  seems  himself  to  have  assigned 
the  guard  of  the  gates  to  certain  bodies  of  Le- 
vites  (verse  1),  as  being  experienced  iu  the  busi- 
ness of  keeping  watch  :  after  which  he  commit- 
ted the  task  of  appointing  other  guards  to  his 
brother  Hanani  and  to  a  certain  Hananiah,  al- 
ready the  commandant  of  the  Birah,  or  Temple 
tower  (verse  2).  They  devised  a  system  by 
which  the  adult  male  inhabitants  were  made  to 
partition  the  watch  of  the  wall  among  them- 
selves, each  on  the  part  which  was  nearest  to 
his  own  house  (verse  3).  At  the  same  time,  it 
was  ordered,  for  greater  jirecaution,  that  all 
the  gates  should  be  closed  at  night,  and  none  of 
them  opened  "  mitil  the  sun  icns  hut"  (ibid.) — 
i.e.,  until  some  hours  after  sunrise.  The  city 
was  thus  made  as  secure  as  the  circumstances 
admitted  :  but  in  the  course  of  the  arrange- 
ments it  became  clear,  at  any  rate  to  Nehemiali, 
that  the  population  of  the  city  was  too  scanty 


for  its  size  (verse  4),  and  that  some  steps  ought 
to  be  taken  to  augment  the  number  of  inhabi- 
tants. As  a  first  step,  a  necessary  preliminary 
before  he  could  lay  any  definite  proposal  before 
the  "rulers,"  the  governor  thought  it  neces- 
sary to  make  a  census  of  the  entire  people 
(verse  5).  It  seems  to  have  been  in  the  course 
of  his  preparations  for  this  purpose  that  he 
"  found  a  register  of  the  genealogy  of  them 
which  came  up  at  the  first."  The  list  in  verses 
7-69  has  been  regarded  as  the  result  of  his  own 
census  ;  but  it  would  seem  to  be  most  probable 
that  we  have  the  actual  result  of  Nehemiah's 
census,  so  far  as  he  thought  tit  to  give  it  to  us, 
in  chap.  11  :  3-36.     P.  C. 

1-3.  Kg  sooner  were  the  walls  finished,  the 
gate-towers  completed  and  the  gates  hung  in 
them,  than  he  proceeded  to  create  an  organiza- 
tion for  the  continual  defence  of  the  gates  and 
walls  by  a  guard  or  garrison.  To  the  Levites 
generally,  together  with  the  Temple  porters 
and  singers,  the  special  duty  of  keeping  watcli 
and  ward  contiuuall_v  was  assigned  (Neh.  7:1); 
and  further,  tlie  citizens  were  required  to  or- 
ganize a  civil  guard,  which  should  come  on 
duty  at  nightfall,  should  see  the  town-gates 
shut  and  barred,  watch  the  walls  over  against 
their  houses,  and  in  the  morning  see  that  the 
gates  were  not  opened  too  early.  In  the  East 
it  is  usual  to  make  sunrise  the  time  for  open- 
ing ;  Xehemiah  required  that  the  gates  of  Je- 
rusalem should  be  kept  shut  "  till  the  sun  <r<i.i 
hut"  (ibid.,  verse  3) — i.e.,  till  eight  or  nine 
o'clock.  This  was  an  extraordinary  precau- 
tion, intended  probably  to  meet  attempts  at 
surprise  on  the  part  of  Sanballat  and  his  friends, 
who  were  regarded  as  capable  of  any  act. 
however  treacherous,  wliich  might  seem  likely 
to  serve  their  purpose.  Finally,  that  there 
might  be  persons  whose  duty  it  should  be  to 
see  that  the  S3'stem  of  defence  thus  inaugurat- 
ed should  be  constantly  kept  up,  and  not  al- 
lowed to  fall  into  desuetude,  Kehcmiah  ap- 
pointed two  military  conujiandants  to  tak<' 
charge  of  the  town.  These  were  his  tjrothcr 
Hanani,  who  had  returned  from  Susa  (Nth. 
1  : 1,  2)  to  Jerusalem,  and  a  certain  Hananiah — 
"  a  faithful  man,  and  one  who  feared  God 
above  many"  (7  :  2),  who  had  hitherto  been  gov 
ernor  of  the  fortress.     G.  R. 

4-73.  This  genealogical  table  of  the  first 
company  of  returning  Jews  (substantialh*  the 
same  as  in  Ezra  2)  ma}'  be  brought  out  here  in 
connection  with  measures  for  filling  up  the 
city — its  population  being  entirely  too  sparse 
for  the  best  interest  of  the  entire  colony.  We 
shall  see  more  on  this  subject  in  chaps.  11  and 


656 


BOOK  OF  NElIEMIAn. 


12.     11.  C. The  increase  of  tlie  pnymbition  of 

the  city  wiLS  si  malUT  of  pri'ssinj^  importance  ; 
for  tlie  ainjile  spiiee  witliin  the  walls  was  very 
sparsely  oceupieii  witli  houses,  and  thinlj-  in- 
lialiiled.  Hefore  resolving,  however,  on  the 
steps  to  be  taken,  it  occurred  to  Nehemiah  (and 
he  regarded  the  suggestion  as  from  God)  to  call 
a  general  assembly,  that  he  might  make  a  cen- 
sus of  the  population,  a.s  a  basis  for  further 
measures.  The  result  does  not  appear  until 
chap.  11.     P.  C. 

5.  my  Ciiod  put  into  mine  heart.  As 
Nehemiah  eontem]ilated  the  vast  empty  spaces 
within  the  city  walls,  and  considered  with  him- 
self how  they  might  best  be  peopled,  the 
thought  came  to  liim — and  lie  hailed  it  as  a  Di- 
vine inspiration — that  by  taking  a  census  of  the 
people  he  might  pave  the  way  for  some  trans- 
fer of  tlui  inhabitants  of  the  country  districts 
into  the  capital,  which  would  at  any  rate 
strengthen  the  latter,  and  lessen  the  desolate 
appearance  of  its  streets  and  squares,  which 
had  so  pained  him.  The  census  would  show 
what  iiroportion  the  country  and  town  popula- 
tions bore  to  each  other,  and  wovdd  point  out 
which  were  the  places  in  the  country  districts 
that  could  best  afford  to  lose  a  portion  of  their 
inhabitants.  A  census  therefore  was  resolved 
upon,  and,  according  to  ordinary  Jewish  usage 
(Num.  1  :  17-47;  1  Chron.  21  :  5,  6  ;  Ezra  2  :  3-62), 
it  was  genealogical. 

6-73.  The  register  of  those  who  returned  vn- 
iler  Ziriihhdhel,  irith  the  rmmher  of  their  shires, 
bcitsts  tiitd  ohlatiom.  It  is  no  doubt  a  curious 
circumstance  that  this  list  should  occur  twice, 
with  no  important  dilferences,  in  the  two  books 
of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah.  The  double  record  en- 
ables us  to  make  out  a  more  perfect  catalogue 
than  we  could  Iiave  obtained  from  cither  sepa- 
rately, since  there  are  corruptions  in  each  which 
may  be  corrected  by  means  of  the  other.     P.  C. 

This  section  is  identical  with  Ezra  3  : 1-3  : 1, 

word  for  word,  and  letter  for  letter,  ex'cept  in 
two  points — viz.,  the  numbers  repeatedly  vary  ; 
and  there  is  a  difference  in  the  account  of  the 
offerings  made  by  the  governor,  the  nobles  and 
the  people.  The  heading,  the  contents,  the 
narrative!  about  the  sons  of  Barzillai,  the  fact 
of  the  offerings,  the  dwelling  in  their  cities,  tlie 
coming  of  the  seventh  month,  the  gathering  of 


all  the  people  to  Jerusalem  as  one  man.  arc  in 
words  and  in  sense  the  very  selfsame  pa.ssage. 
The  idea  that  the  very  sanu'  words,  extending 
to  seventy  verses,  describe  dilTereiit  events,  is 
simply  absurd  and  irrational.  The  numbers, 
therefore,  must  originally  have  been  the  same 
in  both  books.  But  when  we  examine  the 
varying  numbers,  we  see  the  following  partic- 
ular proofs  that  the  variations  are  corruptions 
of  the  original  te.\t.  Though  the  items  vary, 
the  siuu  total,  42,360,  is  the  same  (Ezra  3  :  64  ; 
Nell.  7  :  66).  In  like  manner  the  totals  of  the 
servants,  the  singing  men  and  women,  the 
horses,  mules  and  asses,  arc  all  the  same,  c.\- 
cei)t  that  Ezra  has  two  hundred  instead  of  two 
hundred  and  forty-five  singing  men  and  women. 
The  numbers  of  the  priests  and  the  Levites  are 
the  same  in  both,  except  that  the  singers,  the 
sons  of  Asaph,  are  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  in  Ezra,  against  one  huiidri'd  and  forty- 
eight  in  Nehemiah,  and  the  jiorter.ione  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  against  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight.  Then  in  each  particular  case,  when  the 
numbers  differ,  we  see  plainly  that  the  differ- 
ence might  arise  from  a  coiij-isfs  error.  Die.  B. 
Bishop  Kennicott's  theory,  that  the  three 
lists — that  of  Ezra,  that  of  Neheniiali,  and  that 
in  the  first  of  Esdras — had  all  one  original,  and 
that  the  existing  differences  proceed  entirely 
from  mistakes  of  the  copyists,  is  the  only  tena- 
ble one.  It  is  especially  remarkable  that  the 
differences  in  the  numbers  of  the  three  lists  con- 
sist chiefly  in  a  sintjle  unit,  ii  sinyle  ten,  or  a 
sinr/le  hundred — or  in  a  five  ;  less  often  in  two 
units,  or  two  tens,  or  two  hundreds,  or  in  a  six 
— differences  probably  arising  from  the  oblit- 
eration of  one  or  two  signs  in  a  notAtion  resem 
bling  the  Roman  or  the  Egj'iitian,  where  there 
are  special  signs  for  a  thousand,  a  hundred,  ten, 
five,  and  the  unit,  complex  numbers  being  ex- 
pressed by  repetition  of  these,  as  3438  in  Latin 
inscriptions  by  MJI.MCCCt  XXXVIII.  Any 
fiuling  of  a  sign  in  such  a  notation  as  this 
causes  a  copyist  to  diminish  the  amount  hj' 
one.  five,  ten,  a  hundred,  a  thousand,  etc.  A 
fading  of  two  signs  may  produce  a  diminution 
of  two  tliousand,  two  hundred,  twenty,  two  ; 
or  again  of  eleven  liundred,  one  hundred  and 
ten,  one  hundred  and  five,  fifteen,  eleven,  six, 
and  the  like.     P.  C. 


SECTION  63.  557 

Section  63. 

THE    GREAT    CONVOCATION    FOR    WORSHIP,    CONFESSION,    AND    COVENANT. 

Neiiemiaii  7  :  73-  ;  8  ;  9  ;   10. 

7  :  73  And  when  the  seventh  month  was  come,  the  children  of  Israel  were  in  their  cities. 

8  : 1  Anil  all  the  people  gathered  themselves  together  as  one  man  into  the  broad  place  that  was 

before  the  water  gate  ;  and  tliey  spake  unto  Ezra  the  scribe  to  bring  the  book  of  the  law  of 

2  Moses,  which  the  Loud  had  commanded  to  Israel.  And  Ezra  the  priest  brought  the  law 
before  the  congregation,  both  men  and  women,  and  all  that  could  hear  with  understanding. 

3  ujton  the  first  day  of  the  seventh  month.  And  he  read  therein  before  the  broad  place  that 
was  before  the  water  gate  from  early  morning  until  midday,  in  the  presence  of  the  men  and 
the  women,  and  of  those  that  could  understand  ;  and  the  cars  of  all  the  people  were  nttcnti'ir 

4  unto  the  book  of  the  law.  And  Ezra  the  scribe  stood  upon  a  pnlpit  of  wood,  which  they  had 
made  for  the  purpose  ;  and  beside  him  stood  Mattithiah,  and  Shema,  and  Anaiah,  and  Uriah, 
ami  Hilkiah,  and  Maaseiah,  on  his  riglit  hand  ;  and  on  his  left  hand,  Pedaiah,  and  Misliael, 

5  and  JIalchijah,  and  Hashum,  and  Ilashbaddanah,  Zechariah,  and  Meshullam.  And  Ezra 
oi)ened  the  book  in  the  sight  of  all  the  people  ;  (for  he  was  above  all  the  people  ;)  and  when 

6  he  opened  it,  all  the  people  stood  up  :  and  Ezra  blessed  the  Lord,  the  great  God.  And  all 
the  people  answered.  Amen,  Amen,  with  the  lifting  up  of  their  hands  :  and  tliey  bowed 

7  their  heads,  and  worshipped  the  I^oiin  with  their  faces  to  tlie  ground.  Also  Jeshua,  and  Bani, 
and  iSlierebitdi,  Jamin,  Akkub,  Shabbethai,  Ilodiah,  Mii;iseiah,  Kelita,  Azariah,  .Tozabad, 
llanan,   Pelaiali,  and  the  Levites,  caused  the  people  to  understand  the  law  :  and  the  people 

8  .itrii'd  in  their  place.     And  they  read  in  the  liook,  in  the  law  of  God,  distinctly  ;  and  they  gave 

9  the  sense,  so  that  they  understood  the  reading.  And  Nehemiah,  which  was  the  Tirshatha. 
and  Ezra  the  priest  the  scribe,  and  the  Levites  that  taught  the  people,  said  unto  all  the  people, 
This  day  is  holy  unto  the  Loui)  your  God  ;  mourn  not,  nor  weep.     For  all  the  people  wept, 

10  wlien  they  lieard  the  words  of  the  law.  Then  he  said  unto  them.  Go  your  way,  eat  the  fat, 
and  drink  the  sweet,  and  send  portions  unto  him  for  whom  nothing  is  prepared  ;  for  this  day 

11  is  holy  unto  our  Lord  :  neither  be  ye  grieved  ;  for  the  joy  of  the  LoitD  is  your  strength.  So 
the  Levites  stilled  all  the  people,  saving.  Hold  j'our  peace,  for  the  day  is  lioly  ;  neither  be  ye 

13  grieved.  And  all  the  people  went  their  wa}'  to  eat,  and  to  drink,  and  to  send  portions,  and 
to  make  great  mirth,  because  they  had  tmderstood  the  words  that  were  declared  unto  them. 

13  And  on  the  second  day  were  gathered  together  the  heads  of  fathers'  houses  of  all  the 
people,  the  priests,  and  the  Levites,  unto  Ezra  the  scribe,  even  to  give  attention  to  the  words 

14  of  tile  law.  And  they  found  written  in  the  law,  how  that  the  Lout)  had  commanded  by 
Jloses,  that  the  children  of  Israel  should  dwell  in  booths  in  the  feast  of  the  seventh  month  : 

15  and  that  they  should  publish  and  proclaim  in  all  their  cities,  and  in  .Jerusalem,  saying.  Go 
forth  unto  the  mount,  and  fetch  olive  branches,  and  branches  of  wild  olive,  and  myrtle 
branches,  and  palm  branches,  and  branches  of  thick  trees,  to  make  booths,  as  it  is  written. 

16  So  the  people  went  forth,  and  bnmght  them,  and  made  themselves  booths,  every  one  upon 
the  roof  of  his  house,  and  in  their  courts,  and  in  the  courts  of  the  house  of  God',  and  in  the 

17  broad  phice  of  the  water  gate,  and  in  the  broad  place  of  the  gate  of  Eiihraim.  And  all  the 
congregation  of  them  that  were  come  again  out  of  the  captivity  made  booths,  and  dwelt  in 
the  booths  :  for  since  the  days  of  .Jeshua  the  son  of  Nun  tmto  that  day  had  not  the  (diildren 

18  of  Israel  done  .so.  And  there  was  very  great  gladness.  Also  day  by  day,  from  the  first  day 
unto  the  last  da}',  he  read  in  the  book  of  the  law  of  God.  And  they  kept  the  feast  seven 
days  ;  and  on  the  eighth  day  was  a  solemn  assembly,  according  unto  the  ordinance. 

9  :  1  Now   in   the   twenty   and   fourth  day  of   this   month   the   children   of   Israel  were 

2  assembled  with  fasting,  and  with  sackcloth,  and  earth  upon  them.  And  the  seed  of  Israel 
separated  themselves  from  all  strangers,  and  stood  and  confessed  their  sins,  and  the  in- 

3  iquities  of  their  fathers.  And  they  stood  up  in  their  place,  and  read  in  the  book  of  the  law 
of  the  LoKD  their  God  a  fourth  part  of  the  day  ;  and  umithcf  fourth  part  they  confessetl,  and 

4  worshipped  the  Lord  their  God.  Then  stood  up  upon  the  stairs  of  the  Levites,  .Jeshua.  and 
Bani,  and  Kadraiel.  Shebaniah,  Bunni,  Sherebiah,  Bani,  and  Chenani,  and  cried  with  a  loud 

5  voice  unto  the  Lord  their  God.  Then  the  Levites,  Jeshua,  and  Kadmiel,  Bani,  Hashahneiah. 
Sherebiah,  Hediah,  Shebaniah,  and  Pethahiah.  said,  Stand  up  and  bless  the  Lord  your  God 
from  everlasting  to  everlasting  :  and  blessed  be  thy  glorious  name,  which  is  exalted  above 

6  all  blessing  and  praise.  Thou  art  the  Lord,  even  "thou  alone  ;  thou  hast  made  heaven,  the 
heaven  of  heavens,  with  all  their  host,  the  earth  and  all  things  that  are  thereon,  the  seas  and 
all  that  is  in  them,  and  thou  preservest  them  all  ;  and  the  host  of  lieaven  worshippeth  thee. 

7  Thou  art  the  Lord  the  God,  who  didst  choose  Abram,  and  broughtest  him  forth  (Uit  of  Ur 

8  of  the  Chaldees,  and  gavest  him  the  name  of  Abraham  ;  and  foundcst  his  heart  faithful  be- 
fore thee,  and  madest  a  covenant  with  him  to  give  the  land  of  the  Canaanite,  the  Hittite,  the 
Amoritc,  and  the  Perizzite,  and  the  .lebusite,  and  the  Girgashite,  even  to  give  it  mito  his 

9  seed,  and  hast  performed  thy  words  ;  for  thou  art  righteous.     And  thou  sawest  the  aflliction 


558  nOOK  OF  SKURynAJT. 

10  of  our  fiilhcrs  in  Ejrypt,  and  licardost  their  cry  by  tlic  Red  Sea;  and  showrdst  signs  and 
wonders  iipdii  I'haracili,  and  on  all  his  servants,  and  on  all  tlie  people  of  his  land  ;  for  tliou 
liiiewest  that   they  dealt  iiroiiilly  aj^ainsl  tliein  ;  and  didst  net  tl i  name,  as  it  is  this  day. 

11  And  thou  didst  divide  tlie  sea  liefore  thcin,  so  that  tliey  went  throuirh  the  midst  of  tlie  SRa 
on  the  dry   land  ;  and   their  pursuers  th<m  didst  oast   into  the  depths,  as  a  stone  into  the 

12  niiiihty  waters.     ^loreover  thou   leddest  them   in  a  pillar  of  cloud  liy  day  ;  and  in  a  jjillar  of 

13  tire  by  niiiht.  to  {rive  them  lifrlit  in  the  way  wherein  they  should  iro.  Thou  camest  down 
also  upon  mount  t^inai.  and  spaliest  with  them  from  lieaven.  and  jravest  them  risjht  judjje- 

14  ments  and  true  laws,  srood  statutes  and  commandments  :  and  madcst  known  unto  them  thy 
holy  sabbath,  and  eommandest  them  couunandmcnts,  and  statutes,  and  a  law,  by  the  liand 

15  of  Moses  thy  servant  :  and  sravest  them  bread  from  heaven  for  their  luinjjer,  and  i>rou!;litest 
forth  water  for  them  out  of  the  rock  for  their  thirst,  and  <()mman<lest  them  that  they  should 

16  ,!iO  in  to  possess  the  land  which  thou  hadsl  lifted  up  thine  han(i  to  jrive  them.  But  they  and 
our  fathers  dealt  proudly,  and   hardened   their  neck,  and   hearkeiud   not  to  thy   command- 

17  ments.  and  refused  to  obey,  neither  were  mindful  of  thy  wonciers  that  thou  didst  among 
them  ;  but  himlened  tlieir  neck,  and  in  their  rebellion  ajipointed  a  captain  to  return  to  tlieir 
bondaire  ;  but  thou  art  a  (!od  ready  to  pardon,  gracious  and  full  of  compassion,  slow  to 

18  anger,  anil  iJenleous  in  mercy,  and  forsookest  them  not.  Yea,  when  they  had  made  them  a 
molten  calf,  and  said.  This  is  thy  God  that  brought  tliee  up  out  of  Egypt,  and  had  wrouglit 

19  great  jirovocations  ;  vet  thou  in  thy  manifold  mercies  forsookest  them  not  in  the  wilderness  : 
the  pillar  of  cloud  departed  not  from  over  them  by  day,  to  lead  them  in  the  way  ;  neitlier 

20  the  ])illar  of  tire  Viy  idght.  to  shew  them  liglit.  ami  the  way  wherein  they  should  go.  Tliou 
garest  also  thy  good  spirit   to   instruct   them,  and   withheldest   not   thy   manna  from  their 

21  moulh.  and  gave.st  them  water  for  their  thirst.  Yea.  forty  years  didst  thou  sustain  them  in 
the  wilderness,  <iinl  they  lacked  nothing  ;  their  clothes  waxed  not  ohi.  and  their  feet  swelled 

22  not.  Moreover  thou  ga vest  them  kingdoms  and  peoples,  whicli  thou  didst  allot  after  their 
portions  :  so  they  possessed  the  land  of  Sihon,  even  the  land  of  the  king  of  Ileshbon,  and 

23  the  land  of  Og  king  of  IJ.-islian.  Their  children  also  multipliedst  thou  as  the  stars  of  heaven, 
and  broiightcst   them  into  the  land,  concerning  which  thou  ilidst  stiy  to  their  fathers,  that 

24  they  should  ,go  in  to  possess  it.  So  the  children  went  in  and  possessed  the  land,  and  thou 
subduedst  before  them  the  inliabitants  of  the  land,  the  Canaanites,  and  gavest  them  into  their 
hands,  with  their  kings,  anil  the  peoples  of  tlic  land,  that  they  might  do  with  them  as  they 

2.5  would.  And  they  took  fenced  cities,  and  a  fat  land,  and  possessed  liouses  full  of  all  good 
things,  cisterns  hewn  out,  vineyards,  and  oliveyards,  and  fruit  trees  in  abundance  :  so  they 
did  eat,  and   were  tilled,   and   became  fat,  and  delighted  themselves  in  thy  great  goodness. 

26  Nevertheless  they  were  liisobedient.  and  rebelled  against  thee,  and  cast  thy  law  behind  their 
back,  and  slew  thy  pro])het.s  which  testified  against  them  to  turn  them  again  unto  tliee,  and 

27  tliey  wrouglit  great  provocations.  Therefore  thou  deliveredst  them  into  the  hand  of  their 
adversaries,  who  distressed  tlicm  :  and  in  the  time  of  their  trouble,  when  they  cried  tinto 
thee,  thou  lieardcst  from  heaven  ;  and  according  to  thy  manifold  mercies  thou  gavest  them 

28  saviours  who  saved  them  out  of  the  hand  of  their  adversaries.  But  after  they  liad  rest,  tliey 
did  evil  again  before  thee  :  therefore  leftest  thou  them  in  the  hand  of  their  enemies,  so  that 
they  had  tlie  dominion  over  them  :  yet  when  tliey  returned,  and  cried  unto  thee,  thou  lieard- 
estfrom  heaven;  and   many  times  didst  thou  deliver  them  according  to  thy  merries  ;  and 

29  testifiedst  against  them,  tliat  thou  niightest  bring  them  again  unto  thy  law  :  yet  tlie.v  dealt 
proudly,  and  hearkened  not  unto  thy  commandments,  but  sinned  against  thy  judgements, 
(which  if  a  man  do,  he  shall  live  in  them,)  and  withdrew  the  shoulder,  and  hardened  their 

30  neck,  and  would  not  hear.  Yet  many  years  didst  thou  bear  witli  them,  and  testifiedst 
against  them  liy  thy  spirit  through  thy  jirophets  :  yet  would  they  not  give  ear  :  therefore 

31  gavest  thou  them  into  the  hand  of  the  peoples  of  the  lands.  Nevertheless  in  thy  manifold 
mercies  tliou  didst  not  make  a  full  end  of  them,  nor  forsake  them  ;  for  thou  art  a  gracious 

33  and  merciful  God.  Now  therefore,  our  God,  the  great,  the  mighty,  and  the  terrible  God, 
who  kcepest  covenant  and  mercy,  let  not  all  the  travail  seem  little  before  thee,  tliat  hath 
come  u])oii  us.  on  our  kings,  on  our  princes,  and  on  our  priests,  and  on  our  prophets,  and  on 
our  fathers,  and  on  all  th_y  people,  since  the  time  of  the  kings  of  Assyria  unto  this  daj'. 

33  Howbeit  thou  art  just  in  all  that  is  come  upon  us  ;  for  tliou  JBast  dealt  truly,  but  we  have 

34  done  wickedly  :  neither  have  our  kings,  our  princes,  our  priests,  nor  our  fathers,  kept  thy 
law,   nor  hearkened  unto  tliv  comniiindments  and  thy  testimonies,   wherewith  thou  didst 

35  testify  against  them.  For  they  have  not  served  thee  in  their  kingdom,  and  in  thy  great  good- 
ness "that  thou  gavest  them,  and  in   the  large  and  fat  Land  which  thou  gavest  before  them, 

36  neither  turned  Ihey  from  their  wicked  works.  Behold,  we  are  servants  this  day,  and  !is  for 
the  land  that  thou  gavest  unto  our  fathers  to  cat  the  fruit  thereof  and  the  good  thereof,  be- 

37  hold,  we  are  servants  in  it.  And  it  yieldeth  mutdi  increa.se  unto  the  kings  whom  thou  hast 
set  over  us  because  of  our  sins  :  also  they  have  power  over  our  bodies,  and  over  our  cattle, 

38  at  their  ])leasure,  and  we  are  in  great  distress.  And  yet  for  all  this  we  make  a  sure  cove- 
nant, and  write  it  ;  and  our  princes,  our  Eeviles,  ami  our  [iriests,  seal  unto  it. 

lO :  1  Now  those  that  sealed  were,  Nchemiah  the  Tirshatha.  the  son  of  Ilacaliah,  and  Zede- 

2,  3,  \    kiah  ;  Seraiah,  .Vzariah,  .leremiah  ;  I'ashlnir,  Amariah,  Malchijah  ;  11,-ittusb.  Shelianiah, 

5,  6,  7    Mallueh;  Ilarim,  .Meremoth.  Obailiah  ;  Daniel,  Ginnethon,  Banich  ;  .Meshullani,  .Vbijah, 

8,9     Mijamiii  ;  Maaziah,  Bilgai,  Shemaiali :  these  were  the  priests.     And  the  Levites  :  namely, 

10  Jeshua  the  son  of  AzaniaJi,  Binnui  of  the  sons  of  Henadad,  Kadmiel  ;  and  their  brethren, 

11,  12    Shebauiali,  llodiah,  Kelita,  Pclaiab,  liauau  ;  Mica,  lichob,  Uashabiak ;  Zaccur,  Sherebiah, 


SECTION  63.     THE  GREAT  CONVOCATION  FOR   WORSHIP. 


559 


13,  14  Shebaniali ;  Hodiah,  Bani,  Beninu.  The  cliiefs  of  the  people  :  Parosh,  Pahath-moab, 
15,  16,  17  Ehim,  Zattu,  Bani  ;  Buuni.  Azgad,  Bebai  ;  Adonijah.  Bigvai,  Adiu  ;  Ater.  llezekiah, 
18,  19,  20  Az7Air  ;  Hodiah,  Hashum,  Bezai  ;  Hariph.  Anuthntli,  Nobai  ;  Mag]iiasli,  Mcshiillam, 
21,  22,  23  Hezir  ;  Mesliezabel,  Zadol<.  Jaddua  ;  Pelatiah,  Hanan,  Aiiaiali  ;  Hosliea.  Iliiiianiah, 
24,  25,  26  Hasshub  ;  Halloliesli,  Pilha,  Shobek  ;  Kehuni,  Ilashabuah,  Maaseiah  ;  and  Aliiah, 
27,  28  Hanan,  Anau  ;  MalUieh,  Harim,  Baanah.  And  the  rest  of  the  people,  the  priests,  the 
Levites,  the  porters,  tlie  singers,  the  Nethinim,  and  all  they  that  had  separated  themselves 
from  the  peoples  of  the  lands  unto  the  law  of  God,  their  wives,  their  sons,  and  their  daugh- 

29  ters,  every  one  that  had  knowledge  and  understanding  ;  they  elave  to  their  brethren,  their 
nobles,  and  entered  into  a  curse,  and  into  an  oatli,  to  walk  in  God's  law.  wliieli  was  given  by 
Moses  the  servant  of  God,  and  to  olj.serve  and  do  all  the  commandments  of  tlie  Loud  our 

30  Lord,  and  his  judgements  and  his  statutes  ;  and  that  we  would  not  give  our  daughters  unto 

31  the  peoples  of  the  land,  nor  take  their  daughters  for  our  sons  :  and  if  the  peoples  of  the  land 
bring  ware  or  any  victuals  on  the  sabbath  day  to  sell,  that  we  would  not  bu}'  of  them  on 
the  sabbath,  or  on  a  lioly  day  :  and  that  we  would  forego  the  seventh  year,  and  the  exaction 

33  of  ever}'  debt.     Also  we  made  ordinances  for  us,  to  charge  ourselves  3'early  with  the  thii'd 

33  part  of  a  shekel  for  the  serxdee  of  the  house  of  our  God  ;  for  the  shewliread,  and  for  the 
continual  meal  offering,  and  for  the  continual  burnt  olTering.  of  the  sabbaths,  of  the  new 
moons,  for  the  set  feasts,  and  for  the  holy  things,  and  for  the  sin  offerings  to  make  atone- 

34  ment  for  Israel,  iuid  for  all  the  work  of  the  house  of  our  God.  And  we  east  lots,  the  priests, 
the  Levites,  and  the  people,  for  the  wood  offering,  to  bring  it  into  the  hoiise  of  our  God, 
according  to  our  fathers'  houses,  at  times  appointed,  year  by  year,  to  burn  upon  the  altar  of 

35  the  LoKD  our  God,  as  it  is  written  in  the  law  ;  and  to  bring  the  tirstfruits  of  our  ground,  and 

36  thefirstfruitsof  all  fruit  of  all  manner  of  trees,  year  by  year,  unto  the  house  of  the  TyOKD  :  also 
the  firstborn  of  our  sons,  and  of  our  cattle,  iis  it  is  written  in  the  law,  and  the  firstlings  of  our 
herds  and  of  our  (locks,  to  bring  to  the  house  of  our  God,  unto  the  priests  that  minister  in  the 

37  house  of  onr  God  :  and  that  we  should  bring  the  firstfruits  of  our  dough,  and  our  hea\'e  offer- 
ings, and  the  fruit  of  all  manner  of  trees,  tlie  wine  and  the  oil,  unto  tlie  priests,  to  the  cham- 
bers of  the  house  of  our  God  ;  and  the  tithes  of  o\ir  ground  unto  the  Levites  ;  for  they,  the 

38  Levites,  take  the  tithes  in  all  the  cities  of  our  tillage.  And  the  priest  the  son  of  Aaron  shall 
be  with  the  Levites.  when  the  Levites  take  tithes  :  and  the  Levites  shall  bring  up  the  tithe  of 

39  the  tithes  unto  the  house  of  our  God,  to  the  chambers,  into  the  treasure  house.  For  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  and  the  children  of  Levi  shall  bring  the  heave  offering  of  the  corn,  of  the  wine, 
and  of  the  oil,  unto  the  chambers,  where  are  the  vessels  of  the  sanctuary,  and  the  priests  that 
minister,  and  the  porters,  and  the  singers  :  and  we  will  not  forsake  the  house  of  our  God. 


Ch.\ps.  8-10  constitute  a  section  by  them- 
selves. This  section  might  be  entitled  "  An 
Account  of  the  Great  Convocation  held  under 
Nehemiah. "  It  differs  from  the  opening  and 
closing  parts  of  the  book  in  that  it  speaks  of 
Nehemiah  in  the  third  i)erson  (for  example, 
Neh  8:9;  10  :  1),  while  they  are  written  in  his 
name  in  the  first  person.  It  records  events 
closely  connected  with  those  of  the  first  chap- 
ters, since  they  deal  with  the  first  six  months 
(Neh.  6  :  15,  etc.)  of  the  twentieth  year  of 
Artaxerxes,  while  this  section  is  concerned 
with  the  events  of  the  seventh  month  (Neh. 
8  ;  2,  13,  18  ;  9  ;  1).  These  events  are  separated 
by  an  interval  of  from  twelve  j-ears  to  many 
years  from  those  mentioned  in  the  later  chap- 
ters of  Nehemiah.  The  account  was  written 
long  enough  after  the  events  to  make  it  proper 
(Neh.  8  :  17)  to  say  "  that  day."  The  interval 
thus  required  might  be  anywhere  from  a  few 
<lays  to  many  years.  One  marked  literary  phe- 
nomenon of  the  account  is  its  alternating  be- 
tween the  third  person  and  the  first  person 
plural  when  it  speaks  of  Nehemiah  and  his 
associates.  In  general,  the  narrative  is  in  the 
third  person,  while  the  prayer  in  chap.  9  and 
the  covenant  engagements  in  chap.  10  are  in 
the  first  person  plural.     But  besides  those  parts 


of  the  covenant  that  are  given  in  the  form  of 
promises  in  the  first  person  plural  (Neh.  9  :  38  ; 
10  :  29,  last  clause,  30-33,  35-39),  another  part 
is  given  in  narrative  form  in  the  third  person 
(Neh.  10  ;  28,  29a)  ;  and  still  another  part  is 
given  in  narrative  form  in  the  first  person 
plural  (Neh.  10  :  34  ;  but  not  32,  33,  35,  and  36, 
as  in  the  English  versions).  These  phenomena 
are  most  naturally  accounted  forbj'  the  hypoth- 
esis that  the  author  was  a  participant  in  the 
events — that  is,  that  he  is  either  Nehemiah  or 
some  associate  of  his.  There  is  no  proof  that 
Nehemiah  himself  did  not  write  it.  If  he 
wrote  it.  he  wrote  it  as  a  paper  of  an  oftieial 
nature,  in  which  it  was  proper  to  speak  of  )iim- 
self  in  the  third  person,  and  not  in  the  first 
person  singular,  as  in  his  memoirs. 

This  section  describes  a  series  of  events  of 
the  greatest  importance.  Jewish  and  Christian 
tradition  have  much  to  say  concerning  the  so- 
called  Great  Synagogue,  to  which  many  allege 
that  we  owe  the  completion  and  authentication 
of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures.  These  tradi- 
tions, whether  we  regard  them  as  historical  or 
legendary',  radiate  from  this  great  convocation 
in  Nehemiah's  time.  But  we  now  have  less  to 
do  with  these  than  with  one  particular  design 
which  Nehemiah  had  in  mind.     His  design  was 


SCO 


BOOK  OF  NETIEMIAIL 


to  rcni'W  and  enlarge  the  reforms  wliieli  K/.ra 
had  b(  <:un  thirteen  years  before,  and  espeeially 
the  reform  against  marriages  ■with  foreign 
women.  Evidently  tlie  work  of  Ezra  had  not 
proved  ii  ])erinanont  success.  Great  disasters 
had  followed  it  (Nell.  1  :  3,  etc.),  and  such  mar- 
riages were  still  in  vogue  (Xeh.  6  :  18,  etc.). 
Nelicniiah  intended  to  renew  tliis  reform.  It 
is  not  necessary  to  say  that  this  was  his  only, 
or  ev(  n  his  chief  object  ;  but  it  was  an  object 
that  he  never  lost  sight  of.  Chaps.  8-10  are  an 
account  of  transactions  running  through 
twentj'-four  days  or  more,  by  wliich  Nehemiah 
brought  this  and  other  reforms  into  active 
operation.  The  first  part  of  the  eighth  chap- 
ter (1-12)  tells  what  happened  in  one  day — the 
fir.st  day  of  the  seventh  month  (verse  2).  The 
remainder  of  the  chapter  is  the  second  part, 
giving  an  account  of  events  from  the  second  to 
the  twenty-third  days  of  the  month  (verses  13, 
18).  Chaps.  9  and  10  constitute  the  tliird  part, 
giving  an  account  of  what  was  done  the  twenty- 
fourth  day  of  the  mouth.     W.  J.  B. 

Outline  of  Events  Narrated  in  Cliaps.  8-10. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  month  the  people  were 
gathered  as  one  man  in  the  street  before  the 
water-gate,  and  Ezra  again  ajjpears  among 
them.  At  their  desire  lie  produced  the  Book  of 
the  Lfiir,  and  having  opened  it  amid  marks  of 
the  deepest  reverence  from  all  the  people,  he 
read  it  to  an  audience  wrapped  in  attcnticui 
from  morning  to  midday.  The  inauiu  r  of  read- 
ing was  this  :  Ezra  stood  on  a  pulpit,  with 
six  Scribes  or  Levites  on  his  right  hand  and 
seven  on  his  left,  who  seem  to  have  relieved 
him  in  the  reading  ;  for  it  is  said,  "  i!ici/  read  in 
the  book  in  the  law  of  God  distinctly."  The 
people  stood  in  their  ranks  in  front  of  the  pul- 
pit ;  and  among  them  were  thirteen  other  min- 
isters, who,  with  the  a.ssistance  of  the  Levites, 
"  caused  the  people  to  understand  the  law." 
There  can  be  little  doubt  that  this  phrase  refers 
to  a  translation  of  what  Ezra  read  in  Hebrew 
into  the  mi.\ed  C'haldee  dialect,  which  had  be- 
come the  vernacular  tongue  during  the  Captiv- 
ity. The  reading  produced  an  impression  like 
that  made  on  Josiah.  All  the  people  wept  at 
what  they  heard  ;  not  only,  we  may  well  be- 
lieve, with  regret  at  the  past  glories  of  their 
nation,  but  at  the  recital  of  the  sins  for  which 
that  glory  had  departed,  not  unmi.\cd  with  a 
penitent  consciousness  of  their  own  guilt.  But 
Nehemiah  (who  is  now  first  mentioned  in  the 
transaction),  supported  by  Ezra  and  the  Le- 
vites, bade  them  cease  their  sorrow,  and  go 
home  to  "  eat  the  fat,  and  drink  the  sweet,  and 


send  portions  to  those  for  whom  nothing  wa.s 
prepared,  for  the  day  was  holy  to  .lehovah." 
The  people  went  away  to  make  great  mirth, 
because  they  understood  the  words  that  were 
declared  unto  them.  When  the  reading  was 
resumed  on  the  following  day,  they  came  to 
the  institution  of  the  Fea.st  of  Tabernacles  in 
this  very  month  of  Tisri.  Their  excited  minds 
caught  the  signal  for  fresh  rejoicing  in  .leho- 
vah. They  went  forth  into  the  mount  to  fetch 
branches  of  olive,  and  pine,  and  myrtle,  and 
palm,  and  thick  trees,  and  made  booths  on  the 
roofs  and  in  the  courts  of  their  hou.ses,  in  the 
Temple  court  and  along  the  streets  to  the  city 
gates.  Such  a  Feast  of  Tabernacles  had  not 
been  kept  since  the  days  of  Joshua.  The  read- 
ing of  the  law  was  continued  for  all  the  seven 
days  of  the  fea.st,  and  the  eighth  Wiis  a  solemn 
assembly,  as  Jloses  had  commanded. 

After  the  burst  of  joy  for  God's  mercy  in  re- 
storing them,  they  turned  to  the  solemn  duty 
of  humiliation  and  repentance  for  their  sins. 
The  Day  of  Atonement  ought  to  have  been 
kept  on  the  tenth  of  this  month.  It  liad  prob- 
ably been  passed  over,  as  requiring  more  sol- 
emn preparation  and  a  more  orderly  arrange- 
ment of  the  Temple  service  than  was  yet  possi- 
ble. In  its  place  a  fast  was  held  two  days  after 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  on  the  twenty-fourth 
day  of  Tisri.  All  who  were  of  the  seed  of 
Israel,  carefully  separating  themselves  from  the 
strangers,  appeared  in  the  deepest  mourning, 
clad  in  sackcloth,  and  with  earth  upon  their 
heads.  The  day  seems  to  have  been  divided 
into  four  equal  parts,  only  broken  by  the  inter- 
vals necessary  for  refreshment.  The  first  three 
hours  were  devoted  to  the  reading  of  the  law. 
The  morning  sacrifice  fitly  introduced  the  sec- 
ond quarter,  which  was  spent  in  silent  confes- 
sion and  prayer.  When  the  hour  of  noon  was 
]iast,  the  Levites,  arranged  on  the  steps  of  the 
Temple  porch,  or  on  a  scaffold  ertctcil  for  the 
purpose,  called  upon  the  people  to  stand  up 
and  bless  Jehovah.  Then  in  a  solemn  prayer, 
the  epitome  of  which  is  a  fit  model  for  all  such 
services,  they  recited  God's  mercies  from  the 
first  call  of  Abram  ;  they  confessed  the  sins  of 
their  forefathers,  and  God's  forbeanince  in  pun- 
ishing without  utterly  consuming  them  ;  and 
they  acknowledged  His  justice  in  their  present 
state  of  humiliation  ami  gnat  distress,  as  ser- 
vants to  the  kings  set  over  them  for  their  sins, 
to  whom  their  land  yielded  its  increase,  and 
who  had  dominion  over  their  bodies  and  cattle 
at  their  pleasure.  Submissive  to  God's  will, 
they  ended  by  making  a  new  covenant  with 
Him  ;  and  before  the  sun  set,  it  was  recorded 


SECTION  63.     OUTLINE  OF  EVENTS  NARRATED  IN  CHAPS.   S-10.        561 


in  writing,  and  sealed  by  the  princes,  priests, 
and  Levitcs,  whose  names  are  recorded  b}'  Ne- 
heiniah,  while  the  rest  of  the  people  bound 
themselves  by  a  curse  and  an  oath  to  walk  in 
the  law  which  God  had  given  by  Moses.  The 
chief  points  of  this  covenant  were  :  To  make 
no  intermarriages  with  the  heathen  ;  to  abstain 
from  traffic  on  the  Sabbath,  and  to  keep  the 
sabbatic  year,  with  its  release  of  all  debts  ;  to 
pay  a  yearly  tax  of  a  third  of  a  shekel  for  the 
services  of  the  sanctuary,  which  are  carefully 
enumerated  ;  to  offer  the  first-fruits  and  first- 
bom,  and  the  tithes  due  to  the  Levitcs  and  the 
priests  ;  and,  in  one  final  word,  "  We  will  not 
forsake  the  house  of  our  God."  To  most 
points  of  this  covenant  they  remained  faithful 
in  the  letter.  The  sins  of  the  Jewish  nation 
took  henceforth  a  direction  altogether  different 
from  the  open  rebellion  and  apostasy  of  their 
fathers.  The  more  scrupulous  their  observ- 
ance of  the  law,  the  more  did  they  make  it  void 
by  their  traditions  and  pervert  it  to  serve  their 
selfishness.     P.  S. 

§  :  I-I2.  General  account  of  tlie  reading  of 
the  Law.  The  events  of  the  first  day  of  the 
seventh  month  were  the  reading  of  the  Law  and 
certain  results  that  followed.  We  have,  first, 
a  general  account  (verses  1-3)  ;  second,  details 
in  ri'gard  to  the  reading  (verses  4-8)  ;  third,  the 
weeping  that  followed,  and  the  way  in  which 
the  weeping  was  dealt  with  (verses  9-12). 
Nehemiah  under.'^tood  the  importance  of  keep- 
ing an  enterprise  in  motion.  As  soon  as  the 
wall  was  completed,  the  twenty -fifth  day  of  the 
sixth  month  (Neh.  6  :  15),  before  the  enthusiasm 
over  that  achievement  had  time  to  cool,  he 
pushed  forward  to  accomplish  yet  greater 
things  ;  utilizing  for  his  first  movement  the 
great  national  day  of  the  blowing  of  trumpets. 
W.  J.  B. 

].  Tliey  spake  unto  Ezra  the 
scribe.  This  is  the  first  mention  of  Ezra  in 
the  present  book,  and  the  first  proof  we  have 
had  that  he  was  contemporary  with  Nehemiah. 
B.  C. A  gap  of  twelve  or  thirteen  j'cars  oc- 
curs between  the  narrative  with  which  the 
Bonk  of  Ezra  ends,  and  the  next  appearance 
which  Ezra  makes  upon  the  scene  of  history. 
It  is  uncertain  how  he  was  employed  during 
this  interval.  "  As  Ezra's  commission  was 
only  of  a  temporary  nature,"  says  Bishop 
Arthur  Ilervey,  "  to  inquire  concerning  Judah 
and  .Jerusalem,  and  to  carry  thither  the  silver 
and  gold  which  the  king  and  his  counsellors 
had  freely  offered  unto  the  God  of  Israel,  and 
as  there  is  no  trace  whatever  of  his  presence  at 
Jerusalem  between  the  eighth  and  the  twentieth 


year  of  Artaxerxes,  it  seems  probable  that, 
after  he  had  effected  his  reformation,  and  had 
appointed  competent  judges  and  magistrates, 
with  authority  to  maintain  it,  he  himself  re- 
turned to  the  King  of  Persia.  This  is  in  itself 
what  one  would  expect,  and  what  is  borne  out 
by  the  parallel  case  of  Nehemiah  ;  and  it  also 
accounts  for  the  abrupt  termination  of  Ezra's 
narrative,  and  for  that  relapse  of  the  Jews  into 
their  former  irregularities  which  is  apparent  in 
the  Book  of  Nehemiah.  Such  a  relapse,  and 
such  a  state  of  affairs  at  Jerusalem  in  general, 
could  scarcely  have  occurred  if  Ezra  had  con- 
tinued there."  On  these  grounds  it  seems  best 
to  conclude  that  from  B.C.  457  to  B.C.  445  the 
great  priest  and  scribe  was  absent  from  the 
holy  city,  either  employed  by  the  Persian  mon- 
arch in  other  secular  work,  or  pursuing  his  lit- 
erary labors  in  retirement,  at  Babylon  or  else- 
where. 

But  a  time  came  when,  again,  a  call  was  made 
on  him  to  return  to  Jerusalem — the  cradle  and 
citadel  of  his  race — and  resume  an  active  siiper- 
intendence  over  the  community,  which  had 
been  the  object  of  his  deep  affection  and  dili- 
gent care  twelve  years  before.  But,  this  time, 
he  was  not  to  be  in  sole  charge.  Providence 
had  provided  him  with  a  coadjutor  in  the  per- 
son of  Nehemiah — a  man  after  his  own  heart — 
zealous,  active,  intensely  pious,  and  profoundly 
anxious  for  the  true  well-being  of  his  nation. 
The  two  were  excellently  fitted  to  assist  and 
supplement  each  other.  One  possessed  in  a 
high  degree  the  qualities  needed  in  a  political 
leader,  was  an  active  warrior,  a  sagacious  states- 
man, well  suited  to  grapple  with  practical  dan- 
gers and  difficulties  of  all  kinds  ;  the  other  was 
above  all  things  a  teacher,  able  to  impres.'i 
men's  minds,  to  expound,  convince,  persuade, 
instruct,  educate,  guide  in  the  way  of  true 
knowledge  and  pure  religion. 

Various  reforms — which,  while  in  some  re- 
spects they  restricted  the  liberties  and  increased 
the  burdens  of  the  Judean  community,  were 
yet  of  the  highest  advantage  to  it,  by  calling 
out  its  patriotism  and  waking  up  its  religious 
zeal — must  be  assigned  to  the  conjoint  efforts 
of  the  two  Hebrew  leaders,  who  worked  to- 
gether in  the  most  jjerfect  harmony  and  agree- 
ment. The  exact  time  which  they  occupied  ia 
uncertain  ;  but  it  is  on  the  whole  most  probable 
that  they  were  begun  and  concluded  within  the 
space  of  a  few  months.  The  Book  of  Nehe- 
miiili  is  deficient  in  chronological  notices  ;  and. 
having  been  compiled  from  a  number  of  dis- 
tinct documents,  lends  itself  to  various  inter- 
pretations.    Nehemiah's   governorship    lasted 


562 


JiOOK  OF  NKnEMTAU. 


ccrtiiiiily  for  above  twelve  yeurs  (Nch.  5  :  14  ; 
13  : 6)  ;  but  during  what  portiou  of  this  time 
Ezra  was  associated  with  him  cannot  be  de- 
termined. The  hiter  Israel,  the  Israel  of  the 
times  of  the  llaecabees,  and  of  our  Lord's  day, 
was  the  natural  fruit  and  outcome  of  their  ex- 
ertions. Without  them  it  is  almost  certain  that 
the  wall  of  partition  between  Israel  and  the 
heathen,  which  wsus  absolutely  indispensable 
under  the  circumstances,  as  even  Kueueu  ad- 
mits, would  have  been  broken  down,  and  the 
small  Jewish  nation  would  have  lost  itself 
among  its  neighbors,  and  have  vanished  with- 
out leaving  a  trace  behind.     G.  II. 

Tlie  Book  of  the  Law  of  noses. 
Evidently  this  book  contained  the  laws  which 
they  w'ere  proposing  to  enforce  ;  and  the  prayer 
given  in  chap.  9,  as  having  been  otTered  after 
several  days  of  public  reading  from  the  Book 
of  the  Law,  is  largely  a  recapitulation  of  the 
contents  of  the  book.  Applying  these  tests,  it 
is  evident  that  tliis  book  included  our  present 
Pentateuch  (unless  somebody  can  prove  differ- 
ences in  details)  ;  but  it  is  not  so  evident  that 
Ezra's  Book  of  the  Law  was  limited  to  the  Pen- 
tateuch. The  recapitulation  in  chap.  9  passes 
without  a  break  from  the  history  recorded  in 
the  Pentateuch  to  that  recorded  in  the  follow- 
ing books  ;  and  the  law  again.st  intermarriage 
wit  h  foreigners,  as  enforced  by  Ezra  and  Ne- 
heiniah,  is  not  found  in  tlie  Pentateuch,  save  as 
the  Pentateuch  may  bercganled  as  interpreted 
or  supplemented  by  the  other  books.  Directly, 
the  Pentateuch  only  forbids  intermarriage  with 
Canaanites.     W.  J.  B. 

Princes,  priests,  Levites,  and  jjcoplc  receive 
Ezra's  copy  of  the  law  as  of  unquestionable 
authority,  and  submit  to  it  without  opposition, 
tliough  such  submission,  as  we  have  .seen,  in- 
volved sacrifices  the  most  distressing  on  the 
part  of  great  numbers  of  the  people,  many  of 
whom  were  of  higli  rank  and  authority. 
Again  :  Ezra,  Nehcmiah,  and  the  princes  of  the 
people  went  on  harmoniously,  as  well  as  zeal- 
ously, in  the  work  of  civil  and  ecclcsiiustical 
reform — a  reform  of  great  breadth  and  thor- 
oughness, since  it  embraced  the  following  speci- 
fications :  the  engagement  of  the  people  in  a 
solemn  covenant  to  walk  in  Goil's  law,  as  giv- 
en by  Moses  ;  the  reniuiciation  and  avoidance 
of  all  intermarriages  with  idolatrous  nations  ; 
the  rigid  sanetification  of  the  S.abbath  ;  the 
observance  of  the  sabbatical  year  and  the  non- 
cxaction  of  debts  therein  ;  the  payment  of  a  tax 
of  a  third  of  a  shekel  yearly  for  the  service  of 
the  Temi)le  ;  the  bringing  of  the  first-fruits  of 
the  ground,  of  their  sons,  and  of  tlieir  cattle,  to 


the  hou.se  of  the  Lord  ;  and  the  giving  of  tithes 
to  the  priests  and  Levites  of  all  the  proceeds  of 
the  land  (Nc'h.  10  :  39-37).  These  details  cover 
no  inconsiilerable  part  of  tin;  Pentateuch  as  we 
now  have  it  ;  and  these  details  could  not  have 
been  compiled  at  or  subsecjuently  to  the  time 
of  the  first  return  of  the  Jews  out  of  their  ('ap- 
tivity.     E.  C.  W. 

4.  Everytliing  was  prepared.  Ezra  luid  had 
a  platform  of  wood  constructed  in  the  sijuare, 
and  had  taken  his  station  upon  it  at  early  dawn, 
together  with  thirteen  other  priests,  .six  of 
them,  with  himself,  occupying  one  side  of  the 
platform,  and  the  remaining  seven  the  oth(!r. 
He  had  brought  "  the  Book  of  the  Law"  with 
him,  and  "  opened  it  in  the  sight  of  all  the 
people"  (verse  o),  while  the  people  "stood  up" 
in  the  attitude  of  attention  and  respect.  Pref- 
acing his  reading  with  an  ascription  of  praise 
to  Almighty  God,  whereto  all  the  people  re- 
sponded by  a  shout  of  "Amen,  amen"  (verse 
6),  he  proceeded  to  read  out  such  portions  of 
the  law  to  the  assembled  multitude  as  he 
judged  best,  and  continued  his  occupation 
from  early  morning  to  midday  (verse  3).  Dis- 
tributed among  the  people  were  thirteen  Le- 
vites, whose  tiisk  it  was  to  repeat,  and,  where 
necessary,  to  explain  the  words  read  by  Ezra. 
G.  R. 

Those  colonists  did  not  leave  comfortable 
homes  in  Babylon  to  set  up  a  temple  at  Jerusa- 
lem whose  ritual  had,  in  their  estimation,  any- 
thing short  of  a  Divine  sanction.  Ezra  brings 
forth  the  book,  and  the  people  receive  it,  as 
the  law  of  Moses,  the  ancient  constitution  of 
the  nation  which  thej'  had  sacrificed  so  much 
to  restoro  ;  and  the  modern  theory  gives  no  swl- 
equate  explanation  of  this  dee]jly  rooted  na- 
tional belief.  Ezra  is  a  restorer,  not  an  inno- 
vator. And  although  the  high  regard  to  Scrip- 
ture which  he  inaugurated  degenerated  into  a 
slavish  worship  of  the  letter,  and  the  attention 
to  the  legal  element  ran  into  extravagance,  it  is 
the  great  merit  of  him  and  his  associates  tliat, 
at  a  critical  time,  they  preserved  the  ancient 
writings  which  show  how  from  earliest  times 
the  [)eople  of  Israel  had  been  the  cliaimel  of 
the  revelation  of  God's  will  to  mankind,  and 
rallied  around  these  writings  the  wondrous 
people  that  has  been  from  agi^  to  age  the  wit- 
ness of  God's  truth  to  the  world.  Jmiwji  Hubert- 
son. 

9-18.  Through  the  study  of  God's  wonl 
there  came  to  tliese  people  a  revelation  of  them- 
selves that  made  them  ashamed  and  sorrowful. 
But  through  the  same  study  there  came  to  them 
a  revelation  of  God  that  made  them  glad  and 


SECTION  63.     GLADNESS  OF  THE  CONGREGATED  PEOPLE. 


563 


exultant.  Thrnagli  twenty-three  dii3-s  of  glud- 
sonie  public  services  Nehemiuh  fostered  in  them 
this  strength  that  conies  from  studj'ing  Jeho- 
vah's law,  and  rejoicing  in  Him.  In  token  of 
this  joy,  they  went  out  by  public  proclamation 
into  the  mountain  country,  and  brought  in 
green  branches,  and  covered  the  roofs  and 
streets  and  open  squares  of  Jerusalem  with  the 
booths  in  which  dwelt  the  people  who  were 
keeping  festival.     W.  J.  B. 

It  strikes  one  as  touching  and  strange  that 
such  an  assembly  should  be  needed  after  so 
many  centuries  of  national  existence.  It  sums 
np  in  one  vivid  picture  the  sin  and  suffering  of 
the  nation.  To  observe  that  law  had  been  the 
condition  of  their  prosperity.  To  bind  it  on 
their  hearts  should  have  been  their  delight  and 
would  have  been  their  life  ;  and  here,  after  all 
these  generations,  the  best  of  the  nation  are  as- 
sembled, so  ignorant  of  it  that  they  cannot  even 
(inderstand  it  when  they  hear  it.  Absorption 
with  worldly  things  has  an  awful  power  of 
dulling  spiritual  apprehension.  Neglect  of 
God's  law  weakens  the  power  of  understand- 
ing it.  This  scene  was  in  the  truest  sense  a 
"revival."  We  may  learn  the  true  way  of 
bringing  men  back  to  God — viz.,  the  faithful 
exposition  and  enforcement  of  God's  will  and 
word.  We  may  learn,  too,  what  should  be  the 
aim  of  public  teachers  of  religion — viz.,  first 
and  foremost,  the  clear  setting  forth  of  God's 
truth.  Their  first  business  is  to  "  give  the 
sense,  so  that  they  understand  tlie  reading  ;" 
and  that,  not  for  merely  intellectual  purposes, 
but  that,  like  the  crowd  outside  the  water  gate 
on  that  hot  noonday,  men  ma}'  be  moved  to 
penitence,  and  then  lifted  to  the  joy  of  tlie  Lord. 

10.  The  first  day  of  the  seventh  month  was 
the  feast  of  trumpets  ;  and  when  the  reading 
was  over,  and  its  effects  of  tears  and  sorrow  for 
disobedience  were  seen,  the  preachers  changed 
their  tone,  to  bring  consolation  and  exhort 
to  gladness.  Nehemiah  had  taken  no  part  in 
reading  the  Law,  as  Ezra  the  priest  and  his  Le- 
vites  were  more  appropriately  set  to  that.  But 
he  joins  them  in  exhorting  the  people  to  dry 
their  tears  and  go  joyfully  to  the  feast.  These 
exhortations  contain  many  thoughts  universally 
applicable.  They  teach  that  even  those  who 
are  most  conscious  of  sin  and  breaches  of  God's 
law  should  weep  indeed,  but  should  swiftly 
pass  from  tears  to  joy.  They  do  not  teach  how 
that  passage  is  to  be  effected  ;  and  in  so  far  they 
are  imperfect,  and  need  to  be  supplemented  by 
the  New  Testament  teaching  of  forgiveness 
through  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  in 
their  clear    di:icernment    that   sorrow    is    not 


meant  to  be  a  permanent  characteristic  of  re- 
ligion, and  that  gladness  is  a  more  acceptable 
offering  than  tears,  they  teach  a  valuable  les- 
son, needed  always  by  men  who  fanc}'  that  they 
must  atone  for  their  sins  by  their  own  sadness, 
and  that  religion  is  gloomy,  harsh,  and  crabbed. 

Further,  these  exhortations  to  festal  gladness 
breathe  the  characteristic  Old  Testament  tone 
of  wholesome  eujoj-ment  of  material  good  as  a 
part  of  religion.  The  way  of  looking  at  eating 
and  drinking  and  the  like  as  capable  of  being 
made  acts  of  worship  has  been  too  often  forgot- 
ten by  two  kinds  of  men — saints  who  have 
sought  sanctity  in  asceticism  ;  and  sensualists 
who  have  taken  deep  draughts  of  such  pleas- 
ures without  calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
and  so  have  failed  to  find  His  gifts  a  cup  of  sal- 
vation. It  is  possible  to  "  eat  and  drink  and 
see  God."  as  the  ciders  of  Israel  did  on  Sinai. 

Further,  the  plain  duty  of  remembering  the 
needy  while  we  enjoy  God's  gifts  is  beautifully 
enjoined  here.  The  principle  underlying  the 
commandment  to  send  portions  to  them  for 
whom  nothing  is  provided — that  is,  no  feast 
has  been  dressed — is  that  all  gifts  are  held  in 
trust,  that  nothing  is  bestowed  on  us  for  our 
own  good  only,  but  that  we  are  in  all  things 
stewards.  The  law  extends  to  the  smallest  and 
to  the  greatest  possessions.  We  have  no  right 
to  feast  on  anything  unless  we  share  it,  whether 
it  bo  festal  dainties  or  the  bread  that  came  down 
from  heaven.  To  share  our  portion  with  others 
is  the  way  to  make  our  portion  greater  as  well 
as  sweeter. 

Further,  "  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  your 
strength."  By  strength  here  seems  to  be 
meant  a  stronghold.  If  we  fix  our  desires  on 
God,  and  have  trained  our  hearts  to  find  sweeter 
delights  in  communion  with  Him  than  in  any 
earthly  good,  our  religion  will  have  lifted  us 
above  mists  and  clouds  into  clear  air  above, 
where  sorrows  and  changes  will  lla^'e  little 
power  to  affect  us.  If  we  are  to  rejoice  in  the 
Lord,  it  will  be  possible  for  us  to  "  rejoice 
always."  And  that  joy  will  be  as  a  refuge 
from  all  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to.  Dwelling 
in  God,  we  shall  dwell  safely,  and  be  far  from 
the  fear  of  evil.     A.  M. 

The  crowning  revelation  of  Old  Testament 
times  is  given  to  that  reformer  who,  coming  up 
from  the  land  of  exile  to  re-create  and  renew 
the  people  of  the  Lord,  cheers  and  inspirits  them 
with  the  assurance  that  God  overflows  with  de- 
light in  His  chosen,  works  out  their  salvation 
in  a  festal  mood,  and  commissions  them  to 
minister  to  each  other's  necessities  with  un- 
grudging bounty  and  a  deathless  hope  ;  for, 


564 


BOOK  OF  NEIIEmAH. 


says  he,  "the  joy  of  the  Lonl  is  your 
strength."  God's  joy  a  stronghold  !  Assuredly 
and  unspeakably.  When  once  there  is  breathe<i 
into  us,  so  as  to  (ill  and  uplift  us  above  the  low 
zones  of  our  world-life,  this  sense  of  the  eternal 
Fatherdelighting  in  the  sons  of  men  and  in  tlie 
mercy  He  gives  them,  forthwith  the  world  of 
nature  is  a  new  creation,  instinct  with  a  new 
significance,  and  potent  with  an  evangelical 
energy.  Nor  is  this  less  true  of  the  bitter  and 
painful  experiences  that  make  .so  large  and  ob- 
trusive a  portion  of  our  earthly  life  ;  for  they, 
too,  an^  a  part  of  the  Divine  order  and  plan  of 
a  loving  and  rejoicing  Father,  who  finds  His 
own  joy  diminished  by  our  needless  pain,  and 
is  seeking  by  all  means  to  make  us  partakers  of 
His  holiness,  so  that  we  may  be  sharers  of  His 
happiness.  The  joy  of  the  Jjord  is  a  strong- 
hold into  which  we  may  run  and  be  safe  from 
the  fear  of  death.  The  joy  of  the  Lord  is  the 
source  of  our  active,  self-forgetting  generosity. 
Whatever  God  is  for  us  and  to  us,  it  is  that  we 
may  be  the  same  for  and  to  others.  The  ex- 
haustless  fountain  of  the  Divine  gladness  tills 
our  cisterns  till  they  overflow  for  the  refresh- 
ing of  a  thirsty  world.  Joy  in  the  Lord  is 
strength,  positive,  actual  power,  for  ministry. 
J.  Clifford. 

Nature  and  grace  alike  testify  that  there  is 
strength  in  jo}-.  A  sorrowful  man  is  a  dis- 
pirited man.  Melancholy  breeds  despair.  Tears 
in  the  eyes  blind  the  sight.  Even  when  sanc- 
tified affliction  imparts  new  power  to  the  soul, 
as  unquestionably  it  does,  so  that  there  is  a 
victory  through  sorrow,  it  is  by  an  exercise 
of  faith  which  supplants  the  natural  grief  by 
a  joy  and  peace  in  God — a  truth  recognized  bj' 
the  words  of  Scripture  concerning  "  chasten- 
ing," that  "  afterward  it  worketh  the  jicaa-aUe 
fruit  of  righteousness."      W.  W.   Pattun. 

No  vehement  resolutions,  no  sense  of  j-our 
own  .sinfulness,  nor  even  contrite  remembrance 
of  past  failures,  ever  made  a  man  strong  vet. 
It  made  him  weak  that  he  might  become  strong, 
and  when  it  had  done  that  it  had  done  its  work. 
For  strength  there  must  be  hope,  for  strength 
there  must  be  joy.  If  the  arm  is  to  smite  with 
vigor,  it  must  smite  at  the  bidding  of  a  calm 
and  light  heart.  The  Christian  work  is  of  such 
a  sort  as  that  the  most  dangerous  opponent  to 
it  is  simple  despondency  and  simple  sorrow. 
"  The  joy  of  the  Lonl  is  strength."  You  are 
weak  unless  you  are  glad  ;  you  are  not  glad 
and  strong  unless  your  faith  and  hoi)e  are  li.\ed 
in  Christ,  and  unless  you  are  working  from  and 
not  toward  the  assurance  of  salvation,  from  and 
not  towaixi  the  sense  of  pardon,  from  and  not 


toward  the  conviction  of  acceptance  with  God  ! 

A.  M. Those  who  .serve  God  slavishly  from 

no  other  motive  loftier  than  fear  know  nothing 
of  spiritual  joy.  The  service  of  love  is  full  of 
freedom,  full  of  gladness,  full  of  power.  It 
finds  sweetness  in  self-siK^ifice,  delights  in  giv- 
ing, makes  duty  a  constant  delight,  ennobles 
the  most  menial  tasks  by  performing  them  roy- 
ally. It  makes  the  joy  of  the  Lord  our 
strength.     Anon. 

Our  religion  is  not  quite  religion  until  it  is 
clothed  in  a  shining  robe  of  gladness.  It  is 
only  i)otent  in  degree  as  it  becomes  itself  a  glad- 
ness in  us.  All  through  the  books  of  Mo.ses  wi' 
hear  the  perpetual  overtone  of  an  eleventh  com- 
mandment, Thou  shalt  not  clothe  religion  in  the 
garments  of  heaviness.  "And  yc  uli  nil" — not 
the  mere  promise,  the  command — "  rejoice  be- 
fore the  Lord  your  God."  "  And  thou  shalt 
be  altogether  joyful."  In  other  words,  we  are 
not  merely  to  give  ourselves  good  ground  for 
jo)",  and  let  joy  spring  as  it  will,  but  we  are  to 
sow  joy  in  that  ground,  and  cultivate  and  har- 
vest it.  We  are  to  strive  to  make,  and  feel. 
and  show,  every  part  and  aspect  of  our  religion 
delightful.  What  gives  religion  this  vast  ad- 
vantage ?  First,  it  is  the  joy  of  contrition. 
Every  child  that  has  ever  repented,  and  con- 
fessed a  fault  to  a  loving  parent,  knows  what 
that  is.  Next,  it  is  the  joy  of  reconciliation  to 
Grod,  and  harmony  with  His  purposes  and  plans. 
Then,  it  is  the  joy  of  loving  and  being  hived  by 
God.  And  again,  it  is  the  joy  of  seeing  and 
feeling  everything,  whether  it  seemeth  for  the 
present  joj'ous  or  grievous  work,  and  making 
it  work  in  us  the  perfecting  of  that  image  of 
God,  that  Christ-likeness,  which  true  religion 
makes  our  supreme  desire.  And,  lastly,  it  i-i 
the  joy  of  Goil's  personal  presence  with  us,  and 
personal  and  entire  care  over  us  ;  or,  rather,  this 
is  the  last — the  taking  of  all  our  joys  to  God, 
and  God  into  all  our  joys.      Cnbli'. 

When  we  speak  of  joy,  we  do  not  speak  of 
something  we  are  after,  but  of  something  that 
will  come  to  us,  when  we  are  after  God  and 
duty.  It  is  a  prize  unbought,  and  is  freest, 
purest  in  its  flow,  when  it  comes  unsought. 
No  getting  into  heaven,  as  a  place,  will  com- 
pass it.  You  must  carry  it  with  you,  else  it  is 
not  there.  Y'ou  must  have  it  in  you,  as  the 
musi<'  of  a  well-ordered  soid,  the  lire  of  a  holy 
purpose,  the  welling  up,  out  of  the  central 
depths,  of  eternal  springs  that  hide  their  waters 
there.  It  is  the  rest  of  contidenee.  the  blessed- 
ness of  internal  light  and  outflowing  benevo- 
lence— the  highest  form  of  life  and  spiritmil  ma- 
jesty.    Being  the  birth  of  character,  it  has  etcr- 


SECTIOJSr  63.     JOT  IN  GOD   THE  BELIEVER'S  STRENGTH. 


565 


nity  in  it.  Rising  from  within,  it  is  sovereign 
over  all  circunistance  and  hindrance.  It  is  t/ic 
joy  of  the  Lfird  in  the  soul  of  man,  because  it  is 
joy  like  Ilis,  and  because  it  is  from  Ilim,  partici- 
l)ated  by  the  secret  life  of  goodness.     Bus/null. 

Joy  in  the  Lord  is  the  natural  result  of  Chris- 
tian faith.  It  takes  away  the  sense  of  sin.  It 
gives  us,  instead  of  the  torpid  conscience  or  the 
angrily -stinging  conscience — it  gives  us  a  con- 
science all  calm  from  its  accusations,  with  all 
the  sting  drawn  out  of  it  ;  for  quiet  peace  lies 
in  the  heart  of  the  man  that  is  trusting  in  the 
Lord.  The  Gospel  works  joy,  because  the  soul 
is  at  rest  in  God  ;  joy,  because  every  function 
of  the  spiritual  nature  has  found  now  its  haven 
and  its  object  ;  jcy,  because  health  has  come, 
and  the  healthy  working  of  the  body  or  of  the 
spirit  is  itself  a  gladness  ;  joy,  because  the  dim 
future  is  painted  (where  it  is  painted  at  all)  with 
shapes  of  light  and  beauty,  and  because  the 
very  vagueness  of  these  is  an  element  in  the 
greatness  of  its  revelation.  The  joy  that  is  in 
Christ  is  deep  and  abiding.  Faith  in  Him  nat- 
urally works  gladness.     A.  M. 

9  :  1-3S.  The  feast  was  over — the  "  solemn 
assembly"  of  the  eighth  daj'  had  been  held — 
and  the  Judean  community,  assembled  from  the 
farthest  points  of  the  territory,  from  Hebron 
and  Ijeersheba,  from  Ziklag,  Jarmuth  and 
Tjachish,  from  Bethel,  from  Jericho  and  Tekoa, 
expected  probably  to  be  dismissed  to  their 
homes,  when  a  further  religious  duty  was  laid 
upon  them.  The  desire  to  weep  and  mourn 
and  afflict  themselves,  which  Nchemiah  and 
Eizra  had  checked  when  it  showed  itself  inop- 
portunely on  the  first  day  of  Tisri  (8  :  3-9),  was 
now  to  be  gratified.  The  feast  having  been 
celebrattd  and  one  day  of  rest  allowed  them, 
the  twentj'-fourth  of  Tisri  was  appointed  to  be 
a  day  of  humiliation  and  abstinence,  on  which 
another  solemn  assembly  should  be  held,  a  con- 
fession of  sin  made,  and  a  formal  renewal  of 
their  covenant  with  God  entered  into  by  the 
whole  people.  The  real  heart  of  the  people  had 
been  touched  ;  and  on  the  twenty  and  fourth 
day  of  the  seventh  month  "  the  children  of 
Israel  assembled  with  fasting,  and  with  sack- 
cloth and  earth  upon  them"  (verse  1).  They 
had  carefully  "separated  themselves  from  all 
strangers"  (verse  2),  and  having  gathered  them- 
selves together  in  the  Temple  court,  "  they 
stood  and  confessed  their  sins  and  the  iniquities 
of  tlieir  fathers."  Pas.sages  from  the  law  were 
rciid  to  them  by  the  Levites  during  a  fourth 
part  of  the  day  (verse  3)  ;  then  during  another 
fourth  part  the  people  knelt  and  confessed 
their  sins  to  God  and  worshipped  Him  ;  after 


this  they  rose  up  from  their  knees,  and,  stand- 
ing each  in  his  place,  blessed  and  praised  tlie 
Lord  (verse  5),  according  to  a  set  form  of  words, 
which  Ezra  probably  composed,  and  which 
has  been  preserved  to  us  in  the  Book  of  Ne- 
hemiah  (verses  5-38).  God's  many  mercies  were 
recounted,  and  the  people's  many  backslidings  ; 
Ilis  justice  was  acknowledged,  and  His  mercy 
appealed  to  ;  it  was  solemnly  represented  to 
Him  that  His  people  were  "  in  great  distress" 
(verse  37)  ;  and  then  the  covenant  was  renewed 
— not.  as  on  former  occasions,  merely  b}-  word 
of  mouth,  but  in  a  documentary  form  (verse  38) 
— a  formal  deed  being  drawn  out,  to  which  the 
princes,  Levites,  and  priests  appended  their 
seals,  and  which  was  no  doubt  laid  up  in  the 
national  archives.     G.  R. 

6.  Tlioii  lia§t  made.  The  history  of 
the  creation  in  Genesis  is  not  merely  a  cos- 
mogonic  accoimt  of  primitive  date,  but  above 
all  else  it  is  an  express  counter-statement  op- 
posed to  the  conceptions  of  Egypt  and  of  Baby- 
lon. The  latter  were  formed  in  regions  cither 
naturally  fertile  or  early  animated  by  commer- 
cial intercourse  ;  the  Mosaic  idea  emerges  upon 
the  lonely  heights  of  Sinai,  which  no  terrestrial 
vicissitudes  have  ever  touched,  and  where  noth- 
ing interposes  between  God  and  the  world. 
With  the  Egyptians  and  Babylonians  every- 
thing Is  developed  from  the  innate  powers  of 
the  sun,  the  stars,  and  the  earth  itself.  Jehovah, 
on  the  other  hand,  appears  as  the  Creator  of 
hea^'en  and  earth,  as  both  the  originator  and 
the  orderer  of  the  world.  With  the  Egyptians 
man  is  not  distinguished  in  kind  from  the  sun. 
from  which  he  issues,  rather  as  a  product  than 
as  a  creature,  and  the  same  is  true  of  the  Baby- 
lonian cosmogony,  where  the  Divine  element  in 
man  is  onlj'  revealed  through  the  blood  of  a  God 
cliancing  to  fall  down  to  earth.  All  creatures 
are  generically  the  same  with  man.  In  the 
Mosaic  cosmogony,  on  the  other  hand,  the  ele- 
ments, i^lants,  and  animals  are  called  into  being 
by  a  supreme,  intelligent  Will,  which  creates  in 
the  last  place  man  after  His  own  image.  The 
divergence  is  immeasurable.  In  a  passage  which 
criticism  asserts  to  belong  to  the  oldest  form  of 
the  original  account,  to  man  is  assigned  lord- 
ship over  the  fishes  of  the  sea,  the  fowls  of  the 
air,  and  all  beasts  which  move  upon  the  earth. 
This  is  aconception  distinct  from  that  prevalent 
in  Egypt,  where  the  bull  is  worshipped  with 
divine  honors  as  symboling  the  creative  powers 
of  nature.  The  idea  of  Jehovah,  far  from  hav- 
ing arisen  from  nature-worship,  is  set  up  in  op 
position  to  it.     Ranke. 

Heaven,  the  earth,  and  all  thingr§. 


566 


BOOK  OF  NETTEmMT. 


It  astonislips  nil  thniislit  to  observe  the  minute 
uess  of  God's  governinenl,  and  of  the  niitund 
and  eonimou  processes  which  1  Ic  Ciirries  on  from 
day  today.  His  dominions  are  spread  out,  sys- 
tem beyond  system,  system  above  system,  fill- 
ing all  height  and  latitude,  but  He  is  never  lost 
in  the  vast  or  magnifieent.  He  descends  to  an 
infinite  detail,  and  builds  a  little  universe  in 
the  smallest  things.  He  carries  on  a  process  of 
growth  in  everj'  tree,  and  llower,  and  living 
thing  ;  accomplishes  in  esich  an  internal  organi- 
zation and  works  the  functions  of  an  internal 
aboratory,  too  delicate  all  for  eye  or  instrument 
to  trace.  He  articulates  the  members  and  im- 
pels the  instincts  of  every  living  mote  that 
shines  in  the  sunbeam.  As  wlien  we  ascend 
toward  the  distant  and  the  vast,  so  when  we 
descend  toward  the  minute,  we  see  His  atten- 
tion acuminated,  and  His  skill  concentrated  on 
His  object  ;  and  the  last  diseernible  particle 
dies  out  of  our  sight  with  the  same  divine  glory 
on  it  as  on  the  last  orb  that  glimmers  in  the 
skirt  of  the  universe.     Bushiidl. 

liegard  Nature  as  transparent,  as  a  window 
to  look  through  and  see  the  living  powers  of 
infinite  love  and  wisdom  in  manifestation  and 
operation  ;  then  she  both  gladdens  your  affec- 
tions and  charms  and  invigorates  your  mind. 
On  the  other  hand,  regard  Nature  as  her  own 
cause — then  she  becomes  opaque  ;  and  the  mind 
of  the  inquirer  is  confounded,  darkened,  and 
brought  to  a  dead  stand.  In  this  case  man 
finds  himself  shut  up  within  limits  which  are 
too  little  for  his  nature,  and  which  yield  no  ex- 
planation or  solution  of  his  existence  ;  in  the 
other  case  he  passes  on  through  an  open  door  to 
the  Infinite  Presence,  and  sees  before  him  his 
own  endless  way.  The  distinction  is  between 
being  in  a  prison,  within  which  your  grave  is 
waiting  for  you,  and  being  in  a  preparatorj- 
school  of  discipline  and  culture,  to  be  (lualified 
in  due  time  for  society,  service,  honor,  and  bliss 
in  the  home  kingdom  of  larger  space  and  clearer 
light.     PuUfard. 

For  the  susceptibility  to  natural  beauty  and 
grandeur  God  has  provided.  Nature  is  full  of 
objects  that  correspond  to  this  ;  it  is  among  our 
purest  and  best  sources  of  enjoyment,  and  is 
the  forerunner  and  type  of  the  liigher  enjoy- 
ment from  the  beauty  of  holiness.  But  the 
moral  susceptibilities  can  be  aw-akencd  only  by 
charactei'.  For  these  the  great  provision  is  in 
God  Himself,  who,se  character  is  perfect  ;  but 
aside  from  this,  these  susceptibilities  may  be 
drawn  out  in  high  activity  by  human  charac- 
ter. If  all  people  were  to  reflect  the  image  of 
.Clirist  in  their  radical  character,  the  ideals  of 


literature  and  art,  or  rather  something  more 
lieautiful  and  better,  w^ould  live  and  act  before 
us.  and  no  one  can  estimate  the  enhanced  joy 
from  moral  beauty.     Mark  ILipkiiiK. 

The  hoHt  of  heaxxn  in  the  Old  Testament  in- 
cludes, as  this  passage  of  Nehemiah  shows,  the 
lu'ii  rr Illy  hutUcii  and  the  rtienlinl  npirits.  The  Old 
Testament  distinctly  maintains  not  only  the 
crcdturehood  of  the  heavenly  host  (Ps.  33  :  6), 
but  also  the  distinction  of  the  two  above-named 
cla.s.ses.  It  is  only  b_v  a  pottioil  prrnDiiifii'ation 
that  the  stars  are  spoken  of  in  the  song  of  Deb- 
orah (Judg.  .5  :  20)  as  the  warriors  of  the  Lord, 
who,  leariiig  their  councn,  descend  to  fight  for 
Israel  against  Sisera,  and  that  the  morning  stars 
are  said  in  Job  38  :  7  to  have  joined  with  the 
angels  in  celebrating  the  morning  of  creation. 
The  greater  the  danger  to  the  Israelites,  sur- 
rounded as  they  were  by  Saba'anism.  of  being 
seduced  into  a  worship  of  the  heavenly  bodies, 
the  more  important  w;ls  it  not  only  tii  declare 
.lehovah's  superiority  to  the  heavenly  bodies, 
and  to  forbid  their  adorati(ui  (De.  4:19;  17  :  3), 
but  also  to  maintain  such  a  view  concerning 
them  as  might  of  itself  exclude  all  worehip  of 
them.  This  is  done  from  Gen.  1  :  14  onward. 
The  heavenly  bodies  are  declared  to  be  merely 
Ught-benrcrs,  created  by  God,  and  as  such  sub- 
serving earthly  purposes.  They  manifest,  in- 
deeil,  by  their  splendor  and  their  course,  the 
greatness  and  wisdom  of  the  Creator  (Ps.  8:4; 
19:5;  Amos  5:8;  .Job  9  :  9  ;  38  :  31  sqq.),  but 
their  brilliancy  admits  of  no  comjiarison  with 
the  Divine  glory.  Thus  they  arc  the  hosts  of 
God,  whom  His  almighty  will  commands  (Isa. 
40  :  26  ;  45  :  12)  ;  they  serve  to  proclaim  and  to 
glorify  His  judgments  (.Joel  3  :  15  ;  Isa.  13  :  10  : 
Ilab.  3  :  11).     O. 

7-31.  Compare  with  this  long  historical 
rt-mniie  the  still  longer  ones  in  Ps.  78  :  5-72  and 
Acts  7  ;  2-47.  God's  dealings  with  His  people 
f  urni.shcd  a  moral  lesson  of  exlra:)rdinary  fore;', 
and  moral  teachers  naturally  made  frequent 
reference  to  them.  But  it  is  not  often  that  we 
have  so  complete  and  elaborate  a  recapitidation 
as  the  present,  which,  beginning  with  the  call 
of  Abraham,  brings  the  history  down  to  the 
time  of  the  Persian  servitude.  God's  goodness 
and  His  people's  ingratitude  form  the  burden 
of  the  whole.     P.  C. 

20.  "  Thou  gavest  Thy  good  .S])irit  to  in 
struct  them"  refers  to  the  occurrence  (Num. 
II  :  17,  25)  where  God  endowed  the  seventy  eld- 
ers with  the  spirit  of  prophecy  for  the  confirma- 
tion of  Moses' authority.    Keil. "  Thougav- 

cst  Thy  good  Spirit  to  instruct  them."  To 
such  it  was  said,  *'  Turn  ye  at  My  reproof  :  I 


SECTION  63.     HISTORY  RECALLED  IN  THE  PRAYER. 


567 


will  pour  out  My  spirit  to  you,  I  will  make 
known  My  words  unto  you"  (Prov.  1  :  33,  24). 
We  see  whence  their  destruction  came,  not  from 
God's  first  restraint  of  Ilis  Spirit,  but  their  re- 
fusing, despising,  and  setting  at  naught  His 
counsels  and  reproofs.  And  when  it  is  said, 
"  They  rebelled  and  vexed  Ilis  Spirit  ;  and  He 
therefore  turned  and  fought  against  them,  and 
became  their  enemy,"  itappears  that  before  His 
Spirit  was  not  withheld,  but  did  variously  and 
often  make  essays  and  attempts  upon  them. 
And  when  Stephen,  immediately  before  his 
martyrdom,  thus  bespeaks  the  descendants  of 
these  Jews,  "  Ye  stiffnccked  and  uncircum- 
cised,  ye  do  always  resist  the  Holy  Ghost ;  as 
your  fathers  did,  so  do  ye,"  it  is  implied,  the 
Holy  Ghost  had  been  always  striving  from  age 
to  age  with  that  stubborn  people.     ILnre. 

30.  many  years  didst  Thou  forbear 
tliem.  The  Ten  Tribes  for  two  hundred  and 
sixty  years  from  the  revolt  of  .Jeroboam,  the  re- 
maining two  tribes  for  one  hundred  and  thirt}'- 
flve  years  longer.  Testifiedst  against 
them  by  Thy  Spirit  in  Tiiy  prophets. 
Compare  '2  K.  17  :  13,  where  the  phra.se  used  is 
nearly  the  same,  and  see  also  3  Chron.  36  ;  15, 
10.  There  was  a  continual  succession  of  proph- 
et-i  from  the  time  of  Solomon  to  and  through 
the  Captivity.  Besides  those  whose  writings 
have  come  down  to  us,  we  find  mention  of 
Ahijah  the  Shilonite,  Iddo  the  seer,  Shemaiah 
the  prophet,  Hanani,  Jehu,  the  son  of  Hanani, 
Elijah,  Elisha,  Micaiah,  the  son  of  Imlah,  Zec- 
hariah,  the  son  of  Jehoiada,  Huldah,  and  (per- 
haps) Hosai.  The  guilt  of  the  .Jewish  poeple 
was  enormously  increased  by  the  fact  that  they 
would  not  give  ear  to  the  exhortations  con- 
stantly addressed  to  them  by  the  messengers  of 
CJod.  Therefore  they  were  delivered  into  the 
hands  of  the  heathen,  or  people  of  the  lands. 
P.  C. 

From  this  prayer  we  see  that  the  history  of 
the  Pentateuch  was  at  that  time  familiar  to  the 
people.  There  is  remarkable  evidence  in  the 
prayer  of  even  a  verbal  acquaintance  with  it. 
The  mention  of  the  fact  that  the  foot  of  the 
Israelites  did  not  swell  in  the  wanderings,  and 
tlio  word  expressing  it,  are  both  peculiar  to  this 
prayer  and  to  De.  8:4.  It  is  highly  improb- 
able, not  to  sa)'  morally  impossible,  that  there 
is  no  allusion  here  to  the  passage  in  Deuteron- 
omy. But,  in  that  case,  it  is  certain  that,  in 
the  time  of  Nehemiah,  Deuteronomy  was  ac- 
cepted as  an  authoritative  record  of  the  wan- 
derings in  the  wilderness.  There  is  evidence 
also  that  the  authors  of  the  prayer  recognized 
in  the  troubles  that  had  befallen  their  nation  a 


fulfilment  of  the  threatenings  which  had  been 
pronounced  against  them  in  the  twenty  eighth 
chapter  of  Deuteronomy  (compare,  e.g.,  Neh. 
9  : 3.5-37  with  De.  38  :  33,  47,  48,  51)  :  and  conse- 
quently they  must  have  regarded  that  book  as 
containing,  not  only  true  history,  but  also  a 
veritable  declaration  on  the  part  of  God,  which 
familiar  and  painful  events  have  ratified  ;  and 
it  matters  very  little  whether  this  portion  of 
Nehemiah  was  written  by  him  or  by  Ezra,  or 
by  any  one  else.  The  only  matter  of  impor- 
tance is  that  it  should  be  credible  as  history,  and 
there  is  not  a  shadow  of  suspicion  attaching  to 
it  on  this  ground.  We  may  rightly  claim  it, 
therefore,  as  documentary  evidence  of  about 
the  middle  of  the  tifth  century  before  Christ  to 
the  way  iu  which  the  history  of  the  Pentateuch 
was  then  regarded,  and  especially  the  Book  of 
Deuteronomy.  It  is  absolutely  impossible  that 
the  Book  of  Deuteronomj'  could  have  been  a 
forgery  of  the  last  two  hundred  years  and  the 
chiefs  and  leaders  of  the  nation  not  have  known 
it.  If,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  not  entitled 
to  the  position  it  held,  it  would  not  have  been 
quoted  as  history,  nor  regarded  as  a  Divine 
oracle  that  had  been  fulfilled.  At  all  events, 
at  this  time  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy  had  ob- 
tained its  position  as  an  integral  portion  of  the 
Pentateuch.  The  history  embodied  in  the 
Pentateuch  was  familiar  to  the  bulk  of  the 
people,  and  that  Pentateuch  itself  was  accepted 
as  of  Divine  authority,  and  as  substantially  the 
work  of  Moses.  And,  with  respect  to  this  be- 
lief, it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  it  was  na- 
tional, and  of  great  antiquity.  Their  national 
unity  and  their  national  existence  centred  in 
their  peculiar  estimate  of  the  law  of  Moses. 
And  the  belief,  from  its  very  nature,  was  one 
that  could  not  but  have  been  of  great  antiquity. 
In  all  the  past  there  was  no  name  at  all  to  be 
compared  with  that  of  Closes.  There  was  no 
character  that  occupied  anything  like  the  same 
position  or  had  the  same  hold  upon  the  national 
mind.  The  consciousness  of  this  fact  is  so  clear 
at  every  period  of  the  history  and  on  every  page 
of  the  literature  that  j'ou  must  sweep  away  the 
whole  of  the  existing  literature  before  you  can 
sm^cessfully  establish  any  opposite  theory. 
Lcathcs. 

Cliap.  lO.  Tlie  names  of  tliose,  who  sealed, 
and  the  terms  of  tlie  corxnaat.  The  covenant 
which  the  Levites  had  recommended  was  at  once 
accepted  by  the  heads  of  the  nation  in  Church 
and  State,  and  was  "  sealed  to"  by  Nehemiah, 
by  his  secretary,  by  the  heads  of  the  priestly 
and  Levitical  families,  each  sealing  for  his 
house,  by  the  heads  of   various  lay  families  or 


568 


BOOK  OF  NEIIEMIAII. 


communities,  and  by  a  certain  number  of  indi- 
vidual liiyinen.  Tlie  rest  of  tlie  people  "  clave 
to  tlu'ir  brethren" — i.e.,  iw<-epted  the  obliga- 
tions of  tlie  covenant  as  fully  as  if  they  had 
put  their  seals  ti>  it.  The  people  bound  them- 
selves, first  of  all,  in  genend  terms,  to  keep  the 
whole  law,  "  to  observe  and  do  all  the  com- 
mandments of  the  Lord  their  Lord,  and  His 
judgments  and  Ilis  statutes"  (verse  29)  ;  after 
which  they  went  on  to  particularize  certain 
special  jioints  of  the  law,  recently  infringed 
upon,  which  they  bound  themselves  to  observe 
in  future.  The.se  were  chiefly  the  following  ; 
1.  The  prohibition  of  intermarriage  with  the 
neighboring  idolatrous  nations  (verse  30).  2. 
The  command  to  hallow  the  Sabbath.  3.  The 
law  concerning  the  sabbatical  year  (verse  31). 
4.  The  law  of  lirstfruits  (verses  35-37).  5.  The 
obligation  to  pay  tithes  to  the  sacerdotal  order 
(verses  37,  38).  Finally,  they  undertook  cer- 
tain new  obligations,  not  expressly  contained 
in  the  law,  but  perhaps  regarded  as  flowing 
from  it  by  way  of  natural  consc(iuence,  or  else 
as  desirable  modes  of  carrying  out  its  pro- 
visions. These  were  three  in  number — viz.:  1. 
The  entire  abolition  of  the  custom  which  had 
grown  up  of  leniiing  money  to  their  brethren 
upon  pledge  (see  chap.  5  : 3-13).  2.  The  sup- 
port of  the  Temple  service  by  an  annual  tax 
upon  each  adult  male,  which  was  fixed  for  the 
present  at  the  rate  of  one  third  part  of  a  shekel 
(verse  32).  3.  The  supply  of  the  wood  requisite 
for  keeping  the  fire  alight  upon  the  great  altar, 
and  for  consuming  the  various  offerings  (verse 
34).  It  is  remarkable  that  these  two  latter  reg- 
ulations became  permanent  national  institu- 
tions, maintaining  themselves  into  Roman 
times,  when  we  find  them  still  continuing.  (See 
Matt.  17  :  24.)     P.  C. 

That  this  was  practically  a  new  thing,  that 
the  people  hereby  revived  and  made  obligatory 
among  themselves  a  host  of  observances  from 
which  they  had  been  free  as  long  back  as  they 
could  remember,  may  be  readily  allowed  ;  but 
the  statement  that  "  these  ordinances  were  now 
made  known  anil  imposed  upon  the  Jewish  na- 
tion for  tin;  Jirnt  time"  (Kuenen)  must  be  stren- 
uo\isly  denied,  rejected  and  contriulieted.  The 
double  fiction  of  a  forgery  of  Deuteronomy, 
which  imposed  on  Hilkiah  the  high-priest  in  the 


days  of  Josiah,  and  of  a  further  forgery  at  this 
time  by  P>,ra  and  his  Babylonian  friends  of  a 
book  of  priestly  onlinances.  corresponding  to 
Leviticus,  Nund)ers,  and  part  of  Exodus,  which 
im])nsed  on  the  nation  at  large,  will  scarcely 
find  acceptance  with  any  honest  and  reverent 
reader  of  Scripture,  who  cannot  fail  to  perceive 
that  it  contradicts  the  entire  series  of  the  his- 
torical Sivcred  writings  from  Exodus  to  Chron- 
icles, as  well  as  many  passages  in  the  prophets, 
and  in  the  New  Testament.  Ezra  and  Nehe- 
miah  arc  to  be  regarded,  not  as  coming  from 
Babylonia  with  ordinances  drawn  up  there,  and 
hitherto  existing  only  in  theory,  which  they 
proceeded  for  the  first  time  to  carry  from  theory 
into  practice,  but  as  recalling  to  the  memory  of 
the  people  the  old  laws  under  which  the  nation 
had  lived  from  the  Exod\is  to  the  Captivity, 
and  re-introducing,  re-promulgating,  and  re- 
imposing  them.  Otherwi.se,  we  must  regard 
the  two  great  reformers  as  impostors,  cheating 
the  nation  into  the  belief  that  an  entirely  new 
legislation,  considered  by  Ezra  and  his  priestly 
friends  to  be  advisable  imder  the  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances of  the  time,  was  in  reality  one  com- 
municated by  God  Himself  to  Moses. 

Nehemiah's  first  reformation  was  now  com- 
plete. With  Ezra's  iissistance  he  had  made  the 
whole  law  of  Moses,  great  parts  of  which  had 
long  been  laid  aside  and  even  forgotten,  known 
to  the  people.  He  had  bound  them  to  its  ob- 
servance. He  had  roused  up  in  them  a  spirit 
of  devotion  and  self-sacrifice,  whereby  they  had 
been  induced  to  accept  fresh  burdens  and  fresh 
obligations  without  a  murmur.  At  the  same 
time,  he  had  provided  for  the  sustenance  and 
support  of  the  ministers  of  religion — the  priests 
and  Levites.  He  had  relieved  them  from 
troublesome  secular  duties  —  the  cutting  and 
storing  of  the  Temple  fuel — the  collection  and 
conveyance  of  the  tithes  and  first-fruits — and 
he  had  enabled  them  to  devote  themselves  more 
exclusively  than  before  to  the  offices  of  religion. 
He  had  further  secured  the  continuance  of  the 
Temple  service  by  a  tax,  which  could  press 
heavily  on  no  man,  but  which  would  yet  suiBce 
for  its  purpose,  and  prevent  the  ministers  of  re- 
ligion from  having  their  scanty  resources  un- 
duly strained  in  times  of  depression  and  pov- 
erty.    G.  R. 


SECTION  64.  569 


Section  64. 

NAMES   OF  COLONISTS.     NEHEMIAH'S  RETUKN.     DEDICATION  OF   WALL.     RE- 
FORM    OF    ABUSES  :     TEMPLE    DESECRATION,    SABBATH-BREAKING,    AND 


MIXED  MARRIAGES. 


Nbhemiah,  Chaps.  11,  13,  13. 


11:1  And  the  princes  of  the  people  dwelt  in  Jerusalem  :  the  rest  of  the  people  also  cast 
lots,  to  bring  one  of  ten  to  dwell  in  Jerusalem  the  holy  city,  and  nine  parts  in  the  other  cities. 
3  And  the  people  blessed  all  the  men  that  willingly  offered  themselves  to  dwell  in  Jerusalem. 

Verses  3-36  include  lists  of  chief  dwellers  in  Jervsalem  and  in  the  country  towns  and  rillor/es.  Chap. 
13  ;  1-26  contains  lists  of  priestly  and  Levitical  houses.  These  lists  are  sufficiently  described  in 
the  first  general  note. 

12  :  27  And  at  the  dedication  of  the  wall  of  Jerusalem  they  sought  the  Lcvites  out  of  all 
their  places,  to  bring  them  to  Jerusalem,  to  keep  tlie  dedication  with  gladness,  both  with 

88  thanksgivings,  and  with  singing,  with  cymbals,  psalteries,  anil  with  harps.  And  the  sons  of 
the  singers  gathered  themselves  togetlier,  both  out  of  the  plain  round  about  Jerusalem,  and 

89  from  the  villages  of  the  Netophathites  ;  also  from  Beth-gilgal,  and  out  of  the  fields  of  Geba 

30  and  Azmaveth  :  for  the  singers  liad  builded  them  villages  round  about  Jerusalem.  And  the 
priests  and  the  Levites  purified  themselves  ;  and  they  purified  the  peojjle,  and  the  gates,  and 

31  the  wall.  Then  I  brought  up  the  princes  of  Judah  upon  the  wall,  and  appointed  two  great 
companies  that  gave  thanks  and  went  in  procession  ;  whereof  one  went  on  the  right  hand  upon 

33  the  wall  toward  the  dung  gate  ;  and  after  them  went  Hoshaiah,  and  half  of  the  princes  of 

33,  34  Judah,  and  Azariah,   Ezra,  and  Meshullam,  Judah,  and  Benjamin,  and  Shemaiah,  and 

3.5  Jeremiah,  and  certain  of  the  priests'  sons  with  trumpets  :  Zeohariali  the  son  of  Jonathan,  the 

son  of  Shemaiah,  the  son  of  Mattaniah,  the  son  of  Slicaiah,  the  son  of  Zaccur,  the  son  of 

36  Asaph  ;  and  his  brethren,  Shemaiah,  and  Azarel,  Milalai,  Gilalai,  Maai,  Nethanel,  and  Judah, 
Hanani,  with  the  musical  instruments  of  David  the  man  of  God  ;  and  Ezra  the  scribe  was 

37  before  them  :  and  by  the  fountain  gate,  and  straight  before  them,  they  went  up  by  the  stairs 
of  the  city  of  David,  at  the  going  up  of  the  wall,  above  the  house  of  David,  even  unto  the 

38  water  gate  eastward  And  the  other  company  of  them  that  gave  thanks  went  to  meet  them, 
and  I  after  them,  with  the  half  of  the  people,  upon  the  wall,  above  the  tower  of  the  furnaces, 

39  even  unto  the  broad  wall  ;  and  above  the  gate  of  Ephraim,  and  \tj  the  old  gate,  and  by  the 
fish  gate,  and  the  tower  of  Ilananel,  and  the  tower  of  Hammeah,  even  unto  the  sheep  gate  : 

40  and  they  stood  still  in  the  gate  of  the  guard.     So  stood  the  two  companies  of  them  that  gave 

41  thanks  in  the  house  of  God,  and  I,  and  the  half  of  the  rulers  with  me  :  and  the  priests,  Elia- 

42  kim,  Maaseiah,  Miniamin,  Micaiah,  Elioenai,  Zechariah,  and  Hananiah,  with  trumpets  ;  and 
Maaseiah,  and  Shemaiah,  and  Eleazar,  and  Uzzi,  and  Jehohanan,  and  Malchijah,  and  Elam,  and 

43  Ezer.  And  tlie  singers  sang  loud,  with  Jezrahiah  their  overseer.  And  they  offered  great 
sacrifices  that  day,  and  rejoiced  ;  for  God  had  made  them  rejoice  with  great  joy  ;  and  the 
women  also  and  the  children  rejoiced  :  so  that  the  joy  of  Jerusalem  was  heard  even  afar  off. 

44  And  on  that  day  were  men  appointed  over  the  chambers  for  the  treasures,  for  the  heave 
offerings,  for  the  flrstfruits,  and  for  the  titlies,  to  gather  into  them,  according  to  the  fields  of 
the  cities,  the  portions  appointed  by  the  law  for  the  priests  and  Levites  :  for  Judah  rejoiced 

45  for  the  priests  and  for  the  Levites  that  waited.  And  they  kept  the  ward  of  their  God,  and 
the  ward  of  the  purification,  and  so  did  the  singers  and  the  porters,  according  to  the  com- 

46  mandment  of  David,  and  of  Solomon  his  son.     For  in  the  days  of  David  and  Asaph  of  old 

47  there  was  a  chief  of  the  singers,  and  songs  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  unto  God.  And  all 
Israel  in  the  days  of  Zerubbabel,  and  in  the  days  of  Nehemiah,  gave  the  portions  of  the  sing- 
ers and  the  porters,  as  every  day  required  :  and  they  sanctified  for  the  Levites  ;  and  the 
Levites  sanctified  for  the  sons  of  Aaron. 

13:1  On  that  day  they  read  in  the  book  of  Moses  in  the  audience  of  the  people  ;  and 
therein  was  found  written,  that  an  Ammonite  and  a  Moabite  should  not  enter  into  tlie  assem 

2  bly  of  God  for  ever  ;  because  they  met  not  the  children  of  Israel  with  bread  and  with  water, 
but  hired  Balaam  against  them,  to  curse  them  ;   howbeit  our  God  turned  the  curse  into  a 

3  blessing.    And  it  came  to  pass,  when  they,  had  heard  the  law,  that  they  separated  from  Israel 
all  the  mixed  multitude. 


570 


BOOK  OF  NEIIE.\rrM[. 


4  Now  before  tliis,  ICliasliili  IIr-  i)ncst,  who  whs  niipoiiit.ed  over  the  pliamliers  ol'  the  house  of 

5  our  UckI,  l)rinfr  allied  uulo  Tobiiih,  had  prepared  for  liini  a  frreHtehambcr,  where  aforeiime  tliey 
hiid  tlie  uieal  ofTeriiifiM,  Hie  franUineense,  and  the  vessels,  and  the  tithes  of  tlie  eorn.  tlie  wine, 
and   the  oil,  wliieli   were  jliveii  by  <'oniniatidineiit  to  the   Levites,  and   the  sinirers.  and   the 

6  porters;  and  the  heave  olTerinjis  for  the  priest.s.  Hut  in  all  this  ^(/»c  I  was  not  at  Jerusa- 
lem :  for  in  the  two  and  thirtieth  year  of  Artaxerxes  kini;  of  Iial)ylon  I  went  uiUo  the  kin;:, 

7  and  after  eerlain  days  asked  I  leave  of  the  kin;;  ;  and  I  came  to  .Jerusalem,  ajid  understond  of 
the  evil  tliat    Kliasliib  had  dora' for 'I'obiah,  in  preparing'  him  a  ehamlier  in  theeourtscpf  the 

8  house  of  (iod       And   it   i;rieved   nw  son'  ;  therefore  I  e;ust   fortii  all  the  household  stuff  of 

9  'Pobiah  out  of  the  chamber.  Then  I  commanded,  and  they  cleansed  the  <'hambers  :  and 
thilher  brou.nlit   I   aiiain  the   vessels  of  th(^  house  of  God,  with  the  meal  offerinirs  and  the 

10  frankincense.      And  1  perceived  that  the  jiortions  of  the  Levites  liad  not  been  <riven  tliem  ;  so 

11  that  the  Levites  and  the  sin,!rers.  that  did  the  work,  were  fled  every  one  to  his  ti<'ld.  Tlien 
contended  1  with   the  rulers,  and  said.  Why  is  the  house  of  God   forsaken?     And  I   jrathereil 

12  Ihem  toijetliir,  and  set  them   in   their  jjlaee.     Then  brought  all  Judah  the  tithe  of  the  corn 

13  and  the  wine  and  the  oil  unto  the  tre.isiiries.  Ami  I  made  treasurers  over  the  treasuries, 
Shi'lemiah  tla;  jjriest.  and  ,'Cailok  tla^  scribe,  and  of  the  Jjevites,  Hed;ii!di  ;  and  the  next  to  them 
was  ll.man   the  .son  of  Zaceur,  the  son  of  Mattaniah  :  for  tliey  were  counted   faithful,  an<l 

14  their  Imsiness  was  to  distribute  unto  their  brethren.  IJemember  me,  O  my  God,  concerninf; 
this,  and  wipe  not  out  my  good  deeds  that  I  have  done  for  the  house  of  my  God,  and  for  the 
observanei'S  tliereof. 

XT,  In  those  days  saw  I  in  .Judah  some  treading  wine-presses  on  the  sabl)ath.  and  briuiring  in 
sheaves,  and  lading  a^ses  tin  n  iritli  ;  as  also  wine,  grapes,  and  figs,  ami  all  manner  of  burdens, 
which   they  briiuglit  into  .Ii'nisalem  on  the  S!d)liath  <lay  :  and   I  testified  (/.yii/z/.s/  /A////  in  the 

IC)  day  ivbereiu  they  sold  victuals.  There  dwell  men  of  Tyre  also  therein,  which  brought  in 
fish,  and  all  manner  of  ware,  and  sold  on  the  sabl)ath  unto  the  cliildren  of  .Judah,  and  in  .leru- 

17  sah'm.     Then  I  contended  with  the  nobles  of  .Judah,  and  said  unto  them.  What  evil  thing  is 

18  this  that  ye  do,  and  profane  the  sabbath  day?  Did  not  your  fathers  thus,  and  did  not  oiu- 
God  bring  all  this  evil  upon  us,  and  upon  this  city?  yet  .ye  liring  more  wrath  ujion  Israel  by 

10  profaning  the  salibath.  And  it  came  to  |)ass  that,  when  the  gates  of  .Jerusalem  bi^gan  to  be 
dark  hefore  the  sabbath,  I  conHuanilcd  that  the  doors  should  be  shut,  and  conuuanded  that  they 
should  not  be  oijened  till  after  tliesal)bath;  and  scane  of  my  servants  set  I  over  the  gates, 

20  that  there  should  no  burden  be  brou^^ht  in  on  the  sabljath  day.     So  the  merchants  and  sellers 

21  of  all  kind  of  ware  lodged  without  .Jerusalem  once  or  twice.  Then  I  testified  against  them, 
and  .said  unto  them.  Why  lodge  ye  about  the  wall?  if  ye  do  so  again.  I  will  Jay  hands  ou 

33  .vou.  From  that  time  forth  came  they  no  more  on  the  sabbath.  And  I  commanded  the 
Levites  that  they  should  jiurify  thcanselves,  and  that  they  should  come  and  keep  the  .gates, 
to  sanctify  the  sabbath  day.  Remember  unto  me,  O  my  God,  this  also,  and  spare  me  accord- 
ing to  the  greatness  of  thy  niercv. 

23  In  those  days  aKo  saw  I  the  .Jews  that  had  married  women  of  A.slidod,  of  Amnion,  and  of 

24  Moab  :  and  their  children  spake  half  in  the  spc^ech  of  Ashdod,  and  couM  not  speak  in  the 
S.')  .Jews'  lan.guage,  but  according  to  the  language  of  each  people.     And  I  contended  with  them, 

and  cursed  them,  and  smote  certain  of  them,  and  plucked  off  their  liair,  and  made  them  swear 

by  God,  xiniliiri.  Ye  shall  not  give  your  ilaughters  unto  their  sons,  nor  take  their  daughters 

20  for  your  sons,  or  for  yourselves.     Did  not  Solomon  king  of  Israel  sin  by  these  thin,;;s?  yet 

.among   many  nations  was  there  no  king  like  him.  and   he  was  beloved  of  his  God.  and  God 

27  made  him  king  overall  Israel  :  nevertheless  even  him  diil  strange  women  cause  to  sin.  Shall 
we  then  hearken  unto  you  to  do  all  this  great  evil,  to  trespass  against  our  Goil  in  marrying 

28  strange  women?  And  one  of  tlu^  sons  of  .loiada,  the  son  of  Eliashib  the  high  priest,  was  son 

29  in  law  to  Sanballat  the  lloronite  :  therefore  I  chased  him  from  me.  Remcmlier  lliein.  ()  my 
God,  because  they  have  defiled  the  priesthood,  and  the  covenant  of  the  priesthood,  and  of  the 

:!0  Jjevites.     Thus  cleansed   I  them  from  all  strangers,  and  apjiointed  warils  for  the  ju-iests  and 
Jil   for  till"  Jjcvites,  everyone  in  his  work  ;  and  for  the  wood  olTering,  at  times  appoint<'d,  and 
for  the  first  fruits.     Heraember  me,  O  my  God,  for  good. 


Thf  Cinmnff  Scctu/iin  nf  the  Brink  of  Xcltemiah. 
Nchemiah's  narrative  in  the  first  person,  broken 
off  at  Neh.  7  :  .5  for  the  insertion  of  the'  list  of 
the  returned  exiles,  resumed,  perhaps,  in  11  ; 
1,  2,  and  again  interrupterl  by  the  g<'nealogical 
note  (11  :  3  to  12  :  20),  is  finally  resumed  with 
the  aneount  of  the  dedication  of  the  wall  (13  ; 
27).  This  closing  part  of  it  consists  of  three 
secti.ins,  each  ending  with  the  precativo  clause, 
"  Remember  me,  O  my  God,"  etc.  (13  :  14,  22, 
31).  The  first  section  describes  the  dedication 
of  the  wall,  the  renewed  separation  from  for- 
eigners, the  renewed  j)rovision  for  the  Levites, 


and.  iiarenthetically,  the  reaction  which  had 
taken  place  during  Nehemiah's  absence,  and 
which  rendered  the.se  renewed  arrangements 
necessary.  It  follows  that  the  events  of  this 
section  occurred  partly  during  tlu^  interval  be- 
tween the  two  administrations  of  Neheiniah, 
and  partly  soon  after  his  return  for  his  second 
administration.  The  second  section  describes  a 
struggle  for  legalized  Sabbath-keeping  that  oc- 
curred at  some  unknown  later  date.  The  third 
section  is  mainly  concerned  with  two  incidcnt-s 
in  a  renewed  struggle  against  the  practice  of 
intermarriage  with  foreigners,  but  closes  with 


SECTION  64.     NAMES  OF  COLONISTS. 


571 


a  more  general  statement  as  to  the  work  of  Ne- 
liemiali.  These  statements  touching  foreign 
marriages  perhaps  cover  a  considerable  interval 
of  time.  At  all  events,  the  latest  incident  men- 
tioned, the  marriage  of  a  descendant  of  Joiada 
the  liigh-priest  with  a  woman  of  the  family  of 
Sanballat  (Neh.  13  :  28),  probably  occurred  some 
decades  after  tlie  beginning  of  the  second  ad- 
ministration of  Neheniiah.  The  opening  cUap- 
tere  of  Nehemiah's  narrative  are  relativeh'  full, 
covering  in  all  only  a  few  months.  The  clos- 
ing sections  are  relatively  brief,  belonging  to 
three  different  points  of  time,  and  covering,  in 
all,  many  years.  The  dedication  of  the  wall 
belongs  to  Nehemiah's  secimd  administration. 
The  matters  in  the  section  (11  :  3  to  13  :  36)  do 
not  lead  up  to  the  account  of  the  dedication. 
That  section  is  in  part  a  duplicate  of  1  Chron.  9. 
It  is  a  series  of  genealogical  notes,  including  the 
names  of  men  of  at  least  six  generations.  Most 
of  the  men  of  the  two  youngest  of  these  gen- 
erations were  not  }'et  born  when  the  wall  was 
dedicati'd,  and  the  names  of  those  who  partici- 
pated in  the  dedication  are  in  no  way  made 
prominent  in  these  notes.  There  is  a  clear  break 
between  this  genealogical  section  and  what  fol- 
lows it.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  the  account  of 
the  pageant  at  the  wall  is  closely  connected 
with  the  events  related  directly  afterward.  It 
was  "  on  that  day"  that  they  made  the  arrange- 
ments de.scribed  in  12:44.  It  was  still  "  on 
tliat  day"  (13  :  1)  that  they  read  in  the  law  in 
regard  to  the  exclasion  of  3Ioabites  and  Am- 
monites from  the  assembly  of  Jehovali.  It  is 
necessarilv  to  tliese  events  that  the  phrase  "  be- 
fore this"  of  13  :  4  applies.  Hence  the  affirma- 
tion there  made  is  that  Nehemiah's  absence 
from  Jerusalem  took  place  before  these  events  ; 
that  is,  before  the  dedication  of  the  wall  and 
the  reading  of  the  law  which  accompanied  it. 
And  this  is  equivalent  to  saying  that  the  dedica- 
tion occurred  after  Nehcmiah  returned  to  Jeru- 
salem for  his  second  administration.  Just  at 
that  time  there  were  reasons  why  Nehemiah 
should  devise  such  a  public  occasion  as  this. 
He  could  make  use  of  it  as  a  means  of  influenc- 
ing the  people  for  resisting  the  reactionary 
movement  that  had  set  in  during  his  absence. 
This  is  a  sufficient  reply  to  the  argument  some- 
times used,  that  it  is  not  likely  that  they  would 
so  long  have  postponed  the  dedication  of  the 
wall.  A~citv  wall  is  not  a  temple,  and  does  not 
necessarily  demand  dedication.  There  is  no  rea- 
son to  think  they  would  have  dedicated  it  at  all, 
save  as  there  might  be  value  in  the  dedicatory 
solemnities  themselves. 

Nehemiah's  Two  Administrations.    According 


to  the  record  in  tlie  first  ten  chapters,  Nihemiah 
accomplished  two  great  things  in  the  first  seven 
montlis  of  the  twentietli  year  of  Artaxerxes. 
Tlie  first  was  the  rebuilding  of  the  wall,  and 
the  second  the  establishment  of  internal  affairs 
on  a  sound  basis.  The  points  of  internal  ad- 
ministration that  are  most  emphasized  are, 
first,  the  abolishing  of  marriages  with  foreign- 
ers (Neh.  10  :  30)  ;  second,  the  stopping  of  trade 
on  the  Sabbath  and  the  holy  days  (Neh.  10  :  31)  ; 
third,  the  securing  tlie  observance  of  "  the  sev- 
enth year"  (both  by  letting  the  soil  rest  and  by 
releasing  debts,  doubtless,  Ex.  23  :  10,  11  ; 
Lev.  25  :  3-7  ;  De.  15:1,  2  ;  Neh.  10  :  31)  : 
fourth,  the  breaking  up  of  extortionate  prac- 
tices (Neh.  10  :  31  ;  chap.  5)  ;  fifth,  the  making 
of  business-like  provision  for  the  support  of  the 
Temple  .services  and  ministers  (Neh.  10  :  32-39). 
From  the  close  of  these  seven  months,  the  first 
administration  of  Nehcmiah  lasted  eleven  or 
twelve  years  (Neh.  13  :  6  ;  5  :  14).  The  time 
was  doubtless  emploj^ed  in  working  out  the 
problems  just  mentioned,  and  the  auxiliary 
problem  of  securing  to  Jerusalem  a  sufficient 
population  to  make  it  a  safe  city,  and  suitable 
for  the  national  Temple  and  worship  (Neh. 
7:4;  11  : 1,  2).  In  Neh.  5  :  14-19,  we  are  in- 
formed that  during  all  this  time  Nehemiali 
lived  in  a  generous  and  hospitable  way  in  .Je- 
rusalem, but  without  cost  to  the  people  over 
whom  he  was  governor.  Doubtless  those  were 
to  him  trying  years,  but,  on  the  wliole,  years  of 
success.  Steadily  his  people  became  more  pros- 
perous, and  the  ideas  represented  l:)y  Ezra  and 
himself  more  influential  among  them.  At  the 
end  of  the  twelve  years  Nehcmiah  went  to  the 
king,  perhaps  thinking  that  his  task  in  Jeru- 
salem was  now  accomplished.  Thus  his  first 
administration  closed,  B.C.  433. 

It  turned  out,  Jiowever,  that  he  could  not  be 
spared,  and  he  was  recalled  for  a  second  ad- 
ministration (Neh.  13  :  6).  How  long  he  had 
been  gone  is  a  matter  of  conjecture.  Some 
guess  that  it  was  one  year,  and  some  that  it 
was  several  years  ;  but  it  cainiot  have  been 
many  3'ears.  On  his  return  to  Jerusalem,  he 
found  disintegration  in  rapid  progress.  To- 
biah  had  a  lodging  in  the  Temple  itself.  The 
Jews  were  again  mingling  with  foreigners. 
The  Sabbath  was  profaned.  The  provision  for 
supporting  the  Temple  attendants  was  neglect- 
ed, and  they  had  scattered,  each  to  earn  his 
own  living.  Neliemiah  acted  promptly  and 
vigorousl}'.  He  summarily  evicted  Tobiah. 
He  commenced  gathering  again  tlie  scattered 
Levitcs  and  singers,  and  insisted  that  adequate 
provision  should  be  made  for  them.     The  so- 


572 


BOOK  OF  NKIIEmAH. 


Icmnitics  of  tho  dedication  of  tho  wall  afforded 
him  an  occasion  for  asscinhling  and  tliorouglily 
reorganizing  them,  and  [iroviding  for  their  sup- 
port, and  an  equally  good  occasion  for  secur- 
ing the  ratilication  of  his  policy  of  excluding 
foreigners.  Perhaps  he  would  have  lost  a 
large  part  of  u  year's  tithes,  if  he  had  waited 
till  the  feiLst  of  bootlLS  for  a  national  gatlK^ring 
that  should  act  in  these  matters.  The  adminis- 
tration thus  vigorously  l)egun  was  doubtless  a 
long  one — how  long  no  one  knows.     W.  J.  15. 

Clia|l!i.  II,  l!2.  The  ncriiK  of  chap.  11  is 
with  chap.  7  ;  4,  5.  Having  spoken  in  that 
place  of  the  insuflicicney  of  the  population  of 
Jerusalem,  Nehemiah  now  proceeds  to  explain 
the  steps  which  he  took  to  remedy  it.  He 
made,  it  would  .seem,  a  census  of  the  entire  na- 
tion, ami  required  each  town  and  district  to 
transfer  one  tenth  of  its  population  to  the  cujii- 
tal.  The  men  in  the  various  localities  deter- 
mined among  themselves  by  lot  who  should 
stay  and  who  should  go,  and  Nehemiah  no 
doubt  made  the  necessar}'  arrangements  for 
the  reception  of  the  newcomers  at  Jerusalem. 
Forced  enlargements  of  capitals  by  transfers  of 
this  kind  were  not  uncommon  in  the  ancient 
world,  where  the  strength  of  states  was  consid- 
ered to  depend  very  greatly  upon  the  size  and 
predominance  of  the  capital.  Thucj'dides  at- 
tributes the  greatness  and  prosperity  of  the 
Athenian  conimuuity  to  an  artificial  enlarge- 
ment of  the  population  of  Athens  which  he 
ascribes  to  Theseus.  Other  notorious  instances 
arc  those  of  Syracuse,  Jlegalopolis  and  Tigra- 
nocerta.  In  Jerusalem  at  this  time  the  special 
need  of  an  increase  in  the  number  of  the  inhab- 
itants was  probably  the  defence  of  the  walls. 
These  had  been  rebuilt  on  the  ancient  founda- 
tions— their  circuit  was  not  much  less  than 
four  miles — and  to  man  them  in  csise  of  at- 
tack, a  large  population  was  necessary.  From 
a  comparison  of  the  numbers  given  in  this 
chapter  (verses  6-19)  with  those  of  1  Chron. 
9  :  9-23,  it  may  be  gathered  that  the  result  of 
Nehemiah's  arrangements  was  to  give  Jerusa- 
lem a  population  of  about  twenty  thousand 
souls. 

Having  been  led,  in  speaking  of  this  matter, 
to  give  a  sort  of  catalogue  of  the  chief  dwellers 
at  Jerusalem  (verses  4-19),  and  another  of  the 
country  towns  and  villages  occupied  at  this 
time  by  those  Israelites  who  had  returned  from 
the  Captivity  (verses  25-35),  Nehemiah  is  in- 
duced to  insert,  at  this  point,  certain  other  lists 
or  catalogues  which  he  regards  as  worthy  of 
being  iiut  on  record.  These  lists  are  four  in 
number,  and  occupy  chap.  12  as  far  as  verse  26. 


Th<'y  comprise  :  (1)  a  list  of  the  priestly  and 
Levitical  houses  which  returned  with  Zerubba- 
bel  (verses  1-9)  ;  (2)  a  list  of  the  higli-priests 
from  Jcshua  to  Jaddua  ;  (3)  a  list  of  the  heads 
of  the  priestly  courses  in  the  time  of  the  high- 
priest,  Joiakim  ;  and  (4)  a  list  of  the  chief  Le- 
vitical  houses  at  the  .same  period  and  afterward. 
Such  lists  po.ssess  at  the  present  day  but  a  very 
slight  and  secondary  interest.  Their  forma- 
tion, however,  and  safe  preservation  were,  at 
the  time,  essential  for  the  continuity  of  the  na- 
tion's history,  and  the  maintenance  of  the 
priestly  order  in  purity,  and  without  admixture 
of  laic  elements.     P.  C. 

11:2.  Tlie  men  that  williitgly  offered  t/iem- 
selves.  Besides  those  on  whom  the  lot  fell,  a 
certain  number  volunteered  to  change  their 
residence  and  to  transfer  themselves  and  fami- 
lies from  their  country  homes  to  Jerusalem. 
The  people  called  down  blessings  upon  them 
for  their  patriotism.     P.  C. 

Cliap.  Iti.  This  chapter  is  made  up  of  two 
portions.  From  verse  1  to  verse  26  it  mainly 
consists  of  lists  of  the  leading  priests  and  Le- 
vitcs  at  different  periods.  Verses  27-47  give 
i  an  account  of  the  dedication  of  the  wall  of  Je- 
rusalem. This  last  passage  is  certainly  from 
the  pen  of  Nehemiah,  and  was  written  proba- 
bly about  B.C.  433.  The  lists  which  constitute 
the  earlier  portion  of  the  chapter  are  four  ;  (1) 
A  list  of  the  chief  priestly  and  Lcvitical  fami- 
lies, which  returned  to  Jerusalem  with  Zerub- 
babcl  and  Jeshua  (verses  1-9) ;  (2)  tlie  succes- 
sion of  the  higli-])riests  from  Jeshua  to  Jaddua, 
high-priest  in  the  time  of  Alexander  the  Great 
(verses  10,  11)  ;  (3)  a  list  of  the  actual  heads  of 
the  priestly  families  in  the  time  of  the  high- 
priest  Joiakim,  the  .sou  of  Jeshua  (verses  12-21) ; 
and  (4)  a  list  of  the  chief  Lcvitical  families  at 
the  same  period  (verses  24-26).  Of  these  four 
lists,  Nos.  1,  3  and  4  may  have  been  drawn  up 
in  the  time  of  Nehemiah,  but  No.  2  in  its  pres- 
ent form  must  be  much  later. 

22,  23.  These  verses  come  in  very  awk- 
wardly, interrupting  the  account  of  the  Church 
officers  in  the  time  of  Joiakim,  which  is  re- 
s\mied  in  verse  24.  They  appear  to  be  an  addi- 
tion to  the  original  text,  uuide  about  the  time 
of  Alexander  the  Great,  when  the  Books  of 
Chronicles,  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  would  seem  to 
have  first  taken  their  existing  shape.  The 
same  hand  which  inserted  these  verses  proba- 
bly also  added  to  the  original  text  verse  11. 
Tlio  dnys  of  Dariii!)  the  PerKian. 
Jlodern  commentators  are  generally  agreed  that 
Darius  Ccxlomannus,  the  antagonist  of  Alexan- 
der the  Great,  is  intended.     This  prince  ascend- 


SECTION  64.     NAMES  OF  COLONISTS. 


573 


ed  the  throne  n.c.  336,  and  reigned  till  B.C.  331. 
B.  C. 

27-4S.  DeiUcation  of  the  wall.  It  is  not  easy 
to  imagine  that  the  author  would  have  separat- 
ed the  iledication  of  the  wall  from  its  comple- 
tion b_v  five  chapters  and  a  half,  unless  they 
had  been  separated  in  fact  by  an  interval  of 
some  duration.  The  interval  seems,  by  the 
notes  of  time  contained  in  chaps.  12, 13,  to  have 
been  one  of  nearly  thirteen  years.  Nehemiah's 
religious  reforms  were  certainly  subsequent  to 
the  visit  that  he  paid  to  the  Persian  court  in 
B.C.  432  (13  :  6).  These  reforms  grew  out  of  a 
reading  of  the  law  which  took  place  at  the  time 
when  Nehemiah  appointed  the  Temple  officers 
(13  :  1),  and  that  appointment  followed  closely 
on  the  dedication  (12  :  44).  The  dedication  of  a 
city  wall  was,  so  far  as  we  know,  a  new  thing 
in  Israel  ;  but  it  had  been  customary  from  a 
remote  time  to  dedicate  houses  (De.  20 :  5)  ; 
and  natural  piety  extended  this  practice  to  ag- 
gregations of  houses,  and  to  the  limit  or  fence 
by  which  they  were  practically  made  one.  The 
priestly  order  had  shown  its  sense  of  the  fitness 
of  such  a  consecration  when  the}'  raised  their 
portion  of  the  wall,  and  had  at  once  "  sancti- 
fied it"  (3  :  1).  Nehemiah  now,  by  the  cere- 
mony which  he  i)lanncd  and  carried  out,  placed 
the  whole  circuit  of  the  wall  under  the  Divine 
protection,  confessing  in  this  solemn  act  the  in- 
trinsic worthlessness  of  mere  walls  and  bul- 
warks, unless  God  lends  them  strength  and 
makes  them  a  protection  against  enemies. 
P.  C. 

And  now  the  time  was  come  when,  everj'- 
thing  having  been  established  in  its  rightful 
order,  it  seemed  fitting  that  there  should  be  a 
solemn  dedication  of  the  wall  to  Almighty  God. 
It  was  not  the  Temple  only  which  was  viewed 
as  a  sanctuarj'  by  the  more  religious  Jews  ; 
but  the  entire  city  was  regarded  as  holy— as 
"  God's  mountain"  (Isa.  6.3  :  25) — as  a  sort  of 
outer  sanctuary  guarding  the  inner  sanctu- 
ary, and,  therefore,  as  requiring  to  be  set 
apart  to  God  by  a  formal  act  of  consecra- 
tion. On  the  day  appointed  for  this  important 
ceremony,  Nehemiah  arranged  two  grand  pro- 
cessions, which  should  girdle  the  city  on  the 
right  hand  and  on  the  left,  and  meeting  to- 
gether at  the  Temple,  should  there  sing  praise 
to  God,  and  "  offer  great  sacrifices  and  rejoice" 
(verse  43).  The  Levites  were  summoned  from 
their  country  districts,  with  their  full  array  of 
the  musical  instruments,  which  still  bore  the 
name  of  their  royal  inventor,  David  (verse  36)  ; 
and  the  minstrels  gathered  themselves  together 
from  their  retreats  in  the  hills  of  Judah  and  in 


the  deep  valley  of  the  Jordan  (verses  28  29). 
The  priests  came  in  their  full  numbers,  carry- 
ing the  sacred  trumpets  (verses  35.  41),  and  the 
princes  of  Judah  mustered  in  great  strength 
(verses  31,  32,  40).  Nehemiah  divided  the  as- 
sembled multitude  into  "  two  great  companies 
of  them  that  gave  thanks, "  and  placing  him- 
self at  the  head  of  the  one  company  (verse  40), 
and  "  Ezra  the  scribe"  (verse  36)  at  the  head  of 
the  other,  caused  them  to  ascend  the  wall  and 
make  the  circuit  of  it,  part  going  in  one  direc- 
tion and  part  in  the  other,  rejoicing  all  the  way 
and  giving  praise,  until  they  met  on  the  east- 
ern rampart  opposite  the  Temjile,  and,  there 
taking  their  stand,  brought  the  ceremony  to  an 
end  by  a  loud  antiphonal  psean  of  praise,  in 
which  the  priests  blew  their  trumpets,  the  Le- 
vites sounded  their  harps,  cymbals  and  psalter- 
ies, and  the  singers,  "  with  Jerahiah  their  over- 
seer" (verse  42),  "  sang  loud"  and  "  with  great 
joy  rejoiced"  (verses  42,  43).  At  the  same 
time,  even  the  women  and  cliildren  joined  in 
the  general  acclamation,  so  that  "  the  joy  of 
Jerusalem  was  heard  even  afar  off"  (verse  43). 
Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  each  at  the  head  of  their 
own  half  of  the  procession,  stood  facing  one 
the  other,  set  before  the  nation  as  their  almost 
co-equal  guides  and  rulers,  to  be  alike  venerated 
and  alike  obeyed.     G.  R. 

27.  To  keep  the  dedication  witli 
gladness,  botli  witli  tlianlisgiving 
and  with  singing.  Solomon's  dedication 
of  the  Temple  was  the  pattern  followed.  As 
he  had  made  the  service  altogether  one  of  praise 
and  thanksgiving  (2  Chron.  5  :  13),  and  had  em- 
ployed in  it  cymbals,  trumpets,  psalteries  and 
harps  {ibid.,  verse  12),  so  Nehemiah  on  the 
present  occasion. 

43.  "  That  day  they  offered  great  sacrifices, 
and  rejoiced  ;  for  God  had  made  them  rejoice 
with  great  joy  ,  the  wives  also  and  the  children 
rejoiced  ;  so  that  the  joy  of  Jerusalem  was 
heard  even  afar  off."  The  constituents  of  true 
joy  are  :  1.  Thankfulness  and  praise  in  the  re- 
membrance of  the  past  and  in  confident  antici- 
pation of  the  future.  The  people  recounted 
the  mercies  of  the  Lord.  Their  dedication  of 
the  completed  walls  represented  their  prepara- 
tion by  the  grace  of  God  for  His  worship  and 
service  ;  their  defence  against  assaults  from 
without  ;  their  unity  and  order  as  a  people.  So 
otight  all  rejoicing  to  be  well  founded  on  the 
faith  which  has  full  possession  of  our  hearts, 
and  the  consecrated  religious  life  which  main- 
tains that  faith  in  practice.  2.  Purifcation. 
"  They  offered  great  sacrifices  and  rejoiced." 
The  giving  out  of  the  heart  iu  religious  wor- 


574 


noOh'  OF  NEUK.MfAII. 


ship  uplifts  Uic  whole  stniin  of  the  life.  A 
great  e.\peiniltuiv  of  fceliiij;  in  tlie  pleasures  of 
this  worlil  is  exlinuslini;  to  the  nature,  but  re- 
ligious emotion  both  purities  ami  exalts,  ii, 
Fiiloirs/iij).  All  rejoieeil  together — high  and 
low,  rieh  and  poor,  the  strong  men,  the  wives 
and  children.  The  true  joy  is  not  solitary  and 
selfish,  but  reveals  the  unity  of  kindred  minds 
and  sympathizing  hearts.  Family  life  is  ele- 
vated by  the  cultivation  of  the  si)irit  of  social 
worship  and  praise,  both  in  the  larger  circle  of 
the  congregation  and  in  the  smaller  of  the 
household.  All  joys  brighten  in  the  atmos- 
phere of  religious  joy. 

44-47.  Ni'heiuidh's  arrangements  far  the  Tem- 
■phi  service,  and  appointment  of  officers.  The 
good  resolutions  of  the  people  at  the  time  of 
the  renewal  of  the  covenant  would  have  borne 
comparatively  little  fruit  had  they  not  been 
seconded  and  rendered  effective  by  formal  ac- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  civil  authority.  The 
people.  In  the  first  flush  of  their  zeal,  had 
bound  themselves  to  luidertake  the  conveyance 
of  the  tithes,  firstfruits  and  freewill  offerings 
from  the  country  districts  to  Jerusalem,  and 
the  deposition  of  them  in  the  Teniiile  treasuries 
(10  :  37-39).  But  in  priictice  this  was  found  too 
great  a  burden  (13  :  10).  Nehemiah  therefore 
appointed  special  officers  to  collect  the  tithes 
and  other  dues  throughout  the  entire  territory, 
and  to  bring  them  to  Jerusalem,  and  lay  them 
up  in  the  proper  chambers  (verse  44).  Over 
the  chambers  he  appointed  treasurers,  whose 
duty  it  was,  not  only  to  collect  the  ecclesiastical 
dues,  but  also  to  distribute  the  proceeds  among 
the  individuals  entitled  to  share  in  them  (13  :  13). 
Iliiving  in  this  way  provided  for  the  sustenance 
of  the  clerical  body,  he  was  able  to  insist  on 
their  regular  performance  of  all  their  duties  ; 
and  the  success  of  his  arrangements  was  such, 
that  under  him  the  Temple  service  was  re- 
stored, not  merely  to  the  condition  established 
Ijy  Zerubbabel  (verse  47).  but  to  one  not  mark- 
edly different  from  that  which  had  been  at- 
tained in  the  time  of  David  and  Asaph  (verse 
40).  The  priests,  Levites,  singers  and  porters 
respectively  jierformed  their  duties  to  his  satis- 
fiU'tion,  purifying  themselves,  and  taking  the 
service  in  their  turns,  "  according  to  the  com- 
mandment of  David  and  Solomon"  (verse 
45). 

13:1-31.  y<h<  mink's  efforts  for  1  lie  reform 
t/f  religion.  After  having  exercised  the  office 
of  governor  for  twelve  yeare.  from  u.c.  444  to 
B.C.  433,  Nehemiah  had  had  oei'asion  to  visit 
the  Persian  court,  either  to  consult  Artaxerxes 
personally  on  certain  matters  connected  with 


his  province,  or  for  some  other  reason  unknown 
to  us.  During  liis  absence  various  evil  prm- 
tices,  to  which  some  reference  h:LS  been  already 
made  in  connection  with  the  renewal  of  the 
covenant(IO  :  30-39).  iicquired  so  much  strength, 
and  came  to  such  a  head,  that,  on  Nehemiali's 
return  to  Jerusalem  at  the  expiration  of  a  year 
(verse  6),  he  felt  it  necessary  to  take  active 
steps  to  put  an  end  to  them.  In  the  first  place, 
internuirriages  between  the  Jews  and  the  neigh- 
boring heathen,  like  those  which  Kzra  had 
dissolved  twenty-five  years  previously  (Ezra 
10  ;  16-44),  had  again  occurred,  and  a  new  gen- 
eration was  growing  up  which  could  not  speak 
its  own  language  correctly  (verse  24).  The 
family  of  the  high-priest,  Elia.shib,  shared  in 
this  trespass.  He  himself  was  allied  by  mar- 
riage to  the  Anunonite  chief,  Tobiah  (V(-rse  4), 
and  one  of  his  grandsons  had  taken  to  wife  a 
daughter  of  Sanballat,  the  Samaritan  (verse  28). 
Secondly,  the  strict  observance  of  the  Sabbath 
had  fallen  into  disre|)ute.  Further,  the  pay- 
ment of  the  tithes  was  very  irregular  ;  and  the 
Levites,  who  ought  to  have  found  tlieir  daily 
food  provided  for  them  in  the  Temple,  not  re- 
ceiving their  "  portions"  there,  were  forced  to 

'  absent  themselves  from  the  daily  service,  and  to 

;  support  themselves  by  cultivating  their  own 
plots  of  ground  (verses  10,  11).  Finallj',  the 
Temple  had  ceased  to  be  regarded  as  sacred  to 
the  Almighty  ;  a  portion  of  it  had  been  con- 
verted into  a  dwelling-house  by  the  order  of 
the  high-priest  liimself  (verse  5),  and  the  Am- 
monite. Tobiah,  had  been  allowed  to  take  pos- 
session of  it.  Nehemiah  tells  us  in  this  chapter 
the  mode  wherein  he  dealt  with  these  various 
evils,  treating  of  the  mixed  marriages  in  verses 

\  1-3  and  23-28  ;  of  the  profanation  of  the  Sab- 
bath in  verses  15-22  ;  of  the  non-payment  of 

'  the  tithes  in  verses  10-13  ;  and  of  the  desecra- 
tion of  the  Temple  in  verses  4-9.  The  chapter 
is  remarkable  for  the  nuniberof  "  interjectional 
prayers"  which  it  contains  (verses  14,  22,  29. 
31),  and  for  the  plainness  and  roughness  of  the 
language  (see  especially  verses  9,  17.  21,  25,  28). 
The  authorship  of  Nehemiah  is  uuivei-sally  ad- 
mitted.    P.  C. 

It  is  tolerably  clear  that  Ezra  could  not  have 
remained  at  Jerusalem  when  Nehemiah  took 
his  departure,  or  the  disorders  of  which  we 
are  about  to  speak  would  never  have  arisen. 

I  The  simtdtaneous  absence  from  Jerusalem  of 
both  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  would  necessarily 
bring  Eliashib  to  the  front.  Accordingly,  he 
seems  to  have  come  forward,  and  taken  the  di- 
rection of  affairs.  He  proceeded  to  authorize  a 
general   relaxation  of  the  Mosaic  ordinances, 


SECTION  64.     FINAL  STRINGENT  REFORMS. 


57£ 


and  especially  of  those  by  which  Neheniiah  had 
set  most  store.  The  people  should  be  free  to 
contract  marriage  with  whomsoever  they  pre- 
ferred, and  would  incur  no  punishment  for  do- 
ing so.  Wives  were  at  once  taken  by  many  of 
tlie  Jews  from  among  the  Ammonites,  the  Mo- 
abites,  and  the  Philistines  of  Aslidod.  They 
were  brought  to  Jerusalem  and  encouraged  to 
teach  their  children  their  own  forms  uf  speech. 
A  strange  jargon  began  to  be  heard  in  the 
streets  of  the  holy  city,  where  infantile  tongues 
babbled  half  in  the  Aramaic,  "  half  in  the 
speech  of  Ashdod"  (13  :  24),  and  their  mothers 
addressed  them  in  the  one  language,  their  fa- 
thers in  the  other  I  Such  seems  to  have  been 
the  rage  for  these  marriages,  that  many  Jews, 
carried  awa}'  by  it,  wrongfully  and  cruelly  put 
away  their  lawful  native  wives  to  take  to  them- 
selves these  aliens.  To  diminish  the  influence  of 
the  priests  and  Levites,  who  were  the  chief  sup- 
port of  the  reforming  party,  he  seems  to  have 
connived  at  the  non-payment  of  the  tithes  and 
tirstfrnits  by  tliose  that  owed  them,  which 
amounted  to  an  absolute  "  robbery"  (Mai.  3  :  8), 
and  so  impoverished  the  sacerdotal  order,  that 
tliey  found  themselves  compelled  to  leave  Jeru- 
.salem,  and  employ  themselves  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  their  own  fields  (verse  10).  The  service 
of  the  Temple  must  liave  suffered  by  this  neg- 
lect, but  Eliashib  and  his  party  were  bent  on 
amalgamating  Judaism  with  heathenism,  or,  at 
any  rate,  on  such  a  system  of  mutual  toleration 
as  should  lead  to  an  ultimate  union  and  fusion. 
Meanwhile,  they  allowed  the  house  of  God  to 
be  "  forsaken"  (verse  11) — the  choral  service 
to  be  discontinued — the  treasuries  to  become 
empty — and  the  once  crowded  courts  to  remain 
without  either  ministers  or  worshippers.  If 
Eliashib,  and  the  party  which  supported  him, 
had  remained  much  longer  in  power,  and  had 
succeeded  in  completely  breaking  down  the 
wall  of  separation  so  long  established  between 
Israel  and  the  heathen,  it  cannot  be  supposed 
that  it  woidd  have  been  long  before  idolatrous 
altars  would  have  appeared  once  more  in  Jeru- 
salem at  the  corners  of  the  streets,  if  they  were 
not  introduced,  as  they  were  under  Manasseh, 
into  the  Temple  itself.     G.  R. 

7-31.  AVhen  Nehemiah  returned  and  saw 
this,  it  "  grieved  him  sore."  But  he  was  no 
mere  lamenter,  to  content  himself  with  siglis 
and  tears  ;  hg  was  a  reformer  of  the  most  vigor- 
ous type.  So  he  purified  the  Temple.  Then  he 
contended  with  the  rulers  about  the  neglect  of 
tithes  and  offerings,  and  stopped  the  traffic 
which  had  been  permitted  on  the  seventh  day, 
including  a  Sabbath  market  which  the  heathen 


had  actually  set  up  at  the  gate  of  Jerusalem. 
He  also  repeated  the  strict  measure  of  discipline 
which  Ezra  had  previously  enforced,  insisting 
on  the  divorce  of  heathen  wives,  whom  Jews 

'  luul  illegally  married.  This  he  did  with  a  cer- 
tain vehemence  of  spirit,  recalling  the  mischief 
that  had  followed  such  intimacy  with  the  hea- 
tlien  on  the  part  of  the  wisest  of  their  kings. 
"  Did  not  Solomon,  king  of  Israel,  sin  by  these 
things?"     D.  F. 

7-14,  Nehemiah  went  in  person  to  the  Tem- 
ple, and  entering  the  "  great  chamber,"  which 
Eliashib  had  assigned  to  Tobiah  the  Ammonite, 
and  "  prepared  for  him"  (verse  7),  he  "  cast 
forth" — apparentl}'  with  his  own  hands — "  all 
the  household  stuff  of  Tobiah  out  of  the  cham- 
ber" (verse  8).  Then  he  proceeded  to  give  or- 
ders that  other  chambers,  similarly  desecrated, 
should  be  cleansed  and  restored  to  their  proper 
uses  (verse  9).  The  "  vessels  of  the  hou.se  of 
God"  were  brought  back  and  once  more  stored 
in  them,  together  with  the  "  meat  offering  and 
the  frankincense."  The  priests  and  Levites 
were  recalled  from  their  several  "  fields,"  and 
arrangements  were  made  for  their  due  sustenta- 
tion  by  tlie  enforcement  of  the  tithe  system  as 
recently  modified  by  the  reformers.  There  was 
a  ready  obedience  to  Nehemiah 's  orders.  "  All 
Jiidah  brought  the  tithe  of  the  corn,  and  of  the 
new  wine,  and  of  the  oil  unto  the  treasuries" 
(verse  12) — the  Levites  flocked  back,  and  re- 
entered upon  their  old  offices — the  Temple 
courts  were  once  more  crowded — the  choral 
anthems  arose  at  the  set  times — and  Nehemiah 
uttered  the  prayer  which  he  has  put  on  record 
(verse  14). 

15-17.  In  re-establishing  the  rightful  ob- 
servance of  the  Sabbath,  again  Nehemiah  had 
"  the  nobles"  opposed  to  liim,  together  with  a 
large  portion  of  the  commercial  classes.  Once 
more,  he  tells  us,  he  had  to  "  contend."  G.  R. 
19.  'When  tlie  gates  of  Jcru§alein 
began  to  be  dark  before  tlie  Sab- 
bath.    The  Jews  have  always  reckoned  their 

,  days  from  sunset  to  sunset,  grouuiling  their 
practice  on  the  account  of  the  Creation  given 

1  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  where  "  the 
evening  and  the  morning"  are  said  to  consti- 
tute each  of  the  six  daj'S.  Tliere  was  also  a 
special  command  that  the  "  Sabbath"  of  the 
great  day  of  atonement  should  be  kept  "  from 

I  even  to  even"  (Lev.  23  :  32).  I  commanded 
that  the  gate§  should  be  shut.  The 
gates  would  as  a  matter  of  course  have  been 
shut  at  sunset.  Nehemiah  required  that  the 
closing  should  take  place  some  half-hour  ear- 
lier, when  the  shadows  were  lengthening,  and 


570 


BOOK  OF  NEUEMIAU. 


tiiL-  (liiy  was  drawing  towanl  a  close.  He  re- 
gariifd  il  ius  ii  sort  of  ilesecTation  of  tlif  Sabbalh 
to  carry  ou  secular  work  to  the  last  allowalile 
muiiRT.t.  TIlut  there  Mliuuld  be  iiu 
biirdoii  hrou^Iit  in.  Foot  iiasscnj^ui-s 
wciv  Ml)  iloulit  allowed  to  enter  and  leave  the 
city  on  the  Sabbath,  Nehemiah's  servants  be- 
ing set  to  sec  that  under  no  pretence  should 

nien^handise  be  allowed  to  enter.     P.  C. 

The  nietho<l  adopted  may  yield  suggestions  for 
all  who  wovdd  aim  at  reforming  abases  or  pub- 
lic ininionilities.  One  most  necessary  step  is  to 
<'nt  oir.  as  far  as  possible,  opportunities  for  the 
sin.  There  will  be  no  trade  if  you  shut  the 
gates  the  night  before.  There  will  be  little 
drunkenness  if  there  arc  no  liquor  shops.  It 
is  quite  true  that  iieople  cannot  be  made  virtu- 
ous by  legislation,  but  it  is  also  true  that  they 
may  be  saved  temptations  to  become  vicious  by 
it.     A.  M. 

20.  The  nierehants  lodged  with- 
out. The  merchants  could  not  leave  their 
wares  iinguanied  ;  and  the  wares  not  being 
admitted  into  the  town,  they  were  obliged  to 
camp  out.  Thus  a  crowd  was  collected  about 
the  gates,  and  a  disturbance  and  excitement 
cau.scd,  which  was  unsuitable  for  the  Sabbath. 
To  prevent  this,  Xehemiah  threatened  to  ar- 
rest the  merchants,  whereupon  the  practice  was 

given  up  (verse  21).     P.   C. Another  hint 

comes  from  Nehemiah's  vigorous  word  to  the 
country  folk  outside  the  wall.  There  is  need 
for  very  strong  determination  and  much  sancti- 
fied obstiuac}'  in  fighting  po|)idar  abuses.  They 
die  hard.  It  is  permissible  to  invoke  the  aid  of 
the  lawful  authority.  But  a  man  with  strong 
convictions  and  earnest  purpose  will  be  able  to 
impress  his  convictions  on  a  mass,  even  if  he 
have  no  guards  at  his  back.  The  one  thing 
needful  for  Christian  reformers  is,  not  the 
power  to  appeal  to  force,  but  the  force  which 
they  can  carry  within  them.  And  it  is  better 
when  the  traders  love  the  Sabbath  too  well  to 
wish  to  drive  bargains  on  it,  than  when  they 
are  hindered  from  doing  as  they  wish  by  Nehe- 
miah's strong  w  ill  or  fornddable  threats.    A.  M. 

^'c.lu'iidah's  Vifirs  on  the  tSaihath.  It  is  held 
by  critics  of  a  certain  type  that  the  Sabbath, 
in  Nehemiah's  time,  was  essentially  a  recent  in- 
stitution. But  he  himself  certainlj'  regarded  it 
as  ancient  (verse  18),  and  as  having  been  an- 
cientlj'  of  so  much  importance  thai,  the  profan- 
ing of  it  was  a  reason  for  the  calamities  that 
had  befallen  Israel.  In  his  mind  the  obligation 
to  abstain  from  work  on  the  Sabl)alli  seems  to 
be  the  same  as  in  the  case  of  thi'  other  holy 
days  prescribed  in  the  law  (Neh.  10  :  31).     In 


any  eiuse,  Neh.  9  :  14  explicitly  mentions  the 
Sabbath  as  one  of  the  institutions  given  through 
Moses  at  Sinai.     W.  J.  B. 

It  is  <'iusy  to  ridicule  the  Jewish  Sabbatli  and 
"  the  Puritan  Sunday."  No  doubt,  there  have 
been  and  are  well-meant  but  mistaken  clTorts 
to  insist  on  too  rigid  observance.  No  doubt, 
it  has  been  often  forgotten  by  good  people  that 
the  Christian  Lord's  Day  is  not  the  Jewish 
Sabbath.  Of  course,  tlic  religious  observance 
of  the  day  is  not  a  fit  subject  for  legislation. 
But  the  need  for  a  seventh  day  of  rest  is  im- 
pressed on  our  physical  and  intellectual  nature  ; 
and  devout  hearts  will  joyfully  find  their  best 
rest  in  Christian  worship  and  service.  The 
vigor  of  religious  life  demands  special  seasons 
set  apart  for  worship.     A.  JI. 

254.  He  concludes  this  passage  with  a  prayer, 
in  which  observe  the  petitions,  "  Lord,  remem- 
ber me,"  that  is  enough  ;  God's  thoughts  to  us- 
ward  are  very  precious  (Ps.  40  : 5).  lie  adds. 
"  Spare  me  ;  so  far  is  he  from  thinking  that  what 
he  had  done  did  jiroperlj'  merit  a  reward  in  strict 
justice,  that  he  <Ties  earnestly  to  God  to  spare 
him.  The  best  saints,  even  when  they  ilo  the 
best  actions,  stand  in  need  of  sparing  mercy,  for 
"  there  is  not  a  just  man  that  doeth  good,  and 
sinneth  not."  The  plea,"  Acconling  to  the  great- 
ness (or  multitude)  of  Thy  mercies."     II. 

After  all,  and  when  he  had  done  all,  he  trusted  in 
nothing  that  he  had  either  gained  or  done  ;  but 
the  more  he  was  laden  with  the  fruits  of  right- 
eousness, the  more  he  felt  himself  to  be  laden 
with  infirmities  ;  so  that,  however  illustrious 
he  was  in  the  ejes  of  his  fellow-men,  he  felt 
that  before  his  God  he  l.ad  no  plea  to  urge,  save 
"  the  mercy  that  endurcth  forever."  1'his. 
therefore,  was  his  lowly  prayer — "  Remember 
me,  O  my  God,  concerning  this  also,  and  spare 
me,  according  to  the  greatness  of  Thy  mercj'." 

Stowiil. Neheniiah  had   no   false  notion  of 

his  own  goodness  ;  for,  while  he  asked  for  rec- 
ompense for  these  good  deeds  of  his,  he  could 
not  but  add,  "  Sparc  me  according  to  the  great- 
ness of  Thy  mercy."  He  who  asks  to  be 
"  spared"  must  know  himself  in  peril  of  de- 
struction ;  and  he  who  invokes  "  mercy"  must 
think  that,  if  he  were  dealt  with  according  to 
justice,  he  would  be  in  evil  case.  So  the  con- 
sciousness of  weakness  and  sin  is  an  integral 
part  of  this  prayer,  and  that  Uikes  all  the  ap- 
parent self -righteousness  out  of  the  previous 
petition.  However  worthy  of  and  sure  of  re- 
ward a  Christian  man's  acts  of  love  and  efforts 
for  the  spread  of  God's  honor  nuiy  be,  the  doer 
of  them  must  still  be  ' '  looking  for  the  mercy  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life."   A.  M. 


SECTION  64.     FINAL  STRINGENT  REFORMS. 


577 


2S-28.  But  the  cliicf  struggle  in  tliis  secoud 
reformation  of  Nehemiiih's  was  the  same  as  that 
which  had  engaged  and  absorbed  tlie  attention 
of  Ezra  when  he  first  visited  Judea — tlie  conten- 
tion with  regard  to  the  mixed  marriages.  Here 
men's  feelings  were  excited  to  the  highest  pos- 
sible pitch,  and  here  he  hatl  for  open  antago- 
nists persons  of  the  very  highest  rank  and  posi- 
tion. Where  the  culprits  belonged  to  the  com- 
mon herd  he  brooked  no  opposition.  But  a  son 
of  Joiada,  and  grandson  of  Eliashib  the  high- 
priest,  Manasseh  by  name,  had  not  only  con- 
tracted one  of  the  prohibited  marriages  (10  :  30), 
l)Ut  had  taken  to  wife  a  daughter  of  Sanballat 
the  Horonite,  the  chief  of  the  foreign  adversa- 
ries of  Nehemiah  (3  :  10,  19  ;  4  :  1,  7  ;  6  : 1,  2, 
5,  12),  and  therefore  a  person  peculiarly  obnox- 
ious to  him.  Nehemiah  required  him  to  put 
this  woman  away.  Bolder  than  his  grandfa- 
ther, he  met  the  command  of  the  governor  with 
a  determined  resistance — he  would  not  part 
with  his  wife.  Supported  by  a  certain  number 
of  his  order  (13  :  29),  he  defied  the  Tirshalha. 
Nehemiah  on  his  part  was  equally  stanch — in 
his  capacity  of  civil  governor  he  passed  on  his 
opponent  a  sentence  of  exile  (verse  28),  The 
recalcitrant  priest  did  not  dare  to  remain  ;  but, 
in  quitting  the  country,  he  seems  to  have 
formed  a  resolution  to  take  refuge  la  Samaria 
with  his  father-in-law,  and  to  establish  there  a 
worship  and  a  temple,  which  should  be  perma- 
nent rivals  of  the  worship  and  Temple  at  Jeru- 
salem, sliould  be  always  open  to  discontented 
members  of  the  Judean  community,  and  should 
present  to  the  world  a  form  of  the  Jehovistic 
religion  less  severe  than  that  of  the  Judeans, 
simpler  and  more  attractive.  The  result  was 
the  erection,  on  the  loftj'  eminence  known  as 
Mount  Gerizim,  of  the  Samaritan  sanctuary  of 
Jehovah,  wherein  Manasseli  was  installed  as 
high-priest,  which  continued  for  three  centuries 
to  be  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  Judah,  a  refuge  for 
traitors  and  renegades,  a  centre  of  hostility  and 
antagonism,  a  constant  source  of  trouble  and 
difficulty.  ^Manasseh,  no  doubt,  from  one  point 
of  view,  had  his  revenge  ;  but,  from  another,  it 
may  be  questioned  whether  he  did  not  render, 
quite  involuntarily,  an  important  service  to 
Judaism.  As  Kuenen  remarks,  "  Had  not  Sa- 
maria stood  open  to  the  discontented  Jews,  per- 
haps the  field  would  not  have  been  cleared  and 
the  resistance  to  the  new  tendency"  {i.e.,  to 
Nehemiah's  reforms)  "  quelled  so  easily.  Now 
that  a  refuge  had  been  opened  to  them  in  the 
immediate  neigliborhood,  they  could  the  sooner 
resolve  to  give  up  the  struggle — from  which 
they  could  scarcely  hope  to  come  out  as  con- 


querors." The  practical  result  is,  that  with 
Manasseh 's  withdrawal  opposition  ceases  ;  the 
reforms  are  established  ;  and  the  newly  freed 
nation  grows  up  upon  the  lines  which  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah  have  laid  down,  not  upon  those 
which  would  have  been  preferred  by  Manasseh 
and  Eliashib.     G.  R. 

23,  24.  We  do  not  know  what  "  the  Jews' 
language"  was  at  the  time,  whether  it  was  He- 
brew or  Aramaic.  Considering,  however,  how 
large  a  proportion  of  the  returned  exiles  be- 
longed to  the  priestly  order,  we  might  presume 
that  Hebrew  would  still  be  used  in  the  upiK-r 
ranks  of  the  community,  and  this  presumption 
is  borne  out  by  the  fact  that  nearly  all  the  post- 
exilic  books  are  in  the  old  language  of  Israel. 
On  the  whole,  it  seems  most  probable  that  the 
Hebrew  of  the  Old  Testament  did  not  become 
wholly  extinct  as  a  living  tongue  until  contact 
with  the  Greeks  had  introduced  another  rival  to 
it  in  the  shape  of  Greek.  Hebrew  disappeared 
before  the  influence  of  Aramaic  and  Greek, 
just  as  completely  as  Aramaic  and  Greek  them- 
selves have  since  disappeared  in  Palestine  be- 
fore the  influence  of  Arabic.  Long  before  this 
happened,  Old  Testament  Hebrew  had  natural- 
ly become  filled  with  "  Aramaisms"' — that  is, 
with  words  or  forms  of  words  and  expressions 
which  were  borrowed  from  Aramaic.     Sryce. 

2§.  From  this  verse  and  from  Ezra  10  :  18-22, 
it  is  evident  that  the  priests  especially  were 
subjected  to  the  severe  discipline  exercised  by 
Ezra  and  Nehemiah  with  respect  to  ndxed  mar- 
riages. Such  discipline  was  the  more  needful 
in  proportion  as  the  needy  condition  of  the  col- 
ony affected  the  state  of  public  worship,  and 
begot  indifference  and  discouragement  among 
the  priesthood  (see  Mai.  1:6;  2:9).     OcMer. 

31.  Nehemiah  refers  himself  to  God  to  rec- 
ompense him,  takes  Him  for  his  paymaster,  and 
then  doubts  not  but  he  shall  be  well  paid. 
This  may  well  be  the  summary  of  our  peti- 
tions ;  we  need  no  more  to  make  us  happy  than 
this, ' '  Remember  me,  O  mj'  God,  for  good. ' '    H. 


Ezra  and  Nehemiah  are  brought  before  the 
reader  somewhat  fully.  Their  personal  charac- 
ters stand  out  in  the  strong  light  of  words  spo- 
ken, deeds  done,  sympathies  manifested.  It  is 
rare  that  we  meet  with  nobler  men,  of  jmrer 
motive,  more  earnest  spirit  and  of  more  unsel- 
fish natures.  How  eminently  prayerful  !  How 
pure  and  sweet  is  the  simplicity  of  their  devo- 
'  tion  to  the  cause  of  God  1  It  is  refreshing  to 
i  come  into  contact  with  such  men,  to  feel  the 


578 


BOOK  OF  NEIIEMIAH. 


power  of  such  examples,  and  the  inspiration 
of  such  spirits.  They  may  have  had  bleniislies 
of  cliaracter,  or  sins  of  life  ;  but  if  so,  the  rec- 
ord passes  them  \innoticed.  Let  us  be  thankful 
for  such  recorded  lives.     II.  C. 


Probably  in  the  later  portion  of  his  civil  gov- 
ernoi-ship  Nehciniali  was  briiu^ht  into  contact 
with  tlie  last  of  the  prophets.  >Ialaclii,  a  man 
tlioroughly  after  his  heart.  Malaelii  denounces, 
with  a  vigor  worthy  of  Isaiali  himself,  tliose 
special  sins  against  wliich  Neliemiali  was  never 
tired  of  contending— tlie  .  intermarriage  with 
heathen  women,  involving,  as  it  too  often  did, 
repudiation  of  innocent  and  loving  Jewish 
wives,  whose  iiidiai)py  lot  caused  them  to  bathe 
the  altar  with  their  tears  (Mai.  3:13)  ;  the  with- 
holding of  tithes  and  offerings,  which  he  re- 
gaitls  as  absolute  robbery  of  the  Almighty 
(ibid  3  ;  8,  9) ;  the  oppression  of  the  poor  [ihid.. 
verac  5),  against  wliich  Neheniiah  so  strenuous- 
ly exerted  himself ;  the  demoralization  of  the 
priesthood  (Mai.  1:6:2: 1-10),  patent  in  the 
cases  of  Eliashib  and  ilanasseh,  and  the  gen- 
eral irreligion  and  laxity  (Mai.  1  :  13, 14  ;  3:17; 
3  :  5,  7).  He  re-echoes  Neliemiah's  condemna- 
tions, but  even  in  stronger  terms.  He  tells  the 
priests  that  they  "  despise"  and  "  profane  God's 
name"  (ibid.  1 ":  6,  12),  that  they  "  are  departed 
out  of  the  way"  (ibid.  3  :  8),  have  "  corrupted 
the  covenant  of  Levi,"  have  "  caused  many  to 
stumble,"  and  have  been  "partiar'  in  their  ex- 
position of  the  law  (ibid.  2  :  9).  He  calls  the 
people  "thieves  and  robbers"  (ibid.  3:8,  9), 
■■  adulterers,  sorcerers,  false  swearers,  treacher- 
ous dealers"  (ibid.  2  :  14).  "  committers  of  abom- 
ination in  Israel  and  in  Jerusalem"  (ibid.  3:11). 
He  tells  them  that  they  arc  "cursed  with  a 
curse."     G.  R. 

Jerusalem— P.\sT  .\nd  Present. 

Seven  cities,  each  famous  in  history,  have, 
during  a  period  of  more  tlian  fcmr  thousanil 
years,  been  successively  reared  on  the  site  of 
the  four  hills  and  intervening  valleys,  that 
are  known  by  the  common  name  of  Jerusa- 
lem. 

With  regard  to  the  original  city,  its  antiquity 
lus  a  walled  town  dates  at  least  forty  centuries 
before  our  time.  The  Jebvisites,  after  the  con- 
quest of  Palestine,  lay  safe  behind  the  colossal 
walls  of  Zion  for  four  hundred  and  fifty  years, 
till  David  surprised  the  stronghold  by  gaining 


admission  through  a  water-course.  Twenty- 
two  years  after  the  storming  of  Zion,  the  Jeb- 
usite  Araunah,  "  as  a  king,"  ceded  to  the  king 
of  Israel  the  site  which  was  afterward  divided 
between  the  precincts  of  the  Temple  and  the 
courts  and  gardens  of  the  palace  ;  and  enormous 
wrought  stones,  artificially  elumnelled  (that 
their  monolithic  grande'ur  might  not  dwarf  the 
smaller  though  yet  gigantic  blocks  of  the  ma- 
sonry of  Solomon),  yet  tell  why  one  of  the 
neighboring  ravines  was  called  the  "  valley  of 
the  giants." 

David,  Solomon,  Uzziah,  Jotham,  Hezekiah 
and  Mana.sseh  were  the  builders  of  regal  Jeru- 
salem. They  enclosed  and  adorned  Moriah, 
defended  Ophel  by  a  wall  that  united  the  forti- 
fication of  Zion  to  Moriah  ;  drew  around  the 
base  of  the  hill,  to  the  north  and  west,  the  wall 
known  as  the  first  wall  of  Josephus,  and  con- 
structed a  subterranean  conduit.  The  peculiar 
features  of  the  work  of  Solomon,  the  rusticated 
megalithic  ashlar,  the  shouldered  lintels,  hol- 
lowed into  the  resemblance  of  true  arches,  the 
rude  Phaniician  letters  traced  hy  the  qiiarry- 
men  and  stone-hewers  of  Hinim,  the  cisterns  and 
culvert  of  the  conduit  are  yet  to  be  recognized 
by  the  character  no  less  than  by  the  localities 
of  the  work.  Regal  Jerusalem  stood  for  four 
hundred  and  sixty-six  years. 

Sacerdotal  Jerusalem  dates  from  the  restora- 
tion inaugurated  by  Zerubbabel,  after  the  par- 
tial demolition  effected  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  to 
the  more  complete  destruction  resulting  from 
the  siege  by  Titus,  a  period  of  six  hundred  and 
six  years.  Nehemiah  "  the  Tirehatha,"  Judas 
Maccaba?us,  Jonathan,  Simon,  Hyrcanus,  Herod 
the  Great  and  Agrippa,  the  fourth  Idumean 
king,  were  the  principal  builders  during  this 
period.  Hadrian  and  Constantine,  Julian  and 
Justinian,  were  the  builders  of  Roman  Jerusa- 
lem. There  is  no  mistaking  the  traces  of  tlieir 
handiwork.  Altars,  entablatures,  deeidy  in- 
cised rude  Roman  inscriptions,  architectural 
fragments,  even  one  or  two  portions  of  statues, 
or  of  statuettes,  attest  their  pagan  origin. 
Crosses  and  Christian  inscriptions,  and  the  in- 
troduction of  a  cruciform  plan  for  buildings, 
yet  to  be  traced  in  the  foundations,  commenced 
during  this  period  of  five  centuries. 

The  Persian  and  Arabic  nde  over  the  holy 
city  endured,  including  the  brief  interval  of 
restored  Cliristian  sway  under  Ileraclius,  for 
four  hundred  and  eighty  years.  Moorish  tiles 
are  almost  the  only  relics  of  this  period  to  be 
distinguished  in  the  museum.  On  the  actual 
site  exists  very  much  tliat  tells  of  the  Arab  oc- 
cupation.    The  ninety  years  of  the  crusaders 


SECTION  ei     JERUSALEM. 


579 


and  of  the  Norman  kings  of  Jerusalem  have 
left  relics  remarkable  for  their  value,  if  not  for 
their  number. 

The  seventh  permanent  occupation  of  Jeru- 
salem has  been  that  of  the  Moslem,  commenc- 
ing with  the  capture  by  Saladin,  and  enduring, 
tirst  under  the  Saracens  and   theu  under  the 


Turkish  caliphs,  to  our  own  da.y.  Dilapidation, 
dirt,  misery  and  decay  have  waited  on  the 
Turkish  rule  ;  and  it  is  no  trifling  achievement 
to  have  obtained  authority  from  the  sultan  to 
raise  any  portion  of  the  veil  which  long  neglect 
has  drawn  over  the  relics  of  Jerusalem.  Brit. 
Quarteiiy. 


JRoyal  TonAsn 


aSn  Bogel 


Outline  of  Ancient  Jerusalem.    (Bobinson  modi/led.) 


BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


Section  65. 


Tnis  is  a  book  of  Divine  providence.  It  is 
written  to  sliow  how  God,  witliout  manifesting 
Himself  as  lie  had  done  in  Jiulea,  watelied 
over  tlie  Jews  in  a  stran.L'C  laud,  and  under  tlie 
power  of  tlie  heathen.  The  eharm  of  the  his- 
tory is  this,  that  while  everything  proceeds  in 
a  manner  quite  natural,  and  there  is  no  intro- 
duction of  miracles  or  prodigies,  all  the  inci- 
dents are  so  nicely  adjusted  to  the  production 
of  the  great  result,  that  if  one  had  been  want- 
ing, or  been  otherwise  than  it  was,  the  whole 
plan  would  have  been  deranged,  and  the  issue 
could  never  have  been  reached.  The  time  oc- 
cupied by  this  story  falls  in  between  the  going 
up  of  Zerubljabel  from  Babylon  to  Jerusalem, 
and  that  of  Ezra.  The  Persian  empire,  in 
which  Babylon  was  then  included,  was  at  its 
height  of  greatness,  extending  from  the  Indus 
to  the  Mediterranean,  and  from  the  Caspian  to 
Arabia.  The  Ahasuerus  who  occupied  the 
throne  was  most  probably  the  Xerxes  of  pro- 
fane history.  His  winter  palace  was  at  Susa  or 
Shushan,  and  his  court  was  luxurious  and  ex- 
travagant to  a  degree  which  we  can  scarcely 
conceive.     D.  F. 

The  Book  of  Esther  stands  in  the  English 
Bible  at  the  close  of  the  historical  books  ;  it 
does  not,  however,  form  a  link  in  the  connected 
series,  as  it  only  relates  to  an  episode  in  the 
history.  It  has,  moreover,  features  of  its  own 
wliich  distinguish  it  broadly  from  the  historical 
books,  and  indeed  from  all  the  other  books  of 
the  Old  Testament.  It  takes  its  name  from  the 
Jewish  maiden  who  bt'came  queen  of  the  Per- 
sian king  Ahasuerus,  and  it  was  written  doubt- 
less with  the  primary  purpose  of  explaining 
the  institution  of  the  feast  of  Purim,  which 
originated  mainly  through  her  means.  In  the 
Hebrew  Bible  it  stands  among  the  Hagiographa, 
the  third  division  of  the  canonical  books,  as  one 
of  the  live  rolls,  and  by  tlie  later  Jews  has 
come  to  be  esteemed  almost  as  highly  as  the 
law  itself.     J.  Robertson. 


The  Book  comes  to  us  with  an  external  record 
that  is  above  suspicion.  We  receive  it  from 
those  vigilant  and  scrupulous  guardians  of  the 
Hebrew  Scriptures,  the  Jewish  ])eo])le  ;  and 
with  the  most  assuring  commendation  on  their 
part.  Their  learned  rabbis  are  united  in  in- 
cluding it  among  those  Scriptures  distinguished 
as  the  llnr/iijijraphi,  the  emphatically  sacred 
books  ;  and  even  among  these,  assigned  it  the 
first  rank.  The  internal  evidence  is  equally  sat- 
isfactory. Like  the  other  books  of  the  Hebrew 
canon,  it  deals  with  the  fortunes  of  the  Jewish 
15eople,  and  is  fully  in  keeping  with  their  well- 
known  characteristics.  Jlordecai  and  Esther 
were  Jews  of  the  clearest  and  most  unquestion- 
able type.  The  providence  of  God,  in  the  de- 
liverance of  His  people,  stands  out  in  this  book 
in  as  distinct  outline  as  in  their  rescue  from  the 
Egyptian  bondage  or  from  the  Babylonian  cap- 
tivity. The  record  is  everywhere  true,  more- 
over, to  the  Medo-Persian  dynasty  and  charac- 
ter. It  shows  us  just  what  the  profane  his- 
tories show  us,  only  with  greater  minuteness 
and  fidelity.     Street. 

The  Book  of  Esther  relates  an  episode  in 
Jewish  history  of  intense  interest  to  the  entire 
nation  at  the  time,  since  it  involved  the  ques- 
tion of  its  continuance  or  destruction,  but  an 
episode  which  stood  quite  separate  and  distinct 
from  the  rest  of  Jewish  history,  unconnected 
with  anything  that  preceded  or  followed,  and 
which,  but  for  the  institution  of  the  feast  of 
Purini,  might  as  easily  have  been  forgotten  by 
the  people  as  escaped  perils  too  often  arc  by 
individuals.  The  main  scene  of  the  narrative 
is  Susa,  the  Persian  capital  ;  the  driutmtis  per- 
siina'  are  either  Persians  or  "  Jews  of  the  dis- 
persion." There  is  no  mention,  in  the  whole 
Book,  of  Palestine,  or  Jerusalem,  or  the  Tem- 
ple, or  the  provisions  of  the  law,  nor  any  allu- 
sion to  any  facts  in  previous  Jewish  history, 
excepting  two  ;  1.  The  Captivity  under  Xebu- 
chnduczzar  (chap.  2  :  6).     2.    The  subsequent 


SECTION  Go.    BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


581 


dispersion  of  the  Jews  over  all  the  various 
provinces  of  tlie  Persian  empire  (chap.  3  :  8). 
Tims  the  events  related  belong,  primarily,  not 
to  the  histor}'  of  the  Palestinian  Jews,  but  to 
that  of  the  "  Jews  of  the  dispersion  ;"  and  it  is 
as  indieatinji:  that  those  Jews  were,  no  less  than 
their  brethren  in  Palestine,  under  the  Divine 
care,  that  the  Book  appealed  to  the  hearts  of 
the  Jewish  race  generally,  and  claimed  a  place 
in  the  national  collection  of  sacred  writings. 
The  mere  process  of  eliminating  impossible 
kings  conducts  us  to  Xerxes,  the  son  of  Darius, 
and  father  of  Longimanus,  as  the  personage 
really  meant.  Anil  here  we  find,  in  the  first 
jilace,  that  the  names  are  identical,  the  Hebrew 
Aklidshivrtish  corresponding  letter  for  letter 
with  the  Persian  Khshayanha,  which  the 
Greeks  turned  into  Xerxes.  Secondl}-,  the  re- 
semblance of  character  is  most  striking,  and  is 
admitted  on  all  hands.  Thirdly,  the  notes  of 
time  exactly  accord  with  the  chronology  of 
Xerxes'  reign.  "  In  the  third  year  of  Xerxes' 
reign  wits  held  an  assembly  at  Susa  to  arrange 
the  Grecian  war  (Herod,  vii.  7).  In  the  third 
j'ear  of  Ahasuerus  was  held  a  great  feast  and 
assembly  at  tShushan  the  palace  (Esth.  1  :  3).  In 
the  seventh  .year  of  his  reign  Xerxes  returned 
defeated  from  Greece,  and  consoled  himself  by 
the  pleasures  of  the  harem  (Herod,  ix.  108).  In 
the  seventh  year  of  his  reign  '  fair  young 
virgins  were  sought '  for  Ahasuerus  (Esth. 
2:3-15)."  "We  may  therefore  confidently  re- 
gard the  Ahasuerus  of  Esther  as  the  well- 
known  invader  of  Greece  and  scourger  of  the 
Hellespont,  who  has  come  down  to  us  in  pro- 
fane histor}'  as  "  Xerxes."     P.  C. From  the 

cuneiform  alphabet  of  the  ancient  Persians  we 
learn  that  Ahasuerus  or  Akluishvcrosh  is  the 
Hebrew  form  of  the  Persian  Khshayarsha, 
called  Xerxes  in  Greek.  Two  kings  of  this 
name  ruled  over  Persia  ;  but  as  the  second 
reigned  for  only  a  couple  of  months,  he  cannot 
possibly  be  the  Ahasuerus  of  Esther.  The  lat- 
ter must  be  the  famous  monarch  of  Greek 
story,  whose  huge  armaments  incited  away  be- 
fore Greek  valor  at  Salamis  and  Platoea.  The 
character  of  Ahasuerus,  too,  agrees  well  with 
that  of  Xerxes  I.  Weak,  vain,  cowardly  and 
capricious,  Xerxes  I.  was  the  only  Persian 
monarch  known  to  us  who  could  have  acted  in 
the  way  -described  in  the  Book  of  Esther. 
Xerxes  has  left  inscriptions  at  Persepolis,  at 
Elvend  (near  Ekbatana),  and  at  Van  in  Ar- 
menia, whicli  are  couched  in  the  same  language 
as  those  of  his  father,  Darius.     Sayce. 

The  reader  will  notice  that,  taking  Ahasuerus 
to  be  Xerxes,  the  events  of  this  Book  fall  after 


the  dedication  of  the  second  Temple  (second 
year  of  Darius)  and  before  the  labors  of  Ezra 
and  Nehemiah  (from  the  seventli  to  the  thirty- 
second  or  some  later  year  of  Artaxerxes  Longi- 
manus). As  to  locality,  the  reader  will  see  that 
these  events  transpire,  not  in  Judah,  and  not 
where  they  would  directly  affect  the  colony 
there  save  through  sympathy  ;  but  in  Shushan, 
the  capital  of  the  Medo-Persian  empire.  The 
Book  shows  that  Jews  in  considerable  numbers 
were  scattered  over  that  empire,  many  in  Shu- 
shan itself.  Of  their  fortunes  under  a  special 
exigency  during  the  reign  of  Xerxes  this  book 
gives  an  acco\int. 

The  name  of  the  author  of  this  book  cannot 
be  ascertained  with  any  certainty.  He  gives 
details  so  minutely  that  he  must  have  lived  on 
the  spot.  His  allusions  to  Pereian  life  and 
manners,  luxury,  customs  and  history,  har- 
monize so  entirely  with  what  comes  to  us 
through  the  Greek  historians  as  to  compel  the 
same  conclusion.  The  writer  knew  too  much 
of  the  Persians  to  have  lived  elsewhere  than 
there  and  then.  Some  think  the  book  was 
written  hy  Mordecai.  It  is  probably  safe  to 
say — by  him,  or  at  least  under  his  eye.  As  to 
purpose  and  aim,  the  author  recognizes  the 
feast  of  Purim  ;  indeed,  makes  great  account  of 
it  as  an  established  institution  ;  probably  was 
active  in  making  it  such  ;  and  consequently 
prepared  this  history  of  the  events  that  culmi- 
nated in  that  commemorative  festival.  Those 
events  were  worthy  of  this  commemoration. 
God's  hand  in  them  from  first  to  last  was  so 
signally  manifest,  the  lessons  they  taught  could 
not  fail  to  be  at  once  impressive  and  instruc- 
tive. But  though  God's  hand  was  in  these 
events  too  plainly  manifest  to  be  mistaken  or 
unnoticed,  yet  His  name  is  not  here,  not  being 
even  once  written  in  this  Book.  We  are  left 
in  no  doubt  that  Mordecai  believed  in  God's 
covenant  with  His  people  and  in  His  promises 
of  salvation  in  their  behalf  (4  :  14),  and  that 
both  he  and  Esther  believed  in  prayer,  though 
they  do  not  name  prayer,  but  only  fasting, 
when  it  seems  plain  enough  that  prayer  is  in 
their  thought  as  trulj'  as  fasting.     H.  C. 

The  language  of  the  Book  closely  resembles 
that  of  Chronicles,  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  which 
were  all  written  about  that  time.  The  minute 
and  particular  accounts  of  many  matters  which 
would  be  known  primarily  only  to  Esther  and 
Mordecai,  and  would  certainly  not  have  been 
written  in  the  "  Book  of  the  Chronicles,"  as 
Mordecai 's  genealogy  (3  :  5),  Esther's  messages 
to  ]\[ordecai  and  Mordecai's  to  her  through 
Ilatach  (4  :  5-16),  the  circumstances  of  the  two 


582 


BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


banquets  pivoii  l)y  Esther  to  Ahasucnis  and 
Ilaniiiii  (5  :  6-8  ;  7  :  3-8),  etc.,  make  it  probable 
that  tlie  writ<^'r  was  contemporary  with  tlie 
events  narrated,  and  derived  his  information 
from  Mordeeai  or  Estlier,  or  botli.  Furtlier, 
the  individuals  who  have  been  mentioned  as 
the  writers  of  the  Book — Jlordecai  himself  and 
the  high-priest  Joiakim — lived  about  this  time. 
Altogether,  it  seems  most  probable  that  the 
work  was  composed  about  the  middle  of  the 
fifth  century  B.C.,  or  a  little  later,  when  Xer.ses 

had  been  dead  about  twent}'  years.     P.  C. 

Tlie  minuteness  of  the  details,  and  the  fre(|ucnt 
reference  to  events  and  ])ersons  which  jiresup- 
pose  an  acquaintance  with  Persia,  go  to  show 
not  only  that  the  author  lived  in  Persia — which 
Indeed  is  admitted  on  all  sides — but  also  that 
he  lived  before  the  overthrow  of  the  Persian 
power.  At  the  sam?  time  it  is  evident  from 
the  first  verse  of  the  Book  that  the  reign  of 
Xerxes  was  already  over,  as  well  as  from  the 
last  verse  but  one,  where  it  is  stated  that  "  all" 
his  acts  were  written  in  the  chronicles  of  the 
kings  of  >[edia  and  Persia.  As  we  have  seen, 
the  character  of  the  language  of  the  book 
would  tend  to  make  it  a  little  later  than  the 
Books  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  and  we  may 
therefore  assent  to  the  opinion  of  those  com- 
mentators who  place  its  composition  toward  the 
end  of  the  reign  of  Artaxcr.xes  Longimanus 
(B.C.  425).     Siiycc. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  name  of  God  is  not 
once  mentioned  in  Esther.  The  only  religious 
ideas  introduced  with  any  distinctness  are  the 
efficacy  of  a  national  humiliatiou  (4  :  1-3),  the 
certainty  that  punishment  will  overtake  the 
wicked,  and  a  feeling  of  confidence  that  Israel 
will  not  be  forsaken  (4:14).  Various  conjec- 
tural reasons  have  been  given  for  this  reticence. 
One  thing  is  clear,  that  a  Jew  of  later  times 
would  have  taken  care  not  to  raise  suspicion 
against  his  work  by  such  an  omission.  ...  It 
would  seem  tliat  the  reticence  of  the  author  of 
Esther  respecting  his  religious  views  was  the 
result  of  habit.  The  Jews,  bred  up  among  the 
heathen,  and  living  in  constant  intercourse 
with  them,  learned  by  degrees  to  keep  back  the 
expression  of  their  religious  convictions,  to  as- 
similate themselves  externaUy  to  their  masters, 
to  eliminate  from  their  ordinary  discourse  all 
that  wo\il(l  mark  them  for  .lews,  while  they 
clung  internally  to  their  old  belief,  and  piiiclised 
secretly  their  old  customs.  A  century  and  a 
half  of  this  dissimulation  made  it  so  habitu.al 
that  it  was  not  laid  aside,  even  where  there  was 
no  occasion  for  it.  The  Jew  of  the  dispersion 
kept  his  religion  in  his  heart  of  hearts,  and 


spoke  of  it  as  little  as  possible.  It  may  have 
helped  to  keep  Esther  free  from  the  religious 
element,  if  it  was  in  the  main  extracted  from 
the  Persian  archives.  We  do  not  know  cm  what 
scale  these  were  written,  bvit  it  is  quite  possible 
that  they  contained  most  of  our  present  Esther. 
.\t  any  ratt^  if  the  author  took  them  for  his  basis, 
and  foinid  them,  as  he  might,  altogether  secu- 
lar in  tone,  he  would  be  naturally  led  to  assim- 
ilate to  them  his  own  portions  of  the  work. 
Finall)-,  it  must  be  granted  that  the  whole  diffi- 
culty is  not  overcome  by  these  considerations, 
and  it  may  well  be  that  other  circumstances 
also,  which  catmot  be  particularized,  ju'evented 
the  author  from  giving  expression  to  the  relig- 
iiius  feelings  and  belief's  which  he  entertained, 
and  which  underlie  his  narrative. 

The  omission  of  the  name  of  God,  and  the 
slightness  of  the  religio\is  element  in  the  book, 
which  have  been  mentioned  as  its  most  remark- 
able characteristics,  do  not  deprive  it  of  canon- 
iciti/.  The  name  of  God  is  not  found  in  Can- 
ticles, which  hiis,  nevertheless,  "all  the  exter- 
nal marks  of  canonicity  possessed  bj-  any  other 
book  of  the  Old  Testament  not  expressly  cited 
in  the  New."  The  religious  element  is  lacking 
from  large  portions  of  all  the  historical  books, 
yet  those  portions  are  as  mucli  canonical  as  the 
parts  most  penetrated  by  the  religious  spirit. 
The  fact  is  that  canonicity,  in  the  case  of  an 
historical  book,  does  not  necessarily  imply  more 
than  that  the  history  is  true,  and  the  moral 
bearing  of  the  work  such  as  to  accord  with  the 
highest  religious  enlightenment  of  the  time  and 
people  for  which  the  work  was  writt*'n.     G.  R. 

It  is  allowed  on  all  hands  tliat  there  must 

be  an /(istorjcd^  foundation  to  the  book  ;  and  the 
more  candid  of  sceptical  critics  admit  that  the 
main  circumstances  of  the  narrative,  which  at 
first  sight  appear  improbable,  are  not  so  if  the 
peculiarly  extravagant  and  capricious  character 
of  the  Persian  monarch.  wh<im  the  author  calls 

Ahasueriis,  be  taken  into  account.     B.  C. 

The  latest  critic  is  struck,  not  with  "  difficul- 
ties" or  with  "  misUikes"  in  the  narrative,  but 
with  the  fact  that  the  whole  of  it  is  "  thorovigh- 
ly  characteristic,"  all  the  various  scenes  being 
"  full  of  the  local  genius  of  the  empire,  as  we 
know  it  alike  through  the  accounts  of  the  ear- 
liest Greek  travellers  and  the  latest  English  in- 
vestigators."  The  accord  acknowledged  in  this 
sentence  is  indeed  most  striking  ;  the  suitabili- 
ty of  all  the  main  facts  related  to  the  ])ersonal 
character  of  Xerxes  cannot  be  disputed  ;  the 
notes  of  time  fit  in  with  what  we  know  of  his 
reign  exactly  ;  it  is  quit"  inconceivable  that  a 
poet  or  a  romancer,  writing  one  hundred  and 


SECTION  C5.     RELATION  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  ESTIIER  TO   THE  LAW.     583 


fifty  or  two  hundred  years  after  the  events 
(which  is  tlie  hypothesis  of  modern  sceptical 
critics),  should  have  been  at  once  so  full,  so 
graphic,  and  so  correct.  We  are,  therefore, 
thrown  back  upon  the  opposite  theory,  that 
the  writer  w;is  a  contcmporarj-,  that  he  was  fa- 
miliar with  the  Persiau  court  under  Xerxes, 
and  that  the  harmony  observable  between  his 
narrative  and  all  that  we  otherwise  know  of  the 
time  is  to  be  referred  to  the  unity  and  cougru- 
itj'  of  truth.  An  historical  romancer  necessarily 
involves  himself  in  discrepancies  and  contradic- 
tions ;  the  trutlif  ul  narrator  has  nothing  of  this 
kind  to  fear,  since  with  every  statement  that 
is  true  all  the  facts  of  the  case  must  harmonize. 
P.  C. 

It  is  impossible  that  any  reasonable  mind 
should  reflect  lung  upon  what  is  implied  in 
such  an  observance  as  the  feast  of  Purim,  cele-  j 
brated  by  the  Jews  all  over  the  world,  begin- 
ning some  four  or  five  centuries  before  Christ, 
and  never  intermitted,  and  see  how  every  root 
and  fibre  of  it  is  contained  in  this  book,  and 
not  find  itself  held  fast  by  the  demonstration 
and  the  conviction  that  the  events  were  real. 
If  we  should  find  a  collision  between  this  and 
the  declarations  of  profane  historj',  the  latter 
must  give  way.  But  there  is  no  such  collision. 
There  is  simply,  as  in  all  ancient  history,  the 
task  of  finding  tlie  true  order  and  succession  of 
the  events,  and  locating  them  as  they  seem  to 
liave  occurred  in  the  order  of  time,  or  of  cause 

and  effect.     Street. No  other  account  has 

ever  been  given,  or  can  be  given,  of  the  origin 
of  the  feast  of  Purim,  which  the  Jews  keep  to 
tliis  day.  Nothing  but  its  historic  truth  can 
iiccount  for  the  inclusion  of  Esther  in  the  canon. 
The  more  candid  of  modern  sceptical  critics 
confess  it  to  be  "  incontestable  that  the  feast  of 
Purim  originated  in  Persia,  and  was  occasioned 
by  an  event  similar  to  that  related  in  Esther."  , 
May  we  not  say,  having  exposed  the  weakness 
of  the  historical  objections,  that  it  was  occa- 
sioned by  the  events  there  related,  and  by  none 
other?    G.  R. 

It  is  difilcult  to  read  the  Book  of  Esther  with 
impartial  eyes  without  being  struck  b\-  its  local 
coloring,  its  minuteness  of  detail,  and  its  gen- 
eral agreement  with  historical  facts.  Tlie  very 
objection  that  has  been  brought  against  its  au- 
tlienticity  from  the  long  period  of  time  which 
elapsed  between  the  decree  against  Vashti  and 
the  choice  of  a  new  queen  turns  out  to  be  a 
strong  testimony  in  its  favor.  It  is  one  of  those 
undesigned  coincidences  which  certify  tlie  gen- 
uineness of  an  ancient  document  better  than  a 
thousand  arguments.     A  romancer  would  never 


have  remembered  that  the  tliird  year  of  Xer.\es 
was  the  beginning  of  his  preparations  against 
Greece,  and  tliat  from  that  moment  to  his  sixth 
or  seventh  year  he  was  either  absent  from  Susa 
or  occupied  with  Grecian  affairs.  Nor  is  it 
likely  that  a  romancer  or  a  mere  Jewish  legend 
would  have  assigned  a  name  like  that  of  Mor- 
decai  to  their  hero.  Mordecai  means  "  belong- 
ing to  Merodach, "  and  was  one  of  those  names 
which  was  adopted  by  apostatizing  or  relig- 
iouslj'  indifferent  Jews  from  their  Babylonian 
neighbors.  So  distinctively  heathen  a  name 
would  never  have  been  selected  for  a  Jewish 
champion  by  the  "  hagadist"  or  moral  romance- 
writer  of  a  later  day.  But  the  existence  of  the 
feast  of  Purim  proves  better  than  anything  else 
the  reality  of  the  history  which  explains  its 
origin.  From  the  second  century  before  the 
Christian  era  down  to  our  own  day  we  have 
contemporary  evidence  of  its  observance,  and 
throughout  that  long  period  of  time  it  has  been 
kept  by  the  Jewish  people  with  an  intensity  of 
fervor  which  only  the  events  recorded  in  the 
Book  of  Esther  can  explain  or  justify.  Nay, 
more  ;  the  word  Purim  has  no  etymology  in 
Hebrew,  and  must  have  been  imported  from 
abroad.  The  word  is  interpreted  "  lot"  in 
chap.  3  :  7,  and  may  have  the  same  root  as  the 
Latin  purs  and  portio.  But  it  has  not  yet  been 
met  with  in  the  fragments  of  the  olil  Persian 
language  preserved  in  the  inscriptions  of  Dari- 
us and  his  successors. 

We  have  only  to  compare  the  Hebrew  Book 
of  Esther  with  the  apocryphal  Greek  additions 
to  it,  to  see  what  a  contrast  there  is  between 
the  genuine  and  the  false.  As  soon  as  we  pass 
to  the  Greek  additions,  we  stumble  at  once 
on  anachronisms  and  historical  misstatements 
which  betra}'  the  age  to  which  they  belong. 
Hamau  is  changed  into  a  Macedonian,  Aliasue- 
rus  is  made  to  call  the  Jews  "  the  elect  nation," 
and  to  wish  that  their  enemies  may  descend  into 
Hades  or  "  hell,"  and  Esther  boasts  that  she 
"had  never  eaten  at  the  table  of  Haman." 
Had  the  Hebrew  Book  of  Esther  been  a  Haga- 
dah  or  religious  romance  of  the  Ptolemaic  era, 
it  also  would  have  contained  plenty  of  state- 
ments like  these.     Snyce. 

Relation  of  tJie  Boole  of  Esther  to  the  Law. 

Whatever  else  may  be  said  of  this  book,  no 
one  will  deny  that  it  is  intensely  Jewish.  It  is 
true  that  the  name  of  God  does  not  occur  in  it, 
but  surely  the  hand  of  God  is  recognized  vir- 
tually in  such  places  as  9  : 1.  23  ;  10  :  3  ;  3:17; 
4  :  14.  There  may  be  no  direct  reference  to  the 
law  of  Moses,  though  the  conduct  of  the  Jews 


584 


BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


in  chap.  0  :  10,  lo,  16.  is  singularly  in  accord- 
auff  witli  the  2irovision.s  of  the  law  in  Di'. 
7  ;  26  ;  13  :  17,  morf  i's|)c(ially  when  contra-sted 
witli  the  kiiiji's  permission  in  ehap.  8:11;  but 
their  national  distinctness,  and  tlicir  complete 
isolation  from  all  the  people  of  other  lands,  is 
markedly  set  forth  and  witnessed  to  as  an  au- 
thentic fact  ;  and  how  is  this  to  be  accounted 
for  hut  by  the  peciiliar  and  distinctive  charac- 
ter of  the  law,  which  cxjilicitly  marked  them 
out  from  all  otlier  people  (De.  7  :  6),  and  pro- 
vided for  their  separation  partly  by  the  rite  of 
circuin<-ision,  but  still  more  by  its  own  statutes 
and  judgments  (De.  4:8,  33,  34,  etc.)  ?  No 
writer,  however,  would  be  so  rsish  as  to  main- 
tain that  the  law  of  Moses  as  we  have  it  now 
was  not  in  existence  at  the  time  when  the  Book 
of  Esther  was  written.  From  its  silence,  there- 
fore, we  can  draw  no  argument  adverse  to  the 
authorit}'  of  that  Law  ;  while  the  Book  itself, 
when  it  speaks  of  Jews  being  found  through- 
out the  hundred  and  twent_v-seven  provinces  of 
the  empire  of  Ahiisuerus  (8:9),  is  a  sufficient 
and  suitable  witness  to  the  fulfilment  of  the 
threatenings  of  the  law  at  Lev.  26  :  33  ;  De. 
4  :  27  ;  28  :  64.  We  may  consequently  hold  it 
for  certain  that  traces  of  the  influence  of  the 
law  are  not  wanting  In  the  Book  of  Esther  ; 
and  that  by  its  relation  thereto  it  is  seen  to 
possess  a  substantial  unity  with  other  literary 
monuments  of  the  Old  Testament.     Leathea. 

Suggestions  t)f  tlie  Book  of  Esther. 

How  the  providence  of  God  watched  over 
the  Jews  that  were  returned  out  of  captivity 
to  their  own  land,  and  what  great  and  kind 
things  were  done  for  them,  we  read  in  the  two 
foregoing  books  ;  but  there  were  many  who 
stayed  behind,  having  not  zeal  enough  for 
God's  house,  and  the  holy  land  and  city,  to 
carry  them  through  the  difficulties  of  a  removal 
thither  ;  these,  one  would  think,  sliould  have 
been  excluded  the  special  protection  of  Provi- 
dence, as  unworthy  the  name  of  Israelites  ;  but 
our  God  deals  not  with  us  according  to  our 
folly  and  weakness.  We  find  in  this  book,  that 
even  those  Jews  who  were  scattered  iu  the 


provinces  of  the  heathen  were  taken  care  of, 
as  well  as  those  who  were  gatheri'd  in  the  land 
of  Judea,  and  were  wonderfully  preserved 
when  doomed  to  destruction  and  appointed  as 
sheep  for  the  slaughter.     H. 

It  is  well  that  God  should  have  vindicated  as 
His  own  a  mere  piece  of  honest,  plain,  straight- 
forward, secular  history,  written  by  a  Go<l- 
fearing  person,  and  the  chief  actors  in  which 
were  Godfearing  jiersons,  that  so  we  may  feel 
that  history  itself  is  God's,  and  a  true  record  of 
it  a  godly  work — a  work  which  He  will  accept 
and  api)rove,  whether  or  no  lie  be  explicitly  re- 
ferred to  in  it,  whether  or  no  it  be  made  a 
vehicle  of  direct  religious  in.struction,  whether 
or  no  the  characters  held  up  for  approval  have 
the  sacred  name  upon  their  lips,  if  only  they 
have  it  in  their  hearts.     P.  C. 

The  doctrine  of  God's  providence  finds  here 
an  historic,  pictorial  parable.  There  is  behind 
human  affairs  an  unseen  hand.  Both  evil  and 
good  have  their  ultimate  awards.  The  pros- 
perity of  the  wicked  is  unsafe  and  unsatisfy- 
ing, ending  in  adversity.  The  adversity  of  the 
good  is  a  trial  of  faith,  issuing  iu  prosperit}". 
Uetribution  is  administered  with  poetic  exact- 
ness. The  most  minute  events  are  woven  into 
God's  plan.  Providence  Is  not  fate,  but  con- 
sists with  prayer  and  resolve,  freedom  and  re- 
sponsibility. The  name  of  God  is  not  found 
here.  His  is  a  secret  control  of  the  affairs  of 
His  people  ;  a  hiiMeti  hand  shifts  the  scenes. 
Only  the  eye  of  faith  sees  the  Divine  factor  in 
human  history,  but  to  the  attentive  observer 
all  history  is  a  burniug  bush  aflame  with  the 
mysterious  Presence.     Picrson. 

The  Book  of  Esther  is  to  be  held  in  everlast- 
ing remembrance,  if  only  as  showing  to  all 
ages  and  to  all  peoples  how  much  the  heavenly 
love  and  care  concern  themselves  with  those 
who  themselves  have  no  care  to  keep  Gotl'-s 
commandments,   and   no  thought   of   the  care 

j  and  love  that  are  concerned  about  them.     Tho 
shepherd   watches   and   seeks  the   sheep,    and 

I  throws  around   them,   unseen,   protections  all 
through   the  wilderness  where  they  wander. 

I  A.  liakigh. 


SECTION  66.  585 


Section  66. 

THE  FEAST    AT    SUSA.     VASHTIS    DISPLACEMENT    BY   ESTHER.     MORDECAIS 

SERVICE   TO   THE   KING. 

Esther,  Chaps  1,  3. 

1  : 1  Now  it  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of  Ahasuerus,  (this  is  Ahasuerus  which  reigned,  from 

2  India  even  unto  Ethiopia,  over  an  hundred  and  seven  and  twenty  provinces  :)  that  in  those 
days,  wlien  the  king  Aliasuerus  sat  on  the  throne  of  liis  lcingd<im.  which  was  in  Sliushan  tlie 

3  palace,  in  the  third  year  of  liis  reign,  lie  made  a  feast  unto  all  his  princes  aud  his  servants  ; 
the  power  of  Persia  and  Jledia,  the  nobles  and  princes  of  the  provinces,  being  before  him  ; 

4  when  he  shewed  the  riches  of  his  glorious  kingdom  and  the  honour  of  his  excellent  majest}- 

5  many  da3'S,  even  an  hundred  and  fourscore  days.  Aud  when  these  days  were  fulfilled,  the 
king  made  a  feast  unto  all  the  people  that  were  present  iu  Shushau  the  palace,  both  great  and 

6  small,  seven  days,  in  the  court  of  the  garden  of  the  king's  palace  ;  (here  were  luuif/ings  af 
white  cloth,  of  green,  and  of  blue,  fastened  with  cords  of  fine  linen  and  purple  to  silver  rings 
and  pillars  of  marble  :  the  couches  were  of  gold  and  silver,  upon  a  pavement  of  red,  and 

7  white,  and  yellow,  and  black  marble.  And  they  gave  them  drink  in  vessels  of  gold,  (the 
vessels  being  diverse  one  from  another.)  and  royal  wine  in  abundance,  according  to  the 

8  bounty  of  the  king.  And  tlie  drinking  was  according  to  the  law  ;  none  could  compel  :  for 
so  the  king  had  appointed  to  all  the  officers  of  liis  house,  that  they  should  do  according  to 

9  every  man's  pleasure.     Also  Vashli  the  queen  made  a  feast  for  the  women  in  the  roj'al  house 

10  which  belonged  to  king  Ahasuerus.  On  the  seventh  day,  when  the  heart  of  the  king  was 
merry  with  wine,  he  commanded  Jlehumau.  Biztha,  Harbona,  Bigtha,  and  Abagtha,  Zethar,  and 

11  Carcas,  the  seven  chamberlains  that  ministered  in  the  presence  of  AJiasuerus  the  king,  to  bring 
Vashti  the  queen  before  the  king  with  the  crown  royal,  to  shew  the  peoples  and  the  princes 

13  her  beauty  :  for  she  was  fair  to  look  on.  But  the  queen  Vashti  refused  to  come  at  the  king's 
commandment  by  the  chamberlains  :    therefore  was  the  king  very  wroth,   and  his  anger 

13  burned  in  him.     Then  the  king  said  to  the  wise  men,  which  knew  the  times,  (for  so  was  the 

14  king's  manner  toward  all  that  knew  law  and  judgement  ;  and  the  next  unto  him  was  Carshena, 
Shethar,  Admatha,  Tarshish,  Jleres,  Marsena,  aud  Memucan.  the  seven  princes  of  Persia  and 

15  Media,  which  saw  the  king's  face,  and  sat  first  in  the  kingdom  :)  What  shall  we  do  unto  the 
queen  Vashti  according  to  law,  because  she  hath  not  done  the  bidding  of  the  king  Ahasuerus 

16  b}'  the  chamberlains  ?  And  Memucan  answered  before  the  king  and  the  princes,  Vashti  the 
queen  hath  not  done  wrong  to  the  king  only,  but  also  to  all  the  princes,  and  to  all  the  peoples 

17  that  are  in  all  the  provinces  of  the  king  Ahasuerus.  For  this  deed  of  the  queen  shall  come 
abroad  unto  all  women,  to  make  their  husbands  contemptible  in  their  eyes,  when  it  shall  be 
reported,  The  king  Ahasuerus  commanded  Vashti  the  queen  to  be  brought  in  before  him,  but 

18  she  came  not.  And  this  day  shall  the  prinoes.sesof  Persia  and  Media  which  have  heard  of  the 
deed  of  the  queen  say  the  like  unto  all  the  king's  princes.     So  shall  there  arise  much  contempt 

19  and  wrath.  If  it  please  the  king,  lot  there  go  forth  a  roj-al  commandment  from  him,  and 
let  it  be  written  among  the  laws  of  the  Persians  and  the  Medcs,  that  it  be  not  altered,  that 
Vashti  come  no  more  before  king  Ahasuerus  ;  and  let  the  king  give  her  royal  estate  unto 

20  another  that  is  better  than  she.  And  when  the  king's  decree  which  he  shall  make  shall  be 
published  throughout  all  his  kingdom,  (for  it  is  great,)  all  the  wives  shall  give  to  their  hus- 

81  bands  honour,  both  to  great  and  small.     And  the  saying  pleased  the  king  and  the  princes  ; 

23  and  the  king  did  according  to  the  word  of  Memucan  :  for  he  sent  letters  into  all  the  king's 
provinces,  into  every  province  according  to  the  writing  thereof,  and  to  every  people  after 
their  language,  that  every  man  should  bear  rule  in  his  own  house,  and  should  publish  it  accord- 
ing to  the  language  of  his  people. 

2  :  1  After  these  things,  when  the  wrath  of  king  iUiasuerus  was  pacified,  he  remembered 

2  Vashti,  and  what  she  had  done,  and  what  was  decreed  against  her.     Then  said  the  king's 

3  servants  that  ministered  unto  him.  Let  there  be  fair  young  virgins  sought  for  the  king  :  and 
let  the  king  appoint  officers  in  all  the    provinces  of  his  kingdom,  that  they  may  gather 


586 


BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


togotlipr  all  the  fair  young  virgins  unto  Sliushan  the  palace,  to  the  house  of  the  women,  unto 
the  custody  of  Ilegai  the  king's  chamberlain,  keeper  of  the  women  ;  and  let  their  things  for 

4  puriflcntion  be  given  them  :  and  let  the  maiden  which  pleaseth  the  king  be  queen  instead  of 
Vashti.     And  the  thing  pleased  tlie  king  ;  and  he  did  so. 

.5      There  wits  a  certain  Jew  in  Shushan  the  pahice,  whose  name  was  llordecai,  the  son  of  Jair, 

6  the  son  of  Shimei,  the  son  of  Kish,  a  Benjamite  ;  who  had  been  carried  away  from  Jerusalem 
with  the  captives  which  had   been  carried  away  with  Jeeoniah  king  of  Judah.  whom  Neb- 

7  nchadnczzar  the  king  of  Habylon  ha<l  carried  away.  And  he  brought  tip  Iliuiassali,  that  is, 
Esther,  his  tiiiele's  daughter  ;  for  she  had  neither  father  nor  mother,  and  the  maiden  was  fair 
and  beautiful  ;  and  when  her  father  and   mother  were  dead,  Mordecai  took   her  for  his  own 

8  daughter.  So  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  king's  commandment  and  his  decree  was  heard,  and 
when  many  maidens  were  gathered  together  unto  Shushan  the  palace,  to  the  custody  of 
Ilegai,  that  Esther  was  taken  into  the  king's  house,  to  the  custody  of  Hegai,  keeper  of  the 

9  women.  And  the  maiden  pleased  him,  and  she  obtained  kindness  of  him  ;  and  he  speedily 
gave  her  her  things  for  purification,  with  her  portions,  and  the  seven  maidens,  which  were 
meet  to  l)e  given  her,  out  of  the  king's  house  :  and  he  removed  her  and  her  maidens  to  the 

10  best  place  of  the  house  of  the  women.     Esther  had  not  shewed  her  people  nor  her  kindred  : 

11  for  Mordecai  had  charged  her  that  shi;  should  not  shew  it.  And  Mordecai  walked  every  day 
before  the  court  of  the  women's  house,  to  know  how  Esther  did,  and  what  should  become  of 

13  her.  Now  when  the  turn  of  every  maiden  w;us  come  to  go  in  to  king  Ahasuerus,  after  that 
it  had  been  dime  to  her  according  to  the  law  for  the  women,  twelve  months,  (for  so  were 
tlic  days  of  their  purifications  accomplished,  to  wit,  six  months  with  oil  of  myrrh,  and  si.x 

13  montlis  with  sweet  odours,  and  with  the  things  for  the  purifying  of  the  women,)  then  in  this 
wise  came  the  maiden  unto  the  king,  whatsoever  she  desired  was  given  her  to  go  with  her 

14  out  of  the  house  of  the  women  unto  the  king's  house.  In  the  evening  she  went,  and  on  the 
morrow  she  returned  into  the  second  house  of  the  women,  to  the  custody  of  Shaashgaz,  the 
king's  chamberlain,  which  kept  the  concubines  :  she  came  in  unto  the  king  no  more,  except 

15  the  king  delighted  in  her,  and  that  she  were  called  by  name.  Now  when  the  turn  of  Esther, 
the  daughter  of  Abihail  the  uncle  of  Mordecai,  who  had  taken  her  for  his  daughter,  was 
come  to  go  in  unto  the  king,  she  required  nothing  but  what  Ilegai  the  king's  chamberlain, 
the  keeper  of  the  women,  appointed.     And  Esther  obtained  favour  in  the  sight  of  all  them 

IG  that  looked  upon  her.     So  Esther  wsis  taken  unto  king  Ahasuerus  into  his  house  royal  in  the 

17  tenth  month,  which  is  the  month  Tebeth,  in  the  seventh  year  of  his  reign.     And  the  king 

loved  Esther  above  all  the  women,  and  she  obtained  grace  and  favour  in  his  sight  more  than 

all  the  virgins  ;  so  that  he  set  the  royal  crown  upon  her  head,  and  made  her  queen  instead  of 

13  Viishti.     Then  the  king  made  a  great  feast  unto  all  his  princes  and  his  servants,  even  Esther's 

feast ;  and  he  made  a  release  to  the  provinces,  and  gave  gifts,  svceording  to  the  bount}-  of  the 

19  king.     And  when  the  virgins  were  gathered  together  the  second  time,  then  Mordecai  sat  in 

20  the  king's  gate.  Esther  had  not  yet  shewed  her  kindred  nor  her  people  ;  as  Mordecai  had 
charged  her  :  for  Esther  did  the  commandment  of  Mordecai,  like  a-s  when  she  was  brought  up 

21  with  him.  In  those  days,  while  Jlordecai  sat  in  the  king's  gate,  two  of  the  king's  chamber- 
lains. Bigthan  and  Teresh,  of  those  which  kept  the  door,  were  wroth,  and  sought  to  lay 

23  hands  on  the  king  Ahiisuerus.     And  the  thing  was  known  to  Mordecai,  who  shewed  it  unto 
23  Esther  the  queen  ;  and  Esther  told  the  king  ^/i^reo/ in  Mordecai 's  name.     And  when  inqui- 
sition wiis  made  of  the  matter,  and  it  was  found  to  be  so,  they  were  both  hanged  on  a  tree  : 
and  it  was  written  in  the  book  of  the  chronicles  before  the  king. 


1:1-9.  The  great  feast  at  Sustt.  King  Ahas- 
uerus (Xerxes)  in  the  third  3"ear  of  his  reign, 
which  was  n.c.  481-483,  entertained  at  a  great 
feast  in  the  royal  pal.ice  of  Susa  all  his  prince.^ 
and  his  servants.  "  the  jiower  of  Persia  and 
Media,"  together  with  all  the  nobles  and  princes 
of  the  provinces  (verses  2,  3).  The  hospitality 
was  extended  over  a  space  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  days  (verse  4).  At  the  end  of  this  time 
there   'vas  a  further  entertainment   for  seven 


d;iys,  on  even  a  more  profuse  scale,  nil  the 
male  inhabitants  of  Susa  being  feasted  in  the 
palace  gardens  (verses  5-8),  while  the  queen 
received  the  women  and  made  thi'm  a  fciust  in 
her  own  private  apartments.  The  special  occa- 
.sion  of  the  entertainment  seems  to  have  been 
the  sunmions  to  Susa  of  all  the  chief  men  of 
the  kingdom,  and  particularly  of  the  satraps, 
or  "  princes  of  provinces,  "  to  advise  upon  the 
projected    expedition    against    Greece,   which 


SECTION  66.     THE  FEAST  AT  SUSA. 


587 


Hurndotiis  mentions  in  his  seventh  book.  Ban- 
quets on  au  enormous  scale  were  not  uncom- 
mon in  Persia  ;  and  the  profusencss  and  vain- 
glory of  Xerxes  would  naturally  lead  him  to  go 
to  an  extreme  in  this,  as  in  other  matters.     P.  C. 

1.  This  is  Aliusucru8.  The  writer  as- 
sumes th;it  mure  than  one  zUiasuerus  is  known 
to  his  readers,  and  seeks  to  make  it  clear  to 
thera  which  Ahasuerus  he  is  speaking  of. 
First,  he  notes  that  the  subject  of  his  narrative 
is  a  real  king,  and,  therefore,  not  the  Ahasuerus 
of  Daniel  (9  ;  1)  ;  secondly,  that  he  ruled  "  from 
India  to  Ethiopia,"  and,  therefore,  belonged  to 
the  later  portion  of  the  Persian  series,  since  it 
was  well  known  that  the  earlier  Persian  mon- 
archs  were  not  masters  of  India.  He  thus  sets 
aside  the  Ahasuerus  of  Ezra  4  :  6  (Cambj'ses), 
and  points  with  sufficient  clearness  to  Xerxes, 
the  sou  of  Darius  Ilystaspcs.  From  India 
even  unto  Etiiiopia.  The  empire  of 
Xerxes  is  rightly  described  as  lying  between 
these  extremes  ;  for  though  Ethiopia  Wiis  not 
regarded asa  "  province,"  and  is,  therefore,  ab- 
sent alike  from  the  Greek  and  the  native  lists, 
yet  it  paid  a  tribute  (Herod,  iii.  97),  and,  there- 
fore, owned  a  certain  degree  of  subjection. 
B.  C. 

The  name  Xerxes  is  simply  a  less  correct 
variant  of  the  name  Ahasuerus  ;  and  Esther's 
husband  was  no  other  than  the  Xerxes  whose 
exploits  ai'e  so  familiar  to  all  students  of  Greek 
history.  The  Bible  story  fits  at  every  point 
all  that  we  know  concerning  this  Xerxes,  and 
does  not  fit  the  reign  of  any  other  Persian  Idng. 
W.  J.  B. Any  later  king  is  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. Being  thus  brought  back  to  Xerxes, 
whose  name  is  the  Greek  form  of  Ahasuerus, 
it  only  remains  to  compare  the  dates  of  the 
Book  of  Esther  with  the  history  of  his  reign, 
the  leading  events  of  which  are,  his  ;vccession 
in  B.C.  486  (December  23d),  his  expedition  to 
Greece  in  his  sixth  year,  B.C.  480,  and  his  death 
at  the  end  of  his  twenty-first  year,  B.C.  465 
(December  17th).  Now  the  great  feast  of 
Ahasuerus,  at  which  Vashti  refused  to  appear, 
was  in  the  third  year  of  his  reign,  B.C.  483,  the 
ver}'  year  in  which  Xerxes  held  a  great  assem- 
bly to  arrange  the  Grecian  war,  and  his  mar- 
riage with  pjsther  was  in  his  seventh  year,  B.C. 
479,  the  year  after  the  expedition  to  Greece, 
when  Xerxes  might  naturally  seek  in  his  harem 
some  consolation  for  his  repulse.  But  Amestris, 
who  was  the  daughter  of  Otanes,  the  uncle  of 
Xerxes,  had  been  his  wife  long  before  the  ex- 
pedition to  Greece,  in  which  her  sons  were  old 
enough  to  accompany  him.  and  the  eldest  of 
them,  Darius,  married  at  the  very  time  of  his 


father's  marriage  to  Esther.  For  all  these 
reasons  Esther  cannot  be  Amestris  ;  and,  con- 
sidering the  polygamy  of  the  Persian  kings,  it 
is  not  surprising  that  Herodotus  should  men- 
tion only  two  of  the  wives  of  Xerxes,  and  the 
Book  of  Esther  two  others.  The  affairs  of 
Xerxes  after  his  flight  from  Greece  are  only 
noticed  bj-  the  Greek  historians  as  they  affect 

the  Hellenic  race.     P.  S. The  synchronisms, 

remarked  by  Eichhorn,  strongly  confirm  this 
view.  In  the  third  3-ear  of  his  reign,  Ahasuerus 
summons  a  divan  of  all  the  great  officers  of  the 
kingdom  at  Susa,  whom  he  entertains  and  ban- 
quets one  hundred  and  eight}'  days.  In  his  third 
year,  Xerxes,  at  a  great  assemblj',  deliberates  and 
takes  measures  for  the  subjugation  of  Greece. 
In  his  seventh  year  (B.C.  479)  Ahasuerus  mar- 
ries Esther.  In  his  seventh  year  Xerxes  re- 
turns, discomfited,  to  Susa,  and  abandons  him- 
self to  the  pleiisures  of  his  harem.  The  imbe- 
cile facility  with  which  Xerxes,  according  to 
Herodotus,  first  gave  up  to  his  seductive  mis- 
tress, Artaynta,  a  splendid  robe,  the  present  of 
his  queen  ;  and  then,  having  made  a  rash  prom- 
ise at  a  banquet,  yielded  up  the  wife  of  his 
brother  Masistcs  (the  mother  of  his  mistress) 
to  the  barbarous  vengeance  of  his  queen  ;  so 
precisely  resembles  the  conduct  of  Ahasuerus, 
that  it  is  impossible  not  to  suspect  we  are  read- 
ing of  the  same  person  in  the  Grecian  and  He- 
brew annalist.     Miliaan. 

3.  Sliuslian.  The  great  Persian,  or,  rather, 
Elamilic,  city  of  Susa — "  Shushan  "  in  the  He- 
brew— was  a  city  of  a  high  antiquity,  which 
for  many  centuries  had  been  the  capital  of  an 
important  state,  and  had  held  a  position  little 
inferior  to  that  of  Nineveh  or  Bab3'lon.  It  was 
situated  between  the  Choaspes  and  EuUeus 
rivers,  in  a  fertile  plain,  within  sight  of  the 
Bakhtiyari  Mountains,  about  eighty  miles  east 
of  the  Tigris.  The  tract  about  it  was  clothed 
for  a  great  part  of  the  year  with  an  abundant 
vegetation.  In  Susiana,  "  after  the  winter 
rains,  which  last  from  December  till  March, 
the  entire  surface  of  the  ground  puts  on  a  livery 
of  green,  diversified  with  numerous  brilliant 
flowers,  and  a  rich  pasturage  is  everywhere 
afforded  to  the  flocks  and  herds  of  the  inhab- 
itants. The  heat,  though  considerable,  is  not 
oppressive.  In  the  distance  can  be  seen  the 
snow -clad  range  of  the  Bakhtiyari  Mountains, 
rising  to  an  elevation  of  from  eight  thousand  to 
ten  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
in  a  continuous  undulating  line  void  of  peaks 
or  of  any  prominent  features,  while  the  breeze 
which  Ijlows  from  them  is  almost  alwavs  cool 
and  refreshing." 


583 


BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


Susa  was  ii  city  of  a  cnnsiderablo  size.  Its 
ruins  at  llic  pri'Scnt  day  omisist  of  "  four  spa- 
cious artiticial  lilatforms,  ilistinctly  separated 
from  eacli  other. "  Tlie  most  ekvated  of  those 
is  toward  tlie  west,  and  is  \v:Lslicd  by  tlie 
Sliapur.  It  attains  a  heiglit  of  one  liundred 
and  nineteen  feet  above  tlie  river,  and  is  be- 
lieved to  represent  the  ancient  acropolis  or  cita- 
del. To  the  north  of  this  is  a  square  nuuss  of 
ruius,  about  a  thousand  feet  each  way,  which 
■vva.s  cerlaiidy  the  site  of  the  royal  palace  in 
Persian  times.  Southeast  of  these  two  mounds, 
and  mueh  exceeding  in  size  both  of  them  put 
together,  is  the  third  or  "  great  central  plat- 
form," which  attains  an  elevation  of  about  sev- 
enty feet,  and  covers  an  area  of  sixty  acres. 
These  three  together  formed  the  Upper  City, 
and  appear  to  have  been  known  jis  Shunhan- 
ha-birah,  "Susa  the  fortress,"  or  "Susa  the 
palace."  Further  eastward,  and  at  a  lower 
level,  are  various  irregular  gi-oups  of  ruins, 
and  one  extensive  platform  of  comparative!}- 
blight  elevation,  which  constituted  tlie  Lower 
town,  and  was  inhabited  probably  by  the 
poorer  classes  of  the  population.  There  are 
considerable  remains,  even  at  tlie  present  da}-, 
of  the  ancient  Pereian  palace.  Its  main  feature 
■was  a  great  pillared  liall,  closely  resembling, 
both  in  dimensions  and  ornamentation,  the 
famous  "  Hall  of  Xer.xcs"  at  Persepolis, 
whereof  it  was  perhaps  the  model.  A  central 
plialan.x  of  thirty-si.x  columns,  arranged  in  six 
row-s  of  six  each,  supjiorted  proliably  a  solid 
roof,  and  formed  a  "  throne  room"  or  "  hall  of 
audience,"  two  hundred  feet  each  way,  "  the 
largest  interior  of  the  ancient  w-orld,  with  the 
single  exception  of  the  great  hall  of  Karnak, 
which  cDvered  58,300  square  feet,  while  this 
only  extended  to  40,000."     G.  R. 

3.  Ill  the  t!iir«l  year  ofliis  reig^ii  he 
■iitKic  a  feast.  In  tliis  year  (B.C.  483)  Xerxes, 
according  to  Herodotus,  assembled  the  gov- 
ernors of  provinces  at  Susa,  in  connection  with 
his  contemplated  expedition  against  Gr'cee. 
Councils  were  held.  spe<'ches  were  made,  and 
at  last  formal  orders  were  issued  to  the  satraps 
to  prepare  their  several  contingents.  The  gov- 
ernors woulil  be  guests  at  his  table  during  their 
stay.  Persia  and  lledia.  The  position 
of  Media,  as  second  only  to  Pei-sia  under  the 
Ach.Tmeuiau  princes,  is  clearly  apparent  both 
in  the  native  monuments  and  in  the  accounts  of 
till'  Greeks.  Meiles  held  many  of  the  highest 
offices  both  uniler  Darius  and  under  Xerxes. 
B.  C. 

The  feiust  made  in  his  third  year  synchronizes 
with  the  great  assembly  wliich  Herodotus  says 


Xerxes  helil  to  consider  his  plans  for  conquer- 
ing Greece.  As  long  as  Xerxes  was  bus}-  and 
self-conscious  with  that  greatest  military  expe- 
dition of  history,  he  probal)ly  did  not  miss 
Vashti  very  much.  But  three  years  later,  after 
his  defeat  at  Salamis,  in  September  of  his  sixth 
year,  and  his  sudden  return  home  without  any 
millions  of  soldiers  following  him,  he  was  less 
self-sufficient,  and  "  remembered  ViLshti."  He 
consoled  himself  for  the  disasters  that  had  be- 
fallen him  by  liis  magnificent  plans  for  secur- 
ing a  new  queen.     W.  J.  B. 

The  Persian  court  under  the  later  Acliajme- 
nian  monarchs  was  organized  on  a  scale  of  ex- 
traordinary splendor  and  magnificence.  Cyrus 
and  Cambyses  had  been  comparatively  sim- 
ple in  their  habits  ;  even  Darius,  the  son  of 
Hystaspes,  had  not  launched  out  into  much  ex- 
travagance ;  but  from  the  time  of  Xerxes,  the 
son  of  this  Darius,  to  the  close  of  the  empire,  a 
profusion  and  prodigality  prevailed  scarcely 
equalled  either  before  or  since  in  any  other 
Oriental  monarchy.  The  centre  and  culminat- 
ing point  of  the  magnificence  was,  of  coui-se, 
the  pereon  of  the  king.  Glorious  in  his  ap- 
parel, clothed  in  robes  of  richest  silk,  purple  or 
crimson  in  hue,  and  adorned  ^vitll  embroidery 
in  gold,  wearing  the  kidaris.  or  tall,  stiff  ca;i, 
encircled  with  the  diadem — a  lillet  or  ba-cd, 
blue,  spotted  with  white — the  great  king  was 
the  cynosure  of  all  eyes,  the  centre  of  attrac- 
tion, the  principal  luminary  around  which  aU 
the  minor  lights  of  the  court  revolved.  We  are 
shown  him  in  the  Pcrsepolitan  sculptures  seated 
upon  his  throne,  with  his  feet  resting  upon  a 
footstool,  and  with  his  sceptre  in  his  right  hand, 
receiving  those  who  prostrate  themselves  lief  ore 
him,  or  again  advancing  in  processiim,  followed 
by  the  para-sol-bearer  and  other  attendants,  pass- 
ing through  the  royal  apartments  on  his  way  to 
the  throne  room  or  the  banquet  chamber.  Other 
officers  of  the  court  were  the  steward  of  the 
household  ;  the  groom  or  master  of  the  horse  ; 
the  chief  eunuch  or  keeper  of  the  women  ;  the 
king's  "eyes"  and  "ears,"  or  per.-;oMS  whose 
business  it  was  to  keep  him  informed  on  all 
matters  of  importance  :  his  scribes,  or  secreta- 
ries, w-ho  wrote  his  letters  and  his  ('diets  ;  his 
messengers,  who  went  his  errands  ;  Ills 
"ushers,"  who  introduced  strangere  to  him  ; 
his  "  tasters,"  who  tried  the  various  dishes  set 
before  him,  lest  they  should  be  poisoned  ;  his 
cupbearers,  -.vho  handed  him  his  wine  and  tasted 
it  ;  his  chamberlains,  w-lio  assisted  him  to  bed  ; 
and  his  musicians,  who  entertained  him  with 
singing  and  instruments  of  music.  Besides 
these  the  court  comprised,  among  its  inferior 


SECTION  66.     THE  FEAST  AT  8USA. 


589 


officers,  various  classes  of  guards,  and  also  door- 
keepers, huntsmen,  grooms,  cooks,  and  other 
domestic  servants  in  great  abundance,  together 
^vith  a  vast  multitude  of  visitors  and  guests — 
princes,  nobles,  captives  of  high  rank,  foreign 
refugees,  ambassadors,  travellers.  We  are 
assured  that  the  Persian  king  fed  daily  within 
the  precincts  of  his  palace  as  many  as  fifteen 
thuumnd  persons.     G.  R. 

4.  For  six  months  Xerxes  kept  "  open 
house,"  and,  with  the  ostentation  which  was 
one  of  his  chief  characteristics,  displayed  his 
wealth  and  luxui-y  in  prodigal  hospitality  to 
thousands  of  the  officers  of  government,  who 
doubtless  came  and  went  as  they  had  occasion. 
Alcott. 

The  feast  of  Ahasucrus  was  a  wonderful 
scene.  There  is  nothing  morally  great  about 
it.  There  never  can  be  about  mere  feasting, 
and  splendor,  and  eating  and  drinking,  and  out- 
ward show.  Neither,  so  far  as  we  can  see,  is 
there  anything  morally  wrong  in  this,  at  least 
when  kept  in  due  moderation.  It  was  kept  in 
moderation  in  this  Instance.  There  is  the  most 
prodigal  abundance,  and  j'ct  there  is  a  royal 
wisdom  in  the  dispensation  of  it.  For  we  read 
that  "  the  drinking  was  according  to  the  law," 
and  that  law  means  "  no  compulsion."  If  we 
embody  the  principle  of  moderation  in  our  life, 
and  walk  by  faith,  and  not  hy  sight,  then,  and 
only  then,  we  surmount  the  poor  pageant  in 
which  outwardly  we  are  moving  figures  ;  then, 
and  only  then,  we  cast  anchor  within  the  veil, 
and  lay  up  treasure  where  it  can  never  be  lost. 
Raleigh. 

5.  An  especial  closing  banquet  is  now  given 
to  all  the  men  who  are  dwelling  or  visiting  in 
the  royal  town.  Literally  it  is  a  elrinkinij,  the 
word  being  the  same  as  in  1  :  3. 

7.  The  remaining  expression  describes  the 
free  abundance  of  this  costly  drink,  as  worth_v 
of  so  rich  and  magnificent  a  king.  "  With  a 
liberal  hand,"  or  "in  right  royal  fashion," 
would  be  a  correct  interpretation.     Alcott. 

10-!i2.  The  disgrace  of  Vashti.  On  the  sev- 
enth day  of  the  feast "  to  all  in  Shushan"  (verse 
5),  the  king  having  excited  himself  with  drink, 
sent  a  message  to  Vashti,  requiring  her  to  make 
her  appearance  in  the  banquet  of  the  men,  since 
he  desired  to  exhibit  her  beauty  to  the  assem- 
bled guests,  as  "  she  was  fair  to  look  on"  (verse 
11).  Such  a  proceeding  was  a  gross  breach  of 
Persian  etiquette,  and  a  cruel  outrage  upon  one 
whom  he  above  all  men  was  bound  to  protect. 
Vashti,  therefore,  declined  to  obey  (verse  12). 
Preferring  the  risk  of  death  to  dishonor,  she 
braved  the  anger  of  her  despotic  lord,  and  sent 


him  back  a  message  by  his  chamberlains  that 
she  would  not  come.  To  an  absolute  monarch 
such  a  rebuff,  in  the  face  of  his  whole  court 
and  of  some  hundreds  or  thousands  of  assembled 
guests,  must  have  been  exasperating  in  the  ex- 
treme. "  Therefore  was  the  king  very  wroth, 
and  his  anger  burned  in  him."  But  he  so  far 
restrained  himself  as  to  refer  the  matter  to  the 
Judgment  of  others,  and  ask  the  "  seven 
princes"  the  question,  "  What  is  to  be  done 
according  to  law  unto  Queen  Vashti,  for  not 
performing  the  commandment  of  the  king?" 
(verse  15.)  The  advice  of  the  princes,  uttered 
by  one  of  their  body  (verses  16-20),  and  assented 
to  by  the  remainder  (verse  21),  was,  that  Vashti 
should  be  degraded  from  the  positicm  of  queen, 
and  her  place  given  to  another.  This  sentence 
was  supported  by  specious  arguments  based 
upon  expediency,  and  ignoring  entirely  the  out- 
rageous character  of  the  king's  command,  which 
was  of  course  the  real,  and  sole,  justification  of 
Vashti's  disobedience.  It  was  treated  as  a  sim- 
ple question  of  the  wife's  dut}'  to  obey  her  hus- 
band, and  the  husband's  right  to  enforce  sub- 
mission. Ahasuerus,  as  might  be  expected, 
received  the  decision  of  his  obsequious  counsel- 
lors with  great  satisfiiction,  and  forthwith 
sent  letters  into  all  the  provinces  of  his  vast 
empire,  announcing  what  had  been  done,  and 
requiring  wives  everywhere  to  submit  them- 
selves unreservedly  to  the  absolute  rule  of  their 
lord  (verse  22).     P.  C. 

14.  The  seven  princes  %vlilcli  %a\v 
the  king's  face.  According  to  Herodotus, 
there  were  seven  families  of  the  first  rank  in 
Persia,  from  which  alone  the  king  could  take 
his  wives.  Their  chiefs  were  entitled  to  have 
free  access  to  the  monarch's  person.  The 
Behistun  inscription,  which  gives  Darius  six 
coadjutors  in  his  conspiracy,  confirms  the  Greek 
writer.     B.  0. 

16.  And  lUemucan  ansMrered.  We 
gather  from  Memucan's  reply  that  the  Persian 
law  had  provided  no  penalty  for  the  case  in 
hand.  He  first  argues  the  matter  on  general 
grounds  of  morality  (verse  16)  and  expediency 
(verses  17,  18),  and  then  proposes  the  enact- 
ment of  a  new  law — a  primlegium — assigning 
Vashti  a  special  punishment  for  her  contempt 
of  the  king's  order.  The  "  decree"  (verse  20) 
would  not  have  been  necessary  had  there 
already  existed  a  law  on  the  point.  Jlemucan 
throws  himself  wholly  on  the  king's  side — in- 
sinuates no  word  of  blame  against  his  roj-al 
master,  on  whom  in  justice  the  whole  blame 
rested  ;  but  sets  himself  to  make  the  worst  he 
can  of  Vashti's  conduct.     P.  C. Memucan's 


590 


BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


words  arc  shnwd,  bespeaking  one  wise  in  ' 
liumiiii  mituri',  mul  in  the  peculiar  variety  tliere- 
of  found  in  an  Oriental  despot.  He  first  art- 
fully exagjierates  tlie  offence  of  the  (jueen  into 
an  evil  which  it  was  for  the  interest  of  every 
liusband  in  the  empire  to  have  at  once  checked. 
He  then  suggests  a  decree  whicli  woidd  have 
this  effect,  and  finally  describes  the  beneficial 
results  to  be  expected  from  its  enactment. 

18-1 9.  Persia  is  placed  before  Media  because 
it  liad  now  assiuned  the  precedence  ;  while  in 
Daniel  the  order  of  the  names  is  adapted  to  the 
Median  viceroy  then  upon  the  throne.     Aleott. 

20.  The  idea  here  is  that  the  women  will 
come  to  regard  their  husl)ands  as  peculiarly 
valuable  and  rather  precarious  possessions, 
against  the  alienation  of  which  they  need  to 
guard  with  peculiar  care.     W.  J.  B. 

22.  Besides  publishing  the  decree,  Ahasuerus 
sent  letters  prescribing  certain  things — viz.  :  1. 
That  every  man  should  bear  rule  in  his  own 
house.  2.  That  every  man  sliould  speak  his  own 
language  in  his  family,  and  not  that  of  liis  wife 
if  it  were  different.  This  is  the  plain  meaning 
of  the  existing  text.     P.  C. 

That  ever}-  man  should  bear  rule 
In  his  own  house.  This  decree  has  been 
called  "  absurd"  and  "  quite  unnecessary  in 
Persia. "  But  it  may  be  questioned  whether  the 
decree  was  unnecessary.  The  undue  influence 
of  women  in  domestic,  and  even  in  public,  mat- 
ters is  a  feature  of  the  ancient  Persian  mon- 
archy. Herodotus  tells  us  that  Atossa  "  com- 
pletely ruled"  Darius.  Xerxes  himself  was,  in 
his  later  years,  shamefully  subject  to  Amestris. 
The  example  of  the  court  would  naturally  in- 
fect the  people.  The  decree  therefore  would 
seem  to  have  been  not  so  much  an  idle  and 
superfluous  act  as  an  ineffectual  protest  against 
a  real  and  growing  evil. 

Chap.  2:1.  After  these  things.  The 
events  here  related  (verses  1-11)  must  belong  to 
the  time  between  the  great  assembly  held  at 
Susa  in  Xerxes'  third  year,  b.c.  483,  and  the  de- 
parture of  the  monarch  on  his  expedition 
against  Greece  in  his  fifth  year,  n.c.  481.  It  is 
impossible  to  fix  their  date  more  exactly.     B.  C. 

5,  6.  One  of  God's  chosen  people  now  comes 
upon  the  scene — a  man,  a  Jew — as  we  should 
say,  "a  certain  Jew."  The  name  Mordecai  is 
probably  connected  with  Marduk  or  >Ierodach, 
the  Assyrian  god.  "  It  may  have  been  given 
to  his  son  by  a  Babylonian  Jew  without  thought 
of  heathen  derivation  and  meaning,  or  out  of 
compliment  to  some  Babylonian  friend  or  mas- 
ter." 

7.  Uncle.     An  uncie  on  the  father's  side, 


literally,  a  friend.  Esther's  father,  Abihail 
(verso  15),  and  Mordecai's  father.  Jair,  were 
brothers.  Esther  was  probably  twenty  years 
old,  and  Mordecai  could  not  have  been  less  than 
thirty  or  forty,  since  it  appears  that  he  adopted 
his  cousin  when  she  was  young.     Alrutt. 

1 1 .  Mordecai  ^valkcd  every  day  be- 
fore the  court  of  the  U'onien's  house. 
Mordecai  occupied,  apparently,  a  humble  place 
in  the  royal  household.  He  was  probablj'  one 
of  the  porters  or  doorkeepers  at  the  main  en- 
trance to  the  palace.  This  position  .separated 
him  from  his  adopted  daughter,  and  some  effort 
was  needed  to  keep  up  communication  with 
her.     B.  C. 

15.  It  was  the  mark  of  unusual  wisdom  and 
self-restraint,  if  not  of  even  nobler  qualities, 
that  Esther  in  this  supreme  hour  manifested  no 
self-will  concerning  her  adornments,  but  left  it 
to  those  whose  judgment  was  better  than  her 
own.     Aleott. 

16.  Four  years  after  the  disgrace  of  Vashti, 
probably  in  January,  n.c.  479.  Xerxes  had  re- 
cently returned  from  the  Grecian  expedition  de- 
feated and  disgraced.  He  was  glad  to  dismiss 
warlike  matters  from  his  thoughts,  and  to  con- 
sole himself  for  his  failure  b\'  the  pleasures  of 
the  seraglio. 

19-23.  Mordecai's  discovery  of  a  pint  against 
Ahasuerus'  life.  Some  time  after  Esther  liad 
been  made  queen,  there  was  a  second  collection 
of  virgins  at  Susa  (verse  19),  under  circum- 
stances which  arc  not  related,  and  which  were 
probably  of  small  importance.  At  this  time 
(verse  '2\)  Jlordecai,  still  serving  in  his  humble 
office  at  the  palace  gate,  from  which  he  had  not 
been  advanced  since  Esther  had  told  no  one  that 
he  was  her  relation  (verse  20),  happened  to  de- 
tect a  conspiracy  against  the  king's  life  which 
had  been  formed  by  two  of  the  palace  eunuchs, 
Bigthan  and  Teresh,  whom  Ahasuerus  had 
somehow  offended  (verse  21).  Being  still  in  the 
habit  of  holding  communication  with  Esther, 
Mordecai  was  able  to  make  h,'r  acquainted  with 
the  facts,  of  which  she  then  informed  the  king, 
telling  him  how  she  had  obtained  her  knowl- 
edge (verse  22).  There  was  nothing  surprising 
or  suspicious  in  a  eunuch  of  the  palace  having 
had  speech  with  the  queen,  eespecially  when  he 
had  intelligence  of  such  importance  to  impt.rt 
to  her.  On  inquiry,  the  king  found  that  Mor- 
decai's information  was  correct  ;  the  conspiracy 
was  laid  bare,  and  the  conspirators  put  to  death 
(verse  23)— the  facts  being,  as  was  sure  to  be 
the  case,  entered  in  the  court  chronicle,  a  daily 
record  of  the  life  of  the  court  and  of  the  circum- 
stances that  befell  the  king.     It  was  to  have 


SECTION  67. 


591 


been  expected  that  Mordccai  would  have  been 
rewarded  for  his  zeal  ;  but  somehow  or  other  it 
happened  that  liis  services  were  overlooked — 
he  was  neither  promoted  from  his  humble  office, 
nor  did  he  receive  any  gift  (chap.  6  :  3).  This 
was  quite  contrary  to  ordinary  Persian  practice. 
P.  C. 

21.  Sought  to  lay  hand  on  the 
king.  Conspiracies  inside  the  palace  were 
ordinary'  occurrences  in  Persia.  Xerxes  was 
ultimately  murdered  by  Artabanus,  the  captain 
of  the  guard,  and  Aspamitras,  a  chamberlain 
and  eunuch.     B.  C. 

19.  Gate  of  the  king.  The  gate  of  an 
Oriental  palace  is  not  a  mere  entrance,  but  is 
ordinarily  flanked  at  least  by  recesses  for 
guards,  sometimes  by  towers  containing  rooms 
below  and  overhead.  It  was  often  a  place  for 
holding  courts,  and  even  for  ro}-al  audience. 
Hence  Sublime  Porte  (gate),  which  originally 
meant  the  chief  entrance  of  the  Sultan's  palace, 
has  come  to  denote  the  government  of  the  Turk- 
ish Empire.     Alcott. 

20.  Esther's  silence  accounts  for  Mordecai's 
low  estate  ;  Mordecai's  command  (see  verse  10) 
accounts  for  Esther's  silence.  The  royal  dig- 
nity did  not  change  Esther's  heart.  She  was 
still  the  dutiful  child  she  had  been  so  many 
years.  Mordccai  had  forbidden  her  to  tell  her 
kindred  ;  he  had  not  removed  his  prohibition, 

so  she  had  kept  silence.     P.  C. That  mind  is 

truly  great  and  noble  that  is  not  changed  with 
the  highest  prosperity  ;  and  such  was  the  dis- 
position of  Queen  Esther,  whom  even  the  splen- 
dor of  royalty  could  not  induce  to  disregard  her 


kinsman  and  friend,  or  to  depart  from  a  dutiful 
observance  of  his  directions. 

21-23.  Mordecai  overhears  the  whispering 
of  these  wicked  conspirators,  and  reveals  it  to 
Esther.  She,  as  glad  of  such  an  opportunity  to 
commend  unto  Ahasuerus  the  loyalty  of  him 
whom  she  durst  but  secretl}'  honor,  reveals  it  to 
the  king.  The  circumstances  are  examined  ; 
the  plot  is  discovered  ;  the  traitors  executed  ; 
the  service  recorded  in  the  Persian  annals. 
Bp.  H. 

Mordecai  sets  before  us  the  example  of  a  faith- 
ful subject,  in  counteracting  the  treasonable 
designs  of  these  men  ;  he  showed  this  lo}'alty 
toward  a  heathen  sovereign  and  one  under 
whom  he  lived  as  a  captive,  true  religion  and 
loyalty  being  inseparable  ;  and  herein  he  exem- 
plified the  injunction  of  the  Lord  by  the  prophet 
Jeremiah,  "  Seek  the  peace  of  the  city  whither  I 
have  caused  j'ou  to  be  carried  away  captives" 
(Jer.  29  :  7).  Mordecai  discreetly  communicated 
his  discovery  not  to  indifferent  persons,  but 
to  the  queen  :  Esther,  in  laying  it  before  the 
king,  dutifully  remembered  Mordecai,  and  com- 
mended him  to  the  royal  favor  by  mentioning 
him  as  tiie  author  of  her  information.  Bp.  An- 
drewes. 

23.  It  was  written  in  tlie  book  of 
the  clironicies  before  tlie  king.  Mor- 
decai was  thus  registered  in  the  public  an- 
nals as  the  author  of  this  .service  done  to  the 
crown  :  the  circumstance  of  his  name  being 
so  recorded  became  afterward  the  occasion  of 
his  advancement,  and  of  great  events  treated 
of  in  the  sequel  of  this  book.     Pyle. 


Section  67. 

HAMAI^'S  DEVICE  TO  DESTROY  THE  JEWS.     MORDECAI'S  CHARGE  TO  ESTHER 

ACCEPTED. 


Esther,  Ch.vps.  3,  4. 

3  : 1  After  these  things  did  king  Ahasuerus  promote  Haman  the  son  of  Hammedatha  the 

2  Agagite,  and  advanced  him,  and  set  his  seat  above  all  the  princes  that  were  with  him.  And 
all  the  king's  servants,  that  wer6  in  the  king's  gate,  bowed  down,  and  did  reverence  to 
Haman  :  for  the  king  had  so  commanded  concerning  him.     But  Jlordecai  bowed  not  down, 

3  nor  did  him  reverence.     Then  the  king's  servants,  that  were  in  the  king's  gate,  said  unto 

4  Mordecai,  Why  transgressest  thou  the  king's  commandment  ?  Now  it  came  to  pass,  when 
they  spake  daily  unto  him,  and  he  hearkened  not  unto  them,  that  they  told  Haman,  to  see 

5  whether  Mordecai's  matters  would  stand  :  for  he  had  told  them  that  he  was  a  Jew.  And 
when  Haman  saw  that  Mordecai  bowed  not  down,  nor  did  him  reverence,  then  was  Haman 

6  full  of  wrath.     But  he  thought  scorn  to  lay  hands  on  Mordecai  alone  ;  for  they  had  shewed 


592  BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 

him  tlic  people  of  Monleciii  :  wliereforo  ITiiman  souglit  to  destroy  all  the  Jews  that  were 

7  throughout  the  whole  kingdom  of  Ahasuerus,  even  the  people  of  Mordecai.  In  the  first 
month,  which  is  the  month  Nisan,  in  the  twelfth  year  of  king  Ahasuerus,  they  Ciist  Pur, 
that  is,  the  lot,  before  Haman  from  day  to  day,  and  from  month  to  month,  to  the  twelfth 

8  month,  which  is  the  month  Adar.  And  Haman  said  unto  king  Ahasuerus,  There  is  a 
certain  people  scattered  abroad  and  dispersed  among  the  peoples  in  all  the  iirovinces  of 
thy   kingdom  ;  and  their  laws  are  diverse  from  tliow  of  every  people  ;   neitlier  keep   they 

9  the  king's  laws  :  therefore  it  is  not  for  the  king's  profit  to  suffer  them.  If  it  please  the 
king,  let  it  be  writU'n  that  they  be  destroyed  :  and  I  will  pay  ten  thousand  talents  of  silver 
into  the  hands  of  those  that  have  the  charge  (vf  the  king's  business,  to  bring  it  into  the  king's 

10  treasuries.     And  the  king  took  his  ring  from  his  hand,  and  gave  it  unto  Ilaman  the  son  of 

11  Hammedatha  the  Agagite,  the  Jews'  enemy.     And  the  king  said  unto  Ilaman,  The  silver  is 
13  given  to  thee,  the  people  also,  to  do  with  them  as  it  seemeth  good  to  thee.     Then  were  the 

king's  scribes  called  in  the  first  month,  on  the  thirteenth  day  thereof,  and  there  was  written 
according  to  all  that  Haman  commanded  unto  the  king's  satraps,  and  to  the  governors  that 
were  over  every  province,  and  to  the  princes  of  every  people  ;  to  every  province  according 
to  the  writing  thereof,  and  to  every  people  after  their  language  ;    in  the  name  of  king 

13  Ahiisuerus  was  it  written,  and  it  was  sealed  with  the  king's  ring.  And  letters  were  sent 
by  posts  into  all  the  king's  provinces,  to  destroy,  to  slay,  and  to  cause  to  perish,  all  Jews, 
both  young  and  old,  little  children  and  women,  in  one  day,  even  upon  the  thirteenth  (hiy  of 

14  the  twelfth  month,  which  is  the  month  Adar,  and  to  take  the  spoil  of  them  for  a  prey.  A 
copy  of  the  writing,  that  the  decree  should  be  given  out  in  every  province,  was  published 

15  unto  all  the  peoples,  that  they  should  be  ready  against  that  day.  The  posts  went  forth  in 
haste  by  the  king's  commandment,  and  the  decree  was  given  out  in  Shiishan  the  palace  :  and 
the  king  and  Haman  sat  down  to  drink  ;  but  the  city  of  Shushan  was  perplexed. 

4:1  Now  when  Jlordecai  knew  all  that  was  done,  Mordecai  rent  his  clothes,  and  put  on 
sackcloth  with  ashes,  and  went  out  into  the  midst  of  the  city,  and  cried  with  a  loud  and  a  bit- 

2  ter  cry  :  and  he  came  even  before  the  king's  gate  ;  for  none  might  enter  within  the  king's 

3  gate  clothed  with  sackcloth.  And  in  every  province,  whithersoever  the  king's  command- 
ment and  his  decree  came,  there  was  great  mourning  among  the  Jews,  and  fasting,  and 

4  weeping,  and  wailing  ;  and  many  lay  in  sackcloth  and  ashes.  And  Esther's  maidens  and 
her  chamberlains  came  and  told  it  her  ;  and  the  queen  was  exceedingly  grieved  :  and  she 
sent  raiment  to  clothe  Mordecai,  and  to  take  his  sackcloth  from  off  him  :  but  he  received  it 

5  not.  Then  called  Esther  for  Hathach,  one  of  the  king's  chamberlains,  whom  he  had  ap- 
pointed to  attend  upon  her,  and  charged  him  to  go  to  Mordecai,  to  know  what  this  was,  and 

6  why  it  was.     So  Hathach  went  forth  to  Mordecai  unto  the  broad  place  of  the  city,  which  was 

7  before  the  king's  gate.  And  Mordecai  told  him  of  all  that  had  happened  unto  him,  and  the 
exact  sum  of  the  money  that  Haman  had  promised  to  pay  to  the  king's  treasuries  for  the 

8  Jews,  to  destroy  them.  Also  he  gave  him  the  copy  of  the  writing  of  the  ilucree  that  was 
given  out  in  Shushan  to  destroy  them,  to  shew  it  unto  Esther,  and  to  declare  it  unto  her ; 

and  to  charge  her  that  she  should  go  in  unto  the  king,  to  make  supplication  unto  him,  and 

9  to  make  request  before  him,  for  her  people.     And  Hathach  came  and  told  Esther  the  words 

10  of  Mordecai.     Then  Esther  spake  unto  Hathach,  and  gave  hira  a  message  unto  Jlordecai, 

11  saying  :  All  the  king's  servants,  and  the  people  of  the  king's  provinces,  do  know,  that 
whosoever,  whether  man  or  woman,  shall  come  tmto  the  king  into  the  inner  court,  who  is 
not  called,  there  is  one  law  for  him,  that  he  be  put  to  death,  except  such  to  whom  the  king 
shall  hold  out  the  golden  sceptre,  that  he  ma)'  live  :  but  I  have  not  been  called  to  come  in 

12,  13  unto  the  king  these  thirty  days.  And  they  told  to  Mordecai  Esther's  wonls.  Then  Mor- 
decai bade  them  return  answer  unto  Esther,  Think  not  with  thyself  that  thou  shalt  escape  in 

14  the  king's  house,  more  than  all  the  Jews.  For  if  thou  altogether  boldest  thy  peace  at  this 
time,  then  shall  relief  and  deliverance  arise  to  the  Jews  from  another  place,  but  thou  and  thy 
father's  house  shall  perish  :  and  who  knoweth  whether  thou  art  not  come  to  the  kingdom 

15,  16  for  such  a  time  as  this  ?  Then  Esther  bade  them  return  answer  unto  Mordecai,  Go,  gather 
together  all  the  Jews  that  are  present  in  Shushan,  and  fast  )'e  for  me,  and  neither  eat  nor 
drink  three  days,  night  or  day  :  I  also  and  my  maidens  will  fast  in  like  manner  ;  and  so  will 

17  I  go  in  unto  the  king,  which  is  not  according  to  the  law  :  and  if  I  perish,  I  perish.  So  Mor- 
decai went  his  way,  and  did  according  to  all  that  Esther  had  commanded  him. 


SECTION  67.     UAMAX'S  DEVICE  TO  DESTROY  THE  JEWS. 


593 


3 : 1-6.  Mordecni,  by  irant  of  respect,  offentU  I 
Iliiriutn,  Altasuerua's  chief  ministei:  ILiimiu.  \ 
in  retenge,  rejoices  to  clestroy  the  entire  nation,  of 
the  Jews.  A  break,  probubl}-  of  some  j-ears, 
separates  chap.  3  from  chap.  3.  lu  the  interval 
a  new  and  important  event  has  occurred — a  new 
cliaracter  lias  made  appearance  upon  the  scene. 
Haman,  the  son  of  Hammedatha,  an  Agagite 
(whatever  thatraaj'  mean),  has  risen  high  in  the 
favor  of  Ahasucrus,  and  been  assigned  by  him 
tlie  second  place  in  the  kingdom.  He  has  in 
fact  become  "  grand  vizier,"  or  chief  minister. 
In  the  East  men  are  so  servile  that  a  new  fa- 
vorite commonl}' receives  the  profouudest  hom- 
age and  reverence  from  all  classes,  and  roj'al 
orders  to  bow  down  to  such  an  one  are  superflu- 
ous. But  on  the  occasion  of  Haman's  elevation, 
for  some  reason  that  is  not  stated,  a  special 
command  to  bow  down  before  him  was  issued 
by  Ahasuerus  (verse  2).  All  obeyed  as  a  matter 
of  course,  excepting  one  man.  Tliis  wa.s  ilor- 
decai  the  Jew.  He  would  not  do  as  his  fellows 
Ciid,  uoteven  when  they  remonstrated  with  him 
and  taxed  him  with  disobedience  to  the  royal 
order  (verse  3).  In  the  course  of  their  remon- 
strances— probably  iu  order  to  account  for  his 
reluctance — Mordecai  stated  himself  to  be  a 
Jew  (verse  4).  It  would  seem  to  have  been 
after  this  that  Haman's  attention  was  first  called 
by  the  other  porters  to  Mordecai's  want  of  re- 
spect. Haman  was  violently  enraged  (verse 
5)  ;  but  instead  of  taking  proceedings  against 
the  individual,  he  resolved  to  have  the  Jews 
exterminated  (verse  6).     P.  C. 

These  events  are  dated  in  the  twelfth  year  of 
his  reign,  at  some  time  between  the  thirteenth 
day  of  the  first  month  and  the  twenty-third  day 
of  the  third  month  (Esth.  3  :  13  ;  8:9);  prob- 
ably nearer  the  latter  date.  This  was  474  B.C., 
forty-two  years  after  the  dedication  of  Zerub- 
babel's  temple,  and  sixteen  years  before  Ezra 
went  to  Jerusalem.     W.  J.  B. 

2.  IMordccai  bo-*ved  not.  It  is  most 
liiiely  that  Jlordecai  regarded  the  required 
prostration,  usual  though  it  was,  as  trenching 
on  the  reverence  due  to  the  Supreme  Being, 
and  refused  on  religious  grounds.  Hence  his 
opposition  led  on  to  his  confession  that  he  was 

a  Jew  (verse  4).     B.  C. And  this  trivial  cir- 

cinnstcince,  this  slight  to  the  pride  of  the 
haughty  noble,  le<l  to  all  that  follows  in  the 
story.  Though  occupying  the  highest  place  to 
which  a  subject  could  asi)ire,  treated  Ijy  the 
monarch's  order  with  well-nigh  the  reverence 
due  unto  himself,  Hamau  was  yet  sorely 
angertd  because  one  of  the  multitude  beneath 
him  dared  to  refuse  personal  homage.     B. 


6.  Hainan  souglit  to  <Ie§troy  all 
the  Jews.  In  the  West  such  an  idea  as  this 
would  never  have  occurred  to  a  revengeful 
man  ;  but  in  the  East  it  is  different.  There 
massacres  of  a  people,  a  race,  a  class,  have  at 
all  times  been  among  the  incidents  of  history, 
and  would  naturally  present  themselves  to  the 
mind  of  a  statesman.  The  Magophonia,  or  the 
great  massacre  of  the  Magi  at  the  accession  of 
Darius  Hystaspes,  was  an  event  not  fifty  years 
old  in  the  twelfth  j-earof  Xerxes,  and  was  com- 
memorated annuallj'.  A  massacre  of  the 
Scythians  had  occurred  about  a  century  previ- 
ously (Herod,  i.  106).     B.  C. Haman  scorns 

to  take  up  with  the  blood  of  Mordecai.  This 
were  but  a  vulgar  amends.  It  is  a  Jew  that 
hath  despited  him  ;  all  the  whole  nation  of  the 
Jews  shall  perish  for  the  scorn  of  this  one. 
The  monarch}'  of  the  world  was  now  in  the 
hand  of  the  Persian.  As  Judea  Wiis  within 
this  compass,  so  there  was  scarce  a  Jew  upon 
earth  without  the  verge  of  the  Persian  domin- 
ions. The  generation,  the  name,  shall  now  die 
at  once.  Neither  shall  tliere  be  any  memorj'  of 
them  but  this:  "There  was  a  people,  which, 
having  been  famous  through  the  world  for 
three  thousand  four  hundred  and  fourscore 
years,  were  in  a  moment  extinct,  by  the  power 
of  Haman,  for  default  of  a  courtesy."     Bp.  H. 

7.  Hainan  easts  lots  to  obtain  a  lucky  day  fur 
his  enterjjrise,  and  obtains  a  day  in  the  month 
Adar,  the  last  month  of  the  year.  Having  de- 
termined on  a  general  massacre  of  the  Jews  on 
a  given  day,  Haman  thought  it  of  supreme  im- 
pcu'tance  to  select  a  fortunate  day.  By  recourse 
to  "  the  lot"  he  obtained,  as  the  right  day  for 
his  purpose,  the  13th  of  Adar,  which  was  more 
than  ten  months  distant.     P.  C. 

The  practice  of  casting  lots  to  obtain  a  lucky 
day  obtains  still  in  the  East,  and  is  probably 
extremely  ancient.  Assyrian  calendars  note 
lucky  and  unlucky  days  as  early  as  the  eighth 
century  B.C.  Lots  were  in  use  both  among  the 
Oriental  and  the  classical  nations  from  a  remoie 
antiquity.  From  day  to  day,  and  from 
month  to  uiontli.  A  lot  seems  to  have 
been  cast,  or  a  throw  of  some  kind  made,  for 
each  day  of  the  month  and  each  mouth  of  the 
year.     The  day  and  month  which  obtained  the 

best  throws  were  then  selected.     B.  C. By  a 

comparison  of  dates  we  find  that  he  had  an  in- 
terval of  some  eleven  months  previous  to  the 
day  of  massacre  in  which  to  prepare  for  the  ex- 
ecution of  his  bloody  purpose.  We  cannot 
suppose  that  so  long  a  delay  was  agreeable  to 
his  vengeful  disposition  ;  but  his  suiierstitious 
mind  did  not  venture  to  strike  the  blow  previ- 


594 


BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


oils  to  the  arrival  of  the  day  siipposed  to  have 
lieon  designated  by  the  gods  wliifh  he  wor- 
shipped. Tliat  the  Divine  liand,  unknown  to 
llaman,  guided  the  lot,  ami  arriinjred  for  the 
liiiijl  interval  in  whieli  tlie  deliverance  of  the 
.lews  might  be  wrought  out,  is  eertain.     Haley. 

Tlie  lot  was  made  to  tix  the  time  to  the  remot- 
est possible  period  to  be  within  the  year,  so  tluit 
the  execution  was  delayed  for  almost  a  coni- 
jilete  year,  alTording  time  not  only  for  the  sub 
version  of  the  plot  at  court,  but  for  the  arrival 
of  the  messengers  who  were  despatched  with 
the  counteracting  decree.  That  the  name  of 
God  does  not  once  occur  here  i»  a  remarkable 
fact.  But  God  Hiinnelf  is  there,  though  His 
mime  be  absent.  We  trace  Him  at  every  step 
througli  this  wonderful  book,  and  everywhere 
behold  the  leadings  of  His  providence.  God 
not  in  the  Book  of  Esther  !  If  not  there,  w  here 
is  He  ?  To  our  view.  His  glory — the  glory  of 
His  goodness,  in  earing  for  and  shielding  from 
harm  His  afdicted  Church,  shines  through  every 
page.     Kitto. 

§-15,  Human  persuades  Ahasnerns  to  piMuh 
a  decree  commaiuUng  tlis  destruction  of  all  the 
Jews  ill  his  kingdom  on  tlie  ensuing  thirteenth 
day  of  Adar.  It  remained  for  Haman  to  bring 
his  proposal  before  Ahasuerus  in  such  a  shape 
as  should  secure  his  acquiescence  in  it.  For 
this  purpose  he  sought,  iirst,  to  raise  a  preju- 
dice against  the  Jews  by  representing  them  as 
bad  subjects,  ca\islng  trouble  through  the  pe- 
culiarity of  their  own  laws,  and  still  more 
through  their  unwillingness  to  render  obedience 
to  the  Persian  laws  (verse  8).  He  also  appealed 
to  the  king's  cupidity,  which  constituted  his 
main  reliance.  If  the  king  gave  his  consent  to 
the  destruction  of  the  Jewish  nation,  Haman 
undertook  to  pay  into  the  royal  treasuries,  out 
of  his  private  means,  a  sum  which  cannot  be 
estimated  at  much  less  than  two  millioas  and  a 
quarter  of  pounds  sterling,  and  which  may  have 
amounted  to  a  much  higher  figure  (verse  9). 
Ahasuerus  at  once  took  his  signet-ring  from  his 
finger  and  made  it  over  to  his  minister  (verse 
10),  thus  enabling  him  to  i>roniulgate  any  de- 
cree that  he  jdeased,  antl  he  ojien!)'  declared 
that  he  gave  over  the  Jewish  nation,  tlieir  lives 
and  properties,  into  Haman's  liands  (verse  11). 
The  king's  scribes  were  put  in  requisition — a 
decree  was  comijosed,  numerous  copies  of  it 
made,  the  royal  seal  affixed  to  each  (verse  13), 
and  a  copy  despatclied  forthwith  to  each  gov- 
ernor of  a  province  by  the  royal  post,  ordering 
the  complete  destruction  of  the  Jews  within  liis 
province,  young  and  old,  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, on  the  thirteenth  day  of  the  month  Adar, 


and  the  confiscation  of  their  property  (verse  13). 
The  posts  started  off  with  all  speed,  "  being 
luustened  by  the  king's  commandment"  (verse 
15) ;  and  tlii^  two  men  who  had  plotted  a  nation's 
extermination,  as  if  they  had  done  a  good  day's 
work,  and  deserved  refreshment,  "sat  down 
to  drink. ' '  But  the  Persians  generally  were  less 
satisfied  with  tlie  decree  than  their  monarch  and 
his  minister  ;  it  surprised  and  startled  them  ; 
"  the  city  Shushan  was  perplexed."     P.  C. 

8.  "  That  they  have  laws  of  their  own  were 
not  so  unsuiferable,  if  they  did  observe  thine, 
O  king  ;  but  these  Jews,  as  tliey  are  uncon- 
formable, so  they  are  seditious.  They  keej)  not 
the  king's  laws."  Thou  slanderest,  Haman. 
They  could  not  keep  their  own  laws  if  they 
kept  not  the  king's  ;  for  their  laws  call  them  to 
obedience  tuito  their  sovereigns.  In  all  those 
hundred  and  seven  and  twenty  provinces.  King 
Ahasuerus  hatli  no  subjects  but  them.  They 
ol)ey  out  of  conscience  ;  others,  out  of  fear. 
Bp'.  H 

Haman  says  they  were  dispersed  among  all 
the  provinces  of  the  empire.  This  dispersion 
must  have  been  in  a  great  part  voluntary,  as 
they  had  the  same  liberty,  both  civil  and  re- 
ligious, as  the  other  nationalities  of  the  empire. 
The  predicted  misery  of  their  doom  of  expa- 
triation had  been  hard  to  bear  while  the  power 
of  Babylon  remained  unbrokeu.  but  almost  im- 
mediately afterward  their  status  was  essentially 
changed.  The  conquerors  were  naturally  their 
deliverers  and  friends.  Wherever  the  Medes 
and  Persians  found  disaffection  or  hatred  of  the 
Babylonish  power,  there  they  foimd  their  allies 
and  helpers,  and  were  predisposed  to  favor 
them.  The  Jewish  people  have  always  shown 
a  marked  abilit}'  to  make  the  best  of  the  most 
adverse  circumstances,  and  still  more  to  turn 
to  account  every  change  that  has  been  made  in 
their  favor.     Street. 

9.  Now,  wlien  all  these  are  laid  together,  the 
ba.scness  and  dispersedness  of  the  people,  the 
diversity  of  the  laws,  the  irregularity  of  their 
government,  the  rebellion  of  their  pnictice,  the 
inconvenience  of  their  toleration,  the  gain  of 
their  extirpation,  what  could  the  wit  or  art  of 
man  devise  more  insinuative.  more  likely  to 
persuade  ?  How  could  it  be  but  Ahitsuerus 
must  needs  think,  since  lie  could  not  suspect 
the  ground  of  this  suit.  "  What  a  zealous  patriot 
have  I  raised,  that  can  be  content  to  buy  off 
the  incommodity  of  the  state  at  his  own 
charge  !  How  worthy  is  he  rather  of  the  aid, 
both  of  my  power  and  purse  !"  "  The  silver 
is  given  to  thee,  the  people  also,  to  do  with 
them  as  scemeth  good  to  thee."    Bp.  H. 


SECTION  67.     IIAMAN'S  DEVTCE  TO  DESTROY  THE  JEWS. 


595 


10.  The  employment  by  the  Persian  mon- 
archs  of  a  signet,  by  which  they  authenticated 
decrees  and  otherdoeumeuts,  is  strongly  marlved 
in  Esther,  wliere  the  royal  signet  is  mentioned 
no  fewer  than  five  times.  The  late  researclies 
in  Mesopotamia,  whicli  have  brought  to  light 
signets  of  several  earlier  monarchs,  have  yielded 
one  such  memorial  of  a  Persian  king.  This  is 
the  signet  cylinder  of  Darius  Ilystaspes.  It 
represents  the  monarch  as  engaged  in  the  chase 
of  the  lion  amid  a  palm-grove,  seated  in  a 
chariot,  driven  by  an  unarmed  charioteer.  On 
the  left  side  of  the  i)ictorial  representation  is  a 
bi-lingual  inscription  (T'ersian  and  Scythic) 
which  tells  us  that  the  monarch  represented  is 
"  Darius,  the  great  king."  Whether  the  sig- 
net of  Ahasucrus  which  he  took  from  Haman 
and  gave  to  Mordecai  (8  :  2)  was  a  cj  Under  or  a 
ring  is  perhaps  doubtful  ;  but,  on  the  whole, 
probability  is  in  favor  of  its  having  resembled 
the  signet  of  Darius.     G.  R. 

11.  Tlic  silver  isi  given  thee,  tbe 
people  alio.  Not  "  the  silver  which  thou 
liast  given  me  is  given  back  to  thee,"  for  the 
ten  thousand  talents  had  not  been  given,  but 
only  offered.  Hather,  "  the  silver  of  the  people 
is  given  thee,  together  with  the  people  them- 
selves, to  do  with  both  as  it  pleases  thee." 
Confiscation  always  accompanies  execution  in 
the  East,  and  the  goods  of  those  who  are  put  to 
death  naturally  escheat  to  the  crown,  which 
citlijr  seizes  them  or  makes  a  grant  of  them. 
Compare  chap.  8  :  11,  where  the  property  of 
those  of  the  Jews'  enemies  who  should  suffer 
death  is  granted  to  those  who  should  slaj-  them. 
P.  C. 

The  people  also.  It  has  been  said  to 
be  "  incredible"  that  any  king  should  thus  sac- 
rifice a  whole  people  to  the  offended  dignity  of 
a  minister  ;  but  even  De  Wette  allows  that  such 
an  act  is  in  keeping  with  the  character  of 
Xer.xes,  and,  being  told  of  him,  is  credible.  In 
fact,  it  is  on  a  par  with  many  acts  of  Oriental 
despots.     B.  C. 

l!j.  The  satrap,  or  supreme  civil  governor  of 
each  department,  was  "  charged  with  the  col- 
lection and  transmission  of  the  revenue,  the 
administration  of  justice,  the  maintenance  of 
order,  and  the  general  supervision  of  the  ter- 
ritory." Each  satrap  was  appointed  by  the 
king,  and  removable  at  pleasure,  but  while  in 
otfiee  was  despotic,  as  being  the  representative 
of  the  great  king.     Haley. 

\M.  Xenophnn  says  :  "  I  find  that  Cyrus  set 
on  foot  another  contrivance  beneficial  to  his 
vast  empire,  by  means  of  which  he  gained  early 
information  of  what  was  doing  in  remote  parts 


of  his  dominions.  He  formed  establishments 
of  stables,  horses,  and  attendants,  as  far  distant 
from  eadi  other  as  a  horse  could  travel  with 
case  in  one  day  ;  and  at  each  of  these  stations 
he  appointed  a  person  to  receive  and  transmit 
the  letters  brought  by  the  messengers,  and  to 
see  that  the  men  and  horses  were  taken  care  of 
after  their  journey,  and  that  fresh  ones  were 
sent  forward.  Sometimes  these  journeys  were 
not  intermitted  during  the  night ;  the  messen- 
ger to  whose  turn  it  fell  to  travel  at  night  pro- 
ceeding as  he  who  had  travelltd  during  the 
day."     Parkhurst. 

The  thirteenth  day  of  the  twelfth 
month.  There  are  full  eleven  months  be- 
twixt the  first  sending  forth  of  the  bloody  edict 
and  the  time  of  executing  the  same.  Herein, 
on  the  one  side,  his  folly  is  discovered  ;  and,  on 
the  other  side,  God's  wise  providence  is  mani- 
fested. Ilis  folly  in  putting  off  the  execution 
to  so  long  a  time  ;  for  he  might  have  suspected 
that  something  or  other  might  have  intervened 
to  hinder  so  cruel  a  design,  which  was  so  long 
made  known  before  it  was  executed.  God's 
wise  providence  was  manifested  in  ordering  a 
means  to  prevent  that  plot  before  the  time  of 
executing  it.     Ainsworth. 

The  Jews  at  present  keep  three  days — the 
13th,  the  14th,  and  the  15th  of  Adar — as  con- 
nected with  "  the  feast  of  Purim,"  but  make 
the  13th  a  fast,  commemorative  of  the  fast  of 
Esther  (chap.  4  ;  16),  and  keep  the  feast  itself 
on  the  14th  and  loth.     B.  C. 

15.  Perplexe«l.  The  Jews  no  doubt  had 
shown  themselves  a  quiet,  industrious,  well- 
disposed  people.  They  had  gained  many 
friends.  Besides,  the  exteimination  of  a  whole 
people  by  such  arbitrar}'  slaughter  must  have 
seemed,  as  it  was  in  realit}',  a  dangerous  jjrec- 
edent.  Who  could  tell  what  people  or  race 
would  next  fall  under  the  king's  ban  ?  No 
wonderthat  the  capital  was  "  perplexed."  And 
how  terribly  laconic  the  hitter  word  ! 

Chap.  4:1.  Knew.  The  matter  may 
have  transpired  through  the  publication  of  the 
edict  ;  or  possibly  the  king's  scribes  had  men- 
tioned it  to  other  officials  of  the  court,  and  so  it 
had  become  known  throughout  the  palace  be- 
fore the  edict  appeared.     Haley. 

11.  Clearly  Esther  sees  and  calmly  she  tells 
Jlordecai  the  tremendous  risk  which  following 
his  counsel  would  bring.  Noti'  tliat  she  does 
not  refuse.  She  simply  puts  the  case  plainly,  as 
if  she  invited  further  conmiuuication.  "  This 
is  how  things  stand.  Do  you  still  wish  me  to 
run  the  risk  ?"  That  is  poor  courage  which 
has  to  shut  its  eyes  in  order  to  keep  itself  up  to 


o9G 


BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


the  mark.  Unfortunately,  tlie  tcnipiTanicnt 
which  dearly  sees  dan.iiersand  that  which  dares 
them  lire  not  often  found  together  in  due  l>ro- 
portion,  ami  so  men  are  over-rash  and  over- 
cautious. This  young  queen  with  her  clear 
eyes  saw  and  with  her  brave  heart  was  ready  to 
face  peril  to  her  life.  Unless  we  fully  realize 
difficulties  and  dangers  beforehand,  our  en- 
thusiasm for  great  causes  will  ooze  out  at 
our  fingers'  ends  at  the  first  rule  assault  of 
these.  So  let  us  count  the  cost  before  we  tjike 
up  arms,  and  let  us  take  up  arms  after  we  have 
counted  the  cost.  Cautious  courage,  courage- 
ous caution,  are  good  guides.  Either  alone  is  a 
bad  one. 

i:{,  14.  Jlordecai's  grand  message  is  a  con- 
densed statement  of  the  great  reasons  which 
always  exist  for  self-sacrificing  efforts  for 
others'  good.  His  words  are  none  the  less  sat- 
urated with  devout  thought  because  they  do 
not  name  God.  This  porter  at  the  palace  gate 
had  not  the  tongue  of  a  psalmist  or  of  a 
prophet.  He  was  a  plain  man,  not  uninfluenced 
by  his  pagan  surroundings,  and  perhaps  he  was 
careful  to  adapt  his  message  to  the  lips  of  the 
Gentile  messenger,  and  therefore  did  not  more 
definitely  use  the  sacred  name.  It  is  very  strik- 
ing that  Mordecai  makes  no  attempt  to  mini- 
mize Esther's  [leril  in  doing  as  he  wished.  He 
knew  that  she  would  take  her  life  in  her  hand, 
and  he  expects  her  to  be  willing  to  do  it,  as  he 
would  have  been  willing.  It  is  grand  when  love 
exhorts  loved  ones  to  a  course  which  may  bring 
death  to  them,  and  lifelong  loneliness  and 
quenched  hopes  to  it.  Think  of  Mordecai's 
years  of  care  over  and  pride  in  his  fair  young 
cousin,  and  how  many  joys  and  soaring  visions 
would  perish  with  her,  and  then  estimate  the 
heroic  self-sacrifice  he  exercised  in  urging  her 
to  her  course. 

His  first  appeal  is  on  the  lowest  ground. 
Pure  selfishness  should  send  her  to  the  king  ; 
for,  if  she  diil  not  go,  she  would  not  escape  the 
common  ruin.  So,  on  the  one  hand,  she  had  to 
face  certain  destruction  ;  and,  on  the  other,  there 
were  possible  success  and  escape.  The  argu- 
ment holds  in  reference  to  many  forms  of  con- 
flict with  national  and  social  evils.  If  Christian 
people  allow  vice  and  g.xUessness  t)  riot  un- 
checked, they  will  not  escape  the  contagion  in 
some  form  or  other.  How  many  good  men's 
sous  have  been  swept  away  by  the  immoralities 
of  great  cities  1  How  few  families  there  are  in 
which  there  is  not  "  one  dead,"  the  victim  of 
drink  and  dissiiiation  !  How  the  godliness  of 
the  Church  is  cooled  down  by  the  low  tempera- 
ture annuid  !     At  the  viTy  lowest,  self-preserva- 


tion should  enlist  all  good  men  in  a  sacrid  war 
against  the  sins  which  are  slaying  their  country 
men.  Mordecai  goes  back  to  the  same  argu- 
ment in  the  latter  part  of  his  answer,  when  he 
foretells  the  destruction  of  Esther  and  lier 
father's  house.  There  he  puts  it,  however,  in 
a  rather  different  light.  Tlie  destruction  is  not 
mw,  as  before,  her  participation  in  the  common 
tragedy,  but  her  exceptional  ruin  while  Israel 
is  preserved.  The  unfaithful  one,  who  could 
have  intervened  to  save,  and  did  not,  will  have 
a  special  infliction  of  punishment.  Tliat  is  true 
in  many  applications.  Certainly,  neglect  to  do 
what  we  can  do  for  others  does  always  bring 
some  penalty  on  the  slothful  coward  ;  and  there 
is  no  more  short-sighted  policy  than  that  which 
shirks  plain  duties  of  beneficence  from  regard 
to  self. 

But  higherconsiderations  than  selfish  ones  are 
appealed  to.  ^ilordecai  is  sure  that  deliverance 
will  come.  He  does  not  know  whence,  but 
come  it  will.  IIow  did  he  arrive  at  that 
serene  confidence  ?  Certainly  because  he 
trusted  God's  ancient  promises,  and  believed  in 
the  indestructibility  of  the  nation  which  a 
Divine  hand  protected.  IIow  does  such  a  con- 
fidence agree  with  fear  of  "  destruction"  ?  The 
two  parts  of  Jlordecai's  message  sound  contra- 
dictory ;  but  he  might  well  dread  the  threatened 
catiustrophc,  and  yet  be  sure  that  through  any 
disaster  Israel  as  a  nation  woidd  piuss,  cast 
down,  no  doubt,  but  not  destroyed.  IIow  did 
it  agree  with  his  earnestness  in  trying  to  secure 
Esther's  help  ?  If  he  were  certain  of  the  issue, 
why  should  he  have  troubled  her  or  himself  1 
Just  for  the  same  reason  that  the  discernment 
of  God's  purposes  and  absolute  reliance  on  these 
stimulates  and  does  not  paralyze  devout  ac- 
tivity in  helping  to  carry  I  hem  out.  If  we  are 
sure  that  a  given  course,  however  full  of  peril 
and  inconvenience,  is  in  the  line  of  God's  pur- 
poses, that  is  a  reason  for  strenuous  effort  to 
carry  it  out.  Since  some  men  are  to  be  honored 
to  be  His  instruments,  shall  not  we  be  willing 
to  offer  ourselves  ?  There  is  a  holy  and  noble 
ambition  which  covets  the  dignity  of  being  used 
by  Him.  They  who  believe  that  their  work 
helps  forward  what  is  dear  to  Gotl's  lu'art  may 
well  do  with  their  might  what  they  find  to  do, 
and  not  be  too  careful  to  keep  on  the  safe  side 
in  doing  it.  The  honor  is  more  than  the  danger. 
■  Here  am  I  ;  take  me,"  ,sh(ndd  be  the  Chris- 
tian feeling  about  all  such  work. 

The  hist  argument  in  this  noble  summaiy  of 
motives  for  self-sacrifice  for  othere'  tood  is  the 
thought  of  Gotl's  purpose  in  giving  Esther  her 
position.    It  carries  large  truth  applicable  to  us 


SECTION  67.     ESTHER  ACCEPTS  THE  CHARGE  OF  MORDECAI. 


597 


all.  The  source  of  all  endowments  of  position, 
possessions,  or  capacities  is  God.  His  purpose 
in  them  all  goes  far  beyond  the  happiness  of  the 
receiver.  Dignities  and  gifts  of  every  sort  are 
ours  for  use  in  carrying  out  His  great  designs 
of  good  to  our  fellows.  Esther  was  made 
queen,  not  that  she  might  live  in  luxury  and 
be  the  plaything  of  a  king,  but  that  she  might 
serve  Israel.  Power  is  duty.  Responsibility  is 
measured  by  capacity.  Obligation  attends  ad- 
vantages. Gifts  are  burdens.  All  men  are 
stewards,  and  God  gives  His  servants  their 
"  talents,"  not  for  selfish  squandering  or  hoard- 
ing, but  to  trade  with,  and  to  pay  the  profits  to 
Him.  Tills  penetrating  insight  into  the  source 
and  Intention  of  all  which  we  have  carries  a 
solemn  lesson  for  us  all.     A.  M. 

This  is  a  day  wherein  great  things  are  doing 
and  grie\'ous  things  are  a-sulfering  by  many  of 
our  brethren  ;  therefore  j'ou  should  be  working 
this  day.  This  is  a  day  in  which  sons  of  Belial 
— men  that  will  not  have  Christ's  yoke — are 
combining  to  break  it  and  cast  His  cord  from 
them.  Tlien  join  this  day  to  help  Christ,  else, 
as  Mordecai  said  to  Esther,  so  I  may  say  to  you 
in  reference  to  the  present  opportunity  :  if  you 
altogetlier  Imld  3'our  peace,  hold  your  purses 
and  hold  your  hand  at  this  time,  enlargement 
will  come  to  the  Church  some  other  way,  but 
you  maj'  be  destroyed  who  think  to  hold  and 
keep  your  peace,  cither  by  saying  or  doing 
nothing  ;  if  ever  you  will  appear,  this  is  a  day 
to  appear  lu  to  do  good.  Let  us  be  wise  to 
manage  and  improve  our  day,  so  that  it  may 
never  be  said  of  us  as  our  Lord  did  of  Jerusalem, 
"  If  ye  had  known,  even  in  this  your  day,  the 
things  which  belong  unto  your  peace  !"    Caryl. 

Mordecai  encourages  Esther  to  estimate  her 
position  and  lofty  culling.  "  Who  knowetli 
whether  thou  art  not  come  to  the  kingdom  for 
such  a  time  as  tliis  ?"  God  may  have  given 
thee  the  noble  mission  to  save  thy  nation.  Ho 
has  invested  thee  with  personal  beauty  ;  He  has 
given  thee  the  heart  and  the  hand  of  Ahasuerus  ; 
He  has  made  thy  home  a  palace,  and  seated  thee 
on  a  throne,  not  to  gratify  thy  vanity  and  love 
of  splendor  ;  not  for  tli}-  safety  in  the  day  of 
thy  nation's  peril,  but  as  an  angel  of  deliver- 
ance. Who  knows  but  there  is  a  proud  destiny 
reserved  for  thee,  to  use  thy  elevation  to  lift  up 

thy  down-trodden  people  1    Braiiierd. As  if 

he  had  said,  "  Consider  the  wonderful  and  gra- 
cious providence  of  God,  in  raising  thee  from 
among  a  despised  people  to  be  the  consort  of  thtt 
greatest  monarch  upon  earth."  Think  not  but 
the  Lord  therein  certainly  intended  that  some 
great  work  should  be  accomplished  by  thj-  hand 


in  favor  of  His  afilicted  Church.  And  now 
the  liour  is  come  for  thee  to  make  use  of  the  ad- 
vancement given  thee  by  the  Lord  ;  and  to  try, 
by  that  power  and  interest  which  thou  hast 
with  the  king,  to  reverse  the  decree  of  our  ad- 
versary, and  effect  the  deliverance  of  our  whole 
nation.  Tlie  argument  used  by  Jlordecai  to 
Estlier  is  one  of  general  application  and  use — 
viz.,  that  one  great  purpose  for  which  men  are 
intrusted  by  Providence  with  power  or  riches 
is  that  they  may  therewith  do  good,  and  succor 
those  who  require  their  assistance  ;  that  they 
may  help  those  to  right  who  suffer  wrong,  may 
stand  by  their  poorer  brethren  in  the  day  of 
calamity  and  distress.     Bp.  Sanderson. 

I€.  Mordecai  hath  said  enough.  These  words 
have  so  put  a  new  life  into  Esther  that  she  is 
resolute  to  hazard  the  old  :  "  Go,  gather  together 
all  the  Jews  that  are  present  in  Sliushan,  and 
fast  ye  for  me,  and  neither  eat  nor  drink  three 
days,  night  or  day  :  I  also  and  my  maidens  will 
fast  likewise  ;  and  so  will  I  go  in  unto  the  king, 
which  is  not  according  to  the  law  ;  and  if  1  per- 
ish, I  perish."  Heroical  thoughts  do  well  befit 
great  actions.  Life  can  never  be  better  adven- 
tured than  where  it  shall  be  gain  to  lose  it. 
Bp.  H. 

Fast  ye  for  me.  Fasting  for  another  is 
fasting  to  obtain  God's  blessing  on  that  other, 
and  is  naturally  accompanied  with  earnest 
prayer  to  God  for  the  person  who  is  the  object 
of  the  fast.     Thus  here  again  the  thoiiyht  of 

God  underlies  the    narrative.     P.  C. Here 

again  the  religious  element  shows  itself. 
Esther's  fast  could  have  no  object  but  to  obtain 
God's  favor  and  protection  in  the  dangerous 
course  on  which  she  was  about  to  enter.     B.  C. 

Esther  had  not  overlooked  the  importance  of 
a  general  union  of  her  people  in  religious  exer- 
cise. She  called  into  vitality  and  determined 
activity  the  whole  combined  and  sympathetic 
force  of  multitudes,  who  at  her  instance  did  for 
three  days  put  away  from  themselves  every 
other  thought,  care,  hope,  that  they  might  be 
found  "  watching"  as  regards  the  crisis  of  this 
hour.  What  an  interesting  suggestion  arises 
from  the  words  (verse  17),  "  So  Mordecai  went 
his  way,  and  did  according  to  all  that  Esther 
had  commanded  liira"  !  The  tender  ward  has 
become  the  strong,  firm,  religious  teacher  of 
her  guardian.     P.  C. 

The  sovil  of  Esther  was  worthy  of  a  daughter 
of  Abriilram  and  of  Mordecai.  It  rose  with  dan- 
ger and  difficulty.  To  save  the  life  of  her  nation, 
she  at  once  determined  to  go  over  the  letter  of  a 
law,  over  the  custom  of  her  sex,  and  to  hazard 
her  own  life  that  her  nation  might  not  die.     Her 


598 


BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


bearing  indicntod  deep  piety  as  well  as  patriot- 
ism.     Jlmini  nl. Tlio   fair  young  lieroine's 

soul  rose  to  the  occasion,  and  responded  with  a 
swift  determination  to  lier  older  cousin's  lofty 
words.  Little  as  she  says  about  her  faith  in 
God,  it  obviously  underluj'  her  courage.  A 
soul  that  dares  death  in  obedience  to  His  will 
and  in  dependence  on  His  aid  demonstrates  its 
gCKlliness  more  forcibl)'  in  silence  than  by  many 
professions.  "If  I  perish,  I  perish."  Think 
of  the  fair,  soft  lips  set  to  utter  tliut  grand  sur- 
render, and  of  all  the  flowery  and  sillien  cords 
which  bound  the  young  heart  to  life  so  bright 
and  desirable  as  was  assured  to  her.  Note  the 
resolute  calmness,  the  Spartan  brevity,  the 
clear  sight  of  the  possible  fatal  issue,  the  abso- 
lute submission.     No  higher  strain  has  ever 


come  from  human  lips.  Tin.-;  womnnlv  soul 
was  of  the  same  stock  iis  a  Miriam,  a  Deborah, 
Jephthah's  daughter  ;  and  the  same  fire  burned 
in  her — utter  devotion  to  Israel  becavise  entire 
consecration  to  Israel's  God.  Religion  and 
patriotism  were  to  her  inseiiarable.  What  was 
her  individual  life  compared  witli  her  people's 
weal  and  her  God's  will  '?  She  was  ready  with- 
out a  muniiur  to  lay  her  young,  radiant  life 
down.  Such  ecstasy  of  willing  self-sacrifice 
raises  its  subject  above  all  fears  and  dissolves 
all  hindrances.  It  may  be  wrought  out  in  un- 
eventful details  of  our  small  lives,  and  may 
illuminate  these  as  truly  as  it  sheds  imperishable 
lustre  over  the  lovely  figure  standing  in  the  pal- 
ace court,  and  waiting  for  life  or  death  at  the 
will  of  a  sensual  tyrant.     A.  M. 


Section  68. 


ESTHER'S  FIRST    BANQUET.     THE    KINGS    SLEEPLESS    NIGHT 
OF   THE   KECOHUS.     MORDECAI   HONORED. 


AND  READING 


ESTHEU,  ClI.VPS.  .5, 


5  :  1  Now  it  came  to  pass  on  the  tliird  day,  that  Esther  put  on  her  royal  apparel,  and  stood 
in  the  inner  court  of  the  king's  house,  over  against  the  king's  house  :  and  the  king  sat  upon 

2  his  royal  throne  in  the  royal  house,  over  against  the  entrance  of  the  house.  And  it  was  so, 
when  the  king  saw  Esther  the  queen  standing  In  the  court,  that  she  obtained  favour  in  his 
sight  :  and  the  king  held  out  to  Esther  the  golden  sceptre  that  was  in  his  hand.     So  Estlier 

3  drew  near,  and  touched  the  top  of  the  sceptre.  Tlien  said  the  king  unto  her,  What  wilt 
thou,  queen  Esther?  and  what  is  thy  request?  it  shall  be  given  thee  even  to  the  half  of  the 

4  kingdom.     And  Esther  said,  If  it  seem  good  unto  the  king,  let  the  king  and  Hanian  come  this 

5  day  unto  the  banquet  that  I  have  prepared  for  him.  Then  the  king  said.  Cause  Haman  to 
make  haste,  that  it  may  be  done  as  Esther  hath  said.     So  the  king  and  Haman  came  to  the 

6  banquet  that  Esther  had  prepared.  And  the  king  said  unto  Esther  at  the  banquet  of  wine. 
What  is  thj'  petition?  and  it  sliall  be  granted  thee  :  and  what  is  thj'  request?  even  to  the  half 

7  of  the  kingdom  it  shall  be  perfonricd.     Then  answered  Esther,  and  said,  Mj-  petition  and  my 

8  request  is  ;  if  I  have  found  favour  in  the  sight  of  the  king,  and  if  it  please  the  king  to  grant 
my  petition,  and  to  perform  my  request,  let  the  king  and  Haman  come  to  the  banquet  that  I 

9  shall  prepare  for  them,  and  I  will  do  tomorrow  as  the  king  hath  said.  Then  went  Haman 
forth  that  day  joyful  and  glad  of  heart  :  but  when  Haman  saw  Mordccai  in  the  king's  gate, 

10  that  he  stood  not  up  nor  moved  for  him,  he  was  filled  with  wrath  against  Mordccai.  Never- 
theless Haman  refrained  himself,  and  went  home  ;  and  he  sent  ami  fetched  his  friends  and 

11  Zcresh  his  wife.  And  Haman  recounted  unto  them  the  glory  of  his  riches,  and  the  multitude 
of  his  children,  and  all  the  things  wherein  tlie  king  had  promoted  him.  and  how  he  had 

13  advanced  him  above  tlie  princes  and  servants  of  the  king.  Haman  said  moreover.  Yea,  Esther 
the  queen  did  let  no  man  come  in  with  the  king  unto  the  banquet  that  she  had  prepared  but 

13  myself  ;  and  to-morrow  also  am  I  invited  by  hertogetlier  with  the  king.     Yet  all  this  availeth 

14  me  notliing,  so  long  as  I  see  Mordccai  the  Jew  sitting  at  the  king's  gate.  Then  said  Zercsh 
liis  wife  and  all  his  friends  unto  him.  Let  a  gallows  be  made  of  fifty  cubits  high,  and  in  the 
morning  speak  thou  unto  the  king  that  Mordccai  may  be  hanged  thereon  :  then  go  thou  in 


SECTION  6S.     ESTHER'S  FIRST  BANQUET. 


599 


merrily  with  the  king  unto  the  banquet.     And  the  thing  pleased  Haman  ;  and  he  caused  the 
gallows  to  be  made. 
6 : 1  On  that  night  could  not  the  king  sleep  ;  and  he  commanded  to  bring  the  hook  of 

2  records  of  the  chronicles,  and  they  were  read  before  the  king.  And  it  was  found  written, 
that  Monlecai  had  told  of  Bigthana  and  Teresh,  two  of  the  king's  chamberlains,  of  those  that 

3  kept  the  door,  who  had  sought  to  lay  hands  on  the  king  Ahasuerus.  And  the  king  said. 
What  honour  and  dignity  hath  been  done  to  Mordecai  for  this?  Then  said  the  king's  servants 

4  that  ministered  unto  him,  There  is  nothing  done  for  him.  And  tlie  king  said.  Who  is  in  the 
court  'I    Now  Haraan  was  come  into  the  outward  court  of  the  king's  house,  to  speak  unto  the 

5  king  to  hang  Jlordecai  on  the  gallows  that  he  had  prepared  for  him.  And  the  king's  servants 
said  unto  him.  Behold,  Ilaman  standeth  in  the  court.     And  the  king  said.  Let  him  come  in. 

6  So  Haman  came  in.  And  the  king  said  unto  him.  What  shall  be  done  unto  the  man  whom 
the  king  delighteth  to  honour?     Now  Haman  said  in  his  heart.  To  whom  would  the  king 

7  delight  to  do  honour  more  than  to  myself?     And  Haman  said  unto  the  king.  For  the  man 

8  whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honour,  let  royal  apparel  be  brought  which  the  king  useth  to 
wear,  and  the  horse  that  the  king  rideth  upon,  and  on  the  head  of  which  a  crown  ro}'al  is  set  : 

9  and  let  tlie  apparel  and  the  horse  be  delivered  to  tlie  baud  of  one  of  the  king's  most  noble 
princes,  that  they  may  array  the  man  withal  whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honour,  and  cause 
him  to  ride  on  horseback  through  the  street  of  the  city,  and  proclaim  before  him.  Thus  shall 

10  it  be  done  to  the  man  whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honour.  Then  the  king  said  to  Haman, 
Make  haste,  and  take  the  apparel  and  the  horse,  as  thou  hast  said,  and  do  even  so  to  Mordecai 

11  the  .Jesv,  that  sitteth  at  the  king's  gate  :  let  nothing  fail  of  all  that  thou  hast  spoken.  Then 
took  Haman  the  apparel  and  the  horse,  and  arrayed  Mordecai,  and  caused  him  to  ride  through 
the  street  of  the  city,  and  proclaimed  before  him,  Thus  shall  it  be  done  unto  the  man  whom 

13  the  king  delighteth  to  honour.     And  Mordecai  came  again  to  the  king's  gate.     But  Haman 

13  hasted  to  his  house,  mourning  and  having  his  head  covered.  And  Haman  recounted  unto 
Zercsh  his  wife  and  all  his  friends  every  thing  that  had  befallen  him.  Then  said  his  wise  men 
and  Zeresh  his  wife  unto  him,  If  Mordecai,  before  whom  thou  hast  begun  to  fall,  be  of  the  .seed 

14  of  the  Jews,  thou  .shalt  not  prevail  against  him,  but  shalt  surely  fall  before  him.  While  they 
were  yet  talking  with  him,  came  the  king's  chamberlains,  and  hasted  to  bring  Haman  unto  the 
banquet  that  Esther  had  prepared. 


5 : 1.  And  now  she  walks  into  the  inner 
court  of  the  king,  and  puts  herself  into  that 
forbidden  presence,  as  if  she  said,  "  Here  I  am, 
with  my  life  in  my  hand.  If  it  please  the 
king  to  take  it,  it  is  ready  for  hira.  Vashti, 
my  predecessor,  forfeited  her  place  for  not 
coming  when  she  was  called.  Esther  shall 
now  hazard  the  forfeiture  of  her  life  for  com- 
ing when  she  is  not  called.  It  is  necessity,  not 
disobedience,  that  hath  put  me  upon  this  bold 
approach.  According  to  thy  construction,  O 
king,  I  do  either  live  or  die  ;  either  shall  be 
welcome."     Bp.  H. 

2,  3.  Esther  passed  through  the  entrance 
into  the  pillared  throne  room,  and  across  the 
wide  room  to  the  throne,  and  touched  the  top 
of  the  sceptre.  What  she  did,  she  did  right 
royall}'.  I  think  the  king  became  at  once  as 
proud  of  her  courage  as  he  was  of  her  beauty. 
I  think  he  felt  a  respect  for  her  such  as  he  had 
never  felt  before.  He  did  not  wait  for  her  to 
speak,  but  addressed  her  as  "  Queen  Esther," 
and  promised  that  her  request  shovdd  be  grant- 
ed, to  the  half  of  his  kingdom.     W.  J.  B. 

J.  Ahasuerus  at  once  showed  favor  to  his 


queen  ;  and  surmising,  as  she  drew  near,  that 
she  had  an  important  request  to  make,  encour- 
aged her  to  make  it.  She  would  not  tell  it  in 
open  court,  but  invited  the  king  and  Haman 
to  a  banquet  in  her  own  apartments.  It  was 
shrewdly  done.  Esther  would  re-establish  her 
influence  over  her  husband  ;  and  she  would 
throw  the  favorite  off  his  guard,  t.aking  care, 
too,  to  have  him  present  when  she  should  un- 
veil his  malice,  that  he  might  not  defeat  or  es- 
cape her.     D.  F. The  king  understood  that 

this  invitation  to  a  banquet,  couched  in  the 
form  of  a  request,  was  simply  preliminary  to 
some  petition  of  greater  importance.  This  was 
in  accordance  with  Oriental  usage. 

8.  She  proposes  a  similar  banquet  on  the 
morrow,  with  the  promise  that  she  will  then 
make  a  full  disclosure  of  that  which  she  has 
upon  her  heart.  Whence  came  that  wisdom? 
We  cannot  well  doubt,  in  the  light  of  what  im- 
mediately follows,  that  an  unseen  guide  was 
leading  her  in  a  way  that  she  knew  not. 
Strmt. Her  intention  in  thus  desiring  to  en- 
tertain the  king  twice  at  her  banquets  before 
she  made  known  her  petition  to  him  was,  that 


600 


BOOK  OF  EHTIJER. 


she  might  thereby  dispose  liiin  tlic  better  to 
grant  the  request  whicli  she  liiul  to  make  to 

him.     Pi'ukaxtx. Tliere  was  also  a  singular 

Urovideiice  of  Goii  in  so  disposing  her  mind 
thai  thu  high  honor  which  tlii'  king  Ix'stowud 
on  Morili'cai  the  next  day  might  in  the  mean 
while  fall  out,  and  so  make  way  for  licr  peti- 
tion ;  as  also  that  Ilaman  might  in  the  mean 
while  malic  his  preparations  for  tlic  execution 
of  Mordecai.      WdU. 

\'i.  This  is  the  most  brilliant  day  in  the  life 
of  the  favorite  courtier,  liieh  in  treasure,  in 
sons,  in  lionor,  he  is  invited,  not  merely  today, 
bvit  to-morrow,  to  the  tat)le  of  the  king  and 
queen  ;  perhaps  from  this  some  new  distinction 
may  proceed.  "  Yet  all  this  availeth  me  noth- 
ing, so  long  as  I  see  Mordecai  the  .Jew  sitting 
in  the  king's  gate."  The  one  bitter  drop  poi- 
sons the  entire  cup  of  sensual  gratification,  and 
the  universally  envied  Haman  is  really  the  man 
most  to  be  pitied  in  all  Susa.      Vitn  0. 

We  are  usually  more  alive  to  the  good  we 
want  than  to  that  whicli  wc  possess  ;  rendered 
delicate  by  indulgence  rather  than  satiated  by 
eujoynient,  the  slightest  check  in  the  career  of 
our  desires  inflicts  a  wound  which  their  gratifi- 
cation in  every  other  particular  is  incapable  of 
healing.  Thus  the  wretched  Haman,  in  the 
highest  plenitude  of  affluence  and  power,  ex- 
claimed. All  this  availeth  me  nothing,  while 
Mordecai  sits  in  the  gate.  Sucli  is  tlie  capricious 
fastidiousness  of  the  human  heart,  chiefly  in 
those  who  are  most  pampered  with  the  gifts  of 
fortune,  that  the  person  whom  nothing  lias  the 
power  of  gratifj'ing  long  the  merest  trifle  is 
sufficient  to  displea.sc,  and  that  he  is  often  ex- 
tremelj'  chagrined  and  disquieted  by  the  ab- 
sence of  that  whose  presence  would  scarcely  be 
felt.     R.  null. 

Those  things  which  availed  nothing  to  the 
happiness  of  Haman,  under  his  vexation  of 
spirit,  arc  enumerated  by  him  in  his  complaint 
uttered  in  the  presence  of  his  friends.  They 
consist  of  the  greatest  distinctions  and  favors 
that  lie  could  desire  from  the  king,  and  the 
most  alluring  objects  of  human  wishes.  Never- 
theless his  enjoyment  of  all  this  prosperity  is 
alloj-ed  by  the  single  circumstance  of  Mor- 
(lecai's  disrespect,  which  was  made  a  source  of 
misery  by  liis  own  passions  and  imagination. 
So  it  is  that  the  proud,  the  revengeful,  the 
discontented,  the  unthankful  and  impatient, 
are  their  own  tormentore  ;  whether  God  imme- 
diately execute  His  judgments  on  them  or  not, 
their  own  temjierof  mind  is  their  punishment  ; 
on  the  other  hand,  the  various  natural  passions 
and  affections  of  tlie  heart  work  together  for 


go:«l,  through  the  Divine  grace,  to  those  who 
govern  them  rightly.     /.  Bn^guy. 

14.  A  gallows,  in  tlic  ordinary  sense,  is 
scarc(Oy  intcn<led,  since  hanging  wjis  not  a  Per- 
sian punishment.  The  intention,  no  doubt,  was 
to  crucify  or  impale  Mordecai  ;  and  the  pale  or 
cross  was  to  l)e  seventy-five  feet  liigh,  to  make 
the  punishment  more  conspicuous,     B.  C. 

6  :  I-l  1.  Mordecai  slept  well  that  night,  un- 
conscious of  danger  ;  but  the  Lord,  who  kept 
Israel,  slumbered  not,  and  so  ordered  it  in  His 
jirovidence  that  the  rage  of  the  heathen  was 
disappointed  of  its  prey.  "  On  that  niglit 
could  not  the  king  .sleep."  No  doubt  this  had 
hapiicned  before,  for  sleep  is  far  more  secure 
and  sweet  to  the  laboring  man  than  to  the 
voluptuary  ;  but  it  was  of  God  that,  on  this 
critical  night,  when  sleep  fled,  the  king  was  dis- 
posed, not  to  vain  amusement,  but  to  reflection 
on  the  events  of  his  reign.  The  chronicles  of 
his  kingdom  were  brought  forth  and  read  to 
him.  In  the  roll  of  records  read  on  that  night 
to  Aliasuerus.  mention  was  made  of  the  plot 
against  his  life,  which  Mordecai  detected  and 
defeated.  On  hearing  it,  conscience  smote  the 
king  ;  nothing  had  been  done  for  the  preserver 
of  his  life  :  and  the  Jew  had  urged  no  claim, 
nor  sought  reward,  but  sat  patiently  in  his  place 
at  the  king's  gate. 

Ahasuerus,  when  roused,  was  full  of  will  and 
energ}-.  So  soon  as  it  was  day  he  called,  ' '  Who 
is  in  the  court?"  Lo  I  Haman,  greedy  of  re- 
venge, had  come  alrciidy  to  crave  the  death  of 
Mordecai.  Before  he  could  prefer  his  request, 
he  was  commanded  by  the  king  to  lead  Morde- 
cai in  a  procession  of  honor  through  the  city. 
What  an  effort  Haman  must  have  made  to  com- 
mand himself,  and  to  conceal  the  secret  writh- 
ing he  endured  in  doing  such  a  service  !  Think 
how  lie  must  have  felt,  as  the  procession  passed 
the  gallows  fifty  cubits  high. 

Mordecai  showed  a  sober  mind.  Not  elated 
by  the  sudden  mark  of  royal  favor  he  had  re- 
ceived, he  returned  quietly  to  his  post  at  the 
gate.  But  he  was  confirmed,  we  may  lie  sure, 
in  faith  that  God  would  deliver  His  people,  and 
he  was  encouraged  to  augur  well  for  Esther's 
intervention.     P.  F. 

1.  On  that  night.  The  Hebrew  makes 
the  time  very  definite  ;  that  very  night — i.e., 
the  night  immediately  following  the  day  of  the 
queen's  banciuct,  and  of  Haman 's  conference 
with  Zcresh  and  his  friends  just  narrated.  The 
king's  nhcp  Jleil — this  is  literal  ;  a  bold  figure  ! 
The  king  cannot  command  his  own  sleep.  It 
was  not  an  event  that  was  in  any  way  surjiris- 
ing  or  worthy  of  special  notice,  except  as  con- 


SECTION  6S.     THE  KING  'S  SLEEPLESS  NIOHT. 


601 


nected  in  the  chain  of  events.  In  this  connec- 
tion it  was  vital,  and  gave  tolcen  of  the  ordering 
of  the  Divine  hand.     Street. 

At  the  very  juncture  when  Esther  was  gradu- 
ally preparing  for  herself  a  favorable  oppor- 
tunity to  plead  the  cause  of  her  people,  on  the 
very  night  preceding  the  day  upon  which  Ha- 
inan, unable  in  the  greatness  of  his  anger  longer 
to  wait  the  full  execution  of  his  rapacious  re- 
venge, had  determined  to  petition  the  king  for 
Mordecai's  destruction,  on  the  night,  too,  of  the 
very  day  in  which  he  had  prepared  a  gallows 
for  this  purpose — "on  that  nir/ht,"  KcHe%  the 
text,  "  could  not  the  king  sleep."    B. 

A  seemingly  alight  incident  may  involve  great, 
momentous  issues.  Often  may  sleep  have  gone 
from  the  king's  eyes  and  nothing  of  conse- 
quence have  followed.  But  that  night  was 
memorable,  for  that  night's  sleeplessness  was 
the  occasion  of  the  salvation  of  Mordecai,  and 
perhaps  of  Israel.  In  the  providence  of  God, 
as  though  to  rebidie  men's  self-confidence,  lit- 
tle things  are  sent  on  high  errands.  It  is  a 
striking  instance  of  Divine  provii^ence.  He  who 
"  holds  the  king's  heart  in  His  hand,"  who  can 
touch  with  the  finger  of  His  power  the  secret 
springs  of  thought  and  feeling,  now  sent 
troubled  thoughts  to  this  Persian  king.  That 
Lord  of  heaven,  keeper  of  Israel,  who  slumbers 
not  nor  sleeps,  was  interposing  on  behalf  of  His 
chosen  people.  God  willed  that  the  sovereign 
should  not  slumber  in  order  that  he  might  thus 
be  led  to  have  "  the  book  of  records  of  the 
chronicles  brought  and  read  before  the  king," 
and  Mordecai's  services  be  thus  brought  to  his 
royal  notice.  Little  did  Ahasuerus,  as  he  tossed 
his  restless  head  on  the  pillow,  imagine  that  a 
Divine  hand  was  laid  on  his  troubled  brain. 
As  little  do  we  know  when  the  finger  of  God  is 
woi-king  on  us,  with  us,  for  us,  or  mercifully 
against  us.     P.  C. 

2.  The  wit  of  Zeresh  had  like  to  have  gone 
beyond  the  wit  of  Esther.  Had  not  the  work- 
ing providence  of  the  Almighty  contrived  these 
events,  beyond  all  hopes,  all  conceits,  Mordecai 
had  been  dispatched,  ere  Esther's  second  ban- 
quet. To  morrow  was  the  day  pitched  for 
both  their  designs.  But  God  meant  better 
things  to  His  people  ;  and  fetches  about  all  His 
holy  purposes,  after  a  wonderful  fashion,  iu 
the  very  instant  of  opportunity.  "  He  that 
kcepeth  Israel,  and  neither  slumbereth  norsleep- 
eth,"  causeth  sleep  that  night  to  depart  from 
him  that  had  decreed  to  root  out  Israel.  Great 
Ahasuerus,  that  commanded  a  hundred  and 
seven  and  twenty  provinces,  cannot  command 
a  night's  sleep.     So  he  shall  spend  his  restless 


hours  in  the  chronicles  of  his  time.  Among 
those  voluminous  registers  of  acts  and  monu- 
ments, which  so  many  scores  of  provinces  must 
needs  yield,  the  book  shall  open  upon  Mor- 
decai's discovery  of  the  late  treason  of  the  two 
eunuchs  ;  the  reader  is  turned  thither,  by  an 
insensible  sway  of  Providence.  Our  most  arbi- 
trary or  casual  actions  are  overruled  by  a  hand 
in  heaven.     Bp.  II. 

The  Scriptures  relate  many  events  brought 
to  pass  !)}•  means  which  seem  disproportionate, 
unsuitable  and  even  contrary  to  the  effect. 
Such  events  speak  God  to  be  their  cause.  His 
invisible  power  supplying  the  apparent  defects 
in  the  means.  Thus  plots  contrived  in  dark- 
ness, with  all  possible  caution  and  secrecy,  are 
b}-  improbable  means  and  unaccount.able  acci- 
dents disclosed  and  brought  to  light  ;  "  a  bird 
of  the  air,"  as  the  wise  man  speaks,  "telling 
the  matter,"  or  "  the  stone,"  according  to  the 
expression  of  the  prophet,  "  crying  out  of  the 
wall."  In  the  Book  of  Esther  we  read:  The 
king  cannot  sleep  ;  to  divert  him,  the  chronicle 
Is  called  for  ;  Mordecai's  service  is  there  pitched 
upon,  and  inquiry  made  concerning  his  recom- 
pense ;  honor  is  decreed  him  ;  so  the  cruel  de- 
vice of  Haman  comes  out,  and  he  himself  suf- 
fers. Whence  can  such  events  proceed  but 
from  the  ever-watchful  care  of  Him  whose  eyes 
are  upon  the  waj'S  of  man,  and  He  seeth  all  his 
goings?    Isaac  Barrow. 

God's  providence  is  a  wonderful  scheme  ;  a 
web  of  many  threads,  woven  with  marvellous 
skill  ;  a  network  composed  of  all  kinds  of  ma- 
terials, great  and  small,  but  so  arranged  that 
the  verj'  smallest  of  them  is  as  essential  as  the 
largest  to  the  completeness  of  the  fabric.  One 
woiild  suppose  that  many  of  the  dramas  of  the 
Old  Testament  were  planned  on  verj-  purpose 
to  show  how  intimately  things  secular  and 
things  sacred,  as  we  call  them,  are  connected 
together  ;  how  entirely  the  minutest  events  are 
controlled  by  God,  and  at  the  same  time  how 
thoroughly  the  freedom  of  man  is  preserved. 
The  meeting  of  two  convicts  in  an  Egyptian 
prison  is  a  vital  link  in  the  chain  of  events  that 
makes  Joseph  governor  of  Egypt  ;  a  young 
lady  coming  to  bathe  in  the  river  preserves  the 
life  of  Moses,  and  secures  the  escape  of  the  Is- 
raelites ;  the  thoughtful  regard  of  a  father  for 
the  comfort  of  his  sons  in  the  armj'  brings  Da- 
vid into  contact  with  Goliath,  and  prepares  the 
way  for  his  elevation  to  the  throne  ;  the  beauty 
of  a  Hebrew  girl  fascinating  a  Persian  king 
saves  the  whole  Hebrew  race  from  massacre 
and  extermination.     W.  G.  B. 

3.  Wliat  Iionor  hath  been  done  to 


603 


BOOK  OF  KfTITEn. 


Mordccal  for  tlli§  i  It  was  a  settled  prin- 
ciple of  the  Persian  government  tlmt  "  royal 
benefactors"  were  to  receive  an  adequate  re- 
ward. The  names  of  such  persons  were  placed 
on  a  special  roll  (Herod,  viii.  85),  and  great  care 
was  taken  that  they  should  be  properly  recom- 
pensed.    B.  C. 

4.  The  king  §aid,  Who  i§  In  the 
court  f  Probably  some  hiirh  officer  of  state 
was  required  to  be  always  in  attendance  upon 
the  monarch,  to  take  his  orders  at  any  moment. 
Now  Unman  \va§  come.  Early  morn- 
ing is  a  common  time  for  the  transaction  of 
business  at  an  Ejistern  court.  Haman  was  so 
anxious  to  get  the  business  on  which  he  was 
bent  dispatched,  that  he  had  come  perhaps  even 
before  daybreak,  and  was  waiting  in  the  outer 
court  to  get,  if  possible,  the  first  audience. 
This  haste  of  his  to  effect  Mordecai's  destruc- 
tion led  to  his  being  the  person  deputed  to  do 
him  the  highest  honor.     P.  C. 

10.  Iflordecai  the  Jew,  that  sitteth 
at  tlic  king'§  gate.  There  is  nothing 
strange  in  the  king's  knowing  the  nationality 
and  position  of  Mordecai.  His  nationality 
would  probably  have  been  noted  in  the  book 
of  the  chronicles.  B.  C. Do  §o  to  Mor- 
decai. Probably  no  more  sudden  or  chilling 
reverse  ever  befell  any  mortal.  Not  only- 
does  his  vision  of  the  highest  earthl}'  glorj-  to 
which  he  could  aspire  collap.se  at  a  breath,  but 
his  dream  of  revenge  is  gone  ;  and  woree  than 
all,  the  magniticent  demonstration  which  he 
liad  devised  for  himself  all  goes  under  his  own 
supcrintRudcnce  to  the  honor  of  him  whom  he 
hated  most  of  all  men,  and  for  whom  lie  had 
been  contriving  a  doom  of  shame  and  death. 
This  sudden  check  to  the  flow  of  his  spirits  led 
him  to  imagine  something  deeper  than  the  king 
intended. 

12.  Ili§  head  covered.  He  went  through 
the  required  demonstration,  doubtless,  as  be- 
came a  great  minister  of  state  upon  whom  a 
thousand  eyes  were  turned.  But  when  he  had 
escaped  from  public  gaze,  he  could  command 
liimself  no  longer.  He  felt  that  he  must  hide 
liis  telltale  countenance  from  those  he  would 
meet,  till  he  reached  the  asj-lum  of  sympathy 
which  he  would  fiiid  in  his  home.     Street. 

Came  again  to  the  gate.  A  Haman 
would  have  been  intoxicated  by  such  an  honor 
as  was  conferred  on  his  enemy.  To  Slordecai 
the  parade  through  the  city  was  but  an  empty 
pageant,  except  in  so  far  as  it  might  contribute 
to  UiB  purpose  of  saving  Israel.  Hence  we  find 
him,  after  putting  oft  the  royal  robes,  return- 
ing to  his  post  at  the  king's  gate.    The  pass- 


I  ing  honors  of  the  world  make  no  change  in 
those  who  are  weighted  with  the  pursuit  of 
honors  which  the  world  cannot  give.  Their 
chief  desire  is  to  be  at  their  post  and  do  tlie 
work  given  them  by  a  higher  than  an  earthly 
master — "  to  do  justly,  to  love  mercy,  and  to 
walk  humbly  with  their  God  "  (Jlicali  6  :  8).  It 
reqiured  no  effort  for  Mordecai  to  descend  from 
his  momentary  exaltation  to  his  humble  posi- 
tion as  a  palace  servitor.  His  duty  was  in  the 
king's  gate.  How  blessed  to  be  able  to  sub- 
ordinate all  merely  personal  or  earthly  things 
to  the  service  of  God  !     P.  C. 

13.  Hast  begun  to  fall.  His  counsel- 
lors, and  even  his  wife,  have  no  prop  for  him  in 
his  adversity.  Their  words  have  the  effect, 
rather,  of  an  additional  impulse  downward. 
No  less  than  three  changes  are  rung  by  them 
on  that  word/«H.  "  Thou  ha.st  begun  to  fall ; 
falling,  thou  shalt  fall  before  him" — so,  when 
literally  rendered.  How  different  their  lan- 
guage from  that  with  which  they  cheered  him 
on  his  way  to  the  former  banquet  of  the  queen  I 
Street. 

After  all  necessary  allowances  and  substitu- 
tions have  been  made,  it  may  be  very  justly 
said  that  Shakespeare's  'VVol3e3'  is  essentially 
dwarfed  bj'  Scripture's  Haman.  and  that  not 
the  finest  of  Shakespeare's  five-act  pla.vs — won- 
derful products  of  human  genius  as  they  are — 
but  must  yield  to  the  ten  briefer  chapters,  with 
their  five  chief  characters,  of  our  Book  of 
Esther.  The  book  is  indeed  a  consummate 
epic  of  the  human  heart.  Its  photographs  are 
vivid  and  accurate,  but  they  are  not  the  fac- 
simile of  a  countenance  alone,  but  of  things 
revealed  and  laid  bare,  in  the  fallen  type  of 

'  man,  by  the  most  skilful  anatomy.  What  an 
extraordinary  proclamation  it  makes,  at  one 
and  the  same  time,  of  the  vanity  of  human 
greatness  and  of  the  greatness  of  luunan  vani- 
ty 1  How  forcibly  does  it  remind  us  of  that 
Scripture  that  saith  not  in  vain,  "  The  heart  is 
deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately 
wicked,"  and  there  bids  us  hold  our  breath 
awhile  1  We  can  scarcely  go  on  to  say,  "  Who 
can  know  it?"  for  we  find  it  manifestly  set 
forth  as  known  by  One,  at  all  events,  whose 
finger  guides  us  to  the  observation  of  it,  and 
whose  pencil  limns  it.  Certainly  the  present 
passage  lays  bare  such  a  heart  to  the  core  of  it, 
and  at  the  core  it  is  bad.  It  is  of  an  aggravat- 
ed type.  It  reveals  a  miserable  creature  on  his 
own  showing,  judged  by  his  own  standard, 
and  at  the  confession  of  his  own   lips.     Wc 

I  have  no  difficulty  in  understanding  the  descrip- 
tion which  Haman  gives  of  himself.     But  the 


SECTION  69.  603 

difficulty  Tronld  lie  in  crediting  the  phcnomc-  i  the  perverse  nature  of  Haman  when,  as  mere 
non  of  any  man,  knowing  his  own  symptoms  |  matter  of  fact,  we  overlook  a  thousand  mercies 
so  well,  being  ready  to  speak  them  so  frankly,  i  we  possess  in  favor  of  keenly  noticing  the  ab- 
where  they  are  what  they  are  here.  sence  of  one  withheld,   like  Eden's  apple,  or 

In  the  larger,  bolder,  blacker  portrait  of  Ha-    withdrawn  after  long  enjoyment  of  it.     We  are 


man  is  there  not  some  semblance  of  self,  when, 
amid  opportunities  and  advantages  innumera- 
ble, comforts  and  joys  innumerable,  bright 
prospects  and  hopes  innumerable,  we  put  them 
all  far  from  us  just  because  ererything  conceiv- 


prone  to  share  the  unfruitful  nature  of  Haman. 
No  fact  has  come  to  be  better  ascertained  in 
human  life  than  this,  that  it  is  not  those  who 
have  most  who  give  most.  The  greatest  op- 
portunity often  witnesses  the  least  improve- 


able  is  not  to  our  mind.     We  are  prone  to  share  '  ment  of  it.     Barker. 


Section  69. 

ESTHER'S  PLEA  FOR  HER  PEOPLE,  AND  CPLVRGE  AGAINST  HAMAN.  HAMAN 
IMPALED  AND  MORDECAI  ELEVATED.  DECREE  PERMITTING  SELF-DE- 
FENCE  BY  THE  JEWS. 

EsTHEK,  Chaps.  7,  8. 

7:1,  3    So  the  king  and  Haman  came   to  banquet  with  Esther  the   queen.     And  the 
king  said  again  unto  Esther  on  the  second  day  at  the  banquet  of  wine.  What  is  thy  peti- 
tion,   queen    Esther  ?   and   it   shall   be   granted   thee  :  and  what   is   thy   request  ?  even  to 
8  the  half    of    the    kingdom    it    shall    be    performed.      Then    Ecther  the   queen   answered 
and  said.  If  I  have  found  favour  in  thy   sight,  O  king,  and  if  it  please   the   king,  let  my 

4  life  be  given  me  at  my  petition,  and  my  people  at  my  request  :  for  we  are  sold,  I  and  my 
people,  to  be  destroyed,  to  be  slain,  and  to  perish.  But  if  we  had  been  sold  for  bondmen  and 
bondwomen,  I  had  held  my  peace,  although  the  adversary  could  not  have  compensated  for 

5  the  king's  damage.     Then  spake  the  king  Ahasuerus  and  said  unto  Esther  the  queen,  Who  is 

6  he,  and  where  is  he,  that  durst  presume  in  his  heart  to  do  so?  And  Esther  said.  An  adversary 
and  an  enemy,  even  this  wicked  Haman.     Then  Haman  was  afraid  before  the  king  and  the 

7  queen.  And  the  king  arose  in  his  wrath  from  the  banquet  of  wine  and  went  into  the  palace 
garden  :  and  Haman  stood  up  to  make  request  for  his  life  to  Esther  the  queen  ;  for  he  saw 

8  that  there  was  evil  determined  against  him  by  the  king.  Then  the  king  returned  out  of  the 
palace  garden  into  the  place  of  the  banquet  of  wine  ;  and  Haman  was  fallen  upon  the  couch 
whereon  Esther  was.     Then  said  the  king.  Will  he  even  force  the  queen  before  me  in  the 

9  house?  As  the  word  went  out  of  the  king's  mouth,  they  covered  Haman's  face.  Then  said 
Harbonah,  one  of  the  chamberlains  that  were  liefore  the  king,  Behold,  also,  the  gallows  fifty 
cubits  high,  which  Haman  hath  made  for  Mordecai,  who  spake  good  for  the  king,  standeth  in 

10  the  house  of  Haman.  And  the  king  said,  Hang  him  thereon.  So  they  hanged  Haman  on 
the  gallows  that  he  had  prepared  for  Mordecai.     Then  was  the  king's  wrath  pacified. 

8  :  1  On  that  day  did  the  king  Ahasuerus  give  the  house  of  Haman  the  Jews'  enemy  unto 
Esther  the  queen.     And  Mordecai  came  before  the  king  ;  for  Esther  had  told  what  he  was 

2  \mto  her.     And  the  king  took  off  his  ring,  which  he  had  taken  from  Haman,  and  gave  it  unto 

3  Mordecai.  And  Esther  set  Mordecai  over  the  house  of  Haman.  And  Esther  spake  yet  again 
before  the  king,  and  fell  down  at  his  feet,  and  besought  him  with  tears  to  put  awaj'  the  mis- 

4  chief  of  Haman  the  Agagite,  and  his  device  that  he  had  devised  against  the  Jews.     Then  the 

5  king  held  out  to  Esther  the  golden  sceptre.  So  Esther  arose,  and  stood  before  tlie  king.  And 
she  said.  If  it  please  the  king,  and  if  I  have  found  favour  in  his  sight,  and  the  thing  seem 
right  before  the  king,  and  I  be  pleasing  in  his  eyes,  let  it  be  written  to  reverse  the  letters 
devised  by  Haman  the  son  of  Hammedatha  the  Agagite,  which  he  wrote  to  destroy  the  Jews 

6  which  are  in  all  the  king's  provinces  :  for  how  can  I  endure  to  see  the  evil  that  shall  come 


C04 


BOOK  OF  ESTUEIi. 


7  unto  my  people?  or  how  oiin  I  endure  to  see  the  destruction  of  my  kindred?  Then  the  king 
Ahiisuerus  said  unto  Estlier  tlie  queen  and  to  Mordecai  the  Jew,  Behold,  I  hiive  given  Esther 
the  house  of  Ilanian,  and  him  they  have  hanged  upon  the  gallows,  because  he  laid  his  hand 

8  upon  the  Jews.  Write  ye  also  to  the  Jews,  as  it  liketh  you,  in  the  king's  name,  and  seal  it 
with  the  king's  ring  :  for  the  writing  which  is  written  in  the  king's  name,  and  sealed  with 

9  the  king's  ring,  may  no  man  reverse.  Then  were  the  king's  scribes  called  at  that  time,  in 
the  third  month,  which  is  the  month  Sivan,  on  the  three  and  twentieth  tiny  thereof  :  and  it 
■wits  written  according  to  all  that  Mordecai  conunandcd  unto  the  Jews,  and  to  the  .satraps,  and 
the  govcrnoi-s  and  princes  of  the  i)rovinces  which  are  from  India  unto  Ethioi)ia.  an  hundred 
twenty  and  seven  provinces,  unto  every  province  according  to  the  writing  thereof,  and  unto 
every  people  after  their  language,  and  to  the  Jews  according  to  their  writing,  and  according 

10  to  their  language.  And  lie  wrote  in  the  name  of  king  Ahasuerus,  and  sealed  it  with  the 
king's  ring,  and  sent  letters  by  posts  on  horseback,  riding  on  swift  steeds  that  were  used  in 

11  the  king's  service,  bred  of  the  stud  :  wherein  the  king  granted  the  Jews  which  were  in  every 
city  to  gather  themselves  together,  and  to  stand  for  their  life,  to  destroy,  to  slay,  and  to 
cause  to  perish,  all  the  power  of  the  people  and  province  that  would  assault  tluni,  tlidr  little 

13  ones  and  wonu'n,  and  to  take  the  spoil  of  them  for  a  prey,  upon  one  day  in  all  the  provinces 
of  king  Ahasuerus,  naindij,  ujion  the  thirteenth  day  of  the  twelfth  month,  which  is  the  month 

13  Adar.  A  copy  of  the  writing,  that  the  decree  should  be  given  out  in  every  i)rovince,  was 
inililished  unto  all  the  peoples,  and  that  the  Jews  should  be  ready  against  that  d-Ay  to  avenge 

14  themselves  on  their  enemies.  So  the  posts  that  rode  upon  swift  steeds  that  were  used  in  the 
king's  service  went  out,  being  hastened  and  pressed  on  by  the  king's  commandment  ;  and  the 

15  decree  was  given  out  in  Sh'jshan  the  palace.  And  Mordecai  went  forth  from  the  presence  of 
the  king  in  royal  apparel  of  blue  and  white,  and  with  a  great  crown  of  gold,  and  with  a  robe 

16  of  fine  linen  and  purple  :  and  the  city  of  Shushan  shouted  and  was  glad.     The  Jews  had 

17  light  and  gladness,  and  joy  and  honour.  And  in  every  province,  and  in  every  city,  whither- 
soever the  king's  commandment  and  his  decree  came,  the  Jews  had  gladness  and  joy,  a  feast 
and  a  good  ilay.  And  many  from  among  the  peoples  of  the  land  became  Jews  ;  for  the  fear 
of  the  Jews  was  fallen  upon  them. 


7  :  3,  4.  my  life,  and  ni}'  people.    The 

queen's  lips  arc  unsealed  now,  and  three  glow- 
ing sentences  will  tell  the  whole.  Sold,  de- 
stroy, kill,  pcrisli--the  very  words  of  Ha- 
nian's    infamous    decree  !     Compen§ate — 

literally,  "  the  enemy  could  not  be  even,  or 
level  with" — i.e.,  up  to  the  level  of,  the  king's 
damage.  Let  the  enemj-  exhaust  all  his  re- 
sources, and  the  king  would  still  be  a  loser. 
Street. 

4.  It  was  the  proffer  of  ten  thousand  talents, 
•wherewith  Haman  hoped  both  to  purchase  his 
intended  revenge  and  the  reputation  of  a  wor- 
thy patriot.  Well  might  Esther  plead,  "  If  we 
Jews  deserved  death,  what  needed  our  slaugh- 
ter to  be  bought  out?  and  if  we  deserved  it 
not,  what  horrible  criielt}'  was  it  to  set  a  price 
upon  innocent  blood  I  It  is  not  any  offence  of 
ours  ;  it  is  only  the  despite  of  an  enemy  that 

hath  wrought  our  destruction."     Bp.  II. 

Esther  adds  that  if  it  had  been  onlj-  a  question 
of  bondage,  and  of  selling  into  such  bondage  of 
every  man  and  woman  of  them,  it  was  not  her 
voice  that  should  have  been  heard  to  deprecate, 
nor  her  lips  that  should  have  been  parted  in 
prayer  to  prevent  it.  But,  she  says,  the  case 
was  one  of  greater,  even  of  supreme  extremity. 


They  were  sold — to  death.  They  were  sold,  in 
the  words  of  the  opportunely  quoted  "  decree," 
"  to  be  destroyed,  to  be  slain  and  to  perish." 
P.  C. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  whole  book  "  breathes 
nothing  but  a  spirit  of  pride  and  revenge"- — "  a 
very  narrow-minded  and  Jewish  sinrit  of  re- 
venge and  persecution" — and  that  thus  it  is 
quite  unworthy  of  a  place  in  the  canon.  To 
us  it  seems  that  this  is  a  gross  misrepresenta- 
tion. Esther,  the  heroine,  is  not  a  Judi'.h,  not 
even  a  Jael,  but  a  timid,  shrinking  woman, 
forced  into  action  by  the  danger  of  her  near 
relative  and  of  her  nation.  What  can  be  more 
affecting  than  her  words  when  first  required  to 
take  an  active  part  :  "  Go  and  fast  ye  for  me, 
and  neither  eat  nor  drink  three  days,  night  or 
day  ;  I  also  and  my  maidens  will  fast  like- 
wise ;  and  so  will  I  go  in  unto  the  king,  which 
is  not  according  to  the  law  :  and  if  I  pirin/i,  I 
perish!"  Or  what,  again,  more  touching  than 
her  exclamation  : 

"  Oh,  how  could  I  endure  to  eee  It— the  evil  which  \»  com- 
ing on  my  people  ! 
Oh,  how  could  I  endure  to  sec  it— the  dcstnictlon  of  my 
kindred  :"    (8  :  6.) 

So  far  is  she  from  being  revengeful  or  i>erse- 


SECTION  60.     ESTHER'S  ACCUSATION  AND  RAMAN'S  EXECUTION     C05 


cuting,  tliat  she  declares,  apparently  from  her 
lieai-t,  '■  If  we  had  been  sold  for  bondmen  and 
boiKlwomen,  I  had  held  my  tongue"  (7  : 4). 
G.  R. 

5.  Who  is  this  ?  The  king  is  evidently 
aroused.  The  words  of  Esther  have  gone  home 
to  the  mark.  He  throws  out  liis  pronouns  in  a 
wild  confusion  of  excitement,  and  then  repeats 
them  with  the  order  inverted.  "  Who  is  he, 
that  one — and  where  is  that  one,  be,  whose 
heart  has  filled  him  (with  the  audacity)  to  do 
soV" — it  is  clear  that  the  identification  cannot 
wait.  It  must  be  prompt  and  unmistakable. 
And  the  queen  is  equal  to  the  demand. 

6.  The  man,  adversary.  The  queen 
sees  her  advantage  ;  and  she  speaks  with  all 
the  vehemence  of  one  who  has  deeply  felt  the 
monstrous  injustice  of  Haman's  plot.  The  col- 
location of  the  words  in  the  Hebrew  leaves  no 
doubt  that  they  were  accompanied  with  a 
gesture  of  the  hand  ;  her  scorn  and  righteous 
Indignation  flashed  out  as  she  pointed  to  him. 
"  The  man,  adversary  and  enemy,  is  Ilaman, 
the  wretch,  this  (oneV"  Well  might  he  be  ter- 
ror-stricken in  that  presence.  He  reads,  in  the 
king's  countenance  and  in  his  movements,  the 
angr}'  excitement  that  has  taken  possession  of 
him.     Street. 

8.  Haman,  in  the  intensity  of  his  supplica- 
tion, had  thrown  himself  upon  the  couch  at 
Esther's  feet.  Of  course  the  king  did  not  be- 
lieve his  own  words.  But  he  meant  to  tax  Ha- 
man with  a  further  offence  in  not  sufficiently 
respecting  the  person  of  the  queen  ;  and  he 
thereby  suggested  to  the  attendants  his  instant 
execution.     B.  C. 

They  covered  Hainan's  face.  It  was 
the  custom  so  to  cover  the  faces  of  condemned 
criminals,  a  custom  also  found  among  the  an- 
cient Romans,  in  that  form  of  pronouncing 
sentence  on  a  criminal  ascribed  by  Cicero  to 
Tarquinius  Superbus  :  "  Go,  officer,  bind  his 
hands,  veil  his  head,  hang  him  on  the  fatal 
tree."  This  custom  was  noticed  in  Egypt  by 
Dr.  Pococke,  who  speaks  of  a  man  brought  be- 
fore the  Bey,  like  a  malefactor,  with  liis  hands 
behind  him  as  if  tied,  and  a  napkin  put  over  his 
head,  as  malefactors  commonly  have.  Park- 
hurst. 

9.  Hang  him  tliereon.  Thus,  within 
the  comi)as8  of  a  day,  Haman's  fortune  was 
completely  reversed  ;  but  a  few  hours  after  he 
imagined  his  success  most  certain,  this  sentence 
of  condenuiation  was  pronounced  upon  him. 
Bp.  Andreircs. 

When  iniquitous  enterprises,  managed  by 
subtilty  or  violence,  are  suddenly  and  season- 


ably defeated,  then  the  ever- vigilant  eye  and  the 
all-powerful  hand  are  concerned.  God  behold- 
eth  unjust  men  setting  out  in  their  designs  ;  lie 
letteth  them  proceed  in  full  career  till  they 
are  reaching  the  object  of  their  wishes  ;  then 
instantly  He  checketh,  He  turneth  them  back. 
He  overthroweth  them.  Thus  was  Haman's 
plot  confounded,  when  he  had  procured  a  royal 
decree,  when  he  had  fixed  a  time,  when  he  had 
issued  forth  letters  to  destroy  the  people  of 
God  ;  thus  declaring  how  vain  is  the  presump- 
tion of  the  ungodly,  how  needful  and  how  cer- 
tain is  His  protection  over  His  good  and  faith- 
ful servants  ;  how  much  reason  the  one  hath  to 
dread  Him,  and  the  other  to  confide  in  Him. 
BarroiD. 

10.  On  the  gallows  that  he  had 
prepared  for  ITIordeeai.  That  same  in- 
strument, which  he  had  reared  on  high  for 
Mordecai's  destruction,  is  appointed  by  Provi- 
dence for  his  own  ;  and  his  shame  and  punish- 
ment are  rendered  as  conspicuous  as  his  former 
honor  and  prosperity.     Bidyiiy. 

In  that  deliverance  of  the  Jews  from  Ha- 
man's conspiracy,  there  is  no  extraordinary 
manifestation  of  God's  power  ;  no  particular 
cause  or  agent  was  in  its  working  advanced 
above  the  ordinary  pitch  of  nature  ;  and  yet 
the  contrivance  or  suiting  of  these  ordinary 
agents  appointed  by  God  is  more  admirable 
than  if  the  same  end  had  been  effected  by 
means  truly  miraculous.  For  a  king  not  to 
take  kindly  rest  by  night,  though  in  a  bed  of 
ease,  is  not  unusual  ;  for  a  king  again  to  seek 
to  solace  his  waking  thoughts  by  hearing  the 
annals  of  his  kingdom  is  more  commendable 
than  rare  ;  but  that  king  Ahasuerus  should  lie 
awake  at  that  time,  specially  when  Haman  did 
plot  the  destruction  of  Mordeeai  ;  that,  causing 
the  chronicles  of  his  kingdom  to  be  read,  the 
reader  shoidd  light  on  the  place  wherein  was 
recorded  Mordecai's  unrewarded  good  service 
in  discovering  the  treason  intended  against  the 
king's  person — this  was  from  the  keeper  of  Is- 
rael, who  neither  slumbcreth  nor  sleepeth,  and 
who  was  marvellous  in  His  people's  sight. 
Jackson. 

Sooner  or  later,  successful  sin  icill  be  over- 
throicn.  We  all  "see  the  prosperity  of  the 
wicked,"  as  the  psalmist  did,  and,  like  him,  we 
are  grieved  and  troubled  by  it.  But  we  must 
be  like  the  patient  patriarch,  and  wait  to  see 
"  the  f  «rf  of  the  Lord. "  If  we  wait  long  enough 
we  shall  find  that  sin  meets  with  its  due  award. 
The  guilty  empire  founded  in  usurpation  and 
bloodshed,  and  maintained  by  vidkuce  and  cor- 
ruption, goes  down  and  goes  out  in  ignominy 


COG 


BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


and  disaster.  Tlic  puilty  iiilvpntiirrr  reiirs  his 
head  for  inuny  years,  liiit  misfortune  aud  mis- 
ery overtalve  Idiii  in  time.  Ilaman  goes  to  tlie 
gallows  at  last.  The  trutli  is,  that  sin  carries 
in  itself  the  seeds  of  its  own  discomliture  ;  these 
must  gcrmiuat<',  and  grow,  and  bear  fruit  in 
time.  "  I  have  seen  the  wicked  in  great  power, " 
etc.  ;  but  wait  awliile,  and  ' '  lo,  he  is  not :  he 
has  passed  away"  (Ps.  37  :  35). 

ls/<>iifr  or  later,  persecuted  ngliteoustiess  mil 
triumph.  Ilaman  has  gone  to  tlie  gallows,  and 
now  Mordecai  talus  the  chief  diair  of  state. 
Let  the  godly  man  who  is  oppressed  by  iniiiui- 
ty  bear  liis  l)unli'n,  and  also  his  teslimonj'  ;  let 
him  patiently  jiursue  his  course,  looking  >/;) 
and  looking  on,  and  somewhere  in  the  future 
the  crown  of  a  pure  success  awaits  him — if  not 
liere,  hereafter.  "  Weeping  may  endure  for  a 
night" — possibly  a  long  night — but "  joy  comes 
in  the  morning."  It  may  be  the  morrow  of 
the  distant  future,  but  it  will  then  be  the  be- 
ginning of  a  cloudless  and  endless  day.     P.  C. 

8  : 2.  EKitaer  set  Mordcoai  over  llic 
Iiouxc  of  Hamuli.  The  "house  of  Ila- 
man" would  include,  not  only  the  building  aud  I 
the  furiiitun',  but  the  household — the  vast  train 
of  attendants  of  all  kinds  that  was  attached  to  , 
the  residence  of  a  Persian  noble.  Esther,  hav- 
ing received  all  this  as  a  present  from  the  king, 

placed  her  cousiu  in  charge  of  it.     B.  C. He 

whom  Ilaman  had  plotted  to  destroy  was  now 
on  the  pinnacle  of  honor  and  power.  "  Man 
proposes,  but  God  disposes."  Ilaman  passed 
away,  and  Jlordccai  sits  in  his  place,  and  is 
clothed  with  power  for  the  saving  of  the  peo- 
ple whom  their  wicked  adversar}'  would  anni- 
hilate. 

3.  Continued,  spake,  fell  at  his  feet,  wept,  he- 
sought.  Here  are  five  verbs  describing  the  ac- 
tions of  Esther,  and  they  disclose  what  a  world 
of  deep  and  mingled  emotions  had  taken  pos- 
session of  her  soul.  They  reveal  also  the  nobler 
and  heroic  elements  of  character.  Many  a  one 
that  had  undergone  what  had  been  laid  on  her 
would  have  cea.sed  now  that  Ilaman's  body 
hung  on  the  gibbet  and  Mordecai  was  in  the 
scat  of  jiower.  I5ut  this  courageous  woman 
rested  not  until  all  the  work  was  done.  She 
carries  her  people  on  her  heart,  and  is  ever 
ready  to  face  danger  in  their  behalf.     Greene. 

5.  Krvcrso  tlic  leltcrN  deri§od  by 
Hililiaii.  'l"o  ask  the  kin,s^  to  \msay  liis  own 
wonls  Wiis  impossible.  f$y  rejiresenting  the 
letters  as  devised  by  Ilsinan,  and  written  by 
Ilimian.  Esther  avoids  doing  so. 

tt.  Esther's  life  was  now  safe,  ami  jirnbably 
her  cousin's  too.     But  that  wsis  not  enough. 


ller  nation  was  still  in  danger.  The  royal  de- 
cree had  delivered  the  .Jews  throughout  the 
empire  into  the  hands  of  their  enemies.  In  a 
few  months,  unless  measures  were  meantime 
taken  to  clieck  and  hinder  the  malice  of  their 
foes,  thousands  of  Isnu'lites  miglit  be  exposed 
to  violence,  pillage  and  massacre.  The  thought 
was  to  Esther  cruel  beyond  bearing.  "  How," 
said  she,  "  can  1  endure  to  see  the  evil  that 
shall  come  unto  my  i)eoplc,  the  destruction  of 
my  kindred?"  This  was  patriotism  indeed, 
P.  c:. 

That  which  gives  to  the  Book  of  Esther  an 
enduring  spiritual  value  is  the  noble,  ])atriotic 
spirit  of  the  .Jewish  race  in  the  presence  of  the 
Gentiles  among  whom  tliey  sojourned,  that 
piussionate  love  of  country  and  liome,  that  gen- 
erous pride  in  the  independence  of  their  race 
and  creed,  which  kindled  the  song  of  Deborah, 
which  continued  to  burn  in  the  hearts  of  her 
countrymen  and  countrywomen  after  the  lapse 
of  a  thousand  years,  an<l  broke  forth  in  the  pa- 
thetic wail,  in  the  courageous  defiance,  of  the 
Jewish  maiden,  who,  unseduced  by  the  splen- 
dors, undaunted  by  the  terror,  of  the  Persian 
court,  exclaimed,  with  the  heroic  determination, 
if  need  be,  to  sacrifice  her  life  for  her  country, 
"  If  I  perish,  I  perish  !  How  can  I  endure  to 
see  the  evil  that  shall  come  unto  my  people"?" 

Stanley. None  but  a  truly  heroic  soul  could 

have  uttered  such  words  as  these,  and  with 
such  effect.  These  speeches  thcm.selves  aflonl 
an  argument  in  favor  of  the  .genuineness  and 
authenticity  of  this  book.  If  they  were  uttered 
by  Esther,  and  recorded  by  the  scribes  who 
wrote  down  all  that  fell  from  the  lips  of  the 
king  and  those  in  his  presence,  and  were  en- 
grossed in  "the  book  of  daily  records,"  we 
may  well  expect  to  find  in  these  extracts  from 
that  book  a  true  reflection  of  the  genius,  the 
character  and  intellectual  ability  of  this  re- 
markable woiuan.  Put  these  speeches  beside 
those  of  any  heathen  woman  of  antiquity,  and 
how  they  tower  up  in  all  that  constitutes 
womanly  nobility.     Greene. 

S.  The  Medo-Persians  prided  themselves  on 
the  unchangeableness  of  their  laws  and  edicts. 
As  Dainus  the  Mede  could  not  recede  from  his 
decree  when  he  found  that  it  menaced  his  fa- 
vorite minister,  Daniel ;  as  Xerxes  could  not 
recall  his  word  passed  to  Amestris,  though  it 
threateited  to  make  a  rebel  of  liis  brother ;  so 
Ahasuerus  was  (according  to  Pei-sian  notions) 
bound  by  his  own  act,  and  could  not.  w  illiout 
loss  of  his  subjectji'  respect,  annul  the  edict 
winch  he  had  allowed  Ilaman  to  issue  in  his 
name,  aud  sign  with  his  signet.     It  was  neces- 


SECTION  60.     MORDECAFS  ELEVATION. 


607 


sary  to  liave  recourse  to  contrivance.  The 
Jews'  enemies  must  be  allowed  to  set  on  them  ; 
but  the  Jews  might  be  permitted  to  defend 
themselves.  That  course  had  not  l)een  forbid- 
den by  the  first  edict  ;  it  was  expressly  allowed 
b}-  the  second.  And  the  governors  of  provinces 
might  be  told  to  favor  the  Jews,  and,  if  need 
were,  to  take  their  part.  In  this  way  the  tri- 
umph of  the  Jews  would  be  secured  with- 
out the  king  having  to  go  from  his  word. 
G.  R. 

9.  A  new  decree  must  issue  at  once  giving 
the  requisite  permission,  and  copies  must  be  at 
once  distrilnited,  tliat  there  might  be  no  mis- 
take or  misunderstanding.  So  the  "  king's 
scribes"  were  summoned  and  set  to  work. 
P.  C. 

9.  This  is  the  longest  verse  in  the  Bible. 
The  word  rendered  ' '  scribe ' '  occurs  only  in 
one  other  place  (3  :  12)  in  this  book.  Among 
the  Jews,  the  position  of  scribe  was  one  of 
great  importance.  Among  the  Persians,  the 
honor  attaching  to  this  term  must  have  been 
?ven  greater  than  among  the  Jews,  because  few- 
er of  the  peojile  in  proportion  could  wield  the 
pen.  "  Ctesias  informs  us  that  the  royal  ar- 
chives were  written  on  parchment  ;  and  there  is 
abundant  evidence  that  writing  was  an  art  per- 
fectly' familiar  to  the  educated  Persian"  (Baie- 
UiiwH).  To  tlie  §atraps,  |>a§ba§,  and 
princes  of  tlie  provinces.  The  satraps 
were  the  rulers  of  the  provinces,  imperial  mag- 
istrates representing  the  king  in  the  provinces. 
Their  authority  was  purely  political  and  civil, 
the  king  making  the  military  commanders  al- 
ways amenable  to  himself.  The  number  of  the 
satraps  and  the  extent  of  their  jurisdiction 
varied  at  different  times.     Greene. 

10,  11.  This  state  of  apprehension  lasted  for 
souiewh;it  more  than  two  months.  Then,  a  lit- 
tle before  midsummer,  the  posts  went  once 
more  speeding  through  the  land,  bearing  a 
royal  message.  The  former  decree  could  not 
be  directly  countennanded  ;  and  so,  to  defeat 
it,  the  Jews  were  allowed  and  encouraged  to 
resist  in  arms  any  attack  that  might  be  made 
upon  them  by  the  native  races  among  whom 
the}'  dwelt,  and  assured  of  the  neutrality — the 
benevolent  neutrality — of  the  roj'al  forces.  At 
once  there  was  a  revulsion  of  feeling.  The 
Jews  "were„  confident  of  their  own  strength,  if 
they  might  freely  use  it,  unhampered  by  the 
fear  of  being  taxed  with  rebellion,  and  pun- 
ished by  the  central  authority  for  insurrection. 
So,  everywhere,  "  in  every  province  and  in 
every  city,  whithersoever  the  king's  command- 
ment and  his  decree  came,  the  Jews  had  joy 


and  gladness,  a  feast,  and  a  good  day"  (verse 
17).  The  sackcloth  was  put  off  ;  the  mourning 
came  to  an  end  ;  feasting  superseded  fasting  ; 
"  joy  and  gladness"  took  the  place  of  sorrow 
and  apprehension.     G.  R. 

14.  Being  hastened.  Between  Sivan. 
the  third  month  (June),  when  the  posts  went 
out,  and  Adar,  the  twelfth  month  (March), 
when  the  struggle  was  to  take  place,  the  inter- 
val would  be  one  of  above  eight  months  ;  and 
two  months  would  certainly  have  sufficed  to 
carry  the  royal  mandate  to  the  remotest  por- 
tions of  the  empire.  Still,  seeing  how  much 
depended  on  the  mandate,  and  how  necessary 
it  was  that  the  provincial  governors  should 
well  comprehend  the  real  wishes  of  the  court 
in  the  matter  (cf.  chap.  9  :  3),  we  cannot  be 
surprised  that  all  haste  was  made.     B.  C. 

15-17.  Mordecai's  honor  and  the  Jeics'  joy. 
Ahasuerus  was  not  content  even  now  with 
what  he  had  done  for  Mordecai.  Before  his 
minister  quitted  the  presence,  the  king  present- 
ed him  with  a  crown  of  gold,  and  a  robe  and 
vest  of  honor  ;  and  thus  arrayed  he  proceeded 
into  the  city  of  Susa,  where  the  new  edict  was 
already  known,  and  had  been  received  with 
satisfaction  (verse  1.5).  The  Persians,  who 
formed  the  predominant  element  in  the  popu- 
lation of  the  town,  sympathized  with  the  Jews, 
and  rejoiced  in  the  king's  favor  toward  them  ; 
while  the  Jews  of  Susa,  having  passed  from 
despair  to  conlident  hope,  were  full  of  gladness 
and  thankfidness.  In  the  provinces  the  decree 
had  a  still  warmer  welcome.  Its  arrival  was 
celebrated  with  a  "  feast"  (verse  17)  and  "  a 
good  day."  It  led  also  to  many  of  the  heathen 
becoming  proselytes  to  the  Jewish  religion — 
some  perhaps  from  conviction,  but  others  be- 
cause the}'  thought  it  safer  to  place  themselves 
manifestly  on  the  Jews'  side  before  the  day  of 
the  struggle.     P.  C. 

17.  One  good  effect  of  this  deliverance  was, 
that  many  of  the  people  of  the  land  that  were 
considerate,  sober  and  well  inclined,  became 
Jews,  were  proselyted  to  the  Jewish  religion, 
renounced  idolatry,  and  worshipped  the  true 
God  only.  Hamau  thought  to  extirpate  the 
Jews,  but  it  proves,  in  the  issue,  that  their 
numbers  are  greatly  increased,  and  many  added 
to  the  Church.  H. Persecution  always  de- 
feats its  own  object.  Viewed  as  mere  policy, 
it  is  the  worst  that  can  be  employed.  Perse- 
cute error,  and  it  will  spread  tenfold  ;  persecute 
truth,  and  it  will  spread  a  hundredfold.  Un- 
less, therefore,  you  wish  the  principles  you 
hate  to  gain  ground,  persecute  not  at  all.  Ha- 
mau, while  he  brought  utter  ruin  upon  himself 


008  BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


by  Ills  cniel  iittempt  to  exterminate  tlie  Jews, 
raised  the  latter  into  an  incomparably  better 
position  than  they  occupied  before.     P.  C. 


Jews  was  adapted  to  promote  the  views  of 
Ezni  and  Nehemiali  (cf.  Ezra  9  :  8,  9).  C.  G.  B. 
-The  dispersion  of  the  Jews  throughout  the 


The  Jews  who  remained  among  the  heathen     numerous   provinces  of    the   Baliylouiaa   and 
were  thus  not  only  to  be  preserved,  as  well  as     Persian    empires     became    providentially    the 


those  who  returned  home,  but  they  and  their 
religion  were  destined  to  come  to  honor  ;  and 
so  the  future  residence  of  the  Jews  who  re- 
mained behind  among  the  heathen  would  serve 
over  to  ililTuse  more  widely  the  knowledire  and 


means  of  publishing  the  true  religion  among 
the  people  with  whom  they  were  intennixed. 
Being  often  eminently  distinguished  by  the 
royal  favor,  they  were  enabled  to  convey  a 
knowlinige  of  the  truth  with  greater  iulvantjige  ; 


worship  of  the  true  God,  and  to  prepare  a  larger  l  the  evident  interpositions  of  God  in  the  cause 
number  than  that  of  the  Jews  only  for  the  ad-  |  of  His  people  also  raising  exalted  sentiments  of 
vent  of  Christ.     This  new  favor  toward  the  I  His  religion.     Owen. 


Section  70. 

THE  JEWS'   ASSAILANTS  SMITTEN.     FEAST   OF  PURIM.    MORDECAI'S  AD- 
VANCEMENT. 

Esther,  Cn.\rs.  9,  10. 

9 : 1  Now  in  the  twelfth  month,  which  is  the  month  Adar,  on  the  thirteenth  day  of  the 
same,  when  the  king's  commandment  and  his  decree  drew  near  to  be  put  in  execution,  in 
the  day  that  the  enemies  of  the  Jews  hoped  to  have  rule  over  them  ;  whereas  it  was  turned 

2  to  the  contrar)',  that  the  Jews  had  rule  over  them  that  hated  them  ;  the  Jews  gathered  them- 
selves together  in  their  cities  throughout  all  the  provinces  of  the  king  Ahasuerus,  to  lay 
hand  on  such  as  sought  their  hurt  :  and  no  man  could  witlistand  them  ;  for  the  fear  of  them 

3  was  fallen  upon  all  the  peoples.  And  all  the  princes  of  the  provinces,  and  the  satraps,  and 
the  governors,  and  they  that  did  the  king's  business,  helped  the  Jews  ;  because  the  fear  of 

4  Mordecai  was  fallen  upon  them.  For  Jlorcleeai  was  great  in  the  king's  house,  and  his  fame 
went  forth  throughout  all  the  provinces  ;  for  the  man  Mordecai  waxed  greater  and  greater. 

.5  And  the  Jews  smote  all  their  enemies  with  the  stroke  of  the  swonl,  and  with  slaughter  and 

6  destruction,  and  did  what  they  would  imto  them  that  hated  them.     And  in  Shushan  the 

7  palace  the  Jews  slew  and  destroyed  five  hundred  men.     And  Parshandatha,  and  Daljihon, 
8,  9  and  Aspatha,  and  Poratha,  and  Adalia,  and  Aridatha,  and  Parma-shta,  and  Arisai,  and 

10  Aridai,  and  Vaizatha,  the  ten  sons  of  Haman  the  son  of  Hammedatha,  the  Jews'  enemy. 

11  slew  they  ;  but  on  the  spoil  they  laid  not  their  hand.     On  that  day  the  number  of  those  that 
13  were  slain  in  Shushan  the  palace  was  brought  before  the  king.     And  the  king  said  unto 

Esther  the  queen.  The  Jews  have  slain  and  destroyed  five  hundred  men  in  Shushan  the 
palace,  and  the  ten  sons  of  Haman  ;  what  then  have  they  done  in  the  rest  of  the  king's  prov- 
inces !     Now  what  is  thy  petition  ?  and  it  shall  be  granted  tliee  :  or  what  is  thy  request 

13  further  'i  and  it  shall  be  done.  Then  said  Esther.  If  it  please  the  king,  let  it  be  granted  to 
the  Jews  which  are  in  Shushan  to  do  to-morrow  also  according  unto  this  day's  decree,  and 

14  let  Hainan's  ten  sons  be  hanged  upon  the  gallows.     And  the  king  commanded  it  so  to  be 

15  done  :  and  a  decree  was  given  out  in  Shushan  ;  and  they  hanged  Haman "s  ten  sons.  And 
the  Jews  that  were  in  Shushan  gathered  themselves  together  on  the  fourteenth  day  also  of 
the  month  Adar,  and  slew  three  hundred  men  in  Shushan  ;  but  on  the  spoil  they  laid  not 

16  their  hand.  And  the  other  Jews  that  were  in  the  king's  provinces  gathered  themselves  to- 
gether, and  stood  for  their  lives,  and  had  rest  from  their  enemies,  and  slew  of  them  that 

17  hated  them  seventy  and  five  thousand  ;  but  on  the  spoil  they  laid  not  their  hand.  Thh  irax 
done  on  the  thirteenth  day  of  the  month  Adar  ;  and  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  same  they 

18  rested,  and  made  it  a  day  of  feiusting  and  gladness.  But  the  Jews  that  were  in  Shushan 
assembled  together  on  the  thirteenth  day  thereof,  and  on  the  fourteenth  thereof  ;  and  on  the 


SECTION  70.     THE  JEWS'   ASSAILANTS  SMITTEN. 


609 


19 


26 


2H 


32 


3 


fifteenth  (hiy  of  the  same  they  rested,  and  miuie  it  a  day  of  feasting  and  ghidness.  Therefore 
ill)  the  Jews  of  the  villages,  that  ihvell  in  the  unwalled  towns,  make  the  fourteenth  day  of 
the  month  Adar  n  ilny  (/gladness  and  feasting,  and  a  good  day,  and  of  sending  portions  one 
to  another. 

And  Mordeeai  wrote  these  things,  and  sent  letters  unto  all  the  Jews  that  were  in  all  the 
provinces  of  the  king  Ahasuerus,  both  nigh  and  far.  to  enjoin  them  that  they  should  keep 
the  fourteenth  day  of  tlie  month  Adar,  and  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  same,  yearly,  as  the  days 
wherein  the  Jews  liad  rest  from  their  enemies,  and  the  month  whieh  was  turned  unto  them 
from  sorrow  to  ghidness,  and  from  mourning  into  a  good  day  :  that  they  should  make  them 
daj's  of  feasting  anil  gladness,  anil  of  sending  portions  one  to  another,  and  gifts  to  tlie  poor. 
Anil  the  Jews  undertook  to  do  as  they  had  begun,  and  as  Mordeeai  had  written  unto  them  ; 
because  Ilaman  the  son  of  Hainniedatha,  the  Agagite,  the  eneni}'  of  all  the  Jews,  had  de- 
vised against  the  Jews  to  destroy  them,  and  had  east  Pur,  that  is,  the  lot,  to  consume  them, 
and  to  destroy  them  ;  b\it  wlien  the  matter  came  before  the  king,  he  commanded  by  letters 
that  his  wicked  device,  which  he  liad  devised  against  the  Jews,  should  return  upon  his  own 
head  ;  and  that  he  and  his  sons  should  be  hanged  on  the  gallows.  Wherefore  they  called 
these  days  Purim,  after  the  name  of  Pur.  Therefore  because  of  all  the  words  of  this  letter, 
and  of  that  which  the.v  had  seen  concerning  this  matter,  and  that  whieh  had  come  unto  them, 
the  Jews  ordained,  and  took  upon  them,  and  upon  their  seed,  and  upon  all  such  as  joined 
themselves  unto  them,  so  as  it  should  not  fail,  that  they  would  keep  these  two  da3's  accord- 
ing to  the  writing  thereof,  and  aeeording  to  the  appointed  time  thereof,  every  year  ;  and 
that  these  days  shoidd  be  remembered  and  kept  throughout  every  generation,  every  family, 
every  province,  and  every  city  ;  and  that  these  da3'S  of  Purim  should  not  fail  from  among 
the  Jews,  nor  the  memorial  of  them  perish  from  their  seed.  Then  Esther  the  queen,  the 
daughter  of  Abihail,  and  Mordeeai  the  Jew,  wrote  with  all  authority  to  confirm  this  second 
letter  of  Purim.  And  he  sent  letters  unto  all  the  Jews,  to  the  liundred  twenty  and  seven 
provinces  of  the  kingdom  of  Ahasuerus,  with  words  of  peace  and  truth,  to  confirm  these 
days  of  Purim  in  their  appointed  times,  according  as  Mordeeai  the  Jew  and  Esther  the  queen 
had  enjoined  them,  and  as  they  had  ordained  for  themselves  and  for  their  seed,  in  the  matter 
of  the  fastings  anil  their  cry.  And  the  commandment  of  Esther  confirmed  these  matters  of 
Purim  ;  and  it  was  written  in  the  book. 

10:1  And  the  king  Ahasuerus  laid  a  tribute  upon  the  land,  and  upon  the  isles  of  the  sea. 
And  all  the  acts  of  his  power  and  of  his  might,  and  the  full  account  of  the  greatness  of 
Mordeeai,  whereunto  the  king  advanced  him,  are  tlie\'  not  written  in  the  book  of  the  chron- 
icles of  the  kings  of  iledia  and  Persia  ?  For  Mordeeai  the  Jew  was  next  unto  king 
Ahasuerus,  and  great  among  the  Jews,  and  accepted  of  the  multitude  of  his  brethren  ;  seek- 
ing the  good  of  his  people,  and  speaking  peace  to  all  his  seed. 


9:3-16.  Mordecai's  position  at  the  capital 
being  known,  and  his  power  evidentl.v  estab- 
lished, the  Persian  governors  of  all  grades  un- 
derstood it  to  be  their  duty  to  throw  their 
weight  into  the  scale  on  behalf  of  the  Jews, 
and  lend  them  whatever  help  they  could  (verse 
3).  The  Jews  everywhere  got  the  better  of 
their  adversaries.  In  "  Shush  an  the  palace," 
as  it  was  called,  or  the  upper  town,  of  which 
the  palace  formed  a  part,  they  killed  five  hun- 
dred of  them  (verse  6).  In  the  rest  of  the  em- 
pire, if  we  accept  the  numbers  of  the  present 
Hebrew  text,  as  many  as  seventy-five  thousand 
(verse  16).  Tlie  Septuagint  translators,  how- 
ever, who  would  have  no  reason  for  falsifying 
the  text,  give  the  number  as  fifteen  thousand, 
which  seems  to  be  intrinsically  more  probable. 
They  also,  on  the  ensuing  day,  the  14th  of 
Adar,  by  special  permission  of  Ahasuerus,  con- 


tended with  their  adversaries  in  Shushan  a  sec- 
ond tim?,  and  slew  on  this  occasion  three  hun- 
dred (verse  15).  Among  the  killed,  the  only 
persons  mentioned  by  name  are  ten  sons  of 
Haraan,  who  were  slain  in  "  Shushan  the  pal- 
ace" on  the  first  day,  while  on  the  second  day 
permission  was  given  to  expose  their  bodies  on 
crosses  (verse  14).     P.  C. 

5,  6.  The  record  shows  (verse  2)  that  the 
Jews  stood  str'ctly  on  the  defensive,  that  they 
made  no  attack  on  any,  but  simply  repelled  the 
assault  of  those  who  sought  to  destroy  them. 
It  also  shows  how  furiously  their  enemies  at- 
tacked them  ;  and  that  had  self-defence  been 
denied  them,  they  would  have  been  exter- 
minated as  a  people. 

10.  But  on  the  spoil  they  laid  not 
their  hand§.  According  to  the  decree 
(8:11)  the  Jews  were  allowed  "  to  take  the  spoil 


fiin 


BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


of  tliem  for  boot)'  ;"  but  three  times  it  is  re- 
ooriicrl  (9  :  10,  15,  16)  that  "  on  the  spoil  they 
laid  not  llieir  liands. "  They  were  allowcil  also 
"  to  destroy,  to  kill,  and  cause  to  perish  little 
children  and  wonK^n,"  as  well  as  "  the  force" 
— i.e.,  Hie  military  forre,  of  the  people  ;  but  the 
record  expressly  declares  that  they  ])ut  to  death 
only  men  (9  :  6,  12,  15).  We  can  see  how  this 
would  come  out  of  the  fact  that  the  Jews  stood 
on  the  defensive,  and  that  only  the  armed  force 
of  the  peoi)le — i.c,  tlie  nun,  would  be  tlie  iLssail- 
HUts.  We  have  no  evidence  that  the  Jews  had 
any  (torn:  to  destroy  the  women  and  children.  It 
was  the  edict  of  the  heathen  king,  the  counter- 
part of  his  previous  decree  (3  :  13),  which  gave 
them  the  liberty.  15ut  they  were  the  people  of 
Ood,  and  as  such  morally  far  above  their  op- 
pressors. The  wives  and  children  of  the  slain 
men  needed  the  property  all  the  more  that  the 
hu.sband  and  father  had  been  taken  from  them. 
It  was  not  plunder  that  the  Jews  sought,  but 
self-protection,  the  right  to  exist  unmolested. 

12.  This  verse  is  important  as  showing  that 
the  idea  of  further  slaughter  originated  not 
with  Esther,  but  rather  with  the  king  himself. 
He  suggests  here  that  something  more  is 
needed,  and  asks  what  it  shall  be.     Greene. 

13.  It  would  seem  that  the  Jews  in  Susa 
gathered  themselves  in  the  upper  town  on  the 
appointed  day,  and  were  engaged  there  the 
whole  day  with  their  enemies.  Esther  asks 
that  they  may  be  allowed  a  second  day  to  com- 
plete  their  work  and  free  themselves  from  all 
danger  of  further  persecution  from  their  foes. 
She  is  not  likely  to  have  made  this  request  un- 
less prompted  to  make  it  by  Mordecai,  who 
must  have  liad  means  of  knowing  how  matters 
really  stood,  and,  as  the  chief  minister  over  the 
whole  nation,  is  likely  to  have  been  actuated 
rather  by  general  views  of  policy  than  by  a 
blind  spirit  of  revenge.     P.  C. 

There  was  no  thirst  for  blood  in  Esther's 
heart.  Iler  whole  character  as  delineated  in 
this  book  is  averse  to  this  ;  but  she  was  made 
of  stuff  stern  enough  to  demand  further  blood- 
shed if  it  were  needed  to  stay  the  unrighteous 
blotting  out  of  her  people  and  God's  church. 
This  verse  also  shows  that  the  right  of  self- 
defence  w!Ls  granted  the  Jews  only  as  a  s])ccial 
favor.  There  could  be  nothing  wrong  in  ask- 
ing that  the  jirivilege  of  self-defence  might  ex- 
tend over  all  the  days  of  the  king's  reign.  It 
is  what  suhject-s  in  all  Christian  civilized  so- 
ciety enjoy.  As  to  impaling  Ilaman's  sons, 
that  w!is  intended  to  strike  terror  into  the  ad- 
versaries of  the  Jews.  Nothing  could  have 
been    better    fitted    to    check    the    work    of 


slaughter.  They  bad  been  slain  ;  now  let  them 
be  hung  up  as  a  warning  to  all  who  had  their 
spirit  and  were  doing  their  fell  work.  Tlicsc 
sons  seem  to  liave  had  the  spirit  and  purpose 
of  their  fatlier  to  "  kill,  destroy,  and  cause  to 
perish"  all  the  Jews,  Doubtless  Esther  made 
this  request  at  the  prompting  of  Jlordecai  and 
such  wise  Jews  as  were  in  conference  with  him. 
Greene. 

II.  Tliey  handed  HamairN  ten 
§OIIN.  A  lurlher  instance  of  the  retribution 
awaiting  guilt,  llaman  had  flattered  his  ma- 
licious and  sanguinary  spirit  with  the  cruel 
hope  of  destroying  the  wliole  Jewish  kindred  ; 
now  bis  own  sons  (of  the  number  of  whom  lie 
had  before  boasted)  are  all  cut  off,  and  on  the 
gallows  share  the  reproach  of  their  father. 
Bp.  11. 

16.  ^Icw  sevent}'  and  live  lliou- 
Hand.  Tliese  persons  were  destroyed  in  eon- 
.sequence  of  their  having  obstinately  i)ersevered 
in  measures  of  active  hostility  against  the  Jews, 
notwithstanding  the  change  in  the  disposition 

of  the  king,     lldhs. The  people  w  hom  the 

Jews  slaughtered  were  not,  perhaps,  in  any 
case,  Persians.  The  standing  army  of  Persians 
which  governed  tlie  empire  was  on  the  side  of 
the  Jews  (Esth.  9:3);  their  enemies  were  the 
idolatrous  people  of  the  provinces,  conquered 
races  like  themselves,  for  whom  the  Persians 
had  little  regard,  and  with  whom  they  felt  no 
sympathy.  The  number,  seventy-live  thou- 
sand, is  uncertain,  for  it  is  replaced  by  fifteen 
thousand  In  the  Septuagint  version,  and  this 
latter  figure  is  more  in  harmony  with  the  eight 
hundred  destroyed  at  Susa  (verses  6,  15),  than 
the  larger  number  of  the  present  Hebrew  text. 
The  "  tameness,  apathy  and  submission"  ob- 
jected to  by  the  critics  are  imaginations  of 
thiMr  own,  founded  merely  on  the  .nlenee  of 
Scripture,  which  is  always  a  weak  ground,  and 
here  has  no  weight  at  all.  It  is  the  writer's 
object  to  .set  before  us  broadly  the  great  dan- 
ger of  the  Jews,  their  deliverance,  and  their  tri- 
umph— not  to  give  us  all  the  details  and  minor 
features  of  the  transactions.  He  does  not  tell 
us  what  the  Jews  w-ould  have  done  had  the 
original  design  of  Ilaman  been  carried  out.  or 
what  their  enemies  did  when  the  Jews  set  upon 
them.  It  is  quite  a  gratuito\is  supposition  that 
there  was  no  figliting,  and  that  none  of  the 
Jews  perished.     G.  R. 

There  not  only  is  no  evidence  of  there  hav- 
ing been  any  indiscriminate  slaughter  on  the 
l)art  of  the  Jews,  but  presumably  none  were 
slain  except  such  as  rose  up  to  slay.  Esther 
and  Moniecai  desired  one  thing — the  safety  of 


SECTION  70.     FEAST  OF  PUIilM  INSTITUTED. 


611 


their  [leople.  Thuy  wished  for  "  rest  from 
their  enemies."  They  probably  felt  that  they 
were  tlie  ministers  of  righteous  vctHbutioii. 
They  desired  tliat  Hanian's  ten  sous  "  hanged 
on  tlie  gallows"  should  still  drive  home  on  an 
imjiressed  jjopulace  the  sense  and  conviction 
of  what  a  force  righteous  retribution  was,  and 
how  much  men  ought  "  to  stand  in  awe"  be- 
cause of  it ;  hut  there  is  no  proof  whatever 
that  in  all  the  relief  to  the  bitterness  of  their 
soul  revenge  played  any  part.  The  lessons  of 
this  portion  of  the  narrative  are  not  needed  for 
the  pulpit  ou  every  Lord's  day  certaiuly,  but 
it  niiiy  be  they  are  provided  here,  in  the  uni- 
versality of  the  use  of  the  Divine  Book,  for 
some  special  and  solemn  crises.     Barker. 

17-32.  Fcsliral  lidd,  and  f east  of  Purim  in- 
stituted. A  natural  instinct  led  the  Jews,  so 
soon  as  their  triumph  was  accomplished,  to  in- 
dulge themselves  in  a  day  of  rest  and  rejoicing 
(verse  17).  The  writer  of  the  Book  of  Esther, 
practising  his  usual  reticence,  says  nothing  of 
the  character  of  the  "  glatlness  ;"  but  we  can 
scarcely  be  wrong  in  believing  it  to  have  been 
in  the  main  religious,  and  to  have  included 
gratitude  to  God  for  their  deliverance,  the 
ascriptiou  of  praise  to  His  name,  and  an  out- 
pouring of  the  lieart  before  Him  in  earnest  and 
prolonged  thanksgiving.  The  circumstances 
of  the  struggle  caused  a  ilifEerence,  with  regard 
to  the  date  of  the  day  of  rejoicing,  between  the 
.Jews  of  the  capital  and  those  of  the  provinces. 
The  metropolitan  Jt^ws  had  two  days  of  strug- 
gle, and  could  not  "  rest"  until  the  third  day, 
which  was  the  15th  of  Adar  (ver.se  18)  ;  the 
provincial  Jews  began  and  ended  their  work 
in  one  day,  the  13th,  and  so  their  thanksgiving- 
day  was  the  14tli  and  not  the  15th  of  the  month 
(verse  17).  The  consequence  was  that  it  was 
wisely  resolved  to  keep  both  days  (verse  31). 
Nothing  seems  to  have  been  determined  as  to 
the  mode  of  keeping  the  feast,  except  that  both 
days  were  to  be  "  days  of  feasting  and  joj-," 
and  days  upon  which  the  richer  members  of 
the  community  should  send  "  portions"  and 
"  gifts"  to  the  poorer  ones  (verse  22).  The 
name,  "  feast  of  Purim,"  was  at  once  attached 
to  the  festival,  in  memoiy  of  Hainan's  consulta- 
tion of  the  lot,  the  word  "  Pur"  meaning  "  lot" 
in  Persian  (verse  24).  The  festival  became  a 
national  institution  by  the  general  consent  of 
the  Jews  everywhere  (verse  27),  and  has  re- 
mained to  the  present  day  among  the  most 
cherished  of  their  usages.  It  falls  in  early 
spring,  a  month  before  the  Passover,  and  oc- 
cupies two  days,  which  are  still  those  fixed  by 
Mordecai  and   Esther,   the   14th  and   15th  of 


Adar.  The  day  preceding  the  feast  is  observed 
as  a  fast  day,  in  commemoration  of  Esther's  fast 
before  going  in  uninvited  to  the  king  (chap. 
4  :  16). 

20.  lUordceai  wrote  lliese  tilings. 
Mordecai  seems,  in  the  first  instance,  to  have 
written  to  the  provincial  Jews,  suggesting  to 
them  the  future  observance  of  two  days  of 
Puiim  instead  of  one,  and  explaining  the 
grounds  of  his  proposition,  but  without  ventur- 
ing to  issue  any  order.  When  he  found  his 
proposition  well  received  (verses  23,  27),  he  sent 
out  a  second  letter,  "  with  all  authority"  (verse 
29),  enjoining  the  observance.     P.  C. 

22.  And  of  sciKliiig  portions  one  to 
anotlicr,  and  jfifiK  to  tiic  gtoor.  They 
made  it  a  day  both  of  thanksgiving  and  praise 
to  God,  and  of  feasting  with  one  another  ;  and 
they  sent  portions  and  gifts  to  their  poorer 
neighbors,  that  they  might  partake  in  the  festi- 
val. Bp.  Patrick. In  like  manner  almsgiv- 
ing and  attention  to  the  poor  ought  to  make 
part  of  every  Christian  festival.     Bp.  Andrewes. 

25.  Should  return  upon  \i\s  own 
head.  AVhen  such  men  as  Hainan  are  not  only 
supplanted  in  their  wicked  contrivances,  but 
chastised  for  them,  these  occurrences  do  more 
than  insinuate  Divine  wisdom  to  intervene, 
countermining  and  confounding  such  devices. 
For  he  it  is  who,  as  the  Scripture  telleth  us, 
maketh  the  diviners  mad  ;  that  turneth  wise 
men  backward,  and  maketh  their  knowledge 
foolish  ;  disappointeth  the  devices  of  the  crafty, 
so  that  their  hands  cannot  perform  their  enter- 
prise ;  taketh  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness, 
and  turneth  down  the  counsels  ot  the  froward 
headlong.     Barrow. 

27.  We  see  in  this  verse  a  remarkable  in- 
stance of  national  solidarity.  The  Jewish  na- 
tion, in  its  present  and  prospective  members, 
was  one  community'.  One  life,  one  interest, 
one  fate,  has  awaited  that  people  wherever 
they  have  lived.  In  many  respects  the  Jews 
are  the  most  remarkable  people  that  have  ever 
lived  upon  the  earth  ;  and  the  cause  of  it, 
humanly  speaking,  is  their  national  unity.  The 
Jews  in  the  time  of  Esther  pledged  themselves 
and  their  successors  to  a  specific  course  of  ac- 
tion. They  did  it  not  from  selfish,  worldly 
considerations,  but  out  of  regard  to  God  and 
the  interests  of  religion.  Their  children  have 
accepted  the  action  of  their  ancestors  as  their 
own,  and  faithfully  complied  with  all  its 
requisitions.  Such  a  national  unity  as  this 
cannot  but  be  most  powerful  in  moulding  and 
shaping  the  character  and  destiny  of  a  nation. 
The  Jews,  though  they  have  been  scattered  to 


C12 


BOOK  OF  ESTHER. 


the  four  winds  and  oppressed  Ix'yond  meiisure, 
ure  still  ;i  mijrliiy  and  unified  iieople.  their 
hearts  llirnl)l)injr  with  one  life-current,  and  their 
■.vills  subject  to  one  I/oril  ami  King.  National 
unity  founded  in  religion  tinds  a  signal  illustra- 
tion in  the  .lews.      Gnciif. 

2^.  Tliiil  llioNC  4isi}-N  hIioiiUI  be  re- 
IlienibtTt'd.  Wherever  Mordecai  had  sent 
to  his  people  the  messages  of  relief  and  tlie 
warrants  to  resist,  there  he  now  sends  proposals 
which,  if  acceded  to,  will  insure  the  perpetual 
memory  of  their  deliverance,  and  will  suggest 
ever  new  gratefulness  for  it.  Esther  joins 
heart  and  hand  in  the  same,  and  the  people 
thenis<'lves  warmly  approve  the  suggestion. 
Thiy  solemnly  and  enthusiastically  adopt  the 
proposal.  They  "  undertook  to  do  as  they  had 
begun,  and  as  Mordeeai  had  written  to  tliera." 
The  method  of  observing  an  anniversary  to  all 
generations  is  accepted  as  the  means  by  which 
"  the  memorial"  of  their  deliverance  "  shall 
never  perish"  from  them  or  "  their  seed."  It 
is  evident  that  a  deep  religious  interest  was 
thrown  into  this  matter,  anil  the  account  of  it 
is  repeated  as  many  as  four  times,  and  with 
minuteness  of  detail.  The  example  is  good  for 
individuals.  The  precedent  is  good  for  na- 
tions.    P.  C. 

It  was  tisual  with  God's  people  in  all  ages  to 
keep  remarkable  deliverances  in  perpetual  re- 
membrance. Most  of  the  feasts  that  the  Israel- 
ites had  tended  to  this  end,  as  the  Piissover 
and  Feast  of  Tabernacles.  For  by  memorials 
of  nieny  the  memory  of  mercies  is  kept  fresh  ; 
and  men  thereby  are  the  more  and  oftener 
stirred  u])  to  praise  God  for  them.  Yea,  by  this 
means  God's  mercies,  manifested  in  one  age, 
are  propagated  to  many  ages  ;  whereby  many 
ages  have  matter  of  praising  God  ministered 
unto  them,  and  of  believing  in  God,  and  of 
hoping  for  deliverance  in  their  distress.  Aim- 
iriirih. 

TliHt  lliese  flays  or  Piiriin  slioulfl 
not  fsiil.  .Joseplnis  bears  testimony  to  the 
observance  of  this  festival  in  his  time  in  the 
following  words  :  "  Hence,  even  now  all  the 
Jews  that  are  in  the  habitable'  earth  keep  these 
days  festival,  and  send  presents  tooni'  another." 
It  has  also  been  regularly  observed  by  the  Jews 
to  this  day  as  an  annual  solemnity  ;  and  it 
forms  a  standing  monument  of  the  events  re- 
corded in  this  book.     Gray. The  festival  has 

been  generally  observed  by  a  total  rest  from 
labor,  by  attendance  in  the  .sj-nagogues,  by 
sending  presents  to  one  another,  by  giving  por- 
tions of  food  and  gifts  to  the  poor,  and  by  great 
rejoicing  and  festivity.     In  the  synagogue  the 


Book  of  Esther  is  .solemnly  read  from  beginning 
to  end  ;  all  Jews,  whether  men,  women,  chil- 
dren, or  servants,  being  required  to  attend, 
because  they  all  had  a  share  in  the  deliverance 
obtained  l\v  Esther.  Before  the  reading  begins 
three  thanksgivings  are  briefly  offered  up  ;  in 
the  first  they  prai.se  God  for  counting  them 
worthy  to  attend  this  sacred  solemnity  ;  in  the 
second,  for  Ills  wonderful  preservation  of  their 
forefathers  ;  and  in  the  third,  for  their  having 
lived  to  keep  another  festival  in  memory  of  it. 
The  history  of  Esther  is  always  read  on  this 
occasion  from  a  copy  written  on  a  roll  of  parch- 
ment, and  never  from  a  printed  book,  it  bearing 
peculiarly  the  title  of  the  Megillah,  or  roll  of 
Esther.      Pn'dmii.r. 

'29.  This    second  letter  or  Purim. 

Mordecai's  first  letter  (verse  'M)  was  to  some 
extent  tentative,  a  recommendation.  The  Jews 
generally  having  accepted  the  recommendation 
(verses  23,  27),  he  and  Esther  now  wrote  a  sec- 
ond letter,  which  was  mandatory.  The  expres- 
sion "  Ifiis  .second  letter"  seems  to  imply  that 
originally  a  cop}'  of  the  letter  followed.     B.  C. 

30.  ^Vord§  of  peace  and  truth. 
Words  are  of  inestimable  weight,  for  evil  or  for 
good.  Human  words  move  men  mightily  ; 
and  of  Christ's  words  we  know  that  they  .shall 
"never  pass  away."  This  description  of  the 
message  which  Mordeeai  and  Esther  sent  to 
their  countr_vmen  throughout  the  empire  is  very 
significant.  It  consisted  of  words  which,  while 
they  were  words  of  truth,  concealing  nothing, 
declaring  all.  were  yet  words  of  peace,  speak- 
ing peace  unto  Israel, 

Cliap.  10.  CuiiduKioti :  The  greatness  of 
A/iiiKiiirii.t.  itiid  of  ilitrdecni  vmhr  him.  The 
Book  of  Esther  might  have  been  expected  to 
terminate  with  the  institution  of  the  Purim 
feast.  All  that  has  gone  before  is  subonlinate 
to  this,  and  the  reader  would  be  satisfied,  and 
require  no  more,  if  the  book  stopped  at  the  end 
of  chap.  9.  But  the  writer,  perhaps  from  per- 
sonal attachment  to  Mordeeai,  jierhaps  from 
mere  patriotic  pride  in  him,  cannot  lay  down  the 
pen  until  he  has  put  on  reconi  the  strength  and 
support  that  he  Wiis  to  the  Jews  of  his  day.  For 
the  rest  of  Ahasuerus'  "  power  and  his  might," 
the  writer  is  content  to  refer  his  readers  to  '  the 
Book  of  the  Chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Jledia 
and  Persia"  (verse  2),'  which  contained  also  an 
account  of  "  the  greatness  of  Mordeeai,  whereto 
the  king  advanced  him. "  This  greatness  forms 
the  sole  subject  of  the  concluding  verse,  which 
declares  ^lordecai's  position  (1)  with  respect 
to  the  Persians— "  next  to  the  king;"  and  (2) 
with  respect  to  the  Jews — ' '  great  among  them, " 


SECTION  70.     RELI0I0U8  CHARACTER  AND  AIM  OF  THIH  BOOK. 


G13 


"acceptoil,"  and  their  protector  and  benefac- 
tor, "seeking  their  wealth,"  or  welfare,  and 
"  speaking  peace,"  or  insuring  tranquillity,  to 
all  the  whole  race  or  people.     P.  C. 

Under  all  revolutions,  the  Jews  of  the  Cap- 
tivity had  the  comfort  to  sec  that  some  persons 
of  their  own  body  were  surprisingly  advanced 
into  power  and  authority  to  patronize  and  de- 
fend their  cause  ;  which,  as  it  showed  the  con- 
cern of  the  Almijjhty  for  the  welfare  of  the 
Jews,  must  also  liavc  excited  in  their  minds  a 
regard  for  His  honor  and  glory,  and  must  have 
confirmed  their  dependence  upon  Ilis  great  and 
precious  promises.     Owen. 

1.  Kin;;  Aliasucriis  laid  a  Iribiile. 
Some  fresh  arrangement  of  the  tribute  is  likely 
to  have  followed  on  the  return  of  Xerxes  from 
Greece.  Ilis  exchequer  would  be  exhausted, 
and  steps  would  have  to  be  taken  in  order  to 
replenish  it.  The  expression  in  the  original 
does  not  necessarily  implj'  the  first  imposition 
of  a  tribute.  Upon  llie  isles  o  tlic  sea. 
Cyprus,  Aradus,  the  island  Tyre,  Platca,  etc., 
remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Persians  after  the 
victories  of  the  Greeks,  and  maybe  the  "  isles" 
here  intended  ;  or  Xerxes  may  have  ignored 
the  loss  of  the  JEgean  Islands,  and  have  "  laid" 
his  tribute  upon  them,  though  he  might  not  be 
able  to  exact  it. 

2.  Power  and  niiglit.  In  the  later 
years  of  Xerxes  his  "  power  and  might"  were 
chiefly  shown  in  the  erection  of  magnificent 
buildings,  more  especially  at  Persepolis.  lie 
abstained  from  military  expeditions.  Kings 
of  media  and  Persia.  Media  takes  prec- 
edence of  Persia  (contrarily  to  chap.  1  :  3,  14, 
18,  etc.),  because  the  kingdom  of  Media  had 
preceded  that  of  Persia,  and  in  the  "  Book  of 
the  Chronicles"  its  history  came  first.     B.  C. 

"i,  3.  In  these  verses  is  set  forth  the  great- 
ness of  Xerxes  for  the  purpose  of  showing  to 
what  an  elevation  Mordecai,  as  the  head  and 
representative  of  the  Jewish  nation,  had  been 
raised.  Tlie  book  opened  with  the  almost  total 
obscuration  of  God's  people  ;  it  closes  with 
them  as  the  briglitest  star  in  the  galaxy  of  na- 
tions wliicli  composed  this  great  kingdom. 
Thvis  the  providence  of  God  is  the  more  mani- 
fest in  caring  for,  delivering,  and  promoting 
them  who  trust  and  love  Him.  Aeeept- 
able  to  the  ninltilude  or  his  bretii- 
ren.  Jlordecai  was  so  manifestly  raised  up 
by  God  for  the  deliverance  and  promotion  of 
Ilis  nation,  that  the  Jews  everywhere  felt  that 
they  honored  God  in  honoring  His  inatrument. 
Gratitude  also  for  what  Mordecai  had  done 
in   their  behalf  woulii  incite  them  to   respect 


and    affection.      SceliiBg    good    for    his 

people.  Mordecai  set  a  good  example  for 
all  rulers.  He  did  not  seek  self  in  honor  or 
wealth  ;  the  good  of  the  people  was  his  aim. 
This  is  true  iiatriotism.     Speaking  peace 

to  all.  Mordecai  spoke  words  of  cheer,  hope, 
encouragement,  and  prosperity  to  his  race. 
These  are '  the  closing  words  in  the  historical 
part  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  they  seem  to  be 
a  kind  of  prophecy  of  Him  who  was  to  cf)me, 
bringing  peace  and  salvation  to  all  nations. 
Greene. 

The  wealth  and  peace  of  a  pieople  the  patriul's 
aim.  It  is  a  fine  description  of  the  aim  of 
Mordecai's  public  life  with  which  this  book 
closes.  What  more  could  be  said  of  the  patri- 
otic statesman  in  any  kingdom  than  this  ;  that 
he  was  ever  found  "  seeking  the  wealth  of  his 
people,  and  speaking  peace  to  all  his  seed  "  V 
Wealth  includes  not  simply  riches,  but  welfare 
in  every  sense  :  prosperity,  securit}',  progress, 
happiness — all  that  can  truly  enrich  and  blesii 
a  nation.  He  spoke  ])eace  to  them.  His  acts 
had  the  effect  of  delivering  them  fr(jm  the  fear 
of  their  enemies.  He  held  over  them  the  shield 
of  the  king's  protection,  and  enabled  them  to 
live  and  work  in  quiet  contentedness.  It  is  re- 
served for  the  very  last  sentences  of  this  book 
to  give  to  one  of  the  chiefest  of  its  characters 
the  place  and  testimony  he  had  well  earned. 
He  has  won  for  himself  the  name  of  the  great 
and  the  good  statesman.  He  is  ''  next  to 
Ahasuerus  ;"  and  what  he  did  and  what  he 
was  affected  not  the  Jews  only,  liut  the  whole 
empire — all  of  the  various  and  wide  dominion  of 
the  king.  He  is  stamped  on  the  sacred  page  as 
the  type  of  a  beneficent  statesman. 

Religious  Character  and  Aim  of  this  Book. 

God's  ?iame  is  absent  from  the  whole  book,  but 
God  Himself  is  in  every  chapter.  There  is  no 
other  book  except  t'anticles  in  the  sacred  vol- 
ume in  which  the  Divine  B^■ing  is  neither  men- 
tioned nor  obviousl}'  referred  to.  Yet  no  dis- 
liclieverin  God  could  have  written  it;  and  no 
believer  in  God  can  read  it  without  finding  his 
faith  strengthened  thereby. 

A  national  festical  is  historically  accounted 
for.  The  feast  of  Purim  was  held  in  high  hon- 
or, and  observed  with  great  regularity  and 
solemnity  and  rejoicing  among  the  Jews. 
"  The  temple  may  fail,  but  the  Purim  never," 
was  one  of  their  proverbs.  This  Book  of  E.sther 
was  written  to  explain  the  origin  of  this  na- 
tional festival. 

,-1  valnable  moral  lesson  pcrmdes  the  whole  nar- 
ratirc.     Not  only  is  the  great  general  truth, 


614 


BOOK  OF  Ef^TUER. 


that  earthly  greatness  and  prosperity  are  muta- 
ble ami  transitory,  brnujrhl  clTcclively  before 
us,  but  we  learn  that  God  humbles  the  prouil 
and  exalts  the  lowly  who  trust  in  llim. 

The  prorideuce  of  God  in  Ktrikiiif/ly  and  mem- 
orably dinpliiyed.  We  are  brought  into  contact 
with  the  righteousness  and  the  rule  of  the  Most 
High.  A  great  deliverance  is  wrought  ;  and 
while  the  means  arc  human,  the  deliverance 
itself  is  Divine,  (iod  appears  as  "  mighty  to 
save."  The  book  is,  aeconiingly,  one  peculiarly 
suitable  to  those  in  distress,  jierplexity,  and 
trouble. 

Its  story  is  an  illustration  of  the  Divine  provi- 
dence, A  complicated  chain  of  events  and  ac- 
tions is  so  governed  as  to  work  out  the  deliver- 
ance of  the  exiled  Jews  from  a  plot  which 
aimed  at  their  di'struction  ;  and  this  without 
any  miracle  or  mention  of  Divine  interposition. 
The  fact  is  disclosed  that  the  Jews,  while  in 
exile,  under  judgment,  and  without  vision, 
were  remembered  and  eared  for  by  God.  Out- 
cast, they  were  not  cast  off ;  they  were  still  the 
children  of  promise  ;  God  was  still  faithful  to 
them.  From  this  fact  an  inference  may  be 
drawn.  There  is  a  Divine  providence  in  the 
world  ;  no  supernatural  exercises  of  power  are 
needed  to  enable  God  to  effect  His  will  ;  all 
laws  and  things  are  His  creatures,  and  there- 
fore under  His  control  ;  human  dramas  and 
tragedies  take  place  every  day  in  which  acutest 
plans  are  foiled,  and,  by  seemingly  natural  proc- 
esses, truth  and  right  vindicated.     P.  C. 

Three  (mpeetn  of  God's  jmrndenee  strikingli/ 
illustrated.  1.  That  God  overrules  the  designs 
of  the  wicked  for  a  larger  blessing  upon  the 
good.  This  is  an  absolute  and  universal  truth 
as  respects  nations  and  individuals.  2.  The 
Divine  providence  operates  equally  in  things 
little  and  great.  To  effect  the  tinal  deliverance 
and  larger  liberty  of  God's  oppressed  people 
very  many  trivial  occurrences  were  combined, 
each  of  which  wasindispensable  to  the  ultimate 
result.  3.  The  agencies  of  Providence  operate 
in  response  to  the  earnest  and  trustful  prayers 
of  God's  people.  "  In  every  province  was 
great  mourning  and  fasting  and  weeping,  and 
many  lay  in  sackcloth  and  a.shes."  And  a 
"  three  days'  fast"  before  God  was  kept  by  the 
Jews  in  iShushan  and  by  Esther  with  her  maid- 
ens. And  we  know  by  sure  inference  that 
Jehovah  wrought  deliverance  for  His  people  in 
answer  to  their  fervent  su]iplie:Ui()ns.     B. 


from  the  time  of  Xehemiah  and  Malaehi  to  that 
of  Paul — the  Jews  posses.sed  no  inspired  writer  : 
and  their  history,  when  recorded  at  all.  was 
related  in  works  which  were  not  regarded  by 
themselves  as  authoritative  or  canonical.  Al! 
the  evidence  which  wc  possess  from  profane 
so\irccs  of  a  really  important  and  trustworthy 
character  tends  to  continn  the  truth  of  the  his- 
tory (hdivered  to  us  in  the  sacred  volume.  The 
monmnental  records  of  past  ages — Assyrian, 
Babylonian,  Egyptian.  Persian.  Pha'nician — 
the  writings  of  historians  who  have  based  their 
histories  on  contemporary  annals,  as  Manetho, 
Berosus,  Dius,  Menander,  Nicolas  of  Damascus 
—the  descriptions  given  by  eye-witnesses  of 
the  Oriental  manners  and  customs — the  proofs 
obtained  by  modern  research  of  the  condition 
of  art  in  the  time  and  country — all  combine  to 
confirm,  illustrate,  and  establish  the  veracity  of 
the  writers,  who  have  delivered  to  us,  in  the 
Pentateuch,  in  Joshua,  Judges,  Samuel.  Kings 
and  Chronicles,  Ezra,  Esther,  and  Xehemiah, 
the  history  of  the  chosen  people.  That  history 
stands  lirm  against  all  the  a.ssault.s  made  upon 
it  :  and  the  more  light  that  is  thrown  b^'  re- 
search and  discovery  upon  the  times  and  conn- 
tries  with  which  it  deals,  the  more  apparent 
becomes  its  authentic  and  matter-of-fact  diar- 
acter.  Sound  ciiticism  finds  in  the  sacred  writ 
ings  of  the  Jews  doounents  belonging  to  the 
times  of  which  they  profess  to  treat,  and  on  a 
calm  investigation  clas-^es  them,  not  with  ro- 
mantic poems  or  mythological  fables,  but  with 
the  sober  narratives  of  tho.se  other  ancient 
writers,  who  liave  sought  to  hand  down  to  pos- 
terit}'  a  true  account  of  the  facts  which  their 
eyes  have  witnessed.  As  in  the  New  Testament, 
so  in  the  Old,  that  which  the  writers  "  declare" 
to  the  world  is  in  the  main  "  that  which  they 
have  heard,  which  they  have  seen  with  their 
eyes,  which  they  have  looked  upon,  and  which 
their  hands  have  handled."  It  is  not  their  ob- 
ject to  amu.se  men.  much  less  to  impose  on  them 
by  any  "  cunningly  devised  fables  :"  but  sim- 
ply to  record  facts  and  "  bear  their  witness  to 
the  truth."     G.  R. 


The  Old  Testjiment  history  here  tcmdnales. 
For  the  space  of  nearly  five  hundred  years — 


And  now  came  the  great  change  in  the  map 
of  Palestine  which  distinguishes  the  geography 
of  the  New  Testament  from  that  of  the  Old. 
For  the  Jews,  being  in  time  restored  to  their 
own  land  by  the  Peraians,  did  not  attempt  to 
resume  the  occupation  of  the  comitry  by  tribes. 
although  remnants  of  all  the  Twelve  Tribes 
may  have  been  found  among  them  (2  C'hron. 
30:11);  but,  first  resorting  to  Jerusalem  in  a 
mass,  and  then  spreading  themselves  upon  the 


SECTION  71. 


615 


adjacent  country,  they  afterward,  in  quest  of 
further  territory,  passed  round  the  central  por- 
tion of  the  country  possessed  by  the  hated 
Samaritans,  and  settled  the  region  to  the  north, 
between  Gennesaret   and   the    Mediterranean, 


liereafter  Ivnown  in  history  as  Galilee.  And, 
in  the  time  of  Christ,  these  were  the  three  great 
divisions  of  the  country — Judea  on  the  south, 
Galilee  on  the  north,  and  Samaria  between. 
.V.  C.  Burt. 


Section  71. 


FOUR  SILENT   CENTURIES   BETWEEN  THE   TESTAMENTS. 
I.  Outline  of  tlic  History. 


Introductory  Statements. 

The  traditional  space  put  in  the  binding  of 
our  Bibles  between  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments is  misleading  as  to  the  oneness  of  the 
whole  Book.  Matthew  is  as  truly  a  continua- 
tion of  Malaphi  as  Malaehi  is  of  the  foregoing 
prophets,  from  a  number  of  whom  he  is  sepa- 
rated by  about  the  same  interval  of  time  that 
he  Is  from  Matthew.  So  "  the  Old  and  the 
New  Testament  Dispensations"  is  a  misleading 
phrase,  if  taken  to  mean  that  blessings  of  an  en- 
tirely different  sort  were  dispensed  under  the 
"  New"  from  those  which  were  distributed 
under  the  "  Old. "  The  terms  respect,  not  the 
matter  of  the  dispensations,  but  the  manner 
only,  just  as  the  same  gold  of  the  king's  ex- 
chequer might  be  dealt  out  as  either  bullion, 
unrecognized  save  by  a  few  as  part  of  the  ro_val 
treasure,  or  as  coin  of  tlie  realm,  bearing  clearly 
on  its  face  the  king's  image  and  superscription. 
and  offered  freely  to  all.  So  Christianity  is  but 
the  bullion  of  Judaism  coined  in  the  gospel 
mint,  to  be  scattered  broadcast  over  the  earth, 
and  made  the  universal  currency  of  the  world. 
A.  BalUivd. 

The  canon  of  the  Old  Testament  closes  with 
the  prophecies  of  Malaehi.  A  period,  there- 
fore, of  about  four  hundred  years  separates  the 
last  book  of  the  Old  from  the  tirst  of  the  New 
Testament  Scriptures.  This  period  is  one  of 
supreme^  importance  in  the  hi.story  of  the  Jew- 
ish nation.  During  it  the  Jews  were  brought 
under  the  most  varied  iiifluenees.  (1)  First  they 
were  subject  to  the  dominion  of  Persia  ;  (3)  for 
nearly  a  century  and  a  half  they  were  under 
Greek  rulers  ;  (3)  for  a  century  they  enjoyed 
independence  under  their  native  Asmonajan 
princes  ;  and  (4)  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
while  nominally  ruled  by  the  family  of  Herod, 


they  were  in  realitv  subject  to  the  power  of  the 
great  Roman  empire. 

In  the  course  of  this  period  a  remarkable 
change  was  wrought  in  the  condition  of  the 
elect  nation.  Whereas  for  many  centuries  they 
had  been  almost  cut  off  from  contact  with  the 
world  around,  they  were  now  scattered  every- 
where, east  and  west,  north  and  south,  bearing 
about  with  them  their  peculiar  customs  and  in- 
stitutions, and  diffusing  wherever  the}'  went  a 
knowledge  of  the  law  and  the  prophets.  Cor- 
responding to  this  wide  diffusion  of  the  people, 
which  luid  so  long  "dwelt  apart,"  there  had 
been  brought  about  also  a  change  in  their  ver- 
nacular tongue  and  in  their  mode  of  worship. 
The  language  spoken  in  the  daj's  of  David  and 
Solomon  was  gradually  exchanged  for  the 
Chaldee  or  "Syrian  tongue,"  while  the  wor- 
ship of  the  true  God,  before  carried  on  only  in 
the  Temple  at  .Jerusalem,  was  now  celebrated, 
not  onl}'  there  on  the  occasion  of  the  great  fes- 
tivals, but  in  synagogues,  which  arose  out  of 
the  exigencies  of  the  Captivity,  and  which 
were  to  be  found,  not  only  in  ever}'  town,  and 
almost  in  every  village  throughout  Palestine, 
but  also  in  every  city  in  Syna,  Asia  Minor, 
Greece  and  Italy,  where  there  was  a  Jewish 
settlement.  Again,  the  intellectual  culture  of 
Greece  ha'd  an  important  influence  on  Jew- 
ish development.  It  quickened  independent 
thought,  and  led  to  the  rise  of  various  sects. 
"  Freedom,  ritualism  and  asceticism  found  a 
characteristic  expression  in  Sadiliiaes,  Phririsees 
and  Ensiiiesi."  while  politicians,  as  represented 
by  Hcrodians,  looked  to  the  family  of  Herod  as 
a  bulwark  against  Roman  ambition,  and  pre- 
tended to  trace  in  that  dynasty  the  fulfilment  of 
ancient  prophecy.  Lastly,  the  idea  of  the  Mes 
siah,  which  the  "  people  of  the  future"  had 
been  raised  up  to  foster  and  keep  alive  from 


GIG 


nrsTonv  of  the  foi'i:  stlext  cextviues. 


gonoralion  to  gencnition.  liiul  been  alToclcd  in 
no  sli.slit  (ic'ircc  by  the  variety  of  the  intlllenctcs 
under  which  the  Jews  liad  been  bmujrht.  As 
before,  so  now,  cueli  period  added  or  eonneeted 
sometliiiig  necessary  to  the  completeness  of  the 
conception,  and  the  sadness  of  tlie  Oaptivity 
ended  wiiat  tlie  mournful  close  of  Solomon's 
reign  had  begun.  The  "  !Son  of  David"  gives 
place  to  the  "  Son  of  Man,"  and  the  idea  of  the 
con(iueror  and  the  king  is  combined  -with  that 
of  tlie  lawgiver,  the  propiiet  and  tlie  priest. 
G.  F.  Maclcar. 

TiiK  IIisTOHY  Outlined. 

Palestine  Uiuler  tlie  Peritiuiis  :  to  B.  C.  333. 

A  great  historical  chasm,  about  four  hundred 
years  in  length,  stretches  between  the  close  of 
the  Old  Testament  history  and  the  commence- 
ment of  the  New.  During  all  that  time  there 
was  neither  prophet  nor  inspired  writer  of  any 
kind  among  the  .Jews.  Our  knowledge  of 
what  took  place  among  them  is  derived  from 
the  writings  of  Josephus,  some  of  the  liooks  of 
the  Apocrypha,  and  the  notices  of  Greek  and 
Latin  historians.  Though  no  further  develop- 
ment of  revealed  religion  took  place  during 
these  four  centuries,  they  constituted  a  very 
memorable  period  in  general  history.  They 
witnessed  the  fall  of  the  Persian  empire,  the 
rise  and  fall  of  tlie  llacedouian,  and  the  rise  of 
the  Roman.  The  seat  of  empire  passeil  over 
from  Asia  to  Europe  ;  and  the  founilation  was 
laid  of  those  vast  social  changes  which  have  so 
greatly  raised  the  western  and  depressed  the 
eastern  and  more  ancient  countries  of  the  globe. 

In  sketching  this  long  and  important  period, 
we  shall  follow  the  thread  of  Jewish  history, 
glancing,  right  and  left,  as  we  proceed,  at  the 
leading  nations  that  crowd  the  stage.  Tlu'  his- 
tory of  Palestine  may  be  divided  into  six  sec- 
tions, corresponding  to  the  different  masters 
who.se  sway  it  owned. 

1.  The  Persians  were  its  nominal  masters  to 
the  year  B.C.  333. 

3.  Alexander  the  Great  conquered  it  in  that 
year,  and  was  its  master  for  ten  years. 

8.  On  his  death  (B.C.  333)  it  fell,  after  a  long 
contest,  under  the  Ptolemys,  or  Macedonian 
kings  of  Egypt  ;  and  so  remained  for  more 
than  a  hunilred  years,  to  B.C.  204. 

4.  Then  it  came  under  the  rule  of  the  Mace- 
donian kingdom  of  Syria,  till  it  was  set  free  by 
the  Maccabees,  n  r.  163. 

5.  It  was  ruled  by  the  Maccabees  for  another 
century,  till — 

6.  The  Roman  general  Poni]My  conquered  it 


(B.C.  63),  and  made  it  tributary  to  the  great 
mistress  of  the  world. 

For  a  considerable  time  after  the  days  of  Ne- 
hemiah  the  Persians  continued  masters  of  Ju- 
dea  ;  but  during  their  rule  nothing  of  much 
interest  happened  in  Palestine.  The  countrj- 
was  annexed  to  the  satnipj'  of  Syria,  but  was 
allowed  to  be  governed  by  the  .Jewish  liigh- 
priests,  acting  under  the  Syrian  satraps.  The 
office  of  high-priest  became  a  great  object  of 
ambition,  and  in  consequence  several  disgrace- 
ful contests  for  it  took  place.  .leshua,  a  brother 
of  .Jonadab  the  high-priest,  having  endeavored 
to  sectire  the  honor  for  himself,  was  slain  by 
Jonadab  in  the  Temple.  For  this  scandalous 
act,  a  heavy  fine  was  imposed  upon  the  Jews 
by  the  Persian  governor. 

Meanwliile,  in  Greece,  the  Peloponnesian  war 
was  brought  to  an  end  by  the  triumph  of  the 
Spartans  and  the  humiliation  and  fall  of  Ath- 
ens. Though  partialh'  ri'Stored  afterward. 
Athens  never  again  rose  to  its  former  inlluence 
and  splendor.  Artaxerxes  JInemon  Wius  now 
on  the  throne  of  Persia  ;  and  the  early  part  of 
his  reign  was  signalized  by  an  att^'mpt  of  his 
younger  brother  Cyrus  to  obtaii;  the  sceptre. 
Cyrus  was  defeated  and  slain  near  Babylon  ; 
and  a  liody  of  ten  thousand  Greeks,  who  as- 
sisted him,  had  to  make  their  retreat  along  the 
Tigris,  and  through  the  wilds  of  Armenia,  until 
they  reached  the  Black  Sea.  Of  this  celebrated 
retreat,  an  interesting  account,  well  known  to 
classical  scholars,  was  written  by  Xenophon,  the 
Greek  historian,  who  conducted  the  expedition. 
It  is  interesting  to  observe,  that  the  march  of 
the  ten  thousand  lay  through  the  districts  that 
formed  the  cradle  of  the  human  race,  embrac- 
ing, perhaps,  the  very  land  of  Eden.  War 
continued  to  rage  between  the  Greeks  and  Per- 
sians for  many  years,  till  at  length  peace  was 
concluded.  But  the  power  of  the  Spartans, 
which  liad  predominated  in  Greece  since  the 
fall  of  Athens,  was  now  destined  to  be  over- 
thrown. First  at  Leuctra,  and  again  at  Man- 
tinea,  they  were  defeated  by  the  Thebans,  un- 
der Epaminondas.  The  Theban  suprenuicy  was 
of  short  duration.  At  Clierona;a,  Philip  of 
Maccdon  overthrew  the  combined  forces  of  the 
Thebans  and  Athenians,  and  made  himself 
master  of  Greece.  After  this,  Philip,  having 
got  himself  appointed  captain-general  of  all 
Greece,  was  preparing  for  a  great  war  with 
Persia,  when  his  life  and  his  reign  wen'  I'ut 
short  by  his  a.ssassination.  Ilis  son  Alexander 
was  only  twenty  when  he  succeeded  him.  The 
weajioM  with  which  the  Persian  empire  was  to 
be  broken  to  pieces  was  now  prepared.     The 


SECTION  71.     PALESTTXE   UNDER   THE  PTOLEMYS. 


617 


mighty  hc-goat,  that  liad  bucn  seen  two  liun- 
dred  years  before  in  Daniel's  vision  on  the 
banks  of  tlie  Ulai,  was  aiivaneing  from  tlie 
west  to  overturn  tlie  two-horned  ram — the  vast 
but  now  tottering  Medo-Persian  empire. 

Palestine  Under  Alexaiukr  :  B.  C.  333  to  323. 

It  was  B.C.  335  that  Alexander  began  his 
memorable  twelve  years'  reign.  After  quell- 
ing the  attempts  at  rebellion  in  Macedonia,  he 
entered  Greece,  and  defeateil  the  Thebaus  in 
decisive  engagements.  Passing  over  into  Asia, 
he  encountered  and  defeated  the  forces  of  Da- 
rius, iu  the  memorable  battles  of  Granicus  in 
Mysia  and  Issus  in  C'ilicia.  Proceeding  tow- 
ard Egypt,  which  had  long  been  iu  a  troubled 
condition,  he  passed  through  Syria  and  Pales- 
tine. Tyre  withstood  him  for  several  months, 
but  at  last  fell,  being  reached  by  a  remarkable 
mole  which  he  constructed,  between  the  ruins 
of  the  old  city  on  tlie  mainland  and  the  modern 
one  on  the  adjacent  island.  Alexander  then 
marched  to  Jerusalem.  There  is  a  tradition 
that,  as  he  approached  the  city,  he  was  met  by 
a  procession  of  priests  iii  their  robes  of  office, 
and  that  the  impression  made  on  him  was  such 
that  he  spared  the  city  and  granted  favorable 
terms  to  the  Jews.  It  is  quite  likely  that  the 
priests  showed  him  the  prophecies  of  Daniel, 
which  foretold  his  conquests  ;  and  this  may  be 
the  explanation  of  the  stor}',  that  when  he  saw 
the  high-priest,  he  recognized  in  him  the  per- 
son who  had  told  him  in  a  dream  that  he  should 
conquer  the  world.  From  Jerusalem  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Egj'pt,  which  he  rapidl}'  subdued  ; 
and  while  there  he  founded  the  city  of  Alexan- 
dria, which  still  bears  his  name. 

Returning  to  Asia,  Alexander  encountered 
Darius  in  the  plains  of  Assyria,  and  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Arbela,  not  far  from  the  ancient  Nineveh, 
gave  its  death-blow  to  the  Persian  empire, 
which  had  subsisted  about  two  hundred  j-ears. 
Not  content  with  the  limits  of  that  mighty  do- 
main, he  pushed  eastward  into  India  ;  and  had 
not  his  Macedouians  positivelj-  refused  to  go 
farther,  he  would  have  penetrated  far  beyond 
the  countries  of  the  Indus.  He  was  occupied 
with  various  new  projects,  when  he  was  cut  off 
at  Babylon,  by  a  fever  brought  on  or  aggravat- 
ed by  drinking  to  excess  at  a  banquet.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  tliirty-two,  B.C.  323. 

Alexander  the  Great  appears  to  have  formed 
a  highly  favorable  estimate  of  the  Jews,  and  to 
have  discovered,  in  their  intelligence,  steadi- 
ness, industry  and  zeal,  the  elements  that  make 
good  citizens  everywhere.  Accordingly,  when 
he  founded  Alexandria  in  Egypt,  he  encouraged 


the  Jews  to  settle  there,  and  gave  them  the 
privileges  of  citizens  of  the  first  class.  He  also 
encouraged  them  to  settle  in  other  newly 
founded  cities,  and  generallj'  throughout  his 
empire.  We  have  seen  that,  in  the  time  of 
Estlier,  the  Jews  were  widely  scattered  through- 
out the  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  prov- 
inces of  Persia.  Now  tlieir  dispersion,  as  well 
as  their  missionary  influence,  became  still  more 
extensive.  In  consequence  of  their  distance 
fiom  Jerusalem,  the  saerifcial  part  of  their 
worship  became  less  prominent,  and  the  study 
of  their  sacred  books  oceujiied  them  more.  In- 
creased attention  was  thus  given  to  the  law  and 
the  prophets  iu  the  various  countries  of  their 
dispersion  ;  and,  in  consequence,  the  expecta- 
tion of  a  coming  Messiah  was  more  and  more 
widely  diffused. 

Palestine  Under  the  Ptolcmys  :  B.  C.  (about)  324 
to  204. 

On  the  death  of  Alexander,  in  fulfilment  of 
the  propliccj'  of  Daniel,  the  great  horn  of  the 
he-goat  was  broken  ;  and  for  it  came  up  four 
notable  horns,  "  toward  the  four  winds  of 
heaven."  His  great  empire  was  ultimately 
divided  among  four  of  his  generals — Ptolemy, 
Lysimachus,  Cassander  and  Seleucus.  Egypt 
fell  to  Ptolemy,  and  by  and  b_v  Palestine  was 
added  to  his  share.  He  is  distinguished  in  his- 
torj'  as  Ptolemy  Soter.  At  first  he  treated  the 
Jews  with  severity,  but  he  soon  came  to  see,  like 
Alexander,  that  their  superior  character  fitted 
them  for  high  offices,  and  sent  thirty  thousand 
of  them  to  various  parts  of  his  dominions,  in- 
cluding Cyrenia  and  Libya  in  Africa.  Of  the 
Jews  who  went  to  Egypt  at  this  time,  some  are 
very  honorably  mentioned  by  Greek  and  other 
writers. 

The  successor  of  Soter  was  Ptolemy  Philadel  ■ 
plius,  one  of  the  most  eminent  of  the  kings  of 
Egypt  of  this  period,  and  very  friendly  to  the 
Jews.  The  reign  of  this  prince  was  signalized 
by  many  remarkable  events.  He  built  the  fa- 
mous lighthou.se  of  Pharos,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Nile,  which  was  counted  one  of  the  won- 
ders of  the  world.  He  founded  the  great  libra- 
ry of  Alexandria — a  magnificent  collection  of 
the  works  of  the  writers  of  all  nations.  It  was 
under  his  patronage  that  the  Hebrew  Scriptures 
were  translated  into  Greek,  according  to  the 
famous  version  of  the  Septuagint.  This  was 
one  of  the  most  important  missionary  works 
ever  performed  by  man.  The  Hebrew  Scrip- 
tures, and  especially  the  Hebrew  predictions  of 
the  coming  Redeemer,  might  now  be  read  wher- 
ever the  Greek  language  was  known.     On  the 


618 


SKCTTON  71.     PALESTIXE   ['XDER 


coiist  of  Palestine,  Ptolemy  built  the  famous 
seaport  of  Acca,  or  Ptolcmais,  now  called  Acre, 
or  Aclio.  The  Ptolemys,  for  the  most  part, 
were  excellent  rulers,  and  under  them  E^ypt 
enjoyed  no  small  .share  of  prosperity. 

The  most  distinguished  man  in  Judea  about 
this  time  was  the  high-priest,  Simon  the  Just. 
His  oliaraeter  is  given  in  the  apocryphal  Book 
of  Eeclcsiasticus.  lie  bore  the  highest  reputa- 
tion for  wisdom,  integrity  and  jiiety  ;  but  he 
seems  to  have  had  not  a  little  of  Ihe  si)irit  of  a 
Pharisee.  The  Jews  have  a  number  of  tradi- 
tions about  him,  silly  and  unfounded  in  them- 
selves, but  showing  the  high  estimation  in 
which  he  was  held.  A  short  time  after  Simon, 
flourished  Antigonus  of  Socho,  president  of  the 
Sanhedrim  ;  one  of  whose  pupils,  Sadoc,  is 
thought  by  some  to  have  been  the  founder  of 
the  sect  of  Sadducees.  Antigonus  is  reported 
to  have  taught  that  men  ought  not  to  serve 
God  from  a  servile  regard  to  rewanls,  but  out 
of  love  and  reverence  ;  from  which  Sadoc  drew 
the  unwarrantable  inference  that  there  were  no 
rewards  at  all  after  this  life,  no  resurrection, 
and  no  future  state.  These  were  prominent 
tenets  of  the  Sadducees  at  a  later  period,  but  it 
is  very  doubtful  whether  the  sect  had  so  early 
an  origin. 

During  this  period  the  foundations  were  laid 
of  the  great  raouarchy  of  Syria,  or  Syro-.Mace- 
donia,  of  which  Palestine  was  afterward  to 
form  a  part.  Seleucus,  son  of  Antioehus,  one 
of  Alexander's  generals,  after  various  changes 
of  fortune,  ultimately  acquired  nearly  the  whole 
of  Asia  for  his  dominions.  It  was  the  fashion 
at  the  time  to  found  new  cities  ;  and  Seleucus, 
disregarding  Damascus,  Babylon,  Susa  and  all 
the  other  ancient  capitals,  founded  Seleucia  and 
Antioch,  making  the  one  the  eastern  and  the 
other  the  western  capital  of  his  kingdom.  Se- 
leucia was  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Eu- 
phrates, about  forty  miles  distant  from  Baby 
Ion,  which  had  now  become  a  sort  of  enclosed 
park  for  wild  beasts.  Antioch  was  in  SjTia, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Orontcs,  and  was  afterward 
famous  as  a  centre  and  stronghold  of  Christian- 
ity. Like  Alexander  and  Ptolemy,  Seleucus 
encouraged  the  Jews  to  take  up  their  residence 
in  his  new  cities,  and  many  accepted  his  invita- 
tion. 

Much  rivalry  prevailed  between  the  kings  of 
Syria  and  those  of  Egypt,  ami  the  province  of 
Palestine  and  Ciele-Syria  formed  a  constant 
bone  of  cuntentian.  Tliese  kings  are  believed 
to  be  the  persons  designated  in  chap.  11 
of  Daniel,  as  the  "kings  of  the  north"  and 
"  south. "     The  wars,  alliances  and  other  o])era- 


tiuns  of  tliesc  kings  are  prophetically  described 
ill  that  chapter  with  great  miniUeness.  In  the 
reigns  of  Ptolemy  Philopator  of  Egypt  and 
Antioehus  the  Great  of  Syria,  the  contest  be- 
tween the  two  powers  came  to  a  climax.  In  a 
pitched  battle,  fought  at  Kaphia,  near  Gaza. 
Ptolemy  conquered  Antioehus.  Visiting  Jeru- 
salem after  the  battle,  he  determined  to  ent<,T 
the  holy  of  hilies  in  thf  Temple.  The  high- 
priest  opposed  him  with  all  his  might  ;  but 
Ptolemy  was  not  to  be  di.ssuaded  from  his  pur- 
pose. It  is  said,  however,  that  when  he  had 
got  so  far  lus  the  holy  phu'c,  he  was  seized  with 
such  confusion  and  terror  that  he  retreated  in 
dismay.  Afterward,  on  returning  to  Alexan- 
dria, ho  was  so  enraged  at  the  Jews  for  having 
withstood  him,  that  he  deprived  them  of  their 
privileges,  and  lined  and  persecuted  them  in 
the  most  scandalous  manner.  Among  other 
wild  proceedings,  he  brought  to  Alexandria  all 
the  Jews  he  could  lay  hands  on  from  other 
parts  of  Egypt,  shut  them  up  in  the  hippo- 
drome, intending  to  expose  them  for  a  spectacle 
to  be  destroyed  by  his  elephants.  The  poor 
Jews  ceased  not  to  pray  to  the  God  of  their  fa- 
thers for  deliverance.  On  the  third  day,  when 
the  king  was  present,  and  the  elephants  were 
brought  forth  and  made  drunk  with  wine  min- 
gled with  frankincense,  instead  of  falling  upon 
the  Jews,  the3-  turned  their  rage  upon  those 
who  came  to  see  the  show,  and  destroyed  great 
numbers  of  them  !  The  king  became  alarmed  at 
the  evident  tokens  of  Goil's  favor  for  the  Jews, 
and  recalled  all  his  persecuting  edicts.  At  his 
death  he  was  succeeded  by  Ptolemy  Epiphanes, 
an  infant  of  five.  Antioehus  took  the  oppor- 
tunity- to  wrest  the  districts  of  Ca;le-Syria  and 
Palestine  from  Egypt  ;  and  from  this  time 
Palestine  is  to  be  regarded  as  subject  to  the 
kings  of  Syria.  The  era  on  which  we  now 
enter  is  a  very  dark  one  in  Jewish  history. 

Palestine  Under  the  Mmrdotuiiii  Kinys  of  Syria  : 
B.C.  2iH  to  165. 

On  the  accession  of  the  infant,  Ptolemy 
Ejiiphanes,  to  the  throne  of  Egypt,  the  Egyp- 
tians sent  an  embassy  to  Rome,  craving  the  aid 
of  the  Romans  against  the  encroachments  of 
Antioehus.  As  the  Roman  peojile  now  began 
to  take  a  prominent  part  in  the  alTaii-s  of  Ihe 
East,  it  is  necessary  to  glance  at  their  history 
during  the  preceding  two  centuries. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  period  the  Romans 
made  a  very  narrow  escape  from  utter  destruc- 
tion, in  consequence  of  an  eruption  of  the 
Gauls.  The  Gauls,  or  Celts,  were  one  of  the 
great  races  that  spread   themselves   over  the 


THE  MACEDONIAN  KINGS  OF  SYRIA. 


619 


continent  of  Europe,  but  of  whom  scarcely  any- 
thing is  liuown  up  to  the  time  of  their  coming 
into  contact  with  the  Romans.  Tlie  Roman 
histories  tell  that  after  Rome  was  taken  aiul 
burned  by  them,  and  its  inhabitants  butchered, 
the  invaders  were  suddenly  attacked  by  the 
dictator  Caraillus,  and  driven  in  one  day  be- 
yond the  confines  of  Rome.  Recovering  power 
and  courage,  the  Romans  now  began  a  career 
of  conquest  in  the  peninsula  of  Italy.  While 
this  was  going  on,  the  Tarentines,  one  of  their 
foes,  sought  the  aid  of  Pj'rrhus,  king  of  Epirus, 
one  of  the  outl^'ing  states  of  Greece,  on  the  op- 
posite shores  of  the  Adriatic  Sea.  This  was 
the  first  occasion  of  Greece  and  Rome  coming  to- 
gether. Pyrrhus  was  a  man  of  great  enterprise, 
and  a  very  skilful  general.  He  landed  in  Italy 
with  thirty  thousand  men  and  a  train  of  ele- 
phants. The  Romans  had  never  before  faced 
or  even  seen  elephants  in  battle,  and  ■were 
obliged  to  retire  before  Pyrrlius  ;  but  so  great 
loss  had  been  inflicted  on  the  Greek  army,  that 
Pyrrhus  uttered  the  memorable  saying,  ' '  An- 
other such  victory,  and  we  are  undone  !"  He 
was  glad  of  a  pretext  for  leaving  Italy. 

Meanwlille,  the  Romans  enlarged  their  sphere 
of  conquest,  and  having  quarrelled  with  the 
Oarlliaginians  about  the  island  of  Sicily,  meas- 
ured their  strength  with  that  people  in  three 
successive  Carthaginian  wars,  It  was  during 
the  first  Carthaginian  war  that  the  Romans 
equipped  the  first  fleet  they  ever  possessed.  The 
campaign  ended  in  their  favor  ;  the  Cartliagin- 
ians  had  to  give  up  their  possessions  in  Sicily. 
The  aid  of  the  Romans  now  began  to  be  sought 
by  the  Greek  states  in  their  endless  wars  with 
each  other  ;  but  till  after  the  second  Cartha- 
ginian war,  the  Roman  armies  did  not  move  to 
the  East.  That  campaign  began  very  disas- 
trously for  the  Romans  ;  the  victorious  Hanni- 
bal seemed  about  to  carry  all  before  him.  But 
it  ended  as  much  in  favor  of  the  Romans  as  it 
had  begun  in  favor  of  the  Carthaginians,  the 
latter  being  wholly  defeated  just  about  the 
time  when  Palestine  became  part  of  the  king- 
dom of  Syria.  Hannibal,  hunted  from  refu,gc 
to  refuge,  at  last  ended  his  days  by  poison  in 
Bithynia,  in  Asia.  The  third  Carthaginian  war 
ended  about  fifty  years  after,  in  tlie  total  de- 
struction of  Carthage.  The  military  power  of 
the  Romans  was  thus  thorouglily  established, 
and  the  conquest  of  the  world  lay  before  them. 

War — war — war  is  the  unchanging  burden 
of  the  history  of  those  times.  War  in  Greece, 
where  Aratus,  followed  by  Philopoemen,  gen- 
erals of  the  Achrean  league,  have  been  making 
desperate  but  ineffectual  efforts  to  stir  up  the 


old  love  of  liberty,  and  set  free  their  coiintry  ; 
war  in  Macedonia,  where  the  strong  Roman 
legion  is  wrestling  with  what  remains  of  valor 
in  the  Macedonian  phalanx  ;  war  in  Syria,  war 
in  Egypt — everywhere  war  ;  and  3-et  all  pre- 
paring the  way  for  the  establisliment  of  the 
kingdom  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  ! 

In  compliance  with  the  request  of  the  Egyp- 
tians, a  Roman  army  was  sent  into  E,gypt  to 
aid  Ptolemj'  Epiphanes  against  Antioelnis  the 
Great.  At  first  the  Roman-;  were  unsuccess- 
ful, but  ultimately  they  prevailed.  Antiochus 
was  compelled  by  the  Romans  to  evacuate  the 
whole  country  east  of  the  Taurus,  and  pay  the 
expenses  of  the  war.  He  went  eastward  to 
raise  the  money  ;  but  having  plundered  a  tem- 
ple of  Jupiter  in  the  province  of  Elymais,  he 
was  murdered  by  the  inhabitants.  Thus  ended 
the  career  of  Antiochus  the  Great,  b,c.  187. 

Passing  over  his  successor,  Seleueus  Philo- 
pator,  in  whose  time  little  occurred  in  .ludea  of 
much  interest,  we  arrive  at  a  dark  and  troubled 
era — the  reign  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes.  Epiph- 
anes— i.e.,  the  "  Illustrious" — was  illustrious 
only  for  the  grossness  of  his  character  and  the 
wickedness  of  his  conduct.  At  his  ascension, 
the  high-priesthood  at  Jerusalem  was  in  the 
hands  of  a  worthy  man,  named  Onias,  But  a 
brother  of  his  having  offered  to  pay  Antiochus 
three  hundred  and  sixty  talents  for  the  office, 
Onias  was  dispossessed,  and  the  brother  in- 
stalled. Onias  fled  to  Egypt,  where  he  built  a 
temple  at  Ueliopolis,  and  acted  as  high-priest. 
The  name  of  the  usurper  was  Jesus  ;  but  not 
liking  the  Hebrew  name,  he  changed  it  into  the 
Greek  name  Jason.  A  Greek  party  now  ap- 
pears among  the  .Jews.  The  sym]iathies  of 
Jason  were  entirely  with  the  Greeks  ;  and  to 
the  utmost  of  his  power  he  diseountenaneed 
the  old  Hebrew  customs  and  religion.  He  even 
sent  on  one  occasion  an  embassy  to  Tyre  to 
take  part  in  certain  games  in  honor  of  the  hea- 
then god  Hercules,  and  offer  sacrifices  on  his 
altar.  Jason,  in  his  turn,  was  supplanted  by 
another  brother,  who  took  the  Greek  name  of 
Jlenclaus,  and  was  still  more  of  a  Greek  than 
Jason. 

Antiochus  now  undertook  an  expedition  into 
Egypt,  and  was  successful.  While  he  was 
there  the  Jews  heard  a  report  of  his  death,  at 
which  they  showed  signs  of  great  jc>y.  Hear-  ' 
ing  of  this,  Antiochus,  on  leaving  Egypt,  went 
to  Jerusalem  to  chastise  them.  He  besieged 
and  took  the  sacred  city  ;  slew  forty  thousand 
Jews,  and  sold  a  like  number  as  slaves  ;  and, 
to  show  his  contempt  for  the  Jewish  religion, 
entered  the  holy  of  holies,  sacrificed  a  sow  on 


620 


PM.KsrrxK  uxnKu  the  maccabbes. 


llif  altar  of  burnt  ofTcrinjr,  and  sjiriiikU'd  broth 
uiuiIl-  I'roiu  its  Iksli  all  over  the  builiiing. 

Not  conteut  with  these  atrocities,  Aiitiochvis 
begrau  a  furious  persecution  against  tlie  religion 
of  the  Jews.  He  issued  an  edict  reijuiring  all 
the  people  under  his  sceptre  to  worship  the 
same  gods.  The  Samaritans  eonfonned  to  the 
decree,  and  allowed  tlieir  tcm|)le  on  Mount 
Gerizim  to  be  dedicated  to  the  (Jrecian  Jove. 
The  Temi)le  at  Jernsaleni  was  forcibly  conse- 
crated to  the  same  heathen  deity,  and  the  statue 
of  Jui)itcr  Olympus  was  erected  on  the  altar  of 
burnt  offering.  To  observe  any  of  the  Jewish 
customs  was  made  a  capital  offence  ;  in  short, 
the  most  rigorous  measures  were  adopted  abso- 
lutely to  root  out  the  Jewish  faith. 

But  enough  remained  of  the  noble  Jewish 
spirit  of  other  days  to  resist  such  blasi)hcmous 
tyranny.  There  was  a  familj'  of  the  i)ricstly 
class,  sometimes  called  the  Asmonjeans,  from 
Asmonanis,  one  of  their  ancestors  ;  and  some- 
times tlie  Maccabees,  a  name,  it  is  said,  formed 
of  the  initial  letters  of  the  motto  which  one  of 
them,  Judas,  placed  on  his  stiindard,  from  Ex. 
15  :  11,  "  Who  is  like  unto  Thee  among  the  gods, 
O  Lord  ?"  The  Hebrew  words  are.  Mi  C.^iok.v 
Baei.im  Jehovau  ;  and  from  the  letters  m  c  u  i 
was  derived  the  word  JIacabi,  or  Ma<-cabee. 
which  became  the  surname  of  the  family,  and 
was  ajiplicd  also  to  all  who  joined  their  cause. 
Mattathias,  the  father  of  the  family,  had  five 
sons — Johanan,  Simon,  Judas,  Eleazar,  and  J(m- 
athan.  They  dwelt  at  Modin,  a  city  to  the  west 
of  Jerusalem,  in  the  Philistine  plain,  near  the 
sea-coast.  When  the  emissaries  of  Antiochus 
came  to  Mattatliias,  urging  him  to  conform  to 
the  pagan  woishiji,  he  declared  he  sliould  never 
prove  unfaithful  to  his  God  ;  and  seeing  a  Jew 
pri^senting  himself  at  the  heathen  altar  to  sacri- 
fice to  the  gods,  he  fell  ui)on  him,  like  I'lihiehas 
of  old,  and  killed  him  on  the  spot.  Collecting 
his  family  and  other  like-minded  persons,  he 
withdrew  to  the  mountains  of  Judea,  occupied 
the  same  caves  and  fastnesses  which  David  had 
held  nearly  a  thousand  years  before,  and  bade 
defiance  to  Antiochus  and  his  armies.  One 
body  of  his  followers,  to  the  number  of  a  thou- 
sand, had  taken  refuge  in  a  cave,  where  they 
were  attacked  on  a  Sabbath  by  a  Syrian  troop  ; 
and  deennng  it  unlawful  to  resist  on  that  day, 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  were  i)ul  to 
death.  Hearing  of  this,  Mattathias  and  his 
friends  held  a  council,  and  after  deliberation, 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  resistance  to  such 
attacks  on  the  Sabbath  was  lawful. 

The  number  of  the  patriot  army  under  the 
Maccabees    gradually    increased  ;    their    aged 


leader,  Mattathias,  was  removed  by  death,  but 
his  son  Judas  was  eminently  fitted  to  succeed 
him.  The  war  of  independence  is  a  very  in- 
teresting chapter  of  Jewish  history,  but  our 
limits  <ompcl  \is  to  pass  it  over  in  a  sentence. 
Three  campaigns  were  undertaken  by  the  Syro- 
Macedonians  against  the  patriots.  In  all  of 
these  the  Syrians  were  unsuccessfid.  One  of 
them  was  undertaken  by  Antiochus  in  person. 
Hut  the  Siune  loathsome  disease  which  after- 
ward cutoff  Herod  attacked  and  destroyed  him 
while  breathing  out  threatening  and  slaughter 
against  his  foes.  A  civil  war  having  broken 
out  in  Syria,  peace  was  at  last  concluded.  Judas 
Maccabsi'us  became  governor  of  Palestine,  and 
though  fresh  troubles  broke  out  speedily,  a 
new  era  may  be  said  to  liave  begun. 

Palestine  Under  the  Maccabees:  11. C  165  in  6:5. 

When  Judas  Maecabrous  came  into  power, 
tlie  Temple  was  purged  and  rededicated,  and 
the  ancient  services  resumed.  But  Judas  was 
not  allowed  to  prosecute  his  reforms  in  peace. 
He  was  again  attacked  by  the  Syrians ;  but, 
though  successful  once  and  again,  he  began  to 
lo.se  ground.  He  then  applied  to  the  Kumans 
for  help  ;  but  before  it  could  be  granted,  he 
fell  in  battle.  The  command  now  devolved  on 
his  brother  Jonathan.  Owing,  in  a  great  meas- 
ure, to  the  intrigues  and  plots  that  were  going 
on  for  the  Syrian  throne,  Jonathan  contrived 
at  last  to  gel  his  authority  acknowledged,  and 
was  declared  meridarch  or  commander  in  Judea. 
But  it  was  not  long  ere  he  was  treacherously 
murdered.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  brother 
Simon,  who,  like  Judas,  appealed  to  the  Ro- 
mans, and,  by  studying  their  interests,  obtained 
a  large  measure  of  jiorter.  The  sovereignty 
was  made  hereditary  in  the  fanuly  of  Simon, 
and  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  John  Hyrca- 
nus.  The  sects  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees 
were  now  keenly  ojiposed  to  each  other,  and 
Hyrcanus  joined  first  the  one  and  then  the 
other.  Strife  and  commotion  again  prevailed. 
At  last  two  rival  Maccabees,  Hyrcanus  and 
Aristobuhis,  grandsons  of  John  Hyrcanus,  con- 
tended for  the  dignity,  and  a  civil  war  ensued 
in  Judea.  Meanwhile  the  Romans,  inider  Pom- 
pey,  had  extended  their  victories  into  Syria, 
and  Hyreaiuis  and  Aristobuhis  both  submitted 
their  claims  to  Ponqiey's  decision.  Hyrcanus 
was  preferred.  Aristobuhis  attemi)teil  to  de- 
fend Jerusalem  against  Pomi)ey,  but  in  vain. 
After  a  three  moutlis'  siege,  the  city  and  Tem- 
ple were  taken,  u.c.  63.  Pompey  impiously 
entered  the  holy  of  holies,  thereby  inllicting  an 
unpaRlonable  outrage  on  the  feelings  of   the 


SECTION  71.     PALESTINE   UNDER   THE  ROMANS. 


621 


Jews.  It  was  remarked  by  them  that  after  this 
his  reverses  of  fortune  began.  lie  gave  the 
government  of  Judea  to  Ilyrcauus,  but  wo\ild 
not  allow  him  to  wear  a  erown.  A  yearly  trib- 
ute to  Rome  was  imposed.  Aristobulus  and 
some  others  were  taken  prisoners  to  Rome. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  narrate  all  the 
sieges,  battles,  murders  and  massacres  that 
give  their  dark  hue  to  this  period  of  history. 
The  effect  on  the  state  of  religion  among  the 
Jews  must  have  been  very  disastrous.  Per- 
haps, however,  religion  suffered  quite  as  much 
from  the  bitter  contests  between  the  Pharisees 
and  the  Sadducees  as  from  any  other  cause.  It 
is  not  certain  that  the  Sadducees  yet  held  all 
those  impious  doctrines  which  were  afterward 
maintained  by  them.  At  first,  their  main  char- 
acteristic was  opposition  to  the  tratlitions  so 
strenuously  upheld  by  the  Pharisees.  The 
Pharisees  were  generallj'  the  most  numerous 
and  powerful  party.  Now,  as  formerly,  true 
piety  probably  flourished,  like  the  ferns  and 
mosses  of  our  moimtains,  in  shady  nooks  and 
lonely  dells.  Little  of  it  can  be  discovered  in 
the  -leaders  of  factions,  or  in  any  of  the  men 
who  occupied  prominent  positions.  The  rose 
of  Sharon  and  the  lily  of  the  valley  must  be 
sought  for  in  more  quiet  and  sequestered  spots. 

Palestine  Under  the  Romans  :  B.C.  63  to  4. 

When  the  Romans  conquered  Judea,  they  ex- 
acted a  j'early  tribute,  but  allowed  the  country 
to  be  still  governed  bj'  the  Maccabees,  in  con- 
formitj'  with  its  ancient  laws  and  customs. 
But  between  Hyrcanus  and  Aristobulus,  the 
rival  members  of  the  Maccabee  family,  much 
strife  and  bloodshed  arose.  Hyrcanus  was  re- 
stored to  the  high-priesthood  by  Pompey,  while 
Aristobulus,  his  brother,  was  carried  to  Rome 
to  grace  his  triumph.  But  Aristobulus  con- 
trived to  escape,  and  returned  to  renew  the  civil 
war  in  Judea.  The  contest  was  continued  by 
his  son  Alexander,  wlio  was  at  last  defeated 
with  immense  slaughter  at  Mount  Tabor,  in 
the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  the  old  battle-field  of 
Palestine. 

In  the  division  of  the  Roman  empire  that  had 
been  made  between  the  triumvirs,  Ciesar.  Pom- 
pey, and  Crassus,  Syria  had  been  assigned  to 
Crassus.  But  Crassus  lost  both  his  life  and  his 
reputation  in  a  memorable  defeat  by  the  Parthi- 
ans,  ncaj  Carrha;  (Haran)  in  Jlesopotamia — the 
place  where  Abraham  sojourned  after  leaving 
Ur.  The  Partliians  were  now  an  important 
and  formidable  people.  Formerly  they  consti- 
tuted a  province  of  the  Persian  em  [lire,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Caspian  ;  but,  B.C.  350, 


they  founded  a  kingdom  of  their  own,  under 
King  Ai'saces  ;  and  while  the  Syrian  kingdom 
was  decaying,  they  overran  several  of  the  coun- 
tries that  had  belonged  to  Persia  and  Mace- 
donia, including  many  of  those  where  the  Jews 
were  dispersed.  Ultimately,  they  fell  under 
the  dominion  of  Rome. 

After  the  death  of  Crassus,  Syria  was  admin- 
istered for  a  time  by  Cassius,  an  eminent  Ro- 
man general ;  but  during  the  subsequent  con- 
test between  CiBsar  and  Pompey,  much  disor- 
der prevailed.  Pompey  having  been  killed  in 
Egypt,  CiEsar,  now  sole  ruler  of  the  empire, 
determined  that  Hyrcanus  should  rule  as  king 
at  Jerusalem,  and  his  family  after  him  ;  and 
appointed  Antipater,  an  Idunucan  by  birth, 
who  had  made  himself  very  useful  to  Cajsar, 
procurator  of  Judea  under  Hyrcanus.  The 
two  sons  of  Antipater.  Phasaelus  and  Herod 
(afterward  Herod  the  Great),  were  made  gov- 
ernors of  Judea  and  Galilee.  Antipater  did  not 
enjoy  his  dignity  long — he  was  poisoned  the 
following  year,  B.C.  47.  Three  years  after,  his 
royal  patron,  Julius  Caesar,  suffered  a  similar 
fate,  being  assassinated  in  the  senate  at  Rome, 
B.C.  44. 

In  the  subsequent  division  of  empire  between 
the  new  triumvirs,  Octavius,  Antony,  and  Lep- 
idus,  Syria  and  the  East  were  given  to  Antony. 
For  the  most  part,  Antony  was  favorable  to 
Herod,  and  his  friendship  aided  him  in  the  am- 
bitious projects  which  he  was  now  beginning 
to  form.  Phasaelus,  elder  brother  of  Herod, 
had  died  in  prison  by  his  own  liand.  About 
this  time  Herod  married  Marianmc,  a  grand- 
daughter of  Ilvrcanus,  of  extraordinary  beauty, 
thus  securing  the  interest  of  one  branch  of  the 
Maccabee  family.  But  a  new  commotion  was 
raised  by  Antigonus.  a  son  of  Aristobulus,  who, 
gaining  a  temporary'  success,  caused  the  ears  of 
Hyrcanus  to  be  cut  off,  that,  being  mutilated, 
he  might  be  incapacitated  for  the  office  of  the 
high-priesthood  ;  and  pressed  Herod  so  hard, 
that  he  bad  to  retire  to  a  fortress  called  Massada. 
on  the  Dead  Sea.  In  this  state  of  things  Herod 
went  to  Rome,  pictured  to  Antony  the  wretch- 
ed disorders  of  Palestine,  and  getting  him  and 
the  senate  to  believe  that  he  alone  could  restore 
order,  procured  for  himself  the  office  and  dig- 
nity of  king.  Antigonus  was  put  to  death  ; 
and  the  rule  of  the  Asmonrean  princes  came  for- 
mally and  forever  to  an  end. 

For  some  years  Antony  continued  to  be  the 
head  of  the  eastern  portion  of  the  empire. 
Every  reader  of  history  knows  well  the  shame- 
ful profligacy  to  which  he  abandoned  himself, 
in  company  with  Cleopatra,  the  beautiful  but 


622 


PALKSTINE   UNDKU  IIERUD. 


unpriiicipkil  qiioon  of  Epypt.  In  Ejrypt,  at 
Antidch,  lit  .It-nisalim,  ami  many  oili<r  plares, 
this  outraiif  \v<'nt  un  opi'nly.  We  jrt't  a  sail 
plinipsc  of  the  wivtclii'il  state  of  morals  in  the 
Honian  empiri',  when  vo  sec  its  hi"j:hcst  men 
violatin;;,  as  tlicy  did.  the  most  sacred  obliira- 
tious  of  family  life,  living  in  o])en  profligacy 
with  the  wives  of  other  men,  or  j^oing  tliroun;h 
the  form  of  a  divorce  from  their  own,  either  to 
serve  tlieir  convenience  or  gratify  their  lust  by 
a  new  connection.  At  last  a  war  broke  out  be- 
tween Antony  and  Octavius.  wliieli  was  termi- 
nated by  the  buttle  of  Aetium.  in  ICpirus,  where 
Antony  was  comi)lelely  defeated.  About  a 
year  after,  both  lie  and  Cleoiiatra  committed 
suicide  in  Eiiypt.  and  the  ancient  kinjjdom  of 
the  Pharaohs  and  the  Ptolemys  sunk  into  a  Ro- 
man ])rovince.  Octavius,  now  known  as  C'lcsar 
Augustus,  became  emperor  of  Home. 

Meanwhile  Herod,  crafty,  clever,  and  cruel, 
was  endeavoring  to  consolidate  and  extend  his 
power  in  .Judea.  He  was  always  in  dread  that 
some  member  of  tln^  Asmonsean  fandly  would 
start  up  to  give  him  trouble,  and  cooll}-  planned 
to  get  rid  of  as  many  of  them  as  po.ssible.  One 
of  his  first  victims  was  Aristolndiis.  a  brother 
of  his  wife,  a  young  man  of  remarkably  line 
appearance  and  manners,  whom  he  had  made 
high-priest ;  but  as  be  became  very  popular 
among  tlie  Jews,  Herod  had  him  invited  to  his 
residence  at  Jericho,  and  induced  liim  to  bathe 
in  a  tish-ijond,  where,  under  pretence  of  sport, 
his  head  was  held  under  the  water  by  some  of 
Herod's  officers  until  he  was  choked.  The  aged 
Hyrcanus  was  the  next  to  suffer.  That  unfor- 
tunate prince,  after  his  cars  were  cut  off.  had 
been  protected  by  the  Parthians  ;  but  Herod 
prevailed  on  him  to  come  to  Jerusalem,  where 
he  trumped  up  a  false  charge  against  him,  on 
pretext  of  which  he  put  him  to  death,  in  his 
eightieth  year.  These  barbarous  murders  of 
her  nearest  male  relatives  alienated  his  wife 
Mariamne.  At  last  she  too  fell  vinder  suspicion, 
as  if  engaged  in  plotting  against  him  ;  and 
though  Ilcrod  loved  her  most  passionatel}',  she 
was  executed  by  his  orders.  After  her  death 
he  was  seized  with  fearful  remorse,  and  Iiecanie 
almost  distracted.  His  tcnijier  became  far  more 
cruel,  suspicious,  and  vindictive  than  ever,  and 
many  new  deeds  of  blood  stained  the  annals  of 
his  reign.  . 

The  feeling  of  the  Jews  toward  Herod — never 
very  cordial,  seeing  that  he  was  an  Idumasan — 
was  becoming  more  and  more  hostile  ;  so  that 
he  found  it  necessary  to  tak<'  steps  for  securing 
a  measure  of  their  good-will.  He  .set  about 
effecting  improvemeuta  in  his  kingdom.     An 


amphitheatre  and  a  theatre  were  built  by  him 
at  Jerusalem,  for  the  amusement  of  the  peo- 
ple. Samaria,  which  had  lain  a  long  time  in 
ruins,  was  rebuilt,  and  named  Sebiuste,  from 
Sebastos.  the  Greek  word  for  Augustus.  A 
magnificent  iialace  was  built  for  himself  on 
Mount  Ziim.  Anotlier  undertaking  begun  about 
this  time  was  the  building  of  a  great  sea- 
port, between  Joppa  and  Carmel — Cajsarea  ; 
afterward  it  Iiecame  a  place  of  great  importance 
and  the  chief  seat  of  government,  when  the 
Roman  power  was  more  firmly  established  in 
Palest  inc.  It  is  remarkable  that  not  one  of  all 
the  many  towns  in  Palestine  that  had  been 
eajjitals  \vas  a  seaport — not  Hel)ron.  nor  Jeru- 
salem, nor  Gibeah,  nor  Shechem.  nor  Samaria, 
nor  Tir/.ah.  nor  Jezreel,  nor  Mahanaim.  The 
Jews  had  no  love  for  the  sea  ;  in  their  view,  it 
was  the  element  of  danger,  and  the  emblem  of 
strife  and  trouble  :  and  in  this  light  it  is  al- 
most constantly  presented  in  the  imagery  of  the 
Bible,  down  to  that  vision  of  the  Apwalypse 
where  "  there  was  no  more  sea." 

But  the  chief  of  Herod's  improvements  was 
the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple  at  Jerusulem. 
This  work  was  undertaken  shortly  after  Au- 
gustus had  given  a  decision  in  favor  of  Herod 
regarding  certain  violent  complaints  that  had 
been  made  against  him.  Herod  had  signalized 
that  decision  by  building  a  temple  of  white 
marble  in  honor  of  Augustus,  at  Paneas,  beside 
the  sources  of  the  Jordan  ;  and  by  this  and 
other  heathenish  proceedings  had  created  great 
dissatisfaction  in  the  minds  of  the  Jews.  It 
was  therefore  a  very  seasonable  undertaking  to 
rebuild  the  national  Temple  at  Jerusalem.  It 
was  now  about  five  hundred  yeai-s  since  the 
second  Temple  had  been  built ;  and  the  natu- 
ral ])roccss  of  decay,  as  well  as  the  damage 
which  it  had  sustained  during  the  many  sieges 
and  wars  that  had  taken  place  in  Jerusalem, 
made  it  exceedingly  desirable  that  it  should  be 
renewed.  The  Jews  were  afraid  that  if  Herod 
pulled  down  the  existing  Temple  before  he 
built  the  new,  something  might  occur  to  pre- 
vent the  erection,  and  their  city  might  be  dc- 
jirived  of  its  highest  glory.  It  was  according- 
ly arranged  that  all  the  materials  for  the  new 
Temple  should  be  prepared  before  the  old  build- 
ing was  demolished.  A  thousand  wagons  were 
employed  in  conveying  stones  and  timber  ;  ten 
thousand  workmen  in  fitting  the  materials  for 
building  ;  and  a  thousand  priests,  skilled  in 
architecture,  in  superintending  the  work.  It 
was  about  ten  years  before  the  building  was  so 
far  finished  as  to  be  ready  for  dedication  and 
Divine  service  ;    but  for  many  ycav%  after  a 


SECTION  71.     LEADING  EVENTS  OF  400    YEARS. 


623 


large  body  of  men  were  employed  about  the 
outworks — justifying  the  remark  of  the  Jews, 
"  Forty  and  six  years  was  this  Temple  in  build- 
ing." Being  regarded  rather  as  a  restoration 
than  a  new  erection,  it  continued  to  be  spoken 
of  as  the  second  Temple.  By  such  important 
undertakings,  and  by  the  pains  he  took  to  em- 
bellish Jerusalem  and  improve  the  country 
generallj',  Herod  did  much  to  mitigate  the  de- 
testation with  which  he  otherwise  would  cer- 
tainly have  been  regarded. 

The  domestic  troubles  and  crimes  of  Ilerod 
were  not  vet  ended.  By  his  wife  Mariamne  he  had 
two  sons,  Alexander  and  Aristobulus,  whom 
he  intended  to  make  his  successors  in  the  gov- 
ernment. They  were  sent  to  Rome  and  intro- 
duced to  Augustus,  and  seemed  in  a  fair  way  of 
rising  to  honor  and  pr)H'er.  But  tlie  demon  of 
suspicion  haunted  Herod,  and  he  was  surround- 
ed by  persons  who  were  always  trying,  for  their 
own  interests,  to  persuade  him  that  others  were 
plotting  for  his  life  and  his  crown.  At  last  his 
sons,  like  their  mother,  fell  victims  to  his  un- 
natural susjiicion  and  brutal  violence,  and  were 
strangled  by  his  orders  at  Sebaste.  Immense 
numbers  of  other  persons  were  put  to  death  at 
various  times  by  his  command,  under  the  im- 
pression that  they  were  engaged  in  conspira- 
cies. On  one  occasion  a  large  number  of  the 
Pharisees  suffered  this  fate.  These  bloody  and 
revolting  deeds  were  perpetrated  only  a  j'ear  or 
two  before  the  birth  of  Jesus,  and  explain  the 
suspicion  which  then  filled  Herod's  mind,  and 
the  wholesale  massacre  of  the  babes  of  Bethle- 
hem, ordered  by  him  with  the  ])urpose  of  get- 
ting rid  of  the  unwelcome  rival. 

The  Jews  of  the  Dispersion. 

We  conclude  this  historical  sketch  with  a 
glance  at  the  state  of  the  Jews  in  the  chief 
countries  of  their  dispersion  up  to  the  time  of 
the  birth  of  our  Lord.  In  the  countries  to  which 
they  had  been  originally  carried  captive  large 
numbers  of  Jews  still  remained,  and  in  many 
of  them  they  attained  to  great  wealth  and  im- 
portance. In  .some  of  the.se  countries  they  kept 
quite  aloof  from  connection  by  marriage  with 
the  other  inhabitants  ;  but  in  other  cases  they 
were  not  so  strict.  This  gave  rise  to  various 
epithets,  intended  to  mark  the  degree  of  purity 
of  the  Jewish  blood.  In  the  district  between 
the  Tigris  and  the  Euphrates  they  were 
"healtliv;"  Media  was  ''sickly;"  Elymais, 
"in  the  lapt  gasps;"  and  Mcsene,  "dead." 
About  the  birth  of  our  Lord,  the  Jews  in  Mes- 
opotamia were  exposed  to  a  terril)le  persecu- 
tion, in  which  above  sixty  thousand  of  them 


were  slain.  In  other  districts  of  Asia  severe 
persecution  often  befell  them.  In  Arabia  many 
Jews  foiuid  a  home  ;  and  for  a  long  time  tlie 
throne  of  Yemen  or  Seba,  in  Arabia,  where  the 
queen  of  Sheba  had  reigned,  was  tilled  by  Jews. 
Thev  even  penetrated  to  China  ;  according  to 
tradition,  a  liodj-  of  six  thousand  emigrated 
thither  from  Persia  fifty  or  sixty  years  B.C. 
Some  of  the  Hebrews  attained  even  to  the  rank 
mandarins.  The  descendants  of  these  Jews  are 
still  found  in  China,  with  a  sanctuary  con- 
structed after  the  model  of  the  Temple  of  Jeru- 
salem. Egypt  was  long  an  important  settle- 
ment of  the  Jews  At  Ileliopolis,  where  Jo- 
seph's father-in-law  had  been  priest,  they  had 
a  temple,  built  b}'  Onias,  the  high-priest  who 
fled  from  Jerusalem  in  the  time  of  Antiochus 
Epiphancs  ;  and  at  Alexandria  a  synagogue, 
the  magnificence  of  which  was  spoken  of  in  the 
most  glowing  terms.  In  Cyrene,  Libya,  and 
other  parts  of  Africa,  their  numbers  were  com- 
puted at  about  a  million.  Rome,  too,  hatl  al- 
ready begun  to  have  its  Jewish  inhabitants. 
Lender  Pompc}',  Jews  were  sold  in  Rome  as 
slaves.  They  soon,  however,  gained  their  lib- 
erty. Julius  Ca-sar  patronized  the  Jews  great- 
ly  ;  and  Augustus  showed  them  favor,  encour- 
aged no  doubt  by  the  attachment  which  Herod 
had  shown  to  him.  An  age  or  two  later,  their 
troubles  and  miseries  began  to  thicken  in  almost 
all  parts  of  the  world  ;  but  at  the  birth  of  our 
Lord  they  were  not  only  very  widely  dis- 
persed, but  enjoyed  no  small  share  of  comfort 
and  prosperity. 


LEADING  EVENTS   OF  400  YEARS. 

Affairs  of  P.\lestine. 

under  the  persians,  to  n.c.  333. 

Kings  of  Perna. 

Artaxerxes  Mnemon n.c.  40-4-359 

Ochus 358-837 

Arogus 337-335 

Darius 835-331 

nNDER  ALEXANDER,  B.C.  333-323. 
UNDER  THE  PTOLEMYS.  TO  B.C.  204. 

Kings  of  Egypt. 

Ptolemy  Soter B.C.  30-1-384 

Ptolemy  Philadelphus 385-247 

Ptolemy  Euergetes 347-323 

Ptolemy  Philopator 221-204 

UNDER  THE   KINGS   OF   SYRIA,  B.C.  204-165. 

Antiochus  the  Great B.C.  222-186 

Seleucus  Philopator 186-175 


624 


IJTICIIATURE  OF  TlIK  FOLli  SI  LEST  CKXTVRIES. 


Antioclius  Epii)h!Uie8 175-1(14 

Antioclius  Eupator,  etc IG4-lti'.i 

INIlKK   TlIK   MACCABEES,  B.C.    16.5-63. 

Juilus n.c.  165-160 

Joimtlmn 160-143 

Simou 143-135 

Joliii  n yrcamis 135-106 

Aristobulus 106-105 

Ale.\iUuUT  Jannn;us 105-  78 

Alexander 78-69 

Aristobulu.s 69-03 

[Hyreanus 63-  40 

Aiitigonus 40-  37] 

UNDER  THE   ROM.VNS,  FROM   B.C.  63. 

Pompcy  — Crassus— Cassius. 
Antipater — Herod, 


Aff.\ir8  of  Greece. 

Fall  of  Athens— Rise  of  Thebes— Rise  of  Philip 
of  Macedon — .Alexander  the  Great — Internal 
Struggles — Greece  Subdued  by  Romans. 


Affairs  of  Rome. 

Invasion  of  Gatils — War  with  Pyrrlius — Car- 
thaginian Wars — Civil  Wars — Coniiiicsts  of 
Greece,  Asia  Jlinor,  Syria,  Egypt,  Palestine 
— First  Triumvirate  :  Julius  Ca'sar,  Pompey, 
Crassus — SecoiKi  Triumvirate  :  Octavius,  An- 
tony, Lepidus — Ca;sar  Augustus,  Emperor. 
W.  G.  Bluikie. 


Section  72. 

THE  FOUR  CENTURIES  BETWEEN   THE  TESTAMENTS. 
2.  The  Liitcrature. 


THE  POtJRTEKN    APOCRYPHAL    BOOKS. 


The  eanon  of  tlie  Old  Testament  rests  on  the 
testimony  of  the  .Icwish  synagogue.  But  this 
is  not  sullu'icnt  f(ir  Christians.  We  accept  the 
Old  Testament  on  the  authority  of  Christ  and 
tlie  apostles,  who  endorsed  Moses  and  the  proph- 
ets as  the  organs  of  Divine  revelation.  We  be- 
lieve first  in  Christ,  as  our  Lord  and  Saviour  ; 
next,  the  New  Testament,  as  the  authentic 
record  of  His  teaching  and  example  ;  and  last, 
tlie  Old  Testament,  as  bearing  witness  of  Him. 
The  Roman  Catholic  Church  accepts  the  canon 
of  the  Septuagint  and  the  Vulgate,  which  in- 
clude the  so-called  Apocrypha.  She  puts  the 
Apocry  jiha  on  a  par  with  the  other  books.  The 
Greek  Church  assigns  them  a  subordinate  po- 
sition. The  Protestant  churches  accept  only  the 
Hebrew  Scriptures  as  canonical,  but  they  recog- 
nize the  historical  importance  of  the  Apocrypha, 
which  lill  the  gap  between  the  Old  and  the  New 
Testaments,  and  represent  the  history  and  re- 
ligious life  of  the  Jews  during  that  period. 
Luther's  Bible  contains  the  Apocrypha,  as 
"  books  which  are  not  equal  to  the  <-anonical 
Scriptures,  yet  useful  and  good  to  read."  The 
Keformed  churches  drew  a  sharper  distinction 
between  apocryphal  and  canonical  books,  but 


retained  the  formerin  the  Swiss,  French.  Dutch, 
anil  English  versions.  The  British  and  For- 
eign Bible  Society  and  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety excluded  them  from  their  editions  since 
1826.     Srh,iff. 

Ap'>rri//i/iii  is  a  term  popularly  applied  to  the 
following  fourteen  books  ;  1  Esdnis,  2  Esdras, 
Tobit,  Judith,  Esther  10  : 4  to  chap.  16,  Wis- 
dom, EccU'siasticus,  Baruch,  Song  of  the  Three 
Holy  Children,  History  of  Susanna,  Bel  and 
the  Dragon,  Prayer  of  Manasses,  1  Maccabees, 
2  Maccabees.  These  books  represent  the  period 
of  transition  and  decay  after  the  return  of  the 
Jews  from  Babylon,  and  most  (perhaps  all) 
were  probably  written  B.C.  300-30.  We  may 
notice  in  them  (1)  the  absence  of  the  prophetic 
element ;  (2)  the  almost  total  disappearance  of 
the  power  shown  in  the  poetry  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament ;  (3)  the  appearance  of  works  of  fiction 
resting,  or  purporting  to  rest,  on  an  historical 
foundation  ;  (4)  the  growth  of  a  purely  legen- 
dary lllerature  ;  (5)  the  tendency  to  pass  off 
supposititious  books  under  the  cover  of  illustri- 
ous names  ;  (6)  the  insertion  of  unauthenticated 
formal  documents  as  authentic  ;  (7)  abundant 
errors  and  anachronisms  ;  (8)  some  peculiarities 


SECTION  7S.     THE  APOCRYPHAL  BOOKS. 


635 


connected  with  the  religious  and  etliical  devel- 
opment of  Judaism,  as  the  manifest  influences 
of  the  struggle  against  idolatry  under  Antl- 
ocluis,  the  growing  hostilit_v  to  the  Samaritans, 
the  prominence  assigned  in  Tobit  to  almsgiv- 
ing, with  the  growing  belief  in  the  individual 
guardianship  of  angels  and  the  germs  of  a  gro- 
tesque demonology  there  apparent,  and  (in 
Wisdom)  the  teachings  in  respect  to  wisdom, 
to  the  kingdom  of  God  and  its  eternal  bless- 
ings, and  to  the  love  and  righteousness  of  God. 
Die.  B. 

The  general  spirit  of  the  apocryphal  books 
we  may  characterize  as  rationalistic.  The  Jles- 
sianic  prophecies  are  divested  in  great  degree 
of  their  sujiernatural  character  ;  the  Messiah  is 
a  man,  of  David's  house,  God's  instrument  in 
their  national  restoration,  as  David  was  in  the 
establishment  of  the  kingdom.  But  His  place 
is  subordinate.  His  work  is  of  chief  impor- 
tance as  preparatory  to  that  of  Jehovah,  which 
is  to  follow.  The  Messianic  kingtlom  is  a  part 
of  the  present  world,  and  serves  to  introduce 
the  world  to  come  ;  the  resurrection  jmd  judg- 
ment follow  it,  not  precede  it.  Thus  the  Jles- 
siah's  kingdom  is  only  a  reproduction  of  the 
Davidic  in  an  enlarged  and  liigher  form. 
Andrewcs. 

The  apocryphal  books  were  not  only  written 
after  the  end  of  the  living  progress  of  the  Old 
Testament  revelation,  but  their  contents  adil 
nothing  to  our  knowledge  of  that  progress,  and 
therefore  we  can  saj'  on  broad  grounds  of  com- 
mon-sense that  these  books  must  not  be  included 
in  the  Bible  record,  but  that  their  value  is  sim- 
ply that  of  documents  for  the  history  of  the 
connection  of  the  Old  and  the  New  Testament. 
W.  R.  Smith. 

Brief  Notice  of  Eiich  Book. 

1  Esdras.  The  greater  part  of  this  book  re- 
produces what  we  find  in  the  canonical  books 
o£  Ezra  and  Neliemiah,  and  wsis  manifestly  writ- 
ten by  a  Greek,  probably  by  an  Alexandrian 
Jew,  who  was  acquainted  with  them.  It  gives, 
as  was  natural  in  a  compiler  from  documents 
more  or  less  fragmentarj',  a  narrative  intended 
to  be  more  concise  and  more  continuous  of  the 
return  of  the  Jews  down  to  the  close  of  the 
Book  of  Ezra,  whose  name  it  presents  in  the 
Greek  form  of  Esdras.  But  the  writer  thought 
it  necessary'  to  embellish  history,  and  so  he  in- 
terpolates what  is  the  original,  and  practically 
therefore  the  most  interesting  portion  of  the 
book,  the  narrative  of  the  debate  between  the 
three  young  men  that  were  of  the  body-guard 
of  Darius  as  to  the  respective  power  of  wine,  of 


women,  and  of  truth.  The  advocate  of  truth  is 
represented  as  being  none  other  than  the  histori- 
cal Zerubbaljel,  the  jirinceof  the  house  of  David. 
It  is  through  his  eloquence  that  the  king  bids 
him  ask  what  he  will,  and  it  should  be  given 
him.  This  was  the  secret  history  of  the  return 
from  Babylon.  Historically  the  book  has  but 
little  vahie,  is  careless  in  its  arrangements,  and 
inconsistent  with  the  Hebrew  record.  It  has, 
however,  left  one  legacy  to  the  world  which 
will  not  readily  pass  out  of  remembrance. 
AVhen  we  hear  in  debates,  religious  or  political, 
in  the  eloquence  of  statesmen  or  advocates,  the 
familiar  words,  "Magna  est  Veritas  et  prseva- 
lebit,"  we  are  listening  to  a  quotation  from  the 
apocrj'phal  book  of  1  Esdras  (4  :  41). 

2  Esilrtis.  The  strange  book  which  bears  this 
title  is  marked  by  an  entirely  different  charac- 
ter. It  is  distinctly  and  professedly  an  apoca- 
lypse. No  Greek  text  of  it  is  extant,  though 
versions  exist  both  in  Arabic  and  Ethiopic  aa 
well  as  Latin.  The  entire  absence  of  any 
reference  to  it  in  Philo  or  Josephus  or  the  writ- 
ers of  the  New  Testament,  as  well  as  of  any 
historical  landmarks  in  the  book  itself,  leaves 
the  date  of  its  composition  open  to  conjecture. 
No  critic  worthy  of  the  name  has  assigned  an 
earlier  date  than  the  time  of  Julius  Ciesar,  or  a 
later  date  than  that  of  Domitiau.  And  yet, 
wild  and  strange  as  are  the  contents  of  the 
book,  no  one  can  read  it  without  profound  in- 
terest. It  gives  us,  as  no  other  book  does,  a 
vivid  picture  of  one  phase  of  the  Jewish  mind, 
in  the  wild,  unsettled  period  that  preceded  or 
followed  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  There 
we  find  the  first  trace  of  the  legend  that  was 
afterward  accepted  as  to  the  dictation  to  Ezra 
of  the  existing  Hebrew  Bible,  and  of  a  large 
number  of  secret  revelations  in  addition  (14  :  38- 
48).  There,  too,  for  the  first  time,  we  find  the 
marvellous  tale,  the  parent  of  so  many  j'et 
more  marvellous  theories,  how  the  Ten  Tribes 
in  the  land  of  their  exile  resolved  that  they 
would  go  to  a  far-off  country,  "  and  keep  there 
the  statutes  which  they  never  kept  in  their  own 
knd"  (13:40-46). 

Tiiliit.  Of  this  book  we  have,  besides  the 
Septuagiut  and  the  Latin  version,  two  Hebrew 
texts.  There  is  no  reason,  however,  to  think 
that  it  was  originally  written  in  Hebrew.  And 
we  know,  both  from  Origen  and  Athanasius, 
that  the  Jews  of  their  time  did  not  recognize  it 
as  belonging  to  the  canon.  The  existence  of 
Hebrew  translations  is,  however,  interesting, 
as  showing  the  popularity  of  the  book,  not 
only  among  Christians,  to  whom-  it  came  com- 
mended by  its  position  in  the  Greek  version  of 


626 


UTERATUnE  OF  TUB  FOUR  SILENT  CENTURIES. 


the  Old  Testament,  but  among  Jews,  who  ac- 
cepted it  ou  its  etliical  mid  literary  merits.  Of 
these  we  need  not  hesitate  to  speak  very  liighly. 
While  to  some  extent  reniindinfr  us  of  the  Hook 
of  Until  US  being  a  doineslic  history,  it  is  for  us 
interesting  as  being  one  among  llie  earliest  ex- 
amples of  ethieal  lietion.  Keverenei;  for  jiar- 
ents  (4  :  3),  the  duty  and  tlie  blessing  of  alms- 
giving (1  :  16,  17  ;  4  :  16  ;  14  :  11),  purity  and 
temperance  (4  :  15),  the  holiness  of  marriage 
(8  :  7) — these  are  the  leading  lessens  of  the  book  ; 
and  though  the  story  with  which  it  is  inter- 
woven has  for  us  a  superstitious  and  almost 
ludicrous  aspect,  it  Inis  y(!t  in  parts  a  singular 
tenderness  and  beauty.  The  book,  it  must  be 
added,  has  no  claim  to  llie  character  of  history. 
The  develo|)ed  belief  as  to  possession  by  evil 
spirits,  the  practice  of  exorcism,  the  names 
Asmodeus  and  Uapluiel,  indicate  a  date  subse- 
quent to  the  Babylonian  Captivity  ;  and  the 
personation  of  autobiography  in  chaps.  1-3  is 
but  the  well-known  artifice  which  has  been  held 
legitimate  by  all  writers  of  fiction. 

Judith.  Here,  too,  we  arc  on  the  ground  of 
historical  fiction,  and  not  of  liistory  ;  and  the 
writer  betrays  hini>-elf  by  more  serious  an- 
aclironisms  than  those  which  we  have  found  in 
Tobit.  Nebuchadnezzar  (—  Nabuehodonosor) 
is  made  king  of  Nineveh,  not  of  Babylon,  at  a 
time  after  the  destruction  of  the  former  city  ; 
is  called  the  king  of  the  Assyrians,  instead  of 
the  Chaldeans,  as  in  the  historical  books  of  the 
Old  Testament.  The  Israelites  are  represented 
as  liaving  returned  from  the  Captivity  and  re- 
built their  temple  in  the  time  of  the  very  king 
who  had  destroyed  the  Temple  and  carried 
them  into  exile  (4:3;  5  :  18,  19).  Jerome 
speaks  of  it  as  written  in  the  Chaldee  language, 
and  as  read  among  the  Hebrews.  Joseplius, 
singularly  enough,  does  not  even  allude  to  it. 

I'he  rest  of  tlie  chapters  of  t/te  Book  of  Esther, 
which  are  found  neither  in  t/te  Hebrew  nor  in  the 
Chaldee.  I  have  quoted  the  title  of  this  frag- 
ment, as  showing  with  sufficient  clearness  the 
grounds  on  which  it  was  placed  among  the 
Apocrypha.  In  this  instance,  as  in  1  Esdras, 
a  canonical  book  was  thought  not  sufficiently 
interesting,  and  was enibelli.shed  with  additions 
by  the  Greek  translator.  The  writer  iniiicates 
his  own  time  with  sufficient  clearness  by 
reference  to  "  the  fourth  year  of  the  ivign  of 
Ptolemeus  and  Cleopatra"  (11  : 1).  The  addi- 
tions arc,  it  may  be  added,  absolutely  worth- 
less. 

The  Wixdom  of  Solomon.  The  book  which 
besirs  this  name  is  in  many  n'spects  the  gem  of 
the  whole  Apocrypha.     Here  again  we  know 


nothing  of  the  writer,  and  can  but  roughly  ap- 
proximate to  the  date  of  the  book.  There  is  no 
trace  of  a  Hebrew  original,  and  it  was  never  re- 
ceived by  the  Jews  of  Palestine.  Our  first 
actual  knowledge  of  it  comes  from  Christian 
sources,  and  this  does  not  carry  us  further  back 
than  the  latter  part  of  the  second  century. 
The  book  is,  however,  clearly  pre-Christian. 
There  is  no  reference  in  it  to  the  facts  of  the 
Gospel  history,  nor  to  its  leading  thoughts. 
The  writer  was  an  Alexandrian  Jew,  who,  like 
Philo,  had  come  in  contact  with  the  language 
and  thouglits  of  Platonists,  Stoics,  Epicureans, 
and  had  sought,  as  Philo,  without  giving  up 
tlu^  faith  of  his  fathers,  to  show  that  it  was  in 
harmony  with  all  that  was  truest  and  noblest  in 
the  philosophy  of  Greece.  By  many  writers 
indeed,  from  Jerome  onward,  Philo  has  been 
regarded  as  the  author,  but  of  this  there  is  no 
proof.  We  can  scarcely  resist  the  impression 
that  the  book  is  but  the  fragment  of  what  was 
intended  to  have  been  a  far  larger  work.  It 
ends  abruptly  ;  its  survey  of  the  history  of 
Israel  being  altogeth(;r  incomplete,  and  with 
hardly  even  the  semblance  of  the  rhetorical 
peroration  which  the  general  cliaracter  of  the 
book  would  have  led  us  to  expect. 

The  Wisdom  <f  Jesus,  the  Son  of  .^irtich,  or  Ec- 
desiastiens.  In  this  instance  we  liave  what  wc 
find  in  no  other  canonical  or  apocryphal  book — 
an  editorial  preface,  purporting  to  give  some- 
thing like  a  history  of  its  origin.  It  represents 
it  as  the  result  of  the  labors  of  three  genera- 
tions. The  elder  Jesiis,  or  Joshua,  lived  "al- 
most after  all  the  propliets,"  a  phrase  which 
seems  to  indicate  a  dale  between  Zeclitiriah  and 
Malachi.  What  the  exceptional  loftiness  of  the 
eighth  chapter  of  Proverbs  was  at  a  later  time 
to  the  writer  of  the  Wisdom  of  Solomon,  that 
the  prudential  morality  of  the  rest  of  the  book 
was  to  liim.  He  became  a  collector  of  "  the 
grave  and  short  sentences  of  wise  men."  and 
added  "  some  of  hisown."  He  bequeathed  tlijs 
collection  to  his  son  Sirach,  who,  in  his  turn, 
left  it  to  a  younger  Jesus,  named  after  his  grand- 
father. To  him  belonged  the  work  of  arrang- 
ing and  editing,  and  if  we  accept  the  S(  cond 
prologue  as  genuine,  we  arrive  at  something 
like  a  definite  statement  lus  to  the  origin  of  the 
book  which  he  thus  edits.  It  wa.s  originally  in 
Hebrew — ('.<■.,  the  Aramaic  of  Jerusalem  after 
the  return  from  thi^  Exile.  He  had  come  into 
Egypt  when  Euergetes  was  king,  in  the  thirty- 
eighth  year  from  some  era  to  us  undefined — 
probably,  i.e.,  about  n.o.  133 — and  thought  it 
his  duty  to  translate  it  for  the  beiK  tit  of  those 
of  his  countrymen  who,   being  settled  in  "  a 


SECTION  72.     THE  APOCHYPIIAL  BOOKS. 


627 


strange  country,"  were  yet  "  willing  to  learn, 
bciiic;  iirepiire(i  before  in  manners  to  live  after 
the  law."  The  later  chapters  of  this  book  give 
us  distinct  internal  evidence  of  date  in  liarmony 
with  the  conclusion  thus  arrived  at.  Significant 
both  as  to  the  date  of  the  book,  its  Hebrew  or 
Palestine  origin,  and  the  growing  antipathy 
which  it  indicates,  is  the  passage  ia  which  the 
writer  enumerates,  among  those  whom  his  soul 
abhorretli,  those  "  that  sit  upon  the  mountain 
of  Samaria,  and  they  that  dwell  among  the 
Philistines,  and  that  foolish  people  that  dwell 
in  Sichem"  (50:36).  This  could  hardly  have 
been  written  before  the  rivalry  between  Gerizim 
and  Jerusalem  had  become  a  definitely  pro- 
nounced fact,  and  it  stands  among  the  earliest 
tokens  of  the  antagonism  which  afterward  rose 
to  such  a  height  that  the  Jews  had  "  no  deal- 
ings with  the  Samaritans."  The  title  of  Ec- 
clesiasticus,  it  may  be  noted,  is  of  Latin,  not 
Greek  origin  as  applied  to  the  book.  In  the 
Septuagint,  and  as  quoted  by  the  Greek  fathers, 
it  is  always  as  the  Wisdom  of  Sirach,  sometimes 
the  AU-exeellent  Wisdom.  When  given  to  this 
book  it  was  in  the  sense  in  wliich  the  whole 
body  of  the  ApocryiJha  w-as  sometimes  called 
ecclesiastical — i.e..  tit  for  being  used  in  church, 
the  pre-cmineut  popularity  of  the  book,  and 
possibly  its  general  use  for  the  ethical  instruc- 
tion of  catechumens,  winning  for  it  the  special 
application  of  the  more  general  name.  The 
fact  that  one  of  the  sapiential  books  of  the  Old 
Testament  had  already  received  the  title  Ec- 
clesiastes  in  a  different  sense,  might  contribute 
to  the  currency  of  the  name  as  applied  to  a  book 
which  seemed  to  the  superficial  reader  to  belong 
to  the  same  class. 

Barudi  and  the  Epi.itle  of  Jeremy.  Here  also 
we  have  a  book  purporting  to  come  from  one 
who  was  prominent  in  the  history  of  Israel,  the 
secretary  and  companion  of  a  prophet  (Jer. 
33  :  13  ;  36  :  4-10).  There  are  no  traces,  how- 
ever, of  any  Hebrew  original,  and  the  book  has 
never  been  acknowledged  as  genuine  either  by 
the  Jews  themselves  or  by  those  who  were 
brought  into  contact,  as  Jerome  was,  with  the 
Jewish  canon.  There  is  not  the  slightest 
reference  to  it  in  the  New  Testament  or  in  the 
early  fathers.  It  must  therefore  be  regarded  as 
simply  a  compilation  put  together  to  meet  the 
demands  of  Alexandrian  Jews  for  additions  to 
their  K-ligious  literature,  or  to  meet  their  re- 
ligious dangers  with  edifying  counsels.  Its 
chief  characteristic,  in  which  it  stands  alone 
among  the  Apocrypha,  is  that  it  is  manifestly 
modelled  chiefly  upon  the  writings  of  the  pro- 
phetic books  of    the  Old  Testament ;  and  al- 


though the  true  prophet  is  not  there,  we  at  least 
hear  echoes  of  the  lofty  imagery  with  wliich  the 
older  seers  had  set  forth  the  future  glories  of 
Israel  (4  :  30  ;  5  :  9).  Like  all  the  Alexandrian 
books,  however,  the  note  of  the  love  of  heavenly 
wisdom  is  not  absent  from  it,  and  in  3  :  12-37 
we  have  distinct  traces  of  the  influence  of  such 
passages  as  Job  28.  Noticeable  also  is  the 
prominence  given  to  "  the  Everlasting"  as  the 
equivalent  for  the  Hebrew  Jehovah,  instead  of 
the  more  common  "  Lord"  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment writers.  Most  readers  will,  it  is  believed, 
feel  that  it  would  be  a  gain  to  the  majesty  of 
our  version  if  that  or  "  the  Eternal"  had  been 
adopted  in  like  manner  there,  as  it  is  in  the 
French  and  some  other  versions. 

T/ie  Epistle  of  Jeremy,  annexed  to  Baruch, 
stands  on  just  the  same  footing.  As  a  composi- 
tion it  is  every  way  inferior  to  it,  and  is  not  in 
any  sense  an  imitation  of  the  style  of  the  prophet 
from  whom  it  purports  to  come.  It  is,  indeed, 
simply  a  long  diatribe,  partly  modelled  upon 
Isa.  46,  against  the  folly  of  idolatry,  and  almost 
the  only  fact  of  interest  in  it  is  the  incidental 
notice  of  the  special  forms  of  impurity  con- 
nected with  the  Babylonian  worship  of  Mylitta 
(verse  43),  as  that  worship  is  described  bj'  Herod- 
otus. 

The  Song  of  the  Three  Holy  Children,  the  Ilis 
tory  of  Susan  nil,  Bel  and  the  Drag<in.  The  three 
fragments  that  bear  these  titles  appear  in  the 
Septuagint  version  of  the  Book  of  Daniel.  The 
character  of  that  book,  as  partly  narrative, 
partljf  apocalyptic  (perhaps  also  its  po.sition 
among  the  Hagiographa,  and  not  among  the 
prophets  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures),  tempted 
the  translator  to  embellish  the  book  with  narra- 
tives which  may  very  probably'  have  been  based 
upon  traditions  already  current,  and  to  inter- 
weave a  prayer  and  a  psalm  (both  irrelevant  and 
inappropriate,  aud  scarcely  rising  above  the 
level  of  rhetoric)  into  the  narrative  of  the  heroic 
confession,  the  martyrdom  in  will  and  deed, 
though  not  in  result,  of  Shadrach,  Meshach, 
and  Abednego.  As  incorporated  with  the  text 
of  Daniel  in  the  Greek  version,  all  portions  were 
received  by  the  early  Christians  with  the  same 
reverence,  and  passed  in  the  same  way  into  the 
Latin  version.  The  Song  of  the  Three  Childreu 
was  accepted  in  the  fourth  century  as  a  hymn 
of  the  Christian  Church,  in  the  first  instance  by 
the  Church  of  Spain,  at  the  fourth  Council  of 
Toledo  (Can.  14),  and  still  retains  its  place  in 
the  Prayer-Book  of  the  Church  of  England. 
The  history  of  Susanna  has  probably  become 
more  conspicuous  as  having  furnished  painters 
with  a  biblical  subject  which  admitted  of   a 


G:i8 


THE  APOCltYPllAL  BOOKS. 


sensuous  troatmpnt,  than  as  supplying  preneliers 
with  11  Uiciuc  for  hoiiiilitic  instruction.  Some 
of  the  curly  fathers,  however,  ventured  iijion 
an  allejiorieal  interpretatinii,  ami  Susanna  ap- 
peared as  a  type  of  the  Christian  Cliureh  sulTer- 
ing  under  ealuniny  and  ])erseeution.  Tlie  nar- 
rative of  Uel  and  the  Draj;on  is  chiefly  noticeable 
in  connection  witli  the  history  of  tlie  English 
Prayer-Hook.  Of  all  the  apocryphal  lessons, 
it  was  the  one  which  the  I'uritan  party  most 
strongly  objected  to,  and  in  deference  to  their 
feelings  it  was  struck  out  of  the  Table  of  Les- 
sons by  the  Hampton  Court  Conference  under 
James  1.  When  the  He.storation  came,  the  bish- 
ops and  divines  who  revised  the  Prayer-Book 
thought  fit  to  restore  it.  Hai)i)ily  it  has  dis- 
apjieared  with  a  good  deal  besides  of  apocry  phal 
lumber  in  the  la.st  revision  of  1870. 

The  Prai/er  of  Mdintssfs.  The  narrative  of 
the  repentance  of  Jlansisseh,  and  of  his  return 
from  Babylon  and  restoration  to  his  kingdom 
(2  Chron.  33  :  13,  13),  and  the  fact  that  a  He- 
brew prayer  attributed  to  him  was  extant  at  the 
time  when  the  Books  of  Chronicles  were  com- 
piled (2  Chron.  33  :  IS),  were  naturally  sugges- 
tive to  the  cla-ss  of  w-riters  who  undertook  the 
task  of  tilling  up  gaps  or  adorning  the  narra- 
tives of  the  Hebrew  Bible.  There  is  no  refer- 
ence to  it  or  trace  of  its  existence  before  a.d. 
221  ;  but  its  moral  teaching  and  rhetorical 
power  commended  it  for  devotional  use  among 
Christians,  and  it  is  found  in  the  great  Alexan- 
drian >rs.  of  the  Old  Testament,  not  as  part  of 
the  volume,  but  among  the  hymns  and  rh_vth- 
nucal  prayers  which  are  appended  to  the 
Psalter.  The  interest  attaching  to  its  sui)pi)sed 
history  has  given  it  a  prominence  which  it 
would  hardly  have  attained  otherwise. 

1  and  2  ^fllcc<lbees.  The  way  in  which  these 
books  are  presented  to  us  in  the  Apocrypha  is 
to  a  certain  extent  misleading.  Our  first  im- 
pression is  that,  as  with  1  and  2  Samuel,  1  and 
2  Kings,  1  and  2  Chronicles,  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, so  here,  that  which  is  brought  before  us 
is  a  consecutive  history.  A  very  slight  inspec- 
tion serves  to  show  that  instead  of  this  we  have 
two  entirely  independent  narratives,  and  that 
the  sec'ond  starts  from  an  earlier  period  than  the 
first,  the  events  included  in  the  one  being  from 
B.C.  180-161,  in  the  other  from  B.C.  168-13"). 
EiU'h  book  has  therefore  to  be  dealt  with  sep- 
arately. It  is  worth  while  noting  that  the  two 
that  we  have  are  only  a  portion  of  a  copious  lit- 
erature dealing  with  the  great  struggle  of  the 
Jews,  headed  in  the  first  instance  by  Mattathias 
the  Just,  and  afterward  by  Judas  the  Maceabee, 
lii.s  ntore  famous  son,  against  the  attempt  by 


Antiochus  Epiphanes  to  destroy  their  faith  and 
crush  out  their  national  life.  A  third  Book  of 
Maccabees  found  a  jdace  in  the  Septuagint 
canon  of  Scriiitine,  giving  an  account  (as  if  an 
inverted  order  had  seemed  natural  to  the  com- 
l)iler)  of  event.s  which  preceded  those  recorded 
in  the  .second.  A  fourth  book,  running  paral- 
lel with  the  second,  is  extant  in  Greek,  and  was 
iiscribed  conjecturally  to  the  authorship  of  Jo- 
sephus.  A  fifth  is  extant,  giving  a  summary 
of  Jewish  history  from  the  attempt  of  Heliodo- 
rus  (2  Mace.  3)  to  the  time  of  our  Lord.  There 
are  traces  even  of  a  sixth.  Tlie  two  which  are 
now  printed  in  the  English  Apocry]>ha  owe 
their  position  to  the  fact  that  they  were  in- 
cluded in  the  Latin  Vulgate.  Jerome,  it  is 
true,  though  he  says  that  he  found  the  first 
book  in  Hebrew,  did  not  translate  them,  and 
the  Vulgate  version  is  from  the  older  Latin 
translation  of  the  Old  Testiiment  that  was  cur- 
rent before  Jerome's  work.  The  Council  of 
Trent  formally  adopted  them  as  part  of  the 
canon  of  Scripture.  The  reformed  churches 
dealt  with  them  its  with  the  other  books  of  the 
Apocrypha,  but,  indike  most  of  the  others, 
they  have  never  taken  their  i)laee  in  the  public 
reading  of  Scripture  authorized  by  the  Church 
of  England. 

1  Maceahcen.  The  book  appears,  from  Je- 
rome's statement  and  from  internal  evidence, 
to  have  been  written  originally  in  Hebrew,  but 
WiJs  probably  soon  translated  for  the  use  of  the 
Alexandrian  Jews.  For  the  most  part  it  tells 
its  tale  with  a  fairly  sustained  dignity,  without 
exaggeration,  and  few  can  read  the  narrative 
of  the  heroic  resistance  of  Jlattathias  and  his 
sons  to  the  insane  tyranny  of  Antiochus  (chaps. 
1  and  2)  without  feeling  their  hearts  glow  with- 
in them.  There  is  no  intermixture  of  matter 
clearly  legendary,  as  in  the  second  book,  and 
the  narrative  seems  to  have  been  based,  as  it 
professes  to  be,  on  "  the  chronicles  of  the  priest- 
hood" (16  :  24).  If  we  feel  distrust  anywhere, 
it  is  where  tlie  writer  professes  to  gi\(^  actual 
copies  of  the  official  documents  that  had  pas.sed 
in  the  negotiations  between  the  Maecabitan 
chiefs  on  the  one  side  and  the  Kiinians  and 
Laceda'monians.  It  is  probable  enough  that 
some  such  negotiations  were  carried  on,  and 
chap.  8  cannot  fail  to  be  read  with  interest,  as 
recording  the  first  din'Ct  contact  between  the 
gn^at  world-iiowcr  of  the  West  and  the  race  of 
Abraham,  and  giving  the  impressiotis  made 
upon  the  mind  of  the  Jews  by  the  power  and 
simplicity  of  the  Roman  government,  in  which 
"  none  wore  a  crown  or  was  clothed  with  pur- 
ple to  be  magnified  thereby"  (8  :  U)  ;  but  the 


8ECTI0K 


THE  APOCRYPnAL    WRITINGS  AND  JUDAISM. 


G29 


style  of  the  letter  purporting  to  come  from  the 
Roman  senate  is  not  that  of  the  official  docii- 
nieuts  of  the  republic,  and  we  can  hardly  be- 
lieve that,  even  in  the  degenerate  days  which 
had  then  fallen  upon  Sparta,  tlie  Ijaceda-monians 
■would  distinctlj-  admit  that  they  and  the  Jews 
wei-e  brethren,  and  that  both  had  come  out  of 
the  stock  of  Abraham  (12  :  21). 

2  MiimihecK.  We  come  here  upon  a  book  of 
a  very  different  and  inferior  stamp.  The  writer 
professes  to  base  his  narrative  upon  a  larger 
work  by  Jason  of  Cyrene,  in  five  books  (2  :  23) 
— an  indication,  we  may  note  in  passing,  that 
the  Jews  had  alread}'  found  their  way  to  West- 
ern Africa.  As  Cyrene,  like  Alexandria,  was 
distinctly  a  Greek  colony,  it  was  probable,  in 
the  nature  of  the  case,  that  both  the  original 
work  and  tlie  epitome  were  written  in  that  lan- 
guage. The  real  beginning  of  the  narrative 
does  not  meet  us  till  chap.  3:19,  and  the  actual 
opening  of  the  book  takes  the  form  of  an  en- 
cyclical letter  from  the  Jews  at  Jerusalem  to 
their  brethren  in  Egypt.  The  letter  bears  every 
mark  of  being  spurious,  and  gives  in  a  strange- 
ly incoherent  way  a  scries  of  legends  as  to  the 
death  of  Antiochus  Epiplianes  (1  :  1-16),  the 
celebration  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  by 
Nehemiah,  and  the  miraculous  appearance  of  a 
flame  after  he  had  poured  water  on  the  stones 
of  the  altar  (1  :  20-36).  It  then  goes  back  to  a 
remoter  past,  and  tells  how  Jeremiah  had  as- 
cended "  the  mountain  where  Moses  climbed 
up  and  saw  the  heritage  of  God,"  carrying  (!!) 
the  tabernacle  (!),  the  ark,  and  the  altar  of  in- 
cense, and  hid  them  in  the  cave  (3  :  1-8) ;  then 
turns  to  the  dedication  of  the  Temple,  and  Sol- 
omon, and  the  formation  of  a  sacred  librarj-  bj- 
Nehemiah  (2  :  9-14).  All  this  is  brought  before 
us  with  a  strange  incoherence  and  confusion  ; 
then  follows  the  notice  of  Jason  of  Cyrene  ; 
and  in  chap.  3  we  enter  on  the  real  narrative. 
In  part,  as  has  been  seen,  it  covers  the  same 
ground  as  the  first  book.  Its  narrative  is,  how- 
ever, more  highly  colored.  The  story  of  martyr- 
doms, as  in  the  cases  of  Eleazar  and  the  seven 
brothers  (chaps.  6,  7),  is  related  with  more  cir- 
cumstantial fulness.  Ileliodorus,  in  his  outrage 
on  the  Temple,  sees  a  vision  of  a  "  horse  with  a 
terrible  rider,"  is  smitten  for  a  time  with  blind- 
ness, and  then  repents  and  offers  sacrifice 
(3  :  24-35).  Horsemen  are  seen  in  the  air,  in 
cloth  of  gold,  and  armed  with  lances,  over  the 
streets  of  Jerusalem  (5  : 1,  2).  Antiochus  is  smit- 
ten of  God,  and  eaten  with  worms  (9  : 1-12) ; 
and  he  too  repents,  and  makes  a  vow,  and  re- 
calls his  persecuting  edicts.  Judas  Maccabajus 
sees  in  a  vision  the  high  priest  Onias,  and  with 


him  "  a  man  with  gray  hairs,  and  exceeding 
glorious,"  who  is  declared  to  be  Jeremiah,  the 
prophet  of  God,  who  "  prayeth  much  for  the 
people  and  the  holy  city"  (15:12,  13).  All 
this  indicates  the  probability  that  the  book  was 
written  to  meet  the  demand  for  the  marvellous, 
which  was  not  satisfied  by  the  simple  record  of 
the  first  book,  and  places  it,  as  a  history,  on  a 
far  lower  level.     Bible  Educator. 

Tim  ApocrypJml  Writings  and  Judaism. 

From  the  period  succeeding  the  return  from 
the  Exile  to  the  Alexandrian  period,  roughly 
speaking,  about  a  century  intervened.  This 
interval,  which  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  a 
histor}-  in  the  true  sense,  nor  a  literature  of  its 
own.  was  the  formative  period  of  the  nation  iu 
its  new  circumstances.  Its  certain  outcome,  as 
apparent  in  the  next  period,  was  something 
quite  different  from  what  had  preceded  it  in 
what  may  be  called  Old  Testament  times.  In 
reliyious  literature  its  outcouie  was  the  Apocry- 
pha and  the  Pseudepigraphic  writings  ;  in  re- 
ligion and  life,  that  new  direction  which,  in 
distinction  to  that  of  the  Old  Testament,  is  best 
characterized  as  Judaism,  which  iu  its  full  de- 
velopment we  know  as  traditionalism  and  rab- 
binism.  And  yet,  in  or  near  to  a  period  the 
outcome  of  which  is  admittedly  so  different,  a 
certain  school  of  critics  would  have  us  place  a 
large  portion  of  the  legislation,  and  of  the  his- 
torical and  didactic,  if  not  the  prophetic  writ- 
ings of  the  Old  T(;stament  1 

Israel,  emerging  on  the  other  side  the  Baby- 
lonian flood,  appears  not  as  Israel,  but  as  the 
Jews.  And  of  this  their  later  literature  bears 
ample  evidence.  We  have  here  to  reckon  with 
three  different  tendencies.  We  notice,  first, 
the  working  of  the  old  spirit,  which  in  due 
time  would  appear  as  traditionalism  and  rab- 
binism.  This  means  reaction.  Next,  we  have 
the  new  spirit,  which  in  due  time  would  appear 
as  Hellenism.  This  means  renewal  and  re-for- 
mation. Lastly,  we  have  the  ideal  spirit,  which, 
grasping  the  great  hope  of  the  future  and  of 
the  Messianic  kingdom,  would  in  due  time  ap- 
pear either  as  Jewish  nationalism — in  the  great 
nationalist  party  (or  in  close  connection  with 
it) — or  else  as  a  pure  apocalypticism.  But  as 
yet  these  three  tendencies  laj'  in  great  measure 
unseparated  in  the  chaos  over  which  the  spirit 
of  the  future  was  brooding — waiting  till  out- 
ward events  would  differentiate  them. 

Two  centuries  had  passed  since  the  return 
from  Babylon.  At  the  end  of  them  we  find 
ourselves  suddenly  in  the  midst  of  a  new-born 
activity  in  religious  literature.     We  have  sug- 


G30 


THE  APOCRYPnAL  WRTrmOS  AND  JUDAISM. 


gestcd  this  as  possibly  tho  period  of  the  final 
redaction — not  composition — of  some,  though 
perhaps  not  of  all  tho  youngest  portions  in 
the  Old  Testament  canon.  The  new  literature 
springs  forth  in  Palestine,  but  chiefly  in  Alex- 
andria. It  is  debased  in  literary  character, 
chiefly  imitative  of  the  Old  Testament  writings, 
and  as  wo  wovdd  naturally  have  expected  of 
tho  youngest  portions  among  them,  so  that  one 
might  almost  infer  the  comparative  lateness  of 
an  Old  Testament  book  from  its  imitation  by 
one  or  more  of  the  Apocrypha.  The  Apocrypha 
themselves  mark  their  line  of  separation  from 
the  canonical  books.  The  distinction  in  favor 
of  the  Old  Testament  is  fully  vindicated,  the 
more  closely  we  examine  the  teaching  of  the 
Apocrypha.  Tlie  presentation  of  the  Divine 
Being  is  no  longer  as  in  the  Old  Testament. 
Sometimes  it  is  Grecian  in  its  form,  a.s  chiefly 
in  the  Book  of  Wisdom,  and,  in  minor  degree, 
in  some  portions  of  Ecclesiasticus  ;  in  other 
books,  as  in  Judith  and  Baruch,  it  is  Judaic, 
narrow  and  nationalistic  ;  while  in  Tobit  we 
have  almost  the  later  rabbinic  view  of  the  pro- 
pitiation of  God  by  alms.  Similar  remarks 
apply  to  the  presentation  of  the  doctrines  of 
creation  and  of  providence.  As  regards  the  doc- 
trine of  angels,  the  Apocrypha  have  much 
more  dcve'oped  teaching,  which  in  the  case  of 
Tobit  descends  to  the  low  level  of  superstition. 
As  nught  be  expected,  both  Grecianism  and 
Hebrewism  appear  even  more  markedly  in  what 
such  books  as  Wisdom  and  Ecclesiasticus  have 
to  tell  \is  of  man.  The  pre-existence  of  the 
soul,  and  its  fall  and  degradation  through  its 
connection  with  the  body,  arc  taught  side  by 
side  with  ».  reluctant  and  almost  solitary  refer- 
ence to  the  fall  of  man  as  presented  in  the 
Bible.  But  of  the  doctrine  of  original  sin,  as 
fully  exitressed  in  the  New  Testament,  the 
Apocrypha,  as  Rabbinism,  have  nothing  to  tell 
us.  In  regard  to  moral  duties,  the  tone  of  the 
Book  of  Proverbs  is  now  ab.soiutel}'  secuIarizcKi. 
A  respectable  religiosity  and  a  sort  of  com- 
mon-sense decency  take  the  place  of  fervor  of 
love  and  entireness  of  devotion.  Reward  in 
this  life,  or  at  most  either  in  the  Messianic 
world  or  in  the  life  to  come,  arc  the  leading 
motives  ;  cxternalism  of  work,  rather  than  deep 
inward  spiritual  views,  characterizes  the  right- 
eousness described.  By  the  side  of  this  we  lind 
in  tho  Apocrypha  of  Grecian  cast  (Wisdom  and 
partly  Ecclesiasticus)  a  classification  of  the  vir- 
tues after  tho  philosophic  model  ;  while  the 
Judaic  Apocrypha  (Judith  and  Tobit)  represent 
on  many  points  a  low  standard,  not  only  in  tlie 
story  of  Judith,  but  generally  in  regard  to  the 


relation  between  man  and  God.  In  Ecclesiasti- 
cus we  find  throughout  a  twofold,  somewhat 
incompatible  direction — the  Hellenistic  by  the 
side  of  the  Judaic.  This  strange  eclecticism 
may  have  been  due  to  tlu^  original  autlior  of 
tli(^  book,  or,  as  .seems  mon^  likely,  been  intro- 
duced by  the  translator. 

As  regards  the  "  after  death,"  the  character- 
istics of  the  Grecian  Apocrypha,  already  noted, 
once  more  appear.  Ecclesiasticus  is  not  only 
less  pronounced  on  these  subjects  than  some  of 
the  canonical  books,  but  is,  to  say  the  least, 
strangely  silent  on  the  "after  death."  The 
Book  of  WLsdom,  while  acknowledging  the 
inunortality  of  tlu'  .soul  and  the  judgment,  so 
systiinatically  ignores  the  resurrection  of  tho 
body  as  to  lead  to  the  inference  of  its  denial. 
The  same  may  even  more  strongly  be  predicat- 
ed of  1  Maccabees,  which,  indeed,  has  been  re- 
garded a.s  representing  the  views  of  the  Saddu- 
cees  ;  while  2  Maccabees,  in  this  respect,  mark- 
edly reproduces  the  views  of  the  Pharisees.  In 
reference  to  the  Messianic  liope,  we  can  only 
say  that  its  jjcrsonal  asiicct,  as  regards  the  Ales- 
siah,  if  present  at  all,  recedes  behind  that  of 
Israelitish,  national  prospects.  Of  these,  alike 
in  the  anti-Gentile  sense  and  in  the  exaltation 
of  Israel,  there  is  the  fullest  anticipation. 

Thus  we  have  in  the  Apocrypha — which,  as 
already  stated,  must  be  regarded  as  embodying 
the  outcome  of  the  previous  period — a  marked 
divergence,  on  all  main  points,  from  the  lines 
followed  in  the  canonical  books  of  tho  Old  Tes- 
tament. The  latter,  as  has  been  well  remarked, 
led  up  to  the  manger  of  Bethlehem  ;  the  Apoc- 
rj'pha  may,  as  regards  dogmatic  views,  be  con- 
sidiTcd  only  a  kind  of  preface  to  later  Judaism. 
Tlie  religion  of  the  Old  Testament  was  that  of 
the  great  prophetic'  future  ;  the  religion  and 
hope  of  the  Apocrypha  are  of  the  Israelitish 
past,  wliich  vaingloriously  seeks  in  the  future 
a  realization  commensurate  to  its  past  disap- 
pointment. The  hope  of  tho  Old  Testament 
centred  in  the  Pei-son  of  tho  ilessiah  ;  that  of 
the  Apocrypha,  in  the  nation  of  the  Jews.  It 
is  Judaism  and  the  synagogue  with  which  we 
have  henceforth  to  do.  But  not  thither  hml 
the  finger  of  prophecy  pointed.  Not  to  the 
Jews,  but  to  the  spiritual  Israel  ;  not  to  the 
synagogue,  but  to  the  Church,  belonged  the  in- 
heritance of  tho  promises  and  the  future  of  the 
world.     A.  E. 

Tlie  Paeudcpigraphic  Writings. 

The  so-called  Pscudepigraphic  writings  take 
ui>,  anil  further  develop  in  a  peculiar  direction, 
tho  predictions  of   the  Old  Testament  ;    they 


SECTION  72.     THE  PSEUDEPIORAPIIIC   WRITINGS. 


631 


present  them  in  visions  of  the  future,  shaped 
in  that  peculiar  imagery  and  language  whieh 
we  call  apocalyptic  ;  and  they  do  so.  not  as 
the  outcome  of  the  inferences  or  speculations 
of  their  writers,  but  .as  bringing  direct  commu- 
nications from  Heaven,  connected  with  such 
names  as  Enoch,  Moses,  Isaiah,  Baruch,  or  Solo- 
mon. This,  however,  with  notable  exceptions  ; 
since  perhaps  the  most  interesting  of  these 
books  is  that  which  embodies  the  so-called  Sibyl- 
line Oracles. 

This  describes  one  agpect  of  these  writings. 
Another  is  tlieir  intensely  Jewish  character — 
not  merely  as  .setting  forth  the  advantages  and 
the  future  bliss  of  Israel,  but  in  tlieir  refer- 
ences to  the  nations  of  the  world  ;  either  horta- 
tory— we  might  almost  call  it  missionary — or 
else  denunciatory  :  sometimes  scornful,  but  al- 
ways triumphant  in  tone.  There  are  other 
tendencies,  and  of  a  party  character,  in  these 
writings — mostly,  as  it  seems  to  me,  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  Pharisaic  direction.  Some  of  them 
are  certainly  of  Hellenist  origin — that  is,  thej' 
were  the  work  not  only  of  Western  .Jews,  but 
are  the  outcome  of  Hellenist  thought.  But 
even  those  which  may  be  regarded  as  springing 
from  the  soil  of  Palestine  have  not  a  Pharisaic 
cast.  On  the  contrary,  they  all  breathe,  more 
or  less,  the  new  spirit.  This  is  very  remarka- 
ble, and  bears  witness  to  the  fact  that,  with  all 
its  parade  and  pomp  of  Messianic  assertion,  tra- 
ditionalism and  rabbinism  had  no  heart  for  and 
very  little  synipathj' with  the  great  Messianic 
hope  of  Israel.  Theirs  was  another  and,  in 
many  respects,  antagonistic  direction,  in  which 
the  Messiah  could  only  bear  the  part  of  a  politi- 
cal deliverer.  Yet  another  noteworthy  point, 
of  a  different  character,  may  here  be  mentioned. 
All  the  canonical  books  of  the  Old  Testament 
have  come  down  to  us  in  Hebrew  or  Chaldee. 
But,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Apocrypha,  none  of 
the  pseudepigraphic  writings  have  been  pre- 
served in  that  language,  although  some  of 
them  were  no  doubt  written  in  the  tongue  of 
Palestine.  We  iiave  them  either  in  the  Greek, 
or  else  in  Ethiopic,  in  Latin,  or  other  version. 
This  also  forms  a  line  of  ilemarcation,  not  to  be 
cjuite  ignored  liy  those  who  would  dispute  the 
canonieity  of  some  of  the  Old  Testament  writ- 
ings. 

The  pseudepigraphic  writings  cover  the 
period-frora  about  170  before  to  about  90  after 
Christ.  Those  preserved  to  us  are  eight  in 
num.ber  :  The  Book  of  Enoch,  the  Sibylline 
Oracles,  the  Psalter  of  Solomon,  Little  Genesis, 
4th  Esdnus  (our  2d  Esdras),  the  Ascension  and 
Vision  of  Isaiah,  the  Assumption  of  Moses,  and 


the  Apocalypse  of  Baruch.  Although,  in  their 
present  form,  some  of  them  contain  interpolat- 
ed portions  of  a  much  later  date,  they  are  all 
deeply  interesting  and  instructive  ;  for,  first, 
they  give  us  an  insight  into  the  thoughts  and 
expectations  of  the  time — away  from  Pharisa- 
ism, Sadducecism  and  Essenism.  Secondly, 
thej'  present  to  us  the  continuance  of  the  great 
Messianic  hope.  If  certain  of  the  Apocrypha, 
such  as  the  story  of  the  Maccabees  or  of  Judith, 
would  to  the  old  Jewish  world  have  been  what 
Foxe's  "  Book  of  Martyrs"  is  to  many  of  us, 
some  of  those  visions  of  Israel  and  of  the  king- 
dom may  have  been  eagerly  read  in  Israel  as  a 
kind  of  apocalyptic  "  Pilgrim's  Progress." 

Probably  the  oldest  of  them  is  the  so-called 
Book  of  Enoch,  numbering  108  chapters.  It 
consists,  besides  a  prologue  and  an  epilogue, 
of  tive  portions,  giving  an  account  of  the  fall 
of  the  angels,  of  Enoch's  rapt  journeys  through 
heaven  and  earth,  together  with  certain  apoca- 
lyptic portions  about  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
and  the  advent  of  the  Messiah.  The  oldest 
part  of  it  is  supposed  to  date  from  about  150 
B.C.  ;  the  second  oldest  from  the  time  of  Heroil 
the  Great  ;  tht^  date  of  the  others  cannot  be 
fixed. 

The  Sibylline  Oracles,  in  Greek  hexame- 
ters, consist  in  their  present  form  of  twelve 
books.  They  are  full  of  interpolations — the 
really  ancient  portions  forming  part  of  the  first 
two  books,  and  the  largest  part  of  book  iii. 
{verses  97-807).  These  sections  are  deeply  im- 
bued with  the  Messianic  spirit.  They  date 
from  about  140  before  our  era,  while  another 
small  portion  of  the  same  book  is  supposed  to 
date  from  the  3'ear  33  B.C. 

The  small  collection  known  as  the  Psalter 
of  Solomon  consists  of  eighteen  psalms,  and 
probably  dates  from  more  than  half  a  century 
before  our  era.  The  work,  which  I  regard  as 
fragmentary,  breathes  ardent  Messianic  expect- 
ancy. 

Little  Genesis,  or  the  Book  of  Jubilees,  dates 
probably  from  about  the  time  of  Christ.  It  is 
a  kind  of  supplement  to  the  Book  of  Genesis, 
and  breathes  a  strong  anti-Roman  spirit. 

Prom  about  the  same  time,  or  a  little  earlier, 
dates  the  so-called  Assumption  of  Moses — un- 
fortunately only  a  fragment  of  twelve  chap- 
ters. It  consists  of  an  historical  and  an  apoca- 
lyptic portion,  and  is  strongly  anti- Pharisaic 
in  spirit,  especially  as  regards  purifications. 
This  is  very  remarkable  ;  nor  is  it  less  interest- 
ing to  find  that  this  is  one  of  the  works  from 
which  Jude  quotes  (verse  9),  the  other  being 
the  Book  of  Enoch  (verses  14,  15). 


632 


THE  SEPTUAGINT. 


On  the  other  h:iml,  there  are  two  of  the 
Pscu<.iepiKrai)liii  which  hear  evuieiit  reference 
to  the  writings  of  Paul,  Uoth  of  them  date 
after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  ;  but  the 
Apocalj'pse  of  Haruch  is  i>roI)al)ly  older  than 
4  Esdras  (our  apocryphal  3  Esdras).  The 
Apocalypse  of  IJaruch  is  also  unfortunately 
not  (|uite  comi)letc.  It  consists  of  eighty-seven 
chapters.  Our  interest  is  stirred  by  noticing 
how  closely  some  of  its  teacliinu;  runs  alongside 
that  of  Paid — either  controversially,  as  in  re- 
gard to  the  doctrine  of  justification,  oreoneilia- 
lorily  and  intermediately,  sis  in  regard  to  the 
consequences  of  the  fall  in  original  guilt  ;  or 
imitatively,  as  in  regard  to  the  resurrection  of 
the  body.  If  the  author  of  the  Apocalypse 
of  Baruch  must  have  read  the  Epistles  of 
Paul  to  the  Romans  and  the  First  to  the  Corin- 
thians, the  intlueuce  of  Pauline  teaching  ap- 
pears even  more  strongly,  almost  exaggerated- 
ly, in  tlic  statements  of  4  Esdras  in  regard  to 
the  fall  and  original  sin. 

Lastly,  among  these  works,  we  have  to  men- 
tion the  so-called  Ascension  and  Vision  of  Isaiah, 
describing  the  martyrdom  of  the  prophet,  and 
containing  certain  apocalyptic  jiortions  about 
what  he  saw  in  heaven.  Althougli  based  on  an 
older  .Icwish  document,  the  book  is  chiefly  of 
C'hristian  heretical  authorship. 

Such  are  the  monuments  left  us  of  the  an- 
cient apocalyptic — or,  as  from  their  assumption 
of  spurious  authorship  it  is  called,  pseudepi- 
graphic — literature.  Its  interest  is  threefold. 
1.  Historical.  They  set  before  us  another  di- 
rection tlian  either  in  the  Apocrypha  or  in  Hel- 
lenism. As  previously  stated,  the  Apocrypha 
are  either  historical — including  the;  legendary — 
or  else  philosojihizing.  They  carry  us  back  to 
the  glories  of  Judaism,  or  else  seek  to  reconcile 
it  with  present  thouglit  and  philosophy — 
which,  indeed,  is  the  final  object  of  Hellenism. 
But  this  apocalyptic  literature  represents  a 
quite  diflerent  tendency.  It  lays,  so  to  speak, 
one  hand  on  the  Old  Testament  hope,  while 
with  the  other  it  gropes  after  tlie  fulfilment  in 
that  dim  future  of  whicli  it  seeks  to  pierce  the 
gloom.  2.  The  Pseudcpigrapha  are  of  theo- 
logical interest  as  showing  what  the  Jews  be- 
'fore  and  about  the  time  of  Christ — or  at  least 
one  si'ction  of  them — were  expecting  concern- 
ing the  Messiah  and  Jlessiiinic  times.  One 
miglit  indeed  long  to  know  something  more  of 
the  personal  views  and  feeling.s  of  yet  another 
class — that  represented  in  New  Testament  his- 
tory by  such  names  as  Zacharias,  Elizabeth, 
Anna,  Simeon,  and  even  Joseph  and  the  Virgin 
Mother.     But  beyond  the  thought  that  their 


steadfast  gaze  was  bent  on  the  eastern  sky, 
where  sure  i)ropheey  tauglit  them  that  the  Sun 
of  Uighteousness  would  rise,  we  have  not  the 
means  of  associating  with  them  anything  more 
definite  than  intense,  simple  and  receptive  ex- 
pectancy. 3.  Yet  another,  and  oidy  in  one 
sense  inferior,  interest  attaclies  to  these  writ- 
ings. AVe  may  designate  it  as  e.xegetical.  For 
if  these  books  represent  the  symlxilism  and  the 
form  in  which  apocalyptic  thoughts  presented 
themselves  to  a  large  portion  of  the  Jewish 
people,  it  will  readily  be  understood  that 
knowledge  of  it  must  also  be  of  great  impor- 
tance in  the  study  of  the  apocalyptic  portions 
of  the  New  Testament — not,  indeed,  an  regards 
the  substance,  but  the  form  and  imagery  of 
them.     Ederslieiiii. 

[For  a  general  account  of  the  teaching  of 
these  writings  concerning  the  Messiah  and  the 
Slessiauic  kingdom,  tlie  reader  is  referred  to 
Dr.  Edersheim's  vohuue  entitled  "  Philosophy 
and  History  in  Relation  to  the  Messiah,"  from 
which  the  preceding  summaries  are  taken.     B.] 

The  Septiiiiginl. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  whole  course  of  the 
Jewish  annals  more  remarkalile  than  tlie  series 
of  events  which  led  to  the  preparation  of  the 
Greek  version  of  the  Old  Testament.  What 
that  work  has  accomplished  in  the  diffusion  of 
revealed  truth  through  the  world  no  human 
mind  can  ever  estimate.  How  the  way  of  the 
Lord  was  prepared  by  it,  how  it  laid  the  foun- 
dations on  which  Christianit_v  itself  built  up  its 
higher  and  fuller  communications,  we  can  never 
perfectly  describe,  although  the  fact  that  it  to 
a  large  extent  superseded  the  Hebrew  Bible, 
and  was  for  a  considerable  period  the  sacred 
volume  of  the  C'hristian  Church,  must  l)e  suffi- 
cient, to  .show  that  it  was  a  chosen  instrument 
of  Divine  providence  in  the  work  of  liuman 
salvation.  Dr.  Stanley  remarks  :  "  It  was  not 
the  original  Hebrew,  but  the  Septuagint  trans- 
lation through  which  the  religious  triiths  of 
Judaism  became  known  to  the  Greek  and  the 
Roman.  It  was  the  Septuagint  which  was 
the  Bible  of  the  Evangelists  and  Ajiostles  in 
the  first  century,  and  of  the  Christian  Church 
for  the  first  age  of  its  existence,  which  is  still 
the  only  recognized  aiuhorized  text  of  the 
Eastern  Church,  and  the  basis  of  the  oidy  au- 
thorized text  of  the  Latin  Church.  Widely  as 
it  differs  from  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  in  form. 
in  substance,  in  chronology,  in  language  ;  un- 
equal, imperfect,  grotesque  as  are  its  render- 
ings, it  hiis,  nevertheless,  through  large  periods 
of  ecclesiastical  history,  rivalled,  if  not  super- 


SECTIOX  72.    IXTERMITTED  IXSPIRATION  AXD  ITS  SIGNIFICANCE.    633 


sedcd,  those  Scriptures  themselves. ' '  The  prob- 
ability is  that  the  version  originated  quite  nat- 
urally from  the  requirements  of  the  Jews  in 
Alexandria,  as  the}'  adopted  tlie  Greek  lan- 
guage, and  became  less  familiar  witli  Hebrew 
and  Chaldee.     Bedford. 

Ill  tcrmitted  Inspiration — Its  Causes  and  Signifi- 
eanee. 

Of  all  tlie  historical  periods,  the  four  centu- 
ries intervening  between  the  close  of  the  Old 
Testament  inspiration  and  the  birth  of  Christ 
seem  to  be  the  most  obscure,  and  to  have  the 
least  significance.  Those  centuries  of  great 
sorrow,  of  national  sispiration,  of  unsurpassed 
heroism,  and  of  final  subjection  and  despair, 
are  passc'd  by  without  any  inspired  characteriza- 
tion. During  this  time  Palestine  had  emerged 
from  its  provincial  seclusion,  and  come  within 
the  whirl  of  the  struggles  of  the  great  nations. 

If  we  inquire  into  the  causes  of  the  cessation 
and  withdrawal  of  inspiration  during  tliis 
period,  it  will  be  easy  to  see  that  prominent 
among  them  is  that  the  necessity  no  longer  ex- 
isted. There  had  already  been  a  sufficient  Di- 
vine communication.  The  historj'  of  the  de- 
velopment of  the  Church  from  one  family,  and 
the  one  man  Abraham,  and  the  migration  from 
Egypt,  and  the  growth  into  a  kingdom,  and 
the  Exile,  and  the  Return,  had  been  fully 
given.  A  rich  psalmody,  by  which  the  ser- 
vants of  Jehovah  might  express  the  joy  and 
sorrow  of  the  soul,  had  been  produced.  The 
prophets  had  spoken,  and  had  so  minutely  de- 
scribed the  coming  of  Christ,  and  His  history 
and  ofiice,  that  even  the  manner  of  His  suffer- 
ings was  communicated  by  them  to  the  people. 
All  the  light  needed  for  instruction  and  reproof, 
and  for  the  awakening  of  hope,  had  been  fur- 
nished. Had  a  new  race  of  prophets  arisen, 
their  revelations  could  not  have  altered  either 
the  reception  given  to  our  Lord,  or  in  any  vital 
sense  have  been  an  improvement  upon  the  bold 
utterances  of  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Daniel,  and  the 
lesser  seers. 

Further,  it  was  during  this  time  that  the  Jew 
had  his  first  successful  opportunity  to  learn 
that  his  prosperity  did  not  depend  on  temporal 
glory.  The  brief  national  revival,  under  the 
Maccabsean  familj'.  is  a  striking  proof  of  the 
final  failure  of  patriotism  without  the  element 
of  religion.  We  must  sympathize  with  the  as- 
pirations of  the  aged  Jewish  priest  ilattathias, 
who  escaped,  with  his  five  sons,  John,  Simon, 
Judas,  Eleazar  and  Jonathan,  from  the  perse- 
cution in  Jerusalem,  and  dwelt  in  Modin.     He 


longed  for  deliverance  from  the  heel  of  the  for- 
eigner. His  ancestor,  Chasmon,  had  given  the 
Asmouican  name  to  the  family,  and  it  was  now 
the  hope  of  llattathias  that  one  of  his  sons,  at 
least,  might  restore  the  kingdom.  Judas  was 
the  leader.  He  was  as  brave  as  David  had  been. 
He  passed  into  history  as  Maccaba'us,  or  The 
Hammerer,  just  as,  later,  Charles  was  called 
Martel,  because  he  gave  the  death-blow  to  his 
foes  at  Tours.  The  reign  of  the  Maccabseans 
was  brilliant.  It  became  a  terror  to  the  sur- 
rounding nations.  But  it  was  political,  and  its 
inspiring  motives  were  purely  secular.  There 
was  no  great  moral  background  to  it  from  be- 
ginning to  end.  In  fact,  tliere  was  a  .secular- 
ization of  even  the  religious  worship  of  the 
people.  With  the  rulers  of  that  famil}',  the  re- 
vival of  Judaism  was  the  political  overthrow 
of  the  Greeks.  In  due  time  the  Romans  came, 
and  not  only  captured  the  countrj',  but  sup- 
ported on  the  throne  the  Herods,  a  family  which 
combined  all  the  corrupt  qualities  of  both  the 
Jewish  and  Roman  races. 

One  can  read  in  those  centuries  of  intennit- 
tent  inspiration  the  Divine  purpose  to  preserve 
a  remnant  of  the  sacred  people,  as  tlie  starting- 
point  of  a  new  dispensation,  in  spite  of  the  per- 
sistent attempts,  on  the  part  of  both  the  Ori- 
ental conquerors  and  the  Greeks,  to  blot  out 
the  worship  of  Jehovah.  One  would  naturally 
expect  that  if  the  Persians  did  not  complete 
the  overthrow  of  the  worship  of  Jehovah  iu 
Palestine,  the  Greeks  would  certainly  succeed. 
Their  culture  and  military  glory  would  be  like- 
ly to  captivate,  and  make  a  long-despondent 
people  look  in  other  directions  for  the  begin- 
nings of  a  more  hopeful  career.  But  this  rule, 
with  its  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  years  of 
persistent  effort  to  eradicate  the  worship  of 
God  and  substitute  the  mythology  of  Greece, 
proved  a  failure.  The  Jewish  people  were 
more  positive  monothcists  afterward  than  be- 
fore. With  all  their  infirmities,  with  their 
misreading  of  the  prophetic  Scriptures,  and 
with  their  realistic  interpretation  of  the  Mes- 
sianic predictions,  they  were  still  lovers  of  the 
Temple  service,  and  lived  in  hope  of  a  better 
time  for  the  old  faith  of  the  fathers.  There  is 
just  this  philosophy,  then,  underlying  the 
Greek  rule  :  the  Jew  was  a  Jew  still.  He  had 
faith,  often  mistaken  and  misguided,  in  Jeho- 
vah. No  enchanting  myth  from  beautiful 
Greece  had  any  charm  for  him.  He  wanted 
the  Greek,  with  all  his  splendid  history  and 
idealism,  awaj-.  He  was  ready  to  die.  but  not 
to  become  a  cultivated  pagan. 

When  we  remember  that  it  was  during  this 


634  INTKRMITTRI)  INSPIRATION  AND  ITS  SIGNIFICANCE. 

period  tliat  tlio  world's  soil  was  prepared  for  |  per.seeutioii,   swarmed   around   the  Mediterra- 


the  prnpii,i;alion  of  tlie  Gospel,  the  sigiiiljcanee 
of  tlie  interval  assumes  greater  force.  The 
Greek  language  beearac  the  vehicle  for  thought 
in  all  the  centres,  as  a  direct  result  of  Alexan- 
der's coiKiuests.  Alexandria  was  built  up  into 
a  strona;  Hellenistic  centre,  whence  went  out  in 


nean,  and  became  the  nuclei  of  the  Pauline  soci- 
eties, and  the  beginning  of  universal  Christian- 
ity. The  Jewish  nationality  passed  away  for- 
ever, and  paganism  had  proved  its  incapacity 
to  take  its  place.  It  was  a  universal  breaking 
up  of  the  old  soil,  and  its  full  preparation  for 


later  years  the  Septuagint  version  of  the  Old  ■  the  broadest  sowing  known  to  men.  whose  rip- 
Testament.    Jewish  colonies,  the  point  of  i)agan     est  harvest  we  have  not  yet  seen.     By.  ilumt. 


As  expressing  the  controlling  aim  and  jnirposc  of  this  volume,  we  herewith  present, 
in  part,  the  aduiirablo  Preface  of  Dr.  Henry  Cowlcs  to  his  volume  entitled  "Hebrew 
History."  Our  large  citations  from  Dr.  Cowlcs  in  nearly  all  the  volumes  of  the  Bible- 
Work  (with  his  full  permission,  given  many  years  ago)  indicate  our  high  estimate  of  the 
exceeding  and  permanent  worth  of  his  thorough  and  life-long  studies  ui)on  the  entire 
Word  of  God.      B. 

"  This  volume  presents  the  sacred  history  of  the  Hebrew  people  from  the  death  of 
Solomon  to  the  close  of  the  Old  Testament.  Its  special  objects  are — to  trace  the  hand 
of  God  in  this  history,  and  to  suggest  the  advancing  revelations  made  of  His  character 
and  moral  government  ;  to  develop  the  leading  human  characters,  and  the  significance 
of  the  great  historic  events  ;  to  explain  difficult  passages  ;  to  bring  out  the  connections 
between  sacred  and  profane  history,  in  order  both  to  illustrate  and  to  confirm  tlie  records 
of  Scripture  ;  to  place  the  history  of  the  Old  Testament  by  the  side  of  its  prophecy,  in 
order  to  infuse  into  the  history  somewhat  of  its  own  living  soul,  and  to  give  to  prophecy 
its  due  illustration  and  impression.  The  author's  aim  and  hope  have  been  to  stimulate 
and  aid  the  reading  of  these  historical  books  entire,  by  setting  forth  incidentally  the 
exquisite  beauty  of  its  narratives,  the  interest  of  its  historic  events,  and  its  great  wealth 
of  most  precious  truth — every  way  worthy  of  an  Author  truly  Divine.  All  history  is 
useful  in  so  far  as  it  makes  truthful  revelations  of  man's  doings  and  of  God's  agencies 
in  and  above  them  ;  how,  then,  does  it  behoove  us  to  honor  and  to  study  this  one 
unparalleled  history  in  which  the  relations  of  God  to  men  and  of  men  to  God  arc  traced 
with  God's  own  unerring  finger  !  ]Iow  rich  arc  we  in  having  one  tnodel  history  of 
which  we  know  that  God  Himself  is  the  Author  !" 


AUTHORS    CITED    AND    KEY    TO 
ABBREVIATIONS. 


J.  W.  A. 

A. 


Arwn. 


W^  J.  B. 


E.  C.  B. 
W.  G.  B 


Thomas  Adams,  1614. 
Catherine  Adorna. 
Henry  Ainsworth,  D.D.,  d.  1622. 
Rev.  Wm.  P.  Alcott. 
JamesW.  Alexander,  D.D.,ilia59. 
J.    Addison    Alexander,    D.D.,  d 
1S!«0. 

Bp.  William  Alexander. 

Henry  Allon,  D.D.,  d    1893. 
B|).  Lancelot  Audiewes.  d.  1626. 
Samuel  J.  Andrews,  D.D. 
An  Unknown  Writer. 
William  Arnot,  D.D.,  d.  187.5. 
Carl  August  Auberlen,  D.D. 


J.  Balguy,  D.D. 

S.  Baring-Gould,  D.D. 
Prof  P.  C.  Barker. 
Isaac  Barrow,  D.D.,  d.  1677. 
S.  C.Bartlett,  D.D. 
Richard  Baxter,  d.  1691. 
E.  Bayley.  D.D. 
Willis  J.  Beecher,  D.D. 
A.  J.  F.  Behrends,  D.D. 
N.  S.  S.  Beman.  D.D. 
W.  Benham,  D.D. 
Bible  Educator. 
T.  R.  Birks,  D.D. 
Edward  C.  Bissell,  D.D. 
William  G.  Blaikie.  D.D. 
Dr.  Blayney. 

Prof.  Francis  Bowen,  d.  1890. 
Rev.  Charles  Bradley,  d.  1871. 
Thomas  Brainerd,  D.D. 
Brit.  Quar.  British  Quarterly. 

Bp.  Phillips  Brooks. 

Thomas  Brooks,  d.  1683. 

Bp.  Geo.  Bull,  d.  1710. 

S.  Burnham.  D.D. 

E.  F.  Burr,  O.D. 

G.  S.  Burroughs,  D.D. 

Jeremiah  Ilurroughn,  d.  1646. 

N.  C.  Burt,  D.D.,  1S74. 

Horace  Bu»hnell,  D.D.,  d.  1876. 

J.  Glentworth  Butler,  D.D. 


H.  B. 
B. 


T.  C. 


B.  C. 
P.  C. 


H.  C. 


Dir.  B. 


A.  E. 
B.B.  E. 


J.  F. 
D.  F. 


George  W.  Cable. 

Rev.  Gordon  Calthrop. 

R.  S.  Candlish,  D.D.,d.  1873. 

Joseph  Caryl,  d.  1673. 

Thomas  Chalmers.  D.D.,  A.  1847. 

Wm.    W.    Champneys,    D.D.,   d 

1875. 
Adam  Clarke,  D.D.,  d.  1832. 
Rev.  W.  Clarkson. 
John  ClifTord,  D.D. 
Rev.  Elisha  Cole. 
Bible  (Speaker's)  Comment. 
Pulpit  Commentary. 
Eustace  R.  Conder,  D.D. 
Jtlaj.  F.  R.  Conder. 
Henry  Cowles,  D.D.,  d.  1881. 

Hebrew  History. 
Samuel  Cox,  D.D. 
Howard  Crosby,  D.D. 
Ralph  Cudworth,  DD.,  d.  1688. 


A.  D.  Davidson,  D.D. 

J.  Thain  Davidson,  D.D. 

John  De  Liefde. 

Dictionary  ol  Bible  ( ll'm.  Smith). 

S.  R.  Driver,  D.D. 

Prof.  Henry  Drummond. 

J.  W.  Dulles,  D.D. 

J.  E.  DwinelljD.D. 


Alfred   Edersheim,  D.D.,  d.  1889. 
Bela  B.   Edwards,  D.D.,   d    1844. 
Jonathan  Edwards,  D.D.,  d.  1758. 
James  Fells,  D.D. 
Rufus  Ellis,  D.D. 


Fred'k  W.  Farrar,  D.D. 
John  Foster,  d    1843 
Donald  Fraser.  D.D.,  d.  If92 
William  Fraser,  D.D.,  d.  1879. 


E.  L.  Garbett. 
Frederick  Gardiner,  D.D. 


AUTHORS  CITED,  AND  KKT  TO  ABIiRKVfATIOXS. 


E.  H.  G. 


E.  M.  G. 


\V.  H.  G. 


Bj>.  //. 


J.  H. 
H. 


M.  H. 


F.  D.  H. 


J.J. 


A.  V.  K. 


C.  n.  Ginxbiirs,  O.O. 
E.  H.  Gillett,  ]).l).,  il.  1873. 
11.  B.  Girdlestone,  D.I). 
Thomas  Gisborne,  d.  1S46, 
Francis  Godet,  D.D. 
Bp.  Harvey  Goodwin,  •!   l'*93. 
Edward  M.  Goulbiirn,  D.D. 
Richard  (;raves,  I). I).,  il.  IsiO. 
Wm.  Henry  Green,  I>.D. 
Hev.  J.  M.  Greene. 
William  Gurnall,  il    K>"'.' 
Thomas  (Juthrie,  1>.D.,  il.  1873. 


Robert  Ilaldane,  d.  1S4'.>. 
William  Hales,  l>.D.,  d.  1819. 
Rev.  J.  AV.  Haley. 

Bonk  of  Eslki  r. 
Robert  Hallam,  D.D. 
John  Hall,  D.D. 
Bi>.  Joseph  Hall,  d.  \6.V,. 
Robert  Hall,  D.D.,  d.  1831. 
Joseph  Hammond,  D.D. 

P>/1,  (\mivit'ntanj. 
John  Harris.  D.D.,  d   18.5G. 
Matthew  Henry,  D.D.,  d.  1T14 
Bp.  A.  C.  Hervey,  d.  1S91. 
Thomas  Hill,  1642. 
Roswell   D.   Hitchcock.   D.D.. 

1SS7. 
A.  A.  Hodge,  D.D. 
Mark  Hopkins,  D.D..  d.  ISST. 
M.  L.  Houghton. 

Xotcs  0)1  Kings,  etc. 
Rev.  T.  H.  Howat. 
John  Howe,  D.D. 
Rev.  A.  H.  Huizinga. 
Bp.  Frederick  D.  Huntington. 
Bp.  John  F.  Hnrst. 
Interior  (Chiair/o). 
Rev.  C.  H.  Irwin. 


T.  L. 
H.  P.  L. 


Bp.  John  Jackson,  d.  1885. 
Herrick  Johnson,  D.D. 
Joseph  D.  Jones,  D.D.,  d. 
John  Jortin,  D.D.,  d.  1770. 


J.  F.  Kcil,  D.D. 
John  Ker.  D.D.,  d.  1886. 
Benj.  Kennicott,  D.D.,  d.  1783. 
Rev.  Charles  Kingsley,  d.  1875. 
A.  F.  Kirkpatrick,  D.D. 
John  Kitto.  I>.D.,d.  18.54. 
F.  W.  Krummacher,  D.D.,  d.  1868. 
J.  H.  Kurtz,  D.D. 


A.  M. 


T.  M. 

J.  R.  M. 
VC.  M. 


O. 


J.  P.  rnnse.  D.D.,  d   1884. 
E.  A.  Lawrence,  D.D. 


J.  P. 
C.  H.  P 


P. 
A.  P. 


Stanley  Leathcs,  D.D. 

S'riu't lire  nf  the  O.'it  Testament. 
Tayler  Lewis,  LL.D.,  d.  1877. 
Wm.  H.  Lewis.  D.D.  1852 
Henry  P.  Liddon,  D.D.,  d.  1890. 
Wm.  Lowth,  D.D. 
J.  R.  Lumby,  D.D. 
Ciirn.  nn  Kiitgs. 

Martin  Luther,  d.  1546. 


Rev.  J.  A.  Macdonald. 
James  McCosh,  D.D. 
Rev.  A.  Slackey. 
Rev.  Alex.  Mackennal. 
Alexander  Maclareu,  D.D. 

.Semions  iitul  .'^tKd't'-s  in.  inaitij  voU.  and 
serials. 
G.  F.  Maclear,  D.D. 
Hugh  Macmillan,  D.D. 
S.  J.  MacPherson,  D.D. 
Thomas  Mantou,  d.  1007. 
William  Mason,  d.  1791. 
J.  R.  Miller,  D.D. 
W.  Milligan,  D.D. 

E:ijah. 
H.  H.  Oilman,  D.D.,  d.  1368. 
Prof.  O.  M.  Mitchell,  d.  1862. 
S.  S.  iMitchell,  D.D. 
Bp.  George  Moberly,  d.  1885. 


Sir  Isaac  Newton. 

Bp.  Thos.  Newton,  d.  178"2. 

Wm.  Newton,  D.D. 


Rev.  J.  Ogle. 

J.  Orr,  D.D. 

G.  F.  Ochler,  D.D. 

Howard  Osgood,  D.D. 

J.  F.  Osterwald,  D.D.,d.  1747. 

John  Owen,  D.D.,  d.  1683. 


E.  de  P. 


Joseph  Parker,  D.D. 
Chas.  H.  Parkhurst,  D.D. 
Bp.  Symon  Patrick,  A.  1707. 
William    W.    Pattou,    D.D.,    d. 

1890. 
Andrew  P.  Peabody,  D.D. 
Bp.  J.  J»  Stewart  Perowne. 
Austin  Phelps,  D.D.,d.  1^90. 
Studies  o/thf  Old  Tfttnmenl. 
A.  T.  Pierson,  D.l>. 
A.  W.  Pitzer.  D.D. 
E.  H.  Plumptre,  D.D.,  d.  1892. 
A.  D.  Pollock.  D.D. 
R.  S.  Pool. 

Matthew  Poole,  d.  1679. 
J.L.  Porter,  D.D.,  d.  1889. 
E.  Dc  Pressence,  D.D. 


AUTHORS  CITED,  AND  KEY  TO  ABBREVIATIONS. 


637 


A.R. 


F.  W.  R. 


S.B. 


R.  P.  S. 
P.  S. 


K.  S.  S. 


I.  T. 


John  Prideanx,  d.  16S0. 
John  Pulsford,  1857. 
Kev.  Philip  Pyle,  d.  1799. 


Alexander  Raleigh,  D.D.,  d.  \^>iO. 

Leopold  Ranke. 

George  Rawlinson,  U.D. 

Kings  of  lerael  and  Jutlah^  Coiiunentaru's. 

Kinqs,  Ezra,  Nehemiak,  Esther. 
R.  A.  Redford.  ]>.!). 
Frederick  W.  Robertson,  D.I>.,d. 

1K53. 
James  Robertson,  D.D, 
Stuart  Robinson,  I>.D.,  d.  1881. 
UenrF  Rogers. 
John  Ruskin. 


Bp<  Robert  Sanderson,  d.  1663. 

Prof.  A.  H.  Sayce. 

Philip  Schatr,  D.D. 

A.  F.  Schauffler,  D.D. 

Geo.  U.  Schodde.  D.D. 

Bev.  A.  L.  Simpson. 

A.  C.  Smith. 

C.  E.  Smith.  D.D. 

R.  Payne  Smith  D.D. 

Philip  Smith. 

Old  Test.  IIMorij. 

Robert  South,  D.D.d.  1716. 

Thomas  StHckhouse,D.D.,d.  1752. 

A.  P.  Stanley,  D.D.,  d.  1881. 

Richard  Salter  Storrs,  D.D. 

John  .Stoughton,  I>.D. 

Rev.  Hugh  Stowell,  d.  1865. 

Owen  Street,  D.D. 

A.  Symington,  U.D. 


Isaac  Taylor,  d.  ]8h5. 

Bp.  Jeremy  Taylor,  d.  1667. 

N.  W.  Taylor,  D.D.,  d.  1858. 


J.  V.  T 


S.  S.  T. 
R.  T. 


H.  C.  T. 


Van  0. 


T.  D.  W. 


Wm.  M.  Taylor,  D.D. 

Jesse  B.  Thomas,  D.D. 

A.  Thomson,  D.D. 

Chas.  jL.  Thompson,  D.D. 

Joseph    P.   Thompson,   D.D.,  d. 

1879. 
R.  U.  Thompson,  D.D. 
Abp.  Tillotson,  d.  16'.)4. 
Sunday  School  Times  {Phda.) 
Rev.  Reuben  Tinker. 
Rev.  Geo.  Townsend. 
U.  B.  Tristram,  D.I>. 
H.  Clay  Trumbull,  1>.I). 


C.  W.  Van  Develde,  1&54. 

J.  J.  Van  Oosterzee,  D.D.,  d.  1882. 

U.  Van  santwood. 

James  Vaughau,  D.D. 

E.  Venables.  D.D. 

JUarvin  R.  Vincent,  D.D. 

Alexander  Vinet,  D.D.,  d.  1847. 


Bp.  H.  W.  Warren,  D.D. 
Bp.  Richard  Watson,  d.  1816. 
Edward  Wells,  D.D.,  d.  1?27. 
Bp.  Brooke  Foss  Westcott. 
Chas.  White,  D.D. 

F.  Whitfield,  D.U. 
Sir  Chas.  Wilson. ^ 

Bp.  Thos.  Wilson,  d.  17.55. 
Prof.  Winchell. 
E.  C.  Wiues    D.D.,  d.  1879. 
J.  L.  Withrow,  D.D. 
Wm.  Wogau,  d.  1754. 
Theodore   D.  Woolsey,   D.D., 
1SS9. 

G.  F.  Wright,  D.D. 


Francis  N.  Zabriskie,  D.D.,  d.  1891. 
Rev.  J.  A.  Zahm. 


BURR    PRINTING    HOUSE,    FRAHKfORT    AND    JACOB   ST»,,    N.    V. 


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